Settle in to a comfy chair and enjoy this timeless tale. As Mrs. Shinn’s students read this time-honored poem about the arrival of St. Nick. You’ll love hearing each voice read aloud. Feel free to join in and call out each reindeer names.
Mrs. Shinn’s third grade students were really excited about our November snowfall with a snow day. The students love the thought of snow! They also bundled up in all their cold weather gear in the classroom to take a few pictures in front of the green screen in their classroom. Mrs. Shinn and the students used an app to add the background snow and snowman and then another one to put the students in the snow globe. With a great snow globe song and the iMovie app Mrs. Shinn made this video and the students look adorable in the snow and were not really cold at all!
The 5th Annual Gray Out was held at Fairbury Public Schools on December 4th during the Fairbury vs Superior boys and girls basketball games. This was the 3rd year that Fairbury has teamed up with Superior to raise awareness for Type 1 Diabetes.
The IN Group, a Type 1 Diabetic support group for students, parents and community members, kicks off the event by collecting sponsors. This year the group had 53 sponsors with a total of $1525 raised. The sponsor money will be used for diabetes camp scholarships and left over funds will be given to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) One Walk next September.
The group also sells gray t-shirts for the event. The proceeds from the t-shirt sales goes directly to JDRF. This year a check for $681 was presented to Laura Eberly, JDRF representative during halftime of the boys basketball game.
“JDRF is so grateful for the support of Fairbury and Superior’s students and communities that come together to raise awareness and funds for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) research,” stated Eberly. “The Annual Gray Out is an event that has been paving the way for other schools and communities in Nebraska and across the country getting them involved to make a difference in T1D’s lives.”
Eberly explained, “T1D is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone our bodies require to stay alive. T1D can strike at any age and causes a lifelong dependence on injected or infused insulin. The disease carries the constant worry of life-threatening complications and requires intensive, ongoing supervision. There is no reprieve, there are no days off, and there is no cure.”
This year the Fairbury FCCLA tried something new, a 50/50 raffle with a twist. Two tickets were drawn during each varsity game halftime and each winner was given two chances to make a half court shot. During the boys halftime none of the 4 ticket holders were able to make the half court shot so they played a fast and furious game of knock-out. Austin Novotny won the game and generously gave his share to JDRF for them to receive 100% of the raffle.
“Because of Fairbury and Superior’s success with the Annual Gray Out we are getting closer to living in a world without T1D. Thank you so much for all your support!” added Eberly.
Two FHS swimmers qualified for State with automatic qualifying times at the first meet of the year in a dual at Lincoln Northeast on Thursday, November 29. Mikwena Lierman ’21 qualified in the 50 Free and 200 Medley Relay while Mikasa Lierman ’19 also qualified in the 200 Medley Relay.
Mikasa, among these races, finished first in the 100 Fly, 200 Free, and 200 Free Relay. Additionally, Mikwena finished first in the 100 Free and 200 Free Relay. Mikwena credits her success to the time put in practice prior to the meet.
“I felt very confident going into the meet,” Mikwena said. “We’ve [the swim team] worked hard at practice in preparation for meets.”
This is the sophomore’s second year qualifying for the State swim meet at the end of the season. Knowing that she’s going this early in the season is a definite perk, according to Mikwena.
Camryn Wisnieski ’21 celebrates a new personal best in diving. Wisnieski improved 26.45 points from her previous best. Photo contributed by @fbyswim on Twitter
“[Qualifying] feels great,” she said. “Now there is less pressure on me for upcoming meets to qualify. I can focus on bettering my time and not be worried about qualifying.”
Other FHS swimmers that competed include RJ Suey ’19 (50 Free-6th, 500 Free-4th, 200 Free Relay-2nd, 200 Medley Relay-2nd), Colton Starck ’19 (100 Fly-2nd, 200 Individual Medley-2nd, 200 Free Relay-2nd, 200 Medley Relay-2nd), Josi Mans ’21 (50 Free-2nd, 200 Free Relay-1st, 400 Free Relay-1st), and Briaunna Knothe ’21 (200 Free Relay-3rd). Camryn Wisnieski ’21 placed 2nd in One-Meter Diving with a personal record of 135.45, improving from her previous best of 109.
“I could’ve done a little better, but it is something to build off of for the season,” Knothe said. “I hope we improve as a whole, whether that be more people going to State or times dropping for a personal best.”
Continuing on from this first meet, Mikwena has specific goals in mind she hopes to accomplish this season. With a guaranteed State run, she can focus her attention on other matters. The sophomore says she wants to break the school record in the 50 Free, which currently stands at a time of 24.89 and primary qualify in the 200 and 400 Free Relays
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The Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals has selected Nicholas Kroon as the 2019 Outstanding New Principal of the Year. This award is presented annually to a Principal who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in their school, region, and at the state level. The winner will have demonstrated their enthusiasm for the Principalship by support from students, parents, teachers and peers.
Mr. Kroon has been in education since 2006 and has been the Principal at Fairbury Jr./Sr. High School since 2016 after serving as the Assistant Principal/Activities Director for 1 year at Fairbury. Mr. Kroon has been a member of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators (NCSA), the Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals (NSASSP), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) for four years.
Stephen Grizzle, Superintendent of Fairbury Public Schools, praised Mr. Kroon, noting, “As a young administrator, Nick combines many great qualities such as enthusiastic creativity, empathy, and effective personnel management along with a desire to stay abreast of best-practice pedagogy, and, does this with an infectious passion for work.”
Fairbury American Lutheran Church Pastor Brian Julin-McCleary commented, “Nick is open and responsive to members of the community. This availability is vital in a field of work that flourishes when leaders are transparent and accessible. Our community is greatly enhanced having a principal that can be approached and who welcomes feedback and thoughts from the wider community.”
Abigail Jones, an English teacher at Fairbury Community Schools states, “When Mr. Kroon was hired as principal, he did more than merely maintain the structures and systems that were handed to him. Before the end of the school year, he sought input from staff on what they felt were the biggest challenges and problems facing the school, and came back for the new school year with specific solutions targeting those issues.”
Mr. Kroon states, “While I serve as the leader of the school, I feel most effective as a servant and cheerleader for our students! Each day, I work to stay super-positive, listen, and support the students at teachers at Fairbury.” Mr. Kroon continues: “I am super proud of what WE have done at FHS! We have a magnificent administrative team that works hard and is encouraging. We have many students each day who overcome mountains of obstacles and move on to succeed and contribute. We have many outstanding teachers who are positive and driven to help our students. Teachers will always be the real heroes! They inspire me everyday to work harder, smile more, and remember that it is always about the kids!”
Mr. Kroon received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics/Secondary Education in 2006 from Dana College and earned Master of Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2010. During his college career he played basketball at Dana College and was honored as an NAIA Academic All-American twice and was honored as the “Best Teammate” in 2003.
Nick Kroon’s teaching career began at West Point Public Schools, teaching 7th-12th grade Math and serving on the School Improvement and Technology teams. Kroon was the head boys basketball coach at West Point from 2009-2015 prior to becoming the Assistant Principal/AD at Fairbury High School.
Congratulations to Nicholas Kroon for his outstanding performance as a Secondary School Principal at Fairbury Public Schools. NSASSP appreciates the contributions to the profession and are proud to name him Nicholas Kroon of Fairbury Jr/Sr. High School the 2019 New Principal of the Year!
We had a wonderful day honoring our nations veterans. Veterans joined our students in a delicious meal and talk one-one about their experiences. Our hallways are decorated in artwork celebrating our nation’s heroes. Couldn’t be more proud of our Veterans and students!
On Monday, November 12th, students and staff were blessed to be part of the 2018 Fairbury Jr./Sr. High School Veterans’ Day Convocation. During the program, they were treated to performances from the band and chorus. There were also great speeches from Mark Schoenrock and Lyle Bartles. Mark discussed the importance of being committed to the future and continuing to serve the community, state, and nation. Lyle discussed how our soldiers were the true heroes of the country. This day is always a very moving and influential day, and it was made even more special by the veterans who attended the program. Each present veteran was introduced to the student body with his or her years of service, branch, duties, and tours. There were 21 Veterans present, and they all received a standing ovation from our student body. It was a great moment in the program.
