The Iowa Department of Education recently released updated Iowa School Performance Profiles. These profiles provide information about how public schools in Iowa are performing.
All three Treynor schools are rated High Performing! This rating is a direct reflection of the hard work put in by teachers and staff. The performance profile shows that Treynor schools are some of the best in Southwest Iowa. Treynor is the only district in the area where all schools ranked High Performing.
Several indicators go into a school’s performance score, including assessment participation; attendance; graduation rates; growth in math, language arts, and science; proficiencies in math, language arts, science, and post-secondary readiness indicators.
This link will take you to Treynor’s performance profile. It will provide an overview of the district’s demographics, scores compared to the state average, and links to each school’s results. The site also allows you to look up any public school’s results in Iowa. There is a search feature at the top right of the page. This spreadsheet shows the overall score of Treynor and surrounding districts. To see more specific information, look up the school in the Iowa School Performance Profile site. The schools with italicized scores are identified as having underperforming student groups, which may have placed them in an overall lower ranking.
This information shows another reason to celebrate the great things happening in our schools and the overall success measured in these student learning indicators.
In partnership with Thrasher Foundation Repair, KETV helped deliver a $2,500 check to Mrs. Randi Endriss, Treynor's Talented and Gifted programming teacher for the Cash In For Schools program. Mrs. Endriss will use the funds to purchase supplies to expand enrichment opportunities in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) program. Some examples would be additional Cubettos, Cubelets, Ozobots, Micro:bits, and tablets for elementary and middle school classrooms. Thrasher Foundation Repair is committed to supporting children in the greater Omaha community and is inspired by the great work so many teachers and schools do every day.
The Iowa Department of Education awarded over $1.7 million in competitive grants to 20 Iowa school districts focused on aligning secondary career and technical education programs with student attainment of industry-recognized credentials. The Credentials to Careers grant will support high school students earning credentials with labor market value. Treynor High School was one of the 20 schools that will receive this grant worth $122,400!
Industry-Recognized Credentials (IRCs) are important milestones for many career pathways. At the secondary and post-secondary levels, students should have the opportunity to earn education- and work-related credentials that verify skill mastery, educational attainment, and the ability to perform a task or operation. Credentials are valuable to employers, allowing them to determine job applicants’ skills or education levels without assessing each one. Recipients of the credentials have demonstrated that they possess the knowledge, skills, and competencies required to perform specific tasks or roles within that industry.
The credentials that Mrs. Berens (Academic Success Advisor/Career Coach) and Mrs. Floerchinger (6-12 School Counselor) applied for and were approved are:
CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) Certification - We worked with IWCC to offer this certification this past summer for students who were interested in the medical field.
OSHA 10 Certification - Students in any of Mr. Messerschmidt’s Industrial Arts Classes can get this certification.
Precision Measurement Certification and Hand Tool Identification and Safety Certification - Students in Mr. Messerschmidt’s Industrial Arts Classes can get this certification.
CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) Certification - We worked with IWCC to offer this certification this past summer for students interested, but they had to be 18 years of age.
Treynor also purchased tool sets for the Industrial Arts Room, needed supplies for the Family Consumer Science Room, AED units, and CPR kits that will be used each year to certify our seniors in CPR.
Mrs. Berens has been hard at work this year in her various roles. As the Academic Success Advisor, she facilitates the Student Assistance Teams for students in 6-12th grades. These teams aim to support students needing assistance by monitoring and responding to student data such as attendance, grades, and behavior, amongst other factors. The teams then develop a plan for each student and track the data to monitor the success of interventions.
Additionally, Mrs. Berens serves as the 504 Coordinator for the district. She develops, modifies, and monitors 504 plans for eligible students. This ensures that teachers are aware of and successfully implement appropriate student accommodations. This keeps teachers and other staff informed of progress, incidents, and concerns.
As the district's Career Coach, Mrs. Berens plans, advises, and shares academic and career information between parents, teachers, students, and administration. She also encourages and supports students’ career and academic goals. She helps students explore post-secondary options such as apprenticeships, trade schools, two and four-year public and private colleges and universities, military branches, and the workforce.
Career exploration takes place both in and out of the classroom. In the classroom setting, students take assessments that include skills interests, skills confidence, and work values. Once the students take their assessments, they can explore careers directly tied to how they answered career interest assessments. Opportunities provided outside of the classroom include small group career discovery days either at a business in the metro area or at an Iowa Western Campus. All high school students are sent information about each one and sign up for any that peak their interest. Sophomore through senior students are also encouraged to do job shadows that Mrs. Berens will set up for them. So far this year, ten discovery days have been arranged and sixty job shadows have been provided for our students!
Finally, each school in the state is required to have a career and academic plan. Treynor’s District Career and Academic Plan has four goals for the year. The first goal is to set up yearly visits to colleges starting in the 8th grade and this goal has been achieved! A second goal is that students will give a reflection after each college or career experience and this is currently being met. The third goal is to have at least 80% of our high school teachers incorporate career-related activities within their content area and we are currently working on this goal. The fourth goal is to have all 8th graders create a resume they will update each year in high school. This will likely take place during the second semester.
Congratulations to our ACT 30+ Club members, Griffin Gregg and Kallie Danker!
We'd also like to congratulate our 25+ Club members, Kyle Beekhuizen, Hailey Wiebold, Sydney Burmeister, Monica Osborn, Alleyna Juelsgaard, Emma Miller, Gretchen Swalwell, Addie Minahan, Luke Christensen, Peter Young, and Nathan White!
Girls' Cross Country
Andyn White received a WIC All-Academic Award. The girls' cross-country team members who received Academic All State Awards for having a GPA of 3.8 or higher were Madalyn Kerkmann, Madeline Knispel, Anne Miller, Andyn White, and Lilly Yochum.
Volleyball
Nora Konz made the All WIC 1st Team, Rylee Hemmingsen and Alleyna Juelsgaard made the All WIC 2nd Team, and Shaylee Smith received an All WIC Honorable Mention. Sydney Burmeister, Alleyna Juelsgaard, and Kori Thein received All-Academic awards.
Football
Congratulations to our 1st Team All-District winners Jared Schwarte (OL), Jett Sornson (RB), Jude Mieska (WR), Peter Young (K), Zack Robbins (DL), Bradley Stock (LB), Peter Young (DB), Cauy Konz (DB), and Corbin Thien (P). Ben Casey (QB), Kyle Beekhuizen (OL), and Ethan Hill (U) are 2nd Team All-District winners. Honorable Mention All-District Members are Lowell Knott (OL), Maverrick Kalb (OL), Brock Casey (WR) and Bryce McIntosh (LB).
Congratulations to senior Zack Robbins on being named the Class 1A District 8 Defensive MVP! Zack finishes his career with 73 solo tackles, 183 total tackles, 9.5 sacks and 52.0 tackles for loss!
Coach Josh Weis was named the District 8 Assistant Coach of the Year!
Homecoming 2024-2025
Tristen Pearce and Monica Osborn were this year's homecoming king and queen!
Congratulations to the 2024 Homecoming Court:
Front Row L-R: Cali Bach, Taylor Mass, Emma Miller, Monica Osborn, Gretchen Swalwell
Back Row L-R: Kyle Beekhuizen, Ben Casey, Will Parrott, Tristen Pearce, Peter Young
High School Fall Musical - Cinderella
The 2024 Treynor High School Music Department presented Rodgers & Hammerstein’s "Cinderella" on Saturday, November 9th at 7:30 PM and Sunday, November 10th at 2:00 PM. The timeless enchantment of the magical fairy tale was reborn with the writers' hallmarks of originality, charm and elegance. The musical was a wonderful success, with students delivering incredible performances. Thank you to everyone who came out to support our talented students!
Marching Band
This year's marching band program was Randall Standridge's "Ghost Ship", which is the story of a chilling voyage as Captain Fangg and his dauntless crew navigate the treacherous waters of Shadow Cove.
"The students worked hard and had a great season of music and marching. I'm very proud of the band and the vanguard for the hard work they continuously put in," said Mrs. Miller.
Treynor Students Selected for SWIBA Honor Band
Seven Treynor musicians auditioned for the Southwest Iowa Bandmaster's Association (SWIBA) Middle School Honor Band in Clarinda on November 2nd. All seven gave outstanding performances! Joslynn Magill and Talin Wolford made the SWIBA Honor Band for saxophone. We're proud of the dedication and hard work all of our students demonstrated!
JOI Club Kicks Off Busy Year of Community Service
The JOI (Junior Optimist International) Club of Treynor has been busy already this school year, living out its motto to serve others. In September, the students made tie blankets after their meeting, sending 29 blankets to Children's Hospital. The staff at Children's Hospital told the group that the tie blankets "are super popular among the young patients and go fast". The group also manned a trunk or two at the Community Trunk or Treat.
JOI Club also has a sub-organization, KKAD25, that promotes safety events. KKAD25 partners with SAFE Iowa to provide funding and events for schools.
The Treynor Junior Optimist Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month to conduct official business. The planned projects for the remainder of this year will include cookies and thank-you bags for veterans, Community Christmas event help, New Visions Toy Drive, "Souper Bowl" food drive, Valentine's for Open Door Mission, and our senior citizens, Teacher & Nurse Appreciation, helping with the fifth-grade tree mulching, and more.
This year's club is led by President Monica Osborn, Vice President Gretchen Swalwell, Secretary Andi White, and Treasurer Molly Coffman. The KKAD25 Group is led by President Andyn White and Adult JOI Club Sponsor Shelly Bailey serves as Secretary/Treasurer. Read more about the KKAD25/SAFE Group here.
Treynor's second-grade students were thrilled to receive their very own copy of Just Like Caitlin! The books were donated by Dickson and Luann Jensen, proud Iowa business owners, coaches, and grandparents who donated over 50,000 copies throughout Iowa to second-grade students. The book, written by their daughter, Ali Obermeier, tells Clark’s story and includes many important life lessons such as working hard, dreaming big, and valuing relationships over winning.
TeamMates mentoring is up to 39 matches district-wide. Below is a photo of some mentors from our fall back-to-school breakfast.
Any and all students 3rd through 9th grade are welcome to apply for a mentor. They can reach out to Mrs. Currin at the elementary or Mrs. Floerchinger at the MS/HS. We are looking for a few more mentors this year too. Adults can apply at www.teammates.org.
With a growing district, community members desire each student continues to succeed, thus the Treynor Community Schools Fund was created in partnership with Four Corners Community Foundation (4CCF). The Fund will help with academic based needs in the school, primarily for special classroom grants. It dials in on hands-on learning in the classroom and supports teachers with creative ideas to enhance teaching experiences. Donations can be made anytime of the year!
Donations to the fund help students with outside classroom experiences as well as provide teachers with necessary supplies and tools including:
- classroom supplies;
- tech-based needs such as tablets, microphones, etc.;
- outside classroom academic experiences; and
- new student programming
Applications will be made available after the first of the year for teachers to apply. In the spring, awards will be announced and be able to be used for the beginning of the school year in fall 2025. At this time the max of $500 will be awarded per request.
Currently, we are looking to grow funds for the account. If you would like to contribute or share with others, individuals can give online here or make checks payable to Four Corners Community Foundation with check memo: Treynor Community Schools Fund and mail to 536 E Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA 51503.
About 4CCF: Four Corner Community Foundation's mission is creating rural impact through charitable giving and community projects. Founded in 1999, 4CCF is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to developing long-term prosperity in the local communities, and a charitable process which gives donors more financial flexibility. In 2019, 4CCF became an affiliate of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa and as partners continue efforts to spur growth and prosperity in southwest Iowa. To learn more visit, https://www.givewesterniowa.org/affiliates/4CCF.
Christina Caruso
Christina has developed strong relationships over the years with the 5th graders at Treynor Elementary, as she has been with this group for three years now. She is helping me to get to know them better each day. She is able to catch when they are having a bad day - many times before me - which helps me to be able to build a relationship with them and allow them to learn, despite their circumstances.
She is extremely organized and is willing to do whatever I need to help differentiate and meet her assigned students where they are at. She is extremely encouraging to me and helps me to be a better teacher. I don't think I could meet this group's needs if it weren't for her being in here this year. She deserves to be recognized for her efforts!
Randy Wellman
I would like to nominate Randy Wellman for recognition due to his exceptional dedication and outstanding contributions to Treynor Community Schools. Randy consistently goes above and beyond in every aspect of his role. Not only does he serve as a skilled and reliable bus mechanic, ensuring that all vehicles are safe and well-maintained, but he also preps vehicles for school activities and drives a route to Omaha daily to provide a student access to services at BoysTown.
Randy’s commitment to the school extends beyond his primary duties. He has repeatedly stepped up to assist the custodial crew when they were short-staffed, showing his flexibility and willingness to take on additional responsibilities to support the school. His tireless work ethic and helpful nature make him an invaluable member of our community.
Moreover, Randy’s attention to detail and proactive approach help ensure that everything runs smoothly. He has been a consistent source of support and provides essential help in a detail-oriented environment. His dedication, hard work, and positive attitude reflect the true spirit of our school community, and I wholeheartedly believe he deserves recognition for his exceptional service.
Randy Wellman embodies the qualities of dedication, teamwork, and professionalism. His contributions have a profound impact on the daily operations of Treynor Community Schools, and his efforts truly go above and beyond. He is not only an incredible employee but also a person who deeply cares about the well-being and success of those around him. Randy Wellman truly Raises the Red C.
