Leigh Community Schools Logo

“I think the minimum age should be raised because social media takes a toll on minors and can lead to mental health issues.” 

-Sydney Messerlie, sophomore

“I think that the age requirement for social media should stay at 13. I feel that 13 is an appropriate age for someone to start accessing social media.” 

- Pheobe Glissman-Mayner, senior

“I would like to see the age raised to 16. I believe too many kids are too immature to properly use social media at 13.” 

- Mr. Jeff Bachman, social studies teacher

The junior high and high school students in choir and band came together for their spring concert on April 15! The concert was put together by Leigh music teacher Mrs. Sydney Wemhoff. Mr. Kevin Welsch co-directed the band, and Mrs. Cindy Settje accompanied. 

The concert included music from both the junior high students and the high school band and choir. Students that were chosen for the district music concert also gave their performance. 

To kick off the concert, the high school band started with their pep band selections. Some alumni band members joined in for those songs. Following the pep band selections, the junior high band students played “Tenderfoot March”, “Old Time Rock and Roll”, “Hot Shot”, and “Crunch Time.”

It was now time for the students selected for the District Music Contest to showcase their performances. Gabriel Pinkston started off with her clarinet solo, “Serenade.” Paige Kurpgeweit followed with her vocal solo, “Soldier, Soldier, Will you Marry Me?” Brianne Kuhr played “Spica” for her baritone solo, and Gabriel Pinkston followed her performance with a vocal solo named, “Per la gloria d'adorarvi.” 

To conclude the District Music Contest selections, Blake Loseke and Brayden Loseke played a Trumpet March for their trumpet duet.  

Following the solos and duets, the high school choir performed three songs. They sang “Cantate!”, “Be Thou My Vision”, and “Sing with Jubilation.” To officially conclude the concert, the junior high choir sang “When Will My Life Begin”, “Rockin’ Robin”, and “Memories.” 

Senior Phoebe Glissman-Mayner said, “I thought the concert went really well, and it was a fun way to show off what we’d been practicing for district music!

Music director Mrs. Wemhoff said, “The concert went really well and the students got a chance to showcase their hard work they have put in this year. The concert was also a great way for the soloists and small groups to get some practice in front of an audience before the district music contest!”

High School Recognition

Auditioned Honor Choirs/Bands

East Husker Conference Honor Choir

Morgan Bunner, Lilly Bunner, Jack Brabec, Gabriel Pinkston, Amaiya Ross, Paige Kurpgeweit, Sydney Messerlie

Northeast Hawkfest Choir

Lillian Bunner, Gabriel Pinkston, Amaiya Ross

Wayne State College Honor Choir

Lillian Bunner, Sydney Messerlie, Gabriel Pinkston, Amaiya Ross

East Husker Conference Honor Band

Brianne Kuhr 

Steven Speilberg, George Lucas, Alfred Hitchcock: What comes to mind when you hear those names? Only some of the greatest movies of all time. But who was best between those three directors? 

George Lucas had one of the greatest runs with a Star Wars franchise over 3 decades, Steven Speilberg directed some of the greatest and highest grossing films of all time, and Alfred Hitchcock was so far ahead of his time he is sometimes referred to as the father of filmmaking.

George Lucas probably just falls out of the second for me as he is a really good director, but lacks a broad resume, like the other two. Alfred Hitchcock is probably second for me for a couple of reasons. One, although influential, some of his films are hard to watch in modern times. From unsettling scenes to bad acting, it limits him from first place. 

Steven Spielberg is probably the greatest filmmaker ever. From Jaws to Titanic to Avatar to Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List, his repertoire is probably one of the most diverse and detailed of any director ever. He has grossed over a billion dollars on some of his movies, putting him in the top 3 all time. 

If I had to throw an honorable mention in there, it would be Clint Eastwood. An outstanding actor/director, he is a star and also the head honcho, which makes him very unique in the filmmaking world. His serious films, from westerns to war flicks, make him one of the toughest on-screen actors in history.

A comedic honorable mention that dominated the 80’s and 90’s that also starred in his films is Mel Brooks. From his titan films of Robin Hood: Men in Tights, History of the World Part I, Blazing Saddles, and Spaceballs, he was one of the funniest and best comedic actor/directors of all time.

Every month Leigh High School honors three “Students of the Month” that teachers nominate and then the whole staff votes on. In March, the three winning recipients were Kaylee Brabec, Karly Wendt, and Pheobe Glissman-Mayner.

The first recipient is freshman Kaylee Brabec. She is the daughter of Jake and Debbie Brabec. Her grandparents are Charmayne and the late Gary Brabec, and Jim and Joyce Kuchar. 

Kaylee is involved in Volleyball, Basketball, Track, FFA, YAC, One-Act, and Journalism. Her favorite subject is ag. Her favorite hobby is hanging out with family and friends. Although her future plans are undecided, she wants to become something in the medical area. 

This is the third time Kaylee has won this award. She states that she is “very thankful to win this award for the third time. It shows that my hard work and extra time has paid off.” 

Kaylee’s teachers said, “She is engaged in her academics, polite, and has high expectations for herself. She's involved in numerous activities, respectful, very helpful, and tries hard in everything she does.” 

The second recipient is sophomore Karly Wendt. She is the daughter of Gary and Kandee Wendt. Her grandparents are the late Judene and Jim Mewis and Joy and Earl Wendt. 

 Karly is involved in Volleyball, Basketball, Track, Dance, One-Act, Band, FFA, YAC, and Journalism. Her favorite subject is ag. Her hobbies include going shopping and hanging out with friends and family. She would like to do something in the medical field, most likely at Northeast Community College. 

Karly said, “Winning this award makes me joyful because it shows that my dedication is being noticed.”

Karly’s teachers said, “She works very hard, is kind to others, and is fun to have in class. Karly is a very positive and upbeat person. She cares about her grades and puts great effort into her academics.” 

The third recipient is senior Pheobe Glissman-Mayner. She is the daughter of James Mayner and Lisa Glissman-Mayner. Her grandparents are Christy and Robert Glissman and Deb Prenzlin and the late James Mayner.

Pheobe is involved in Choir, Band, Speech, FBLA, One-Act, and NHS. Her favorite subject is FCS. Her hobbies include reading, sleeping, and rollerblading. She plans on going to Creighton University for Nursing next year. 

Pheobe said, “It feels really good to win this award, and it makes me happy to know that teachers do notice the effort I put into school!” 

Pheobe’s teachers said, “Pheobe is a very friendly, personable, hard-working student who always cares about her grades. She also tries very hard in her extracurricular activities and puts great effort into everything she does.”

Congratulations to this month’s winners!

On June 14, 2005, at Methodist Hospital in Omaha, NE, Dave and Kristi Martensen welcomed their first and only son, Jacob Lee Martensen, to their family.

Jacob has one sister, Hannah Martensen. Jacob’s grandparent is Lorna Martensen, who lives outside of Humphrey, NE. Rounding out his family are his two pets, Kassey, a dog, and Penelope, a rabbit. 

Throughout Jacob’s high school career, he has been involved in FFA for four years, and he recently earned his FFA State Degree.  He was also involved in One-Act for three years, where he won the Best Tech Crew member award at Conference, and the team won Best Tech Team at districts.  He was also involved in journalism for one year.  

Jacob’s favorite class in school is any ag class, He enjoys working on projects in the shop. His favorite movie is Baby Driver/Ford vs. Ferrari, his favorite TV show is the Full Speed Nascar documentary and The Walking Dead. He also loves to sing along to the song “Hold the Line” by Toto. His favorite sports team is the Hendrick Motorsports teams. He also loves to eat homemade Runzas and watch Chase Elliott race his car.  

Outside of school you can find Jacob working at Went Show Goats.

After graduating high school, Jacob plans to attend the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis majoring in Diversified Agriculture and also do a welding program as well. After that, he wants to figure out possible job opportunities and possibly find an ARCA team to race for. He also sees himself in 10-15 years maybe racing in the Cup Series representing Nebraska. 

If Jacob won the lottery, he would try to buy some land with a house on it, and try running a small farm, probably cows and maybe goats. He would also buy a new truck and a Can Am Outlander 650 or 850 ATV. 

If Jacob could travel anywhere in the world, he would visit the Cotswold or somewhere in the UK and visit farms there. He said he would love to see how other farmers run their farms and compare it to ours.

Other things on Jacob’s bucket list are to drive a Nascar cup car, find a well-paying job, and meet a nice girl. 

If you asked Jacob to describe himself in three words, he would describe himself as hard-working, respectful, and helpful. 

Someone who Jacob admires is Kent Hambleton, because he is just an old-fashioned type of person who is willing to help anyone and give advice when needed and has been in the farming industry long enough to know all the tips and tricks and how to work on equipment.

His advice to the younger classmen is to work hard, climb the ladder, build up a good work ethic. Always try to be productive in any job in the future because you will eventually be a part of it.  And be respectful and helpful at any and all times. Live by the FFA motto, “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.” I wish all my fellow graduates the best of luck.”

Good luck to Jacob!  We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors!

The Patriot Track Team traveled to Humphrey’s track to compete on April 16, 2024. This was a quad that consisted of Elgin, Clarkson-Leigh, Humphrey-Lindsay Holy Family, and Aquinas. 

This was a very successful track meet for the Patriots. The girls ended up coming home with a championship. It was a very windy day, but lots of people went home with a placing. 

The first-place finishes of the day included Ella Baumert in High Jump, Brynn Settje in Triple Jump, Maizie Stoklasa in Long Jump, Ava Kasik in the 100M Hurdles, Reann Bruhn in the mile run, Brianne Kuhr in the 2-mile run, and all 3 girls relay teams. 

Boys finishing in first place were Trey Steffensmeier in Triple Jump and Long Jump, Isaac Baumert in 100M Hurdles, Max Muhle in the 2-mile run, and the 4x100M Relay team. 

Along with the athletes who placed, there was an abundant amount of personal records. The PRs were Ava and Ella Baumert in High Jump, Brynn Settje in Triple Jump, Karly Wendt in Shot, Vylet Hollatz in Disc, Ava Kasik in the 100 Hurdles, and Niles Jone in the 800. 

Head Coach Briana Wietfeld said, “We left Humphrey as the girls' champion. Overall, all athletes did well. This meet was great to add as we got to see most of our team compete in their respective events. There were PRs by many and others did well at trying some new events. Coming into the middle of the season and looking towards the end we are in a great position.”

“It was a great meet that people were able to participate in at least one event, or try something new. It was a great opportunity,” said Ella Urban.

Girls Results

High Jump: Ella Baumert—4-06 (first place); Ava Baumert—4-06 (third place); Lexi Gleason—4-03 (fifth place); Willow Fernau—4-00 (sixth place) Triple Jump: Brynn Settje—35-01 (first place); Ella Baumert—32-08 (second place); Claire Holoubek—32-07.5 (third place); Baylee Settje—31-01 (fourth place); Alyssa Gurnsey—30-03 (fifth place); Long Jump: Maizie Stoklasa—16-05 (first place); Claire Holoubek—14-07 (second place); Ava Baumert—14-00 (third place); Ella Baumert—13-06.5 (fourth place); Brynn Settje—13-03.25 (fifth place); Reese Wietfeld—13-02.75 (sixth place); Shot Put: Nevaeh Zulkoski—30-11 (third place); Karly Wendt- 28-09.5 (sixth place); Disc: Nevaeh Zulkoski—82-08 (second place); Vylet Hollatz—73-07 (fifth place); 100 Dash: Raelynn Scott—13.9 (third place); 200 Dash: Raelynn Scott—28.5 (second place); Chelsy Mattheis—30.8 (fourth place); 400 Dash: Ella Baumert—1:12.1 (third place); Reese Wietfeld—1:18.26 (fifth place); 100 Hurdles: Ava Kasik—16.7 (first place); Claire Holoubek—18.2 (second place); Lexis Gleason—18.28  (third place); 300 Hurdles: Ava Kasik- 52.6 (second place); Claire Holoubek—57.8 (third place); Lexis Gleason—1:05 (fifth place); 800: Izzy Hollatz—3:00.5 (second place); Kaylee Brabec—3:13 (third place); Alyssa Gurnsey—3:13.2 (fourth place); 1600: Reann Bruhn- 6:38 (first place); 3200: Brianne Kuhr—15:56 (first place); 4x800: Reann Bruhn, Brianne Kuhr, Kyla Clarkson, Carmen Malena—12:34 (first place); Izzy, Graicee Sortino—12:40 (second place); 4x100: Brynn Settje, Tanyn Larson, Kendall Schneider, Maize Stoklasa—51 (first place); 4x400: Kendall Schneider, Ava Kasik, Ella Baumert, Baylee Settje—4:52 (first place)

Boys Results

High Jump: Isaac Baumert—5-06 (third place); Coal Fernau—4-06 (fifth place); Triple Jump: Trey Steffensmeier—38-07 (first place); Long Jump: Trey Steffensmeier—18-08 (first place); Shot: Korbin Lemberg- 35-08 (sixth place); Disc: Korbin Lemburg—108-01 (fourth place); 100 Dash: Trey Steffensmeier—11.8 (third place); Jeryn Struebing—12.5 (sixth place); Blake Loseke: 24.6 (fourth place); 100 Hurdles: Isaac Baumert—19 (first place); 300 Hurdles: Isaac Baumert—48 (second place); 800: Nile Jones—2:23.8 (first place); 3200: Max Muhle—13:37 (first place); 4x100: Trey Steffensmeier, Joey Steffensmeier, Tucker Matthews, Blake Loseke—47.2 (first place)

On a windy Thursday afternoon in April, the Clarkson-Leigh JH track team made their way to Humphrey to compete at their first track meet of the season. The Patriots, both as a team and individually, found success at the track meet competing against six other teams. 

Overall, the seventh-grade girls’ team finished 2nd, the eighth^-grade girls finished 5th, the seventh-grade boys finished 5th, and the eighth-grade boys finished 2nd. 

Averi Clausen, a seventh-grade girls; team member, placed 4^th in the 200M Dash and 3^rd in the 400M Dash. 

Gus Erwin, a 7^th grader who was 6^th in the 200M Dash and 5^th in the Discus Throw, said, “It was a windy day, but our team tried their best and had fun while doing it.” 

Shaylynn Marty, an 8^th grade girls’ team member, was also 5^th in the Discus Throw. Easton Brabec, an 8^th grade boys’ team member, was 1^st in the 800-meter run and 3^rd in High Jump.

Seventh-grader Avery Kuester stated, “I think the Humphrey track meet was really good, especially since we have to battle the wind all day. Lots of us placed in individual awards, and the 7th grade girls relay teams both placed. I’m sure we all have things we can improve on, but it was a great start to the season.”

Coach Andrew Bachman, the head coach for the boy’s track team, states, “This was a good first meet. For our 7th graders, they are always nervous and using this as a "practice meet" helped to get rid of the nerves and get used to track meets in general. We had some good marks and are excited to see what the rest of the season brings us.”

“Explore. Learn. Create!” is the motto of the Columbus Area Children’s Museum, and on April 11th, that is exactly what the two LCS afternoon pre-school classes were able to do as they traveled to Columbus to visit the new attraction on a field trip.  

A total of 29 preschool students went on the trip to have fun and because it is a new addition to Columbus. They were at the museum for a total of two hours and had a great time. 

Preschool teacher Mrs. Tiffany Cash said, “We love providing hands-on learning opportunities for our students. The Columbus Area Children’s Museum is new to our community and provides an incredible experience to spark new interests, and encourage learning through exploration. Overall, our students were able to have a fun, educational experience powered by STEM and exhibits that represent real-life interests.”

The Leigh Quiz Bowl team embarked on a journey to Central Community College for District Quiz Bowl on April 16 to test their wits! 

The young scholars competed against Osceola twice, Scotus, Palmer, and Schuyler. They ended up winning three and losing two.

Other schools that attended the district quiz bowl were Twin River, Palmer, Central City, Cross County, Shelby Rising City, Nebraska Christian, Schuyler, Boone Central, Clarkson, Columbus, Aquinas, Fullerton, Osceola, Howells-Dodge, Scotus, David City, and High Plains.

The participants of district quiz bowl for Leigh were seniors Aubrie Hanna and Morgan Bunner; junior Brianne Kuhr; and sophmores Brayden Loseke and Luke Eisenmann. 

Senior Aubrie Hannah stated, “We were still able to show up and perform fairly well through the weather conditions, and I'm proud of how far we made it in the competition. I think we had a really good team this year, and I'm glad that we were able to finish the season the way we did.”

Mr. Faltys expressed, “The kids battled, they also had fun, and it was good to see them in action!” 

On April 11-13, members of the Clarkson-Leigh Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter went to State FBLA in Kearney. A total of 27 students attended state. 

FBLA Advisor Mrs. Jennifer Maliha said, “Our students competed very well in their competitive events. I applaud their courage to study topics that we don't learn in class and to interact with students from other schools. SLC is a great experience for our students.”

Sophomore Brayden Loseke and Sophomore Josh Eisenmann received second place in Management Information Systems and qualified for the national competition held this summer in Orlando, FL. 

Other top placements were senior Isaac Baumert, who earned 4th place in Personal Finance and Health Care Administration. Sophomore Brayden Loseke also earned 4th place in Cyber Security. Senior Aubrie Hanna earned the Who’s Who Award. 

Some Honorable Mentions were Korbin Lemburg for Accounting I and Accounting II, Brayden Loseke for Introduction to Information Technology, and Malachi Byrd in Introduction to Information Technology. 

The Clarkson-Leigh FBLA Chapter earned ribbons in Seven Up (increased 7+ members), march of Dimes, iGive, and Feed Nebraska. 

“SLC was really fun this year, and I’m really proud of how everything turned out. I feel like we had a really good group this year, and we worked well together. Overall, it was a great experience!” said senior Aubrie Hanna.