Battle Creek Public Schools

A Farewell to Vocal Teacher Laura Johns By Raina Lade Battle Creek High School will be saying goodbye to its vocal music instructor at the end of the school year. Miss Laura Johns, who has been at Battle Creek for six years, will be leaving the community for the Pawnee City Public Schools. She will be the K-12 vocal music instructor there as well as the technology integrationist. She will be replaced by Miss Abigail Robinson, a recent Wayne State grad and Norfolk High alum. Johns grew up in Tecumseh, Nebraska, and is excited to move closer to her hometown. She stated that she is leaving to be closer to her family and to her fiancé, Kyle Dieckgrafe. Johns’ departure means the district also loses her fourth grade son, Timmy. Battle Creek wishes Miss Johns and Timmy all the best in their new adventure.

Elementary Teacher Blake Mooney Leaving the District By Haley Hrabanek Mr. Blake Mooney, a fourth grade teacher at Battle Creek Elementary, is leaving the district in May to take a similar position in Neligh, Nebraska. Mooney has been teaching and coaching in Battle Creek for the past three years. Mooney grew up in Covington, Georgia. He attended Peru State College in Nebraska where he earned his teaching degree. Mooney indicated that he is leaving Battle Creek to spend more time with his family and in the community of Neligh where he and his wife Chelcy live. He mentioned that he is a volunteer firefighter there, a member of the men’s club, and he coaches youth baseball and football. Chelcy is an English teacher at the high school in Neligh, and Blake will be teaching fifth grade at the school. Mooney added that he hopes to coach the cross country squad next year. The couple has four young children: Hunter, Haylee, Hank, and Harlow.

Kindergarten Teacher Leaving BCPS By Taylor Easland Long time kindergarten instructor Jacki McCracken will be packing up her classroom in May and leaving the district after 13 years of teaching some of the community’s youngest learners. McCracken will be replaced by Mrs. Jaci (Weidner) Rethwisch, a 2011 Battle Creek alum. McCracken graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University and worked as a grant coordinator in Iowa prior to coming to Nebraska. She will be relocating to southeast Iowa with her husband Adam who took a job there in 2020. McCracken stated that she hasn’t decided whether or not she will be teaching full time or just substitute teaching; it all depends on what is available in the area. The McCrackens hope to settle within a 20 mile radius of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where Adam works as a plastics engineer. McCracken’s oldest child, Caydon, graduated from Battle Creek High in 2019 and is currently a junior at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. He is studying chemical engineering. Her youngest child, Meghan, will be graduating from BCHS in May of this year and plans to attend Truman State University in Missouri. She plans to study to become a midwife. McCracken stated, “After spending 14 years in Battle Creek, we will definitely miss our friends and colleagues here.”

Freshman Blaze Day off to a good start!

Family and Consumer Science Teacher Leaving BCHS By McKinley Hanson Battle Creek High School’s FACS teacher Kelsey Reiman will be leaving the district at the end of the school year to take a position with the Hartington/Newcastle School District. Reiman grew up in Butte, Nebraska, and attended Boyd County Schools before attending Wayne State College where she earned her bachelor's degree in secondary education. Reiman leaves Battle Creek for Cedar County where her fiance Cole Schumacher is employed. The two are busy planning for their upcoming wedding this summer. When asked to comment about her time at Battle Creek, Reiman stated, “This year is one I will never forget.” She added that it was wonderful meeting some amazing students, and she said she greatly enjoyed working with the FCCLA program. The group was very successful this year, qualifying six for national competition to be held over the summer in San Diego, California. BCHS wishes nothing but the best to Miss Reiman as she continues her career and life in her new home. The students of Hartington/Newcastle are certainly lucky to have her.

The 2022 Speech & Drama Awards were held Monday, April 11. It was a great chance to celebrate our year and honor our students! Congrats to our seniors and the honorable mention and outstanding members of the year!

Another Battle Creek Alum Set to “Come Home” to Teach By Brennen Weidner This coming fall, kindergarteners at Battle Creek can expect to see a new face in their classroom: Mrs. Jaclynn (Weidner) Rethwisch, who will be replacing Mrs. Jacki McCracken. McCracken is leaving the district after 13 years of service. Rethwisch grew up in Battle Creek and graduated from Battle Creek High School in 2011. She continued her education at Wayne State College, graduating in 2015. For the past few years, she has been working as an esthetician at Mirage Med Spa in Norfolk. She is currently student teaching at St. John Lutheran School and will be all set to have a classroom of her own in the fall. Rethwisch has always aspired to become an elementary teacher, stating that she loves working with children and being able to make a difference in their lives. She is grateful for the opportunity to pursue her dreams here in her hometown of Battle Creek. Rethwisch and her husband Gage have a two-year-old son named Knox, and they are expecting another baby in June. In her free time, Rethwisch enjoys spending time with her family. They especially enjoy going on walks and playing in the park.

2021-2022 Athletic Banquet

New Science Instructor at BCHS By Kaitlyn Pochop Battle Creek High would like to welcome Mr. Junior Aguilar to its staff next fall. Aguilar will be teaching science, replacing Ms. Rebecca Fischer who is leaving the school after four years of service. Aguilar grew up in Pierce, Nebraska, and attended Pierce Public Schools before earning his post-secondary education at Wayne State College. Aguilar is currently completing his student teaching at Wisner-Pilger High School, teaching physics, biology, and chemistry. In addition, Aguilar served as an assistant coach for the speech team. Aguilar mentioned that he applied for the Battle Creek position because he is pretty familiar with the town. He stated that it is close to home, and he has great respect for the school and the students. He mentioned that he is most excited about getting to know all of the students at BCHS. Aguilar will be teaching physical science, anatomy, chemistry and physics at Battle Creek. Outside of teaching, Aguilar hopes to assist with speech among other activities. Outside of the classroom, Aguilar loves to spend time with his wife Abbey, and he enjoys playing cards and watching football. Battle Creek Public Schools is very excited to welcome Junior Aguilar to our staff this fall.

Shop kids clean up nicely.

Congratulations to Battle Creek High School class of 2022 Prom King and Queen Tait Heimes and Meghan McCracken.

Wonderful performance by the JH band at the Norfolk JH Instrumental Music Festival!

BCHS to Welcome New Spanish Instructor By Kenna Pochop Battle Creek alum Molly (Schulz) Zimmerman will be returning to her roots in the fall when she takes on the role of Spanish instructor at the school. Zimmerman will work alongside Mrs. Jenni Frey who will be teaching Spanish part time and taking on the role of Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator. Zimmerman grew up in Battle Creek, graduating in 2007. She went on to receive her post-secondary education at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. At UNL, Zimmerman majored in secondary education and received her endorsement in Spanish. Zimmerman currently teaches at Norfolk Catholic High School, but she was a substitute instructor at BCHS in the past. When asked about returning to her own high school, Zimmerman stated she is “excited to be back where she came from.” She added, “Battle Creek is a wonderful school district, and there are other opportunities for me there.” One of those “other opportunities” is head coach of the dance squad, a position held by long time coach Kim Easland. Zimmerman will take on that role over the summer of 2022. When asked about this new opportunity, Zimmerman mentioned that she is excited because she was a BC Jammer herself in high school. Outside of the classroom, Zimmerman loves to teach yoga, read, and spend time with her family. She and her husband Ryan are parents to three children: Elijah, Alena, and Mila. Battle Creek Public Schools is very excited to welcome Mrs. Molly Zimmerman to our staff this fall.

Boone Central Invite- Schedule of Events Field Events – Start at 2:00 p.m. Boys Shot Put followed by Girls Boys Long Jump followed by Boys Triple Jump Boys Pole Vault followed by Girls Girls High Jump followed by Boys Girls Long Jump followed by Girls Triple Jump Girls Discus followed by Boys Running Events – Start at 4:00 p.m.* 3200 M Relay – Girls/Boys – Finals 4:00 p.m. 100 M Hurdles – Girls – Prelims 4:20 p.m. 110 M High Hurdles – Boys – Prelims 4:30 p.m. 100 M Dash – Girls/Boys – Prelims 4:40 p.m. 400 M Dash – Girls/Boys – Finals 4:55 p.m. 3200 M Run – Girls/Boys – Finals 5:10 p.m. 200 M Dash – Girls/Boys – Prelims 5:40 p.m. Finals – Start at 6:30 p.m. 100 M Hurdles – Girls 6:30 p.m. 110 M High Hurdles – Boys 6:35 p.m. 100 M Dash – Girls/Boys 6:40 p.m. 800 M Dash – Girls/Boys 6:50 p.m. 300 M Int. Hurdles – Girls/Boys 7:10 p.m. 200 M Dash – Girls/Boys 7:30 p.m. 1600 M Run – Girls/Boys 7:35 p.m. 400 M Relay – Girls/Boys 7:50 p.m. 1600 M Relay – Girls/Boys 8:00 p.m.

New Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator at BCHS By Kenna Pochop For the past 22 years, students in Battle Creek have been learning the Spanish language from Mrs. Jenni Frey. However, this coming fall, Frey will be taking on a new role at the school: Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator. She stated that she will still teach part time, but many of her classes will be turned over to new hire Molly Zimmerman. Frey grew up in Orchard, Nebraska, and attended Orchard High School, which is now a part of the new Summerland High School. Frey studied secondary education at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, and received endorsements in English and Spanish. She later received a Master’s degree from Wayne State College in curriculum and instruction. In addition to her 22 years in Battle Creek, Frey also taught at Norfolk Senior High School for three years. When asked to comment on this new job opportunity, she stated that she is excited and can’t wait to help teachers with their curriculums. She added that she will also enjoy working with new teachers to help them be at their best in the classroom. When away from school, Frey loves boating, reading, and spending time at her daughters’ events. She and her husband Brent are parents to two girls: Helena and Harper.

Stanton junior high track invite event schedule for Friday, April 8.

The Junior High Track meet for tomorrow is now Friday, April 8th. The schedule of events will be the same.

The Brave and Bravette Track teams have been white hot to start the season, claiming both team championships and best grill team at the first two meets of the year! They will be in action next Tuesday in Albion at the Boone Central Invite.🏆🏆🏆🏆 #BCstrong #GrillTeamU

1 State Champion, 6 National Qualifiers, 6 Gold Medals and 4 Silver Medals. Congratulations to the following FCCLA members for their amazing performance at the State FCCLA Conference. Promote and Publicize Carli Hamilton- State Champion, Gold Medal, National Qualifier Chapter service project display Afftynn Stusse, McKinley Hansen, and Brennen Weidner - Gold & state runner-up, National qualifier Focus on Children Level 2 - Brittany Borchers - Gold, State runner-up, National qualifier Say Yes to FCS Breanna Borchers - Gold, State runner-up, National qualifier Chapter in Review portfolio Adley Seifert & Lainey Knapp - Silver Focus on Children Level 3 Alexsis Kersten - Silver Nutrition and Wellness Sami Wemhoff - Silver Great job representing the Battle Creek Community!

With a long jump of 23-01, Landon Olson sets a new career best and extends his school record past the 23 feet mark for the first time! #NewRecord #AmongUs