mission statement...board of education meridian public schools district 48-0303 daykin, nebraska...

Board of Education

Meridian Public Schools

District 48-0303

Daykin, Nebraska 68338

Monday, April 17, 2017

Regular April 17, 2017 Meeting

7:00 P.M. Meridian Public School Board of

Education met on April 17, 2017, as

per notice in the Fairbury Journal-

News.

President VanWesten called the

meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The open

meeting law information was

presented. Members present were

Sobotka, Bartels, Miller, Scheer,

Vorderstrasse, and VanWesten. Also

present were Superintendent Kort,

Lawrence VanderSchaaf, Allison

Klipp, Baxter Beals, Erin Johnson,

Hailey Schafer, Breanna Miller, and

Halle Pribyl.

President VanWesten invited

comments from the public.

Scheer moved and Bartels seconded to

approve the consent agenda as

follows:

1. Minutes of the March 20, 2017

Regular Meeting

2. District Financial Report

3. Activity Fund Report

4. Hot Lunch Report

5. Bills

Vote taken: Vorderstrasse-aye, Miller-

aye, Bartels-aye, Scheer-aye, Sobotka-

aye, and VanWesten-aye. Motion

carried 6-0.

Superintendent Kort updated the Board

on the curriculum report. Having

looked at FFA program options and

surveyed the students to see what

interest there is, we will continue to

work on the best way to get the

program started. The Board hopes to

Spring is here! During the past few

weeks it has been acting like a typical

Nebraska spring. Some days are nice

and warm while others are cool and

rainy. It is a great time of the year as the

crops are being planted, the trees are

blooming, and the smell after a nice

spring rain is wonderful.

We will be concluding the final weeks of

the 2016-2017 school year with

graduation on May 13th, and school

concluding for the remaining students on

the 18th. It has been such a great and

exciting year - the girls took state runner

up in volleyball, making a state

appearance in basketball, along with

numerous other awards, including the

Reading Classics state championship for

the 3rd and 4th grade students.

As students prepare for summer break,

please continue to take time to read with

your child. Allow them the opportunity

to be a kid and explore the outdoors.

Like many others, I have fond family

memories that occurred during the

summer as a child that still have deep

meaning to me. While creating those

memories, please be safe.

have the FFA program offered here at

Meridian in the 2018-2019 school year.

Allison Klipp and Baxter Beals updated

the Board on the plans for the Senior

Class Trip to Omaha on May 11,

2017. The money remaining after the

class trip will be utilized to purchase

additional flowers for parents at

graduation.

Erin Johnson, Hailey Schafer, Breanna

Miller, and Halle Pribyl updated the

Board on their trip to FBLA National

Leadership Conference in Anaheim

California on June 27-July 3rd.

Miller moved and Scheer seconded to

approve the recommendation of the

Superintendent to hire Echoe Davis as

the 4th Grade teacher and

departmentalized 5th and 6th Math for

the 2017-2018 school year. Vote taken:

Vorderstrasse-aye, Miller-aye, Sobotka-

aye, Bartels-aye, Scheer-aye, and

VanWesten-aye. Motion carried 6-0.

Bartels moved and Miller seconded to

approve the recommendation of the

Superintendent to hire Emma Burgason

as the half time music teacher for PK-6th

Vocal and Junior High Music

appreciation for the 2017-2018 school

year. Vote taken: Vorderstrasse-aye,

Miller-aye, Sobotka-aye, Bartels-aye,

Scheer-aye, and VanWesten-

aye. Motion carried 6-0.

Bartels moved and Scheer seconded to

increase non-certified employees pay by

3.75 percent for the 2017-2018 school

year. Vote taken: Vorderstrasse-aye,

Miller-aye, Bartels-aye, Scheer-aye,

Sobotka-aye, and VanWesten-

aye. Motion carried 6-0.

Superintendent Kort gave the Principal’s

report for Mr. Scott.

1. Congrats to Jackie Dimas for

finishing 8th at State Speech.

2. Success of the Reading Classic teams

Newsletter www.meridianmustangs.org May, 2017

Newsletter-May, 2017 Superintendent

Randy Kort

Mission Statement: Meridian Public Schools will educate all students in a safe, nurturing environment while challenging them to develop their integrity, knowledge, and unique talents to become responsible, productive citizens.

Meridian Public School, District 48-0303 May, 2017

Hail to the varsity… Cheer them along the way…

Halle Pribyl-Accounting I-

Honorable Mention; Erin Johnson,

Breanna Miller, Hailey Schafer-

Business Financial Plan-3rd Place

(National Qualifier*); Adeline Beals-

DataBase Applications-6th Place;

Erin Johnson-DataBase Applications-

8th Place; Halle Pribyl-Intro to

Business Communications-3rd Place

(National Qualifier*); Jackie Dimas-

Public Speaking I-6th Place; Halle

Pribyl-Middle Level Business

Communications-3rd Place; Brynn

Holtmeier-Middle Level Business

Communications-5th Place; Brynn

Holtmeier-Middle Level Career

Exploration-5th Place. Meridian has

qualified four students—Erin,

Breanna, Hailey, and Halle—to

compete at the National FBLA

Leadership Conference in Anaheim,

California, from June 27 to July 3.

Placement in the top three for each

event qualifies the students to

compete at the national level. Even

though some of these students didn’t

make the stage, they were all winners

in doing the best they could and

representing Meridian at the

convention.

Class D All State: Sara Most and

Andi Kort. Sara played with wind

ensemble; Andi played with

symphonic band on March 25th.

Show Choir for finishing 2nd at the

Harvard invitational March 27th.

Meridian students and staff for

collecting nearly $1200 for Pennies

for Patients!

Girls track team for winning the

Turkey Creek Relays March 28th.

Allison Klipp who set the school

record in the shot put (36’) on Wed,

April 5th.

Meridian hosted the junior high honor

choir and band on Friday, April 7th.

Ms. Buck presented the elementary

concert on April 4th and the secondary

concert on April 11th. Both concerts

were outstanding and well attended.

District music contest was held April

20-21, in Fairbury.

April 24th, at 6:00 p.m. in the

Conference Room at Meridian. Will

adjourn and reconvene in York at 7:00

p.m.

Next Regular Meeting is set for

Monday, May 15, 2017, at 7:00 p.m.

Miller moved and Scheer seconded to

adjourn at 8:31 p.m. Vote taken:

Vorderstrasse-aye, Miller-aye, Bartels-

aye, Scheer-aye, Sobotka-aye, and

VanWesten-aye. Motion carried 6-0.

Jason Bartels, Secretary Meridian District # 48-0303

It has been a successful month for

Meridian Public School students!

Congratulations to all of the following:

Jackie Dimas for finishing 8th out of

18 in Poetry at state speech Friday,

March 24th.

Following team who earned runner-

up in the Division III Reading

Classics contest held in Fairbury on

Monday: Briannah Stromer, Melissa

Kramer, Emilee Aldrich, and Nick

Kramer. Also competing for

Meridian was the team of: Hannah

Stromer, Tyler Lopez, Tori

Brubaker, and Cally Ellis....the 3rd

and 4th graders who received first

place at District Reading Classics

competition. Their team consisted of

Olivia Schafer, Kyan Sones,

McKenzie Hofstetter, Taelyn Filipi,

and Luke Seeman. Meridian third

and fourth grade team went on to win

the state Reading Classics in

Fairbury on March 25th! Teachers are

Mrs. Henk and Mrs. McCord (nee

Bower).

FBLA students... Receiving awards

for Meridian at the FBLA State

Leadership Conference were: Erin

Johnson-Who’s Who; Halle Pribyl-

Intro to Financial Math-Honorable

Mention; Erin Johnson-Spreadsheet

Applications-Honorable Mention;

including 3-4th grade State

Champions.

3. Congrats to the FBLA Students for

their awards at State Leadership

Conference. Erin Johnson, Hailey

Schafer, Breanna Miller, and Halle

Pribyl qualified for Nationals.

4. Class D All State Music Sara Most

and Andi Kort

5. Show Choir 2nd Place Finish at

Harvard

6. $1200 Dollars Collected for Pennies

for Patients

7. Girls Track Winning the Turkey

Creek Relays

8. Allison Klipp Set School Record in

Shot April 5th, at 36’

9. Junior High Honor Choir and Band

10. Music Concerts Were a Success

11. NeSA Testing Underway

12. Upcoming Awards Nights

13. Upcoming Activities for the Students

14. Graduation will be Saturday, May

13th

Superintendent Kort gave the

Superintendent’s report.

1. Carpet Replacement this Summer

2. Meet with Building and Grounds

Committee

3. Plan to Interview and Hire Summer

Help

4. Plaque for New Gym

Sobotka moved and Vorderstrasse

seconded to go into closed session at

7:50 p.m. for negotiations of

Administrative Contracts. Vote taken:


aye, Bartels-aye, Scheer-aye,

and VanWesten-aye. Motion carried 6-0.

President Vanwesten stated that it has

been moved and seconded to go into

closed session for the purpose of

negotiating Administrative contracts.

Board re-entered open session at 8:19

p.m.

Bartels moved and Scheer seconded to

approve a 3.9% total compensation

package increase for the

administrators. Vote taken:


aye, Bartels-aye, Scheer-aye,

and VanWesten-aye. Motion carried 6-0.

Set time for Board Retreat on Monday,

Mustang MEMO Mr. Harold Scott

Principal

Senior Information Sheet: All seniors will be given an

information sheet that must be filled

out and returned to the Guidance Office

by May 3rd. This sheet includes a

finalization of post-secondary plans

and a listing of scholarships/awards

won. If I don’t know about them, I

cannot share the news at the Academic

Awards Night or Graduation

Ceremony.

Seniors Who Took College Credit

Courses:

Seniors must request an official

transcript from Peru State College,

SCC, or NCTA (depending on where

the classes were taken)—this includes

any dual credit courses taken during

high school. Transcript request forms

are available online at the college

websites. This should be done prior to

college registration.

THANK YOU NOTES!

Seniors, remember to send thank you

notes to providers of any scholarships

received.

2016-17 Schedules:

Current 8-11th graders will soon be

finalizing their class schedule for next

year. This schedule along with a

current transcript will be sent home

with each student at the end of the year.

Parents, please take a moment to look

over these papers with your child.

Juniors… your summer to-do list:

Narrow your college choices. Visit

some college campuses this summer

and check out college websites.

Narrow your choices to three or

four colleges by the time school

starts.

Become familiar with the FAFSA

(Free Application for Federal

Student Aid). Beginning October 1,

2017, you and your parents can

complete this form to apply for

college financial aid.

Update (or begin working on) your

resume. Include extracurricular

activities, honors, awards, and part-

time jobs.

Look for scholarships. Check out

the school counseling webpage and

NeSA state testing was completed on

April 27th. MAPS tests will begin April

24 and run through May 11. All juniors

this year took the ACT on April 19th. We

will be taking the students to ESU5 in

Beatrice to remove any distraction and

give our students the greatest opportunity

to do their best!

FBLA Awards Night was held Tuesday,

April 25th, at 7:00 pm.

Charlotte Endorf presented “The Orphan

Train” on Wednesday, April 26th. The

public was invited to attend.

Select 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students will

participate in a math contest on

Wednesday, May 3rd.

The Awards Banquet is scheduled for

Friday, May 6th. The meal will begin at

5:30 pm.

The musical, “You’re A Good Man,

Charlie Brown” will be presented

Saturday, May 6th, at 2:00 pm, and

Sunday, May 7th, at 7:00 pm. (PLEASE

NOTE: These are time changes!

Different than the red book printed

calendar.)

The coffeehouse concert will be Monday,

May 8th, at 7:00 pm.

District track is scheduled for

Wednesday, May 10th.

Elementary track meet is scheduled for

Friday, May 12th. Rain date is

Wednesday, May 17th.

Graduation will be held on Saturday,

May 13th, at 2:00 pm in the Meridian

Public School gymnasium.

Where has the time gone?! The seniors’

last day is scheduled for May 11th with

the Graduation Ceremony being held

Saturday, May 13 at 2:00 p.m. It is

important for these students to stay

focused during their final days of high

school and to finish strong!

ScholarshipQuest at EducationQuest.org

for Nebraska-based scholarships. Pay

attention to scholarships current seniors

have received.

Find a summer job to help pay for college expenses. Ask prospective

employers if they offer education

assistance programs.

If you are planning to take dual credit English, you are highly encouraged to

take the ACT Test prior to the 2017-18

school year.

Summer Opportunities:

Mrs. Kroon has been collecting

brochures for upcoming summer camps,

jobs, and other opportunities! Visit with

Mrs. Kroon if you are interested!

ACT:

Remember to register by May 5th for the

June 10th ACT. Go to

www.actstudent.org to register. Students

who qualify for free/reduced lunch may

request a fee waiver from Mrs. Kroon.

UNL, UNK, & UNO no longer accept

ACT scores from the high school. If you

are interested in UNL, UNK, or UNO,

please be sure to have your ACT scores

sent directly to them from ACT. This can

be done when you register for the exam

or later with an additional fee.

Questions?

Contact Gina Kroon at

[email protected] or (402)

446-7265 ext.1253

Meridian Youth Football

League

Parents of 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade

students for the 2017-18 school year, the

Farmers Valley Football League will be

establishing an 8-man football division

for the 2017 Fall Season. This is the first

year they have offered a full-contact

league for 8-man teams. In the past, it

has strictly been 11-man teams. There

will be an informational meeting

following the Elementary Track Meet

Friday May 12th at 4:00 pm in the

Meridian Commons to determine interest

level. We will also discuss issues

associated with starting a team, such as

Onward to victory… May they win again today…

Page 3 Meridian Public School, District 48-0303 May, 2017

COUNSELOR’S CORNER

by

Gina Kroon

mailto:[email protected]

Erin Johnson – DataBase Applications

8th Place

Halle Pribyl – Intro to Business

Communications

3rd Place – National Qualifier*

Jackie Dimas – Public Speaking I

6th Place

Halle Pribyl – Middle Level Business

Communications - 3rd Place

Brynn Holtmeier – Middle Level

Business Communications

5th Place

Brynn Holtmeier – Middle Level

Career Exploration

5th Place

Meridian has qualified four students -

Erin, Breanna, Hailey, and Halle - to

compete at the National FBLA

Leadership Conference in Anaheim,

California, from June 27 to July 3.

Placement in the top three for each

event qualifies the students to compete

at the national level.

Meridian has had students qualify for

National Competition 16 out of the 18

years of Meridian FBLA. Students

have worked hard to get to this step and

make the extra effort to qualify in their

events.

Members attending from Meridian

were Brianna Barton, Adeline Beals,

Baxter Beals, Breanna Boyce, Brittany

Boyce, Jackie Dimas, Cally Ellis,

Brynn Holtmeier, Shelby Homolka,

Erin Johnson, Allison Klipp, Garrett

Klipp, Gitte Lans, Breanna Miller,

Nylah Moody, Sara Most, Halle Pribyl,

Hailey Schafer, Kolby Schafer, Erika

Schwisow, Jaicee Sobotka, Josiee

Sobotka, and Peyton VanWesten. Even

though some of these students didn’t

make the stage, Meridian was very well

represented by their hard work and

dedication.

STUCO NEWS As we push into the final weeks of this

school year we begin to reminisce over

the past few months and although

school is almost over we must

remember that we still have finals to

take and classes to pass. The past

month we’ve had a couple things in the

works like the Easter egg hunt, the

StuCo getaway, and Student Council

elections.

fundraising and purchasing of

equipment. If you can’t make it to the

meeting but would like more

information, please contact Clint Jones at

the school. Thanks.

AWARDS BANQUET Meridian will once again be hosting the

Awards Banquet. It will be held on

Friday, May 5th, in the gym. Food,

provided by Meridian Public School, will

be served starting at 5:30 p.m. and the

awards program will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Please call Trish Endorf and let her know

in advance how many to plan for.

Meridian FBLA Attends SLC Four Students Qualify for NLC

Legacy of Leadership was the theme for

this year’s Nebraska Future Business

Leaders of America. On April 6-8, the

state leadership convention was held at

the Omaha Plaza Hotel with over 2,200

members and advisers attending. The

keynote speaker Hoan Do, competitor in

American Ninja Warrior show, shared

with the students how to become

outstanding leaders who make those

around them better.

Mrs. Soukup, adviser, and 23 Meridian

FBLA members attended the convention

and competed in five competitive events.

They also attended seminars held

throughout the conference. Honorable

mention awards were given to the top

four percent of each event on

Friday evening at the second general

session. During the closing session on

Saturday morning, awards were given to

the top eight placings in each competitive

event. Throughout the conference,

students were competing against Class A,

B, C, and D schools.

Receiving awards for Meridian were:

Erin Johnson – Who’s Who

Halle Pribyl – Intro to Financial Math

Honorable Mention

Erin Johnson – Spreadsheet Applications

Honorable Mention

Halle Pribyl – Accounting I

Honorable Mention

Erin Johnson, Breanna Miller, Hailey

Schafer – Business Financial Plan

3rd Place – National Qualifier*

Adeline Beals – DataBase Applications

6th Place

The Meridian Student Council once

again organized the annual Easter egg

hunt. During free periods in the day our

senior members went out to the practice

football field and hid eggs all over the

field. Our seniors are incredibly

imaginative and put the eggs in very

discreet places for the other students to

find. During study hall the 7-12 grades

were allowed to go out onto the practice

field and find one egg per person. The

egg hunt was especially fun this year,

and it seems like everyone in the high

school had a fun time hunting for eggs. I

hope that next year this wonderful

tradition continues to put a smile on

everyone's face.

This group's last event together before

elections will be the StuCo getaway. This

year the Student Council will travel to

Omaha to spend a day at the zoo. The

getaway will be our last bonding

experience as a group. It will be a day

full of fun and laughter. Although this

will be the last time the 2016-17 Student

Council will be together, I know it will

be a joyful excursion. As this will be the

last time the group will be together, I

would like to say thank you to all of our

senior Student Council members that will

be leaving us next year. You all have the

ability and determination to continue on

with your lives as leaders. It has been a

real honor to have spent time with you

during your time here at Meridian. I wish

you all the best of luck in all of your

future endeavors. I, personally, would

like to thank you for teaching me that

seriousness and playfulness can be done

together. We have certainly had a lot to

do this year, but somehow you guys

always made whatever task we were

doing fun. That is a lesson I will never

forget, so thank you. One final goodbye

to our seniors: Allison Klipp, Baxter

Beals, Shelby Homolka, Isaiah Ellis, and

our foreign exchange student, Gitte Lans.

Your dedication to this Student Council

is greatly appreciated and will be sorely

missed.

On a less sorrowful note we will be

holding the Student Council elections for

next year. All of the students who handed

in all of their forms and passed the

interview process will be put on the

ballot. Every student who has completed

We’ll give a cheer for the varsity… Long may they reign supreme …


Shout ‘til the echoes ring… For the glory of our team!

the previously mentioned tasks will

have to perform a short speech in front

of their class to put across any last

points before the actual voting begins.

Each class will have representatives,

and there will also be a handful of at-

large candidates who will make up our

2017-2018 Student Council. After the

Student Council group has been decided

there will be elections within the

Student Council to determine our

officers for next year.

The Easter egg hunt, the StuCo

getaway, and Student Council elections

have made this month very busy for the

Meridian Student Council. This will be

my last article as the Student Council

Public Relations officer, so I would like

to thank all of you for reading my small

tidbits of StuCo activity. It has been a

real joy for me to write these articles

every month. As a final farewell I

would like to tell you to enjoy the rest

of the school year and the summer. It

has always been a sort of habit of mine

to end things with quotes, and,

although I haven’t done that this year,

I would like to sign off with a quote by

T.S. Eliot, “What we call the

beginning is often the end. And to

make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from.” I do

believe that this quote perfectly

embodies what I would like to convey

to all of you and to the seniors who are

going to be making a new beginning

after graduation.

Wishing you a Final Farewell,

Public Relations, Jacqueline Dimas

THANK YOU FROM

POST PROM The Junior-Senior parents would like

to thank all of the businesses listed

below that donated to this year’s post

prom:

Norder Supply, Jefferson

Community Health and Life,

Winter’s Veterinary Clinic,

Western American Legion, First

-unknown

Baxter Beals Chandler Burkhart Jacob Durflinger

Isaiah Ellis Alize Floyd

Rasclyn Griffin Shelby Homolka Tabitha Jacobs

Allison Klipp Gitte Lans

Nycole Lockwood Connor Paul

Waylynn Scheets


State Bank, Maatsch Oil, Western

Rescue, Farm Bureau Insurance,

Starr-Buckow Insurance, First

National Bank of Fairbury,

Farmers’ Cooperative, Jefferson

County Bank, Norris Power

Goodwill Fund, Western Fire

Departement, Henry Orf, Western

Community Club, The Image, Blue

Skies Photography, Daykin

Lumber, Daykin Hardware,

Fairbury WalMart, Bruning

Grocery, KT’s Market, Mama D’s,

Casey’s, Subway, Daykin Country

Store, and Landmark Implement,

Inc.

It was a great success and one that

would not have happened without all of

the donations. A big “Thank You” to

all of the parents, staff, and anyone else

who helped with post prom!


Go Mustangs!

Meridian Alumni Banquet

June 10, 2017

Activities are being planned for the Meridian Alumni Banquet to be held on Saturday, June 10,

2017, at the Tobias Auditorium.

Honored classes for this year will be: 1972, 77, 82, 87, 92, 97, 2002, 07, 12, and 17. We encourage

members of those classes to contribute ideas and any help to make your honor class a special group.

Entertainment for this year will be selected from professional comedians Tom Bragoon of Kansas

City, John DeBoer from Minneapolis, and John Busch of Des Moines.

We have heard from several honor classes planning to organize for the Banquet. Please give us a

call if we can help in any way.

There will be co-ed sand volleyball at the Daykin volleyball court. Spouses and guests who did not

graduate from Meridian are invited to participate. The Alumni Association is also open to a golf

tournament on Saturday if there would be enough participants.

Cost for the banquet is $18 for single or $35 per couple. This includes the following:

1) T-shirt for graduates 5) Beverages at banquet

2) Awards for VB and BB 6) Speaker

3) Building rent 7) Dance

4) Banquet meal 8) Certificates

For additional information on any matter contact:

Larry Miller (402)446-7271

Paul Bachle (402)446-7243

Meridian Alumni Banquet

June 10, 2017

_____ Banquet Only ______________________Yr Graduated _______ T-shirt Size ______

Name

_____ Banquet Only ______________________Yr Graduated _______ T-shirt Size ______

Name

_____ Volleyball Phone Number

_____ Volleyball

Enclosed is my check for _______($18/35) Checks payable to Meridian Alumni.

Mail registrations to: Meridian Alumni, PO Box 172, Daykin, NE 68338

mission statement...board of education meridian public schools district 48-0303 daykin, nebraska...

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