Arts Education

Gehlen parade set for Friday (10/01/08)
Gehlen Jay fans will take to the streets Friday for the 2008 Homecoming parade to rally their team to "Stuff the Eagles." The parade follows coronation, which will be held at noon in the Gehlen Catholic School gym. The parade starts at 1:30 p.m. with participants lining up at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds. The parade will make its way to Central Avenue and follow that street south to Foster Park...

Le Mars Area Dialysis focus is on fundraising, renovation (10/01/08)
Le Mars Area Dialysis Services is stepping up its fundraising efforts. Currently the not-for-profit group has two main focuses -- one is to continue raising money, and the other is to plan renovation of its newly acquired building in downtown Le Mars...

Local marching bands shine at StarFest (09/30/08)
In a field of 16 schools, the two high school marching bands from Le Mars represented the community well Saturday at the StarFest marching competition in Sioux City. Gehlen Catholic Schools' Marching Jays placed first in Class 1A, at the competition Sept. 27 in the Olsen Stadium...

Open house set for LCS additions, renovation (09/30/08)
An open house at the Le Mars Community Middle and High Schools will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2. The open house provides the public an opportunity to tour the new middle school gymnasium, the three new technology enhanced classrooms at the high school, and the renovations that were completed in the high school following the move of the superintendent's office...

Gehlen Catholic celebrates Homecoming 2008 (09/29/08)
Gehlen Catholic Schools' 2008 Homecoming 2008 theme is "Stuff the Eagles." A full week of activities is planned culminating in a coronation ceremony and the football game Friday when the Gehlen Jays host the Marcus-Meriden Cleghorn Eagles. The week began with the Homecoming Liturgy service at 8:45 a.m. today (Monday), with special guests The Rev. Gene Sitzmann and the Rev. Rick Sitzmann, priests who graduated in 1953, the last class at St. Joseph School...

Pictorial history book of county in progress (09/29/08)
A pictorial history of Plymouth County may soon be a reality, thanks to the efforts of Seney area native Linda Zieman. Zieman made a commitment with Arcadia Publishing of Chicago earlier this year to put together a pictorial history of Plymouth County...

Saggau shares stories of inspiration to motivate students (09/26/08)
"Make good choices" was the message Bernie Saggau shared with Le Mars students in grades four through 12 Thursday. "The freedom of choice is to be what you want to be," Saggau said. "The more education you have, the more choices you have." Saggau, past executive director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSSA), was invited by Le Mars Community Schools (LCS) to talk about his life experiences to inspire LCS and Gehlen Catholic School students...

Young to be comissioned for ministry in ELCA (09/26/08)
When Marcia Young graduated from high school, she wanted to attend seminary to become a pastor. There was only one roadblock: the Lutheran church was not yet ordaining women as pastors at that time. Instead, she went to college, majoring in business and theology, married and became a mother, and always remained active in her church...

Group wants to address dangerous pedestrian spots (09/26/08)
Colleen Bortscheller spends a lot of time biking. She likes cycling to work or heading to the recreation trail for a ride. But one place she doesn't like to bike is 12th Street Southwest in Le Mars. "I think it's very hazardous, not only for students walking or biking to school, but also adults," Bortscheller said...

Gehlen Catholic opens homecoming week with special mass (09/26/08)
Students, staff, parents and alumni at Gehlen Catholic Schools will start their 2008 homecoming activities with a special Homecoming Mass at 8:45 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29, at St. Joseph Church in Le Mars. Presiding at the mass will be two priests, both 1953 graduates of the last class from St. Joseph School, Father Gene Sitzmann and and Rick Sitzmann...

Iowa native earned students' trust teaching on reservation (09/25/08)
Maria Valen remembers her former Crow and Cheyenne students fondly, especially this week -- Native American Heritage Week. Valen, a new high school English teacher at Gehlen Catholic School, spent two years prior to coming to Le Mars educating American Indian students in Montana...

School sends message: no bullies allowed (09/24/08)
What may start out as joking or teasing could turn into bullying. Bullying may be physical, verbal or emotional in nature and is seen as an aggressive behavior that is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength and is typically repeated over time, according to information from the program, "Stop Bullying Now."...

LCS Homecoming parade set for Friday (09/24/08)
Le Mars Community Schools will be parading their school spirit down Central Avenue Friday. The LCS 2008 Homecoming Parade kicks off at 2:15 p.m.. from Eighth Street Southwest heading north on Central Avenue through the downtown area. LCS and Gehlen Catholic School bands will be marching Friday...

School board waits on decision about future levy (09/23/08)
The Le Mars Community School board won't decide whether or not to make another try at starting the Instructional Support Levy (ISL) until November. Monday night's board of education meeting was the first opportunity for board members to discuss together the outcome of the Sept. 9 ISL vote...

Students use five senses on area farm tour (09/23/08)
They came by the busload. Students from area schools experienced fun on the farm last week during the annual Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Tour. Children from Le Mars Community, Gehlen Catholic, Remsen-Union and Remsen St. Mary's had a chance to visit four farms to learn about agriculture in Plymouth County. The students were from the third or fourth grades, depending on which school they attend. They were divided into four groups that traveled from one farm to the next...

Orange City woman to step into library director's shoes (09/23/08)
Sue Kroesche enjoys books and library technology. She will put those interests to use along with her experience and education as new director of Le Mars Public Library, effective Oct. 6 pending final approval by the library board of trustees at the end of this month...

Hinton School Board steps closer to using eminent domain (09/22/08)
Last week Hinton School Board members moved forward to possibly try to obtain agricultural land through eminent domain by scheduling a public hearing in November. "It's a necessary step before we would be able to actually pursue the possible use of eminent domain," said Robert Held, Hinton School Board president...

Le Mars native to speak on behalf of National Education Association (09/19/08)
A Le Mars native who is now president of the National Education Association will be speaking in West Des Moines at the end of this month. Dennis Van Roekel, who was elected to the position in July, will be talking at an IowaPolitics.com forum about the November election and answering questions educational issues...

Group seeks people to 'Think outside the car' (09/19/08)
More than half the students at Le Mars schools drive or ride in a car to school every day, according to a recent survey. But a group of locals are looking into other options, and they want your help. Locals are invited to a Safe Routes to School meeting 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23 at the Le Mars Convention Center to talk about the possibility of starting a Safe Routes to School program in Le Mars...

Retirement closes 50 years of education service for Franke (09/12/08)
After more than 50 years of dedicating her life to the education of children, first as a kindergarten teacher and then as a school board member, Marjorie Franke is retiring from her work in the Le Mars Community School District. After receiving a gavel and retirement plaque Monday evening at the Le Mars Community School Board of Education meeting, Franke gaveled her last board meeting to adjournment...

LCS board OKs allocation of state money for teachers (09/11/08)
An agreement between the Le Mars Community School District and the Le Mars Education Association provides for the distribution to teachers of more than $800,000 in additional state money for the 2008-09 school year. The Educator Quality Basic money is allocated by the Iowa Legislature in an effort to increase the average teacher salaries in Iowa and raise Iowa's ranking in average teacher salary in the United States...

Voters turn down ISL for Le Mars schools (09/10/08)
Le Mars Community School District voters said "no" to starting an Instructional Support Levy by 49 votes in Tuesday's election. District residents cast 1,880 "yes" votes (49 percent) for the adoption of the funding source for the district's general fund budget, with 1,929 "no" votes (51 percent) cast. The decision needed a simple majority to pass...

Polls open Tuesday for school vote (09/08/08)
Le Mars Community School District voters will go to the polls Tuesday to choose two people to fill open school board seats and to decide whether the school should start an Instructional Support Levy (ISL) to bring in more money to pay for teacher salaries, programs and textbooks...

Le Mars Country Dancers encourage people to dance into lessons (09/08/08)
Steps, kicks, turns, counts, patterns -- ever wanted to learn country-style line or couples' dancing? If so, the Le Mars Country Dancers can help. Volunteers give beginner, intermediate and advanced dance lessons to singles and couples from 7-10 p.m. Wednesdays, September through May. They meet in the upper level dance hall at the Le Mars Eagles Club. All ages are welcome...

Do your duty - vote (09/08/08)
It's the end of a era. With the passage of a new law by the Iowa Legislature, terms of school board members will grow to four years. Each school district in the state has submitted plans with the Iowa Secretary of State as to how they will phase in these new terms...

School board candidates share views heading into election (09/02/08)
The Le Mars Community School District has two open seats on the board of education. The election to fill the District 3 and 5 seats will be Sept. 9. Joe Cain and incumbent Dan Smith are running for the District 5 spot, and Mark Hemmingson is running a write-in campaign for the District 3 spot, which no one filed papers to fill. To get to know the candidates more, the Daily Sentinel asked each one eight questions, which are printed below with their answers.

School election absentee ballots still available (09/02/08)
School board elections for Plymouth County school districts will be Tuesday, Sept. 9. In the Le Mars Community School District, polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. where voters will cast their ballots for two director seats, and give a "yes" or "no" vote on the Instructional Support Levy request...

Questions answered on school levy issue (08/29/08)
Two public information meetings brought approximately 75 Le Mars Community School District residents out to learn about the Instructional Support Levy (ISL) Wednesday and Thursday evenings. A vote on whether to implement the levy will be held on Sept. 9, the same day as school board elections...

State's site visit team gives LCS favorable review (08/28/08)
A report from the State Department of Education on their April visit to Le Mars Community Schools pointed out a number of strengths for the district, according to Dr. Carl Turner, assistant superintendent. Turner shared the report at the school board meeting Monday...

Actors wanted: Auditions for "The Turn of the Worm" coming soon (08/28/08)
Looking to make the stage in a live theater production? Come out and audition for the comedy "The Turn of the Worm," a production by the Le Mars Community Theatre with run dates at the end of October. Five actors, three men, two mature and one young, and three females, two mature and one young, are needed to help bring the characters to life...

ISL information meetings time for public questions (08/27/08)
Community informational meetings have been set concerning the upcoming Instructional Support Levy (ISL) election for Le Mars Community Schools. The meetings will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 27 and 28, in the district's Education Service Center at 940 Lincoln St. S.W...

Tipi Village brings history to life for music lovers (08/27/08)
Visitors can travel back in time to the 1800s through Tipi Village this week at the Old Time Country and Bluegrass Music Festival. Construction of Tipi Village started Tuesday in Pioneer Village at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds as village people began erecting canvas tents and tepees...

School board members answer questions about ISL (08/26/08)
On Sept. 9, voters in the Le Mars Community School District will decide whether to approve a tax levy that would raise money for LCS teacher salaries, books, programs and transportation fuel. That Instructional Support Levy (ISL) has proved the source of much debate. Two LCS School Board members -- Patrick Murphy and Mark Stelzer -- sat down with the Daily Sentinel editorial staff to talk through some of the questions about the levy...

Fallen soldier inspires Kinglsey woman's award-winning poem (08/25/08)
"Parents without a child, Sisters without a brother, Friends without friends, A country without a soldier." Those words from a poem entitled "Brave Warrior," written by Jayne R. Vondrak, of Kingsley, won second place in the National/World Events category in the 2008 Iowa Poetry Association Contest...

Initial estimate of student attendance up at LCS (08/25/08)
After the first day of classes at Le Mars Community Schools, the initial student count is up slightly, although the numbers are far from final. Based on a "seat count" Friday of 2,173 students at LCS, Superintendent Todd Wendt said early estimates suggest the enrollment may have increased by roughly 16 students this year...

'Pride Night' promotes school activities Monday (08/22/08)
"Pride Night" will be shining with school colors Monday as students, parents, and fans from Le Mars Community and Gehlen Catholic Schools celebrate their schools and extra-curricular activities students participate in. "Pride Night will kick off the new school year and promote school unity. Pride Night is a great way for Le Mars area residents to show their support for Gehlen Catholic and Le Mars Community students," KLEM Radio operations director Dave Ruden said. There is no admission charge...

Leaving behind her comfort zone (08/21/08)
When Jaclyn Ver Mulm packed her bags for China this summer, she had two things on her mind: visiting her sister and catching some of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. But more was in store for the young woman from Le Mars during her three-month stay in the country...

Hemmingson starts write-in campaign for school board (08/21/08)
A no-man race for a seat on the Le Mars school board became a one-man race Wednesday. Mark Hemmingson, of Le Mars, announced his plan to run as a write-in candidate for the District 3 seat on the Le Mars Community School Board. Hemmingson stepped up after no one filed papers by the July 31 deadline...

American Indian art exhibit travels to Plymouth County (08/20/08)
Artist Robert Morris captures the faces of American Indians from across the country, something he began 10 years ago. "I want to paint one Indian from every tribe," Morris said. "I travel all summer and paint all winter." An exhibit featuring 16 of Morris' chalk paintings from his collection "The First Americans" opens at 1 p.m. Wednesday and runs through Friday at the Plymouth County Historical Museum. The museum is open 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. or in the morning by appointment...

Hinton School Board looks into legal options to obtain land (08/19/08)
Hinton Community School Board members discussed Monday the possibility of using eminent domain to obtain land on which to construct a new elementary school and gymnasium. The school board decided to find out more about steps necessary to obtain 8 acres adjacent to the current school from property owners, Kevin and Annette Held, through eminent domain...

School election absentee ballots available (08/18/08)

Theater fundraiser takes trip down musical memory lane (08/18/08)
"Hello Dolly," "If I Were a Rich Man," "Prepare Ye the Way." Those familiar tunes and others will be featured in the Le Mars Community Theatre's "Musical Memories" biennial fundraiser Friday and Saturday. "We went through all the musicals in the past and looked at the ones that had songs that would be fairly familiar to the audience," said Marlene Fitzpatrick, co-producer of the fundraiser. "We asked people who have been in musicals in previous years (to perform)."...

Remsen students' class schedules start early again (08/14/08)
Remsen-Union and Remsen St. Mary's students grabbed book bags, donned school clothes and headed back to class Wednesday. For the second year in a row, the schools started about a week earlier than other schools. Remsen-Union Superintendent Ken Howard said 78 percent of community members surveyed in January, half-way through the 2007-08 school year, indicated they liked the new schedule...

LCS students ahead of No Child Left Behind curve (08/14/08)
LCS students' math and reading proficiency 2007 In the math area, LCS students exceeded the state proficiency levels as follows: Grade 3-5 Grade 6-8 Grade 11 LCS students also exceeded the state proficiency levels in reading: Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grade 11...

New teachers prepare for first day at Gehlen Catholic School (08/14/08)
Gehlen Catholic Schools are welcoming three new faces to their faculty for the 200-2009 school year. A new Spanish teacher, a math teacher and an English teacher are preparing their classrooms for students' first day next week. Elizabeth Rogers Elizabeth Rogers of Blair, Neb. will start her teaching career at Gehlen Catholic High School this fall. A recent graduate of Northwestern College in Orange City, Rogers will teach high school Spanish levels 1-4...

Japanese students learn Iowa life from local families (08/13/08)
Brian and Sarah Kehm have an extra sister in their house for a month. She's 16. She likes to shop. She likes pop music and video games. And she's a black belt in karate. Shoko Harashima, a Japanese teen, is living with the David and Janet Kehm family for most of August. She's part of a group of 26 Japanese students living with 4-H families in Iowa from July 24 to Aug. 21. Five of those 4-H families are in Plymouth County...

Write-in candidate could win school board seat (08/13/08)
With no candidate filing for a vacant seat on the Le Mars Community School Board of Education for District 3, board members discussed this week how the seat will be filled. "There is an opportunity for a write-in candidate to be elected," said Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt...

Enrollment one of key issues in ISL decision (08/12/08)
Le Mars Community School Board of Education members discussed the impact of the outcome of the Instructional Suppot Levy (SL) election during their meeting Monday evening. The ISL as proposed by the board, would raise money for the school's general fund through a mix of instructional support state aid, ISL property tax and ISL income surtax. The issue will be put to a vote on Sept. 9, the same day as school board elections...

School board rebuts land purchase rumor (08/12/08)
The Le Mars Community School District has not purchased property, board members said at Monday night's meeting. Board member Cris Collins brought the issue to the table at the end of the board meeting as other business. Collins told the board he had received a call from a concerned citizen in the community about comments from another citizen who said their information came from a "very reliable" source that the Le Mars Community School Board "had bought the Hahn property just west of the stadium and the purchase involved an exorbitant amount of money.". ...

Le Mars Community welcomes new teachers (08/12/08)
Le Mars Community Schools will start the year with a few staff changes. A new elementary art teacher, assistant middle school principal and high school special education teacher are making preparations to begin the year at LCS. Kimberly Strohbeen Strohbeen will be bringing a splash of color to the LCS elementary as a part-time art teacher. ...