Student Competitiveness

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

Spencer Honors English: National Writing Contest Winners (05/16/08)
Spencer High School's Honors English students have been named "Best Class" in the national writing contest sponsored by Penguin Books. The contest "Confessions of a Word Nerd" required students to submit personal essays of 1,500 to 3,000 words and correctly utilize 60 SAT vocabulary words. ...

Spencer instrumental music department completes three days of performances (05/09/08)
Students of the Spencer Community Schools Instrumental Music Department recently completed three days of performances and contests, which they capped off with Division I ratings. The series of concerts, tours and contests involved over 300 band students ranging grades from five through 12...

Goeken named Presidential Scholar (05/02/08)
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spell-ings announced Thursday the selection of Nolan R. Goeken of Spencer, who attends Spencer High School in Spencer, as a 2008 Presidential Scholar. Goeken is one of 139 outstanding American high school seniors who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, and service at school and in their community. ...