Congratulations to Fort Calhoun Teacher, Kim Pace

The Omaha Chapter of Brigham Young University Alumni has selected Kimberly Pace, as a 2018 “Golden Apple” Award recipient. This student-nominated award is given annually to teachers who are inspiring, caring and academically demanding. Mattie Finch, who nominated Ms. Pace, said in her essay, “She has given me a new look on school and life…I can’t really express the impact that Ms. Pace has made on me and my fellow classmates.” Thank you Kim, we are lucky to have you here in Fort Calhoun.

 

Conference Art Show

Join us –

On Wednesday, April 18th Fort Calhoun will be hosting a conference art show. Students from Arlington, DC West, Syracuse, Ashland-Greenwood, Raymond Central, Platteview, and Fort Calhoun will be participating in the event. Students will be led through an art activity, and submit artwork into a juried show. The artwork will be on display in the high school auxiliary gym. The show is free, and open to the public from 12:30-3:00. Awards will be presented at 2:45.

Article and photo by Mr. HighHorse

Fort Calhoun Students Visit Autumn Pointe

“Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.”

The Freshman homeroom class continues its service to other with our 4th visit to Autumn Pointe this year. This was the first meet up in a while and the pen pals had lots to talk about. We look forward to one more visit before the end of the year to wrap up our great experience.

Words and pictures by Carole-Anne Crump

Local Students Headed to American Legion Auxiliary Girls State.

Local Students Headed to American Legion Auxiliary Girls State.
 
Zoe Fickbohm and Megan Rupp of Fort Calhoun have been selected to attend American Legion Auxiliary Cornhusker Girls State. Fickbohm and Rupp were selected based on their personal interview. They will study local, county and state government processes in this nonpartisan political learning experience. Every spring, the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Program provides approximately 25,000 young women with a hands-on educational opportunity designed to instruct tomorrow’s leaders in the privileges and duties of responsible citizenship. 
 
Delegates receive special instruction in parliamentary procedure and organize themselves into two mythical political parties. They then campaign, hold rallies, debate and ultimately vote to elect city, county and state officials. Once elected to office, delegates are sworn in and perform their prescribed duties. Citizens not elected to office are given appointments and visit the offices of their elected or appointed counterparts in actual state, county, and city government. 
 
Two outstanding citizens, known as “senators,” are selected at each of the 50 Girls State sessions held across the country to represent their state at American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation held in Washington D.C. in July. 
 
Founded in 1919, the American Legion Auxiliary is the world’s largest patriotic women’s service organization. With a membership of nearly 850,000, local Auxiliary units have a strong presence in more than 9,500 communities nationwide. The Auxiliary’s mission to serve veterans, their families and their communities is carried out through its hundreds of outreach programs delivered by its members, volunteers, and National Headquarters.
 

Art Students Enjoy Exhibition at Kaneko

A group of 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade students took a field trip to take in some art. Students observed the Scholastic State Art Exhibition currently on display at the Omaha Public Schools Teacher Administration Center building. The Scholastic State Art Exhibition is comprised of artwork from students all across the state of Nebraska. The group also made a stop at Kaneko in downtown Omaha to view the exhibition Light. The exhibition consisted of visual, educational, and interactive elements. 

 

Article and pictures by Carole-anne Crump

 

Celebrating Dr. Seuss’ Birthday

Fort Calhoun Elementary had a blast celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The theme this year was “kindness.” The week included some fun annual activities like dress up days, guest readers and door decorations. However, we also included some new activities like the kindness chain and kindness jar which both encouraged students to be mindful of all the kind acts they are doing every day. They also participated in making a kindness rock during their craft time. The assembly is always a fun way to end the week and this year’s event was no exception because it ended with a silly string fight. So Fun!​

“A person’s a person no matter how small.”

Artist in Residence at the Elementary

Students at Fort Calhoun Elementary participated in a fun art project recently. The PFE sponsored an Artist in Residence, Julia Noyes from UNL. The program involved the entire school and consisted of a curriculum-based art project developed and conducted by Julia. The students learned about the Pointillism style of painting, created by Georges Seurat in 1886, and took part in creating two murals to be displayed in the school. 

We want to thank the PFE and all their volunteers for hosting this event and Ace Hardware in Blair for donating the paint for the project.
 
Follow this link for more information about Pointillism http://www.pointillism-in-art.org/

 

Kindergarteners Encounter Wildlife

Students in Mrs. Clausen’s Kindergarten class got a fun treat last week. Wildlife Encounters from Gretna brought in several different animals for students to see up close. Presenter Kip Smith had an albino boa constrictor, a fennec fox, an orange hair tarantula, an African hedgehog and an alligator. He taught the students about their habitats, life spans, diet, age, gender, adaptations and other fun facts. The students loved it and they were very excited to see all the animals at their very own school!

 

The albino boa constrictor was named ‘Noodle’. We learned about how it finds food through its sense of smell through its tongue (it can smell left and right with its tongue!) and its ability to see heat! We also learned about how a snake’s tail is special and can vibrate/rattle its tail to scare away predators!

The African Hedgehog ‘Sonic’ was about 4 years old (it has a lifespan of 8-10 years). It uses scent camouflage because it has bad eyesight! When we tickled it, it curled up into a cute little ball! It felt pokey. The hedgehog is a burrowing animal and is an insectivore.

The orange hair tarantula has an exoskeleton. We couldn’t tough the tarantula because we didn’t want to hurt it because of this. We were able to see it climb up the presenter’s shirt because of its tiny claws on each of its 8 legs. We also learned about how it can flick its hair.

The alligator was missing a front leg. It had a genetic mutation and also had a deformed foot. It can move very fast! We were able to watch it move! The alligator opened its mouth but you can’t see down its throat! That is an adaptation it has! We also learned about the alligator’s 3rd eyelid and how it pulls its eyes under for protection. The alligator was about 17 years old. Alligators are unique in that their mother raises them for 2-3 years before leaving them. We also learned about the alligator’s skin. We were a little scared to feel the alligator but many were brave!

 

Pictures and article by Mae Clausen