March 31, 2022

The middle school is doing things to try and make a difference in other communities and countries. Just last week, the middle school started collecting books for people in Zambia.

The middle school library has started collecting gently used books for the literacy project in Zambia. This project aims to get the literacy rate in Zambia up. The literacy rate in all of Zambia is less than 70 percent. The RISE (Reaching, Inspiring, Supporting, Equipping) Literacy Zambia project, was actually started by someone in Lincoln. I talked with Ms. Gratopp, a high school English teacher here at Norris, about how this all came to be as she was one of the main reasons behind the book drive.

“RISE Literacy Zambia was started by my mother, sister, and brother-in-law. My brother-in-law, Ken, was born in and lived most of his life in Zambia and moved to the states when he married my sister, Laura. My family has always been excited about reading, learning, and serving, so creating a library and literacy program seemed like a natural way to help a group of people. The literacy rate is less than 70% in Zambia, and, as an educator, I have felt compelled to help as many people as possible receive a valuable education. To serve a community that holds a special place in my heart in an empowering way has been a great experience. It has also been really amazing to see how many people have generously donated their books, time, and resources to help up get this library up and running”.

The project had just started back in 2017 where the goal was to get 35 backpacks for The Big Tree Preschool, a local school in the village of Siamate. When that was accomplished, the three founders, Ken and Laura Machisa, as well as Diane Gratopp, started to talk about getting books for a free library in a community that had very little to no books in the community.

The Norris Middle School is going to be helping in raising books for this project. They are looking for gently used books, anything from “children's books, young reader's books, young adult books, adult books, fiction, nonfiction, etc.” This library is going to be for people of all reading levels.

Students are encouraged to bring in gently used books to the middle school library, where they will be kept until shipment to Zambia. They can also bring in new books. The library will be taking the book donations until the last day of school, which is around May 24-25.

When asked if the library will take books in from the community, the answer was yes! If you want to donate to the project, then you just need to bring the books into the middle school library. On the RISE Literacy Zambia website, they also have a spot for monetary donations.

Last Tuesday, March 22, the first and second graders of Norris Elementary School performed their music program in the high school auditorium. The students had been practicing their music since the beginning of the second semester, directed by elementary music teacher Mrs. Annette Mitchell.

“It was wonderful being back in the auditorium and seeing the kids perform,” parent Jill Jasa said. “It was also fun to see the other families that we haven’t seen in a couple years.”

This is the first year that both first and second graders have been able to have a music program, due to past cancellations because of the pandemic. And as parents were filing in, teachers had to ask audience members to look around for empty seats. Many people could only find standing room to watch the performance.

“My favorite song was probably Spring Again,” said second grader Jax Lewis. “I liked it because it was fast and fun.”

The first graders performed at 6 p.m. with songs “Gettin’ Down with Mama Goose,” “Pat-a-Cake,” “The Three Little Kittens,” “Sixpence,” “Rock-a-Bye Baby,” and “Children’s Rhyme and Hand Jive.” With the second graders following at 7:15 p.m. singing “You’ve Got A Friend in Me,” “Character Tango,” “Spring Again,” “Pizza Love,” and “American Everyday.”

“I wore a dress that had white on the top and black on the bottom with roses,” second grader Eliza Lewis said. “I like dressing up because it is fun and makes me feel fancy.”

The program gave an opportunity for students to dress up. They stood on risers under the bright lights of the stage, sang their many songs, and acted out lyrics with actions. The program was a highlight of the students’ hard work.

“I think they did a really great job of preparing 200 kids,” parent Alexa Lewis said. “The songs were good and the actions were cute. To have that many kids participating with no behavioral issues was remarkable.”

The night was enjoyable for all in attendance. However, a lot goes into these programs that one can’t see during the night of. The paper program gives thanks to the children, parents, Mrs. Droge, Mr. Hansmeyer, community members, teachers, para professionals, administrators, and custodians.

As part of the state’s academic requirements, all of the juniors at Norris High School took the ACT last Tuesday, March 22. Due to this requirement, the test was able to be given for free.

There are a lot of opinions on the ACT and standardized tests in general. Some people think it shouldn’t be a requirement, especially with fewer and fewer colleges using it in the admission processes, while others think it is an accurate and effective measure of one’s comprehension skills and intelligence.

A student at Norris says, “Since not a lot of colleges rely on ACT scores these days I don’t think it’s a necessary thing to stress over.”

This is a valid statement. As the future accends upon us, standardized tests like the SAT and ACT are becoming more and more irrelevant. Over 1,775 U.S. colleges and universities don’t require tests in the admission process and over half will not require SAT and ACT scores for admissions in 2023. This is a record high and these numbers are expected to continue rising.

However, there are other benefits of standardized testing besides creating attractive college applications. They enhance and strengthen test-taking abilities as well as comprehension skills which are used both in and out of school. They also make you eligible for more scholarships.

The pre-ACT is a great tool in helping students prepare and do well on the ACT. It is a short version of the real ACT and was taken by the Norris sophomores on March 22.

Mr. Seggerman, Norris High School’s Principal, says, “The pre-ACT helps get students used to what the format of the ACT looks like in preparation for it and gives a benchmark on how our students are doing before they take the ACT.”

As a sophomore, I think these statements are accurate. I now have a better idea of what to expect when I take the ACT next year and I feel more confident and prepared as a result. My peers seem to share my sentiments. Kayleigh Miller, a sophomore at Norris, says, “The pre-ACT was a good trial for the ACT.”

The world is advancing and changing at a rapid pace and Norris still provides top-notch opportunities and education to its students which will no doubt help them succeed in their lives.

As a student at Norris High School, I don’t truly know many of my teachers, and as far as knowing my peers, I tend to only know those in my friend group. So, I decided that it could benefit us all to get to know both our instructors and classmates, not just by the sports a student plays, or by the subject a teacher teaches, but by their hobbies and interests outside of school. The Norris community is so large and diverse that we often are blind to the traits we all bring to the table, so it is my goal that by reading about others in our community we can start new conversations with the people around us and build friendships to last the duration of our high school years, if not a lifetime.

Mrs. Lentfer is a second-grade teacher at Norris Elementary School. In the past, Mrs. Lentfer has coached cheerleading and volleyball.

Mrs. Lentfer didn’t originally go into the education field. “I was actually a pre-law major before this, and I had to do a practicum with some kiddos. I just kinda got hooked working with kids.”

Going on to talk about why she chose this path, she said: “My sophomore, going into my junior year of college, is when I did some practicum stuff and had to work with inner-city kids, and I knew I wanted to help kiddos that didn’t have a good background.”

Mrs. Lentfer has not always been a second-grade teacher. “My first teaching job was teaching kindergarten through high school special education. It was a lot of paperwork and very overwhelming to me at first, but once I kinda got into the system and got my goals and knew what I wanted to do, it became a lot easier.”

“I knew I wanted to teach younger grades. I knew that I probably wouldn’t be a good kindergarten teacher, because I don’t know if I have the patience for that. I did really like teaching the higher grades in special education, but I think in second grade they’re pretty independent while still needing me.”

Many can say that their teachers have shaped them into who they are now. Mrs. Lentfer can say that she had one teacher in particular that helped her.

“My favorite teacher was my high school science teacher, Mr. Golden. He really pushed me to believe that I knew science and could do things in science. He was one that said, ‘You can do this,’ and he just gave me the confidence and love of who I was and who I wanted to be.”

When asked about what she would like students to know about her, Mrs. Lentfer said this: “I love reading. I try to read at least one chapter book a month. I love to cook. My kids showed livestock. And, I love to travel.”

Mrs. Lenfter says that teaching has changed her life, in one way in particular. “I think teaching has changed my life in just seeing the needs of kids. Growing up where I grew up, you knew that there was poverty and you knew that there were kids that didn’t have the home life you had, but as a teacher, you see that and you try to be that mom figure or that grandma figure for them. I want them to know how loved they are. I want them to see the potential that they have, that they can be anything they want to be. I hope when they leave this classroom, they know that I love them, I will always support them. I watch them grow up through high school, I see what they do, and I want them to know that I’m just so proud of them.”

As the Norris community continues to grow, it is our responsibility to recognize and respect the hard work, dedication, and generosity of those around us. Mrs. Lentfer is just one of the many teachers on the Norris campus that holds these traits.

Mrs. Lentfer pushes and helps her students to be the best they can be. I know this firsthand; when I was in her class years ago, I always felt she would help me with anything, and be there with me for years to come. Seven years later, I can still say the same. Mrs. Lentfer, thank you for everything you’ve done for me, and for helping me become the person I am today.