Go Big Red: DCHS Weekly Message

Week 31: The "Ordinary Things"

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Decatur County Community High School

605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749

April 2, 2023 (Schedule at the bottom, Skip What You Want)

Follow us on Twitter at @DCHSREDDEVILS or

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Oberlin294/

Decatur community,

This week will be a first for me. Over the 26 years of my educational career, I have been to several out of town conferences, but I have never been to one during the school year. I have always reserved those trips for summer when there wasn't so much going on. Admittedly, it's got me in a bit of a rush and a bit stressed.

All of this rushing around has really got me busy, but it also has me feeling very nostalgic. It's going so fast, and there are some things I just don't want to end. To my fellow senior parents, treasure every second that you can of this last month of school, these final memories of childhood.

Today is April 2, Hans Christian Andersen's birthday. Perhaps a quote from him.

“The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.”

– Hans Christian Andersen

So true.

SHOUTOUTS

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Shoutout to Megan, Renee, Tabetha, and Vicki, our amazing kitchen staff. It was just three weeks ago that our kitchen staff had their visit from the State. Two State officials spent the entire day at our school watching our whole process, and I remember how nervous Vicki was. They ended the day with a great review, and it was commented that they were so impressed by the quality of the salad bar that is offered daily. It was mentioned that few schools this size have a salad bar with so many options. I love that our students can come back for more fruits and vegetables and that we let them choose. It would be easy to choose a fruit and a vegetable for them each day and put them directly on the tray, but our staff let our students choose. In a world where State lunch funding is tied to somewhat extreme restrictions, our staff handles it very well. .

Shoutout to Vo. Ag. teacher Jason Ketterl. I was in his class this past week and the students were highly engaged in the activity they were doing. The lesson had a competitive edge but was designed to make students work together and accomplish tasks, many difficult. A few examples were the 2 ft. marshmallow tower and the paper airplane that had to fly across the entire room three times in a row. There were some specific rules, but it was a fun class that the students enjoyed.

Shoutout to Vocal teacher Lisa Johnson. I was in Mrs. Johnson's class this past week and was highly impressed with the amount of transitions she used to keep her students engaged. There were physical warmups, vocal warmups, music reading, and group singing. There were a lot of skills on display in a short amount of time.

Shoutout to PE teacher Brandon Hardwick. Mr. Hardwick has added new curriculum this year in the health department, the first PE teacher that I have ever had come to me looking for new curriculum. Materials? Lot of PE teachers. Curriculum? First time. Also impressed by the student effort in his class this past week as they played ultimate frisbee and ultimate football. Every student participated. Heck, I even joined in for about 10 minutes.

Shoutout to Math teacher Gina Witt. When I was in Mrs. Witt's class I was just so impressed with how involved the students were and how willing they were to share their answers. I remember several times while teaching when the crickets ruled the room whenever I would ask a student to share something that put them out there. Her students were more than willing to give questions a go, even if they didn't quite know for sure.

Shoutout to AD Brandon Gehring and all of the staff and student workers at this past Friday's track meet. It was one of those days that started out with questioning whether you would even need a jacket. By the end, the wind had made the decision and the some as most had multiple layers of clothing and jackets on. Few activities require more manpower than a track meet, and this meet ran as smoothly as possible.

Shoutout to every member of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is a group of educators and professionals that have been meeting to discuss the potential of a school bond, and they have provided much needed input along the way. These people are volunteering, but they have shown that they care deeply about Oberlin and the future of our town and the schools.

Shoutout to all of the students that got up early last week to attend Cheer Tryouts, and congratulations to our 2023-2024 Cheer Squad:

9th: Bella Diederich

10th: Lizzy Weyeneth

11th: Rilley Lippelmann, Arika Marshall,

12th: Anna Freeman (Head Cheerleader), Cheyanna Hale, Addison Mathews, Dani Weyeneth

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Forensics Continues Success

Shoutout to the DCHS Forensic Team. The team now has 4 different members that have qualified for State Champs later this year: Weston Barnes, Keely Huff, Jordan Ruzicka, and Aidyn Witt. It should come as no surprise that the same crew that represented Mr. Green, Mr. Body, Professor Plum, and Mrs. White in Clue would also excel on the stage in Forensics. I anxiously await the end of the year for this talented group. Make sure to read the writeup on our Facebook Page.

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Journalism Students Creating Senior Spotlights

Shoutout to our DCHS Journalism staff. Here you see one example of the their DCHS Spotlights. The staff have been releasing them one student at a time, and you can see by the pictures, that they are doing a great job of telling the story of each student. There is an amazing write up that goes with each on our Facebook page. Be sure to check them all out!

Things You Should Know

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Facilities Survey

**PLEASE TAKE OUR FACILITIES SURVEY!**

https://forms.gle/ZUAXVqPBF9Reeoge6

Over the past several months, the USD 294 Board of Education and Facilities Steering Committee have been assessing our current facilities and planning for the future of our schools.

We all agree that our community’s ability to thrive depends on the quality of our schools, and facilities play a major role. Now is a pivotal time to make decisions that will lay the groundwork for the next 50 years.

It's no secret that our facilities have reached the end of their lifecycle. Many components do NOT meet current code and regulations, resulting in inefficiencies, safety hazards, and higher maintenance costs. More important, our children deserve a safe and accessible learning environment.

• LEARNING ENVIRONMENT - Many classrooms present barriers for student success, including poor temperature regulation, insufficient infrastructure for technology, and lack of space for group learning.

• AGING FACILITIES - The expected lifespan for a typical school building is 50 years. Once a facility reaches this age, its mechanical systems and structures need extensive renovations or to be replaced entirely. Both of our district buildings have exceeded that age. In addition, older buildings were not designed with sufficient safety and security measures.

We have been working with GMCN Architects and our construction manager, BD Construction, to research options and weigh the pros and cons. Now we need your input.

There are two options we are currently considering. (See graphic.) Both of these options would locate the elementary and high school together at the current high school site.

The solutions provide common sense designs giving the students of Decatur County fully updated facilities focused on creating the type of learning environment our students need to prepare them for future successes in whatever endeavor they choose. Once complete the school facilities will also be efficient, easy to maintain, safe, and accessible.

There are three ways you can give input:

1. Fill out the online survey here: https://forms.gle/ZUAXVqPBF9Reeoge6

2. Speak with a member on the Steering Committee directly

3. Pick up a paper copy of the survey at the district office

Please respond by Friday, April 14. We are currently looking to finalize our scope of work by June 1 for a September 2023 special bond election.

We look forward to hearing your advice.

Sincerely,

Community Members:

-Carrie Morford

-Angie Williby

-Erica Fortin

-Damon Andrews

-Derek Chambers

-Amanda Grafel

-Jeb Tally

-Gordon Pettibone

-Rachel Roe

-Jeni Henningson

-Megan Carter

-Ruth Miesner

-Mory Zodrow

-Sue Olson

-Garret McDougal

-Tony Bremenkamp

School Representatives:

-Brian Shaw

-Josh Williby

-Zach May

-Jolene Dempewolf

-Joel Applegate

-Jeremy Holloway

-Krickit Ketterl

-Brandon Gehring

You can find more information about the bond on the school district website under the "Bond Proposal" tab. The survey is also there. https://www.usd294facilities.org/

Planning for the Next 50 Years: Future-Proofing USD 294 Facilities

The USD 294 facilities steering committee would like your input on the options they're currently considering. Please submit your response by Friday, April 14.

forms.gle

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Early Release Wednesday

This year, there will be Early Release Days from school on the first Wednesday of the month. Teachers will meet together in teams, and it will give them some much needed time to meet together in groups, work on data, and plan for the following month.

This Wednesday, April 5th, students will be released from DCHS at 2:00.

GO BIG RED

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As I rush through this message today, as the year rushes by, I say we take these final weeks and remember just how extraordinary all of these "ordinary" things are.

Until next week,

Jeremy Holloway

Go Big Red!