Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 221
The end of the semester always marks the time for testing and assessments. This has been true for Clay Central/Everly Elementary students the last couple of weeks as they have been hard at work completing their winter testing. Students were rewarded for their diligence and perseverance with a little outdoor fun. The mild Iowa winter temperatures and recent abundance of snow helped make it a good time. Last week the Clay County Conservation Board brought the students each a pair of snowshoes,...
Promoting health alongside a well-rounded education has always been important to the Clay Central/Everly school system. Last week the district welcomed the Webster County Health Department's dental hygienist, Beth Albright, to the school via the I-SMILE program. Students were seen at no-cost by Albright during the school day. I-Smile @ School is a statewide program offering free dental screenings, dental sealants, fluoride varnish and oral health education for elementary through middle school st...
Last week was filled with holiday cheer and merriment when the Clay Central/Everly Elementary staff made things extra festive for students. The week kicked off with a teacher in-service where teachers spent their staff development day focusing on the topic of social and emotional learning. The remainder of the week was full of holiday activities. On Tuesday students walked the halls in their favorite color for "Buddy the Elf: What's Your Favorite Color" dress-up day. Wednesday was a Christmas...
A lot of things are going to the way of curbside pickup nowadays. Apparently, a Santa and Mrs. Claus meet and greet is following suit in keeping a safe social distance while still spreading holiday cheer. A masked Mrs. Claus and Santa greeted each parked vehicle in Royal last Saturday with the same joy and holiday cheer as usual, this year from outside participants' car doors. The Kringle couple gave each child a gift and treat, wishing them a very Merry Christmas and photo-op before heading to...
Every year the Clay Central/Everly second graders have the honor of partaking in an offsite, festive-as-can-be Christmas Tea. The outing is usually hosted at former CC/E teacher Lynn Cronk's home and is a delightful day filled with numerous holiday traditions like tea time, Christmas caroling and making gingerbread houses This year Mrs. Larson helped transform the event into a pandemic-friendly, in-class day of fun. Students and staff had a day of Christmas cheer making gingerbread cabins while...
Clay Central/Everly's Lori Larson has been teaching in the district for 29 years. Her career in education started at Trinity Preschool in Spencer before teaching Head Start in Royal and having her own Town and Country preschool for a few years. She started in the middle school at CC/E for five years and later transitioned to elementary. Larson was asked to apply at the middle school by the principal, who thought she would be a good fit. "At the time I was teaching and running my own preschool ou...
December usually boasts a myriad of opportunities for youth to gather and celebrate the Christmas season as one, but just like everything else, the pandemic has put a damper on many traditional holiday plans. The wonderful thing about congregations and communities built in lasting friendships is the creativity birthed in their comradery and togetherness. Hope proved that all is not lost and the Christmas story can still be beautifully told, even given these unfortunate times and pandemic...
As if 2020 hadn't thrown enough wrenches into routines and traditions, it had to try its hand at ruining the annual Clay Central/Everly Elementary Christmas program. Luckily, CC/E didn't allow that to happen. The district held its first – and hopefully last – online K-6 holiday musical concert entitled "How to Train Your Reindeer to Fly." The CC/E preschool class opened the show with their version of the song "Tony Chestnut (Toe-Knee Chestnut)," "This musical tells the story of a group of rei...
Diane Ulrich has quite the responsibility at both CC/E and Sioux Central schools. "I keep everything technology related up and running for the staff and students," she explained. "At CC/E I am responsible for everything from the network to the student and teacher devices." To say her job is vital for both districts would be an understatement, especially given the current pandemic climate requiring virtual learning to be ready and present as an option. CC/E is a 1:1 district with students PK-2...
Last week the Clay Central/Everly third grade classroom hosted Clay County Farm Bureau representative Jennifer McCarten as a guest speaker on the wide world of agriculture. The class partook in a web-creating activity in which students used pictures and string to show how daily objects or household items such as towels, clothing, food or even shoes all come from resources derived from the farm. This subject hits close to home since CC/E is nestled in a vast farming community where farmers'...
Kim Harken has been teaching at Clay Central/Everly for 21 years. She remains in the district for numerous reasons, one of which being CC/E's unique size. "There is no denying the difference a smaller school makes in preparing students for success," she said. "Throughout the years I have taught here, CC/E has consistently had some of the highest academic scores within our surrounding area schools. We have several excellent veteran teachers with many years of expertise. Our students are not just...
Michelle Munden has been an aide within the Clay Central/Everly halls and classrooms for nearly nine years now. She is a CC/E alumnus, graduating as a Maverick in 2005. "I love the smaller school environment and caring atmosphere I received from my teachers and others," she said. "The teachers at CC/E always would strive to go that extra mile to show that they truly cared about you and your education." Munden has enjoyed being a CC/E team member since joining the staff and said being part of...
Royal Museum board member Buddy Yungbluth accepted this handmade spinning wheel from Kathy Miller McClernon as a donation to the Royal Museum. The spinning wheel was handcrafted in 1888 by J. Hullegaard before being gifted to his daughter, Abbie Hjelm. Hullegaard was the grandfather of Alice Holtheus, a longtime resident of Royal. Kathy Miller McClernon is the great-great-granddaughter of Hullegaard....
Nostalgia sets in when one brings up the words “book fair.” Certainly, nearly all students look forward to their schools’ Scholastic Book Fair each year. It is a coveted holiday of sorts in which parents sometimes splurge on a book, eraser, cool pencil or sometimes a poster in order to support the school. Book fairs also instill within students that reading anywhere, especially within the home, is key to their success. Things will look a little different for Clay Central/Everly’s annual Scholas...
Just in time for the holiday season, Clay Central/Everly Elementary and Home State Bank of Royal recently completed their annual tradition of The Giving Tree Project. Students and staff completed this project of caring and sharing during American Education Week, Nov. 16-20. Non-perishable grocery items were collected, sorted and distributed to families within the CC/E communities. This honored tradition of giving was started more than 20 years ago by Judy Eckard, former Home State Bank...
Clay Central/Everly Elementary has recently completed their first Reading is Fundamental (RIF) Reading Challenge. Students PK-6 grade read a total of 11,675 minutes at home in a mere two-week time frame. This achievement gave reason for celebration, and students were awarded a treat and a free book to take home. CC/E has been carrying on the RIF tradition for decades with classroom reading being of upmost importance, along with their request for families to read with their children at home. Rese...
Mary Ann Jobst has been part of the Clay Central/Everly family for 33 years teaching Title 1 reading and math. Recently, she was asked by the district to go back to school to get her ESL endorsement so CC/E could serve a new population of students. "I accepted the challenge and completed my Master's Degree at Morningside College," she said. "I have been the ESL instructor for the past five years at CC/E." Jobst and her husband, retired CC/E science teacher Roger Jobst, moved to Royal after he...
Already home to the Eternal Flame and Blue Star Memorial, Royal's Triangle Park now also has a freshly-poured sidewalk. The addition is thanks to Phase 2 of Royal Visioning Board's Royal Trail Project. Royal Lions Club and Royal Telephone Company donated time, manpower and funds to help see this community project through. Here, Royal Lions Club and community volunteers pour cement to initiate Phase 2 of the Royal Trail Project....
Mrs. Tierny Rutt has been teaching for 35 years, with her first year of teaching starting as a second and third grade teacher in Casper, Wyo. Marriage brought her back to Iowa, where her husband accepted a teaching position in Emmetsburg while she was hired as Everly Community School's newest 1st grade teacher. Rutt has taught both Kindergarten and first grade at CC/E. "Through the years, I have enjoyed teaching in a rural school setting," she said. "The communities have been supportive of...
Celebrating the nation's largest drug-abuse prevention campaign, Clay Central/Everly teachers and staff last week came together with their students to mark Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon Week was started in 1985 and has never wavered in its mission to "support the nation's families and communities in nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug-free youth." Mavericks take this mission seriously every year by making a grand deal of the annual campaign. This year they took to a "Homecoming Style"...
Marlana Tewes is familiar with the walls and halls that make up Clay Central/Everly Elementary, as she once walked them as a middle school student years ago. Tewes has found it hard to stay away. She started her career in education 11 years ago teaching Spanish at Ruthven-Ayrshire, then held a shared position as the CC/E High School counselor before heading to Graettinger-Terril as the district’s Spanish teacher and elementary counselor. She returned to CC/E in 2014 and has remained ever s...
Clay Central/Everly third graders recently found inspiration from famous surrealist artist Salvador Dali. "Inspired Birds" were the subject for their Dali project, where the students' artistic talents shined through. Not to be outdone, the CC/E second graders were handy with the brush as they learned of the artist Horace Pippen. They took from Pippen's use of positive and negative space to create beautiful "Autumn Leaf" paintings. Maverick Kindergarteners busied themselves with a fun project...
Diane White is certainly no stranger to managing. Several years ago, she served as the manager of the Casey's General Store in Pocahontas before becoming supervisor of eight Casey's stores in Minnesota. She then followed that with the title of bookkeeper in the Casey's Corporate Office in Ankeny. Marriage brought her back to northwest Iowa, where the business manager position at CC/E was open. "With the Grace of God, I got it! I have been here ever since," White said. This year is her 30th with...
A unique and beautifully-kept ballot box has recently been donated to the Royal Museum by Betty Kruse and her late husband, Roger. The ballot box was made in the 1860's and utilized in Clay Township. The relic will be on display at Home State Bank of Royal until the 2020 election, and afterwards will be moved to the museum. The Royal Museum Committee would like to thank citizens and local enthusiasts for their continued support of the museum with material and monetary donatio...
Val Johnson is no stranger to the school district as she is a Clay Central/Everly alumnus and has been a member of the CC/E educational team for more than 20 years. She began as a teacher's associate before taking over the secretary position nearly two years ago. Johnson has a degree in Early Childhood Education that helped her obtain her associate position, which allowed her to work with all grades at CC/E Elementary. Johnson appreciates her role in the CC/E family for many reasons, including...
