ERIK HENTGES MINNESOTA SPELLING BEE SEMIFINALIST

2015 Minnesota National Geographic State Bee

Sponsored by Google and Plum Creek

Semifinalist Press Release

_______________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Student Named Minnesota National Geographic State Bee Semifinalist by National Geographic Society

Student’s Name:  Erik Hentges

Parents’ Names:  Dawn and Anthony

School Name and Address:  Lester Prairie

Grade Level:  8

The above-named student has been notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2015 Minnesota National Geographic State Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum Creek. The contest will be held at St. Cloud State University on Friday, March 27, 2015.

This is the second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 27^th year. School Bees were held in schools with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school champion. School champions then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society has invited up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories to compete in the state Bees.

Each state champion will receive $100, the “National Geographic Atlas of the World, 10^th Edition,” a medal, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent their state in the National Geographic Bee Championship to be held at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 11-13, 2015. The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the Society.  The national champion will also travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galápagos Islands, where he/she will experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the islands’ unique wildlife and landscapes. Travel for the trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. Visit www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee for more information on the National Geographic Bee.

National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD will air the 2015 National Geographic Bee Championship final round, moderated by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien, on Friday, May 15, at 8 p.m. ET. The final round will be aired later on public television stations. Check local television listings for air date and time in your area.

How would you fare as a Bee contestant? At the school Bees this year, students had to answer such questions as:

Six-time Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, play football near the source of the Ohio River in which state—Alabama or Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania

Balboa Park, with more than ten museums, performing arts centers, and gardens, is located in which southern California city?

San Diego

Taylor Swift performed songs from her album Red last summer in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of which Asian country that borders the South China Sea?

Malaysia

Disney’s blockbuster movie Frozen is set in the fictional land of Arendelle, which was largely inspired by the country of Norway. Norway is located on which European peninsula?

Scandinavian Peninsula

ABOUT THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

With a mission to inspire, illuminate and teach, the National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. The member-supported Society, which believes in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world, reaches over 600 million people each month through its media platforms, products and events. National Geographic has funded more than 11,000 research, conservation and exploration projects, and its education programs promote geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

Construction Class at Lester Prairie Schools

Every spring semester, the Lester Prairie Construction class taught by Mr. Scoblic builds sheds. Four are built each year. All materials are purchased from RAM Buildings. The sheds are 8’x12’ and delivered free of charge by the class. “We built a trailer in our Welding class and are able to deliver the sheds to the site” states Scoblic.

The students learn the various aspects of construction by power point presentations and then go directly out and use the knowledge just learned to build the sheds.

The class is divided into two crews. Each crew builds a shed. When completed, they turn around and build two more. “It is amazing how much faster the second two sheds get built” stated Scoblic. “If people are interested in a shed, we have custom built some. We have put windows and sun lights etc. in different ones. You just need to purchase the additional features ahead of time and we’ll put them in for you.”

Each year we custom build one for Running’s in Hutchinson.

They sell the spring/summer greenhouse items out of it and then sell it in the fall.

We have one 8’x12’ storage shed for sale now.

The 3^rd shed we are going to build is a “garden shed” with the doors on the side instead of the end, a window, and a plant box under the window. The 4^th shed would be another storage shed, unless enough people were interested, we could build 2 garden sheds.

We are asking $1200 per shed. The cost covers materials. If there is any money left over after paying the bills, it goes back into the Construction class for tools.

For additional information on the sheds, call Lester Prairie Schools at 395-2521 and ask for Joe Scoblic. 

   

     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

     Minnesota Alliance With Youth Contact:

     Sarah Ullmer, sullmer@mnyouth.net, 612.554.6019

  Delta Dental of Minnesota Contact:

  Sarah Leeth, sleeth@deltadentalmn.org, 651.224.3295

Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation 

Announces 2015 Serve a Smile Winners

Lester Prairie Schools

March 26, 2015 (Minneapolis, Minn.) -- Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, in collaboration with Minnesota Alliance With Youth and Minnesota FCCLA, has awarded more than $30,000 in annual youth service grants and in-kind dental hygiene supplies to 39 sites in 29 communities. These competitive grants are awarded through Delta Dental’s Serve a Smile grant program to support youth-led service projects that address important oral health and overall health issues. The program provides young people with funds to create healthier schools and communities.

Locally, a $612.82 grant was awarded to Lester Prairie Schools in Lester Prairie, MN which will be used for a project called SMILE. In this Delta Dental Serve a Smile project, youth in Kindergarten received advice on brushing and good dental habits.

“Youth in Minnesota have some of the best ideas to change the world,” said Susan Hammel, Executive Director of the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation and Community Affairs. “As we have for 11 years, we are proud to support their creativity and initiative through the Serve a Smile mini grant program.”

“The Alliance is pleased to celebrate our 12^th year of partnering with Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation and Minnesota FCCLA on the Serve a Smile program,” said Sarah Dixon, CEO of Minnesota Alliance With Youth. “The opportunity to give back and become involved in the community is critical to the academic and lifelong success of youth.  These grants are a tremendous way to engage young people as contributing members of society, raise awareness of important health issues, and provide much-needed support across our state,” Dixon said.

Please join the Serve a Smile grant recipients at Global Youth Service Day, the largest youth service event in the world.  The Minnesota celebration will be held on April 18^th at the Mall of America. 

###

Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation is designed to support Delta Dental of Minnesota's mission of improving the oral health of the people in Minnesota and advancing the science and art of oral health in Minnesota. The Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation supports initiatives that promote access to oral health and, in turn, improve the overall health and vitality of our community. To learn more, visit www.deltadentalmn.org.

Minnesota Alliance With Youth is a leading convener, collaborator, and capacity-builder for youth development. The Alliance seeks to strengthen youth success in school and learning, increase youth engagement in communities, develop and magnify youth voice, and advance collaboration and innovation with entities that share its vision. For more information about Minnesota Alliance With Youth or Global Youth Service Day, visit www.mnyouth.net.

LP Receives Viking Coca Cola Donation

Lester Prairie Schools recently received a donation in the amount of $410.39 from Viking Coke.  The donation is part of the promotion of Coke products within the school and is a return for the school utilizing Coca Cola products in the concession stands and around the school.  Accepting the check, presented by Coca Cola were LP Athletic Director Blaine Walstrom and Principal Jeremy Schmidt. The money will be used to help with the school-wide PBIS initiative and also help fund promotions for students in the REACH program which is taught by Mr. Walstrom.

I LOVE TO READ CONTEST WINNERS

Congratulations to the winners of our February I Love to Read Month Contests!  For the Reach for the Stars Reading Fundraiser, Ms. Kraemer's 4/5th Grade Class is the winner of the ice cream party for the most minutes read and Mrs. Smith's Kindergarten Class is the winner of the fundraising trophy for the most money raised.  A total of 84,215 minutes were read by students!  

Students can use their vouchers (in your mailboxes this morning) at the book fair during conferences this week on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30-7:30pm.  

Congratulations to the winners of the bookmark design contest:  Kendall Zabel (Mrs. Smith's class), Tony Medina (Ms. Edlund's class), and Jonathon Hehr (Ms. Kraemer's class).  Copies of their bookmarks will be available in the library this month for everyone to enjoy!