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AN OVERVIEW OF ALL SCHOOLS

DRAW, BUCKLE UP, ENTER: It's a poster contest called “Be Ready. Be Buckled. Ready for the Road Ahead.” Kids should draw, paint and create art to tell why it's important for truck and bus drivers to buckle up. The submission deadline has been extended to Feb. 14. For rules, visit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and click on outreach and education.

THE PLAY'S THE THING: The District C2-2 play production contest held recently at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont drew a number of high school entries. Here's how they finished: West Point Central Catholic, first; Fremont Bergan, second; Omaha Christian Academy, third; David City Aquinas, fourth; Howells, fifth; Oakland Craig, sixth; East Butler in Brainard, seventh; and Lyons Decatur Northeast, eighth.

FUTURE CITY: What do engineering, economics, math and the environment have in common? They're all topics that middle schoolers are tackling in the 2009-10 National Engineers Week Future City Competition. This year's topic is providing affordable living spaces for people who have lost their home because of a disaster or financial emergency. Students have been working on their Future City projects since the school year began and now each of nearly 40 regions is preparing for January's regional finals. First-place winners from each qualifying regional competition receive a trip to the 18th annual Future City National Finals in Washington, D.C., in February. In Nebraska, the Future City Competition regional finals will begin at 9 a.m. Jan. 16 at Educational Service Unit No. 3, 6949 S. 110th St. The event is underwritten by the Nebraska Section of American Society of Civil Engineers and sponsored by the nation's professional engineering community.

MEASURING UP: From the Westgate Elementary newsletter in Westside Community Schools comes this parent quiz. Are you helping your child feel confident at school? Are you instilling the “can do” attitude that can help your child tackle tough school tasks? Answer yes or no to these statements:

1. I look for something positive in every assignment my child shows me.

2. I encourage effort — not just results.

3. We practice at home when my child has to give a report so he feels confident.

4. I help my child make homework fun when I can.

5. I encourage my child to keep at it when he gets stuck.

How did you do?

Each “yes” answer means you are giving your child the confidence to do well at school. Your “no” answers give you ideas to try.

FILLING THE TOY CHEST: Students and staff at Blair High School donated 231 toys to the Optimist Toy Drive. The toys went to needy children in Washington County.

SAYING THANKS: Marian High School recently had a scholarship breakfast to honor benefactors who have created endowed scholarships for students in need. Through these donors, Marian provides more than half of its student body $500,000 in scholarship assistance each year. Thirteen benefactors of 19 endowed scholarships and 30 student scholarship recipients dined together and listened to Marian's string ensemble. This is the first year Marian has organized a breakfast to thank its more than 85 scholarship donors.

AND THE WINNER IS: Omaha Benson High senior Richard Manjarrez created the winning poster and invitation designs to advertise the coming youth art contest for the Neighborhood Center's fifth annual Youth Art Showcase and Auction. Copies of his poster and invitation will be sent to schools in Omaha and Council Bluffs to encourage students to enter the annual contest. Manjarrez created the poster in Benson's advanced computer graphics class.

NORTHWEST METRO SCHOOLS

MORE THANKS: Fourth-graders from Hillrise Elementary in the Elkhorn Public Schools recently gave letters of appreciation to Omaha police officers and firefighters. The children wrote the letters as part of an effort by the Omaha Firefighter and Police Appreciation Foundation to educate the public about the departments. Third-graders from Elkhorn's Skyline Elementary presented thank-you notes to Officer Josh Martinec and Firefighter Greg Martinec, who are, respectively, the husband and brother-in-law of Leslie Martinec, a third-grade teacher at Skyline.

CENTRAL METRO SCHOOLS

ENCORE: St. Cecilia School's seventh-graders presented Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” to students, family and friends. The annual production includes student-designed sets, choir and musical accompaniment. Teachers Mike Kelly and Debbie Rosenberg coordinate the annual production.

SOUTH METRO SCHOOLS

HAPPY 50TH: On Dec. 10, 1959, students entered Platteview High School for the first time. The school grew out of the reorganization of three communities into one school district, South Sarpy District 46.

LEARNING ABOUT LAW: High Ability Learner fifth- and sixth-grade students from the Papillion-La Vista school district recently took part in a two-day law seminar. During the first day, Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., visited with students about government and laws. The second day included a tour of the Sarpy County Courthouse and participation in a mock trial.

STUDENTS ARE GREAT: Sarpy County Deputy Sheriff Nicole Damewood challenged seventh-graders in her GREAT class in Bellevue to do a service project for the holidays. She teaches Gang Resistance Education And Training to about half the seventh-graders at Lewis & Clark Middle School in Bellevue. Those 80 students collected more than 1,600 items for the needy. Most of the clothing, toys and books collected are gently used items, but one student and her mother made fleece blankets and donated them. Before the holiday break, the students loaded the items into a Sarpy County vehicle for delivery to Back Door Boutique at the Family Life Center at First Baptist Church in Bellevue. Through the boutique, items are given to needy people of any religion.

ALL ABOARD: First-grade students at Patriot Elementary in Papillion embarked on a magical journey to help celebrate the holiday season. Patriot Principal Mary Scarborough read the story “The Polar Express” to the first-graders. After the story, Scarborough became the conductor, leading the pajama-clad youths throughout the school pretending they were on the Polar Express. After the parade, the students had chocolate milk and candy canes.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING: All Carriage Hill students took part in an Academic Extravaganza before the holiday break. Students from different grades at the Papillion school paired up and then spent the day doing various academic activities. The students read miniplays in reader's theater, worked at fitness stations during PE time, read to one another during buddy reading and completed winter theme art projects, among other activities.

WESTERN IOWA SCHOOLS

HELPING THE GOOD GUYS: The AHST Community School District students in grades six through eight had a “penny contest” to raise money for Good Guys, a local organization that helps the needy. The students raised almost $700 in one week. Ellamae Hegna, a middle school teacher and organizer of the event, said this was the 13th year for the contest and more than $16,000 has been given to the Good Guys during that time. The district includes the Iowa towns of Avoca, Hancock, Shelby and Tennant.

NEBRASKA SCHOOLS

LEARNING BY DOING: Peru State College recently sponsored 17 Johnson-Brock sixth-graders in the college's annual Social Studies Fair, which began more than 20 years ago. Fifteen college students studying social studies methods worked with the sixth-graders on projects before the event. Part of the preparation process included a field trip to the college's library to do research. Students presented their projects to a panel of judges. Awards were presented in these categories: best oral presentation, Emerson Carbajal; best visual presentation, Tyler Pendell; first place, Trayven Boellstorff; second place, Morgan Rieger; third place, Gracie Bremer; fourth place, McKayla Damme.

BOOKS FOR BABIES: Staff who work in the Student-Child Learning Center at Lincoln North Star High School have been on a mission of literacy. They raised more than $1,000 in donations to buy books for the student parents at North Star. One staff member also donated book bags with each baby's name embroidered on them.

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