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(L to R): Emery Malena, Wyatt Eisenmann, Averi Clausen, Reese Bruhn, Vylet Hollatz, Wyatt Langhorst, Post Commander Mike Benesch

Students at Leigh Community School once again showed their appreciation for veterans and their country by participating in the annual Patriot's Pen contest for 6-8th graders and Voice of Democracy Oratorical Contest for high school students.  

Mr. Tyler Brester's 6th grade class took part in Patriot's Pen. Mrs. Justine Fischer's 8th grade class took part in Patriot's Pen, and her 10th grade class participated in Voice of Democracy.  For Patriot's Pen, students had to write a 300-500 word essay on the following prompt: "My Voice in America's Democracy."  For Voice of Democracy, students had to write and deliver a 3-5 minute speech on the following prompt: "Is America Today Our Forefather's Vision?"

Many very impressive entries were sent in from Leigh, and it was tough to choose the winners! For the Patriot's Pen, 6th grader Emery Malena received 1st Place, and her essay will continue to the next round of judging.  8th graders Averi Clausen and Wyatt Eisenmann placed 2nd and 3rd respectively. 

For the Voice of Democracy, Wyatt Langhorst placed first.  Reese Bruhn finished second, and Vylet Hollatz placed 3rd.  Wyatt and Reese's recorded speeches will both move on to the next round of competition. 

Emery, Wyatt, and Reese all had the opportunity to read their winning essay or speech at the Veteran's Day program held in Leigh.  All student winners were recognized at the program by Schuyler American Legion Post 47.  Post Commander Mr. Mike Benesch was there to present the winners with certificates and prize money. 

Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to all the students who participated and showed their patriotism for our country!

Leigh Community School’s Mrs. Brianne Bachman was recently invited to speak at a ceremony held by Gov. Jim Pillen that celebrated Manufacturing in Nebraska and the education necessary to promote jobs in manufacturing, science, and technology. 

The conference was held at Cargill in Schuyler on October 23, and Gov. Pillen declared October as Manufacturing Month in Nebraska.  Pillen cited federal labor data which said that Nebraska’a manufacturing employment is at its highest point since 2001 with over 100,000 jobs and 4,333 jobs added this year alone.  

Several speakers spoke about developing Nebraska’s Workforce through education. 

At the event, instructors from Central Community College spoke about their Independent Mechatronics Education Curriculum (iMEC), which is helping equip area students for careers in manufacturing.  The curriculum is being provided in 18 high schools across Nebraska, including Leigh, which is one of the smallest schools offering iMEC.  

Mrs. Brianne Bachman, who teaches science at LCS, was instrumental in bringing the iMEC (Mechatronics) program to Leigh.  She took coursework through CCC last summer to gain training on how to use the equipment that her students now learn on in class.  

“I jumped at the opportunity to help facilitate this program,” Bachman said. “The experiences students gain because CCC is able to offer iMEC in small, rural schools is an opportunity like no other. Leigh Schools have many partnerships with CCC, but his one is a real feather in our caps.”

Leigh Superintendent Mr. Cole Fischer said, “We are very excited to offer Mechatronics this year at LCS.  We really pursued this partnership with CCC because we always want to be looking at new and innovative ways we can provide opportunities to our students and make them college and career-ready.  This program is another great addition to our STEM curriculum and utilizes the STEM space we have in our new building.  A huge credit is due to Mrs. Bachman for completing the necessary training to help make this opportunity possible!”

On November 13, 2024, 16 members of the Leigh FFA Chapter competed at District Livestock Judging at Ag Park in Columbus.

After weeks of practice leading up to competition, the chapter was rewarded with great success having two teams qualify for state! 99 participants competed in the junior division and 104 participants competed in the senior division, making competition difficult to advance to state. 

Participants individually judged eight classes of livestock ranging from swine, cattle, sheep, and goats. At the competition, individuals placed each class and gave sets of reasons to judges. Juniors talked over breeding heifers, while seniors gave reasons over three classes containing market hogs, market sheep, and breeding heifers.

For each team advancing on to state, the Junior team will take the top 4 people in their division, and the Senior team will do the same.

State qualifiers on the Junior team are as follows: Carmen Malena, Daphne Jedlicka, Hannah Martensen, and Blake Loseke. 

State qualifiers on the Senior team are as follows: Kammy Held, Luke Eisenmann, Kyle McMullin, and Carter Brabec.

State alternates: Cody Jedlicka, Junior team; Brianne Kuhr, Senior team.

Leigh FFA Advisor Mrs. Alyssa Went said, “Livestock judging was super competitive and the scores were very close. Our members did their best and both our Junior and Senior teams qualified for state. Livestock judging in District 2 is one of the hardest contests we have throughout the year and I am so proud that both of our teams qualified. They have shown a lot of improvement this year and we look forward to continuing to work hard for the state convention in April.”

Livestock Judging Full Results:

Junior Division:

Carmen Malena - 10th 

Daphne Jedlicka - 11th 

Hannah Martensen - 30th 

Blake Loseke - 39th

Cody Jedlicka - 50th

Sadie Brabec - 54th

Rebecca Hastreiter - 58th

Tyce Larson - 65th

Senior Division:

Kammy Held - 4th

Luke Eisenmann - 10th

Kyle McMullin - 19th

Carter Brabec - 37th

Brianne Kuhr - 48th

Brayden Loseke - 83rd

Paige Kurpgeweit - 86th

Jared Olson - 87th

With fall sports season all finished up, the Patriot stream and vision board team is gearing up for the winter season. The stream team is responsible for filming, live-streaming, and providing commentary for games on our YouTube channel called Clarkson-Leigh Athletics. The vision board team is responsible for playing graphics on the vision board in the Leigh High School gym during all home games and activities.

The students are responsible for setting up and taking care of all the tech equipment, trouble-shooting problems, and creating the graphics and videos ahead of time. They also provide live game commentary for sports games. 

The sponsor for both vision board and stream team is Mrs. Jennifer Maliha of Leigh. Students helping the stream team in Leigh are Brayden Loseke, Riley Van Dyke, Caleb Settje, and Trevor Hoffman. Members of the vision board team this year are Paige Kurpgeweit, Amaiya Ross, Emily Stender, and Keeley Campbell. 

These students are always working behind the scenes and putting a lot of time and effort into making each event hosted at Leigh is a success!

Senior Riley Van Dyke said, “Stream team has been going very well this year and we enjoy streaming each game so people can still watch it if they can’t attend in person. Trevor Hoffman said he “can’t wait to keep commentating games this winter, and it’s a blast every time.”

For most people, a turtle isn’t thing that comes to mind when they think of getting a new pet.  But having a turtle as a pet is one of the best decisions someone could make. It is a lifelong pet and very low maintenance. Many people talk about having a fish as a pet. A turtle is essentially the same as a fish. 

I’ve had a pet turtle named Bucky for about a year now.  Before that, Bucky was with my cousin for two years.  Bucky ended up with me pretty much by chance.  My cousin had another pet turtle in the same enclosure as Bucky, and since they were different types of turtles, they were making each other sick.  My cousin asked if I would just keep it for a little while.  He later asked if I would take it to the exotic animal auction or keep it.  I chose to keep Bucky, and I’m so glad I did!

As long as you get the right things for your turtle, then they will live for a while. First, you have to make sure to have a tote or enclosure big enough for them. I’d suggest a 40-gallon tote. 

You will also need to get some wood chips for your turtle’s “floor”. This will allow some extra padding and a good absorbent for the things that your turtle may do in its area. Make sure to change the wood chips every once in a while. You also may have to go in with a glove every month or so and somewhat clean the wood chips. 

You also have to make sure that your turtles have lettuce. You can’t just be buying any kind of lettuce as you please. It needs to be romaine lettuce or the turtle won’t eat it. Another good thing that you can get for your turtle is calcium powder. You can find this at Wal-Mart. If you decide to use this, you just need to spray the lettuce with a little bit of water and then sprinkle some of the powder on. Make sure you have a little bowl of water for your turtle as well. 

The turtle will also need a light and a heat lamp to keep it warm. Turtles don’t like the dark. Another nice little addition you can get for your turtle is a log ramp. They can climb on it and sleep under it. 

In all, I’ve found that turtles are very low maintenance and a perfect addition to any family. You can even take them to college with you. It's a pet that every age can enjoy and easily take care of, whether you're 2 or 92. As you can tell, turtles are the perfect pet! 

In their second performance of the year, on Tuesday, November 19th, the Leigh One Act team performed “Anything Goes” at the East Husker Conference Elkhorn Division Competition held at Howells-Dodge. 

Leigh finished as the Conference Runner-Up! 

A whopping 15 actors on the Leigh cast received Outstanding Performance recognition at Conference, including Tyce Larson, Carmen Malena, Reese Wietfeld, Brett Wemhoff, Blake Loseke, Luke Eisenmann, Kyle McMullin, Sydney Messerlie, Carter Brabec, Cade Hoesly, Trevor Hoffman, Liz Hoffman, James Moore, Brianne Kuhr, and Wyatt Langhorst. 

Junior and senior members of the Leigh technical were also recognized including Riley Van Dyke, Emily Stender, Paige Kurpgeweit, and Brayden Loseke.  There is a separate technical crew award, and Leigh received Runner-Up in that as well!

Also impressively, there are 4 top performer awards awarded to the top 4 performers in the whole conference. Leigh earned two of those awards!  Freshman Trevor Hoffman earned one of the “Top Supporting Performer” awards for his role as Moonface Martin, and senior Brianne Kuhr earned one of the “Top Lead Performer” Awards for her role as Reno Sweeney!

 Howells-Dodge finished as the Conference Champion, and Stanton rounded out the top three, finishing third!

Senior Student Director Emily Stender stated, “I think that conference One-Act was a good experience for everyone. Underclassmen got a good experience on how one act performances go. Everyone did a great job at conference including all the cast and crew. Everyone had a great time at conference. The one act team did great by earning second place.”

One Act Director Mrs. Justine Fischer said, “I am so proud of our kids for finishing runner-up in a really competitive conference!  The kids have all been working so hard to make our show a great show.  They put a lot of time in to be the best they can be, and I think we have a very fun and funny show this year!  It was great to earn runner-up but it was maybe even more special to earn so many acting and tech awards.  We really hope the community will come support us at our “Drama and Desserts” Performance on Sunday, December 1, and our district performance on December 4.  Both are being held in Leigh, and we would love to perform for a packed house!”

On April 22, 2007, in Columbus, NE, Willie and Kylie Hollatz welcomed their first child, Izabel Nicole Hollatz, to their family. Izzy has two younger sisters: Vylet (15) and Layla (12).

Izzy’s grandparents are Dave and Joan Hollatz of Creston, Nebraska, and Jim and Lanette Bathen of David City, Nebraska.

Throughout Izzy’s high school career, she has participated in many school activities: FCCLA for 6 years; FBLA, Volleyball, Basketball, Track, One-Act, and Journalism for 4 years; and Dance, Yearbook, and National Honor Society for 3 years. Izzy has also been a member of the Leigh Youth Advisory Committee for 3 years. 

Izzy has earned many honors and awards in high school, including 1st Team All-Conference Volleyball, C-2 State Volleyball Runner-up, 3-Time East Husker Conference Volleyball Champion, FCCLA National Champion, and 6-Time Student of the Month.

Izzy’s greatest accomplishment and favorite high school memory is being State Runner-Up in Volleyball 2023. She also believes that the volleyball team being East Husker Conference Champions the last three years and making it to state volleyball 3 out of the past 4 years are great memories and accomplishments. 

Three words that describe Izzy are dependable, hard-working, and responsible

In the summer you can find Izzy working at the Clarkson Community Care Center. She also occasionally works there during the school year. 

If Izzy won the lottery, she would like to build her dream house and go on vacation in Hawaii. After that, she would put the rest of the money into savings.

If Izzy could travel anywhere, she would travel to Hawaii because it is really pretty, and she has always wanted to go there.

. Izzy plans to go to Northeast Community College and as of now, she plans on majoring in Nursing. She also will be playing volleyball at Northeast.

In 10-15 years, you can find Izzy moving back to a small town and hopes to be married and have kids.

Three of Izzy’ goals consist of going bungee jumping, traveling to Hawaii and other places, and riding in a hot-air balloon.

The person Izzy admires most is her mom. “She isn’t afraid to stick up for what she believes in and follow her dreams. She also always encourages me to be the best person I can be.”

Izzy has a lot of favorites, like her favorite subject: Culinary Arts. Her favorite TV show is Outer Banks. Her favorite song is anything by Megan Moroney. Her favorite food is chicken alfredo. Her favorite sports team is the Huskers. 

Outside of school you can find Izzy spending time with friends and family. She also loves to participate in sports in school and club volleyball. 

Izzy’s advice to underclassmen is, “Everyone has always told me that high school goes by so fast, and I never believed them. Now, I know that is definitely true, so don’t take anything for granted.”

We wish Izzy the best of luck, and we hope she is successful in her future endeavors!

The 2024 election was a monumental day for our country and results will mark a drastic change in America’s future.  Donald J. Trump is soon to be the 47th President of the United States. Donald Trump has made history by becoming the second non-consecutive term president and the first president convicted of a felony. 

It was clear by the outcome of the election that more people around the country supported Donald Trump than the mainstream media predicted.  No matter which candidate you voted for, now that Trump has been elected, I predict a time for the return of Trump policies dealing with immigration, the economy, and foreign relations. Trump is going to work on making America more of an independent country by raising tariffs and aiming toward a stronger economy. 

President Trump plans on working to improve the United States and has outlined clear ways to do it, but he will probably have a large amount of criticism to manage during his presidency.  For starters, many non-Trump supporters believe he is not fit to be president because of his legal issues.  He may later pardon himself to get rid of these legal issues. This issue shows that the Democratic Party is facing tough questions about what they are going to do to approach the future. Trump’s opponents say he will further divide Americans, but Trump and his team believe his policies will unite America.  No matter what people believe, I think it is clear to everyone that it is time to unite Americans from all walks of life and all beliefs. 

Donald Trump's vision for his second term is to continue his “America first” agenda. This agenda consisted of building the economy, dealing with the immigration issues, reshaping education policies, increasing the military, and lessening tension with foreign countries. First, Trump plans on increasing manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and also plans on reducing dependency on foreign countries such as China. Next on his agenda is to increase border security and increase deportation. He plans on expanding the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and plans on trying to lessen illegal immigration. Continuing with his agenda, Trump plans to reshape the education system and policies. He wants to promote a “patriotic education” by limiting the discussion of race and gender in the classroom. Trump plans on instilling American values and traditions in students. The last part of his agenda is to increase the military and reduce foreign affairs. Trump plans on strengthening the military, while wanting to reduce American involvement in foreign conflicts. He wants to rebuild the NATO compact and other alliances to strengthen America’s presence in the world.

Overall, Trump plans to change many policies and reverse many practices of the last four years. And his supporters are ready for this change of American society. Many others may argue that these policies and changes are not going to be good for America, but Trump’s agenda shows he is ready to redefine America and he is ready to “Make America Great Again.”

After a tremendous season and fantastic 29-4 record, the Patriot volleyball team’s hopes for another state run were dashed on Saturday, November 2 when they fell just short of winning their sub-state district final match-up against the Gothenburg Swedes held in Leigh. This marked the 

Their journey to a district final began on Monday, October, 28.  This was the first time Leigh has ever participated in Class C-1 volleyball.  When the Patriots entered their Sub-District, they were ranked #1 and defeated the Wayne Blue Devils in the first round. They started off strong defeating Wayne in the first set 25-14. They then defeated them again in the second set 25-15 and third set 25-19.    

Next, on Tuesday, October, 29, the Patriots faced the Laurel-Concord-Coleridge Bears. The Bears were a great team, but the Patriots swept them in three sets.  The Patriots had a close score against the Bears in the first set, but they pulled through, defeating them 28-26. They won again in the second set 25-21, and in the third set with another close score of 25-23. The Patriots season continued, leading them into the district finals on Saturday. 

Sophomore Vylet Hollatz said, "Seeing a large crowd in the bleachers had us coming out against Wayne with a lot of energy. We had already watched them play LVSS earlier that night, so we knew we were prepared and we took care of business in three sets. Then on to LCC on Tuesday night. We understood they were a top team with some big hitters. We still continued to have great energy and determination to make it to the next round. We came out with another huge win in three sets to keep our season going."

On Saturday, November, 2, the Patriots faced Gothenburg Swedes in the district finals. This was a very challenging yet exciting game for the Patriots. The match against the Swedes went into five sets; the Patriots winning two of the five sets. They started off strong in the first set leading the Swedes by a score of 25-22. The Swedes won the second with a score 25-18. The Patriots came through and won the third set with a score of 25-21. The Patriots fell short in the fourth set ending 25-19, and again in the fifth set with a close score of 16-14.  This match ended their successful season in C1! 

Senior Baylee Settje said, “I’m proud of how our team played this season and how much closer we have all gotten! Even if we didn’t have the outcome we hoped for, we can proudly say we fought until the very last point, left everything out on the court, and ultimately played patriot volleyball. We proved that we can be in C1 and compete with any team that we play. Overall, we had great defense on Saturday, which helped our setters get the ball to the hitters to attack, but in the end, we came up a little short!”

  Head Coach Rebecca Schneider said, “We are extremely proud of the way our girls battled in the district final against Gothenburg!  Going into that match, we knew it was going to be tough as we felt we were very evenly matched, but we had all the confidence in the girls and believed that they could win!  Unfortunately, it did not end that way, but our girls definitely didn't go down without a fight!  It was absolutely amazing to see them battle back from behind, down 2-9 in the 5th and have the opportunity to win it at 14-13.  They showed a tremendous amount of grit and perseverance, and we couldn't be prouder of them.  They played outstanding volleyball, which made the loss hurt a little bit more because of the fact we were playing so well; we were just not ready to be done! C1 didn't phase these girls one bit and they left it all on the court!”  

Although this year marks the first time in five years the Patriots have not qualified for the state tournament, they still had a fantastic season with a final season record of 29-4!

Clarkson-Leigh vs Wayne 

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3

Clarkson-Leigh:    25    25    25  

Wanye:    14    15    19  

Individual Stats vs Wayne (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)

Izabel Hollatz: 12, 19, 2, 1, 11; Maizie Stoklasa: 4, 1, 5, 0, 2; Kendall Schneider: 5, 14, 0, 0, 8; Cadence Indra: 0, 4, 0, 1, 4; Brynn Settje: 9, 1, 1, 1, 10; Baylee Settje: 10, 0, 2, 0, 0; Vylet Hollatz: 0, 1, 0, 2, 8; Ava Kasik: 5, 4, 2, 2, 7

Clarkson-Leigh vs Laurel-Concord-Coleridge:

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 

Clarkson-Leigh:   28    25    25

L-C-C:     26    21    23

Individual Stats vs Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)

Izabel Hollatz: 12, 18, 4, 0, 13; Maizie Stoklasa: 7, 0, 7, 0, 2; Kendall Schneider: 3, 19, 1, 0, 11;Cadence Indra: 0, 1, 0, 0, 9; Brynn Settje: 11, 0, 3, 0, 11; Baylee Settje: 9, 0, 3, 0, 1; Vylet Hollatz: 0, 1, 0, 1, 8; Ava Kasik: 3, 2, 1, 2, 17

Clarkson-Leigh vs Gothenburg

Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5

Clarkson-Leigh:   25    18    25    19    14

Gothenburg:    22    25    21   25    16 

Individual Stats vs Gothenburg (kills, assists, blocks, aces, digs)

Izabel Hollatz: 6, 22, 0, 0, 15; Maizie Stoklasa: 9, 0, 4, 0, 0; Kendall Schneider: 2, 28, 0, 1, 10;  Cadence Indra: 0, 0, 0, 0, 9; Brynn Settje: 13, 0, 1, 2, 13; Claire Holoubek: 0, 0, 0, 0, 1; Baylee Settje: 8, 0, 5, 0, 1; Vylet Hollatz: 0, 0, 0, 0, 19; Ava Kasik: 13, 1, 0, 2, 4 

Congratulations to the October 2024 Leigh Elementary Students of the Month!  These students were recognized this past month for being good students, friends, and helpers! 

Keep up the great work!

Front row: Jude Gall, Paxton Wietfeld, Alexia Magsamen, Declan Urbanek, Daxten Beller, Stella Reichmuth, RyeLynn Oeltjen, Matthew Amezcua
Back row: Brecken Ohlde, Khloe Kabes, Tyler VanDerslice, Brantley Higby, Kinlee Olson
The preschoolers receiving this honor are Hunter Machmueller, Parker Svehla, and Riggs Sayers