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The Rocket

School District News February 25, 2016 ~ Vol. 11, Issue 12

WSS Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid EDDYVILLE, IA Permit #3

School Mission Statement: “Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Community School District will provide a quality education in which students become lifelong collaborative learners and innovative problem solvers in a global society."

Agri-Power FFA

Front (Row 1): Tayler Jones, Logan Street, CD Brinegar, Bri-ana VerSteegh, Haegen Boyer, TJ Sinnif, Advisor Pat Powers; (Row 2): Carter Roose, Maisie Hughes, Jason Pilcher, Evan Heinle, Clay Lathen, Conner Glosser, Lane Judy, Maddison Hughes; (Row 3): Jacob Taylor, Clay Snakenberg, Austin Angle; (Row 4): Lane Morrison, Dillon Howard, Sam Zimmerman, Da-kota Boyer, Jessie Fisher, Randie Richmond, Morgan Wells, Sarah Davidson, Johnathan Edge; (Row 5): Charlie Borger, Tyler Land-grebe, Kale Eveland, Rylie Lathen, Ryan Richmond, Lex Judy, Alex Brittain, Brandt Hughes; (Row 6): Michael Har-ter, Gabe Larkin, Wyatt Klein, Ryan Adams, DJ Stout, Austin Stewart; (Row 7): Emily Gosser, Grant Gingrich, Alan Angle.

The 2015-2016 Agri-Power FFA Officer Team is: Front- President Tayler Jones, Vice President Logan Street, Secretary CD Brinegar; Back - Co-Reporter Haegen Boyer, Treasurer Briana VerSteegh, Sentinel TJ Sinnif and Co-Reporter Claire Jager.

National FFA Week is February 20-27 Support your Local FFA Chapter!!!

"Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve."

3RD ANNUAL AGRI-POWER FFA

CONSIGNMENT SALE

When: Saturday, March 12, 2016.

Where:

Eddyville Raceway Park, located just north of

Eddyville on Merino Ave.

Consignments - all sizes and types of

farm machinery and equipment

To consign or to help, contact Justin Doyle

at 641-777-8343.

Proceeds help support the Agri-Power FFA Chapter.

During the first semester, Eddvyille-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Agri-Power FFA had a busy cal-endar. Many different members got involved with various activities, including soil judging, Mom’s Night Out, cooking Rocket Burgers at football games, the ice cream social, Punt-Pass-Kick, livestock judging at Kirkville, trap-shooting, Operation Shoebox, Farm Safety Day for elementary students, attending the National Convention (Louisville, Kentucky), their annual fruit/meat/cheese/Butter Braid sales, the November Turkey Dinner, and the FFA Food Drive/Basket Delivery. They kicked off the new year, with Dad’s Night Out and the free-throw contest. Currently, many members are working on completing and competing with their projects in various areas of SAE’s (Supervised Agricultural Experiences) and CDE’s (Career Development Events), and just hosted the FFA Sub-districts at EBF on February 15. The District CDE competition will be held in DeWitt on March 5, and FFA’s State Convention will be held in Ames, April 17-19. This next month brings the annual FFA Alumni Consignment Auction to be held on March 12. Other events coming up in March are the Farm Safety Poster contest, the annual EBF FFA Banquet with many awards being given out on the 18th, as well as the Service Auction. As the school year winds down, Agri-Power Members will have a tree give-away with elementary stu-dents, participate in cemetery clean-up, work the annual pig show in Oskaloosa, and place flags at Eddyville’s Highland Cemetery for the Memorial Day weekend. It will also be time to be prepping for all of the fair events; many projects will head to the Southern Iowa Fair in Os-kaloosa, and then on to the Iowa State Fair, where the chapter will again aspire for the honor of reigning as the supreme chapter to round out their summer and FFA year.

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The Rocket

Designed and Edited by Kathy Street, School Reporter

Send submissions to: rocketnewskathystreet@rocketsk12.org

Printed by Mid-America Publishing Corporation

Hampton, Iowa

View the Rocket Online:

www.rocketsk12.org

Under “Communicating” choose

“The ROCKET News”

“Nurse’s Office” at www.rocketsk12.org

Here you can find many informative postings:

School Exclusion List - A Reference Guide for Parents Regarding Illnesses;

Communicable Disease Chart; Flu Facts; Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease;

MRSA Fact Sheet; Varicella Fact Sheet, Immunization Certificate;

and Online Lingo

District Nurse Erin Hynick, BSN, RN

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Community School District

641-969-4281, ext 2231

641-969-5318 Fax erin.hynick@rocketsk12.org

“The Rocket” is

online, via the school

website at

www.rocketsk12.org

Under

“Communicating”

choose

“The ROCKET News”

Iowa Website and Hotline ~ these bullying and suicide prevention resources offer counseling help to young

people as well as tools and answers for adults.

http://yourlifeiowa.org

Need Help? Call 1-855-581-8111

(24 hours day/7 days a week)

DISTRICT VACANCIES

Please visit our website at www.rocketsk12.org to find current vacancies within the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Community School District. Choose the tab on the left side under District Personnel Information: *Job Postings*

This link will direct you to teachiowa.gov where you can view and apply.

YOU MAY ALSO CALL 969-1000 FOR CLOSING INFORMATION

WINTER WEATHER EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS FOR EDDYVILLE-BLAKESBURG-FREMONT SCHOOLS:

CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS & EARLY DISMISSALS ARE LISTED BELOW

RADIO STATIONS KBOE 740 AM & 104.9 FM KISS 107.5 FM KBIZ 1240 AM KTWA 92.7 FM KLEE 1480 AM KOTM 97.7 FM KIIC 96.7 FM KMGO 98.7 FM KIOA 93.3 FM KQLF 88.3 FM

TV STATIONS KTVO CHANNEL 3 KCCI CHANNEL 8 WHO CHANNEL 13 WOI CHANNEL 5 KYOU CHANNEL 15 KCRG CHANNEL 9 KDSM FOX 17

Eddyville Annual Easter Egg Hunt

When: Saturday, March 19th, at 1:00pm

Where: Eddyville Elementary School In case of rain or snow –

it will be on Saturday, March 26th.

C C Club (Eddyville’s Community Caring Club) invites all children to attend the

Easter Egg Hunt. You are never too young or old. There will be three age groups and

all children must hunt their own eggs without parental help.

Come join the hunt on

Saturday, March 19th

for candy, prizes

and maybe even the Easter Bunny!!

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SOAR Winners - Safety, Ownership, Attitude, Respect

(At Right) Fremont SOAR Winners for 2/12: Kdg Adam Nam; 1st Kiera Heady; 2nd Cooper Davis; 3rd Cadence Chaffin; 4th Mikel Matusick; 5th Sacara Golden; 6th Shyla VanSteenwyk.

(No Photo Available) Fremont SOAR Winners for 2/5: Kdg Baerdyn Gilburn; 1st Brieana Kleine; 2nd Landon Clary; 3rd Olivia Humble; 4th Nevaya Vandello; 5th Vanessa Blad; 6th Logan Boggs.

~Thank you to Mrs. Gutch for submitting these fun photos of her 2nd graders from Eddyville Elementary.

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Sugar is Sweet and our party was too! Valentines and treats galore, attempting to lick our own elbows

- who could want more???!!!

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EBF High School Honor Roll (1st Semester)

“A” Honor Roll 9th Grade: Jaydin Abernathy, Kendal Durst, Julia Fairchild, Kacie Flaig, Mazzi Hanson, Wyatt Klyn, Hannah Koellner, Anthony Lane, Grace Manternach, Hope Roberts, Shelby Seddon, Jacob Shepherd, Reina Taylor, Delanee VanZante, Maggie Voyles. 10th Grade: Torie Alexander, Emma Bunnell, Gracie DeLaCruz, Tylor Durbin, Adlynn Eveland, Payton Fry, Jace Glosser, Kathryn Gutch, Rylee Lobberecht, Harrison Mock, Cyrus Rogers, Deserae Simmons, Alexis Taylor, Joseph Voyles. 11th Grade: Haegen Boyer, Jessie Eveland, Claire Jager, Taylor Keegel, Teri Lane, Alexis Long, Sara Loving, Jaden Scott, TJ Sinnif, Taryn Swartz, Bracken Taylor, Jacob Taylor, Briana VerSteegh, Peyton Walker. 12th Grade: Bridget DeWitt, Madison Giltner, Maddison Hughes, Maisie Hughes, Taylor Leffler, Alexander Manternach, McKinley Moore, Jason Pilcher, Carter Roose, Payton Scharff, Logan Street, James Sutton.

“B” Honor Roll 9th Grade: Ryan Adams, Faith Berryman, Alison Blommers, Logan Bowen, Taylor Caves, Audrianna Corcoran, Rowdy Curry, Rylee Davis, Kel-sey Dickens, Brandon Drew, Jennifer Faybik, Alexandria Gray, Michael Harter, Lauren Heinle, Jaden Herr, Arawn Hodgkins, Brandt Hughes, Dar-ian Johnson, Clay Johnston, Madison Keegel, Gabriel Larkin, Rylie Lathen, Hailey Miller, Trey Moore, Ryan Richmond, Courteney Riley, Nolan Stetter, Austin Stewart, Dawson Stout, Connor VanDerVeer. 10th Grade: Cheyenne Barnett, Wynter Baugher, Carson Burrell, Sarah Davidson, Jessie Fisher, Jorge Hernandez, KJ McCrea, Larry McKee, Lane Morrison, Alexis Nace, Randie Richmond, Derek Walker, Morgan Wells, Malia Williams, Makenna Yates. 11th Grade: Alexandria Adams, Kaleb Adamson, Austin Angle, Gaige Berryman, Chase Brinegar, Brandon Dicks, Jordan Hawk, Payton Hynick, Chelsee Jarr, Jade Johnson, Thadeus Nace, Morgan Reddy, Lavonne Roberts, Nathaniel Siefker. 12th Grade: Sandra Amos, Levi Clary, Taylor Cook, Paris Curry, Kayla Fox, Conner Glosser, Evan Heinle, Tayler Jones, Jeffrey Koebke, Clayton Lathen, Kelsey Maize, Mary McKee, Makenzie O’Brien, Adam Proctor, Anthony Rea, Devon Severson, Shania Sterling, Karlie Taylor, Treg Van-Dorin, KayeLynn Webster.

EBF Junior High Honor Roll (1st Semester)

“A” Honor Roll 7th Grade: Koby Adamson, Thane Alexander, Allison Blad, Logan Collett, Emalee Davis, Abagael DeWild, Jordan Elko, Kenadi Gillette, Elisa-beth Glosser, Koleen Good, Abigail Hanson, Paige Harter, Treyton Helm, Devin Jager, Emma Lenox, Collin Lobberecht, Kwintyn Long, Jared McCrea, Taylor Rea, Felicity Reddy, Brooke Shafer, Corey Slaymaker. 8th Grade: Eleanor Breon, Emma Davis, Tara Diephuis, Justice Fenton, Sage Fletcher, Madison Guffey, Cameron Kolthoff, Addisyn McCrea, Emma Mock, Nichole Strunk, Kierstin VanAlst, Madysen Wade

“B” Honor Roll 7th Grade: Shelby Akers, Grace Armstrong, Wyatt Brinegar, Alexis Clary, Damian Corcoran, Treyton Davis, Peyton Deevers, Reilly Flaig, Jaycee Garman, Devin Glenn, Jason Harter, Daniel Hartman, Lizabeth Hotchkiss, Lillian Hynick, Abby Knowler, Lainey Krusemark, Nikayla Leaf, Gar-rett Leonard, Zachary Leonard, Ethan Leu, Emma McDonough, Max McGee, Jatin Moore, Joseph Myers, Dillon O’Brien, Josie Rea, Faith Rob-erts, Raechel Sapp, Jackson Sheldon, Josalyn Stansberry, Aleigha VanAlst, Lucas VanBlaricon, Charlie Waldren, Allison Walker, Kayla Williams 8th Grade: Dakota Barnett, Kacey Beinhart, Brayden Black, Dalaney Clark, Caleb Dalbey, Kaitlyn DeMoss, Zachery Edgren, Jasmine Garman, Grant Gingrich, Emily Glosser, Austin Johnson, Astilbe Lamb, Logan McCrea, Natalie Nemitz, Tessa Puffinbarger, Tayton Ricard, Grace Roberts, Makayla Rodwell, Garrett Scharff, Eric Schutt, Raelee Simmons, Gabriel Strausser, Willow Torres, Jade West, Aidan Yates.

It is time to apply for the FAFSA: As you gear up for your next year of college, you need to fill out the FAFSA to put together your finan-cial aid package at your chosen school. Federal and state grants are also available to students who meet the requirements of the grant program. Grant funds do not have to be re-paid. Students/Parents complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by going to www.fafsa.gov The Iowa Financial Aid Applica-tion allows Iowa students to apply for multiple state of Iowa aid pro-grams with one application. You can find this application at www.IowaCollegeAid.gov and also link directly to it after completing your FAFSA.

Updates to Scholarships - More information available via the

school counselor’s office:

Dale Schroeder Memorial Scholarship

Leo H. Grether Memorial Scholarship in Choral Music

Education

Ruritan National Foundation Scholarship

Nurse Practice Council/Colee’ Hospers Nursing Educational

Scholarship - IHCC

PEO Scholarship - Mahaska Co.

Prairie Mutual Insurance Scholarship

IT Leadership Forum Technology Scholarship

Bank Iowa Spirit of Chandy

Altrusa International of Oskaloosa Scholarship

LOCAL STUDENT NAMED TO DEAN'S LIST AT DRAKE UNIVERSITY The following local student was named to the Dean's List at Drake University: Tasha Alexander, Cedar, Iowa. This academic honor is achieved by earning a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the Fall 2015 semester. Drake University is a midsize, private university in Des Moines, Iowa, enrolling

more than 3,300 undergraduate and 1,700 graduate students from 40 states and

approximately 40 countries. Students choose from over 70 majors, minors, and

concentrations and 20 graduate degrees offered through six colleges and schools.

Drake students, faculty, and staff take advantage of the wealth of cultural, recrea-

tional, and business opportunities found in Iowa's capital city. In return, Drake

enriches the city through its own cultural offerings, considerable economic impact,

and many service-learning endeavors, which channel the

talent and energy of the Drake students toward meeting the

needs of the community.

Named to Central College Dean’s List Central College of Pella recently released their Dean’s list for the Fall 2015 semester. On this role is Cory Archer of Fremont, Iowa. The Dean’s list is an indicator of an active commitment to academic perfor-mance, with grade points averaging 3.5 or higher. “The Central College faculty takes great pride in creating a culture of intellec-tual engagement for our students and supporting Central’s commitment to be a model of community scholarship, teaching, and learning.”

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Notice to parents of Junior High students: The school board approved a 7th and 8th grade retention policy that is being imple-mented this semester. The policy is below.

EBF 7th & 8th grade retention policy

Academic Performance Core Classes

Each student must pass both semesters of core classes: Math, Literature, Science, Lan-guage Arts, History Team Recommendation In the event that a student does not meet academic performance criteria for a semester, the junior high team and the counselor will consider the students potential for success in the next semester or grade. Available infor-mation about the student along with teacher knowledge of the student will be used. Consideration may include, but not limited to:

Academic achievement in 7th and 8th grade

Contact with parents throughout semester

Reports from outside agencies

Past retention(s)

Past standardized testing

Reading competency

Organization and study skills

Work ethic After reviewing the information, the team will make a recommendation to the principal. If the recommendation is for retention of a student, parents or guardians will be notified of the student’s status within five (5) days of the recommendation, and a meeting shall be set as soon as reasonably possibly. Within five (5) days of the meeting a decision shall be made by the team. Course work may be completed through credit recovery courses and/or summer school. Students that fail to pass the recovery/summer school work will be retained in the current grade for the course. Appeals Procedure An appeal may be made in writing to the building principal within 10 days. The appeal will be considered by a review panel consist-ing of the principal, dean of students, and counselor. The decision of the review panel will be communicated, in writing, to the stu-dent’s parents or guardians within 5 days of the review panel decision. If the parent or guardian is not in agree-ment with the decision of the review panel, the parent or guardian may appeal the deci-sion, in writing, to the Superintendent of Schools within 10 days. The Superintendent or designee will render a decision within 10 days. The decision of the Superintendent or designee will be final.

From the Desk of Dean Cook, Superintendent . . . Hello, It seems like in the blink of an eye, Christmas break and the month of January came and went. Over the win-ter season we have kept busy with boys’ and girls’ basketball. Both teams played hard and represented our dis-trict with both class and pride. With February upon us, there are still many things to accomplish with only a few months to go before we reach the end of another school year. TLC - First and foremost, we are excited by the opportunity to empower our faculty to lead the effort in im-proving student learning! Earlier this winter, our district was awarded the Teacher Leadership and Compensa-tion Grant. This grant was offered by the State of Iowa to create a support system which fosters collaborative opportunities for teachers to learn from each other, and that in turn will bolster student growth. We will use these monies not only to improve instruction, but also to strengthen infrastructure which leads to higher student achievement! Since receiving the award, we have had held work sessions to identify methods to fill leadership positions created by the grant. We are currently in the midst of advertising and interviewing candidates for three Instructional Design Strategist positions, and in the future will be additionally hiring fourteen Leadership Team positions, three Student Assistance Team Leader positions, one Mentor Leader position, eight Mentor positions, and four PBIS Coaching positions. Through the grant, we will be able to attach stipends to the jobs which will vary from $750 to $1500 dollars. We will implement the program during the 2016-17 school year. Smarter Balanced - In 2013, a special committee was formed by the state of Iowa to choose a standardized assessment for use in Iowa that better meets core standards, and is a valid representation of student achievement through measurement of higher-order thinking skills. In 2014, the committee recommended the Smarter Bal-anced Assessment for use in the State of Iowa. The Smarter Balanced Assessment was developed by a consorti-um of states, and through recommendation of the committee, the Iowa Department of Education moved to adopt the testing regimen in math and reading for the 2016-2017 school year. This past January, an Administrative Rules Committee approved a session delay for this rule. What does this mean for school districts? As the rule is blocked and sent back to the House for restudy, school districts are left in limbo to determine what assessments will be used in the upcoming school year. Current assessment pricing and contractual agreements operate on a three-year term. Technology upgrades and test piloting cannot be completed to insure successful implementation of Smarter Balanced, and districts are unable to budget for forecast-associated costs. We will continue to vigi-lantly watch for updates from the legislature. With each day, we are fast approaching the end of the school year, and soon we will be celebrating the gradu-ating class of 2016 and all their academic achievements! It has been a great year so far, and we have many more goals and accomplishments to meet before Spring. Remember preschool sign-ups and open enrollments are now open. Please contact building secretaries for more information. Dr. Dean Cook

Eddyville Childcare Call for open spaces 641-969-4343

Hours: 6am to 6pm, Monday - Friday Ages: 6 weeks to 12 years

Available Services: Daycare, Before & After School Care, Summer Day Camp

CPR/First Aid-Certified Staff The mission of the Eddyville Child Care Center

is to provide quality child care and early education at a fair market rate

that benefits the child, the family, the staff, the school district, and the community.

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Taking Care of Our Own - Can You Help?

FCCLA is creating a new chapter service at the high school. We are a low-income school district and not all students in our district have enough food to eat or necessities that are so often taken for granted. We are creating a room at the high school in the office for students - here students can discretely receive these items from a school staff member. Community members, who would like to contribute to our service project, may drop snack items or hygiene products off at the high school, or contact Allie Adams (Student Project Leader) or Lisa Strausser (FCCLA Advisor) at the high school. It is our wish that as time goes on, we can expand on our idea to include shoes, dress clothes, and everyday clothes for the high school and eventually expand to the elementary buildings. We thank the community for any support that they are wanting to give us, as we grow as leaders and make a better environment for the EBF district.

Mini Rocket Wrestlers Cousins Keller Little (PreSchool Eddyville Elementary) and Kaden Kirk-

patrick (Kindergarten Eddyville Elementary) both won individual champi-

onships at the Stars and Stripes Wrestling Club Tournament in Fairfield

on January 31st. Keller and Kaden wrestle for EBF's Mini Rocket Wres-

tling Club. ~Submitted

The Rocket Archers competed on Saturday, January 23, at Cardinal Schools. Results for Rocket competitors are as follows: Middle School girls, 2nd Sage Fletcher, 3rd Sophie Venator; Middle School boys, 2nd Jutin Moore; Elementary Girls, 1st Jay Vroegh. The Middle school team took 2nd place. On February 13, the Rocket archers were most successful when they compet-

ed at North Mahaska. The Middle School and High School both came home in

first place. Archers and their placings were: Elementary Girls, 1st Jay Vroegh;

Elementary Boys, 3rd Emmet Van Zante; Middle School Girls, 1st Sage Fletch-

er; 2nd Sophie Venator; Middle School Boys, 1st Jutin Moore; High School

Boys, 3rd Lex Judy.

Submitted by Donna Bohlmann, TAG teacher

The local 2016 Invention Convention was held on Thursday, February 4th at the Ottumwa High School cafeteria on behalf of John Deere

Ottumwa Works and the Ottumwa School district’s TAG (Talented and Gifted) department. We would like to recognize the following students for their participation in

this wonderful event: Carter Koffman, 4th grade; and Allison Walker and Abby Hanson, 7th grade. Great job on all your hard work through the inventing process!

Baseball Camp - March 26 EBF baseball will hold a camp for area youth, ages Little League through Junior High, on March 26, at the High School from 9 - 11 am. Instruction will be given in the areas of Pitching, Catching, Hitting and Fielding. Cost will be $20.00 which includes a camp T-shirt. Registra-tion is due by March 12,

to ensure T-shirt pick up that day. Late registra-

tion T-shirts will be picked up at a later date. Questions contact Coach Rod Ashman at 641-799-3817

or email craneman23@hotmail.com Mail Form to: Rod Ashman – 106 Lowell Drive – Eddyville, IA 52553

Camp Participant Name_________________________________

Age _______ T-shirt Size ____________________

Phone# ___________________

Parent Name _________________________________________

Other Baseball Activities Coming Up at the High School:

Family Trivia Night * February 26 Snacks 5:30 * Trivia Game 6:00

Teams of 4-8 Players * $10.00/player

BINGO Night March 26

Food 5:00 * BINGO 6:00

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EBF Students Perform in Honor Band On Wednesday January 27th, 15 members of the EBFHS Band performed with the 2016 SCC All Conference Band at Knoxville High School. The guest conductor was Erin Bodnar, band director from Graceland University. Pictured are: 1st row Maddison Giltner, Devon Severson, and Andrew Hart; 2nd row Maggie Voyles, Jula Fairchild, Payton Fry, Jessie Eveland, and Sara Loving; 3rd row Claire Jager, Teri Jo Lane, Grace Manternach, Delanee Van Zante, Ms. Bodnar, Jake Fisher, and Brandon Dicks. Select students from all of the schools in the South Central Conference rehearsed during the morning with Ms. Bodnar and then presented a concert for the Knoxville 5th – 8th grade students in the afternoon. ~Submitted by Joe Overton, HS Director

Come Enjoy A Music Concert

Featuring the EBF School District 5th-12th Grade Bands

Band-o-rama will be held on Monday, February 29th at the high school. You are invited to this event which includes all band students, grades 5-12. There will be a free will dona-tion supper starting at 5:00pm in the cafeteria. The meal will be: chicken and noodles, mashed po-tatoes, green beans, dinner roll and dessert. The concert starts at 7:00 with

the 5th grade band. The 6th

grade band will follow. When

the elementary bands are finished

performing, the EBF Junior High

Band will take their turn, and

closing will be the EBF High

School Concert Band.

The following students have been selected to participate in the South Central Conference (SCC)

Honor Band Festival. The Festival will be held at Centerville High School on Tuesday, March

22nd. Dameon Place, from Pella HS is the guest conductor, with the concert being at 6:30 pm: Tara

Diephuis, Sophie Venator, Addisyn McCrea, Justice Fenton, Emma Mock, Eric Schutt, Peyton

Deevers, Lucas VanBlaricon, Grace Armstrong. Not pictured: Paige Harter

On Saturday, January 30, Davis County held its annual Southeast Iowa Solo Contest. Six students

from EBFJH participated, all scoring 1's on their solos. Pictured left to right: Shanna Fellows-flute

solo 1+; Tara Diephuis-flute solo, 1+; Justice Fenton-flute solo, 1-; Emma Mock-clarinet solo, 1;

Eric Schutt-baritone solo, 1; Cameron Kolthoff-trumpet solo, 1+. ~Submitted by Dezarae Russell, JH Director

Junior High Band Members Challenge Themselves Other Upcoming Musical Events

Variety Show - Thursday, February 25th - 7:00 P.M. Come and hear our talented students perform!

Indian Hills Jazz Contest - Saturday February 27th - 8:25 A.M.

District Jazz Contest - Saturday March 5th - Iowa City West High School at 4:45 P.M.

Jazz Band Concert - Tuesday March 15th - 7:00 P.M.

Choir Pops Concert - Thursday March 17th - 7:00 P.M.

Pop Can Drive - Saturday March 19th - 8 - 12 high school shop

Night of Jazz - Friday April 1st -

George Daily Auditorium in

Oskaloosa - 7:00 P.M.

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Pretty as a Princess

Here ye, here ye…. Your Royal Majesty is requesting the presence of

your elementary aged daughter(s) to be “Pretty as a Princess”

at the Eddyville Elementary Attendance Center on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 from 1:00-3:00 pm.

The EBF After Prom Committee is putting on an event for your daughter(s) to be pampered like a

Princess for an afternoon. It will be a fun afternoon getting their hair, nails, and make-up done. Be-

cause it is hard work being a princess, there will be snacks provided. Come let your daughter(s) be

“Pretty as a Princess” for the afternoon! The cost will be $15 per child. Watch for registration forms

to come home in February.

CENTERVILLE --- The Indian Hills Community College baseball coaching staff will hold an advanced skills camp on Saturday, Mar. 19, for players who are cur-rently in high school. The camp will have two sessions: one for pitching from 9:00 until noon, and another for position players from 1:00 until 4:00 in the afternoon. IHCC head coach Cam Walker and his assistants, Steve Kletke and Ryan Lauer, will provide the instruction. The cost to attend is $50 for one session and $95 if a play-er wants to attend both sessions. For more information or to register, contact Steve Kletke at 641-856-2143 or email Steve.Kletke@indianhills.edu

Indian Hills Diversity Conference The 12th Annual Diversity Conference will take place on Friday, March 18th, 2016, on the Indian Hills Com-munity College Ot-tumwa campus.

Check in begins at 8am at St. John Auditori-um. The Conference will take place from 8:45am - 4:00pm. Opening keynote Julissa Arce (at right) will share her story "My Underground Ameri-can Dream" that talks about her journey as an undocumented immigrant to the United States at the age of 11. Julissa built a successful ca-reer on Wall Street, and made national and international headlines when she revealed that she had achieved the American Dream of wealth and status while undocumented. Afternoon keynote Clemencia Spizzirri , 2015 Iowa Teacher of the Year, who is originally from Ecuador, will speak about the importance of creating a sustainable culture of achievement and understanding inside and outside the classroom. (She is pictured below with Iowa Governor Terry Branstad.) Various interesting breakout sessions will be offered throughout the day.

Online registration and additional information is available at www.indianhills.edu/diversity. Online registration through 3/15/16 is $35; after this date it is $40. Stu-dent registration is $10. Lunch is included in all registrations, and is being catered by Market On Main. For more information, contact Ashley Albertson at 641.683.5755, or via e-mail at ash-ley.albertson@indianhills.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OTTUMWA --- The Educational Oppor-tunity Center located at Indian Hills Community College, in collaboration with Community 1st Credit Union, will be offering free financial literacy classes in February and March. The topics covered on Feb. 18 and 25 will be Credit Score Breakdown and Boosting Your Credit Score; on Mar. 3 and 10 the one-hour sessions will cover Compound Interest and Fi-nancial Education. All the sessions will be held from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. in Room 100 of the Bennett Student Services Center on the Indian Hills Ottumwa campus. There is no cost to attend any of the sessions.

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Costa Rica Tour Planned for Summer 2017

Students at EBFJSH have the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica on an EF tour in the sum-mer of 2017. The dates of the trip are around the 24th of July to avoid most sporting events and fair commitments.

There was an informational meeting for par-ents and students on February 11. If you were

unable to attend this meeting, but are interested, please email michelle.seddon@rocketsk12.org to get information about this exciting travel opportunity.

Book Fair Family Event Join us for our Spring Book Fair

Tuesday, March 8, 2016 and Thursday, March 10

4:00 PM to 8:00 PM Fremont Elementary Library

Tips to Develop a Love for Reading: Set the example, let them see you read

and take time to read to them too. Have a collection of books in your

home - update to keep with their changing tastes and reading skills.

When you support the book fair, your children enjoy choosing their own books to read.

What:

Donkey Ball Mayhem

Where: HS Gym

When:

February 4, 2016

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The Rocket Bulletin Board

School Telephone Numbers Eddyville Elementary (Principal Chris Fenster) 641-969-4281

Blakesburg Elementary (Principal Sarah Tobiason) 641-938-2202 Fremont Elementary (Principal Sarah Tobiason) 641-933-4211

EBF Junior Senior High (Principal Donna Keesling) 641-969-4288 EBF School Administration Office (Superintendent Dean Cook) 641-969-4226

Parents/Guardians across the district: Due to telephone service areas, many outside of Eddyville

are unable to call the junior-senior high without making a long-distance call. To save these charges, you may call your local elementary, and ask to be transferred.

Not Receiving The Rocket? If you live in the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont School District and

are not receiving The Rocket in the mail, you should be.

Please notify us so that we can make needed adjustments in delivery.

Attention Alumni:

Live outside of the mailing area and wish to receive a Rocket?

You may email your requests to rocketnewskathystreet@rocketsk12.org

SCHOOL CALENDAR

Thursday, February 25 ROCKET Submissions Due 7:00pm Variety Show @ HS Friday, February 26 No School-Staff Development 6:00pm BSB-Trivia Night @ HS Saturday, February 27 BBB-Youth Tournament @ EBF Indian Hills JazzFest Speech-District @ Fairfield Monday, February 29 5:00pm Bandorama Supper 7:00pm Bandorama Concert @ HS Tuesday, March 1 6:00pm Reading Night @ Eddyville Elem Thursday, March 3 9:00am Science Fair @ Fremont Elem 6:00pm Music Booster Mtg @ HS Friday, March 4 12:00pm Science Fair @ Blakesburg Elem 5:30pm Basketball Fun Night @ HS Saturday, March 5 District Jazz Contest @ Iowa City FFA District CDE @ DeWitt Monday, March 7 SCC JH Vocal Festival Tuesday, March 8 Early Dismiss (1PM) P/T Conferences (4-8 PM) Wednesday, March 9 Young Writer's Conference Thursday, March 10 Early Dismiss (1PM) P/T Conferences (4-8 PM) ROCKET Submissions Due Friday, March 11 No School Saturday, March 12 FFA-Alumni Auction @ Raceway Speech-State IE @ North Scott Sunday, March 13 Daylight Saving Time Starts Monday, March 14 Iowa Assessments Tuesday, March 15 Iowa Assessments 7:00pm HS Jazz Band Concert Wednesday, March 16 Iowa Assessments 6:30pm Blakesburg PTO Mtg Thursday, March 17 Iowa Assessments 7:00pm Vocal Pops Concert Friday, March 18 End 3rd Qtr Iowa Assessments 7:00am Blood Drive @ HS 6:00pm FFA Banquet

Saturday, March 19 8-noon Pop Can Drive-Music Boosters Monday, March 21 Begin 4th Qtr 6:00pm School Board Meeting Tuesday, March 22 SCC JH Band Festival Thursday, March 24 ROCKET Submissions Due 4:30pm BTR-V @ Washington Friday, March 25 No School Saturday, March 26 9:00am BSB-Camp K-8th Grades 5:00pm BSB-Soup Supper 6:00pm BSB-Bingo Night Monday, March 28 No School Tuesday, March 29 4:00pm GG-JV/V @ Oskaloosa 4:30pm GTR-V @ Belle Plaine Thursday, March 31 4:00pm BG-JV/V @ Chariton 4:30pm GTR-V @ Mt. Pleasant 5:00pm BTR-V @ Van Buren Friday, April 1 9:00am BG-V @ Norwalk 4:00pm FB-Youth Sign-Ups @ E. Elem 5:00pm Night of Jazz @ Oskaloosa 6:00pm Spring Fling-JH Dance @ HS Sunday, April 3 FCCLA-State Leader Conference Monday, April 4 No School-Staff Development FCCLA-State Leader Conference Speech-All State IE @ UNI(Cedar Falls) Tuesday, April 5 FCCLA-State Leader Conference Iowa Jazz Championships 4:00pm BG-JV/V @ Oskaloosa 4:00pm GG-JV/V @ PCM (Monroe) 5:00pm G/B TR-V @ Davis County Thursday, April 7 ROCKET Submissions Due 4:30pm G/B TR-JH @ Albia 4:30pm GTR-HS EBF Invite 6:00pm Music Booster Mtg @ HS Friday, April 8 6:00pm Fun Night @ Blakesburg Elem Saturday, April 9 HS Solo & Ensemble Contest

It’s just around the corner!!!! Daylight Savings Time is March 13

1st Day of Spring is March 20

School Facebook pages

Look here for posted announcements and positive Rocket activity:

Jr/Sr High: http://www.facebook.rocketsk12 Elementary: https://www.facebook.com/rocketspk6

INFINITE CAMPUS

Jr High/Sr High School parents may check their child’s grades, transcripts or lunch ac-

count on the school website at www.rocketsk12.org;

choose the “Infinite Campus” portal, and enter your user name and password. (If you need a user name and password,

please contact the school at 641-969-4288).

Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont School Menu

-- Subject to change -- Milk Served Daily with Lunch

Friday, February 26 NO SCHOOL

Monday, February 29 Breakfast -- Cereal, Toast, Fruit, Juice, Milk

Lunch -- Beef/Noodles, Potatoes, Carrots, Pineapple, Bread/Butter Tuesday, March 1

Breakfast -- Breakfast Pizza, Fruit, Juice, Milk Lunch -- Corn Dog, Broccoli, Applesauce, Bread/Butter

Wednesday, March 2 Breakfast -- Egg, Toast, Fruit, Juice, Milk

Lunch -- Italian Pasta Bake, Green Beans, Mandarin Oranges, Bread/Butter Thursday, March 3

Breakfast -- Cinnamon Roll, Yogurt, Fruit, Juice, Milk Lunch -- Cheeseburger, Baked Beans, French Fries, Peaches

Friday, March 4 Breakfast -- Sausage Patty, Biscuit, Fruit, Juice, Milk

Lunch -- Tater Tot Casserole, Peas, Apricots, Bread/Butter Monday, March 7

Breakfast -- Cereal, Toast, Fruit, Juice, Milk Lunch -- Pizza, Corn, Pears

Tuesday, March 8 Breakfast -- Breakfast Pizza, Fruit, Juice, Milk

Lunch -- Rib Patty/Bun, French Fries, Carrots, Mixed Fruit Wednesday, March 9

Breakfast -- Egg, Toast, Fruit, Juice, Milk Lunch -- Walk.Taco-lett&ch, Gr.Beans, Refri.Beans, Pineapple, Br/Butter

Thursday, March 10 Breakfast -- Cinnamon Roll, Yogurt, Fruit, Juice, Milk

Lunch -- Chicken Patty/Bun, Potatoes, Gravy, Peas, Applesauce Friday, March 11

NO SCHOOL

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Eddyville Community Food Pantry 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month,

9-11 am, Eddyville United Methodist

Church Basement The only criterion to use the pantry is that you be a resident of the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont School District. We don't ask finan-cial questions. Your privacy is respected. Delivery is available to per-sons in the town of Ed-dyville. Call either 641-969-4660 or 641-660-3584 for this service. Please leave a message.

School District Information:

Equity Coordinator Mr. Chris Fenster

641-969-4281 641-969-4226

Level 1 Investigator Mr. Chris Fenster

Loving Shepherd

Food Pantry Blakesburg

United Methodist

Church Basement

Providing food to

Moravia, Moulton,

Unionville, Albia and Blakesburg

Contact person:

Vera Miller, 938-2918

Eddyville Museum News

Check the Museum out on “Facebook”

Wednesdays 1:00-5:00pm, Saturdays 9:00-noon, or by appointment. Bingo is the first

Thursday of each month, 6:30, at the American Legion Hall.

Come and play for a fun time.

Non-Discrimination Policy Statement It is the policy of the Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Community School District not to illegally discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age (for employment), marital status (for programs), sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status (for programs) in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for pro-cessing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a griev-ance related to this policy please contact the district’s Equity Coordi-nator, Chris Fenster, Elementary Principal, 702 Vance St., Eddyville, Iowa, 641-969-4281, chris.fenster@rocketsk12.org

Your 2015-2016 EBF School Board Members:

Director District # 1: Mike Mayberry- mikemaybery16@hotmail.com

641-933-4373 260 S. Chestnut, P.O. Box 98, Fremont, IA 52561

Director District # 2: Dan Hulbert- dan_hulbert@cargill.com

Or ddjthulbert@gmail.com 641-933-4139 or 641-777-6205

3081 Rutledge Avenue, Cedar, IA 52543

Director District # 3: Rena Shepherd- rena.shepherd@rocketsk12.org

641-660-0634 504 N. 6th St., Eddyville, IA 52553

Director District # 4: Mark Haselhuhn- 641-799-6433

1206 Hwy 137, Eddyville, IA 52553

Director District # 5: Doug Brinegar- 641-777-1664

13422 225th Ave., Ottumwa, IA 52501

Director District # 6: Bruce Severson - bruce.severson@rocketsk12.org

641-780-3717 17546 Rock Bluff Road, Ottumwa, IA 52501

Director District # 7: Dave Friedman- dave.friedman@rocketsk12.org

641-938-2340 P.O. Box 191, Blakesburg, IA 52536

Administration Office,

222 Walnut St. Eddyville, IA 52553

Phone: (641) 969-4226 Fax: (641) 969-4547

Eddyville

Elementary PTO

meets

monthly in the

library, Each 3rd

Wednesday at 3:30

Blakesburg Public Library Hours

Monday: 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Tuesday: 3:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Thursday: 3:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Friday: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Saturday: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Sunday: Closed

Food & Such Home-Cooked Meals Each Month January Menu: Pizzas and/or Dessert Pizzas

Order dates February 2-19 /Pick-Up February 29, 8am-4pm Menus, prices, ingredients, and order dates can be found online at http://foodsandsuch.weebly.com/ (web address also accessible from school website - www.rocketsk12.org). You may or-der online or contact Lisa Strausser (Family and Con-sumer Science Teacher) at school at 641-969-4288. This is an ongoing project for the Nutrition 3 Class.

Friends

of the

Eddyville

Library

…………………….

meet at the public library on the 3rd Wednesdays in

January, April, July & October at 5:30pm

Rocket Cookbooks are available for purchase

at Eddyville Elementary’s office. The cost is $12 and will go towards the 2016

Washington, D.C. trip. We will sell these until

we run out!!

CRAVE BOSCO STICKS OR CRISPITOS???? Orders may be placed with any FCCLA member or spon-sor Mrs. Lisa Strausser - lisa.strausser@rocketsk12.org

Or call 641-641-969-4288 (Your purchase helps them raise funds for their

state leadership conference in April)

You may mark your order below and return this slip with your money to school.

Orders placed on Thursdays and arrive on Mondays. Bosco Sticks (20 for $15) ___________________ (case for $65) ___________________ Crispitos (20 for $15) ___________________

(case for $45) __________________ Your Name/Email Address/Phone Number: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Tip Night at Pizza Ranch in Ottumwa on March 9th 5:00 – 8:00 Proceeds

help

support

efforts

of the

AfterProm Committee

Eddyville Daycare has Casey Pizza cards available for $15 until March 4. They allow you to buy a large spe-cialty pizza and get a free medium one top-ping pizza – good for 10 uses and no expiration date.

After Prom Wish List

The After Prom committee is seeking donations of the fol-lowing items. If you are able to donate something please drop it off at the high school office or you can contact Tammy Walker at this email address: tammy.walker@rocketsk12.org

2 microwave ovens, 2 dorm fridges, Gift cards to local fast food restaurants or stores, Fans, Clamp desk lamps, Sweatshirts or t-shirts, Gas cards,

Coolers, Lawn chairs, Area rugs, Towel sets, Comforters, Pillows, Keurig coffee maker, Plastic organizer towers or

fabric organizing totes, ITunes cards, Movie passes, Water bottles, Anything that would be FUN or USEFUL for a

teenager or things for a dorm room. CASH DONATIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME. CHECKS

CAN BE MADE TO EBF AFTER PROM. We would appreciate any donation or any help with the After Prom activities.

12

If your child is involved in other events outside of school, and you would like to have their accomplishments published, please email a statement and a photo as an attachment to

rocketnewskathystreet@rocketsk12.org The Rocket would be a great place to show off their efforts and talents.

The next two submission deadlines

for The Rocket are February 25

and March 10.

Home of the Rockets EddyvilleEddyville--BlakesburgBlakesburg--Fremont Community SchoolsFremont Community Schools

~Photo courtesy of Brian Ward

Fremont Lions’ Community

Theater presented . . . “Virgil Wins the Lottery” by Eddie McPherson on February 12, 13, and 14. Despite the changing snowy weather, the turn-out was pleasing. Returning directors for the annual play were Mindy Archer and Scott Bethune. This year, Scott Bethune also had to learn last minute lines to fill in on an absence due to illness; unfortunately, Bill Ward - who has performed in the last 32 Fremont plays, had to step out as of the day of dress re-hearsal. Assuredly, Bill knew the show must go on, and took the needed time to recover, but miss-ing his 33rd production. In the play, Virgil (Shannon Bethune) and his wife, Margaret (Jeanene Calhoun) start living “the good life” after winning the lottery, until they dis-cover they have been misinformed, were not recip-ients of $10,000 afterall, and must reevaluate eve-rything about their life. Pictured at left, are the cast of Virgil’s saga. Front - Dan Guiter; Row 2 - Mindy Archer, Chrissy Kime, Sandy Eckley; Row 3 - Shannon Bethune, Jeanene Calhoun with her prop-Baby Virgil, Ryan Keep, Janice West, Margie Holliman; Back - Sharon VanRingelestein, Dolly Horn, Mark Hansen, Scott Bethune, Martha Scharff, Paul Horn, Brent Swearingen, Sherri Baxter, Cassie Veldhuizen, Melissa Thomas, Missy Gingrich.

Rocket Wrestling News . . . Editor’s Note: The State Wrestling Tournament is going on as this issue of The Rocket is going to press. Below is an update from Head Coach Brett Lit-tle of the days leading up to this event. On Saturday, February 6th the Rocket Wrestling Team brought home the Sectional Tournament Championship. This is the 7th year in a row that EBF has won the tournament. EBF had four individual champions and two runners-up for a total of six wrestlers who won the opportunity to move on to the District Tournament on February 13th for their chance to qualify for the State Tournament. District Qualifiers front L to R: Junior Dalton Griffiths (170 lbs.), Senior Adam Proc-tor (113 lbs.), Freshman Tyler Landgrebe (106 lbs.), Sophomore Alex Hanna (132 lbs.) Back row: Junior Austin Angle (182 lbs.) and Sophomore Dako-ta Boyer (138 lbs.) Out of the six district qualifiers, two are moving on to State: Adam Proctor (113lbs.) and Alex Hanna (132lbs.). Pictured left to right are: Coach Davey Dyke, Alex Hanna, Coach Brett Little, Adam Proctor, and Coach Brian Sheston.