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AN OVERVIEW OF ALL SCHOOLS

ADDING UP TO FUN: Marrs Magnet Center in the Omaha school district was host Monday of the fourth annual Fourth-Grade Math Contest. Seventeen teams from school districts in the learning community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties participated. The event consisted of a written test and an interactive quiz bowl.

JUST LIKE ARETHA: The freshman class at Marian High School feasted on “Scraps,” a one-act show identifying bullying scenarios. R.E.S.P.E.C.T (Relationship Empowerment for Students, Parents, Educators and Community through Theatre) is an Omaha-based nonprofit group that works with other community groups to build healthy relationships among youths through the use of theatrical performance. After the performance, the troupe answered questions from the students and performed impromptu scenarios to illustrate how to stand up for oneself.

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS: About 110 Omaha Public Schools middle-school students took part in last week's problem-solving competition presented by the OPS Gifted and Talented Department. “Think Tank” was held at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Milo Bail Student Center. Working in groups that simulate real-life think tanks, students found innovative solutions to the challenges they were presented. In three rounds, they selected projects, negotiated prices and solved problems.

GETTING IN THEIR LICKS: The Westside Middle School Hot & Cool Jazz Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the school.

BOOSTERS BENEFIT: The Millard North High IB Boosters, in conjunction with the Borders bookstore at 13105 Birch Drive, will host a book fair Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The International Baccalaureate students will showcase their talents, reading holiday stories to children and providing free gift wrap to store patrons. The funds raised go mostly to buy gift baskets for teachers.

DAY CAMP: Need time for shopping? Springfield Platteview High School cheerleaders are planning a five-hour day camp for children pre-kindergarten age and older. The day camp will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 12 at the high school. For the cost and more information, call the high school, 339-3606.

NORTHWEST METRO SCHOOLS

FESTIVE AIR: Silver bells. Silver bells. It's concert time in Bennington. Tuesday will bring Bennington Elementary's 6:30 p.m. program for grades three through six. Grades two through five at Pine Creek Elementary will have a concert at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

REALLY LONG WEEKEND: Fresh off their four-day Thanksgiving break, students in Blair Community Schools won't have class Monday, either. The teachers will have an in-service day.

IN HARMONY: Bennington Senior High will present an instrumental concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

CENTRAL METRO SCHOOLS

MAKING MUSIC: Students at Brownell-Talbot School will present an instrumental concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Swanson Auditorium.

JOB PROSPECTS: Local business representatives and entrepreneurs were at King Science and Technology Magnet Center for the recent career fair. More than two dozen volunteers talked with students about the education needed for their respective career field and shared advice on how to land a job. Professionals in attendance included hair stylists, endocrinologists, military personnel and engineers.

WEST METRO SCHOOLS

IN HARMONY: Cather Elementary in Millard will have a band and orchestra concert at 9 a.m. Thursday.

TOYS AT SCHOOL: Black Elk Elementary in Millard is participating in the Toys for Tots program through Friday by collecting new toys.

NOW SHOWING: The student council at Cody Elementary in Millard will sponsor movie night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.

‘AND SING A CHORUS OR TWO': Willowdale Elementary in Millard will have a holiday concert at 2 p.m. Friday.

JUST BEING CRAFTY: The PTO at Ackerman Elementary in Millard will have Family Craft Night from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

LUNCHEON SERENADE: The fifth-grade band at Harvey Oaks Elementary in Millard will give a performance Wednesday to accompany lunch.

KEEPING WARM: Morton Elementary in Millard will kick off its coat drive Monday.

AN EVENING OF MUSIC: Reagan Elementary in Millard will have an orchestra and band concert at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, followed by the fourth- and fifth-grade program at 7.

SOUTH METRO SCHOOLS

DINNER AND A FLOOR SHOW: Fazoli's in La Vista will be filled with G. Stanley Hall Elementary families Thursday evening for the PTO-sponsored fundraiser. Staff members from the La Vista school will carol from 5 p.m. to 5:20 p.m.

HONOR CHORUS PROGRAM: The Honor Chorus and kindergartners will offer a music program at 7 p.m. Thursday at Anderson Grove Elementary in the Papillion-La Vista Public Schools.

HOLIDAY HAPPENING: A holiday bazaar will fill the front lobby of Carriage Hill Elementary in Papillion. Hours will be 3:15 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Dec. 5.

SANTA'S WORKSHOP: Santa's Workshop will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 5 at Rumsey Station Elementary in Papillion. Students will have an opportunity to purchase inexpensive gifts for their families and friends.

MAKING A LIST: Students at LeMay Elementary can shop for presents for their friends and families at the Holiday Gift Shop, open Tuesday through Thursday at the Bellevue school.

HELPING OTHERS: The student council at Two Springs Elementary in Bellevue will sponsor a canned food drive for the Bellevue Food Pantry from Thursday through Dec. 11.

LITTLE KIDS AT BIG SCHOOL: First-graders at Bellevue's Two Springs Elementary will present a vocal concert Thursday at Bellevue West High.

NEBRASKA SCHOOLS

BUSINESS-MINDED: The Students in Free Enterprise team at the University of Nebraska at Kearney recently hosted an all-day competition on campus for high school students interested in entrepreneurship. More than 130 students registered. Grand Champion team members and their high schools were Dylan Kenney of Amherst, Clinton Fauss of Callaway, Bradley Van Winkle of Centura High School-Cairo, Cara Lyon of Centura High School-Cairo, Stephen Rousseau of Hastings, Josh Powell of Kenesaw, Armando Tapia-Casados of Pleasanton, Taylor Marten of Sandhills, Zach Stiner of Sandy Creek and Bryan Palmer of Shelton. These students were named league winners: Joe Ostendon of Amherst; Ben Lawrence of Arcadia; Kalen Pfeiffer of Amherst; Riley Bonifas of Blue Hill; Alicia Potter and Peter Jenkins, both of Callaway; Angelica Young, Hailey Garcia, Shelby Christensen and Traci Turek, all of Centura High School (Cairo); Anie Dillman and Scott Sunders, both of Hastings; Asa Stansburg and Logan Bohl, both of Kearney; Bryant Els of Ord; Colin Janitscheck and Kelli Bauer, both of Pleasanton; Chance Giles of Sandhills; Amanda Fike of Sandy Creek; and Maggie Urbanek and Jarrod Chavez, both of Shelton.

SIGHTS TO BEHOLD: Exhibitors at the Lincoln Fine Arts 2009 Festival at SouthPointe Pavilion, a judged high school show, were: Wahoo Neumann, including instructor Mary Lorenz and students Brittany Wotipka, Amelia Homes and Christina Albin; Milford High, including instructor Mindy Burton and students Preston Horsley, Abbey Ahmed, Celena Malmkar and Larisa Roth; Nebraska City, including instructor Deb Kubik and students Gage Riveria, Madeline Dearbill, Bobby Harding, Sara Weibusch and Geovanni Mora; Lincoln North Star, including instructor Lynette Fast and student Brenda Alonzo; Crete, including instructor Kathy Stastny and students Haley Jensby and Isabel Garcia Paredes; Raymond Central, including instructor Jean Rempfer and students Amanda Benes, James Burkland and Amanda Stoffel; Lincoln Pius X, including instructor Laurie Rodaway and students Anna Henrichsen, Liz Kosch, Liz Bahl, Sophie Johnson, and Mikayla Gamet; Lincoln Humanities, including instructor Nick Salestrom and students Jenna Raef, Danielle Hardesty, Maggie Austin, Ashley Anderson, Brittany Wehling, Nealon Shutz and Gera Carstenson.

HELPING OTHERS: The students of Weeping Water Public School again this year participated in the annual Food Drive for the Weeping Water Food Pantry. The drive finished Monday.

FEEDING THE HUNGRY: Pound Middle School in Lincoln prepared Thanksgiving baskets for needy families in a collaborative effort with the Pound PTO and Williamsburg Hy-Vee Supermarket.

GIVING TREE: Student council members at Lincoln Southwest High School began a Giving Tree Toy Drive on Monday. Students are encouraged to sponsor one of the children and provide toys and clothes for the holidays. Student council members will deliver the gifts Dec. 11.

GIVING THANKS FOR BOOKS: Harvest of Books, the annual fall book drive sponsored by the Lincoln Education Association, distributed 10,000 books Monday through Wednesday to first- and second-graders in Lincoln.

BALLET LESSONS: Backstage at the Ballet will come to Elliott Elementary in Lincoln from Tuesday through Thursday. Artists in residence will show children how to dance scenes from the “Nutcracker,” dress in the ballet costumes and apply makeup. A group of Elliott students and families will attend a “Nutcracker” performance on Dec. 19.

IRON CHEF LINCOLN? Lincoln Public Schools' fifth annual Culinary Competition will be from 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus Union. About 100 students from all six high schools won preliminaries at their schools to qualify. Local chefs, plus instructors from Southeast Community College and UNL, will judge. The competition includes desserts, tapas, chocolate sculpture and vegetable and fruit carving. Culinary arts are taught at LPS high schools in a two-year series called “ProStart.”

SHE'S A WINNER: “Edgeware,” written by Samantha Karas of Lincoln, received an honorable mention in the Family Travel Forum's third annual Teen Travel Writing Scholarship competition. More than 8,500 student travel blogs were submitted by Americans ages 13 to 18.

LEADING EDGE: More than 200 fifth- and sixth-graders from Nebraska communities participated last week in the Mid-Nebraska Youth Leadership Conference at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The students were from Nebraska Region IV area schools, which include public and private schools.

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