Decatur County Community High School

605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749

April 9, 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,

Happy Easter!

Prior to becoming a principal, I was a history teacher, and as such, I am definitely one that analyzes the past to help us learn and prepare for our future. I mean, there's really a history teacher in all of us. Parents take their past experiences and use them to help guide their students through life. Children take the lessons they learn growing up ("Watch out for cars"/"Don't touch that stove"), learning from their own history to shape their future.

Bare with me on this tiny history lesson and skip along if you'd rather (I'll bold it to make it easy), but this week in April has always stood out to me, so much significant history stuffed into one week, so much reflecting and learning, even with many of the things that I see happening in the world today. The dates may not be chronological, but that's okay. I always referred to it as "That Week in April."

April 12th

1945: On this day, Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away. The only president to be elected more than twice, Roosevelt was elected 4 times, dying shortly into his 4th term. Roosevelt will forever be remembered as the US leader that represented us against Hitler and will be linked to WWII. It was only after his passing that an amendment would be passed to limit presidential terms to a max of 2. One man had become almost too relied upon.

1861: The first shots of the deadliest war in our US history were fired on this day. Ft. Sumter, an island fort off of the coast of South Carolina was the signal of the beginning of the US Civil War. Though there were no casualties during the fighting during the Battle of Ft. Sumter, the Civil War is still the deadliest war in our history, near 3% of the population of that time a direct casualty of war.

April 14 &15

I cannot help but link these two dates together.

1865: It was late in the evening of April the 14th when Abraham Lincoln was sitting next to his wife inside a balcony box at Ford's Theater. John Wilkes Booth approached behind him during the performance of Our American Cousin and shot him in the back of his head. Lincoln was dead for all intents and purposes, but it was not until the morning of the 15th that he was officially pronounced dead.

1911: I often wonder if there were any history buffs that were on board the Titanic that may have been making the connection to Lincoln. I am sure there were few if any, but in the last hour of April 14th, 46 years after Lincoln, the Titanic hit an iceberg in middle of the Atlantic. The damage was done on the 14th, but it wasn't until almost 3 hours later on the 15th that the ship plunged to the bottom of the ocean.

April 9th

1865: It was almost exactly 4 years after the Civil War began that it came to an end. Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, sat down in the home of a man named Wilmer McLean and signed the treaty that would officially end the war. It occurred in a small town in western Virginia by the name of Appomattox Court House.

It's one heck of a week in April, and it always reminds me every year of my own past, my experiences, and how the people around me and the choices I made shaped my future.

Parents, maybe take this week in April and make it one to share your experiences with your students and discuss where they are and what their plans are. How are they looking to finish the year? Are they ready for State Assessments? Rekindle a nostalgic memory from way back in your own "that week in April," share in the present, and plan for the future.

State assessments start this week. Every year, students across the state take the Kansas State Assessments in the months of March, April, and May.

7th and 8th grade students will be taking the ELA and Math assessments, the 8th grade with the test-trifecta of adding Science as well.

Sophomore students will be taking the English and Math State Assessments and junior students will be taking the Science State Assessments.

High school students in the state of Kansas are tested only once throughout their high school careers in each of the core content areas. Scores are always compared to other schools throughout the state.

Parents, take the time to talk to your students about giving their best effort on these tests. Individually, each student's scores are private and only seen by teachers, but collectively as a group, the scores are shared and there is a DCHS score.

Every question can make a difference. It is through assessments like these that educators can learn these things:

1. How well are we teaching the state curriculum?

2. What are we teaching well?

3. What are the areas that we need to improve?

4. What are the individual strengths and weaknesses of each student based off their personal scores?

All of these questions are important and keep us moving forward. However, they are only valuable if we truly believe that students gave their best effort.

April 12-13: English

April 18-19: Math

April 24: Science

Makeups will can be made up through the month of April.

**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/

Happy Easter!

Until next week,

Jeremy Holloway

Go Big Red!

Monday, April 10, 2023

No School

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

7:15-7:50 DCHS Singers' Practice

1:00 HS Golf @ Gooland

3:00 JH Track home

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

5:45-6:45 Booster Club Meeting

Thursday, April 13, 2023

7:30pm Pre-Festival Recital

Friday, April 14, 2023

3:00 HS Track @ Hill City

Saturday, April 15, 2023

Regional Music Festival Home

Speech @ Norton

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #2: And so It Begins

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #3:The Lights Return to Friday Nights

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #4: Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Present

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #5: Fall Homecoming

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #6: Picture Day

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #7: It Takes a Village

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #8: OctOberlin Begins

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #9: Undefeated

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #10: Mr. Lundquist’s Test

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #11: Happy Halloween!

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #12: Seussical the Musical

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #13: Firsts

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #14: Thankful

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #15: Let the Games Begin!

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #16: Snow Day!

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #17: ‘Tis the Season

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #18: ‘Twas the Week of Finals

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #19: Happy New Year!

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #20: A Knock at the Door

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #21: Naismith’s Game

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #22: 5 Day Week?

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #23: “The Monkey Is off Our Backs”

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #24: Bowl Week

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #25: Compute…..c-o-m-p-u-t-e…..Compute

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #26: Wrestlemania

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #27: What a Week!

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #28 Marching into Spring

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #29: The Home Stretch

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #30 Pieces of a Puzzle

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #31: The Ordinary Things

Go Red: DCHS Weekly Message Week #32: Easter Kicks off “That Week in April”

School Calendar

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