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Sixth-graders’ fund-raiser is big success

[NOV. 9, 2001]  Six tables were filled with items for sale at 3 p.m., and sixth-graders in Sue O’Hara’s room at Washington-Monroe School were wondering if anyone would come to the sale they were having as a benefit for the children of Afghanistan.

But by 4 p.m. the "slightly used" toys, games, books and puzzles, along with the brand-new craft items, were almost gone, and the baked goods had practically disappeared.

"It was wild," class member Rebecca said. "I thought at first people wouldn’t come in, and then suddenly everyone was coming in!"

The customers who crowded into the school library were fellow students from the other 14 classrooms at Washington-Monroe, along with parents, brothers and sisters, and teachers.

The toys and games went first, reported Tim and Adam, who were selling those items. The fresh baked goods were a close second, Miranda and Frederick reported.

 

Sabrina and Alex sold crafts, some made by Andrew and his mother, and some by Kami’s mother. Hannah and Jeff staffed the table with the stuffed animals. Jessie and Ashley bagged purchases after the customers paid cashiers Kelsey and Rebecca. Each of the 19 students had a job to do, and each one did it.

Another "wild" moment came when the cashiers realized they had well over $100 in the box, and the day wasn’t even over yet. The final total, tallied the next morning, came to exactly $156.

That was an impressive total for a class that had as their first goal raising $1 per student, as President George W. Bush asked American’s children to do in a speech he gave about three weeks ago.

 

Some of the youngsters had heard about the president’s request, and the class talked about a plan. They and Mrs. O’Hara decided they didn’t want to just ask their parents to give them a dollar; they wanted to find a way to raise the money themselves.

"We put our ideas in a box and decided a fund-raiser was the best one," Hannah said. "We had class meetings to decide what we were going to put in and how to do it. We had meetings almost every day."

 

 

 

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Mrs. O’Hara didn’t tell the class what to do but served as the "supervisor," and she was a very good one, Amy reported.

"We started bringing in stuff three days ago, but the baked goods just came in today," Miranda explained.

 

Although students used class time to work on the sale, they learned a lot from it, Mrs. O’Hara said. Making the posters put up throughout the school required English skills, and pricing and selling the merchandise used math skills. Learning about the Afghanistan children and their need for help enhanced social studies skills.

Cashier Kelsey’s math skills were put to the test when a customer gave her a $20 bill for a 25-cent purchase and she had to count out the change, but she was up to the challenge.

"That was my worst moment," she said.

 

Along with academic skills, the sixth-graders learned other things, too. They learned to work together to get a job done. And some of them found out that doing a big project, no matter how positive it is, can create tension.

"It was stressful and hectic, but we’re glad we did it," Sabrina said.

"Sometimes I wanted to give up on it," Hannah admitted.

Kami said her biggest fear was that "people wouldn’t come."

Several said they didn’t sleep very well the night before the sale, and Amy reported dreaming about it.

The $156 will be sent straight to the White House, to become part of a government-sponsored program to help the children of Afghanistan and their families, Mrs. O’Hara said. The toys and books that didn’t sell will be saved and donated to an all-school fund-raiser to be held later. A couple of leftover blueberry muffins were disposed of immediately.

[Joan Crabb]

 

 

Split-rail fences bring history to life

[NOV. 7, 2001]  Students at Washington-Monroe took advantage of the fine weather last Thursday afternoon. Members of the Logan County Railsplitting Association were on hand to help the students build a fence around their garden of prairie grass and prairie flowers. The fourth-grade classes of Bev Wunderlin and Mrs. Singleton study Illinois history and were learning about split-rail fences.

 

 

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[Marty Ahrends]

Library’s volunteer tutors
earn worthwhile dividends

[NOV. 1, 2001]   Can you help a child — 

•  Memorize the state capitals?

•  Study spelling words?

•  Learn math facts?

•  Practice reading?

If you can, and have a little spare time, you can be part of the Prime Time Tutoring Center at the Lincoln Public Library. It’s a volunteer job, but it pays dividends, as the tutors there will tell you.

"There’s a direct correlation to how much a person reads and how much he continues to learn lifelong. It’s a beautiful thing to think I helped a third-grader read. That’s a gift to me," says Allison Lindemann, an AmeriCorps volunteer.

Aubrey Smith, a student at Lincoln Christian College, doesn’t get credit in any of her classes for the tutoring she does, but she finds other benefits.

"It’s a stress reliever just to spend time with somebody who’s learning." She smiles at her student. "And it’s wonderful to see the look on her face when she gets something."

Michael Plummer, another AmeriCorps volunteer, who just came to Lincoln from Alaska, is doing volunteer work with young people in many areas. He works with special needs students at Lincoln Community High School and with Project Read.

He likes the flexibility of the Prime Time Tutoring Program, and on this particular day he has chosen to tutor a student sitting on the floor in a back corner of the children’s section. This quiet corner helps his student stay focused on the task at hand because there are no distractions.

"I like to work with kids, and this allows me to wear many different kinds of hats," he says.

Mary Leesman of Hartsburg is an adult tutor, and she sits with her third-grade student at a child-size table while he learns to count change.

"I saw a sheet at the Recreation Center about tutoring, so I signed up," she says. "It’s a nice feeling to work with children again."

Mary’s own two children are both in college, and she doesn’t have any grandchildren yet. She thinks tutoring is a good idea for those who like young children and are "between children and grandchildren."

 


[Allison Lindemann helps Brandon, a third-grader at Northwest School, with reading.  Brandon’s grandmother says his grades have improved tremendously since he came to the tutoring center.]

The tutoring center now has 14 students and 11 volunteers but is expecting more students soon.

"We usually get quite a few calls after the first report cards come out," says Pat Schlough, children’s librarian. The calls are mostly from parents, but sometimes they’re from teachers who call because the parents want their child to have tutoring.

Tutors are not teaching children new skills, Schlough says, just helping them with homework, encouraging them to get it done, answering questions if a child didn’t take in all the information at school.

The center has textbooks from District 27 schools in case children forget their own. Tutors also use reference books and the Internet to help students get information for reports and other projects.

"We match up the tutor to the child," Schlough says. "We ask tutors what areas they are comfortable with. Some are not comfortable with science or sixth-grade math.

"We sometimes have students waiting for math tutors, and if there’s anyone out there good at math who would like to tutor, we’d love to have them."

Tutors not particularly strong in math are also needed, says Cindy Harris, coordinator of the Prime Time Learning Center, because many students also need help with reading comprehension. "Reading comprehension and math are the areas most asked for," she says.

The tutoring center works with students in grades two through six, with occasional exceptions for students in other grades. Most youngsters meet with tutors twice a week, but some meet more often. Students may come from any Lincoln-area school. Tutoring starts about 3:30 p.m. when schools are out, and goes until 6 p.m.

Many tutors this year are from Tri-County AmeriCorps, while others come from college, such as LCC. The tutoring program has also had retired teachers and senior citizens.

Many of the young people who are tutoring this year want to work with children as a career. LCC student Beth Edgington wants to be a teacher, while her roommate, Aubrey Smith, wants to be a children’s minister. Michael Plummer hopes to start a therapeutic wilderness program for at-risk youth, the kind of project he once did for AmeriCorps."

 

 

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[Tutor Aubrey Smith helps Holly, a third-grader from Carroll Catholic, choose a book.]


[In a corner of the busy children’s section of  the library, tutor Michael Plummer and student J.J., a sixth-grader at Central School, work on learning state capitals.]

 
[Tutor Beth Edgington, an LCC student, helps student Lori with her spelling homework.]

 


[Tutor Allison Lindemann helps Jacob, a third-grader at Central School, with rounding off numbers.]


[Caitlin, a fifth-grader at Central School, works with tutor Allison on English, which is what Caitlin thinks she needs the most help in.  “She’s a whiz at math,” her tutor says.]

Parents are generally enthusiastic about the program, Harris reports. Jill Struebing says tutoring has really helped her two children. Her third- and fifth-graders recently switched schools and were a little behind. She describes both of their tutors as "very good."

Tina Johnson, whose daughter comes to the program, also just moved to Lincoln.

"It’s getting harder for me to help with homework," she says. "Math has changed so much since I got out of school." She thinks it is easier for her daughter to deal with a tutor closer to her own age, one who has learned the material more recently.

The students seem to like it, too. They appear to be comfortable with their tutors, not afraid to ask a question or share an idea. For example, third-grader Jacob shares his enthusiasm for the story of the Titanic with tutor Allison, reading to her from a book he has brought. "My tutor is nice," he says.

Sixth-grader C.J. holds up some treats he’s earned from tutor Michael. Michael is helping C.J. with reading and describes him as "really good" at math.

Harris, who has been coordinator of the tutoring center since January of 1995, is happy with the program and with her current group of students and tutors.

"For the last couple of years I’ve had really good kids. We have no problems getting them to come in or do their work. And we have a lot of repeat students from past years."

To become part of the Prime Time Learning Center, call the Lincoln Public Library at 732-8878 and ask to speak to anyone in the children’s department.

[Joan Crabb]

Honors & Awards

LCHS speech team results at Charleston tournament

[NOV. 19, 2001]  The speech team from Lincoln Community High School placed second on Nov. 17 at the tournament in Charleston.

 "The long journey to Charleston is well worth it," said Carrie Schreiber, co-coach for the Lincoln speech team. "The team sees a lot of schools that we do not see again until the end of the season. The students were able to see some really good competition and are now eager to work in order to face the challenge. 

"With a little break, they will be able to revise and rework some of their pieces in order to be ready to go out in December."

Ed Jodlowski is the other co-coach for the LCHS team.

Individual varsity placement

Humorous duet acting — Doug Rohrer and Betsy Buttell, first place

Dramatic duet acting — Doug Rohrer and Julie Wood, second place

Special occasion speaking — Ty Sank, second place

Dramatic interpretation — Callie Davison, second place

Verse reading — Eric Agostino, second place

Original comedy — Beau Hanger, third place

Humorous duet acting — Collin Voyles and Adam Voyles, fourth place

Original oratory — Brian Welter, fourth place

Humorous duet acting — Matt Bean and Alex Gurga, fifth place

Radio speaking — Abrigail Sasse, fifth place

Special occasion speaking — Adam Voyles, fifth place

Verse reading — Jamie Eckert, fifth place

Dramatic interpretation — Julie Wood, sixth place

Original oratory — Abrigail Sasse, sixth place

 

 

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Individual novice placement

Dramatic duet acting — Brady Gerdts and Brandon Davis, first place

Humorous interpretation — Betsy Buttell, first place

Prose reading — Amanda Perry, first place

Extemporaneous speaking — Tim Fak, second place

Impromptu speaking — Tim Fak, second place

Oratorical declamation — Amanda Perry, second place

Radio speaking — Brian Welter, second place

Special occasion speaking — Wes Reynolds, second place

Original oratory — Katie Gillen, second place

Humorous duet acting — Katie Muck and Wes Reynolds, second place

Special occasion speaking — Fay Allison, third place

Verse reading — Ty Sank, third place

Humorous interpretation — Tom Swanson, third place

Verse reading — Tom Swanson, fourth place

Humorous interpretation — Alex Gurga, fourth place

Dramatic interpretation — Katie Muck, fourth place

Dramatic interpretation — Lyndsey Robbins, fifth place

Impromptu speaking — Jerrod Marton, fifth place

Humorous duet acting — Brady Gerdts and Brandon Davis, sixth place

Original comedy — Eric Knutilla, sixth place

Radio speaking — Jillian Kimberlin, sixth place

Original comedy — Matt Dean, seventh place

Lincoln College student earns Lincoln Academy honor

[NOV. 16, 2001]   Kari Borowiak, a sophomore at Lincoln College, has been named Student Laureate by the Lincoln Academy, a private, nonprofit organization established to honor Illinois citizens whose contributions have brought honor to the state.

The 27th annual Student Laureate award ceremony was in Springfield on Saturday, Oct. 27. Winners are selected by top administrators of their schools on the basis of academic success, extracurricular activities and contributions to their school.

Lincoln College, the state’s only two-year private college in the Lincoln Academy program, is included because of its original charter in 1865 as Lincoln University.

Lincoln College President Jack Nutt commented that Borowiak is a very positive addition to Lincoln College. "We are proud that Kari chose Lincoln College, and we are delighted to see that she is receiving this recognition."

Borowiak, a 2000 graduate of Lincoln Community High School, is an honor student who is studying general education courses with an emphasis on nursing courses. She is active with Lincoln College "Spiritleading" and is a member of Phi Theta Kappa. Borowiak plans to continue her education at Illinois State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She is the daughter of Bob and Carolyn Borowiak of Lincoln.

[Lincoln College news release]

Washington-Monroe School honor roll

First nine weeks

[NOV. 15, 2001]   

High honors

Third grade — Elizabeth Cabit, Meghan Cooper, Dana Denny, Cheyenne Duncan, Ryan Huddlestun, Zach Miller, Kaley Brown, Morgan Cordes, Catrice Parke-Stacy, Brandon Root

Fourth grade — Michelle Brawdy, Katie Gosda, Nathan Swearingen, Randi Vieregge, Caiti Wunderlin, Jeff Owen

Fifth grade — Cody Follis, Kayla Giles, Samara Shane, Andrew Brinkman

Sixth grade — Arielle Alley, Kaleb Gordon, Kelsey Dallas, Alex Huerd, Rebecca Kasa, Jessica Owen

Honors

Third grade — Andrew Thomas, Ty Unger, Ethan Vallejo, Tiffany Boch, Mariah Kodatt, Bradley Nelson, Courtney Sutton, Aleta Raymond, Zach Everson

Fourth grade — Caleb Boulb, Dalton DePoy, Nick Everson, Jacob Hyde, Elizabeth Laurence, Hope Renfro, Nathaniel Zapata, Ali Buck, Brooklyn Ferguson, Amy Jordan, Kelsie Plummer, Chris Shawgo

Fifth grade — Sam Chon, Nichole Etcheson, Colt Hickey, Ashley Shook, Kristina Baird, Joseph Papesch, Jessa Raymond, Jessica Tieman

Sixth grade — Kelly Gosda, Nicki Kodatt, Chelsie Shawgo, Brock Vale, Tim Chezem, Meranda Hale, Amy Langley, Sabrina Matson, Ashley Shawgo, Kami Thompson

 

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Honorable mention

Third grade — Brendan Fitzsimmons, Dilan Hardwick, Myles Moos, Jordan Sanrolini, Benjamin Hake, Austin Hopp, Jori Maxey, Tyler Richardson

Fourth grade — Jordan Baker, Krista Cathers, Steven Green, Mason Musick, Tanner Parrott, Ethan Tabor

Fifth grade — Ryan Davis, Kayla Hyde, Allysa Kemp, Nate Kunkel, Kaily Mote

Sixth grade — Nic Cummings, Eric Gonzales, Marissa Musick, Garret Romer, Adam Babica, Andrew Gonzales, Sydney Welker

Area students at Lincoln College named to ‘Who’s Who’

[NOV. 14, 2001]   Eleven Lincoln College students from the area have been included in the 2001 edition of "Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges."

Students are selected for their academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for success.

Those students named on the list include Kari Borowiak, Miles Craig, Lisa Curcuru, Heidi Graff, Lyndsey Pickering, Clinton Smith and Joshua Twente, all of Lincoln, Nathan Dieckow of Atlanta; Brittany Franklin of New Holland; Felicia Haak of McLean; and Tamar Lyons of Elkhart.

"Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges" has been published since 1966.

[Lincoln College news release]

Area students inducted into Phi Theta Kappa
honor society at Lincoln College

[NOV. 1, 2001]   The Iota Chi Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa fraternity at Lincoln College inducted 64 new members at its initiation ceremonies on Sunday, Oct. 28. Phi Theta Kappa is a junior college academic honor society

Lincoln College PTK faculty advisers John Welter and June Burke welcomed the guest speaker, Lincoln College Museum curator Ron Keller. Keller gave a speech on the tragic events of Sept. 11 and what everyone can do to make a difference.

Area students who qualified for membership are Kari Borowiak, Ashley Brinner, Tim Christoffersen, Miles Craig, Lisa Curcuru, Andrew Dexter, Molly Donnelly, Heidi Graff, Brock Guzouskis, Julie Halcomb, Brooke Huskins, Aaron Johnston, Teri Kavelman, Lyndsey Pickering, Jonah Rosenthal, Anna Schmidt, Clinton Smith, Joshua Twente, Joshua Utterback and Kate Winters, all of Lincoln; Nathan Dieckow, Hamilton Harmon, John Hoblit, Rich Lynch and Tiffany Sutton, all of Atlanta; Brittany Franklin of New Holland; Felicia Haak of McLean; Tamar Lyons of Elkhart; Rececca Ruben of Hartsburg; and Heather Long and Harry McMillan of Mason City.

[News release]

 

Announcements

Notice to participants in the current GED program
 You are urged to pass all five sections of the present GED exam by Dec. 31. In January 2002, a new GED test will be given and it will be necessary to start over from the beginning. Make your plans now to finish all five sections and get your GED.

For orientation dates and registration information, call Heartland Community College, 735-1731.

 

Menus

Lincoln District 27 schools

Breakfasts

(Milk served with all meals)

Monday, Nov. 26 — Cereal, toast with jelly, juice

Tuesday, Nov. 27 — Trix yogurt, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, fruit

Wednesday, Nov. 28 — Cereal, cinnamon toast, juice

Thursday, Nov. 29 — Oatmeal, toast, fruit

Friday, Nov. 30 — Cereal, pop tart, juice

 

 

 

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Lunches

(Milk served with all meals)

Monday, Nov. 26 — Hot dog on bun, french fries with cheese, green beans, orange juice

Tuesday, Nov. 27 — Hot turkey club sandwich with cheese, potato rounds, peaches, peanut butter finger cookies

Wednesday, Nov. 28 — Sausage pizza, lettuce salad, corn, fruit cocktail

Thursday, Nov. 29 — Ravioli with meat sauce, mashed potatoes, breadsticks, peas

Friday, Nov. 30 — Chili with crackers, dill spear, cheese stick, corn bread, whipped dessert

Mount Pulaski Grade School

Milk and condiments are served with all meals.

Students in grades three through eight may choose hot dog and bun or peanut butter and jelly sandwich in place of main entree.

Students in grades six, seven and eight may choose salad bar in place of main menu.

 

Monday, Nov. 26 — Breaded chicken patty, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, peaches, bread, oleo

Tuesday, Nov. 27 — Hamburger, bun, cheese, pickle, tri tator, corn, applesauce

Wednesday, Nov. 28 — Spanish rice, lettuce, peas, orange, peanut butter sandwich

Thursday, Nov. 29 — Chicken noodle soup, carrots, cheese, crackers, cherry pudding, bread, oleo

Friday, Nov. 30 — Cheese pizza, mixed vegetables, banana, jello, raisins

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