Decatur County Community High School
605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749
April 20, 2025 (Schedule at the bottom, Skip What You Want)
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Decatur community,
What a great Easter weekend it was. The weather was beautuiful, and the temperature tomorrow is supposed to be in the 80s. I was thinking back to last year and just how dreary Easter Sunday was, a totally different experience, one that was probably made possible by how Easter was almost three weeks earlier.
The temperature seems to looking up for the rest of the week, but April also appears to be ready to live up to the saying "April showers bring May flowers," and, out here in Western Kansas, let's toss in some May fields and crops as well.
Enjoy your Easter!
Shoutout to my secretary Melissa Dreher. This Wednesday is Administrative Professional's Day, and for a principal, there is no one more important than their secretary. Melissa is consistently at work every day, knows as much as anyone in the building about what is going on, and she makes my life so much easier on a daily basis. I appreciate so much her positive attitude and constant pleasant demeanor. Throughout my entire childhood, my mother was a secretary, and it was always apparent that she did a lot more than people gave her credit for, and I see that every day with Melissa. Thank you for everything that you do!
Shoutout to math teacher Tessa Anderson on sharing the news that she will become a mother next fall. Literally a month before she told me, I was having a conversation with my own wife about how there would probably be a year soon where Mrs. Anderson would be on maternity, and it ended up being as soon as it possibly could. Mrs. Anderson told the students last Friday, and I am so excited for her. As I get set to spend my last month with my youngest in school and a final real summer, it definitely makes me reflect. For me, I know that time will fly by, but, if it was anything like it was for my wife and I, it seemed like the months were years as waited for our first to arrive. Congratulations. She will be an amazing mother.
Shoutout to all of our substitute teachers. I feel the need to frequently mention just how fortunate we are to have such a seasoned and steady group of subs in our building, subs that were a huge part of DCHS for years prior and continue to be. Rhonda Barth, Tim Breth, Pat Dorshorst, Susan Nelson, and Jeanie Unger are in our building consistently each of them last week, and they continue to be an integral part of keeping the wheels moving. As I mentioned above, Mrs. Anderson is having a baby, and I already have Mrs. Dorshorst lined up for when that time comes. It's really hard to express just how important these teachers are.
Shoutout to Ms. Libby Fort. This past week, Ms. Fort went to a conference in Kansas City dealing with the after school program at OES and an inservice on state assessments in Hays. Next week, she will be traveling again, this time to California, once again for the after school program. She is a veteran teacher, but I love the way that she continues to grow professionally and do everything she can to help our students. She has taken on a lot, and, the great thing? She can handle it. I am excited to learn more about her endeavors, and I can't wait to see her put everything together.
Shoutout to OES teacher Samantha Gerbitz. Mrs. Gerbitz is the head of curriculum for the district, and she does an absolutely amazing job of researching all options. I have been so impressed by her professionalism, work ethic, and communication as we prepare to choose new ELA (English language arts) curriculum for the district.
Shoutout to freshman Quinn Ketterl and Sophomore Devyn Stagmeyer. This past Thursday, they participated in the YEC (Youth Entrepreneuership Challenge) in Manhattan. The girls did a great job and both looked very professional during the presentations. I haven't heard actual results yet.
Shoutout to each and every volunteer that helped with Reality U this past Wednesday. I will speak more about Reality U below, but it is made possible by community members, and we have some amazing community members. I mentioned before that I had done Reality U in Louisburg, but, even though there were far more people there, it was far easier to get people to help here in Oberlin. I sure hope that I got everyone, but thanks to all of these community members for helping out:
Jess Allen
Denton Bailey
Jeremy Bundgard
Jess Carter
Jesus Cepeda
Jolene Dempewolf
Sharee Dempewolf
Pat Dorshorst
Channing Fortin
Chantelle Fortin
Amanda Grafel
Chris Hackney
Jack Holloway
Iris Mastin
Zach May
Susan Nelson
Dusty Ozaeta
Tamera Rice
Rachel Roe
Brian Shaw
Sarah Shaw
Vicki Versailles
Michaela Wasson
Steve Zodrow
Reality U
Last Wednesday our 8th and 10th grade students participated in Reality U. For the second straight year, Atwood students came over to participate as well.
Reality U. is a simulation experience where students make real life decisions and see the effects of insurance, having children, and how much easier it is when you have a job that allows for you to make those things more comfortable.
They took a survey that asked them a variety of questions. They had to tell if they wanted to have kids, if they wanted to be married, and they had to choose a job. However, they also had to put in their current cumulative GPA. Based off of GPA, certain job choices were potentially eliminated from choosing. I even went back and double checked GPAs to make sure the accurate info. was put in. That did alter a few jobs students had.
When they showed up for the experience, students really didn't know what to expect. They were given a sheet that gave them the job they chose (if they put their GPA in correctly), a salary, and a credit score. Most then found out that they were paired with a spouse that they moved around with. The students had to go to 12 different stations, some more than once, to try and simulate a month and see what their life would look like.
The stations were all manned by local community members including Board members, small business owners, local banks, Chamber contacts, and even our senior class president and STUCO president. Having the community come in and be a part of our school for the day was perfect.
The feedback that I received from both students, community members, and the Reality U. Coordinator was overwhelmingly positive and it will continue to be something we will do on a yearly basis.
A special thanks to Dr. Patrick Sehl, who is credited with origninating Reality U, and Jacob Bentley who was our presenter this year. Sehl does not use the Dr. title, but much of the success of Reality U. is due to the way that he is able to present it to the students. He shares his own story of struggles and overcoming, ultimately ending with him getting his Doctorate from Princeton. He was a below average high school student that had no plans to attend college, but through the guidance of certain teachers and counselors, he ended up going to a junior college. His story provides hope and confidence to a large portion of students, and Jacob was able to relay a similar message this year.
Emergency Fund Table
Jess Carter and Denton Bailey handle the Emergency Fund table as 8th grade students Jenna Fuentes and Job Kliewer come through.
Decatur County Community Junior/Senior High School
Email: jholloway@usd294.org
Website: https://www.usd294.org/vnews/display.v/SEC/DCHS
Location: 605 East Commercial Street, Oberlin, KS, USA
Phone: 785-475-2231
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Decatur-Community-JrSr-High/372347636275932
Twitter: @DCHSREDDEVILS