Author: Karen Dux

Mrs. Shinn’s 3rd grade classroom participated in the Cookie Project this year with the Fairbury High School FBLA Organization. This project teaches 3rd grade students about the American Free Enterprise System which gives them the ability start and run their own business. The 3rd graders, along with Fairbury’s FBLA, baked chocolate-chip cookies and sold them to the high school students. The profits go to the 3rd grade classrooms. The students of each room then get to decide what to do with their cookie money.
One day as Mrs. Shinn was telling her students about visiting her mom in the nursing home and that students from another school would go out to the nursing home read to residents once a week. Mrs. Shinn’s students asked it they could go read to residents at Fairbury’s Heritage Nursing Home. The students found out what it would cost to get a bus and driver. They also needed to make sure they were not giving up important classroom time. The students voted to use their cookie money for the bus and would be willing to give up their art time one week.

Mrs. Shinn made arrangements with the school, bus barn, and the Heritage Nursing Home. Next, the students worked on Christmas decorations and Christmas cards for residents in art class. In music they even practiced a Christmas Carol to sing.
On December 10, the students arrived at school dressed in red and green with their two Christmas books picked out and ready to go. The students were so excited and on the bus that they practiced their song. Upon arriving at the Nursing home, the students gathered in the cafeteria and practiced their song again as residents gathered. Then each student found a resident. They read to them, visited with them, and gave them a gift. It was soon hard to tell who had bigger smiles, the residents or students. After reading, the students sang again and told the residents good-bye. The students were still singing on the bus trip back to school. Throughout the day the students continued to talk about how much fun they had.
Before going home, the students shared with Mrs. Shinn that when they decided to go to the nursing home they thought they would be giving a gift to the residents. However, they hadn’t realized how good it would make them feel inside, so it was really a gift to themselves as well. Mrs. Shinn’s class has decided if it can be arranged, they want to do this again.

On Friday, December 4th, sixty-three fifth grade students from Jefferson Intermediate attended a showing of “The Nutcracker” presented by Ballet Omaha at the Orpheum Theater. Students and teachers attended the second act starting at 1:00. Students prepared for the production by viewing the first act at school. They also learned about the music from the ballet in music class. The students were in awe of the beautiful architecture  and history of the Orpheum Theater as well as the intricate costuming. 

As a member of St. Jude Children of Hope my family and I get updates and information about children receiving treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  This month we received another letter about a little girl who only wanted a Christmas card for her Christmas wish.  To say that the letter left a lasting impact on myself, is an understatement.  I told my class about the letter and they decided that they wanted to give to the kids as well.  So, Mr. Evans 6th grade class made 30-40 Christmas cards and are sending them to the children at St. Jude’s hospital.

The third graders at Jefferson Intermediate School learned in their Enrichment class about pottery, then and now. They learned that the Native Americans took pride in creating their pottery by hand using the methods of pinching and coiling. Archeologists have found many of these primitive pots over the years. In the past pottery was created for practical uses rather than the artwork of the piece.

The students learned the basic method for making coil and pinch pots. The clay we used came from Endicott Clay. The students learned about where and how it was gathered in much the same way the Native Americans gathered their clay from the earth. However, the Native Americans would try to make their clay stronger by mixing other materials into it like sand, plants, or shells. The students learned the clay needed to be kneaded to remove air bubbles. They had to roll the clay into ropes or coils and building them up on top of a round base to make the coil pots. The Native Americans would usually pinch their coils until they blended together so that the pots had smooth surfaces. The students like many artists left their coils to add to the decorative look of the pottery.
The Native Americans would then put their pottery in a fire pit and heat it to around 1,500 degrees. The students clay pots were glazed and sent up to the high school to be fired in a kiln after they air dried. The clay pots were done just in time for Christmas. Most of the students will use their clay pots for gifts.