By Nathan Wood
Montezuma Schools Superintendent
Montezuma Schools are pleased to report that we have been in school full time (with regards to a short period of time without our 7th/8th grades) and most of our extracurricular activities have successfully taken place.
While some things have looked much different, we believe Montezuma Schools are following the guidelines the best we can while giving our students the greatest experiences possible.
As you know, many schools around the state have gone to hybrid or full virtual models several times throughout the semester so far, and some even permanently.
In this newsletter edition, we want to highlight our fall activities and share some other very positive experiences.
With the interruption in instruction due to COVID, the teachers have worked extremely hard to help bridge the gap in all areas, especially reading.
We were very pleased with the results for the fall FAST testing in grades K-6 despite all our students have gone through. Comparative scores from fall 2019 to fall 2020 have our students right on track.
Our girls cross country team won its first-ever, back-to-back conference titles while earning their first berth since 1982 at the state cross country meet.
This was quite an accomplishment for a team that once did not have enough members to even have a team score just a few years ago.
Last year, the boys were able to score as a team for the first time in a long time and continued the same success this year, finishing second at the conference meet and finishing fifth at state qualifying – their best finish in more than 20 years. We are so proud of our runners and coaches!
The school play, The Fallen Star of Coconut Grove, took place over the past two weekends and was a great success for all those involved. We had to make some last-minute changes on the run due to newer COVID policies, but thankfully, were still able to have all three performances with an audience. And as always, our directors and students did such a fantastic job.
Our Bravette volleyball team was just a few matches away from a conference title, but can take away so many positive experiences from the season. This team has so much to build on for the 2021 season.
The FFA Soils Team consisting of seniors Carmen Klos, Lauren Klos, Alex Cheney, and Gavin Tindle won the district title and will advance to state competition. Our students work incredibly hard, are always very prepared and it pays off.
The Best Pep Band in the Land provided superb music, as always, for our home football games this year.
Homecoming week was a wonderful success this year despite the many changes and challenges we’ve experienced. Congratulations to Dylan Holland and Michael DeJong for being named queen and king this year. Our elementary students were not as involved compared to the past two years, but were able to participate in dress up days and the parade.
Amid all the seriousness of what is going on in education and in the world, students in the elementary school were able to partake in their normal Halloween festivities, including treats, games, and their costume parade. In the effort of trying to ensure some normalcy this year, staff made sure to keep safety measures in place while still managing to have fun and enjoy their time observing Halloween.
The Braves football team earned a spot in a state semifinals game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. It ended up being the highest-scoring game in the history of our state and those boys sure left it all on the field. To finish top four in the state of our third season in eight-man is such a great accomplishment.
For the first time, Montezuma CSD held virtual conferences earlier this fall. Teachers were able to meet digitally with an overwhelming majority of parents, to celebrate the positive things that our students are doing in our school. We are thankful for the flexibility and efforts by teachers and families to engage in collaborative efforts for the betterment of our students.
To celebrate our heroic Veterans, elementary students worked hard to write essays to honor them. Essays were submitted for both Montezuma and Deep River VFW chapters. 5th graders Olivia Latcham and Emma Snook were selected as winners for Deep River’s essay contest.
Finally, we cannot conclude without mentioning the work our teachers have put in this school year when circumstances are much different than normal. We also appreciate our students here in Montezuma as they, and their families, maintain unwavering support for this school and community. We know all of this has presented many unique challenges, so again, thank you for being flexible as we move through this challenging school year.
