Blood Drive at Ravenwood UMC June 3rd

A blood drive will be held at the Ravenwood United Methodist Church on Wednesday, June 3rd from 2 pm to 6 pm. The goal is to collect 36 units of blood like they did in April. The blood center has increased their appointment slots to 44.

The Northeast Nodaway School is partnering with the Ravenwood United Methodist Church to help junior and senior students have a better chance of earning a scholarship by donating blood and by recruiting donors for the drives at both the school and church.

This month, there were two Northeast Nodaway seniors who received the “Gallon Grad” scholarship. They were Jalyn Burns and Mylee Wilmes. They are the first two Gallon Grads at Northeast Nodaway since 2015.

The American Hospital Association estimated that over 4.5 million lives in the US are saved by blood transfusions each year. A single blood donation can be separated into three components, red cells, plasma, and platelets, which means that three lives are saved from every blood donation. The American Hospital Association says that tens of thousands of units are used daily.

 

NEN Brings Back Flock a Friend

Northeast Nodaway will bring back its “Flock a Friend” from February 27th to March 21st. For $20, you can order a flock of pink flamingos to be placed in your friend’s yard overnight. “Victims” can pay $20 to be removed from their yard and/or moved to another yard or buy flocking “insurance.” Proceeds will go to the NEN After-Prom.

Orders can be placed at the school during regular business hours or contact Terry Runde at (660) 254-1461.

 

Chaim Jenkins Named NEN Superintendent

The Northeast Nodaway School District and Board of Education would like to congratulate Brenda Dougan on her retirement and sincerely thank her for her many years of dedicated service to our students, staff, and community.

Chaim Jenkins has been selected as the new superintendent for the Northeast Nodaway School District.  Mr. Jenkins is currently the assistant superintendent with Northeast Nodaway where he has been employed since 2023.  Mr. Jenkins has been in education for 15 years with 3 years being in administration.  He has an admirable record of working to improve student achievement, and strong staff and community engagement.  Chaim and his wife, Katie, currently live in Maryville.  They have 5 children, 4 boys and 1 girl.  Katie has been the art teacher at Northeast Nodaway since 2009.  

Mr. Jenkins shared, “Northeast Nodaway is a special place to me and my family, so I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to serve as the Superintendent of Schools in such a wonderful district.  I am excited that within this new role I will continue to be surrounded by a thoughtful and attentive Board of Education, phenomenal staff, excellent student body, and a caring and supportive community.””

Board President, Karl Wilmes stated “We, as a Board, are confident that Chaim’s leadership and dedication will serve our students, staff and community well.  We look forward to working with Chaim to continue our success here at Northeast Nodaway.”

The search effort by the school district was supported by the Missouri Association of Rural Education.

 

NEN Christmas Dressup Days

December 11th — Candy Cane Day; wear red & white.

December 12th — Flannel Friday; wear your cozy flannels.

December 15th — Winter’s Nap; wear your pajamas or comfy sweats.

December 16th — Holiday Ugly Sweater; wear your ugly holiday sweater.

December 17th — Christmas Lights. PreK & K — red; 7th & 1st — orange; 8th & 2nd — yellow; 9th & 3rd — green; 10th & 4th — blue; 11th & 5th — purple; 12th & 6th — pink; faculty — favorite color.

December 18th — Winter Wonderland. Wear blue and white.

December 19th — Deck the Halls. Wear your favorite Holiday accessories.

All apparel must comply with the school dress code. No hats allowed.

There will be a junior high and high school spirit competition. The class with the highest participation on random dress-up day checks will earn a special treat during the Homecoming float building day.

 

NEN to Offer After School Care Again

Northeast Nodaway is once again offering after school care in the library between 3:10 and 4:30 pm on weekdays after school. Students will be escorted by a teacher to the library after school. If school is dismissed early, the students will need to be picked up at the time of dismissal or have an alternate plan.

There is a $15 registration fee for the first child and $5 for each additional child. Fees for afterschool care will be $4 per hour per child. Students who remain after 4:30 pm will be charged $1 per minute for every minute past 4:30 pm.

After school care payments must be made by the 15th of each month. Failure to make the payment means that children will not be able to attend until payment is received.

Students will be able to complete homework, participate in a variety of activities, or use the gym or the playground.

 

NEN Summer Library Programs for Students

The Northeast Nodaway Library will offer summer programs for students including checking out books, reading challenges, prizes, and other crafts and activities. It will be open on most Tuesdays and Thursdays  from May 27th to July 31st from 9 am to 11:30 am with a storytime at 10 am.

The library is open to NEN students only. PK through 3rd must have an older sibling (7th grade and older) or adult present.

For junior high and high school students, the library will offer credit recovery, goal planning, work on applications, setting up visits and job shadows, ACT prep, and book checkout.

For the current school year, all books must be returned by May 9th. All elementary library accounts must be cleared by May 13th to participate in Last Week of School activities, sign out at the end of the year, and be eligible to check out books next year. All junior high and high school accounts must be cleared by May 13th to participate in Last Day of School activities, sign out, and be eligible to check out books.

 

NEN Names Non-Certified Staff for Upcoming Year

The Northeast Nodaway school board, at its regular meeting Thursday, approved non-certified staff for the upcoming school year. Hired or rehired were DeAnn Redden (Bookkeeper), Kristin Sybert (Secretary), Terry Runde (Nurse), Casey Schmidt (Maintenance), Melody Adwell (Custodian), Stephanie Meyer (Part Time Custodian), Taylor Emery (Technology), Michelle Holaday (Paraprofessional), Holly Karr (Paraprofessional), Brittany Burns (Paraprofessional), Omi Adwell (Food Service Point of Sale), Ruth Adwell (Food Service Point of Sale), and Tina Wendle (Food Service Point of Sale).

The CTA held a cake celebration for two staff who are leaving this year. The CTA will give out a scholarship for an NEN senior this year.

The board voted to renew the bus transportation contract with Precious Cargo out of Ravenwood.

Brandy Rush and Karl Wilmes were sworn in to new three year terms for the board. Kenna Florea did not seek reelection.

The new board elected officers for the upcoming year. Karl Wilmes was elected Board President. Heather Jackson was named Vice-President. DeAnn Redden was reappointed as Board Secretary. Leslie Wilmes was named Alternate Board Secretary. Cody Adwell was named MSBA Delegate, with Jeff Redden serving as the alternate. Heather Jackson was appointed to the Park Board.

Superintendent Brenda Dougan reported that open enrollment, voucher tax credits, and charter school expansion continue to be debated in the legislature. Several bills that would eliminate or cap property taxes have been filed. The supplemental budget was approved, so the school will get more small school grant money than what had been budgeted. The school will get around $180,000 instead of $90,000.

All positions for next year have been filled.

Principal Heidi Beatty reported that testing will finish on May 10th.

Kenny Schieber competed in the State Championships for Auto Tech and won the title. He will go to Nationals in Atlanta.

A preschool and kindergarten roundup was held April 16th. Students rode the bus around town, did several activities inside, and explored the classroom and school. Parents had a parent meeting.

Student scheduling meetings are underway for the next year. Graduation is set for May 11th at 2 pm.

An elementary career fair will be held on May 13th.

The Elementary Student Council will put on a year end celebration May 14th. The third and fourth grades will go to St. Joseph on May 7th to visit the Pony Express Museum and Remington Nature Center. The fifth and sixth grades will visit the SAC Museum and Wildlife Safari May 9th. The third through fifth grades will visit Safety Acres at Northwest on May 6th.

 

 

 

 

 

NEN Preschool Roundup April 16th

The Northeast Nodaway 2025-26 preschool roundup will be Wednesday, April 16th, 2025 from 9 am to 11 am. Bring your preschooler to NEN to spend some time with preschool teacher, Brayden Hanf. Parents are encouraged to drop their children at the main entrance of the school at 9 am. Miss Hanf, Mrs. Adwell, and Mrs. Davison will be there to greet your child.

Your child will experience a short bus ride, a tour of the school, and activities in the classroom.

A parent meeting with Mrs. Beatty, PK-12 Principal, will be held at 10:30 am in the new gym. Your child can be picked up afterwards.

If interested, please RSVP with the school.

 

Rory Jackson Named Assistant Principal, Athletic Director for NEN

The Northeast Nodaway School Board, at their March meeting, hired Rory Jackson as their new Assistant Principal and Athletic Director for the upcoming school year. Chaim Jenkins, the previous Assistant Principal and Athletic Director, will serve as an Assistant Superintendent under Brenda Dougan next year and will transition to Superintendent for the 2026-27 school year.

The board also approved two new extra duty contracts for the current school year. They named Eryn Kemper as an Assistant Track Coach and Ike Werner for Senior Trip Support.

The board approved teacher contracts for the 2025-26 school year. Hired or rehired for the upcoming school year were Tabi Adwell, Janis Pargas, Isabella Schneider, Melissa Trickel, Shea Gladman, Sikoya Trelow, Payton Beason, Angie Davison, Eryn Kemper, Sydney Meek, Brayden Hanf, Ike Werner, Mazzy Hummel, Will Harding, Jessi Masek, Lisa Grotewiel, Marcy Sobotka, Mandy Adwell, Barb Bredlow, Jared Freemyer, Abbie Groomer, Katie Jenkins, and Jen Ware. The board received the resignation of Sheldon Saxton as a PE and Health teacher.

The board voted to contract Hayston Wilson for Mental Health Counseling services. The board hired McBee for school photography.

The board voted to continue the football, baseball, and girls golf cooperative agreements with Worth County.

The board voted to continue using Southern Bank for its banking services. The board voted to switch from Lunchtime Solutions to Opaa for its food service provider. 

The school received two gym floor bids for summer gym floor maintenance for the new gym. Myeer bid $1,839.95 while Hillyard bid $2,888. The board voted to accept the bid from Meyer.

The board voted to continue the bus fuel contract with Consumer Oil Company.

Wiederholt Lawn Care sent a bid for $170 per mow for the school, $200 per mow for the ballfield, and $60 per mow for the outfield only. The board voted to accept the bid with the $200 per mow bid for the whole ballpark. The vote was 6-0-1 with Heather Jackson abstaining. 

The school is seeking a grant for sewing equipment for the FACS classroom. Total estimated cost would be $1,650 with the school providing a 50% match. The board voted to pursue the grant.

Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Chaim Jenkins reported that the girls basketball team finished 17-8 while the boys were 2-22. Scholar Bowl was 2-4, but won two meets out of three Tuesday, March 25th. Blair Nelson and Brianna Meyer competed in FCCLA Star events at state. FFA competed at Lathrop March 10th and are getting ready for districts April 1st and 2nd. The Band received a II (Outstanding) rating at the Large Band Ensemble Contest. District Solo and Ensemble contest March 14th received a Bronze (Satisfactory) and three Silver (Outstanding) ratings. Baseball has 13 out, while Varsity Track has 5 girls and 6 boys. Junior High has 14 girls and 14 boys. Seven students made it to the State Science Olympiad which will be held April 26th in Warrensburg.

Principal Heidi Beatty reported that a 7-12 career day was held on Friday, February 28th. People coming were Jeremy Waldeier (Opening Speaker), Josh Hansen (Mechanic at Tri-State Ford), Craig Wilmes (Four Rivers MFA), Sgt. Hufford (National Guard), Andrea Pierce (Ultrasound Tech at Mosaic), Kevin Haywood (Missouri State Highway Patrol), Linzie Gilbert (HR Manager, Maryville Hy-Vee), Rylee Caples (Recruiter with Herzog), and Denise Henggeler (Retired Teacher from NEN).

Jennifer Stoll and Audri Villegas were the school's representatives at the Nodaway County Spelling Bee.

All of the elementary classes will have field trips. Preschool and Kindergarten went to InspireU in St. Joseph. First and Second Grades will go to Shatto Dairy Farm. Third and Fourth Grades will go to the Pony Express Museum and Remington Nature Center in St. Joseph. Fifth and Sixth Grades will go to the SAC Museum and Wildlife Safari May 9th. Third through Fifth Grades will attend Safety Acres at Northwest May 6th.

Spring Music Concert will be held Tuesday, April 8th for PK through 12th grades. National Honor Society inductions will be held Tuesday, April 29th.

Superintendent Brenda Dougan reported that there will be no election needed for the school board. Karl Wilmes and Brandy Rush filed for the two open positions for the April 8th election.

The steamer in the kitchen had to be repaired.

House Bill 711 passed out of the House with an 88-69 vote. This bill creates a voluntary open enrollment program. Each district can decide if they want to participate; however, schools cannot stop students from leaving under this bill. 

The supplemental budget bill has been passed and sent to the governor. It includes funding for the extra small school grant funding that was included in SB 727 that was passed last year.

House Bill 607 passed the House. It allows an inclement weather exception to get the additional state aid when attending a minimum of 169 days.

The school had no personnel openings as of March 20th.

The next meeting will be April 16th at 7 pm.

Skyler Florea, Mylee Wilmes Doing NHS Project

NEN students Skyler Florea and Mylee Wilmes are doing a supply drive for the Bright Side Pantry in Maryville as their NHS community service projects.

Items sought include toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, deodorant, trash bags, sponges, dish soap, hand soap, chapstick, lotion, feminine hygiene products, laundry detergent, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and kids hygiene supplies.

Drop off items to bins located at the NEN office between March 17th and 21st.

Editorial -- Excessive Discipline at Northeast Nodaway

Normally, we let schools, including the board and administration, do their jobs. We recognize that it is a hard job and that they can’t please everyone. We believe in law and order and in discipline in schools. But every once in a while, a situation comes along in which the punishment is excessive and does not fit the act in question.

Last spring, NEN student Hadley DeFreece was suspended out of school for two days for being in possession of a vaping device. If the school had left it at that, we wouldn’t be writing this editorial. But then, the school proceeded to kick DeFreece off the Missouri A+ Program. Then, in fall of this year, the school proceeded to suspend her from the softball team for three games.

The parents appealed Hadley’s removal, and the school sent a denial email, which they never got. So they didn’t find out until this month. They appealed to the school board, which upheld the dismissal at their board meeting December 17th.

The Missouri A+ Program allows students at A+ Schools, of which Northeast Nodaway is a participant, to get substantial financial aid to high school graduates who attend participating public community colleges, vo-tech schools, or certain private two year vo-tech schools in Missouri in return for fulfilling certain requirements. We get that the program has (and should have) a Good Citizenship clause. But the school has discretion in how it can enforce it, given that there are two layers of appeal involved.

The act in question did not warrant a three game suspension from playing softball. The act not only served to punish Hadley, but the rest of the team as well. The softball team was clearly in shock at the act, starting off at 1-2 and barely won the third game. They were not themselves. After Hadley came back, the team went on to have a successful regular season, but got an early exit from the districts. The district the Bluejays played in was loaded, and any one of four other teams could have won that district. Stanberry, which won that district, finished third at state. But it didn’t help.

Like the A+ program, the MSHSAA Official Handbook has a Citizenship Clause. But it only covers acts which are charged or may be charged by law enforcement. The act in question is an infraction under Missouri Law, and authorities never saw fit to charge it. If charges are not filed, eligibility is contingent on school policies. The school had discretion in enforcing the citizenship policy. The punishments are excessive considering that the act in question is an infraction under Missouri law and only served to punish the rest of the team given that Hadley has always been in good standing with her teammates and coaches throughout her junior high and high school career.

But we are just talking sports. Far more important is the effect the school’s decision will have on Hadley DeFreece’s career. It will be a lot harder for her to pay for her college, graduate from school with manageable or no debt, and find a job which will allow her to live a higher standard of living that her parents.

If it had been a matter of using hard drugs such as methamphetamine or fentanyl, that would be different. Most Possession of Controlled Substance offenses are felonies, require monetary and/or surety bonds in the thousands, can result in imprisonment, and constitutes an automatic firing offense for most employers. But most employers don’t screen employees or prospective employees for smoking or vaping, both of which are legal for adults in Missouri. Why kick a student out of a program for something which most employers don’t care about when screening potential applicants?

If it had been a matter of repeated violations of school policy, that would be different. Like we said at the top of this piece, we are not against school discipline; we are against excessive discipline. Hadley DeFreece had never been in trouble at school for anything.

We are not encouraging anyone to start vaping. It is just as harmful as tobacco, with addiction, reduced lung function, decreased exercise capacity, and heart and respiratory issues. But our society does not view vaping or tobacco use in the same way as, say, hard drugs. School discipline policies should reflect that.

Many of the schools we cover are having trouble getting people to participate in sports this year. In basketball alone, Worth County is down to seven players on the girls side, tying a record low. Northeast Nodaway only has nine boys out for basketball. North Nodaway only has eight girls out for basketball. North Harrison only has six girls out for basketball. Two years ago, Northeast Nodaway would not have had a baseball team if Worth County had not joined it to form a baseball cooperative. It is hard enough for schools to get players to come out for sports and other school activities without excessively punishing those who do come out and who are willing to put in the time and effort to be the best they can possibly be.

NEN to Solicit Bids for Banking Services

The Northeast Nodaway school board will request bids for banking services, Superintendent Brenda Dougan reported at the December 19th meeting of the school board. The school is required to rebid it every five years, with 25-26 being the next time. The board will approve bids at the March meeting. The board will also award the food service bid.

Board filing will continue until December 31st. Board members Karl Wilmes and Kenna Florea are up for reelection.

The CTA Christmas Party will be held on January 11th from 6 pm to 8 pm.

Bill filing for the 2025 legislative session has opened. Over 120 bills affecting public education have been filed.

The school is adding a service to their MoreNet subscription. There is a new cooperative, TEC, which is a managed service that does all the negotiation and processing of data privacy agreements with each vendor that uses or collects personally identifiable information. The cost is $520 per year.

Principal Heidi Beatty reported that for professional development day, K-3 teachers along with the Title Language Arts teacher, Interventionist, Elementary Special Ed teacher, and Beatty went to Jefferson for LETRS training.

Fourth through twelfth grade teachers met to analyze annual progress report and state assessment date. The ag teacher, music teacher, librarian, and PE teachers went to area schools to observe their content, while the Art teacher created new curriculum units.

All of the juniors and a majority of the seniors took the ASVAB test last month. 15 students out of 28 eligible received a reward incentive for their scores.

The PAT is currently serving 19 families in the district.

Mrs. Jenkins received a grant from the Gladys Rickard Trust. She will be purchasing a new kiln and accessories for the art room.

The board accepted the resignation of Sheldon Saxton as the varsity girls basketball coach and the hiring of Ike Werner to that position.

NEN Board Rescinds Resignation of Brenda Dougan

     The Northeast Nodaway School Board, at their regular meeting November 25th, rescinded the resignation of Superintendent Brenda Dougan.

Marcy Sobotka reported on the activities happening in the first grade and the elementary. There will be a Polar Express day on December 20th, with activities and snacks throughout the day and it will end with the watching of the Polar Express movie. Sobotka also reported about recent CTA events. Their goals are to provide scholarships for NEN seniors and sonic drinks and a birthday cart for CTA members. The CTA Holiday Party will be January 11th at Bearcat Lanes in Maryville.

The board voted to approve the audit bid from John W. Gillum, CPA, LLC for services for the next three years. The 2025 bid will be for $7,590. The 2026 bid will be for $8,045. The 2027 bid will be for $8,525.

The board chose Lindsey Jackson to be representative for the Belcher Scholarship. She will now compete at the regional level for the scholarship. She will also receive a $200 scholarship from the NEN Education Foundation.

Dougan presented a proposal from Parent Square for district, school, and classroom level communication. There is a one time setup fee for $3,375 and an annual cost of $4,400.

The board will request bids for banking services. Bids will be presented for approval at the February board meeting. The school is required to request bids for banking services every five years.

Filing dates for the April 8th election will be from December 10th to December 31st.

The Department of Elementary & Secondary Education is creating an educator job board. It will launch in January 2025.

The new Continuous Improvement Implementation Review will start for 2025-26 for the school.

The Halloween Parade was well attended, with 20 stops on the elementary Halloween Parade. The PAT had a Trunk or Treat and there was a Family Reading Night and an FCCLA sponsored dance.

The school conducted interviews with four senior education students at Northwest. One of them was selected to student teach next year with Mrs. Grotewiel.

A basketball family reading night was held at the school, with junior high basketball players reading to kids before a home basketball game.

A Veterans Day assembly was held on November 11th. Mr. Jenkins was the guest speaker.

Mrs. Groomer and a group of 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students went to Jefferson to attend the Vive 18 event. They came up with a plan to promote student pride and participation in winter basketball events.

A mock election was held in the elementary.

The school has expanded DARE this year to include first through fifth grade after having it for sixth grade. Topics covered include stranger danger, safe foods and household items, calling 911, saying no to peer pressure, conflict resolution, and cybersafety.

Postseason honorees for the softball team included Baylie Busby (All-275, 1st Team All District, 2nd Team All-Region), Blair Nelson (All-275), Brianna Meyer (All-275, 2nd Team All-District), Hadley DeFreece (All-275, 1st Team All-District, 2nd Team All-State), and Lindsey Jackson (All-275, 1st Team All-District, 1st Team All-Region).