Religious Education

Spencer to celebrate homecoming next week (10/01/08)
Spencer students, residents and volunteers alike are expected to be "wild with pride" during this year's homecoming celebrations, which officially begin on Monday and last through next Saturday. School-sponsored activities during the 2008 homecoming week include theme days in each of the school buildings, sports activities, the annual homecoming coronation at 7:30 p.m. on Monday in the Spencer High School (SHS) fieldhouse, and next Friday's 7:30 p.m. football game against MOC-Floyd Valley...

SHS German: Broadening student, classroom horizons over the ICN (09/27/08)
By Kris Todd Daily Reporter Staff When Spencer school board members slashed approximately $1.1 million from the 2008-09 school year budget, they introduced a new manner of instruction for Spencer students. The long-distance alternative has been received very well, in turn, by Spencer High School (SHS) students and staff alike...

Clay Central/Everly super-intendent receives statewide recognition (09/26/08)
Monte Montgomery, superintendent of Clay Central/Everly Community School District, was a nominee for the 2008-09 Iowa Superintendent of the Year award sponsored by the School Administrators of Iowa. "We are pleased to recognize school leaders who represent excellence in education," said Dan Smith, SAI executive director...

New school board members welcomed, former SMS first-floor study approved (09/24/08)
The past service of two one-term Spencer school board members was recognized as two new people took their positions around the board table Tuesday night. In the presentation of the Sept. 9 election abstract for the two at-large board director positions up for grabs, it was reported that Dean Mechler and Les Zobrist received 274 and 210 votes respectively. ...

Changing of the guard to occur Tuesday (09/20/08)
The Spencer Community School Board of Education will convene its regular monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23 in the board room of the central administrative offices, located at 23 E. Seventh St. The evening will begin with a meeting in which the "retiring" board will approve consent items, including minutes from the Aug. 13 and Aug. 26 board meetings, bills, open enrollment requests, a transportation agreement with South Clay Community School District and personnel recommendations...

Multi-faceted musician gives students sneak pear at concert (09/20/08)
Multi-instrumentalist Todd Green, scheduled to open the Spencer Area Concert Association's 2008--09 season with a 2:30 p.m., matinee performance Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Clay County Regional Events Center, arrived in town a bit early as part of a week-long residency that included performances for schoolchildren in the Spencer, Clay Central/Everly, Sioux Central and Ruthven-Ayrshire school districts. ...

'Safe Routes' plan to pave the way for students (09/20/08)
By Kris Todd Daily Reporter Staff Children today are much less active than their counterparts of 39 years ago. While 50 percent of America's children walked to school in 1969, that number has dropped to 15 percent in 2008. As a result of the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program that's taken shape recently, a Spencer delegation is focused on changing this trend...

Iowa Department of Education releases state report card (09/19/08)
The Iowa Department of Education (DE) released the state report card for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Thursday. The report shows a change in the state's proficiency targets, which is the percent of students across the state that must be proficient in reading and math...

ILCC wind tech students may transfer to UI under agreement (09/19/08)
The University of Iowa College of Engineering and Iowa Lakes Community College of Estherville, Iowa, have signed an agreement that will allow some Iowa Lakes students to transfer to either the UI Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering or the UI Department of Mechanical Engineering, effective fall semester 2009...

Worlds unite at SHS (09/19/08)
With the arrival of a German, Brazilian and a Tanzanian student, boundaries are being broken in the hallways of Spencer High School (SHS) this year. Carl Hieronymi, who hadn't visited the United States before arriving on July 31, said his stay in Dickens as a foreign exchange student will not only allow him to expand his English, it will also give him the opportunity to play football. The outgoing 17-year-old German currently plays tight end and tackle for the SHS Tigers...

Space needed for ILCC Wind Energy students (09/18/08)
The Board of Trustees of Iowa Lakes Community College decided to secure more classroom space for Wind Energy students during their meeting in Estherville late Tuesday afternoon. The Trustees heard from Delaine Hiney, executive director of Facilities Management, who updated them on the need. ...

LaBounty picked for community development program (09/18/08)
Doug LaBounty, president of Community Housing Initiatives, Inc., in Spencer, has been selected to participate in the Neighbor-Works Achieving Excellence in Community Development program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. LaBounty is one of 47 leaders selected for this Achieving Excellence class -- a prestigious and highly selective training program offered by NeighborWorks America through the Kennedy School of Government...

SHS Drama Department recognized for set design (09/18/08)
Spencer's Drama Department is the recipient of a fourth place honorable mention award in the National Set Builders Contest, sponsored by Sceno-Graphics Set Design Co. of New Wilmington, Pa. From the hundreds of entries in the contest, Spencer's entry was among the top 16 schools in the nation...

Student assessment data reviewed (09/18/08)
Local school administrators and teachers now have data from several different types of student assessments at their fingertips, allowing them to work toward the differentiated instruction of individual students. Spencer School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) members were presented with the latest reports this week. ...

Area student wins DARE poster contest (09/17/08)
Josie McCarty who attends Clay Central Everly School in Royal is shown holding her D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) poster which won the Most Creative Poster award at the Iowa D.A.R.E. conference in Decorah. this summer. Josie and her family live south of Royal. ...

Disney-mania sure to ensue with Corbin Bleu (09/13/08)
Corbin Bleu is best known for his role as Chad in "High School Musical" alongside Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. While HSM is what shot him to fame, Corbin won his first leading role in "Catch That Kid" opposite Kristen Stewart. He has also worked with quite the list of big name actors like Kurt Russell, Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Stiller and Hank Azaria, among others...

Spencer Library receives accreditation (09/13/08)
The State Library of Iowa has announced that the Spencer Public Library has met the conditions for state accreditation as outlined in "In Service to Iowa: Public Library Measures of Quality, 4th ed." Achieving accreditation requires a significant, ongoing local commitment to high quality library services. ...

Swiss educator returns to Spencer (09/12/08)
A former German teacher visited with Spencer High School (SHS) students this week, minimizing the distance between northwest Iowa and Switzerland. Michele (Keller) Rogger, a former flight attendant and teacher, is a stay-at-home mother today to her 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. ...

Mediacom's Big Ten Network launch includes northwest Iowa (09/12/08)
Viewers from the Iowa Great Lakes to Spencer and from Emmetsburg to Estherville will have a chance to see the Iowa State-Iowa football game after all. Mediacom Communications on Thursday announced that customers in 15 northwest Iowa counties will be able to see Saturday's intrastate football game on Mediacom, and that the company is moving forward on its next phase of a channel launch that will permanently place the Big Ten Network on its family cable line-up...

ILCC students aid in data collection (09/11/08)
Fairgoers will be able to offer their opinions on just how good the Clay County Fair is when they complete a survey at the fair this year. Iowa Lakes Community College, the Clay County Fair and the Clay County Auditor's office will be cooperating for the 11th year in a row to survey fairgoers about their opinions...

80-year-old marks 50th consecutive year at fair (09/11/08)
The Clay County Fair has been "the destination of a lifetime" every year the last five decades for a New Richland, Minn., man and his wife. Paul Stennes, who marked his 80th birthday Wednesday, and Blossom Stennes, who will celebrate her 73rd birthday next Wednesday, are what you can call "diehard" Clay County Fair enthusiasts...

Voters mandate change on Spencer school board (09/10/08)
Spencer School Board Unofficial 2008 Election Results --- When the write-ins were officially counted by hand and reported by 8:50 p.m. Tuesday night, Spencer voters had made their intentions known: Todd Korbitz and write-in candidate Marti Bomgaars had both soundly defeated one-term incumbent board members Dean Mechler and Les Zobrist...

Vote Tuesday! (09/06/08)
Tuesday is school board election day. You don't have to serve on the board or run for school board, but you might think a bit harder about at least casting a ballot for your candidate or candidates of choice. Of the five surrounding school board elections, Spencer is hosting the only contested race. ...

SL school board hearing continued (09/05/08)
Following a series of delays for professional and personal conflicts, a hearing on a motion to dismiss in the non-jury trial for Spirit Lake School Board President Beth Will and Vice President Ann Goerss is now scheduled to take place Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. in Courtroom A of the Dickinson County Courthouse...

Tailgate raises funds for Tailtwisters (09/05/08)
Clark Cunningham, with Community State Bank of Spencer shakes hands with Dana Anderson, president of the Spencer Tailtwisters organization following a very successful tailgate party Friday night prior to the Spencer High School football team's home opener. The feed grossed approximately $1,250 for the club. Community State Bank picked up all the costs associated with the event, allowing all of the profit to be collected by the club...

Farm expo planned at Iowa Lakes Community College Farm Lab (09/04/08)
The Farm Lab of Iowa Lakes Community College will host its annual Farm Field Day and Expo on Thursday, Sept. 4. All area residents, as well as past alumni of Iowa Lakes, are invited to tour the Palo Alto Corn and Soybean Growers Association plot, various agricultural exhibits and the Farm Laboratory starting at 4:30 p.m...

Ambassadors visit Iowa Lakes soccer coach (09/03/08)
The Spencer Chamber Ambassadors paid a visit to new Iowa Lakes Community College soccer coach Kevin Farley on Tuesday. Farley, a Texas native, is charged with building the Iowa Lake soccer program from the ground up. The college's program, and Farley, will be based at the Spencer campus of Iowa Lakes. The program will officially begin its first season in the fall of 2009...

2008 Clay County graduates score above national average on ACTs (09/02/08)
While average scores on the ACT college entrance exam dipped slightly for the high school class of 2008 as the number of students taking the exam on the national scene jumped by 9 percent compared to last year, students' composite scores increased slightly in Iowa...

AREA SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES PROFILED - Two vie for two Ruthven-Ayrshire board seats (08/29/08)
It's an uncontested race in the Tuesday, Sept. 9 election for the two seats available on the Ruthven-Ayrshire school board. Incumbent Dave Forey, of 1809 Carr St. in Ruthven has filed for re-election. Matthew Graves, of 1408 Rolling St. in Ruthven, is seeking the second available seat around the board table, left vacant by current board member Jill Williamson. If deemed winners in September, both men would hold office until 2011...

Clay County Growers annual field day (08/29/08)
Following a steak dinner, the 2008 Clay County Growers' "field day" featured Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, Iowa State University College of Agriculture Dean Dr. Wendy Wintersteen, Dr. Palle Pedersen, an ISU soybean specialist, plot manager Dave Hessman and Paul Kassel, an ISU Extension area agronomist, as speakers Thursday evening in the Clay County Regional Events Center. ...

AREA SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES PROFILED - Okoboji school board race an uncontested one (08/28/08)
It's an uncontested race in the Tuesday, Sept. 9 school board election for the two seats available on the Okoboji Community School Board of Education. One-term incumbents Mark Hale, of 1408 15th St., and Christopher Stein, of 1407 14th St., both of Milford, have each expressed an interest in taking on the two at-large seats available. If deemed winners in September, both men would hold office until 2011...

'Up to the Down Staircase' announced as SHS fall production (08/28/08)
"Up the Down Staircase" has been announced as the Spencer High School Drama Department's fall production, according to Larry Untiet, theater director. In 1964, "Up the Down Staircase" by Bel Kaufman first appeared on the shelves of book stores across the nation as a best-selling novel, with millions of copies going into the hands of American people...

Dean's future comes one election at a time (08/28/08)
W. Chris Dean didn't expect an Indiana roadmap to come with the Cornell College degree he received in May. But a presidential candidate's campaign of "change" has thrown a few curve balls Dean's way this summer. The 2004 Spencer graduate was recently hired as a paid field organizer in northeast Indiana for the Barack Obama campaign. His three-county region includes the hometown of former Vice President Dan Quayle. Needless to say, the Democratic message isn't a automatically an easy sell...

Payne escapes prison time in conviction (08/27/08)
Despite an emotional appeal from the victim and her mother in court Monday, Kyle Dean Payne will serve no prison sentence for his conviction on three crimes related to an incident in which he partially stripped an unconscious fellow Buena Vista University student, photographed himself fondling her body, and later installed the images and video on his computer...

AREA SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES PROFILED - South Clay board write-in tackles Q-and-A (08/27/08)
Three positions with the South Clay school board are up for grabs in the upcoming Sept. 9 election. Board members Amy Burkhart, Mike Hildebrand and Troy Mayland have all formally expressed an interest in retaining their positions around the South Clay board table...

Board hears Spencer 'in need of improvements' and in a 'watch year' (08/27/08)
As Spencer school board members learned that 2007-08 marked a second year specific groups of students have either placed the district's buildings "in need of improvement" or on a "watch year" list Tuesday night, Assistant Superintendent Kathy Elliott outlined part of an answer in a new professional development focus and a new monitoring and accountability plan, both of which have taken shape in 2008-09...

National Anthem tryouts for Corbin Bleu concert (08/27/08)
Friday, Sept. 12, National Anthem tryouts for area high school students will be held in the 4-H Auditorium during the Clay County Fair. The winner of the competition will perform the National Anthem before the Corbin Bleu and Drew Seeley concert on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m...

Spencer student interns for Grassley in Washington (08/26/08)
WASHINGTON --Cale Kassel, son of Julie and Paul Kassel of Spencer, has just finished spending six weeks in Washington, D.C. working as an intern in Senator Chuck Grassley's office. Kassel is a 2007 Iowa State graduate and is currently a student at the University Of Iowa Carver College Of Medicine...

AREA SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES PROFILED - CC/E candidate answers questions (08/26/08)
One position with the Clay Central/Everly school board is up for grabs in the upcoming Sept. 9 election. Clay Central/Everly candidate Brad Phelps, of 209 S. Washington in Everly, is featured today. The one-term board member has filed nomination papers for another one-year term for the District 2 seat he currently holds...

Board to commit financially to SMS auditorium design study (08/23/08)
The Spencer Community Schools Board of Education will convene its monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26 in the board room of the central administrative offices, located at 23 E. Seventh St. Approval of consent items, including minutes from the July 24 and Aug. 13 board meetings, bills, student open enrollment applications, and personnel recommendations will be sought...

'Safe Routes to School' study underway (08/22/08)
Public reaction to recommendations to occur Sept. 17-18

ILCC's Estherville campus points to environmental studies (08/21/08)
The Iowa Lakes Community College Board of Trustees convened Tuesday on the Estherville campus and learned about the long-time success of the Environmental Studies program. Professor Gary Phillips was introduced to the trustees by Executive Dean Mary Larscheid of the Estherville campus...

Opening day of school (08/21/08)
The first day of classes for the 2008-09 school year at Sacred Heart Elementary School in Spencer commenced Wednesday with students and staff members parading outside to witness a flag presentation and flag-raising ceremony. The tradition began in 1970, when the building was officially opened and the late Bob Conlon, an Army corporal who served in World War II, presented a flag to school representatives and students...

New staff to greet CC/E students Aug. 20 (08/16/08)
By Kris Todd Daily Reporter Staff When the bell marking the start of the 2008-09 school year rings on the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 20, Clay Central/Everly students will be greeted in their respective buildings and classrooms by a handful of new staff members...

Laboranti taking the helm of CC/E High School (08/16/08)
As soon as he begins speaking, it's easy to tell that the new Clay Central/Everly High School principal is a native of Massachusetts. Albert "Al" Laboranti's accent is a bit different than that of a native northwest Iowan's. While his desire to cultivate strong students and teachers is on-target with that of other administrators nationwide, it's Laboranti's truly motivational outlook on life, and achieving success in all areas of it, that make him so likable. His enthusiasm is catchy...

Collective literacy focus 2008-09 goal for Spencer (08/15/08)
Thursday was their "warm-up" day. It marked the first official day of the 2008-09 school year for Spencer teachers and support staff members. After being treated to a catered breakfast sponsored by the Spencer Community School Foundation in the middle school commons area, "class" began at 8:15 a.m. in the building's gymnasium...

City of Spencer safe routes to school program (08/14/08)
The City Council of Spencer is committed to enabling and encouraging children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school. They aspire to make walking and bicycling to school safe and more appealing, and to facilitate the planning and development and implementation of projects that will improve safety, and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools...

SMS auditorium talks underway (08/14/08)
As Spencer school board members, Friends of the Auditorium representatives and a Sioux City architect met Wednesday morning to broach the topic of what will be done with the auditorium area of the old Spencer Middle School at 104 E. Fourth St., they negotiated costs and responsibilities, and, in the end, reconnected as potential partners in restoring the "gem" to its original historic state and making it a better-functioning facility...

Activity transportation fees not imposed (08/13/08)
As Spencer parents and guardians registered their children for classes on Monday and Tuesday, those enrolling middle and high school students were treated to a surprise: They were not charged a new "activity transportation fee." As approved by board members early last month, the $25 and $35 fees for secondary-level students were designed to cover a portion of activity transportation costs, as well as pay for the cost of a student's activity ticket...

Spencer district welcomes new staff (08/13/08)
New Spencer Community School District staff met with administrators and board members Tuesday noon. They include, front row from left: Brian Sand, a Transition I teacher at Lincoln Elementary, Stephanie Anderson, a reading teacher/assistant elementary principal, and Teresa Goehring, a teacher assistant/guidance counselor at Johnson Elementary. ...