More than 330 people participated in the first-ever Pat Wagner Memorial 5K Race. Before starting the 5K race, an alumni walking lap was held for all girls who had run for Coach Wagner while they were in high school. It was an impressive group of athletes spanning a vast range of years! The funds raised will be put toward a scholarship. Approximately 70 former student-athlete’s of Coach Wagner’s Liberty-Benton High School cross country and track teams participated in the event. It was awesome to see so many alumni and community members participate. The committee appreciates everyone’s support, and they hope to make this a yearly tradition to honor Coach Wagner.
Category: Elementary
Elementary Guidance – Kids Care Club and So Much More!
Hello! I want to reintroduce myself to the Liberty-Benton Elementary Community and let you know about some of the services I provide to the elementary. I am blessed to have many roles at Liberty-Benton. I do classroom visits, group counseling, individual counseling, consultation with parents, community resource people and teachers, test coordination and Intervention Assistance coordination. I partner up with Mrs. Cramer and Mrs. Cook to facilitate our awesome Kids Care Club with the 5th grade. My job is like all at Liberty-Benton Elementary; it is to help kids succeed. I encourage parents to call me or email me if I can help their child in any way.
A new school year brings so much excitement in our students’ lives. It also brings the stress of learning new routines. My best advice is to expect some bumps along the way and to communicate directly with your child’s teacher if there are problems. Addressing issues early is helpful to avoid bad habits or bad feelings. Students may long for the comfort of their former grade level and teacher. We all need time to adjust.
I am excited for a new year of Kids Care Club. Kids Care is a service club for 5th graders. Applications to join the club will be going home before the fair break. We will post the meetings on the Elementary Calendar and send reminders home before meetings.
We are wondering what projects our new group of students will want to do. In the past we have made blankets for nursing homes, raised money for Teddy’s Rescue, shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse, surprises for the staff and many more projects. I am happy to address any questions or concerns. I can be reached at the school or through my district email: [email protected].
Barb Gazette, Liberty-Benton Elementary Guidance Counselor
Summer Reading Program Success
The theme “Catch a Dragon by the Tale” was this year’s Summer Library Program at Liberty-Benton Elementary. With the help of Alida Hause and Angie Garlock, the program was a huge success for our students. We had 308 kids ranging from age 3 to age 15 attend the program 1,575 times that lasted from June 8 through August 6. Students had the opportunity to check out books and take Accelerated Reader quizzes. Students read 856 books and took 878 quizzes. Wow!!! What an accomplishment for the summer.
Our top 5 students are:
Kindergarten
Audrey Reed, 30.3 points
Emma Hertel, 13.9 points
Jackson Knepper, 13.8 points
Caleb Hochstettler, 10.5 points
Megan Gerken, 5.3 points
First Grade
Jonathan Coldren, 59.6 points
Alena Newhouse, 21.7 points
Calista Hamilton, 16.6 points
Jenna Nelson, 11.2 points
Elise Spears, 9.5 points
Second Grade
Madison Gaerke, 22.6 points
Elise Norman, 13.9 points
Emma McFarland, 12.6 points
Avery Knepper, 10.3 points
Adelynne Arps-Paris, 8.2 points
Third Grade
Emma Schroeder, 35.2 points
Lauren Gerken, 27.5 points
Christopher Beeman, 20.7 points
Owen Wilkins, 17.2 points
Braden Birkemeier, 13.2 points
Fourth Grade
Robert Coldren, 76.8 points
Kaylen Niese, 59.4 points
Laura Reed, 37.7 points
Alana Subramaniam, 28.3 points
Kendra Terry, 13.8 points
Fifth Grade
Brandon Gaerke, 19.5 points
Joseph Gaerke, 11.0 points
Alana Birkemeier, 10.0 points
Kendra Gardine, 5.4 points
Hayley Schlumbohm, 2.7 points
Overall
Robert Coldren, 76.8 points
Jonathan Coldren, 59.6 points
Kaylen Niese, 59.4 points
Laura Reed, 37.7 points
Emma Schroeder, 35.2 points
Thank you to all the parents, grandparents, and students for attending this year’s summer reading program. We appreciate your help and support as we continue to enhance our students to be life-long readers.
Ronda Smith, LB Literacy Coach