Red Devil Ready: Weekly Message

Week #3: Happy Memorial, UH...............I Mean Labor Day!

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Decatur County Community High School

605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749

September 3, 2023 (Schedule at the bottom, Skip What You Want)

Follow us on Twitter at @DCHSREDDEVILS or

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Oberlin294/

Decatur Community,

At times, the old history teacher in me comes out. No one ever became a principal without, at minimum, a personal passion for the classroom and educating young children. There were a few things that stuck out this week that really put history on my brain.

1. Three different times this week I had students make a comment of the type that went something like one of these: "Are you doing anything for Memorial Day, Mr. Holloway?" OR "We're going to the lake for Memorial Day." Granted, most students said the right day, but I wonder how few people really understand what Labor Day is.

I am old enough to remember that Labor Day was simply the last weekend of the summer. We got the Monday off, and school always began the Tuesday after. These younger teachers now that are returning to school in the first week of August are probably wondering how that is possible as we just completed our second week of school. Heck, as a gag gift when I graduated from college after my student teaching, a few teachers at old Tomahawk Elementary in Olathe, KS gave me a mug that said the three best reasons to be a teacher were:

1. June

2. July

3. August

I don't want to get too long-winded here, so I will simply state that Labor Day's roots stem from the late 1800s and the difficult conditions that workers (laborers) faced in many industries during the American Industrial Revolution. At that time, many laborers were working 7 days a week and up to 16 hours days, and there was a need for change. Labor Day is a day of rest from labor, a celebration and recognition of all the hard work that Americans do on a daily basis.

In honor of Labor Day, I will be keeping this week brief!

SHOUTOUTS

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Shoutout to Coach Lindsay Fortin and the girls volleyball team. The girls got off to a slow start in their first outing of the season, but they had a tremendous week this week. Last Tuesday, the girls were victorious in all 3 matches against Quinter, Atwood, and Dighton. Not only did the girls sweep the night, they did it without losing a single set. Watching online, I was really impressed by the interactions throughout the team and the positivity that kept winning out. Great work, ladies!

Shoutout to Mr. Jhony Azada. Last week was Mr. Azada's first week as a teacher in the United States. There are so many steps to coming to the U.S., including things like filing for a Social Security Number, getting a U.S. driver's license, and getting internet and utilities in your home. As those things are all in different states of completion, Monday Mr. Azada was able to do for the first time what he had come here to do, teach. It is hard to find quality time to spend in each teacher's room, but I enjoyed the bits that I was able to see this week in his room. I am looking forward to his experience.

Shoutout to vocal teacher Mrs. Lisa Johnson. Mrs. Johnson has been going above and beyond this year filling in for band until Mr. Persinger returns later this month. Mrs. Johnson has experience with vocal and band at all levels, but this is quite a bit more than she is accustomed to here at DCHS She is doing an outstanding job. Mrs. Johnson has been a team player that always keeps a positive attitude. Her efforts are greatly appreciated.

Shoutout to new and growing courses. When Mr. Gehring came over this year, it allowed for multiple course options. For starters, it allowed us to once again begin offering Driver's Ed. for our students.

Driver's Education, although not required, is a no-brainer course for students. It teaches young drivers almost everything they need to be safe and prepared when they get behind the wheel in, all in a semester course.. It doesn't end there. Now, high school students are able to earn elective credit towards graduation, a perk that puts it on their time, a convenience for both students and parents. As if those weren't good enough reasons, Driver's Ed. typically saves money on insurance for families as well. This class is eligible to any grade in high school, and even potentially to some 8th grade students in the spring.

Introduction to Refereeing and Introduction to Coaching are classes that Mr. Gehring is teaching this year as well. Each of the classes is a semester, with the first taught in the fall. Students are able to become certified in 3 sports per class, enabling them to be recognized as officials. We have students that are working towards football, volleyball, basketball, and wrestling. How great would it be to see our own students refereeing some of our own games, even if it is JH or sub-varsity level? How great would it be to see some of them try to coach a youth team? These courses are open to grades 11-12,

Spanish is not new to DCHS, but it is rejuvenated this year. Mrs. Kathy Almquist is teaching our Spanish courses this year. Last year, our Spanish was limited to an online platform that was taught by an online teacher. Although we got through the year okay, inconsistent would be the best way to describe it, as it is impossible to replace an onsite teacher. This year, we have 7th grade students taking an intro. to Spanish class for a semester, many 8th graders taking what would mostly equate to Spanish I, and even a student taking as high as Spanish III. Spanish is rapidly growing in usage in the U.S. and is the second most common language spoken. I look forward to watching the program grow this year, and I hope that more students continue to choose to take multiple years of Spanish!

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A Message From Dr. Applegate

TO: USD 294 Community

FROM: Dr. Joel Applegate, Superintendent
DATE: Aug 30, 2023

RE: Bond Election Results

Although the results of the August 29 bond election for USD 294 did not go as our school district had hoped, we are grateful to everyone within the Decatur Community district for your engagement throughout this process. I am especially thankful to the volunteers and others who worked diligently to educate the community about the bond and to the community members who attended meetings, asked questions and educated themselves during this year-long process. It is clear to me that our community understands the challenges and benefits of our current facilities and agree it is important to improve the accessibility, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of our buildings for our students.

Early next week, school leaders will meet to discuss how to proceed. The needs of our facilities are not going away, and the costs of construction aren't getting any cheaper. We will take what we learned from the bond process to come back with a solution that the community can rally around and support.

As we make those plans, I would encourage community members to remain engaged in the process. As you have the opportunity, please complete surveys about why you did or didn't support the bond. Provide input when asked and share your ideas on how to develop a solution that furthers our great Red Devil tradition. Although I know no one facility solution will please everyone, I have faith that we can find an option that a majority of our community supports.

Dr. Joel Applegate

Supt., USD 294 Oberlin

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Early Release Wednesday

There will be Early Release Days from school on the first Wednesday of most months. Teachers will meet together in teams, and it will give them some much needed time to meet together in groups, work on data, and plan for the following month.

This Wednesday, September 6th, students will be released from DCHS at 2:00.

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Attendance Policy (Repeat Info.)

1. Research shows that the single greatest factor contributing to student achievement is attendance at school. Although we realize there will be occasions when students legitimately need to be gone from school, it is the combined responsibility of the school officials and parents to see that these absences are kept to a minimum.

2. Approval for an absence by a parent does not necessarily mean that the absence will be excused. School administrators will make the final determination as to whether or not an absence will be considered excused.

3. A student is considered absent when he/she is not in regular school classes or in a school-sponsored activity. Upon an absence, a student must have a written or verbal excuse from a parent or guardian. If the parent fails to call the school, the school will make an attempt to reach the parent via an automated Skyward attendance message.

4. Each semester a student has 6 absences that can be excused by a parent. All other absences must be excused by a doctor. Absences that are accompanied with a doctor's note do not count toward the 6 absences that student can have excused by a parent. Parents should call the school on the morning that they know their student is not going to be in attendance, regardless of why their student is not going to be there. Only a doctor’s note or special administrative approval can excuse a student beyond 6 absences per semester.

5. Once a student has 6 full excused absences per semester, any additional absences that are not accompanied with a doctor's note will be considered unexcused and be treated according to school and state truancy policies. Administration has the discretion/flexibility to excuse an absence if deemed necessary due to extenuating circumstances. Examples could be accidents, extended illnesses, or surgeries that require the student to miss more than the days allowed.

TRUANCY POLICY

Students accumulating three consecutive unexcused absences, five unexcused absences in a semester, or seven unexcused absences in a year will be identified as truant. In accordance with the Kansas Compulsory Attendance Law (K.S.A. 72-1113), students under the age of 18 will be referred to the county attorney. Students 18 years of age or older can be dismissed from DCHS. Re-admission will be determined by a hearing with the student and parents/guardians.

Red Devil Ready

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In honor of Labor Day, That's going to do it.

(Although Friday Night Lights return this week, and the Post-Prom is doing a tailgate before the game with pulled pork, chips, baked beans, and a cookie or brownie. Okay, that's going to do it.)

Until next week,

Jeremy Holloway

Go Big Red!