Decatur County Community High School
605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749
August 20, 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,
Year 2 in Oberlin coincides with year 26 for me, and this time around, though there are several new faces, the large majority of them are familiar. This past year has allowed me to learn so much about the history of the town, the people that made it what it is today, and the educators that walked the halls before me.
Here are some thoughts after 1 year:
Oberlin has a staff that wants to be here. It is still that town where Friday night football is the place to be, a smaller version of Arrowhead Stadium with fans that know each other and care about one another. A town where the kids can run loose in the park (not the stadium). A town where you know there are hundreds of other Oberlin eyes that are all looking out for each other.
Oberlin is still that town where your kids can ride their bikes to the pool, to the park, or to their friends houses, and you don't have to worry about them getting right back where they belong.
Welcome back, Oberlin. It's that time again!
New Teachers Join DCHS
Mr. Brandon Gehring is coming back to the high school. From the moment I met Mr. Gehring, I was a huge fan. Whether it's as a coach, an AD, or a teacher, I have been so impressed by Mr. Gehring. This year Mr. Gehring will be teaching Drivers' Ed., Intro. to Officiating, and Intro. to Coaching, as well as his AD duties. Mr. Gehring has chosen to raise his family in Oberlin, and I am ecstatic about him joining us. Not only that, he runs a solid fantasy football draft too.
Mrs. Tessa Anderson will be joining us as a math teacher. I am admittedly jumping the gun a bit, as Mrs. Anderson is still a MS. and not an Anderson until late September. She was even kind enough to let us know that she would need a few days off for her wedding during her interview last winter. She has been up at the school working on her room for the whole summer. She lives here in Oberlin and comes to us from Atwood where she taught for the past few years. She will also be coaching JH Scholars Bowl.
Ms. Jacinta Carter is one of the new teachers that is coming back home to her old high school halls. Not only that, she is replacing her own senior English teacher. When Mrs. Breth announced her intent to retire, I was so concerned about who would replace her. To know that it was one of her former students and that she would continue to allow dual credit college English both warmed my heart and gave me a sigh of relief. Like myself, she is a Stephen King fan which brings back memories for me. Senior English is where I became a King fan.
Mr. Anthony Marshall is also returning to the town he grew up in and the halls where he went to school. Mr. Marshall will be teaching art. He had perhaps one of the best resumes that I had seen. He did an amazing job of promoting himself and providing examples of what made him stand out as a teacher. He brings great real life experiences into the classroom, and I have yet to meet anyone that has met Anthony and hasn't gushed about how great he is. He has been teaching in Wichita with some class sizes bigger than entire grades here.
Ms. Teresa Saul moved to Oberlin a few years ago, "because of a house," as she says. She and her service dog Blue live together in a big house, and she opens it up with a warm heart. Currently, the high school track is being completed and the gentlemen that are working on it are staying at her place. Ms. Saul has already shown herself to be one of the most caring people that you will ever meet, donating large quantities of furniture to our new international teacher. She will be teaching computer classes and speech this year, returning to the class after nearly 20 years.
Mr. Jhony Azada will be joining us from the Philippines. Mr. Azada has many years of experience as both a science teacher and principal. His family will be joining him here in Oberlin, and we are looking forward to having him. The Philippines is literally on the other side of the world, 13 hours away. He and his family will be arriving this Wednesday night, and I will pick them up in McCook. It is a very tedious path to bring over an international teacher, one that most schools abandon, but we are very happy to welcome Mr. Azada and his family.
Shoutout to the USD294 School Board and Superintendent Joel Applegate. Dr. Applegate and the board have been extremely supportive of the schools and the various programs that we have continued to maintain and add, including bringing an international science teacher to Oberlin. Each of these members of USD 294 are involved in the community and have the best interest of the schools at heart. It's a job that hears all the negative and very little positive. On top of that, they do not get paid, just the knowledge in their hearts that they are playing an important role in leading the community.
Shoutout to all of the members of the Steering Committee that have worked so hard to spread information about the upcoming bond. There were weekly meetings all summer, and countless hours of volunteer efforts to give the community the information needed to make an informed decision for themselves. The Town Halls in particular allowed for a lot information to be shared and questions to be asked.
Shoutout to the hundreds of community members that have shown up to a Town Hall Meeting and/or a building tour. I have been greatly impressed by the quality of information and questions that have been shared by everyone in these venues that have ranged from 1-on-1 tours to dozens of community members.
Shoutout to senior students Shakira Cook and Kamryn Oien. The girls walked around both the elementary and high school building filming footage and preparing a video. Thank you to the girls. The video editing was fantastic.
Shoutout to Mrs. Melissa Dreher, my secretary. Growing up, my mother was a secretary for State Farm. As a matter of fact, my mother and I graduated college the same year. I have so much respect for the role that Mrs. Dreher plays. If we made a sitcom about DCHS, the primary scene would be the office, and the rest of us would all be characters with Mrs. Dreher as the star. She always has a positive attitude, smile on her face, and knows just about everything that there is to know about the school. She is a great resource and great person to be around every day. We are lucky to have her.
Shoutout to a custodial staff that worked hard this summer. There was always a room being painted, a ceiling tile being replaced, or a floor being waxed. Thank you to Jess Allen, Jack Farr, Renee Harmon, and Delbert Russ for their efforts this summer. Delbert brought donuts into the office almost every Tuesday.
Shoutout to our new high school counselor, Mrs. Jillian Springer. Most of you know Mrs. Springer from the art classroom these past 5 years, but she has moved from the classroom to the office this year. Mrs. Springer has put in tons of hours this summer learning her new position and planning events for the the upcoming year. She is off to a great start, and you can tell that she is having a blast. I am happy for her and look forward to watching her continue to embrace her new role.
Shoutout to a welcoming and supportive staff. It's only my second year in the building, but there is a staff in place that truly loves DCHS, and in a world where it is becoming harder and harder to both teach students and recruit new teachers, DCHS has a staff that is fully committed to giving the best experience possible to our students. Here's a look at what our staff did this week:
1. Teambuildng: Teachers were paired randomly to work together on an escape room. Every group finished, and you can tell why they each became teachers, because they were all working together well. In the end veterans Ms. Fort and Mrs. Witt were the first ones to finish, followed closely by Mr. Williams and Ms. Carter. It figures, Ms. Fort is a big "Only Murders in the Building" fan, so she enjoys that stuff.
2. Dyslexia training: Every teacher and para that works with students in an educational environment worked to earn certificates in dyslexia training.
3. District Welcome with the entire district.
4. CPR Training: Every teacher is now certified in CPR.
5. Boardworks online Training: Boardworks is an online curriculum that helps teachers in their classrooms.
6. Know Your Oberlin Scavenger Hunt: For some it was the first time. For most, it was the first time in a longtime. Our teachers went on a scavenger hunt of the museum and focused again on just what made Oberlin what it is today.
Shoutout to Mrs. Brenda Breth and Mrs. Sharleen Wurm at the Decatur County Museum for organizing the Scavenger Hunt and coming in on a day they were off. I know my teachers generated ideas on how the museum can be connected to learning at the school.
All of this and more. On top of that, they had to get their classes ready, get ready to teach, and (like the kids) adjust their schedules to the early hours of the day once again.
These things still stand out to me:
-Hundreds of years of teaching in Oberlin on this staff
- Over 50% have students in Oberlin schools or that have graduated from DCHS. The majority of those that don't are too young to have kids or their kids are too young to go to school.
This staff in not only a group of educators, but also parents and community members of this town.
The First Day of School
Mrs. Springer sent this our to students.
Plan for the First Day of School - Monday, Aug. 21
8:10 - 8:40 Welcome --Everyone meets in the auditorium
Teachers help students get into their assigned areas & hand out schedules. Students leave their bags in the hallway.
1-8:45-9:05
2-9:10-9:30
3- 9:35-9:55
4- 10:00-10:20
5- 10:25- 10:45
6- 10:50-11:10
7- 11:15-11:35
8- 11:40-12:00
LUNCH/HR:
Juniors, Seniors, Sophomores 12:00-12:30
Fresh & 7th & 8th: 12:30-1:00
HR
7th, 8th, & Fresh - 12:00-12:30
10th, 11th, & 12th- 12:30- 1:00
(Chromebook checkout. Go over the back-to-school bash activities: 3 vs 3 basketball, cornhole, bocci ball, and swimming. Encourage students to take part in an activity! If you have time, go over mentoring/free time.)
1:00 Everyone head outside for Back to School Bash activities!
2:45 Booster Club will start serving ice cream.
3:15- Class meetings: Find a gathering place outside, discuss fundraising ideas, and get signed up for a concession stand. Sponsors: Have your phone/laptop available to access the concession stand list. Also, check how much money is in your class account. Remember it takes about $5,000 or more to do prom!
3:40 Dismissed
The Weekly Message
There will also be links to the Twitter account, Facebook account, and school calendar as well found down at the bottom.
As time goes on, please feel free to send me any emails of family members that would also like to follow along, and I will make sure to include them in the Weekly Message.
Here we go, Oberlin. It's another year, and we are about to crack the binding and begin the story of the 23-24 school year.
You know, I need it. For those of you parents that are reading this, you may relate to my last Friday when I said goodbye to my daughter at KU. I have never had a moment more equally sad and happy in my life.
Plus, I'm still trying to get over Mr. Kyle Breth drafting Mr. Patrick Mahomes right before I did last Friday in the draft.
I'm not only ready for school like years past, I'm Red Devil Ready!
Until next week,
Jeremy Holloway
Go Big Red!
Decatur County Community Junior/Senior High School
Email: jholloway@usd294.org
Website: https://www.usd294.org/vnews/display.v/SEC/DCHS
Location: 605 East Commercial Street, Oberlin, KS, USA
Phone: 785-475-2231
Twitter: @DCHSREDDEVILS