Winter Newsletter 2025

November: 3rd, 10th, 17th

December: 1st, 8th, 15th

January: Student report to school every Monday

February: 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd

The 2025 Maxwell School Reunion was held Friday, August 1, at the Maxwell MS/HS in

conjunction with the Old Settlers Picnic. Classmates reminisced for an hour starting at 4:30 p.m.

Then a delicious meal, catered by Smokin’ Critters BBQ from Nevada was served by C-M

students Tanner and Kiernan Heaps, Steve Reisdorf and Reagan Peters.

One hundred five (105) alumni and guests attended. Out-of-state classmates were from

Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota.

Two $500 scholarships were awarded to Nathan Smith and Deegan Dirkx. Nathan will

attend Iowa State University and major in Engineering. He is entering Iowa State with 22 credit

hours. Deegan will also be attending Iowa State University and major in Apparel and

Merchandising with 9 hours of college credit.

One of our alumni, Bob Welch of the Class of 1954 then made a surprising

announcement. He gave each recipient an additional $500 to match the original amount. Bob

lives at Iowa Falls and has always supported Maxwell and our schools. He first started matching

scholarship funds in 2006.

Maxwell anniversary classes recognized were 1950, 75 years; 1955, 70 years; 1960, 65

years; 1965, 60 years; 1970, 55 years; 1975, 50 years; 1980, 45 years and C-M class of 2000, 25

years.

Our oldest classmate attending was Darrell Banks from the Class of 1950

The Grand Marshall of the parade will be Shirley Riekena McBride from the class of

1955. The king and queen will be Perry Robertson from the class of 1966 and Linda Hennick

Robertson from the class of 1968.

On behalf of the Maxwell American Legion, we also presented four quilts of valor. The

recipients were Darrell Banks, Class of 1950; Larry Scott and Wayne Sesker of the Class of

1952; and Ron Ratzlaff of the Class of 1965. Darrell was in the Army on special assignment to

the Air Force. Larry and Wayne were in the Army and Ron was in the Air Force

After a rousing rendition of the school fight song, the evening closed with the singing of

“God Bless America.” More reminiscing followed and a great time was had by all who attended.

Next year’s reunion will be Friday, 7 August and will again be held at the MS/HS.

Watch for information via email.

Jackie Tiffany Peters, Secretary

MHS Class of 1966

Junior High volleyball at the ISU game

We’re thrilled to announce that 17 talented high school students will be representing Collins Maxwell at the district speech competition on January 24! This marks a tremendous leap forward for our team — an increase of 10 students and three new performance categories compared to last year.

Our team will showcase their skills in four dynamic categories: choral reading, ensemble acting, one-act play, and group improv. Each performance promises creativity, collaboration, and a whole lot of heart.

Best of luck to our speech stars as they take the stage and make our school proud!

In October the preschool class took a field trip to Hickory Grove Park! We went on a discovery hike looking for acorns, caterpillars, and various other items in nature.

The Collins-Maxwell Spartan Cross-Country team had a very successful season! Our athletes worked extremely hard and all that hard work paid off throughout the season. They tallied 72 individual PR's from beginning of the season to the end. We set two new school records in the 5K! Jayden Peters ran an 18:51 to break her old record; and Malcolm Toornstra ran a 16:37 to set the new record. Our Girls team won the Iowa Star Conference Meet for the 7th straight year! The boys team finished 2nd place at the Iowa Star Conference Meet. Jayden and Malcolm were both individual conference champions! The Girls team qualified for state for the 3rd straight year, and Malcolm Toornstra qualified for state on the boys side. At state, the girls team finished in 9th place (our best team finish in Spartan history). Malcolm Finished in 58th place as a sophomore! We are so proud of all the athletes and all of their accomplishments this season!

The National Honor Society is collecting food items to help families in our community enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. The NHS is hoping to gather enough food to have 14 complete meals. Below are the items being collected. If you would like to donate and help the NHS reach their goal, you can drop items off at the MS/HS office. The National Honor Society appreciates your help with this project.

The National Honor Society planned a fun Red Ribbon Week for the students and staff at the MS/HS. The theme for this year's Red Ribbon Week was "Life is a Puzzle, Be Drug Free." The students and staff had different dress up days throughout the week and for Spartan Time each class was given three 100 piece puzzles to see which grade could put their puzzles together the fastest. The Juniors won!

Tuesday - "Be Drug Free" wear red

Wednesday - "Drugs Don't Fit a Healthy Lifestyle" wear mismatched clothes

Thursday - "Live Every Stage of Life Drug Free" Seniors: senior citizens. Juniors: Soccer Mom/BBQ Dad. Sophomores: Frat/Sorority/College Life. Freshmen: Toddlers. Middle School: Babies. Staff Angel or Devil (Death)

Friday - "Scare Drugs Away" - Costumes (Happy Halloween)

The National Honor Society would like to thank everyone who tried and who were able to donate at our Fall Blood Drive. We had 3 first time donors and were able to save or sustain up to 42 lives.

We Need Your Help!

The CTE (Career and Technical Education) teachers are putting together an Advisory Council for their department. The purpose of this council is to provide guidance for the CTE department on what classes they should be offering, helping them stay up to date with market trends in all areas of CTE (Ag, FCS and Business), to be a sounding board for the department to share what they are doing and for the committee to share what they think the teachers could do to improve, and to help be a lead to possible guest speakers or field trip opportunities. The Council will be made up of business/industry professionals, parents, students, teachers and administrators. We will meet two times a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. Our next meeting is December 8, 2025 from 5-6pm in Mrs. Coffelt’s room. If you are interested in filling one of the roles we need and be apart of this Advisory Council please click on this link to sign up or contact Cody Coffelt at 515-387-1115 or by email at ccoffelt@collins-maxwell.k12.ia.us or join us on December 8th!

Thank you,

CTE Staff: Garrett Meitner, Mary Kate Russell and Cody Coffelt

8th grade ELA - We have been busy reading and writing narrative stories. Currently, we are reading and studying the classic, The Outsiders. This is a favorite novel study for many students. The students are also writing and illustrating their own children's stories. In January, we will share these with the younger students at the elementary.

English 9 - Students have been busy learning the basics of writing a formal essay. They have composed argumentative essays on both sides of the argument about Iowa's cell phone ban in schools. Soon, they will begin studying William Shakespeare's classic, Romeo and Juliet, and will be deciding if it is a love story or a tragedy.

English 11 - This class has been studying literature from the beginning of our country. The read early American writings, as well as pieces from the Dark Romanticism era (think Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne). Next, they studied Transcendentalism. We will then proceed into the 20th century (Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men).

Composition - The seniors have been busy preparing their writing skills tailored to their post-high school plans, whether that be joining the workforce, attending trade school, or enrolling in college. Second semester they will switch their focus to reading and literature.

We want to make sure everyone knows about Nevada Food at First. They are a volunteer organization that will deliver free hot meals that are ready to eat on Monday and Thursday evenings at the Elementary, MS/HS, and at the Rolling Hills Mobile Home Park north of Maxwell.

All you need to do is fill out the following form by 2:00 on any Monday or Thursday: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScu8KKuJKl2fbIRnUSLQvQuOpLyHK1a_4YNzfDIDxQjPLRqdg/viewform

To order the 2025-2026 yearbook, click the following links to order online right from Jostens. (HS book $55, PreK-8 $25)

High School Yearbook

PreK-8 Yearbook

School Breakfast is served from 7:00-8:00 in both the Elementary & MS/HS. Breakfast is $2.15.

The CM District has several job positions open. Please use the link below to apply.

https://www.applitrack.com/collinsmaxwell/onlineapp/default.aspx

Reminder: If you have not yet paid your student(s) textbook fee, payments can be made online through your Infinite Campus account or at either the Elementary or MS/HS office.

K-12th Grade Textbook Fee: $50

Adult - $85

Family - $250 (up to 5 members)

Students - $60

Membership to the MS/HS Weight Room available to purchase as a single or family membership. If you have questions regarding the membership please contact Kim Hinton at khinton@collins-maxwell.k12.ia.us or 515-387-1115.

Costs:

Single: $200

Family: $250 (up to 2 members)

College Students for Summer: $50

Key Fob Fee: $20 per card (one time fee)

https://ia.varsitybound.com/

November

Nov. 1st: State Cross County

Nov. 3rd: No School

Nov. 4th: Parent/Teacher Conferences 4pm-8pm

Nov. 5th: CM Athletic Booster Meeting @ Maxwell 6pm

Nov. 6th: Parent/Teacher Conferences 4pm-8pm

Nov. 8th: Variety Show @ Maxwell 6pm

Nov. 10th: No School

Nov. 17th: No School; V Girls Wrestling @ Nevada 5:30pm; Iowa Star Conference Choir Festival @ Riceville 7pm

Nov. 18th: JH Girls Basketball @ BCLUW 4:15pm

Nov. 19th: Collins-Maxwell School Board Meeting @ Maxwell 6pm

Nov. 20th: JH Girls Basketball @ Collins 4:30pm

Nov. 22nd: JV/V Girls Wrestling @ Nevada 9am-5pm

Nov. 24th: JH Girls Basketball @ Grand View 4:30pm; V Girls Basketball @ Maxwell 6pm

Nov. 25th: JH Boys Wrestling @ Saydel 4:30pm

Nov. 26th: Early Dismissal @ 1:30pm

Nov. 27th-28th: No School Thanksgiving Break

December

Dec. 1st: No School; JH Girls Basketball @ Meskwaki 4:30pm

Dec. 2nd: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ BCLUW 4pm; JH Boys Wrestling @ Gilbert 4:30pm; JH Girls Basketball @ Collins 4:30pm

Dec. 4th: Elementary Winter Concert; V/JV Boys Wrestling @ Knoxville 5:30pm

Dec. 5th: V Boys Basketball @ Maxwell 6:30pm

Dec. 6th: V Girls Wrestling @ BGM 9am-2pm; V Boys Wrestling @ Dallas Center 10am-6pm; Maxwell Winter Market @ MS/HS 11am-3pm

Dec. 8th: No School; JH Boys Wrestling @ Colfax-Mingo 4:15; JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Maxwell 4:30pm

Dec. 9th: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Col-NESCO 4:00pm; JH Girls Basketball @ Collins 4:30pm; V Girls Wrestling @ Eagle Grove 5pm

Dec. 11th: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Ankeny Christian 4:30pm; JV/V Boys Wrestling @ Maxwell 5:30pm

Dec. 12th: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Maxwell 4:00pm; JH Boys Wrestling @ Nevada 4:30; JH Girls Basketball @ Collins 4:30pm

Dec. 13th: V Girls Wrestling @ Valley High 10am-4pm

Dec. 15th:No School

Dec. 16th: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ GMG 4:00pm; JH Girls Basketball @ GMG 4:30pm; V Girls Wrestling @ Nevada 5:30pm

Dec. 17th: Collins-Maxwell School Board Meeting @ Maxwell 6pm

Dec. 18th: MS/HS Winter Concert; V/JV Boys Wrestling @ PCM 5:30pm

Dec. 19th: End of 2nd Qtr/1st Semester; JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Baxter 4pm; JH Boys Wrestling @ West Marshall 4:15pm

Dec. 20th: V Girls Wrestling @ Boon 9am; V Boys Wrestling @ Iowa Falls 10am

Dec. 22nd – Jan. 2nd: No School Winter Break

January

Jan. 2nd: No School; V/JV Girls Wrestling @ Osage 10am

Jan. 5th: JV/V Boys Wrestling @ Nevada 5:30pm

Jan. 6th: JV/V Girls/Boys Wrestling @ Gilbert 5pm; JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Saydel 5:30pm

Jan. 8th: V Girls Wrestling @ Nevada 5:30pm; JV/V Boys Basketball @ Twin Cedars 6pm

Jan. 10th: V Boys Wrestling @ PCM 9am

Jan. 12th: JV/V Girls Basketball @ Maxwell 6pm; V Girls Wrestling @ West Fork 6pm

Jan. 13th: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Maxwell 4pm; JH Boys Basketball @ Collins 4:30pm; V/JV Boys Wrestling @ Clear Lake 5:30pm

Jan. 15th: JH Boys Basketball @ Zearing 4:30pm; V/JV Bosy Wrestling @ West Marshall 5:30pm

Jan. 16th: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Maxwell 4pm; V Girls Wrestling @ Perry 5pm

Jan. 17th: JV/V Boys Wrestling @ ADM 9am; V Girls Wrestling @ Northwest High School 10am

Jan. 19th: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Martensdale-St. Marys 6pm

Jan. 20th: JH Girls Wrestling @ Ames Middle School 4pm; JH Bosy Basketball @ GMG 4:15; V Boys Basketball @ Valley Lutheran 6:30pm

Jan. 21st: Collins-Maxwell School Board Meeting @ Maxwell 6pm

Jan. 22nd: JH Boys Basketball @ Meskwaki 4:30pm

Jan. 23rd: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Maxwell 4pm; JH Girls Wrestling @ Colfax-Mingo 4:15pm; V Girls/Boys Wrestling @ Saydel 5pm

Jan. 26th: JH Girls Wrestling @ Bondurant 4:15pm

Jan. 27th: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ North Tama 4pm; JH Girls Wrestling @ Riverbend Middle School 4:15pm

Jan. 29th: JH Boys Basketball @ Collins 4:30pm; V/JV Boys Wrestling @ Nevada 5:30pm

Jan. 30th: JV/V Girls/Boys Basketball @ Maxwell 4pm

Jan. 31st: V/JV Boys Wrestling @ Nevada 10am

Did you know there is an Infinite Campus Parent Portal App? With the app you can see your students grades, attendance, missing assignments, fee, lunch money, etc. We encourage all Elementary and MS/HS parents to get the app.

The Collins-Maxwell Community School District offers career and technical programs in the following service areas: Agriculture, Business, Family and Consumer Science (Culinary Arts). It is the policy of the Collins-Maxwell Community School District not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its education programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy please contact the district's Equity Coordinator, Lori Fricke, MS/HS Principal, 400 Metcalf St, Maxwell IA 50161, 515-387-1115, lfricke@collins-maxwell.k12.ia.us.

Email: secretary@collins-maxwell.k12.ia.us
Website: collins-maxwell.k12.ia.us
Location: 400 Metcalf Street, Maxwell IA 50161
Phone: 515-387-1115
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Collins-Maxwell-Middle-High-School-1668926333377062/