November 1, Mrs. Bower-Hansen and Mrs. Sullivan took A3, youth, to the Museum of Nebraska Art for a tour.

November 3, Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Lyon took A2, 6 youth, to Head Start for a field trip.

November 3, GED graduation was held for five youth.

November 6, Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs. Bower-Hansen and Mr. Murphy took A1 and A2 to the Museum of Nebraska Art for a tour.

November 7, Ms. Harden, Ms. Jameson and Mr. Casper took L2, 10 youth, to the "Kearney Archway".  Team work and team building, preparation/providing for transition to public life, problem solving through the maze and enjoyment of feeding the fish were implemented.

November 7, Mrs. Davis and Mr. Palazzola took C1, 8 youth, to the "Merryman Performing Arts Center".  The group really enjoyed it!

November 8, Ms. Jameson and Mr. Schwanebeck took L3, 9 youth, to the Kearney Event Center to Take School by Storm Program. 

November 13-17, American Education Week.  Several activities were held including geography activities and contests, group puzzle packets, balloon activities, lunch at Valentino's for the staff.  To conclude the week all students wrote messages supporting education, attached them to helium balloons, and let them lift off together.

November 17, Mrs. Thompson and Mr. VanMatre took W3, 10 youth, to the Buffalo County Fairgrounds to clean-up in preparation for Gateway.

November 13, Mrs. Bokenkamp and Mr. Schiedies took W2, 10 youth, to Kearney High School to watch their One Act plays.

November 27, Mrs. Bokenkamp and Mr. Edwards took W1, 9 youth, to Salvation Army to pick up gifts and set up for the gift selection.

November 27 & 29, The Salvation Army was on campus to help the youth select and wrap gifts to be sent to their families for the holidays.

November 21 through December 8, Ms. Anson worked with three youth to help in preparation of taking the ACT test. They worked hard and appreciated the opportunity.

November 28, Mr. Myers and Mrs. Bokenkamp took D1, 8 youth, to "Trails and Rails Museum" to decorate their tree for the Christmas Walk.  The theme this year is White Christmas.

November 30, Ms. Jameson and Mr. Stroud took W1, 10 youth, to the UNK Theatre to see Little Night Music.

November 30,  twenty-two youth heard interpretations of the ASVAB tests they took November 15th.

November 29 & 30, Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs. Lobner, Mrs. Divan and Ms. Jarecki attended the Arnold Technology Leadership Institute and One to One Initiative workshop.  It was an excellent example of student use of technology in education.

November 30, Mrs. Sullivan and Mr. Murphy and Mr. Trosper took A2, 10 youth, to the "Merryman Performing Arts Center" for community service, welcoming and escorting attendees into the Center.  They participated in a hip hop dance workshop and attended the City Dance Ensemble's performance of Falling into the Sea.

October 2 - Mrs. Smith and Mr. Haberlan took C1 (9 youth) to Hastings Community College

October 4 - Mrs. Thompson and Mr. Tennant took W3 (7 youth) and Ms Jameson and Mr. Stroud took W1 (8 youth) to Kearney Community Theater for education and entertainment.

October 4 - Ms. Jameson, Mr. Swarm and Mr. Evans took L1 (6 youth) to Salvation Army to load clothing bales.

October 4-24 - Norris Chee was here as artist in residence through the Nebraska Arts Council.  B1, B2, B3 and A1, A2, A3 created paintings in airbrush workshops with Mr.Chee.

October 5 - Mrs. Smith and Mr. Tom Swarm took C3 to Hastings Community College for a tour of the campus.

October 6 - Mrs. Lyon and Mr. Murphy took A2 (7 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary to clean debris from the trails.

October 6 - A GED ceremony was held for 3 youths. Guest speaker was Mr. Mike Cox, Program Director at Central Community College

October 12 - Mr. Rick Love held an in-service for the Basic Education teachers on Career Cruising.

October 16-20 - Activities for Teen Read week at West Kearney High included a 20 minute read-out every day, reception in the Media Center, Design a Bookmark plus games.

October 17 - Ms. Jameson and Mr. Schmidt took L2 (9 youth) to the Merryman Performing Arts Center to enjoy a performance by Empire Brass Concert.

October 20 - Ms. Jameson and Ms. Harden took L2 (9 youth) to the Fire Fighter Museum for community clean-up.

October 26 - Mrs. Deutsch set up learning stations for B1, B2, B3, A2 and W2 with Halloween and October themes learning how to measure angles with a protractor, Venn diagrams, write stories using a thesaurus and making caramel apples

October 28 - Mrs. Thompson and Mr. Van Matre took four youth to take the ACT test.

October 31 - Mrs. Smith, Mr. Stroud and Mr. Scheidies took W1 (8 youth) and W2 (9 youth) to the Vocational Center to learn about the purpose and opportunities they have available at Voc Rehab.

September 1 - Mrs. Lyon, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Trosper took 8 students from A2 to Yanney to fish

September 5 - Myron Kouba, Voc Rehab, was on campus for Mrs. Smith to speak to 19 students from C2 and C3

September 7 - Sgt. Fallon was on campus to speak to 21 students from C Cottage regarding information on the military

September 7 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Talavat took 6 youths from W2 to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project

September 7 - Mrs. Sullivan, Mr. Jones, Mr. Carr and Mr. Leffler took 16 students from B1 and B3 to Museum of Nebraska Art for tours

September 7 - Ms. Jameson and Ms. Harden spent part of the day with 10 students from L1. They cooked pumpkins raised in their garden.  Math skills were used to follow the recipes

September 8 - Mrs. Sullivan and Mr. Dutton took B1 to Museum of Nebraska Art for a tour and to help Therman Statom with his exhibit

September 11, 13, & 15-GED testing was held for five students

September 13 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Matuschka took 6 students from W2 fishing at Yanny Park

September 14 - Terry Fowler from Pine Ridge was on campus giving a presentation on the Job Corps to 27 students in Career Education

September 15 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the students to check out books for the first time this fall

September 18 - Ms. Harden and Ms. Jameson took 10 students from L1 to pick apples on the YRTC campus.  They made apple crisp and apple cider drink from the apple peelings

September 19 - Mrs. Lyon and Mr. Murphy took 8 students from A2 to "Harvest Moon Farm"

September 20 - Mr. Murphy and Ms. Anson took 7 students to Rowe Sanctuary to do some work projects

September 22 - Mrs. Bower-Hansen, Mr. Witte and Mr. Santo took 7 students from A3 to the Kearney Humane Society to help with the cats and dogs; clean cages and take some of the dogs for a walk

September 22 - Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs. Deutsch and Mr. Myers tood 10 students from B1 to UNK to blow glass as part of a demonstration by Therman Statom

September 22 - Ms. Jameson, Ms. Harden and Mr. Casper took 9 students from L2 to Harvest Moon Farm. Team building, problem solving, study of history, exploration of cultural information and observation of harvest was used for education

September 28 - Mr. Witte and Ms. Smith took 9 students from C2 to Central Community College.   Educational and vocational opportunities were observed

September 28 - Mr. Doug Christensen, Nebraska's Commissioner of Education, was on campus for a tour of both the campus and the school.  He was very impressed with what he saw

September 29 - Mrs. Davis and Ms. Jameson took 9 students from L3 to Harvest Moon Farm.  They participated in team building, problem solving, history, culture and harvest activities.

September 29 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the students to return and check-out new books

September 29 - Mrs. Davis and Ms. Jameson took 9 students from L3 to Harvest. They participated in team building, problem solving, history, culture and harvest activities

September 29 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the students to return and check-out new books

August 10 - A C Cottage Group helped set up for the MONA Concert Series at the Museum. August 11 - The All Star Softball Game was held. August 18 - Groups helped set up vendor booths and spaces for the UNK Blue-Gold Day. August 21 - B1 helped sculptor, Therman Statom unload and prepare to set up his installation at The Museum of Nebraska Art.

July 5 thru 7 - GED testing was held for twelve youth.

July 7 - A GED graduation ceremony for was held for students from B2, C1, and W1 in the Media Center.

July 10 - Mrs. Thompson and Mr. Scheidies took W3 (7 youth) to Community Action Partnership to assist in community service by packing, moving shelves and clean-up work.

July 11 - Mrs. Sullivan, Mr. Witte and Mr. Haberlan took C1 (9 youth), C2 (10 youth), C3 (9 youth) to MONA for a tour. July 17 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Trosper took A2 (9 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project.

July 19 - Mrs. Smith provided ASVAB testing to be taken in the Media Center. Twenty-five students took the test.

July 21 - GED graduation for nine youth was held in the Media Center. The keynote speaker was Mr. Steele, Kearney High School Assistant Principal.

July 27 - 17 youth attended an interpretation of the ASVAB test.

Mr. Chee, WKHS's adoped artist-in-residence, donated a very nice piece of his artwork to YRTC-Kearney. This is his second donation and is displayed in the Media Center on the east wall.

June l - Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Lyon took A2 (9 youth) to Odessa and Axtell for a field trip to locate animals in their natural habitat. A baby eagle was observed in its nest. They also saw several prairie dog towns, wild turkeys, owls, turkey vultures, meadowlarks and red-wing blackbirds. It was an excellent trip.

June 2 - Mr. Betke, Mr. Stroud and teacher Mr. Swarm took W2 (8 youth) to the University of Nebraska at Kearney Cushing coliseum to assist with wrestling camp.

June 5 thru 7 - Eight youth took their GED tests on campus. June 8 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus.

June 9 - Mr. Wysocki and teacher Mr. Swarm took A1 (9 youth) to Habitat for Humanity at 13th and Avenue B for community services.

June 16 - Mr. Swarm and Mr. Stroud took W2 (9 youth) to the UNK Coliseum to assist with wrestling camp.

June 18 - Mr. VanMatre and teacher Mr. Swarm took W1 (9 youth) to Camp Augustine to set up tents, etc.

June 22 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus.

June 23 - Mr. Stroud and teacher Mr. Swarm took W2 (7 youth) to UNK to assist with wrestling camp.

June 23,24.25 - The Kearney Community Olympics were held. Thank you to Mr. Witte, Mr. Ross and Mrs. Emrick for their participation.

June 30 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Trosper took A2 (9 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project.

June 30 - Mr. Stroud and teacher Mr. Swarm took W2 (7 youth) to UNK to assist with the wrestling camp.

June 30 - the WKHS track meet was held at the Kearney High School Track.

May l - Mrs. Lyon and Mrs. Divan received a nice Thank You for their students.  The Country Crossroads Quilt Guild members were thrilled over the 6 completed boxes of denim squares. "You took on a huge undertaking and did an outstanding job!!" They stated they are especially proud of every young man and commend them for sharing their time, energy, expertise and a heart to serve others. Working together as a team effort, almost 70 denim and flannel quilts were completed. The quilts will help many in need within our local community.

May 2 - Mrs. Davis and Mr. Haberlan took C1 (11 youth) to Trails & Rails Museum to move items into the new livery stable. May 5 - Mr. Myers and Mr. Reynolds took D1 (8 youth) to the Kearney High School auditorium to attend a music concert.

May 5 - Mrs. Lyon & Mr. Murphy took A2 (10 youth) to Head Start Preschool for the youth to write stories as were told by the preschoolers between two puppets. Mrs. Thompson and Mr. Van Matre took W1 (11 youth) to the UNK Sports Center to assist with Relay for Life.

May 10 - A student/artist closing reception was held in the Media Centor for Mr. Chee's artist-in-residency. Mr. Chee's art work was on display in the Media Center and student work filled the halls. We celebrated with cookies and tea.

May 12 - Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs. Davis and Ms. Harden took L3 (7 youth) and L2 (10 youth) to MONA for a tour of the museum. Ms. Jameson, students in the Lincoln Living Unit and W1 put 30 eggs in an incubator. The students learned about charting, percentages, recordkeeping, responsibility, and patience. They ended up with 21 healthy chicks.

May 12 - Mrs. Thompson and Mr. Van Matre took W1 (9 youth) to the Central Community College in Hastings for a tour of the campus and to provide an opportunity for a group member to retake his GED test.

May 15 - Mr. Dibbern from the Creative Eye was a guest speaker for 26 students from the Lincoln Living Unit in Mrs. Sullivan's room. His presented and discussed information about graphic arts careers.

May 17 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Stroud took W2 (8 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project.

May 18 - Mrs. Lyon and Mr. Rodriguez took A1 (8 youth) to the Grand Island Veterans Home to lay sod, weed and rotortill. The youth worked well together.  Mr. Swarm and Mr. Van Matre took W1 to Camp Augustine in Grand Island.

May 19 - GED graduation was held in the Media Center for two students. The keynote speaker was Mr. Stroud. Twelve family members were present. The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the youth to return and check out books.

May 23 - Ms. Harden, Ms. Jameson and Mr. Henke took L2 (11 youth) to the Archway for education on Nebraska history. The youth also cleaned up parts of the hike-bike trail in preparation for Memorial Day activities. Besides working and learning about Nebraska history, the students enjoyed feeding the fish and going through the maze.

May 24 - A West Kearney High School graduation was held for a student from B3 in Mr. Jones' room. Four family members were present for the celebration.

May 25 - Mrs. Lyon, Mrs. Bower-Hansen, and Mr. White took A3 (10 youth) to the Humane Society to learn about the agency's purpose with animals.

May 26 - Mr. Swarm and Mr. Stroud took W2 (7 youth) to the Grand Island Veterans Home to clean up trash at the cemetery and place U.S. flags by headstones.

May 30 - Mrs. Bower-Hansen and Mr. Rodriguez took A1 (9 youth) to the Grand Island Veterans Home to pick up flags from the headstones.

May 31 - Mr. Murphy and Ms. Lauby took W2 (8 youth) to Odessa and Axtell for a field trip.  A GED graduation was held in the Media Center for another student. Four family members were present. The keynote speaker was Mr. Van Matre.

April - The Jean Quilts project continues. A1, A2, A3 and W3 are cutting up old jeans into two different block sizes that will be sewn together by a local quilt guild and donated in the Buffalo County area. There were enough quilt blocks to make 66 quilts.

April 2-8 - National Library Week. Several activities were scheduled throughout the week. Twenty minute read-outs each day, reception in the media center, library scavenger hunt, book reports displayed in the hallways, games and the students were asked to write a paragraph about how a public or school library has changed their life.

April 6 - Mrs. Sullivan, Mr. VanMatre and Mr. Murphy took L1 (11 youth), W1 (9 youth) and W2 (9 youth) to MONA for a presentation by Artist David Harvey.

April 6 - Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Thompson took W1 (11 youth) and W3 (5 youth) to MONA for a presentation by Mr. Dibbern who spoke about graphic design careers and the creative center.

April 10 - A high school graduation reception was held in the Media Center for one of our students. He will receive his diploma at his home school graduation ceremony.

April 10-21 - The UNK Sculpture Club led by sculptor, Elizabeth Kronfeld, cast students' sculptures in the scratch block molds here on the YRTC grounds. Projects were on display outside of the Art room. The project was funded in part by the Nebraska Arts Council.

April 11 - Mrs. Thompson, Ms. Jameson, Mr. VanMatre took W1 (10 youth) to Fort Kearney and on the Bike Trail for community service, education, team building and later worked together to BBQ at the recreation area.

April 12 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Stroud took W2 (8 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project.  Mrs. Sullivan took L3 and A2 to Kearney's Performing Arts Center for an evening with classical guitar Robert Bluestone.

April 19 - Mrs. Lyon and Mrs. Bower-Hansen took A1 (11 youth) and A3 (10 youth) to ride a steam locomotive for Operation LifeSaver. April 21, 24 & 26 - GED testing was held for six youth. April 27 - GED graduation for four students was held in the Media Center. Rev. Pofahl was guest speaker.

March 1 - Mrs. Lyon, Mrs. Thompson & Mrs. Bower-Hansen took W3 (8 youth) and A1 (11 youth) to Head Start Preschool in Kearney to read to the children in celebration of Read Across America Week.

March 1 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Trosper took A2 (9 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project.

March 2 - "Read Across America Day", Dr. Seuss' birthday was celebrated. The day started with green eggs and ham served to students by several teaching staff. The cartoon The "Cat in the Hat" was shown in the a.m. and p.m. Tongue twisters were placed in the school hallways for everyone to enjoy.

March 2 - Mrs. Lyon and Mr. Murphy took A2 (9 youth) to Head Start Preschool in Kearney to read to the children.

March 2 - Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Sullivan took W2 (8 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project.

March 7 - Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Sullivan took W2 (8 youth) to MONA for a distance education video production of Mysteries in an Art Museum and a tour. They were very priveleged to view the vault.

March 10 - GED graduation was held at 1:30 in the Media Center. Five students earned their GED. The keynote speaker was Mr. Renner. March 10 - Mrs. Lyon, Mr. Murphy and A2 (8 youth) returned to Head Start Preschool to write stories told by the preschoolers

March 10 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the students to return and check-out books.

March 10 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Rucker took W2 (8 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project.

March 13 - Mrs. Bokenkamp and Ms. Jameson took L3 (8 youth) to the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island for education and team building. They had to work together in order to prepare their noon meal. The students had to shuck, shell and grind corn to make cornbread, corncob jelly and made butter. Their main dish was stew. They also used a washboard, sad iron to do laundry and pumped and heated the water on a stove.

March 18 - Mrs. Thompson and Ms. Jameson took W1 (8 youth) to the Senior Hospitality Center for a pancake feed and fundraiser. The youth enjoyed pancakes and sausages. March 22 - Mr. Swarm and Mr. Dutton took B1 (9 youth) to the Buffalo County Fairgrounds to clean up after the Tractor Pull.

March 23 - Ms. Jameson and Mr. VanMatre took W1 (9) to the Buffalo County Fairground to set up and help with the Head Start Carnival for community service.

March 24 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the students to return and check-out books.

March 24 - Mrs. Lyon and Mr. Wysocki took L1 (9 youth) to the YMCA in Kearney to set up for the Health Fair.

March 28 - Mr. Jones and Mr. Leffler took B3 (8 youth) to the Armory to help set up for the Career Fair.

March 22, 24 & 27- Ten students participated in GED testing.

March 23, 24, 26, & 28 - 15 groups participated in the Nebraska Arts Council workshops and field studies held at Rowe Sanctuary. A1 (9 youth), A3 (8 youth), B1 (8 youth), B2 (7 youth), B3 (10 youth), C1 (9 youth), C2 (7 youth), C3 (10 youth), D1 (8 youth), L1 (5 youth), L2 (7 youth), L3 (10 youth) W1 (9 youth), W2 (9 youth), W3 (10 youth). A total of 126 youth and 22 staff members attended.

February 10 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the students to return and check-out books.

February 10 - Mrs. Bokenkamp and Ms. Jameson took W3 (6 youth) to the Northridge Retirement Community to practice social skills and community service. They played Bingo and visited with the residents.

February 13, 15 & 17 - GED testing was held. Six youth passed and completed their GED.

February 16 - Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Lyon, Mrs. Bower-Hansen Mr. Myers, and Mrs. Sullivan took A-2 (9 youth, A3 (12 students) and D-1 (9 youth) to MONA. They were given a gallery talk by artist-illustrator Kim Doner in connection with the reading conference.

February 16 - Ms. Jameson and Mrs. Davis took L3 (8 youth) to the Wel-Life Center to visit with residents and deliver hand-made Valentines.

February 17 - A T-shirt airbrush workshop for staff was held in the afternoon with Mr. Chee.

February 24 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the students to return and check-out books.

February 24 - The YRTC-Kearney All-Star game was held.

February 27 - Mr. Jones, Mr. Emerson and Mr. Foote took B3 (9 youth) to the Buffalo County Fairgrounds to help clean-up for the Cattlemen's Classic.

February 28 - Ms. Jameson and Mrs. Bokenkamp took L1 (9 youth) to Fort Kearney Hike Trail for community service and education. They worked with the Park Superintendent to haul trees off the trail and toured the Fort after their work project.

February 28 - Mrs. Davis and Mr. Haberlan took C1 (6 youth) to Trails and Rails for a work project and education.

January 3 - The Norris Chee artist-in-residence has started with D1 (9 youth) as the core group. Projects include air-brushing posters and landscapes, murals and airbrushed T-shirts. He will be on campus through May and will be working with Morton, Washington and Lincoln students. These projects have been made possible through a Nebraska Arts Council Grant.

January 11- Mr. Murphy and Ms. Lyon took A2 (10 youth) west of Kearney for eagle viewing.

January 13 -All students viewed a video and held discussion about Martin Luther King.

January 13 - Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus

January 18, 20 & 23- GED tests were held for 8 students

January 19 - Tim Tingle, storyteller, was on campus and presented at an all-hill assembly in the Chapel. He was given a tour by A1. The assembly was partially sponsored by Nebraska Arts Council through a grant.

January 20 - A representative from the Buffalo County Extension office was here to plan volunteer activities for groups with Mrs. Thompson.

January 24-25 - Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Lyon took A2 (9 youth) to MONA to participate in a distance education video streaming with artists and professors Eddie Dominquez and Jerome Dubas as part of the Artist/Explorers project.

January 26 - Ms. Palacios started her student observation. She is from Japan and her major is Music Education. She will be working with Mr. Witte and C groups.

January 26 - Mr. Myers and Mr. Pierce took D1 (9 youth) to Pet Kingdom in Kearney to observe animal life and purchase pet food.

January 27 - Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for students.

December 1 - The ASVAB test interpretation was held in the Media Center. 24 students attended.

December - throughout the month Mrs. Divan and Mrs. Lyon helped C1 and D1 make Christmas cards. Students learned the art of stamping.

December 2 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the youth to return and check-out books.

December 5 - Mrs. Davis and Mr. Haberlan took C1 (9 youth) to St. Lukes to put up Christmas decorations and sing Christmas carols with the residents.

December 6 - Mrs. Smith, Mr. Jones, and Mrs. Sullivan took B1, B2 and B3 (30 youth) to the UNK Art Dept. to explore art careers and college preparation. Students participated in tours, demonstrations and a gallery visit. Thee field of graphic design was emphasized.

December 8 - Mr. Myers and Mr. Dutton took B1 (10 youth) to Trails and Rails for the Christmas Tree Walk.

December 9 - Mrs. Davis and Mr. Haberlan took C1 (9 youth) to Trails and Rails to view the Christmas trees and decorations on the various buildings. The youth were impressed with the Church's tin ceiling. Ms. Harden, Ms. Jameson, Mr. Rucker, Mr. Witte and Mrs. Jorgensen took L2 (8 youth), W1 (9 youth) and C2 (7 youth) to see the decorations and for an educational tour of the museum.

December 14 - Mr. Jones and Mr. Leffler took B3 (9 youth) to the Salvation Army for community service loading trucks.

December 15 - Mrs. Sullivan, Mrs. Davis, Mr. Schmidt, Mrs. Jorgensen and Mr. Witte took C1, C2, and C3 to MONA for a learning day provided through a scholarship from the Museum. Derek Burbul, UNK professor and digital photographer led the workshops. Students used the new laptops and cameras while learning to use Adobe Elements, create self-portraits and document their museum visit.

December 16 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the students to return books.

December 16 - GED graduation was held in the Media Center for two students. Mr. Swarm was the guest speaker.

December 16 - Mrs. Davis and Ms. Jameson took L3 (7 youth) to Wel-Life Retirement Village for community service. They delivered Christmas cards and visited residents.

December 20 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Rucker took W2 (9 youth) to YMCA to take down chairs that had been set up earlier for a program at the YMCA.

December 20 - Ms. Jameson, Mr. Tassemeyer and Mr. Schwanebeck took L3 (8 youth) sto the Senior Hospitality Center to serve their Christmas dinner and provide comedy readings.

December 21 - Mr. Ross and Mr. Rodriguez took A1 (9 youth) to the Grand Island's Vets Home for work detail, community service.

21 art students from B1, 2, and 3 completed their digital portfolios in time to share the CDs with family and community over Christmas furloughs.

Our friends from Beaumont are recovering from hurricane Rita but their offices are now open and they gave the OK to proceed with our project. That means the grant equipment is now in our hands and we are using it! In fact, we checked out equipment over 650 times in this, the first month.

We're the first! Students from C cottage completed and presented the first digital portfolios of the project. The first week in November, 26 of us saved our work to a CD to send or take home to share.

Students from B Living Unit are using the laptops and cameras in their career education. 30 of us started on-line career portfolios, resumes and research projects at Careercruising.com

In other news...

November 1 - Mr. Witte attended the 2005 Vision and Technology Conference at UNK. Areas covered were implementing individual laptops for students, use of Internet as a teaching tool through lessons via the service unit, use of global positioning to locate historical events then researching and creating a report, improving performance in reading and math, and planning technology for a school district.

November 8 - Jerry Traylor, a motivational speaker was on campus for an all- hill assembly. His topic was Creating New Beginnings.

November 9 - There were a total of 28 students who tested on the ASVAB in the Media Center.

November 14-17 - American Education Week. The students were involved in several activities including puzzles, team building activities and a video was shown. On Tuesday, West Kearney High staff enjoyed rolls and coffee in the Media Center with guest speaker, Senator Joel Johnson. On Wednesday, the teachers enjoyed a baked potato luncheon.

November 15 - At the conclusion of Senator Johnson's presentation in the Media Center, Mr. Ross and A3 took him on a tour of the YRTC-K campus.

November 18 - Mr. Jones and Mr. Leffler took B3 (9 youth) to the Buffalo County Fairgrounds to clean-up for Gateway.

November 18 - GEC graduation was held in the Media Center. Two students received their certificate. The motivational speaker was Mr. Witte.

November 18 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus for the youth to return and check-out books.

November 21, 23 & 29 - Seven students took their GED test.

November 30 - Mr. Ross and the Morton Living Unit arranged an all-hill assembly the hear Dr. Charles Peek, UNK English Professor, speak about his four month stay in China.

The Good News: They're here! 30 laptops, 6 cameras, two carts, two projectors and wireless routers arrived at West Kearney High School on September 20^th. There were some problems with shipping but most have been remedied through GovConnection and the Beaumont Foundation of America. Thanks to the help of Ms. Jarecki, Mrs. Divan, Mr. Smith and Mrs. Eirich, we're off to a good start!

The Bad News: Due to Hurricane Rita, The Beaumont Foundation Offices are closed. We cannot use the laptops until Beaumont confirms our communications. We hope our friends at Beaumont are OK and recovery is speedy.

Students from the C Living Unit are creating Microsoft PowerPoint presentations documenting education and service activities. We are anxious to begin using the new Toshiba laptops. So far we've learned to use the cameras and have taken many photos. We've studied the elements and principles of design, discussed why art is important to us, working in two and three dimensional media and examined art from the past and Art in the 21st Century.

Visit Student Gallery to view a sampling of our artwork.

In other news....

September 1 - Mr. Myers and Mr. Miller took B1 (8 youth) to the Salvation Army to load clothing bails as a community service project.

September 9 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on Campus for the youth to check out books. September 12, 14 & 16 - GED testing was held for 4 students.

September 19 - Mrs. Lyon and Mr. Murphy took A2 (9 youth) to the Union Pacific Railroad in Kearney to ride a 1940's passenger train to Elm Creek and back. The event was sponsored by Operation Life Saver.

September 21 - Mrs. Davis and Mr. Chamber lain took C1 (11 youth) to UNK to set up chairs and tables. They enjoyed helping for Student Activities Day and the short tour given of the Union, Fountain and library.

September 22 - Mr. Ross and Mr. Schmidt took A3 (11 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project.

September 29 - Mr. Ross and Mr. Rodriguez took A1 (10 youth) to Rowe Sanctuary for a work project.

September 30 - Mrs. Thompson and Ms. Jameson took W1 (11 youth) to the UNK Theatre to attend "Godspell" which is the musical retelling of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The production celebrates the human spirit and sends a renewed message of hope set against the startling backdrop[ of the terrorist attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001.

September 30 - Mr. Murphy and Mr. Stroud took W2 (7 youth) to Ft. Kearney for a field study. The group enjoyed the museum and the historical slide presentation.

Therman Statom, an internationally acclaimed installation, ceramic and glass artist, paid us a visit in art class, September 20. He shared his work and life story. We especially enjoyed his work combining glass, water and symbols from his life. His life story reminded many of us of our own. He came to advise us, "Never give up on yourself, follow your dreams, and create from your hearts!" Future projects with Mr. Statom and the Museum of Nebraska Art, one of our Project Partners are in the works.

During October, Mrs. Lyon and Mrs. Divan with A1 & W3 made nine lap-size quilts for the children victims of Hurricane Katrina. They will be sent to the Louisiana area via the Rotary Club. Ladies from Hearts of the Heartland provided the donated materials. It was a great experience! Consideration is being made to continue this project for area nursing homes and children in the Safe Center.

October 5 - Ms. Jameson, Mr. Tassemeyer, Mr. Christiancy and Mr. Casper took L2 and L3 (20 youth) to the Community Theater to see "Dracula." It not only provided seasonal entertainment, it allowed the youth to observe healthy lifestyles and strong male role models.

October 6 - GED graduation was held in the Media Center for 2 students. Ms. Demaris Grant, UNK Director of Teachers in Transition, was the guest speaker.

October 7 - The Title One Parent-Teacher Conference was held and 9 parents attended. October 7 - The Buffalo County Bookmobile was on campus.

October 13 - Mr. Myers, Mrs. Jorgensen and Mr. Stagemeyer took D1 (7 youth) to the Chramosta Pumpkin Patch in Wood River for a variety of activities.

C2 and L3 students attended the Take Education by Storm Rally, October 12^th, where Scott Frost advised them to find something they want to accomplish, work hard at it and never, never, give up!

Students from Creighton Living Units studied Nebraska Artist Explorers at, The Museum of Nebraska Art. October 11, C2 attended a lecture by Professor Gary Zeruba about the topic. October 15, C1 attended an artist's talk with photographer, Roger Bruhn. October 16, C3 accompanied curator George Neubert on a walk through of the John Robert Weaver Retrospective Exhibit.

October 31 - 7 students from the University of Nebraska at Kearney College of Nursing were on hill. They presented information to 26 youth from Morton Living Unit about sexually transmitted diseases and prevention techniques. Mr. Swarm and Mrs. Bokenkamp arranged this presentation. I was also a requirement for a class the nursing students are taking.