Arranging our way to the top

Spring contest #1 was a good to the Maywood FFA teams. Members of the floriculture team spent hours studying, designing, and collaborating this spring.  Their hard work paid off as they came home with a 1 st place finish as a team along with the top 3 individuals in the contest.  The Ag Communications team also racked up the preparation time and earned a 4 th place finish.  The Farm Business Management team got some great experience under their belts for their first contest of the year.  Below are the individual results from our first set of spring contests. . . .

Who let the dogfish sharks out? Woof, woof, woof, woof!

    "Would that be your hook there in that shark's jaws?"     "Arrg . . . yes, it is, matey, but nothing to go dorsal about or lose a fin over. 'Twernt a twenty, twenty-five footer, it's Mr. Sonnenfeld's biology class dissecting dogfish sharks. The sophomores dissected these gregarious, gray creatures to locate and identify their various body parts. If these fascinating bottom-dwellers hadn't ended under the educational scapel, they might have lived up to 100 years. Holy Great . . .

“Where’s the Beef?”

Last Thursday, December 7, MPS FFA officers participated in the Connecting Chapters Training through Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation (NEFB).  This allowed students to get a peek at Ag literacy opportunities for elementary students and a chance to develop skills on how to teach those lessons.  The mission of the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation is to engage youth, educators, and the general public to promote an understanding of the vital importance of agriculture in the lives of all Nebraskans. NEFB also created and sponsors Agriculture . . .

FFA visits land of Hoosiers

Five lucky FFA members attended the 90 th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 25-28. The five enthusiastic students that attended National FFA were Parker Johnston, Kaitlyn McGuire, Jon Moore, Paige Wood, and Seth Robinson along with advisor Victoria Armstrong. Lucas Oil Stadium, home field of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, hosted the convention.  Ms. Armstrong stated, “While in Indy, members attended leadership sessions, explored career opportunities, and were able to network with over 75 different colleges from . . .

A Christmas present for the preschoolers

It is rumored that three of Santa’s elves were spotted earlier this week on the MPS playground. Apparently they were assembling the new playground equipment that the  school  board purchased for the preschool last summer.  The elementary students voted on color schemes at the end of the 2016-17 school years.The old equipment was removed and hauled away which makes one wonder - does Santa have an 18-wheeler sleigh?

"Stick around, Frankie man, we'll keep you warm!"

Maywood’s elementary student council initiated and implemented a fall coat & mitten drive. The council’s goal was to collect at least 100 items. At last count more than 125 items were donated. Because the students exceeded their goal, they were visited from a very special Monster, whom they promptly taped to the classroom wall. Who’s afraid of a big bad monster? Not these kiddos!  Way to go Elem. StCo!

“Do you mock me, Sir?

Maywood High’s mock trial team is doing quite well so far. The mockers traveled to Beaver City on October 16, where the prosecution team won its trial against Arapahoe. “They have come a long way from when they started,” stated Coach Janice Arent. The Plaintiff’s team was: Kaitlyn McGuire, Sanne Beeren, Julie Ingison, Kizziah Rutherford, Rebel Sjeklocha, and Jason McIntosh. The Defendant’s team was: Paul White, Keegan Dibbern, Julie Ingison, Kizziah, Rebel, and Jason. Coach Arent went on to add that “They made very good eye contact with the . . .

Parts greater (gross out) than the whole

On October 17th and 18th, Mr. Sonnenfeld's eighth grade life science class dissected frogs. They worked in small groups to identify the organs as well as discuss the functions of those organs. The students did terrific and had a wonderful time, even though some it was a little gross!

Like a well-oiled machine

The Lady Wolves Volleyball team are currently 22-5 over-all; and 9-3 in districts. Regardless of her position, each girl can bump, set, hit and block with competence. In short, the Lady Wolves are operating like a well-oiled machine. The RPAC tournament opened last Monday evening (Oct 16) in Maywood where the MHC Wolves were first pitted against the Paxton Tigers. MHC swept the Tigers 3-0. The final game of the evening was a real nail-biter against the Hitchcock Co. Falcons.  After 4 extremely close sets, the Lady Wolves brought home the win. Tournament play resumed . . .

Junior Country Gardeners Plant Seeds to Read.

The Country Gardeners of Maywood/Wellfleet have generously donated two wonderful books about environmental conservation to our library. Frightened Frog by Brenda Moore and Jean Ohlmann of National Garden Club, illustrated by Emily Lackey is the first one.  The second selection is The Saved Seed , by Brenda Moore, illustrated by Emily Lackey. These books were presented by two of the junior gardeners, Karlee Hatfield, a 3 rd grader and her sister, Kassidy Hatfield, a 5 th grader.  Our local chapter of FFA will be using these two selections . . .

Paddington Bear comes to Maywood

The friendly bear in old hat and rain coat  made a special appearance for P-K - 1 st graders at MPS library Thursday, October 5 th . Paddington loves to read, so he brought books with him to share with the children and the library. Paddington Bear’s character was brought to life by the folks from Bible Supplies store in North Platte. For the past five years Bible Supplies’ mission has been to reach out to children with the message that reading is a fun, invaluable component of a rich and successful life. This year, over a 10-day span, . . .

Decimals Create Eureka Moment for 5th grade

Mrs. Smith’s 5 th grade class has been working with decimals. The name of their new math curriculum is Eureka Math.  It just so happened that as the students were multiplying decimal numbers, three students looked up at the same time and stated, "We got this!"  Another student then shouted... "Eureka!" Everyone laughed because "Eureka" is the name of the new math program.

Wave of new teachers rolls into Maywood

If you have noticed more than a few new faces in and around Maywood School and community, you are right. In August, MPS welcomed a large new group of educators. They hail from different places and backgrounds, but each has come here to ply his trade and talents in our community.  MPS is blessed to have them join our team! When you see them in public, reach out a hand and give them a warm welcome!

You're "Blinding me with Science!"

Mr. Sonnenfeld's 8th grade life science, 10th grade biology, and general science classes spent time over the past week collecting insects. Each class worked to classify the insects they collected. This scientific study of insects is called Entomology. Students learned proper techniques for collecting insects, learning that they are very fragile and elusive. Students keenly caught everything from flies and lady bird beetles to praying mantids. All the classes enjoyed their time outdoors in some beautiful weather!  

MHC Wolfpack Staking out Winning Territory

The 2017 Maywood-Hayes Center Junior High Volleyball team is following in the wolf tracks of the High School Volleyball team. This energetic group of girls has had a successful season so far. On September 16th, they won the Our Redeemer Lutheran Tournament in North Platte, Nebraska, taking on competition from Juniata, Kearney, and North Platte.  The team is compiled of 7th and 8th grade girls from Maywood and Hayes Center Schools. The coaches are Britni Broz and Kim Stengel. The girls practice together two times a week and separate on the other days. With . . .

Lady Wolves Rated 3rd in State in Class-D Girls Volleyball

The MHC Lady Wolves are blazing a trail! They just capped a stellar weekend having won all three of their games at the Hitchcock Co. Tournament in Trenton, on Saturday September 9th. Then this Tuesday night they returned to Hitchcock Co. and won in the 5th set. Currently, the M-HC team is rated #3 in state by the Lincoln Journal Star, and #5 in the state by the Omaha World Herald in Class-D Girls Volleyball. Congratulations MHC Lady Wolves on having a 8-1 record! It is nice to see such a well-put together team. We are proud of you for keeping . . .

M-HC Wolves on the run!

The M-HC Cross Country runners have been pushing themselves to the limit, and this shows in their improved meet times. Even a few minor injuries can’t keep this team off its feet. “There is no time to think about how much I hurt; there is only time to run,” stated senior, Kayla Minary. When coach Arent was asked how the team will do for RPAC, she commented that “If they run like they are capable of running than we are totally ready. We hope the boys place at least second.” The team appears ready to be aggressive and run strong at RPAC. “There will . . .

Keep on Truckin'

The fifth-grade student council came up with the idea of starting a walking club for the elementary students every Friday. Not only is this a great way for the student council to get involved with the school, but it’s is also a great way for the elementary students to be more physically active, and more social with each other. Thanks to the fifth-grade Student Council for sponsoring and organizing this healthy, fun activity!

Art teacher's palette coloured canvases of two generations

Maywood students attend MCC paint-in

The McCook Community College Art Department staged its 41st annual paint-in competition Friday, April 7 th , at the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center, located on the MCC campus. The annual event is a two-pronged event in which MCC displays the work from area high schools in the Wrightstone Fine Arts Gallery on campus for the two weeks leading up to the paint-in competition. These works are judged in a variety of categories and the winners announced at the paint-in competition. This year’s judge for both the exhibition and the paint-in competition, was MCC graduate . . .

Wolves continue to set personal records in track and field

The Maywood-Hayes Center Wolves Track team competed at the Paxton Tuesday, April 18 th .  It was a beautiful day to hold a track meet with temperature of 77 and 7 mph breeze.  There were several PR's for the day.  Both Men's and Women's teams ended with 7th Place. Top 8 Results are as follows.  Girls :  400 4th place Avery Johnson 1:05.6 PR 1600 1st Place Kayla Minary 5:49.28 Season PR  3200 1st Place Kayla Minary 12:55.67 Season PR  100 H 7th Place Grace Koubek 19.74 PR  300 H 3rd Place Avery . . .

"Earth" without art, is just "eh"

Recently, several Maywood students entered their art work for the Republican Plains Activities Conference (RPAC) Art Show. This show is held every year during the third week of January. The Art Show took place in Cambridge. Art teachers from around the conference entered their students art work to be judged. Listed below are the 2017 results for the 15 Conference schools that participated. RPAC Art Show Results:  January 18, 2017   Alma, Medal winner: Maddie Brugh, “The Hope Within” acrylic 1 st Honorable Mention: . . .

4th & 5th graders get down and dirty

Mrs. Bollish's and Mr. Reinke's 4th and 5th grade classes were given permission to play with dirt!  On Thursday, March 30th, Molly Brandt from the UNL Extension office visited the 4th and 5th grade classrooms to give a presentation on "Living Soils".  During this time, the classes talked about the different types of soils, what materials they are made of and what is needed for plants to grow.  After a video and discussion over Till versus No-Till, the students participated in a demonstration on what happens to the soil when a heavy rainfall . . .

M-HC Wolves stretch their legs at Dundy County-Stratton Invite

The Wolves competed April 3rd, at the  Dundy   County-Stratton Invite  in  Benkelman.  It was cold and pretty windy most the day, yet the Wolves still found a way to compete. They had another good day of personal records.   They had a total of 16 PR's.  Top 8 Finishers:    Girls   400 2nd Avery 1:07.31 800 1st 2:49.77 800 4th Jaycee 2:52.96 3200 2nd Kayla 13:15.60 300 H 5th Grace 57.36 4x400 3rd Avery Jaycee Grace . . .

The wheels on the Class go round and round

Nine FBLA members attended the Future Business Leaders of America State Leadership Conference in Omaha on April 6 – 8.  Members toured the Claas Manufacturing Plant on Thursday morning before the conference began. The keynote speaker at the opening session was Hoan Do, a student success coach, author, and competitor in NBC’s hit show American Ninja Warrior. Competitions began late Thursday afternoon and ran until late Friday afternoon. The following awards were received by our Chapter. Sweepstakes Award – Chapters must complete 10 activities, which . . .

A-Team champs raid Wild Bill's once again

CRASH!  POW!  Bowling balls thundered down lanes and smashed into pins. PEW! PEW! PEW! laser tag guns flashed across a dark obstacle course. Had you been at Wild Bill’s Wings and Bowling Alley on the afternoon of March 7th, you would have heard these sounds mixed with the laughing and cheering of elementary and high school students. In between the games there were boxes of pizza to eat and, of course, buffalo wings heaped up on plates for the partygoers to devour. What brought all this excitement and celebration? It was reward . . .

Indian culture brought to life in Maywood classroom

When Del and Beverly VanDerWerff made their first trip to India in 1996, they never imagined that they would return there again; yet return they did, and not just once, not twice, but four more times over the next 15 years. Now, when looking back, they can see that it was inevitable. “We fell in love with the country, but even more, we fell in love with the Indian people,” said Del VanDerWerff. The VanDerWerff’s first traveled to Nagpur, located in the middle of India, where Del worked at the University of Nagpur. He was part of a teachers’ exchange . . .

This ain’t your father’s library

Dear Students, Parents and Patrons, We are rounding out a very busy month in the MPS Library! While the outer world slows down a bit with the changing of the seasons, cooler temperatures and more indoor activities, here at school we are running at full capacity. Traditionally the library has been a quiet place to read and study, and while that is still true, the ever changing face of digital literacy and technology is reshaping the library as a “learning commons” a place to come together to work, study, research, prepare, create and collaborate. Our students . . .

Tis the season to root, root, root for the Wolves!

You know the winter season has arrived when the cold prairie wind blows from the north, and basketball season begins! The M-HC Wolves hopes for a  successful season look as bright as Christmas lights after their confidence-building decisive win over Elwood in the pre-Thanksgiving Hall of Fame Game. Even though they've lost their last three games, the Wolves are playing tough. In their first game of the Cattle Trail Tournament, they were matched against a formidable opponent, Dundy County, and the Wolves hung in there through the 1st Qtr. Both the boys and . . .

A Cowboy Christmas

MPS kicked off the holiday season with it's annual Christmas concert Thursday night, December 1st, 2016. From small joyous kindergarteners to the illustrious high school choir, the gymnasium was filled with wonderful Christmas melodies and soft sweet voices. The holiday festivity was directed by Mrs. Tonya Welch. The theme of this year’s holiday concert was “A Cowboy Christmas.”   The grand finale from all the students tonight at the concert. @twelch_MPSmusic #maywoodpride pic.twitter.com/UlIPKwccV4 — Maywood School . . .

Wolves end season with win over Red Cloud

HAYES CENTER, Neb. -- Grab a dictionary and find all the superlatives you can. No matter what you come up with, it won't match the description of Bryar Gerlach's night.   Playing in his final game as a Maywood/Hayes Center Wolf, Gerlach ran for 271 yards and seven touchdowns to lead M/HC past Red Cloud 54-26 Monday night in Hayes Center.   All of this came after Friday's mysterious 22-20 score that was reported to the Nebraska School Activities Association. M/HC and Red Cloud officials were baffled by the score, which . . .

Benjamin Vaults to the Nebraska Championship Meet

On Saturday, May 14th, at the  Nebraska Championship Meet, 8th grader,  Nolan Benjamin sprinted down the pole-vault runway, counted his left steps, 7, 8, 9, and gradually lowered his pole while accelerating his speed as he neared his destination: the plant box. Benjamin’s final steps were fast and explosive as he planted the pole, vaulted off the ground and, like Icarus, for a few fleeting moments, flew, flew away and beyond.  Nolan took up pole vaulting at MPS in the 6 th  grade, and pursued it with a passion for the ensuing . . .

The M-HC Wolves extend their range to Omaha for state track meet

The Maywood Fire Department and MPS staff gave a rousing hurrah and warm send off to the state track qualifiers and coaches Thursday morning. Three Maywood-Hayes Center Wolves are making the trip to Omaha Burk Stadium to compete on May 20 & 21 in the 2016 NSAA State Track and field Meet.  Senior Jace Walthers will throw his last high school shot put at 11:00 a.m. Friday.  Junior Bryar Gerlach will run the 3200 meter sometime mid-afternoon on Friday, and Sophomore Kayla Minary will run the 3200 meter at approximately 12:00 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, Minary is slated to . . .

A symphony of the silver screen

Maywood Public School students, parents, staff, and patrons swayed to the symphonic sounds of the silver screen on Thursday, May 5, in the MPS gymnasium. This year's grades K-12 spring concert, titled "A Night at the Movies," was directed by Tonya Welch and accompanied by Jolyn Richardson. The audience was treated to a variety of movies themes from  The Little Mermaid's " Under the Sea" to the soundtrack from  Jurassic Park.  Highlighted throughout the concert were humorous asides and introductions provided by Masters of . . .

2016 National Honor Society Induction

MPS Art Students NOT Snowed Under by Competition

The McCook Community College Art Department staged its 40th annual paint-in competition Friday, April 8 th , at the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center, located on the MCC campus. More than a dozen area high schools and one Kansas school attended. This year teams of high school artists created works based on the theme “Snowed Under” announced by judge Theresea Reeves, Oberlin area artist and MCC student. Judges usually give students a lot of room for interpreting the theme. For instance, “Snowed Under” can have many different meanings and nuances. To . . .

Boys' Jr. High Track Runs, Jumps, and Vaults to 1st Place

Maywood's jr. high track team displayed the spirit of determination at last week's Maywood Invite. Following are some of the highlights: Parker Johnston won the 1600 meter; Tyler Schleeman and River Hastings took 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the 800 meter. Nolan Benjamin vaulted to 1st in the pole vault event and placed 1st again in the triple jump with Elisha Handsaker finishing 2nd in the triple jump. In the girls' competition, McKenna Renner sprinted to 3rd place in the 100 meter with Stevie Handsaker just 1/10 of a second behind her. In the 800 . . .

A-Team champs go wild at Wild Bill's

CRASH!  POW!  Bowling balls thundered down lanes and smashed into pins. PEW! PEW! PEW! laser tag guns flashed across a dark obstacle course. Had you been at Wild Bill’s Wings and Bowling Alley on the afternoon of March 3rd, you would have heard these sounds mixed with the laughing and cheering of elementary and high school students. In between the games there were boxes of pizza to eat and, of course, buffalo wings heaped up on plates for the partygoers to devour. What brought all this excitement and celebration? It was reward . . .

"Seventy-six trombones caught the morning sun"

Okay – so there may not have been 76 trombones, but the 2 MPS trumpeters that attended played like 76 at the annual Ogallala, Nebraska, Middle School solo and ensemble music contest held Saturday, March 12. In the vocal competition, Natalie Koubek received a superior rating for her vocal solo. Instrumentalists earning superior ratings were Parker Johnston and Jonathan Moore for their respective trumpet solos. MaKena Roberts received the highest rating possible of a superior 1+ for her saxophone solo. Koubek also earned a superior rating for her flute solo.  Kizziah . . .

MPS Media Center a March Flurry of Fun

We’d like to thank everyone for making this year’s Scholastic Book Fair a SUCCESS. Thanks to your contributions we will be receiving some wonderful new titles for the library as well as building up our “scholastic dollar funds” for future purchases. We are already planning next year’s fair! Again, thanks for shopping with us and Happy Reading! March looks to be a very active month! I think it’s unanimous that most of us would be more than willing to trade our winter gear in for lighter jackets, though we can always be in for a surprise, this is . . .

The Fuss over Flipped Classrooms

The flipped classroom is an instructional strategy that reverses the traditional educational arrangement by delivering instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom. It moves activities, including those that may have traditionally been considered homework, into the classroom. In a flipped classroom, students watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home and engage in concepts in the classroom with the guidance of the instructor. The video above was created by Mr. Kinnison for his physics class. Two . . .