Written by Savana Krupicka | This week’s junior high classroom spotlight was chosen to be Mr. Marr’s seventh-grade history class. They have currently been working on and studying ancient Japan. In the classroom, the class does a lot of reading in the textbook, and they learn much of their material this way. Occasionally, they will do some projects. In their upcoming chapter, Mr. Marr has planned to do an origami project with the seventh graders. The project is essentially where the kids will fold actual dollar bills into creatures and different objects. Mr. Marr’s plan for this project was for the students to learn the skill and art of origami. He also wanted them to understand the concept of patience and precision. Next semester, they will continue with the Renaissance era and introduce the ancient Americans. The seventh graders will also start preparing for the citizenship test next semester, which is a requirement for the seventh graders to pass by the end of their eighth-grade year. Mr. Marr describes this year’s seventh-grade history class as talkative. Though they are a talkative bunch, the 7th grade students are hopefully learning a lot this year.

Written by Kierra Papik | The sixth graders have been doing many fun activities this year in their Keyboarding Class with Mrs. Soukup. In this class, they work on their keyboarding skills, study skills, email etiquette, and computer science. Mrs. Soukup said, “They just finished email etiquette, and they are now moving on to different learning styles.” Her favorite part of the job is seeing the faces of students who understand the connection and get it. She said, “ This class has a big impact on the students. They are going to use these skills for their whole life, so learning at a young age is good for them.” She enjoys teaching at Exeter-Milligan because of  all the personal connections she gets to have with students being in the small community. Sixth grader, Gracelyn Becker, said, “My favorite part of the class is when we get to read books.” She has enjoyed learning about email etiquette this year. Gracelyn looks forward to finishing typing club this year.” We can’t wait to see how the year finishes for the sixth graders in their Keyboarding Class!

Written by Lily Jeffries | Mrs. Stutzman, the FCS teacher, has had the kids do many fun activities. The FCS 8th graders had a great time this year! After talking with Mrs.Stutzman she stated, “It has a big impact because I feel like it's easy to sell these classes to students because they get to learn about life skills.” The students are doing fashion design, and personal style right now. They are making a store in a box and adding financial prices to their clothes. One of the kids made the buckle store and had pictures of all the clothes and the prices of all their clothes. After they finish doing fashion design, they are going to start learning about money management. Natalie Meyer, an 8th grader stated, “My favorite activity to do in FCS is cook, we make a lot of delicious food.” All the kids really seem to like FCS because it’s a very hands-on class and you do a lot of things you're gonna need in your life. I’m really looking forward to what the JH kids will be doing later on in the year.

Written by Kierra Papik | The junior high students attended a Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally this past week. This was at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. All of the junior high students attended. Mrs. Kroll and Mrs. White took them. Mrs. Kroll said, “I enjoyed it, and I think the kids had a lot of fun  too.” She is looking forward to taking the kids next year.  The students in attendance could listen to college athletes talk about life skills and how to persevere. After the pep rally, they watched the Husker Women’s Basketball Team play Northwestern State.  Mrs. Kroll said, “ I think that the athletes did a great job integrating information that we, the administrators, have told the students. I think it was more meaningful for the students to hear it from a Husker Athlete.” They got to learn about sportsmanship, leadership skills, and how to be part of a team. Beau said, “My favorite part was watching the Husker women's basketball team beat Northwestern State. I had a lot of fun and learned many things about leadership from the Husker Athletes. I hope we get to go next year!” They had a great time at the UNL Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally!

Written by Kierra Papik | Mr. Murphy’s eighth grade American History class has been doing many fun things this year. They start with the beginning of American History and go all the way to the Civil War. Mr. Murphy decided to become a history teacher after college, because he has always been interested in history and the news. A great role model Mr. Murphy had in high school was his history teacher, Mr. Schafer. Mr. Murphy thinks that the year has been going great. They are currently learning about the American Revolution. Mr. Murphy stated, “ My favorite project is what we are doing right now. The Shoe Box Museum.” The museum shoe boxes are informational about the most important American Revolutionary War Patriots. Clayton, one of the eight graders, said, “ I have enjoyed learning about the American Revolution.” They had a contest to see who’s shoe box was the best. This involved different matchups between museums.Their were many great ones, but Clayton is in the championship with his George Washington shoe box museum and Natalie is also in it with Benjamin Franklin. Good luck to both of them heading into the championship! We can’t wait to see what else the eighth graders accomplish in American History. 

This week, we are spotlighting Mrs. Kanode and her Junior High Art students. She has the seventh graders this semester three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The seventh graders are learning about the elements and principles of art. Currently, they are working on painting. Recently, the seventh graders just finished up their Aboriginal Dot Paintings. These paintings originated around 1971, or about 52 years ago, when Geoffery Bardon was assigned to teach the Aboriginal people in Papunya. He was inspired by how the children drew in the sand when the men in their communities told them stories. She had her students choose an original Australian animal and instructed them to find symbols they could relate to and incorporate them into their artwork. She has seen many improvements in their behavior and understanding of art in this seventh-grade class. She said, “My students are getting better at coming up with original ideas and understanding that there is more than one right answer when it comes to art.” Mrs. Kanode’s art lessons are derived from the Nebraska Art Standards. However, these standards are very vague. She said most of her lessons come from collaboration at the ESU 6 Fall Art Educator Meeting, where teachers share lesson plans and ideas. She also likes to build off of what her students did in elementary school because she has been here long enough and taught the students in elementary school. Next semester, she looks forward to having the eighth graders for art.

Written by Kierra Papik | Mrs. White, the PE teacher of 30 years, has been having a lot of fun with her various PE classes she has held this semester. When asked about the  kindergarten and first grade students, Mrs. White expressed that she loves to watch the students practice their tee-ball skills. Another fun activity she enjoys watching them do is scooters. Students play a variety of different games on the scooters including Sharks and Minnows and Hockey. Mrs. White expressed that she honestly likes doing anything with them because they have fun with anything she tells them to do. With the second, third, fourth, and fifth graders, she enjoys playing all the different types of racket sports such as tennis, racquetball, badminton, and ping pong. Some of Mrs. White’s favorite things to teach are volleyball and racket sports. She is looking forward to springtime because that is when they start  to play racket sports in the. She enjoys teaching the kids new sports and watching them succeed as they get older. On top of elementary PE she also teaches junior high PE classes. The junior high typically hold their practices during this time but also make time for games. A new game she has started having the kids play is 3-Ball. It’s like a dodgeball free for all. In addition to all of this Mrs. White s also teaches a sophomore PE class and a weights class. The sophomore class has had a lot of fun playing the various games Mrs. White has chosen for them. Alivia Luzum stated that racquetball was her favorite sport they have played and that she was really looking forward to going to the York Community Center. Mrs. White creates a very welcoming environment by playing music during her classes. “Music makes everything better,” stated Mrs. White. We look forward to seeing how PE positively impacts students at Exeter-Milligan for the rest of the semester. 

Written by Mrs. Sara Pella  | In 8th grade English, the students have embarked into a captivating literary journey as they explore Mary Shelley's timeless classic, "Frankenstein," in the form of a graphic novel.  They began the graphic novel by drawing their interpretation of Frankenstein, they soon learned that Frankenstein is actually the scientist and not the monster.  The students sketched their interpretations of the monster, drawing inspiration from the rich descriptions found in the text.  At the end of the unit, they will work together to create a life-size monster of their own.  

In the 7th grade English class the students have been diving into the life of Phineas Gage, a railroad worker who survived a traumatic brain injury in the 19th century. Students examine the psychological and physiological effects of Gage's injury on his personality and behavior.  They will eventually have to form an opinion about whether Phineas Gage was lucky or unlucky and write a persuasive essay on the topic.  

In the 6th grade English class the students have been on a historical journey as they explore the devastating impact of Yellow Fever. They learn about the epidemics that struck cities in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly the infamous 1793 outbreak in Philadelphia. Through narratives and non-fiction accounts, students gain an understanding of the medical, social, and cultural aspects of this disease. 

The 6th, 7th, and 8th grade reading curriculum introduces students to a diverse range of subjects, from history and science to literature. These texts not only help students develop their reading and analytical skills but also expand their horizons by exposing them to important historical events, intriguing scientific case studies, and classic literature. There have been some amazing classroom discussions and lots of student engagement!