Decatur County Community High School
605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749
April 14, 2024 (Schedule at the bottom, Skip What You Want)
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Decatur community,
I have mentioned a few times that 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 children 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.
As a teacher, I always referred to the dates of April 8-15 as "That Week in April." Feel free to skip this history "micro-lesson," but I don't think I will ever have a year in my life that I don't take time to reflect on "That Week in April."
Today is April 14th, and I have always been amazed at the amount of significant events that happend in April:
-The first shots fired to begin the Civil War.
-The treaty signed to end the Civil War.
- The death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only president to serve more than two terms.
The two that stand out the most to me began on April 14th, and I can't help but link the two 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.
Yesterday at the Regional Music Festival, there were a variety of foods that Mrs. Tally prepared for the Hospitality Room, a room that is always filled with options. Tonight, I shall simply have spaghetti, but I can't help but think back to that April14th 112 years ago where unexpecting passengers had no idea that this would be their final menu:
- Filet mignons Lili
- Saute of chicken, Lyonnaise
- Vegetable marrow Farcie (Farsi)
- Lamb, mint sauce
- Roast duckling, applesauce
- Sirloin of beef, chateau potatoes
- Green peas, creamed carrots, boiled rice, Parmentier or boiled new potatoes
- Punch romaine
- Roast squab and cress
- Cold asparagus vinaigrette
- Pate de foie gras
- Celery
Dessert
- Waldorf pudding
- Peaches in chartreuse jelly
- Chocolate vanilla eclairs
- French ice cream
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? How did State Assessments go? Rekindle a nostalgic memory from way back in your own "That Week in April," share in the present, and plan for the future.
Shoutout to the DCHS Forensics team. We had more students qualify to for State this week, pushing the total to 5 members. Here are some words from Coach Witt:
"We have 5 state bound!!! Aidyn Witt and Jaden Capuzzo in IDA and Duet Acting; Keely Huff and Jordon Ruzicka in Duet Acting; Cheyanna Hale in Original Oration and Impromptu!!! Congratulations kids!!!"
Medaling...
Cheyanna and Jordon- 4th in IDA
Keely- 3rd in serious and 5th in Impromptu
Shoutout to all of the students that performed this past weekend in Regional Solo/Small Ensemble. I have mentioned before that one of my biggest regrets is that I never learned to play an instrument or tried out for the choir. I know just how nervous some of our students are when it comes time to perform, and I commend each of them for being able to get up in front of everyone and do their best. See the results below.
Shoutout to Mrs. Lisa Johnson, Mr. Brad Persinger, and Mrs. Jenny Tally. Though it's called Solo and Small Ensemble, there is nothing small about the event that we just had. They began arriving as early as 6:00 on Saturday morning, and the last Oberlin performer was at near 5:00. During that time, there were dozens of schools with hundreds of scored performances in the various events.
They will have Large Group Festival this week, and a State trip coming up in a few. I appreciate all that they have done.
Shoutout to Mrs. Jenny Tally for another amazing Hospitality Room. As always, it was a great treat for the judges, workers, and bus drivers. To all chipped in and provided desserts, I sampled every one!
Shoutout to the Lion's Club for working the concession stand. The Lion's Club continues to be such a valuable assest to the DCHS community. I hope our relationship continues to be a strong one for generations to come.
Shoutout to art teacher Anthony Marshall. I have absolutely loved having him on staff here at DCHS in the art room. The DCHS grad. has made his first year teaching at his high school alma mater a great one. He has really gotten the best out of his students which is evident in their work. The NWKL League Art show recently came to a close, with lots of Oberlin work on display. Here is a quote from Mr. Marshall:
"The League Art Show is finally done! We took about 150 pieces between K-12. I will have a separate post for the placers and honorable mentions! Congratulations OES, DCJHS, and DCHS on a wonderful show! All the pieces will make a second appearance at this years Open House in May. Come check them out in person then!"
See some of the pictures below and on Mr. Marshall's Red Devil Art Rooms.
DCHS Once Again Hosts the Regional Solo/Small Ensemble Music Festival this Saturday
The Regional Solo/Small Ensemble Festival did not disappoint. It was another great day filled with hundreds of performances, dozens of workers, and hundreds of guests flooding in and out of the building throughout the day. The students below all qualified for State with a 1 Rating in their genre:
Jack Holloway, bari sax solo
Kelsey Sheats, clarinet solo
Weston Barnes, alto sax solo
Cheyanna Hale, clarinet solo
Michaela Wasson, flute solo
DCHS Men’s Ensemble
Theo Butterfield, horn solo
Weston Barnes, vocal solo
DCHS Singers
Gage Williby, vocal solo
Michaela Wasson, vocal solo
Addison Mathews, vocal solo
Good luck!
The DCHS Singers Qualified for State
DCHS Singers: Cameo Counter, Addison Mathews, Michaela Wasson, Terence Wahrman, Sage Bryan, Tony Kuhlman, Weston Barnes, Theo Butterfield, Cheyanna Hale, Kelsey Sheats.
Well, that's going to do it for this week. The weather has shifted. Track season is actually starting to feel like track season, and, in a week in April that has several historcal, tradgic moments, we had several students qualify for State in many different activities.
Here in Oberlin, "That Week in April" doesn't seem so bad.
Until next week,
Jeremy Holloway
Red Devil Ready!
Monday, April 15, 2024
11th Grade Science Assessment
6:00 NHS Banquet in auditorium
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
DCHS English State Assessment 7th & 8th Grade
2:00 HS JV Golf @ Goodland
2:00 JH Track @ St. Francis
3:00 HS Track @ Plainville
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Cheer Tryouts
Thursday, April 18, 2024
7:00-8:00 AM Cheer Tryouts
State Large Group Festival
1:00 HS Golf @ Wheatland
1:00 JH Track @ Atwood
Friday, April 19, 2024
7:00-8:00 AM Cheer Tryouts
6:00: FFA Banquet
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Regional Forensics @ Holcomb
State Powerlifitng @ Claflin
9:00 HS Golf @ Atwood
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