Battle Creek Public Schools

Battle Creek Public Schools says Thank You!

Conference track will now be Tuesday with a 12:00 start time for field events. 2:30 running events. Back to Prelims/Finals meet.

Some of the 2022 BC Junior High Speech students traveled to Wayne on Sat., April 30 to compete in their big Blue Devils invite! Our competitors are improving each week, and Israel Baier brought home 4th place in Declamation Speaking! Congrats!

Battle Creek High School Athletic Banquet tonight is another great success. Thanks to all the work by our athletic director @codywintz for making this night possible for our coaches, student athletes and parents. #BCPRIDE

Athletic Banquet Plan Goodies will be setup by 5:15. Families can begin to arrive at 5:30 to go through the meal line. Food will be served until 6:20, so come when it works best for you. We'll begin the Banquet Program at 6:30 and be done by 7:30. Tickets needed for meal

There will be no Youth Track practice on Monday, May 2nd due to inclement weather forecast.

Due to Conference Track being rescheduled to Monday, we will NOT have our Youth Track Practice that day. We will not reschedule. Thanks for participating and have a great summer!

We hope you can attend the Final Pokemon Club Meeting Friday, May 6th from 3:30-6:00 in the Elementary Lunchroom.

The Mid State Conference Track Meet will be postponed to Monday, May 2nd at Battle Creek. Field events will begin at 11:00, running events will begin at 1:30 or earlier if possible. This will be a finals only track meet

Battle Creek Elementary raised $2660.00 for the American Heart Association.. Taake’s Kindergarten raised $1016.05!! As a reward, Taake’s Kindergarten slimed Principal Childers! It’s a great day to be a Brave!

1st grade having fun with boomwhackers in the music room!

Come out today to Norfolk Public High School to support Battle Creek's best competing in the Norfolk Track Classic. #BCpride

Congrats to the 2022-2023 BCHS Cheerleaders 📣 Captains:Justine Kurpgeweit, Ashlynn Rath Squad members: Taylynn Aldag, Kenzi Eckert, Amber Schurman, Dani Sheppard, Jenneca Sonder, Leah Tillman Sidnee Hollum, Jaelynn Kesting, Lana Tillman Aspen Greve, Alyssa Jaster, Kolby Kummer

Norfolk Track Classic meet information and start time can be found on: https://sites.google.com/npsne.org/nenclassic/meet-information/2022-meet-schedule

Battle Creek Elementary Student Council Members, in conjunction with the Battle Creek Lions Club, participated in the annual highway clean up. They cleaned up the stretch of highway north of Battle Creek on Highway 121.

BCHS to Welcome New FACS Teacher By Delaney Meinke When school begins in the fall, Battle Creek High will be welcoming a new Family and Consumer Science instructor: Mrs. Brianna O’Brien, wife of ag instructor Billy O’Brien. Mrs. O’Brien will be replacing Miss Kelsey Reiman who is leaving at the end of the school year to take a similar position in Hartington, Nebraska. O’Brien grew up in Albion, Nebraska, graduating from Boone Central High School in 2015. She then attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, studying Hospitality, Restaurant, and Tourism Management. She graduated from the university in 2018. Currently, she is working on a master’s degree at UNL in Family and Consumer Science Education. O’Brien stated that she is familiar with Battle Creek; she stated that she specifically remembers coming to the school for speech meets, and she even performed in the FCS classroom. She also has had the opportunity to learn more about the school through her husband. She was able to meet some of the staff at different events as well as some of the students through assisting with FFA activities. She stated that her entire family was incredibly supportive of her decision to become a teacher, especially Mr. O’Brien. She mentioned that she knew she wanted to teach in this subject area, so when she saw the opening, it was a very quick and easy decision. She is very grateful to become a part of the BCHS family. O’Brien will be teaching a wide array of courses at the school, including some culinary classes, Life Skills, Interpersonal Relationships, Child Development, and Intro to Education. She will also serve as the FCCLA advisor.

Battle Creek to Expand Elementary Facilities By Paytyn Taake In March, the community of Battle Creek voted in favor of spending money to improve the Battle Creek Elementary School facilities. Over the past several years, the enrollment at the school has increased, with numbers reaching high enough to double track all grades from kindergarten through sixth. With an increase in numbers, change was deemed necessary to improve the building and provide adequate space for the students. According to Superintendent Jake Luhr, the total percentage of the elementary portion of the bond comes to just around 50 percent, which will include a new entrance, addition, and renovated classrooms. Plans are still being made, but the new entrance will be placed on the south side of the existing building where parents already drop off and pick up their children. This location will not have a negative impact on traffic flow in the area and will allow for buses to continue to load and unload in the same general vicinity that they currently do. The playground will also remain unaffected, and there will still be a blacktop for the students to play on. Additions to the building will include a new space for nursing services as well as a new administrative office. Elementary Principal Curtis Childers stated, “This was a needed piece because our current entrance is not very identifiable, and we have people go to the wrong doors/areas on a regular basis. Placing the identifiable entrance on the south side of the school makes sense because there is parking on that side, and people tend to try to come in that set of doors already. This will provide a safe drop-off and pick-up area for buses and will make other entrances and exits safer as well.” No new classrooms will be added, but other existing spaces will be renovated into additional classroom space. The old principal’s office is slated to become the new art room, and the current computer lab will become a new classroom as well. Art Instructor Stephanie Nelson is thrilled to have a dedicated art room on the elementary campus. She mentioned, "My elementary students will be able to learn in a structured classroom that will enhance their learning of art in many additional aspects. We will have access to technology for the first time for the elementary art curriculum.” Nelson instructs about 250 elementary students each week. Another aspect of the renovation is changes to the existing shop area, which will be remodeled into new classrooms plus additional bathrooms. New hallways will also be constructed to reach classrooms on the north side of the building. The locker rooms will be turned into a teacher workroom with staff-only restrooms, but there will still be changing rooms accessible for the JV basketball teams which play their games in the elementary gym. When done, the plan calls for two classrooms per grade level as well as fully handicap-accessible restrooms throughout the facility, something the building currently does not have. Battle Creek Public Schools has chosen to pair with Hausmann Construction to complete the renovation, with the goal of having all work done by August of 2023. If the timeline is not met and work must continue after school is in session, Hausmann has assured the school that work can safely continue while school is in session. Hausmann is a well-known construction company that has done various projects in the area, including the recently built Summerland School in Ewing, Nebraska. This project will greatly benefit the youth of the community, offering greater safety and an environment even more conducive to learning. Much thanks goes out to the community for continuing to make education a priority in Battle Creek.

Boys Golf Results @Hartington Inv. Finke 86 Beckman 86 Heimes 91 Miller 101 Reeves 112 Team Results: 364

Boys golf front nine scores from Hartington Tait 45 Boston 55 Ethan 52 Luke 38 Garrett 43

Science Teacher Leaving BCHS By Aurora Hingst At the end of the school year, Battle Creek will be losing a high school science teacher. Ms. Rebecca Fischer will be moving to Cedar Bluffs High School after four years of service to Battle Creek High. Fischer grew up in Scribner, Nebraska, and graduated from Scribner/Snyder High School in 2014. She attended Doane University, earning her bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 2017. She is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Stem Science Education through the University of Nebraska at Kearney and will graduate in May of 2022. This will allow her to teach dual credit courses at her new school. Fischer mentioned that this move to Cedar Bluffs will place her closer to her family and will allow her to attend her younger sister’s activities. She also looks forward to some of the new classes she will be teaching in Cedar Bluffs including chemistry, biology, anatomy, microbiology, and botany. In addition, she will be the sponsor for the Health Occupations Students of America. Fischer is engaged to be married in 2023. Her fiance, Keifer Kotrous, is also a teacher, and the two met when he did his student teaching in Battle Creek in 2019. In her free time, Fischer enjoys gardening and watching her sister play softball.