SHSNews

By Keri Volnek

   The Seward High Quiz Bowl Team A did not lose one match in the competition on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at the Central Conference Quiz Bowl Tournament held at the Seward Civic Center. They swept the ten teams from six Central Conference schools, who competed in the event that featured a round robin format in the morning and a single elimination tourney in the afternoon. The Seward Quiz Bowl team was the top seed going into the afternoon event, with three wins, defeating Central City Team A, York Team B, and Crete B Team. The Seward B Quiz Bowl team also did well, and was te number two seed in the afternoon event with two wins and one loss in the morning. They defeated Grand Island Northwest Team A, and Crete B, losing to only Crete A. In the afternoon the Seward Team B lost to Grand Island Northwest A. The Seward Quiz Bowl team A defeated Grand Island Northwest B, Crete Team A, and Grand Island Northwest A to win the Central Conference Quiz Bowl Trophy for 2008. Each team member and the coach also received a medal. Seward Team A placed first, Grand Island Team A was first runner up, Crete Team A was second runner up, and York Team B was third Runner up. 

   The Seward Team A members included seniors Jake Weber and Kevin Jerger, juniors Theresa Honeycutt and Eric Heinicke, and sophomore Andrew Sorsen.

   The Seward Team B members included seniors Josh Luff, Rhiannon Root, and Matt Schranz, juniors Ryan Coufal and Clint Aegerter, and sophomore Mandi Drohman.

    The Readers for the tourney included community volunteers Dr. Gil Daenzer, Sue Imig, Stephanie Christensen, Jason Shaffer, and Shana Smith. SHS Students Robert Kolterman, Jacob Imig, Robby Kirkland, and Nick Oliver served as volunteer assistants to the readers, ran the buzzer and timers and assisted with set up and take down of the equipment and buzzer systems.

   Schools attending were Central City, Crete, Grand Island Northwest, York, Fairbury, and Seward. Holdrege had planned to attend and was involved in another quiz bowl tourney that day in Holdrege. Other Conference teams not attending were Columbus Lakeview, Aurora and Schyler.

   The Seward Quiz Bowl teams are sponsored by the School District of Seward High Ability Learner Program and Clark Kolterman serves as their coach. The Central Conference Quiz Bowl tourney was hosted by Seward High, coordinated by SHS Athletic Director and Vice Principal, Steve Borer and Asst. AD Jason Schaffer, assisted by SHS teacher, Clark Kolterman.  

By Keri Volnek

     Two Seward High student poets, Lindsey Hofer and Ciara McCormack, hav had their poetry selected to be read at the State Capitol on Friday, May 2nd at 4:00pm in the Warner Chambers, off of the Great Hall and Rotunda. The event will feature Nebraska poet, Twyla Hansen, who will read several selections of poetry and then each of the student's selected will also read one of their selected poems. 

      The event is co-sponsored by the Nebraska English Language Arts Council (NELAC), the Nebraska Writing Project and the Nebraska Humanities Council. 

      Following the capitol event, the students have been invited to read their poetry at the Annual Spring Gathering of the Nebraska Writing Project at the Student Union at UNL at 6:00pm, located at 14th and P Streets. 

     All the selected poems will be placed on display at the State Office Building lobby during the month of May and will appear on the Nebraska Writing Project Website.

     The poetry was submitted by Clark Kolterman, Seward High educator.  

By: Kelsey Wullenwaber

On Monday, December 17^th, the Seward High School band and choir held a winter concert in the new theatre. The band and choir students performed the music that they've been working on throughout second quarter. Under the direction of Ms. Stratton, the concert was a success.

The Seward High band was the first performance of the night. They performed 6 different Christmas songs. The performed pieces included: Christmas at the Movies, Christmas Classics, Parade of the Bumbling Wooden Soldiers, A Cambridge Carol, and Festive Fanfare for the Holidays.

"I love performing at the Christmas concerts. The music makes you want to snap your fingers," said senior percussionist, Logan Gee.

The Seward High chorus sang 5 commonly known Christmas songs such as, Hodie, In the Bleak Midwinter, Angel's Song, Sleigh Ride, and Somewhere in my Memory. Nate Walden and Keri Volnek sang a duet to the popular Christmas tune, Baby it's Cold Outside. A select choir, selected by Ms. Stratton, sang a well known but challenging song, New Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

"Christmas music is fun to sing. It gives you that wonderful Christmas spirit," said senior choir memeber, Jessica Telecky.

The Seward High Swing choir also performed. They performed 3 Christmas songs. The 3 that they performed were Perfect Christmas Night, Angels in Seven, and It's the Holiday Season. The dances were choreographed by Ciara McCormack and Kelsey Wullenwaber.

"The students worked very hard this quarter. It wasn't easy music to learn," said director, Ms. Stratton. "They performed very well."

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

UNL News Release

Lincoln, Neb., Dec. 14, 2007 -- , December 14, 2007 -- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has announced the awarding this fall of 947 scholarships through Dec. 6 to seniors at 205 Nebraska high schools.

The total potential value of the scholarships is nearly $7.6 million. Additional awards will be made through UNL's Jan. 15 scholarship application deadline.

The awards include 273 Regents Scholarships (including 84 Nebraska Top Scholars), 31 Nebraska Achievement Scholarships, 75 David Distinguished Scholarships and 568 James H. Canfield Scholarships.

Regents Scholarships are among the most prestigious awards granted by the university. They pay tuition for full-time students (equivalent to a cash value of more than $22,000 over four years) and are renewable for up to 135 credit hours or completion of a bachelor's degree provided eligibility requirements are met. The scholarships are awarded based on the student's sixth-semester high school class rank and ACT or SAT composite score.

The students who were selected as Nebraska Top Scholars will receive at least $1,500 per year in additional scholarship awards from the university or the University of Nebraska Foundation, provided they meet renewal criteria each year.

Nebraska Achievement Scholarships are based on academic achievement, admission test scores, information in the student's Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the university's desire to enroll a diverse student body. Six of the scholarships were for tuition with the other 25 offering $1,000 per year. The scholarships are renewable for up to four years provided continuing eligibility conditions are met.

David Distinguished Scholar Awards offer full-time students $1,000 annually for up to four years if they meet the same renewal requirements as with Regents Scholarships. David Distinguished Scholarships are funded from a trust established in 1973 by the late Adrian H. David, a former Minneapolis attorney, in honor of his parents. Adrian David was a 1908 graduate of the NU College of Law. The trust also funds faculty research projects, placing a special emphasis on cancer research.

Canfield Scholarships, named for the chancellor who led the University of Nebraska to a position of national prominence in the 1890s, offer full-time students a one-year award of $1,000.

Following is a list of students who have been awarded scholarships through Dec. 6 (additional scholarship winners will be announced after the Jan. 15 scholarship application deadline).  Information includes the student's intended academic major and type of scholarship awarded.  An asterisk following a student's name indicates a Nebraska Top Scholar.  The student's town or city of residence is included in parentheses where appropriate.

Seward: Ian Damian Didier (Beaver Crossing), David, Arts and Sciences, computer science; Benjamin Douglas Gremel, Canfield, General Studies, undeclared; Holly Kozisek-Seher (Garland), Canfield, General Studies, undeclared; Caleb Joseph Krenk, Canfield, Engineering, chemical engineering; Regina JoAnna Roebke, Canfield, General Studies, undeclared; Samantha Lynn Thompson, Canfield, Arts and Sciences, pre-medicine; Nathan Michael Walden (Goehner), Canfield, General Studies, undeclared; Allyn Joy Williams, Canfield, Education and Human Sciences, child, youth and family studies.

By Rhiannon Root

            The second annual Seward High "Poetry Out Loud" Student Poetry Recitation Competition was held on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 in Seward High's Little Theater. There were 23 contestants in the competition, each recited a poem from the selection of 400 on the "Poetry Out Loud" website. The contest was sponsored by the Seward Arts Council and the Seward High English Department locally, on the state level by the Nebraska Humanities Council and on the national level by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Poetry Foundation.

            Each student presented a prepared poem with an introduction of the poem's title and author. The Seward Arts Council presented medals and cash awards to the winners in the contest.

            The winners included Mani Drohman, a Sophomore who recited Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky", Ciara McCormack, a Senior and first runner-up recited "Queen's Cemetery, Setting Sun" by Lawrence Felinghetti and Holly Kozisek-Seher received second runner up with "Backdrop Addresses Cowboy" by Margaret Atwood. Also honored were Jacob Perkins-Best Senior Presentation, with his presentation of "The Bloody Sire" by Robinson Jeffers, John Wiemer-Best Junior with his presentation of Emma Lazarus's "The New Colossus" and Best Sophomore Presentation was awarded to Amber Schmersal who recited "The Tyger" by William Blake.

            The 23 students competing included: Eric Heinicke, Nathan Broker, Evan Canning, Ryan Coufal, Josh Luff, Jaime Gabel, Josh McKey, Tanner Smith, John Wiemer, Jenna Hoins, Becca Monike, Karl Luebbe, Britton Miller, Dalton Wignall, Mandi Drohman, Amber Schmersal, Robert Kolterman, Holly Kozisek-Scher, Paul D. Meyers, Josh Moravec, Ciara McCormack, Jacob Perkins and Rhiannon Root.

            The judges for the contest were Connie Atkinson, Katie Wright, both from Seward, and Jenny Boyer of Doane College in Crete. Accuracy Judge was Nancy Schulz of East Butler and Prompter was Ashley Panwitz of Concordia University in Seward. Clark Kolterman, Seward High School Speech and English teacher served as event chair.

            Mandi Drohman will go on to represent Seward High at the State "Poetry Out Loud" recitation contest held in Lincoln at the Sheldon Art Gallery in the spring of 2008. She will compete to represent Nebraska at the national "Poetry Out Loud" contest in Washington D.C. Twenty high schools in Nebraska have been invited to participate in this state wide event.

By Rhiannon Root

            Five members of the Seward High School Speech team competed in the recent Southeast High School Speech Tournament, which was held Friday, December 14^th, 2007 in Lincoln. The tourney is a major, kick off for the speech season with 28 schools participating, all from NSAA class levels. Over 500 students were involved with the event.

            All of the Seward High representatives received a superior or excellent rating and Eric Heinicke won second place in Extemporaneous Speaking. SHS students that participated included Eric Heinicke-Second place/Superior, Ciara McCormak-Serious Prose-Superior, Poetry-excellent, Rhiannon Root-Entertaining-Excellent, Josh McKey-Poetry-Excellent, Dalton Wignal-Persuassion-Excellent.

            The speech team plans to attend tournaments at Concordia University, Aurora , David City, Milford and the Central Conference and the NSAA B-3 District contest to be held at East High in Lincoln in March. Clark Kolterman severs as the speech coach. He also judged events during the contest at Southeast.

By Rhiannon Root

US Army Staff Sergeant, Tim Hartmann, a 2001 graduate of Seward High, returned recently to share his personal insights and experiences with classes at Seward High School. He is a Staff Sergeant with the Bravo Company 177^th and serves as a tank commander. He recently returned from Iraq, is married, and currently lives in Germany with his wife. He has returned to the US on holiday leave and volunteers as an Army recruiter.

            Tim shared the timeline of his seven years in the military and discussed the many benefits of the military as a career. He plans to make the military and encourages others to do so as well.

            He spoke on his first hand experiences of dealing with various situations in the war torn areas he has been sent. He shared with the classes why he felt we needed to be in Iraq and the importance of the US presence in the area. Questions and answered followed from the students and teachers.

            Tim is the son of Kathy and Steven Hartmann of Seward. He visited both Senior English 12 and Advanced Speech class at Seward High School.

By Clint Aegerter

The Seward High one act play for 2007 "Princess Knight" placed a close third in the NSAA B-3 District Play Production Competition held at Seward High on Saturday, December 1, 2007 during the day.  The Seward One Act Play received all superior ratings.  Named Outstanding Actors were Keri Volnek, Logan Gee, Karl Luebbe, Jacob Perkins, Sarah Garbers, and Holly Petersen.  Their show was directed by Clark Kolterman, a Seward High Speech and English instructor and Ashley Panwitz, a senior at Concordia University.

The NSAA B-3 District winner was Milford High School performing "Jack vs. Jill," followed by first runner-up, Norris, presenting "Don't Touch That Dial."  Milford will represent the District at the NSAA State Contest.  Seward High School Athletic Director Steve Borer served at the District Contest Chairman.

Schools in the B-3 NSAA Play Production District were Seward, Aurora, Milford, Norris, Central City, York, Raymond Central, and Crete.  Raymond Central, Aurora, and Central City decided not to compete at the District contest due to weather conditions.

By Jaime Gabel

 The 2007-2008 Seward High Decathlon Team, sponsered locall by the School District of Seward High Ability Learner program and the Seward Optimists, indluces the following students...

Honors Division:

Alyssa McConnell

Ciara McCormack

Jake Weber

Kevin Jerger

Scholastic Division:

Tanner Smith

Hailey Behlen

Aaron Powell

Kirsten Kohlwey

Varsity Division:

Karl Luebbe

Austin Taibemal

Britton Miller

Felicia Kolterman

The studnets will travel ot Omaha on January 19th to compete in tests in math, music, art, language, and literature, science and history. They will also compete in a Super Quiz Bowl. The 2007-08 theme is "The Civil War" and the students are test over the novel The Red Badge of Courage.

 The students will all take the same tests, however, they will only compete with their grade point average division. Team awards and individual awards are presented at the end of the day. The top 25% of the teams will advance to the state finals.

 This is the tenth year that Seward High has participated in the contest. Students are selected by their teachers, counselors, grade point average and willingness to participate. All of the students submitted their grades to the registrar at Creighton University for approval and are presented with packets of information and a novel to study. The Seward Optimist Club also sponsors team tee shirts for the students for the students for the day of the event.

 The local coach for the Seward Academic Decathlon Team is Clark Kolterman, SHS instructor for English and Speech.

By Clint Aegerter

The Seward Rotary has again teamed up with the Seward High Future Business Leaders of America to judge the Greater Seward Area Holiday Outdoor Home Lighting Contest.  The annual event is scheduled to be judged on Sunday, December 2nd at 6:30 pm.  Anyone interested in nominating a home to be judged can contact Sandy Wright at the Jones National Bank and Trust and give her the name and address of the home to be judged.  Self nominations are welcomed too.

The winners will be recognized by the clubs and the addresses announced in the Seward County Independent so the community can see the featured homes.  Questions can be directed to Clark Kolterman of the Seward Rotary Club or JT Cattle of the Seward High FBLA.