Welnitz Becomes Chadron’s first FFA State Qualifier

Welnitz Becomes Chadron’s first FFA State Qualifier

Chadron high school FFA Chapter completed its first district competition held at Chadron State College on Wednesday. FFA chapters from around the panhandle competed in leadership skills events through public speaking.  Chadron sophomore Kane Welnitz placed second in junior public speaking with a speech titled “Counting Cows” discussing various challenges in the beef industry. Kane becomes Chadron’s first ever state qualifier for the newly formed FFA chapter. Kane will compete in the state FFA competition held in Lincoln in the spring.

Chadron FFA members also competing  Tate Cullars –Job interview receiving a red ribbon, Devin Mitchell – Extemporaneous speaking, Blue ribbon, Matt Dierskson -Extemporaneous speaking, red ribbon, Ag demonstration team- Emily Lewin, Alex Fritzler, Lane Jersild, Taylor Wild, red ribbon, Joe Cattin -Natural resources red Ribbon, Thurston Selby -Natural resources, red ribbon, Bucky Cattin –Creed speaking , white ribbon. Chadron FFA Chapter’s next completion will be held at WNCC on January 8^th with competitions centered around Livestock management, Welding, Ag sales and service and  Floriculture.

It's 'Turtle Time' in Advanced Biology

(Submitted by CHS student, Jayden Garrett)

On November 12th, students from Ms. Moore's Advanced Biology Class participated in a turtle dissection. 

To begin the dissection, the students pried off the shell with help from a scalpel. After the shell was removed, the internal organs were able to be observed. The students were able to remove the internal organs separately, leaving nothing more than an empty shell. Many students found the internal organs to be easily recognizable, making this a successful and interesting learning experience. Veronica Parish said, "Pulling the turtle's shell off was definitely an interesting experience, and the clarity of the turtle's organs made it super easy to identify them." Later, students determined whether their turtle was male or female. After observing their turtle further, students found that turtles lack teeth and instead have a sharp beak. 

This hands-on learning experience was thoroughly enjoyed by the class, and they hope to participate in another dissection in the near future.

Ogallala HS Sportsmanship Appreciated!

I thought I'd share the text of the letter I sent today to the administration at Ogallala High School, the North Platte Telegraph, and the Nebraska State Activities Association on behalf of our team and fans at the state volleyball tournament. The sportsmanship displayed by the members of the Ogallala HS band was very appreciated ... and honorable!

~ mr. mack

November 15, 2013

Re: Nebraska State Volleyball Showmanship

As high school administrators, we know how important it is to teach and model important values to students. On Thursday, November 14th, at the state high school volleyball tournament, we experienced such a value displayed in an amazing and heart-warming show of sportsmanship.

Due to travel distance and home activities, Chadron High School had only a small handful of students in attendance at our first round game against Kearney Catholic.  As the previous game ended (Ogallala vs Wayne),  the Ogallala High School band packed up and carried all of their instruments across the gym to play for the Chadron pre-game warm-ups.  Our fans know that Chadron and Ogallala share the same school song, as displayed at last week’s district final game between these two teams.

Not only our players, but our parents and fans were so excited to see this support from our Western Nebraska friends. The excitement and support between one school’s band and another team’s fans was memorable.  To further add to this special show of support, all of the Ogallala band members joined behind our small student section during the game with several Ogallala students leading cheers and chants for the Chadron team.

Unfortunately, our Chadron team lost the game but many of our fans plan to stay another day to cheer for Ogallala in the second round. As we write this letter we don’t know the outcome of the tournament, but we want the community of Ogallala and the State of Nebraska to know that more than players on a volleyball team will win at the state tournament.  The Ogallala High School band demonstrated how to win off the court.

From our school to yours … THANK YOU!

Good luck at the state tournament!  Go Indians!!!

Jerry Mack, Principal Andy Pope, Activities Director

Chadron High School Chadron High School

CHS One Act Performs Wizard of Oz

This weekend, the CHS One Act Team will have two performances of Wizard of Oz. The One Act Team will be competing at district (and hopefully state) in the Play Production contest. The contest consists of a single, 30-minute act performed by a full cast and set.

On Friday, November 15th - Two Options

• 6:00pm - $12  Dinner and the Performance (Lasagna, breadsticks, and salad)
• 7:30pm - $5  Performance Only

On Satruday, November 16th

• 4:00pm - $5  Performance Only

Tickets can be purchased at the HS Auditorium door prior to performances.  Dinner tickets can be purchased in advance at the HS Office or at the HS Commons prior to the meal.

           Wizard of Oz Cast

• Directors: Jill Paopao and Katy Dobry
• Time Length: 30 Minutes

• Dorothy:  Tavia Passero
• Witch of the North:  Alex Lutz
• Munchkins:  Tatyana Leija, Brittani Piontek, Skylar Roberts, Alison Gardener, and Danielle Johnson
• Scarecrow:  Jenny Van Vleet
• Tin Woodman:  Telli Morford
• Lion:  Logan Lembke
• Guardians of the Gate:  Ashley Trent and Aly Crow
• Oz:  Caston Stack
• Wicked Witch of the West:  Kodi Milburn
• Winkies:  Amanda Kolen, Cassie Sloan, Alyssa Noble, Ashlee Dodge, Greta Welch, and Alex Westerbuhr
• Winged Monkey King: Aaron Gaswick
• Winged Monkeys:  Julianne Dickerson and Kyla Parish
• Glinda:  Shay Chamberlain
• Crew:  Joe Cattin, Harlie Kennell, Veronica Parish, Miles Chasek, and Walt Mays

National Honor Society Inducts New Members

Congratulations to the newly inducted members of the CHS National Honor Society. The new members inducted Monday evening during the fall induction ceremony are: Trace Strotheide, Shay Chamberlain, Tatum Westemeier, Ashtyn Nelson, and Hannah Andersen. 

The Chadron High Chapter of NHS was first chartered in 1970. NHS is the oldest and largest organization of high school scholars in the nation. Fellow members of Chadron's chapter are: Liz Darnell (President), Aaron Gaswick (Vice President), Peyton Hinn (Secretary), Spencer Eliason (Treasurer), Alec Burk, Maaryn Davis, Kaylee Gaswick, Logan Lembke, Tavia Passero, Caston Stack, Veronica Parish, Alaina Riesen, Sara Tompkins, and Taylor Wild. Sponsors are Lorrie Bauer and Willie Uhing.

CPS District Video

Chadron Public Schools District Video

This video contains pictures and clips from all four district buildings. It was created as an introduction for our accreditation review team this November, but it's definitely worth sharing.  Enjoy!

Bull Frog Dissection in Advanced Biology

(The following article was written by CHS Student, Veronica Parish)

This week members of Ms. Moore's Advanced Biology Class participated in a lab dissecting frogs. The students had become familiar with the frogs' anatomy before they began dissecting. However, some of the students became rather jumpy once actual dissection took place. 

In pairs, students were allowed to cut open the ventral side of the frog and identify the frogs organs. Frogs and humans share many homologous structures and similar organ systems. Some students were surprised to find eggs in their apparently female frogs, others were surprised to find that their frog had recently eaten a meal. Two groups found crawfish in their frogs' stomachs, they were very recognizable due to the fact frogs eat their meals whole. 

Personally, I enjoy dissecting because I believe that hands on learning is extremely effective and I find it easier to learn. However, tough-boy TD Stein had a different opinion. "The frog lab was sad, stinky, and disgusting." Jayden Garrett strongly disagreed with TD, " The frog lab was a different approach to learning the anatomy of the frog. I thought it was interesting and beneficial!" 

Ms. Moore has more dissections to complete this semester and her class is looking forward to them.

CHS Volleyball In District Championship Game!

Congratulations to the Lady Cardinals for winning the C1-12 subdistrict volleyball tournament this week!

The Lady Cards will play Ogallala this Friday for the District Championship and automatic trip to the State Volleyball Tournament.  The District Championship game will take place at 6:00pm at Bayard High School.

Go Cardinals!!!

Educational Planning Grant Update

What are we doing with the money?
 
(Submitted by CHS Student Liaison, Carolyn Hinrichs)

You may be aware that Chadron High School is the recipient of a $20,000 EducationQuest grant. So, how has this impacted your student?

The goal of our Nebraska EducationQuest office is "to improve access to higher education."  CHS received a $20,000 gran ($5,000 over four years) to promote college readiness activities. I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how our students have benefitted:

1. Lunch 'n' Learn meetings. Students are invited for FREE pizza. They listen to a speaker talk about their educational/career experiences locally. Last year, we heard from the National Guard, Lorrie Hunn (Education), Rob Wahlstrom (Wahlstrom Ford), and Robin Bila (Counseling). So far this year, we've had Officer Chrisman and Lieutenant Hickstein (Police Department) UNL (Engineering Careers). Please encourage your student to listen to the announcements. On November 12, Matt and Senna Reeves will be visiting with students about careers in Finance and Entrepreneurship!
2. ALL of our sophomores are invited for a tour at CSC and FREE brunch. The main purpose of this event is to get students on a campus, so that they can picture themselves in that environment. We'll be taking 30 students on November 14th and another 30 on November 21st.
3. Students are invited to attend a day-long field trip to WNCC (Scottsbluff Campus). WNCC has a wide variety of opportunities, both for transfer programs and stand-alone degrees (such as LPN, Auto, or Welding). This field trip is scheduled for November 22nd.
4. We will have a meeting in the spring for parents of sophomores and juniors to learn more about the benefits of AP and dual credit courses. These options can save LOTS of money, and also provide students with an affordable jump start of their college career (often allowing them to graduate sooner). They also get a sense of confidence that they are capable of college-level work.
5. Seniors are welcome to come to the Guidance Office to complete a CSC or WNCC application if desired. I like students to see how easy it is to apply to a college, and we would gladly walk them through the process if desired.
6. Our Educational Planning Event was held on October 14th and most of our juniors and seniors attended. Have you asked them what they learned? What was a surprise? What schools are they learning towards right now?
7. Financial Aid Night is scheduled for January 14th at 6:30pm. This meeting is crucial for seniors and their parents (unless you have older students and are already familiar with the FAFSA process). The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the document necessary to apply for gift aid from the government. We'll be offering a FREE dinner prior to the meeting and will have guest speakers talk about how they financed their education.
8. As in years past, we will be inviting our previous students to visit with current high school students over their Christmas break. This FREE lunch meeting will probably be around January 9th and is generally very popular...it's fun for our students to reconnect with last year's graduates and get the 'real scoop' on college. Have your student listen to the announcements for the finalized date!
9. Last year, I took students to visit the Sidney campus of WNCC as well. Specialty programs at Sidney include: Cosmetology and Airframe Maintenance (airplanes). Please have your student see me if they'd like to make the trek again this year.
10. I've tried to get kids interested in a field trip to Kearney. I approached students last spring and again last month, and only had three students turn in paperwork. If your student would like to participate in a FREE trip to Kearney, please have them see me and I'll start a list.
11. We also do some good things that don't cost a dime! For example, we visit with each student individually regarding next year's schedule. We attempt to schedule your student for the classes that they need, according to their current plans. For example, if your student is headed for a health career, we'll push such classes as math, science, Psychology, Medical Terminology, Nutrition, and Basic Nursing. If your student is hands-on, we'll push Construction, Industrial Tech, Welding, Woods, etc. We will probably have next year's Course Handbook available online by February. Please take the time to look at it and have a visit with your child.