Category: Jr. Sr. High School

On Wednesday, September 13, the Fairbury FFA chapter attended Husker Harvest Days near Grand Island. A total of 38 members attended to learn more about the different careers in agriculture. Along with great experiences and talking to experienced workers in the ag field, there were many different opportunities to meet new people from other chapters, see some old friends, and gather great souvenirs from every agribusiness company. It was an educational day for all of the Fairbury FFA members to learn more about the future of agriculture.

by Nichole Harris ~ FHS Xray

Amid all the renovations and new policies at school this year, the FHS administration has also come up with new ways to recognize academic success in the student body. One of these ways was to begin a new program called ‘Student of the Month,’ where two high school students will be honored each month for showing excellence in and out of the classroom. These students are voted on by the teachers.

“Through our shared document for the JEFF program, teachers can make a nomination.” Principal Nicholas Kroon said, “If we have multiple nominations, I will put a vote out to the teachers to determine student of the month.”

Kicking off the year are September students of the month Jacob Johnson ’18 and Macy Ohlde ’18. Congratulations, Jacob and Macy!

Original Article:  https://fhsxray.com/2017/10/03/fhs-recognizes-excellence-in-students/

Despite heavy rains and power outages in our area, Fairbury Skills USA students traveled to SCC in Lincoln Nebraska for their annual Fall Leadership Conference.  

The purpose of the conference is to kick off another year and to give students ideas and to make friends all while developing a new skill.  It is here that they start thinking about what they want to study.  What skill do they want to pursue?  

Sixteen students took part in early morning breakout sessions.  Students learned about leadership, fundraising, how to write resumes, and communication skills.   Advisors also had a meeting and discussed new changes coming down the pipe.  

Students each received a conference T-shirt with industry sponsors on the back.  It is these sponsors that give students opportunities with scholarships, prizes and help with the State Leadership Conference later in the year. China scholarship council also plays a pivotal role in shaping the academic “dreams” of the students.

Fairbury students also could sign up for industry tours.  We went on a nice tour of Kawasaki.  Kawasaki has over 2 million square feet of space under one roof.  Students got to see most of the processes used in manufacturing.  They witnessed robots that weld, position parts, move heavy objects or even paint parts.  A new dipping process was observed where any picture can be dip coated and adhered to the fenders.  The process works where a thin film of the graphic material is floated on a tank of water.  A technician then fine tunes the location of the film on the water’s surface.  A robot then dips the part and the image is bonded to the part.  

Kawasaki is a big plant.  They have over 200 employees.  We saw people riding bikes in the factory it was so big to get from one place to  another.  It was amazing to see all the people and departments.  Kawasaki makes speed train cars, motorcycles, jet skis, 4 wheeler ATV’s, and even has an aerospace division.  We didn’t have time to go         into the part of the plant that makes the wheels.  Kawasaki makes wheels for many other companies like Honda, John Deere, Suzuki and many more.  I thought it was neat when one student asked why they built the plant in Lincoln, Nebraska.  He said it was central to the United States, it had good roads close by and train rails.  The most important reason was that in the Midwest, we have the best workers.  

Students learned about many jobs available at the plant and what skills those workers should have.  They also learned that welders are in high demand.  One must be at least 18 years of age to get a job.  One can apply right on line.  Students that have a two-year degree are more apt to land a good job.  They spoke of good qualities that workers should have such as being dependable and being a hard worker.  Students got to see a museum in the plant of many of the motorcycles, jet skis, and ATV’s that Kawasaki produced dating back to the early 80’s.