The Anthon Oto-Maple Valley Large Group Contest will be held on Saturday, April 28th in the AOMV Middle School Gym. Judges for the day are Jane Berger of Sioux City North, Russ Nagel of Sioux City East, and Joe Hardin of Sioux City West Middle.
Schools and performance times are as follows:
| 8:00 a.m. | Anthon Oto-Maple Valley 7/8 |
|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m. | Anthon Oto-Maple valley 6 |
| 8:50 a.m. | Sergeant Bluf-Luton 7/8 |
| 9:10 a.m. | Storm Lake 7/8 |
| 9:30 a.m. | Odebolt-Arthur 6 |
| 9:50 a.m. | Storm Lake 6 |
| 10:10 a.m. | Storm Lake Orchestra |
| 10:30 a.m. | Odebolt-Arthur 7/8 |
| 10:50 a.m. | Remsen Union 7/8 |
| 11:10 a.m. | Battle Creek-Ida Grove 7/8 |
| 11:30 a.m. | Carroll 7/8 |
| 12:30 p.m. | Sibley-Ocheydan 7/8 |
| 12:50 p.m. | Galva-Holstein 7/8 |
| 1:10 p.m. | Woodbury Central 6/7 |
| 1:30 p.m. | Westwood 7/8 |
| 1:50 p.m. | West Monona 6 |
| 2:10 p.m. | Sac City 7/8 |
| 2:30 p.m. | River Valley 6 |
| 2:50 p.m. | West Monona 7/8 |
| 3:10 p.m. | Wall Lake View Auburn 6 |
| 3:30 p.m. | River Valley 7/8 |
| 3:50 p.m. | Wall Lake-View Auburn 7/8 |
| 4:10 p.m. | Akron-Westfield 7/8 |
Everyone is invited, and there will be no admission charged.
Earlier in the year, several works of writing and poetry were submitted to various contests in the state. Four of these submissions, written by kindergartener Bryce Kafton, fourth grader Dustin Haney, and fifth graders Mollie McKibben and Morgan Hart received honors in their respective contests. McKibben and Hart earned extra honors as their literary works were state winners.
Below are the writings from the four authors.
“Dad, will I ever see Mom and Max again,” I asked my dad.
He answered, “Yes, someday.” I looked at my brother and mother for the last time.
I woke up early on one of the worst days of my life. The night before my mother, brother, sister and I were in a car crash. That night JoHannah and I went to the hospital. After what felt like a long time, our pastor took Jo-Jo and I to Lee Wolf’s, a friend of our family. We spent the night there.
The next morning JoHannah and I went downstairs for some food. We saw a lot of people. We saw Carol, Lee, Mrs. Walsh, the pastor of my church, and a ton of other people from my church. We all got some food. It was then I remembered I was in a crash. Dad took JoHannah and I back upstairs.
Dad said sadly that our mother and brother had died. JoHannah and I started to cry. At first I thought my father was playing a joke, and my mother and brother would pop out and say April Fools, but that did not happen. I was so sad I cried until I had no more tears left. Nothing in the world could make me happy at that moment.
It was about a day later when we had the funeral. I remembered I had to wear a dark blue dress. I love to wear dresses, but that morning I did not want to put it on.
The car ride was long and miserable. I did not want it to end, but it did. As we staggered in the church, my family and I went into a little room for my relatives only. I had no nice shoes, so my cousin Jamie gave me some really pretty shoes. They were too big, so we put some paper in them.
It was now time to go into the church part for the funeral. My family members were the last ones in the room, and I got to sit in the front row. As I sat down, I started to look around. I saw black and other dark colors. I could also see sadness in the room. I tried not to cry, but I did. The tears on my face felt like a rainfall.
After the funeral we all had some food.
When we were done eating, I went around to see people I knew. As I was walking around, people would stop me and give me a hug or something. I was mainly looking for Mrs. Bollig, my teacher, but she was gone before I could get a glimpse of her.
Lunch was now over, and it was time to go and bury Mom and Max. We all watched as the pallbearers carried them away. We all started to cry like babies. My aunt, uncle, Kayla, Krissy, JoHanna, dad and I all rode in a limo to the cemetery.
“Okay, okay. We can play I Spy,” said Uncle Andy.
“You go first,” I replied.
“I spy something blue,” he told us. We all guessed and guessed, but never got it. We all gave up.
He said, “It was the truck that passed by earlier.” I forgot to tell him no cars. I didn’t want the ride to end.
As we pulled up to the cemetery, I got really sad. We got out of the limo and sat down in a blue tent by my Aunt Weasa. We all said our last good-byes and left that sad day.
“Dad, will I ever see Mom and Max again?” I asked my dad.
He answered, “Yes, someday.” I looked at my mom and brother for the last time and whispered good-bye.
It has been four years since the crash, and I am doing alright. There is something very important I learned that sad day. You should hold on to people you love.
The snowman is on the farm
And he has two arms.
The snowman is old
And he has a cold.
The snowman is big
And it’s doing a jig.
What is Autumn?
Leaves are falling
Sticks are burning
Lots of candy is handed out
When cold air settles
Combines, tractors, andsemis roar
Dust flies through the air
Harvest corn is getting dried
Cappuccino is being bought
Gloves and hats are keeping us warm
When kids lay in leaves
That is autumn.
A wolf is soft, silent and gorgeous
A wolf’s eyes glow like lightning during a thunderstorm,
Wolves are as delicate
As the sprinkles of a starting storm.
The wolf moves fast through the woods,
Running, jumping and pouncing,
A wolf is almost never still,
Like a thunderstorm moving on.
A wolf is vicious and can hurt badly
Wolves are dangerous animals,
Thunderstorms are just as terrifying.
Wolves start to slow after a big meal,
They slow down but are still on the move,
Thunderstorms start to rain softly after a hard rain.
Near the end of the night,
The wolves head back to their dens for a good night’s sleep
As the thunderstorm stops after another long night.
Danbury Catholic 5th and 6th graders participated in a Famous Women in History Speech Contest sponsored by Saint Mary's Rosary Society. The first place winner was Amy Matney, summarizing Maria Tallchief's life. MaKayla Bruhn took second place with her presentation on Clara Burton.
This is Amy's speech.
Maria Tallchief
Good morning! My name is Amy Matney. Have you ever heard of Maria Tallchief? If you haven’t then you probably want to, because after you hear about her achievements, you will be left in awe!
Betty Marie Tallchief was born on January 24, 1925, in Fairfax, Oklahoma to a Scotch-Irish mother and an Osage nation father. Her father was the chief of the Osage Indian tribe. Her full name is Betty Marie Tallchief, but people just called her Maria Tallchief.
Growing up, Maria was a good student of Sacred Heart Catholic School, but in many ways was a typical Indian girl - shy and orderly. She loved being outdoors and spent most of her time wandering around the front yard where there was an old swing and garden. Maria Tallchief enjoyed music nd dancing, but her desire to pursue a career in the arts was a considerably challenging dream in those days for a Native American child.
The Tallchiefs soon moved to Beverly Hills, California, where Maria studied with Bronislava Nijinska for 5 years. Madam Nijinska’s philosophy said “When you sleep, sleep like a ballerina. Even on the street waiting for a bus, stand like a ballerina.” Maria continued to work hard and mastered technical skills well beyond her years. Maria soon premiered at the Hollywood Bowl.
Maria Tallchief left Los Angeles at the age of 17 and auditioned in New York City. She joined the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and quickly rose to the status of featured soloist. Choreographer George Balanchine wrote several of his most famous works for Maria. The two were married in 1946; the marriage soon ended 6 years later in 1952. They had no children.
Maria was the first prima ballerina of the New York City Ballet from 1947 to 1960 where Balanchine was the principle choreographer. Maria’s performance in Balanchine’s ballet titled “The Firebird” in 1949 and their collaboration at the Paris Opera elevated Maria Tallchief onto the world’s stage. Maria also originated the role as the sugarplum fairy in Balanchine’s version of “The Nutcracker.”
Much of the world had never seen anything like Maria Tallchief. Admired by millions, she became a preeminent dancer. In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower declared Maria as Woman of the Year. The governor of Oklahoma honored her that same year for her international achievements and her proud Native American identity.
Maria Tallchief was named Wa-xtha-thomba which means “Woman of Two Worlds.”
Maria briefly married Elmourza Natifoff, “a handsome young aviator.” And then Henry Paschen, “a blue-eyed Chicago builder.” The later marriage lasted until his death in 2003. They had one daughter named Elisa.
Maria Tallchief continued with the New York City ballet and with other groups until her retirement in 1965.
Maria and her sister, Marjorie, founded the Chicago City Ballet in 1981 and served as its artistic director until 1987. Nine years later, in 1996, Maria received the Kennedy Center Honors.
I admire Maria Tallchief because she had a goal she exceeded no matter what struggles she went through and what culture she was from. I hope that you enjoyed learning about Maria Tallchief. I know I did!
Maria Tallchief’s amazing achievements will be remembered forever! Thank you for your time.
Fifteen students from AOMV Middle School gained the opportunity to demonstrate their public speaking skills and take pride in personal accomplishments. On April 16th, the students took part in a speech contest sponsored by Modern Woodmen of America, a national provider of fraternal financial services and programs.
Students competing in the contest shared their presentations on this year’s topic, “A Great American Leader.” The winners were Eric Koithan, first place; Emily Camacho, second place; and Maddie Walsh, third place. Each of them received a trophy and a gold award pin and their names will be engraved on the school’s speech contest plaque. Gold award pins were also given to Lindsey Brown, Vika Hesse, Beth Weber, and Beau Wolfe. All participants received certificates of participation for their hard work.
Koithan and Camacho competed in districts at Wakefield, Nebraska, on April 19. There were a variety of topics presented from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to Oprah Winfrey and Jesse Owens. Koithan placed 3rd at the district contest. He continues on to regional competition in Sioux City at the Wilbur Aalfs Library on May 18 at 1:00 P.M.
Here is Eric's speech.
I ask myself, what is an American leader? My only answer is that an American leader is somebody who starts from scratch and rises to the top. An example of this is the American track star from the thirties named James Cleveland Owens, also known as Jesse Owens. He gave many people inspiration by his phenomenal work ethic. Jesse was also influential for not backing down even though he was black, in a time of immense discrimination.
Henry and Emma Owens had nine children before they had, who I believe to be, the most exciting one, Jesse Owens. He was born on September 12, 1913, and he always seemed to get many colds and pneumonia in the winters. It is a funny way Jesse got the name Jesse, instead of James. When he moved north and the teacher asked him his name, Jesse replied J.C. in a thick Alabama tone and she thought he said Jesse. From then on he stuck with the shortened name, Jesse. Jesse always loved to run despite his boils and sicknesses. One day at school he was noticed by Coach Charlie Riley who invited Jesse to the junior high track team immediately. Jesse, who was ecstatic, agreed to the idea. He decided he would train in the morning due to work at nights. It started out fairly hard for Jesse who had trouble running due to his bouts with pneumonia. It was indeed tough but he picked up on form quickly. I guess it’s easy to say he was born a natural runner and used his talent effectively.
Jesse was not a big kid, and was actually quite small. When he was in junior high he set world records jumping the high jump at a monstrous 6 feet. Also he broad jumped an amazing 22 feet, 11 and 3/4 inches. This is very outstanding considering most high school students nowadays have a very tough time accomplishing that task. He then moved on to high school where, as a senior, ran a blistering 100-yard dash in 9.4 seconds which tied the world record, which is quite unbelievable. He did this by running longer distances, such as the 440-yard dash; to improve his 110 and 220 race times. He then went on to the Stagg Track Meet and set a 220-yard world record with a time of 20.3 seconds. Many people wanted this young, black American to run for their University, but he chose Ohio State. Even though Jesse was required to live off campus because he was black, he still was strong and didn’t let it bother him. It is obvious that this young man had potential since he already set world records and was accepted to a very athletic college.
It was on to Ohio State where Owens pursued a great career and broke many records, and as a matter of fact, he broke three world records and tied a fourth in about 45 minutes. Jesse went on to the “Hitler’s Olympics” in Berlin, and did very well in the broad jump. He then went on and beat Mack Robinson, who was Jackie Robinson, a famous baseball player’s brother, and beat him in the 220 with a 20.7 time in bad weather conditions. Jesse overcame Hitler’s discrimination, and successfully won four gold medals. Hitler was disgraced and dishonored by his German athletes due to Jesse’s victories. Right after Jesse finished the Olympics; he came home to provide for his family by racing horses. I don’t know about anybody else, but racing horses for money, which he said he was ashamed of, would be too much, but Jesse didn’t care as long as he was helping his family. In 1968, Jesse was invited to the Olympics to help on the committee, and nine years later he was awarded the highest honor ever. President Gerald Ford gave him the Medal of Freedom. Not the Oscar award, not the Purple Heart, but the Medal of Freedom, which he truly deserved for his courage and his heart. He chased a dream and found it, and then went on to help his family. He went on to get married and have three daughters. His daughter, Marlene, and his wife, Ruth, run the Jesse Owens Foundation to help with financial assistance to help youngsters pursue their goals.
Many people believe that Jesse Owens was the fastest sprinter ever and I 100% agree. He started out young and sick and fought hard to be number one, not just for him but for the U.S.A. There are so many things that he accomplished that me and most other Americans would be inspired by. Therefore, I believe that Jesse was not only a leader, but he was also a hero to many and is now a legend. That is what makes me believe that Jesse Owens was, and still is, an American leader.
On Thursday, March 29th the AOMV 7th grade Math bee team of Kay Drenkhahn, Shawn Nelson, Jesse Sturgeon, Kyle Uhl, and Ryan Trucke along with their coach Krista Elmquist headed to Sioux City to compete in the Western Hills AEA Math Bee Contest. This contest consisted of 5 individual rounds of 10 math questions each followed by one team test of 12 questions. Each individual question was worth one point and each team question was worth three points.
In the individual competition the tests dealt with the following topics; number sense, estimation, patterns, functions, ratios, proportions, percents, geometry, measurement, probability and statistics. There were 120 students competing in the individual contest. In the team competition there were 30 teams in attendance. The team scores are determined by the sum of the top three scores from each of the five individual rounds plus the scores from each team round. Sioux City North Middle School won the team competition this year.
Congratulations to the team on their academic success!
Five 8th grade students attended the 8th Grade Math Contest (called the Math Bee) at the Western Hills AEA in Sioux City, IA on Thursday, April 12, 2007 from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The purpose of the Math Bee was to reward good math students. It wasn’t meant to be a burden to students or to reflect on the math programs of participating schools. This was a great opportunity for the 8th Grade students to display their outstanding math skills and abilities.
The 8th Grade team consisted of a four person team of Lynsey Seuntjens, Stephen Malloy, Beth Weber, Brandon Meyer as well as one alternate, Eric Koithan. The four-person team competed in the individual competition where 5 Rounds of 10 problem quizzes (1 point for each problem) were given. The five-person team, including the alternate, competed in the team competition where 1 Round of a 12 problem quiz was given (3 points for each problem). The final team score combined the individual scores and the team competition scores for a highest possible team score of 186 points.
The competition finished up with student recognition. All students who participated received a certificate of participation. The top 20 individual scores received medals, with the top 4 also getting trophies. The top 10 teams received a certificate of recognition, with the top 4 teams also receiving trophies.
The 8th Grade team earned 78 points and finished in 25th place out of 35 teams. Brandon Meyer had 26 points and finished in just outside of the top 20 in the individual competition. Excellent work, 8th Grade Team!
The five-person team was rewarded for their hard work with lunch at the food court in the mall and a “day” off from the math class.
The middle school students at Anthon-Oto Community School participated in a food drive during January of 2007. Once again, the generosity of the parents and students was confirmed by the boxes, sacks, and piles of non-perishable food that filled the counselor’s office. Rumor had it that shelves in the grocery stores were bare of many items, in particular Ramen Noodles! Food was distributed to financially strapped families in Anthon, Oto, Mapleton, Castana and Danbury.
Mr. Drees’ Hawk group contributed the greatest number of food items and was treated to a pizza party. The students in this group are Karli Diede, Jordan Edgingtin, Kaitlyn Goslar, Kiali Gotto-Banta, Meagan Kerns, Megan Mullicane, Tyler O’Connell, Jesse Sturgeon, Ryan Sulsberger, Curtis Timmerman and Jessie Walsh. Congratulations to all the Hawk groups for a job well done!
The Anthon-Oto elementary and middle school students had the opportunity to help other children through a community service project. From March 5-30 they participated in the Pennies for Patients fundraising campaign sponsored by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma Ð and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
This fundraising campaign is extremely important. An estimated 712,145 Americans have blood cancers, and every 5 minutes, someone is diagnosed. This year approximately 110,960 new cases are expected. Every 10 minutes, someone dies from blood cancers Ð an estimated 55,100 deaths in 2004. The good news is that the likelihood of dying from all blood cancers decreased from 1992 to 2001!
During the K-5 elementary students and middle school students learned about leukemia and wrote letters to Markie, the 2007 honor patient. A total of $631.85 was collected by all students.The top collector in K-5 was Mrs. Alesch’s Fifth Grade with $52.96, and the top collector in middle school was Mr. Hertenstein’s Hawk group.
We at Anthon-Oto are very proud of the elementary and middle school students and their efforts to raise money for such a good cause!