Ribbon Cutting at the New Harlan Community Primary Building

On Monday August 16, 2010, the official opening and ribbon cutting for the new Harlan Community Primary School took place. Our new Superintendent, Mr. Justin Wagner, presided over the opening festivities which included the aforementioned ribbon cutting as well as tours of the building for Chamber of Commerce members.

HCSD is extremely proud of our new school and look forward to having all of our buildings on one campus now!!

West Ridge Chronicle-Volume I Issue 9

Click on the link to read the newest edition of the West Ridge Chronicle.

West Ridge Chronicle-Volume I Issue 9

Mentoring

I signed up for mentoring my first semester of my senior year by asking the guidance office. It was simple to get me signed up-- we took my 7th hour study hall and matched it up with a time that an elementary teacher was looking to get some student help. Because I don't drive myself to school, it was easiest to find a teacher at West Ridge so I could just walk there. Soon, I was signed up to work for Mrs. Angel's 7th grade class.
My experience with mentoring has been incredible. Each day, I arrive at the class and work where I am needed. 2nd graders are at the best age, and they adored getting to work with a high schooler. I made some great bonds, and plan on inviting them all to my graduation party.
I don't know if this has been every mentor's experience, but for me, Mrs. Angel has been such a relaxed leader. If I had too much homework or was sick, all I had to do was email or call and say that I could not make it in. I realized that the kids were waiting on my arrival, so it was important to let them know when I couldn't show up.
Mentoring gave me added priveledges and benefits-- I was able to attend their elementary holiday parties (for which I made each of them some holidays gifts) and Mrs. Angel was a great referrence when applying for scholarships. Mentoring has given me a chance to solidify what I had previously suspected-- I want to work with kids! I love the idea that just a smile is enough to influence their growing lives, and mentoring has helped me to see that I would be good working with children for life.
I would encourage anyone who is interested to volunteer. Currently, mentoring is worth a quarter of a credit per semester, but I know that most people would volunteer their time without the credits. Have you ever mentored or considered mentoring? What has your experience been like? Commment on this blog; I'd love to hear your stories!

West Ridge Chronicle-Volume I Issue 8

Click on the link to read the newest edition of the West Ridge Chronicle.

West Ridge Chronicle-Volume I Issue 8

Introducing Harlan Community Elementary School Primary

I(Mr. Bruns) was at the new elementary building on 3-11-10 for a meeting and a tour of the new elementary building. I decided to snap a few pictures so everyone could have a look!

Harlan Community Elementary School Primary from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

West Ridge Chronicle-Volume I Issue 7

Click on the link to read the newest edition of the West Ridge Chronicle.

West Ridge Chronicle-Volume I Issue 7

West Ridge Chronicle-Volume I Issue 6

Be sure to check out the latest issue of the West Ridge Chronicle.

Check out previous issues below:

Volume I Issue 1


Volume I Issue 2


Volume I Issue 3


Volume I Issue 4


Volume I Issue 5

H1N1: Your Guide To Survival.

H1N1: Your Guide To Survival. from Chad Bruns on Vimeo.

This video is a short cover on the H1N1 virus, that is going around. Not all information may be 100% accurate, but it is to the best of the knowledge available.

Mr. Broomfield addresses problem at Merrill by Alex Gettys

Do you remember going to Cyclone football games when you were in elementary school? Were you the kid that was always seated with your parents, contently watching the game, or were you one of the kids always running around, playing a game?

Recently, Bob Broomfield, Superintendent of Harlan Community Schools, sent out an informative letter to the parents of New Park and West Ridge Elementary students concerning the running around taking place mainly on the south end of the football stadium. While Mr. Broomfield was very pleased with the outcome of the first home football game against Cyclone rival Sioux City Heelan, he wasn’t overly happy with the “free-for-all” on the south end of the football stadium.

A view of the south end of the stadium where kids often gather to play games.

You may ask, what is wrong with the kids just running around, playing football, and having a good time? One of Mr. Broomfield’s responsibilities as superintendent of the schools is to take precautions to ensure the safety of our students. Playing football and other potentially dangerous games isn’t exactly safe alone, but playing these games without any adult supervision is another story.

As you can see above, the south end of the stadium isn't very visible from the stands, which makes it even more difficult to monitor.

Often times, elementary parents just drop their kids off at the door, expecting them to be supervised by others at public events, but according to Mr. Broomfield, “We don’t have the manpower or desire.”

Above, an example the the running around going on at football games.

At the request of Mr. Broomfield, he asks all parents with children in grades kindergarten through fifth grade to please “be seated in the stands any time the football team is on the field.” He also understands that “trips to the restroom or concession stand may need to occur, but those trips need to be rare as possible.”

“We are fortunate to attract large crowds to our games, and those who are there to watch the game do not appreciate lots of little Cyclones continuously running around during the game,” Mr. Broomfield states, “It would be better if the children stayed with their parents, but if that is not the parent’s preference, we do ask that they be seated when the team is on the field.”

Below, a view of the beautiful Merrill Field.

At the next home game, which is Friday the 18th, Mr. Broomfield and other members of the community are hoping to see improvement upon this issue. Now that it has been addressed, it will hopefully become less of a hazard and disturbance to those trying to enjoy the game.

Red Ribbon Week in the Elementary and High School

Originally created as a drug-and-alcohol-free message for the elementary schools, Megan and Taysha investigate Red Ribbon Week. Features interviews with elementary and high school students.

HCS Pre-K Music Concert

Harlan 5th Graders Get Fourth at State AAU

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The Harlan 5th Grade AAU volleyball team recently competed in the State AAU Gold Tournament in Dike, Iowa. The volleyball team participated in 3 weekend tournaments, needing at least a 1st or 2nd place finish to qualify for the Gold Tournament. Throughout the season, Harlan defeated many Iowa volleyball powerhouses such as Ankeny, Oelwine, Charles City, Onawa, and Grundy Center, to name a few.
While at the Gold Tournament, the Harlan team competed against 19 other teams throughout the marathon day. In the end, Harlan captured 4th place, barely missing a shot at the championship game against the eventual winner, Tri-County, from Hull, Iowa. Jess Schaben was named to the All-Tournament Team, which is quite an honor considering the number of girls participating.
In the end, there were a few tears, a lot of smiles and a bunch on tired girls making the 3 hour trip back to Harlan. There are high hopes for the future of Harlan girls athletics and this is a small step toward the future.

Josh Schaben

Chatting with Mrs. Jensen

We interviewed Mrs. Jensen on her retirement. She said she has really enjoyed teaching her 1st/2nd grade level students and that she will really miss them. She is really looking forward to retirement though so she can relax.

We asked five kids that have had Mrs. Jensen in the past, what they thought about her and this is what they said:
•Brock Travis, Jackson and Chandler Mores- She was really nice and we enjoyed that she read to us a lot.
•Jenny Bjoin- She was a very encouraging teacher, she was friendly, and she always wanted us to do the best we could.
•Sarah Konz- I really enjoyed when we drew a guy out of a hat that was in the Iditarod and followed them during their course. I remember my guy proposed to his girlfriend.

Students loved Mrs. Jensen and will always remember her for the great things she has done in and outside of the classroom! Thank you Mrs. Jensen for everything you have done for the students at Harlan Community Schools!

Kaitlyn7 and Chelsy7

Elementary Pep Rally

Elementary Pep Rally (by Cory, and Colburn)

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It is the morning of the 27th of January 2008 at roughly 9:00 am. Filling the bleachers of the poorly lit Harlan Community High School gym were hundreds of anxious K-5th graders. The elementary students from all across town are gathered to an assembly. The word of the day is citizenship, all the speakers young and old have centered their focus on this one simple yet important topic. The assembly did a good job of using youth to teach fellow youth about the importance of citizenship. Among those represented by the student body were members of the girls and boys basket ball teams, FFA students, JEL students, and the Pom squad. The assembly was competed by representatives from the administration and faculty of the elementary schools giving a look at citizenship from two very different viewpoints and creating a very entertaining and well-thought-out assembly.

This rally was a great way to bring charactor esencials to Harlans youth. Great job to all that participated.

West Ridge Christmas Concert

New Park Elementary's 2nd and 3rd Grade Vocal Concert

This is Haley1 for HCHS News. Above are pictures from New Park Elementary's 2nd and 3rd grade Vocal Concert. I apologize for some of the pictures are blurry.

On Tuesday December 11th, New Park Elementary had their 2nd and 3rd grade Vocal Concert that was postponed from Thursday December 6th due to weather. The show started at 7:00 P.M. in the High School Auditorium and was about a 45-minute concert. The name of their show was called In the Holiday Spirit and was directed by their music teacher, Sandra Carroll. Ms. Vorm and Mrs. Christensen’s 2nd grade classes sang three songs: Celebrate with Joy, Our Holiday Ensemble, and Jolly Old St. Nicholas. Ms. Doolittle and Mrs. Brix’s 2nd grade classes sang: Celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah O Hanukkah, and My Little Dreidl. The 3rd grade classes, Mrs. Deuel and Mrs. Petsche’s, sang two songs: A Perfect Winter Day and Shalom. The final song, In the Spirit, was sung by all students. You could tell that the students put in a lot of work for this. Congratulations! This has been Haley1 for HCHS News.

Running Around and Around in the same place

School starts to wind down, but the elementary kids are still fired up because they have their elementary track meet at the end of the year. Only the third through fifth graders are invited to run at this meet though. It is fun to watch and they get wonderful crowds to watch them run their little hearts out. One by one the kids cross the finish line and one by one there is an interview on this video, so watch to see all of them!

Brianna and Kirsten 3rd hour signing off

Elementary Concert

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A twenty minute Concert was held on Thursday night featuring the five kindergarden classes from both New Park and West Ridge. The classes from Mrs. Allen’s class, Mrs. Andersen’s Class, and Mrs. Wirtjes’s Class, or the Classes from New Park Preformed the songs Wheels on the Bus, Rain Rain Go away, Springtime, Five Little Monkeys, and The Itsy Bitsy Spider. All of their songs featured actions to their tunes. The West Ridge Classes, Mrs. Knudson’s class and Mrs. Bjoin’s Class, Preformed the songs I’m so Happy to be here, If your happy and you know it, There was a little Turtle, Growing, and I’m a little Teapot. Traditionly the first graders and Kindergardeners sang together, but because of their decsion not to this year the evening was concluded.

~Jessika Chapman~