Children

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...

Family meets family: Stenekers bring music and Dutch culture to Vaske home (08/29/08)
The Vaske house is usually abuzz -- Dave and Ruth Vaske have six children -- but lately there's been more music. And a little more Dutch. The Le Mars family is hosting none other than "the Godfather of Dutch Country Music" himself -- Ben Steneker. Ben and his daughter Carmen Steneker traveled from the Netherlands to Iowa to perform at the Old Time Country and Bluegrass Music Festival...

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...

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...

IRCC Toy Run set for Saturday (08/22/08)
Motorcycle enthusiasts are invited to gear up for the 17th Annual Toy Run Saturday. People can register from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at The Panhead in Marcus for the Independent Riders for Children and Charities (IRCC) event. The group will leave The Panhead at 1 p.m., ride through the area and end up at the Icky Nickel, in Sioux City...

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...

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)

When mommy is arrested: Police plan for children on the scene (08/18/08)
Patrol cars pull up to a house, looking for an adult suspect. They enter the house to make an arrest. There, on the couch, an eight year old is reading a book. Suddenly, the plan changes. "Kids are so impressionable," said Le Mars Police Chief Stu Dekkenga. "It's a big deal, removing a parent. You don't want to traumatize the child."...

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...

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. ...

Le Mars lemonade stand goes above and beyond (08/11/08)
Lemonade provides the perfect combination of sweet and sour. But a lemonade stand organized by three budding philanthropists on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Second Street provided more sweet than sour. On August 7-8, Lexi Bartham, 10; Natalia Kuiken, 8 1/2; and Jaelynn Dreckmann, 6 1/2; set up a lemonade stand with all proceeds benefiting the Le Mars Hy-Vee's Pack the Bus fundraiser, which collects and donates school supplies for back-to-school students in need...

Pedal power: How bike-friendly is Le Mars? (08/08/08)
Around the nation, store managers are reporting that more people are picking up bikes to get around. At Wal-Mart in Le Mars, demand has increased for bicycles lately, according to Don Terry, toy department manager. "More people are wanting to get a bike to bike to work and do in-town riding," he said...

Building on education: LCS addition nearly complete (08/07/08)
With only two weeks until school starts, teachers and staff at Le Mars Community High School and Middle School are busy putting the finishing touches on moves to new classroom space and computer labs and looking forward to the new middle school gymnasium...

Fairgrounds get a touch-up from Boy Scouts (08/07/08)
For Boy Scouts, Eagle Scout is the highest rank they can achieve. Zack Gaul and Zack Nemmers, of Troop No. 184, decided to spruce up parts of the Plymouth County Fairgrounds to obtain that rank. Eagle Scouts must demonstrate they live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives, earn a total of 21 merit badges, and serve actively in a position of responsibility for six months...

Kingsley-Pierson school board race slims (08/06/08)
A Kingsley-Pierson woman has pulled out of her district's school board race. Susan Edgar, who filed papers to run for the Kingsley-Pierson District 4 seat, decided this week to step out of the race. Her decision cuts the number of people running for the seat from three to two...

Iowa athletes compete in Beijing for 2008 Olympics (08/05/08)
Iowa may be about 6,000 miles from Beijing, China, but starting this week, Iowa will have a presence in the 2008 Olympic hub. More than 10 athletes from Iowa or with Iowa connections are arriving in the Chinese capital this week to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which run Aug 8-24...

Merrill's before- and after-school program is a go (08/04/08)
Kissinger Elementary students will be able to enroll in a before- and after-school program at Merrill's First United Methodist Church when classes resume on August 21. Throughout the past year, the town has been working to develop a before- and after-school program to provide activities and supervision for students whose parents work longer than school hours...

Merrill's before- and after-school program on hold (07/31/08)
What began as a great opportunity for the Merrill may not be ready in time when classes resume this fall. Throughout the past year, the town has been working to develop a before- and after-school program to provide activities and supervision for students whose parents work longer than school hours...

Registration for LCS students is Aug. 7 and 8 (07/31/08)
Registration at Le Mars Community Schools will be held Thursday and Friday, Aug. 7 and 8. Everyone will register at the middle school during these two days. Thursday's hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday's hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration and payment of fees for the 2008-2009 school year will be completed at this time...

Le Mars composer makes musical notes come alive (07/30/08)
David Moore began writing melodies as a teenager. "I started dabbling when I was in high school just kind of messing around," the Le Mars man said. "I actually did a couple of arrangements for my jazz band experimenting a little bit." Since then, a band instructor by day, Moore has composed full concert band and smaller solo, piano and ensemble pieces...

Help ahead for 102-year-old Akron opera house (07/29/08)
Akron's opera house has weathered many changes since it opened in 1906. Now another phase is planned for the building that towers over the town's main street. "My head spun for two weeks just thinking about this," Akron Community Theater President Doug Olson said Monday evening while discussing upcoming plans for the theater...

LCS board puts ISL issue to voters (07/28/08)
Le Mars Community School District residents will cast their vote on Sept. 9 on whether the district will participate in the Instructional Support Levy. The school board met at noon Friday to hold a public hearing on the resolution to participate. After hearing from two members of the public, the board unanimously passed the resolution and set the date for the vote...

Scouts use Eagle projects to help local churches (07/23/08)
For Boy Scouts, Eagle Scout is the highest rank they can achieve. To earn such distinction, scouts must demonstrate that they live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives, earn a total of 21 merit badges, serve actively in a position of responsibility for six months, and plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project...

Deadline to enter school board election nears (07/23/08)
Ten school board positions are up for election this fall in Plymouth County, and the deadline to file papers is only a week away. Candidates wishing to run for seats must turn in nomination papers with a designated number of signatures by 5 p.m. Thursday, July 31 to their schools' board secretary...

Plymouth County Fair is 'The Best Five Days of Summer' (07/21/08)
The 2008 Plymouth County Fair, billed this year as "The Best 5 Days of Summer" opens Wednesday with a full slate of activities and shows than runs through Sunday evening. "You hear all summer long about the price of gas going up," said Terry Reuter, fair board president. "We hope people will plan the Plymouth County Fair as their main destination this summer."...

Mid-Sioux emergency food pantry in need of supplies (07/18/08)
The Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc. Outreach Office in Le Mars is in need of non-perishable food and paper supplies. The food pantry relies on local donations to keep the shelves stocked. "Most people think of donating to food banks during the holidays," said Melissa Juhl development director for Mid-Sioux. "In fact, summer is a very busy time at the food bank. Families consume more food during the summer months with school aged children at home all day."...

Runners bring World Harmony flame to Le Mars (07/17/08)
The Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor is usually a cool place. But on Wednesday afternoon a flame blazed there. Three torch runners, one from Scotland, one from Australia and one from the Czech Republic, stopped in Le Mars during the Iowa leg of the World Harmony Run...

Hinton residents debate future home for new elementary (07/17/08)
By a show of hands the majority of more than 100 Hinton residents expressed a desire Tuesday to build a new elementary adjacent to the town's existing school. The Hinton School Board met with the public Tuesday to receive comments from the people as to their thoughts concerning the district's plans to construct a new pre-Kindergarten through third grade elementary school and competitive gymnasium...

LCS board sets July 25 hearing on ISL resolution (07/15/08)
The Le Mars Community School Board has set a public hearing on their intent to participate in the Instructional Support Program, a tax levy which would raise money for salaries, supplies and program costs for the school. The hearing will be noon on Friday, July 25, at the Education Service Center located at 940 Lincoln St. S.W...

It's 'fair or bust' for the Ludwig family (07/14/08)
(Editor's note: This is the first in a series of stories about families preparing for the upcoming Plymouth County Fair) In less than two weeks the Ludwig's family van will journey to the Plymouth County fairgrounds filled with 4-H baked goods, dogs, a homemade hurdle and coffee table, plus the five Ludwig children and a kitten, if there's room...

School's out forever (07/10/08)
A Le Mars landmark for more than a century was demolished Wednesday. St. Joseph School, completed in 1905, was torn down to make way for a new Catholic church. A handful of the more than 2,000 students that studied in the building's classrooms gathered Wednesday to take pictures and watch the school be reduced to a pile of rubble...

Conservation camps teach children about insects (07/10/08)
First through fourth graders from all over the region migrated to Hillview Park in Hinton to take part in the Plymouth County Conservation camp this Wednesday and Thursday. The focus for the camps is learning about insects. "The purpose of these camps is to get kids outside in the summer and to give them an awareness of what's in their own backyard," said naturalist Victoria Shamblen...

Hinton school hosts public meeting on proposed expansion (07/01/08)
Hinton Community School is looking at building a new early elementary building and gym, and now officials want to hear what the public has to say. The school board will host a public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 15 in the school gym to give an update on the proposed pre-Kindergarten through third grade building and competitive gymnasium, anticipated to cost more than $7.5 million...

Entities will pay administration costs for county's help (06/19/08)
The Plymouth County Supervisors on Tuesday approved charging $1,500 in administrative costs for helping issue bonds or grants under its tax-free canopy. The topic came to light when Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization from Sioux City, requested the county's help to route revenue bonds through the county...

LCS administration makes the move (06/17/08)
Now there's a cornfield between the Le Mars Community Middle and High Schools and the district's new central office. The LCS administrative staff moved last week to the former Wells' Dairy headquarters on Lincoln Street Southwest. Along with the district superintendent's office and business office, the schools' technology and printing will also be based there...

Local Scouts join vigil for four boys killed in tornado (06/16/08)
No local Boy Scouts were directly involved in the tragedy at the Little Sioux Scout Camp near Blencoe last week, but the tornado that claimed four Scouts' lives affected all of them. "We didn't know the boys but in a sense we're all brothers -- we have the same background, the same morals, the same beliefs," said Dean Christoffel, the Scoutmaster for Troop 184 of Le Mars...

Students take the stage at Drama Camp (06/16/08)
How do you become a good villain? It starts with the laugh. That's one of the lessons about 20 children learned during the Drama Camp put on by the Le Mars Arts Council last week. The students, ages 4-12, heard from guest speakers like Andy Linn, a performer in a recent Le Mars Community Theatre play, who taught the group how to master the villain's character, voice, and, most importantly, the laugh...

Our Dreams: Class of 2008 (06/12/08)
This is the fourth story in a series looking at what plans and dreams local members of the graduating class of 2008 hope to pursue. For Shahryar Naqvi, the desire become a lawyer isn't motivated by fame, fancy things, or even the money that is commonly associated with the practice. For this 2008 Gehlen Catholic High School graduate, the aspiration to become a lawyer lies in one, pure motive: To achieve equality for the little guy...

Kidz Cabin opens (06/11/08)
A little cabin tucked on the top floor hallway of the Plymouth County Historical Museum will make its debut during Ice Cream Days. "Kidz Cabin" features a front porch, complete with clothesline and clothes pins, and a one-room living space, just the right size for children to play at being pioneers on the prairie...

Franke won't seek re-election to school board (06/11/08)
Two seats on the Le Mars Community School Board are up for election this fall. The seats held by Marjorie Franke, representing District 3, and Dan Smith, representing District 5, will be filled at the Sept. 9 school board election. At the board's Monday meeting, Franke announced to fellow board members she does not plan to seek re-election to her seat. Franke, a retired teacher with the Le Mars Community School District, has served on the board 18 years, since 1990...