MS League Vocal
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Nemaha Central seventh and eighth-grade music students traveled to St. Mary's for the second year of the Big East League vocal event. Schools from St. Marys, Riley County, Perry Lecompton, and Holton were also in attendance.
The director this year was Nicolas Carr from Shawnee Heights High School with Owen Zinke, Seneca, playing the piano accompanist. The students were split up into vocal ranges and practiced the songs given to them, working on tempo and phrasing. After working on their songs, they were ready for a polished performance. The songs sung were “Bonse Aba” by Victor C. Johnson, “This Little Light of Mine" by Ken Berg, "Cripple Creek" by Emily Crocker, and "Come Travel With Me” by Scott Farthing. The performance was recorded for public viewing.
“Overall the event went pretty well,” Ellie Burkitt, 7th, said.
Article by Charlie Koch
Winter Pep Rally
On Jan. 5, 2026, Nemaha Central Middle School had a pep rally to recognize winter sports. Mrs. Jessica Koch introduced the boys' wrestling team. They placed first in the Big East League tournament, all receiving a medal. Koch acknowledged the girls' wrestling team and how well their season is going. After that was the boys' basketball team, whose season was coming to an end. Finally, she recognized the scholars' bowl team, and there were many new faces on the team. At the end of the pep rally, the cheerleaders planned an exhilarating activity. A few of the basketball boys and wrestling girls played the enthralling head, shoulders, cup game. When the cheerleaders said “cup,” students tried to grab the cup as fast as possible. After some tough competition, Evan Bletscher, 8th grade, won the game by the tips of his fingers! “I really enjoyed going up there and playing the games! I hope to do it again at future pep rallies, ” said Bletscher.
Article by Grady Schmelzle
MS Career Fair
On Feb. 3, 2026, Nemaha Central Middle School had their annual career fair. NCMS started with learning about some high school clubs that they might be interested in. The clubs/pathways included: Marketing/Finance, Biomedical, Media Design and Communications, Engineering, Health Science, Comprehensive Ag, Construction & Design, Mobile Equipment, and Family and Consumer Sciences. Then students got to watch some presentations about different jobs which included: Tricia Cain, Travis Stallbaumer, and Andrea Boden.
First, Cain spoke about her job as a graphic designer at United Patriot Supply. She taught the students what her job entailed and showed some of the work she has done. She also explained some software she uses and college degrees needed to be a graphic designer.
Then, Stallbaumer, who works for the Medical Arts Pharmacy, talked about the college paths he took and why he wanted to be a pharmacist. He taught the students that there were many different jobs within the pharmacy. He explained what he does during his day: telling patients about the prescribed medicine, filling prescriptions, and compounding medicine.
Lastly, Andrea Boden, a lawyer, informed the students about what she does. She talked about how many years of schooling you must complete to be a lawyer, and some of her favorite cases she’s worked on. She told the students about the many different types of lawyers, and all of her accomplishments in the profession.
“It helped me know what I should do in high school. It also gave me an idea of what I want to do after high school,” Grady Schmelzle, 8th, said. In conclusion, NCMS students learned about different jobs and pathways people can take.
Article by: Lillian Deters