Pope John Seniors Making School History

Marie Meis, Logan Henn, Sydney Kerkman

Although, September isn’t usually the month when most high school seniors are making college scholarship decisions, three Pope John XXIII Central Catholic seniors find themselves making school history with multiple full-tuition offers already.  Logan Henn, son of Denis and Jan Henn, Sydney Kerkman, daughter of Steve and Becky Kerkman and Marie Meis, daughter of Jim and Anne Meis, all of Elgin, have a total of seven University of Nebraska Regents Scholarship offers between them.  Logan and Sydney have been offered the scholarship at all three of the University’s campuses (Lincoln, Omaha and Kearney) and Marie has been offered the scholarship at Kearney.

The Regents Scholarship is awarded to superior incoming freshmen who are graduates of Nebraska high schools. The scholarship is valued at full tuition for the completion of a bachelor’s degree. Based on 2017-18 tuition rates, the Regents Scholarship has a value of $32,062 at UNL, $23,968 at UNK and $29,193 at UNO.  Altogether, the seven scholarships offered have a total value of $194,414. “Pope John has never had so many students receive this many Regents offers, especially so early in the school year.  It’s really a testament to the quality of students being formed here at Pope John and the individual work Logan, Sydney and Marie have put in.” said Pope John Principal, Betty Getzfred.

Henn, Kerkman and Meis have all excelled at the ACT test, which was beneficial when being considered for the Regents Scholarship.  The ACT is the nation’s most popular college entrance exam accepted by all universities and colleges in the United States. The ACT is based on what students learn in high school and provides personalized information about their strengths for education and career planning.  Pope John school data from the past six years (2012-2017), shows that students at Pope John XXIII Central Catholic have exceeded both the state and national averages on the ACT.  During this time frame, the average scores for all Pope John seniors has ranged between 21.8 and 24.5.  The 2017 state of Nebraska’s average is 21.4 and the national average is 21. “We have been pleased with the consistently high ACT scores our students have received, as it’s one way to make sure they are prepared for college-level work and can do well at the next level of their education.” Mrs. Getzfred explained.

Pope John School Counselor, Julie Schiltmeyer added, “Looking at early test scores from their junior year, we are anticipating that the class of 2018 may have one the highest ACT averages that we have seen yet. They have set a class goal to obtain one million dollars in college scholarship offers, which would be quite an accomplishment for a class of 16 students, but at this rate they may achieve that.”

 

 

Pope John Students and Faculty Member Mandated by Archbishop Lucas

PIctured back row (l to. r.) Julie Schiltmeyer, Kyle Schumacher, Taralyn Baum, Calli Krebs Front row (l. to r.) Nickol Payne, Maddie Schrage, Archbishop Lucas, Lauren Seier

Six Pope John XXIII high school students and one faculty member were mandated as lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHC) Wednesday night, September 6th at a special 7:00 pm Mass. Archbishop Lucas along with many area priests conducted the Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Norfolk.The Archbishop thanked the candidates for their willingness to serve both their school and home parishes.

Mandated as a lector was Calli Krebs, daughter of Jeff and Lynette Krebs of Neligh and Nickol Payne, daughter of Ray and Peggy Payne of Elgin. EMHCs were Taralyn Baum, daughter of  Chris and Jeanine Baum of Elgin, Maddie Schrage, daughter of Jerry and Tami Schrage of Petersburg, Kyle Schumacher, son of Kevin and Lisa Schumacher of Petersburg, Lauren Seier, daughter of Craig and Gini Seier of Petersburg, and faculty member Julie Schiltmeyer of Elgin.  The group consists of students from the parishes of St. Boniface in Elgin, St. Francis of Assisi in Neligh and St. John the Baptist in Petersburg.

Sixth Graders Graduate from St. Boniface

(l. to r.) (back row) Scott Becker, Kadance Dworak, Elyse Warnke, Linus Borer, Mattew Dilly, Skyler Meis, Father Kevin Vogel (middle row) Taylynne Charf, Emma Ruterbories, Paiton Hoefer, Nevaeh Jockens (front row) Jaime Dozler, Cale Kinney, Carter Beckman, Sharon Bartak

On Wednesday morning, St. Boniface Elementary School in Elgin said goodbye to its’ class of 13 sixth-graders. The event was celebrated during Mass at St. Boniface Church and was followed by a reception for the graduates.  St. Boniface Principal, Betty Getzfred and sixth-grade teacher Scott Becker presented the graduates with their certificates.  Two students were selected to receive the Delbert Salber Memorial Tuition Scholarship to Pope John XXIII Central Catholic to continue their Catholic education.  Scholarship winners were Linus Borer, son of David and Lindy Borer and Skyler Meis, daughter of Eric and Brenda Meis.

Graduates were: Sharon Bartak (daughter of Paul & Sonja Bartak), Carter Beckman (son of John & Tracy Beckman), Linus Borer (son of David & Lindy Borer), Taylynne Charf (daughter of Stacy & Danelle Charf), Matthew Dilly (son of Doug & Shawn Dilly), Jaime Dozler (daughter of Berton & Janet Dozler),  Kadance Dworak (daughter of Ben & Amanda Dworak) Paiton Hoefer (son of Autumn Hoefer and Jeremy Hoefer), Nevaeh Jockens (daughter of Christy Jockens), Cale Kinney (son of Josh & Maria Kinney),  Skyler Meis (daughter of Eric & Brenda Meis), Emma Ruterbories (daughter of Paul & Erin Ruterbories),  Elyse Warnke (daughter of Anthony & Sara Warnke)

Antelope County Farmer Directs America’s Farmers Grow Communities Donation to Pope John XXIII Central Catholic

Peggy Payne, Rachel Becker, Betty Getzfred

Farmers Make a Difference in Rural Communities by Directing Donations from Monsanto Fund’s America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program to Local Nonprofit Organizations

  • The America’s Farmers Grow Communities program will provide more than $3 million in financial support to nonprofits across the US in 2017
  • Since 2010, the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program has given more than $26 million to more than 8,000 nonprofits across rural America.

ELGIN, NE (May 16, 2017) – An anonymous Antelope County farmer has won the opportunity to direct a $2,500 dollar donation from the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, to Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School.

Pope John will use the funds to improve their fine arts programs offered by the school.  The musical department, led by instructor Rachel Becker will be able to purchase a much needed drum set for the Pope John band, along with some audio equipment for the annual musical production.  The One-Act team, led by instructor Peggy Payne will be able to purchase a portable spotlight and performance boxes for students.

“The arts are such an important foundation to an education at Pope John, we are grateful to Monsanto and our anonymous donor.” said, Betty Getzfred, Administrator at Pope John XXIII Central Catholic.

The Grow Communities program’s purpose is to make a positive impact in farm communities by partnering with farmers to support the causes that are important to them in their communities. Each year, farmers enter for a chance to win a $2,500 donation that they direct to a local nonprofit.

Since the program began in 2010, farmers have directed more than $26 million in donations across a broad cross-section of organizations that reflect the makeup and character of rural America, including food banks, emergency response organizations, schools, youth agriculture programs and many others.

“Farmers have directed funds to more than 8,000 community organizations across rural America since Grow Communities began,” said Al Mitchell, Monsanto Fund president. “Farmers are truly committed to this program because they see the difference the donation makes in their community.”

For more information or to see a complete list of the 2017 America’s Farmers Grow Communities recipients, visit www.GrowCommunities.com.

 

Getzfred sees her ‘first’ third-generation family enter St. Boniface School

Pictured left to right: Gene Selting, Betty Getzfred, Carter Selting and Brian Selting.

The 2016-17 school year at St. Boniface Elementary in Elgin marks Principal Betty Getzfred’s 40th year of teaching and leadership at the school.  Mrs. Getzfred (as she’s known at school) began her service at St. Boniface in 1976 as a classroom teacher and in 1978 she assumed head teacher duties.  She was named St. Boniface Principal in 1996 and continued to teach fifth grade.  In 2008, in addition to her Principal responsibilities at St. Boniface, she also took on the role as Administrator at Pope John XXIII Central Catholic.
This year when Carter Selting,  son of Brian and Kelsey Selting, began pre-school, he marked her first third-generation family she has worked with at St. Boniface School. Carter’s father, Brian Selting and grandfather, Gene Selting attended St. Boniface and were students during Mrs. Getzfred’s tenure.
Betty Getzfred was recently recognized by the St. Boniface School community at their Spring Concert.  Father Kevin Vogel, President of St. Boniface expressed his appreciation, “Betty’s constant presence in the community and the school is a large part of the strength our Catholic Schools. With our deepest appreciation Mrs. Getzfred – thank you for the countless hours you invest in our children. You have made a lasting difference in many lives.”

Pope John’s 50th Class Prepares to Graduate

Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School will hold it’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 14th.

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Despite Weather, Jr. Right to Life Group Spreading Message

The weather has not been kind to the members of the Pope John XXIII Central Catholic Jr. Right to Life group, but they have been busy turning nature’s fury into positive ways to share their message.

Pope John’s Jr. Right to Life group had been scheduled to attend the National March for Life in Washington D.C. on January 27th of this year, but due to a blizzard in northeast Nebraska, they were unable to make their bus trip across the country.  Several area groups had donated funds to help offset the costs of the trip. After the students were unable to go, they began the process of returning the donations.  The St. Boniface Knights of Columbus Council #2411 of Elgin had donated funds towards the trip and requested that the group keep the donation and find a way to utilize the money to promote the Right to Life cause.

That’s where the weather came into play again.  On Christmas Day 2016, a long-standing pro-life message billboard on highway 14 north of Elgin was destroyed by high-powered winds.  The sign had previously been a billboard for an area business.  After the business closed, some area volunteers had turned it into a pro-life message board.

After learning of the sign’s destruction, the group’s faculty sponsor, Sister Patricia Hoffman and co-Presidents Shantel Preister, Sydney Kerkman, and Emily Seier began working with their Jr. Right to Life members at Pope John to develop a new sign.  They asked members to submit message ideas for the sign and selected one created by Pope John junior, Paige Meis – “Every Life Deserves A Lifetime”. The school’s Advancement Office helped the group select a photo and submit a final design for creation by a local sign company.  The new billboard was put in the previous sign’s place by school supporters using equipment loaned free of charge by a local business – Beckman Lumber. The group was able to pay for the project utilizing the Knights of Columbus Council’s donation.

 

Students Compete Well at District Music

The Pope John XXIII Choir competed at District Music on Friday, April 21st at Norfolk Senior High School. They came away with excellent scores. Congratulations to all.

Mixed Choir: Superior
Women’s Choir: Superior
Men’s Choir: Excellent
Girls Duet, Elizabeth Selting and Jordan Mescher: Superior
Freshmen Girls Group: Superior (Perfect Score)
Flute Solo, Sydney Kerkman: Superior
Vocal Solo, Erin Beckman: Superior
Vocal Solo, Madison Dilly: Superior
Vocal Solo, Brianna Hupp: Excellent
Vocal Solo, Logan Henn: Excellent
Vocal Solo, Brody Hupp: Superior

STEM Program Benefits from Cargill Grant

Local Cargill representative, Brent Schmidt recently presented a check for $3,750 to the Environmental Science/STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program at Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School in Elgin. The funds were donated courtesy of

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Shavlik’s win 2017 Roncalli Award

At the 31st Annual Pope John Development Dinner, Larry and Nancy Shavlik were presented with the 2017 Roncallli Award.  The Roncalli Award is named after Guiseppe Roncalli, which is the given name of our beloved patron Saint Pope John XXIII.  This prestigious award is presented each year to an individual or family in appreciation for their contribution to the long-term advancement of Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School.

Larry and Nancy have been actively involved in supporting Pope John for many years. Even though, their youngest daughter, Leah graduated from Pope John in 1997 – they have never stopped their involvement at Pope John, in fact they’ve taken on more.

Larry entertained Pope John supporters as emcee for the Development Dinner for five years. Both Larry and Nancy have generously donated their famous Steak Grilled over a Wood Fire meal to both the Development Dinner and Evening with Friends auctions.  Over the past ten years, their dinners have raised a little over $86,000 for Pope John. Their wonderful hospitality and cooking skills have kept bidders coming back year after year.

Nancy is also an active quilter and has helped provide many quilts for the annual Pope John quilt raffle. They were both instrumental in making the Herb Mignery Bronze Sculpture Project a successful fundraiser. It has raised close to $200,000 since its inception in 1995. They still play a vital role in helping with the Herb Mignery Bronze Cross Project each year.

In addition, Larry serves as a trustee for the Lawrence Goscha Advisory Committee, which gives scholarships to Pope John students each year.