The McCook Educational Foundation has begun taking donations for the improvement of the technological equipment in the classrooms for the McCook Public Schools.  We would like to purchase four adjustable flat panel carts, four mimio Pad Overviews, four large TVs (52 inch) and a Class Pack of 24 QClick RF Classroom Response Systems. This would provide one system in each of the four McCook Schools. Cost for each system is $4,800; thus $19,200 is needed. If you are interested in donating, please send to the address at the end of this article.  Donations are tax deductible.

  The Foundation will hold an auction at the Bison 2010 Reunion to help raise money for this equipment. Items to be auctioned will include an engraved guitar from the Country Stampede, signed by Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton, donated by Wayne Rouse ’71 and a gift basket from Wagner Ford (Chris ‘85 & Annette Kool Wagner  ’85) as well as other valuable items.  Auction items will be on display during Bison 2010 registration at the McCook Junior High cafeteria previous to the auction. We are looking for other auction items if you’d like to contribute.

Gifts given for Scholarship Endowment Fund

Grant Strunk ‘77

Donations
 Ross Halsey ’81, Lori Watson,  Colton & Sheila Hosick

   McCook Educational Foundation Scholarship funds accepting donations are: Nancy Prosser-Weedin Scholarship, Phillip M. Johnston Scholarship, Myrtle Ashton Scholarship, The Strunk Scholarship, The Douglass Scholarship in memory of Harry and Irma Douglass, the Leo and William Kelly Music Scholarship, the Dr. LaVern R. Blank Scholarship, the Dan Wallen Agriculture Scholarship and the Donald Marvin Agriculture Scholarship. All donations are appreciated.

  The McCook Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization created as a source of support to enhance educational opportunities for students at McCook Public Schools.  Anyone wishing to contribute or needing more information should contact Al Cuellar at acuellar@swnebr.net or 308-345-2393.  Send donations to:  McCook Educational Foundation Inc.,  P.O. Box 782,  McCook, NE 69001

Gifts given for Scholarship Endowment Fund 

            Shirley Blank                                        Grant Strunk ‘77
            Gene Weedin, teacher                           Wayne Rothmeyer ‘58

Gifts given to the McCook Educational Foundation

            In Honor Of:                                                                       Given by:
Gary ‘72 and Beth Corrick  ‘76 Loop       Dale ‘72 Mary Anderson ‘73 Dueland

 Donations for Band Uniforms

 Class of ‘44 

A new scholarship has been set up in honor of Dan Wallen ‘69 by his family. The Dan Wallen Agricultural Scholarship is offered to students who plan to study any form of agriculture. Anyone interested in donating to this or any of the McCook Educational Foundation scholarships can send donations to the McCook Educational Foundation, P.O. Box 782, McCook, NE 69001

Donations can be made to the scholarships sponsored by the McCook Educational Foundation.  They are: Nancy Prosser-Weedin Scholarship, Phillip M. Johnston Scholarship, Myrtle Ashton Scholarship, the Strunk Scholarship, the Douglass Scholarship in memory of Harry and Irma Douglass, the Leo and William Kelly Music Scholarship, the Dr. LaVern R. Blank Scholarship and the Dan Wallen Agriculture Scholarship. Other donations are appreciated.

Sung to Music of the day: “Here Comes The Sun”

Music composed by Harry Woods – Sung by Kate Smith

(Slow tempo)

Not so many years ago

We were children small

Starting in our school career

We had no cares at all.

Quickly years have slipped away

Yesterday, it seems

That to rank as Juniors lay

Far beyond our dreams!

(Choris: Faster Tempo)

Bright as the morning sun

Juniors of ’31.

We’re out to win!

E’en in the thickest fray

Juniors will win the day.

Laurels bring in,

We won’t acknowledge defeat.

Vanquish each foe we meet.

We’re Jrs! We’re Jrs!

We’re loyal Jrs.

Seniors will soon be gone!

Jrs. will carry on.

True to their name,

Make dear old MHS

Rank with the very best in halls of fame.

Notice our progress through

high school

We’ve held the banner up high

Sophs, our advice to you

Be loyal as we’ve been true

To Mac-Cook High!

On May 21, the song was symbolically given back to the sophomore class officers, Katie West, Andrew Broadfoot, Kelsey O’Dea and Corey Paz, representing the next year’s junior class, with a framed copy of the song’s lyrics. The commemorative copy will eventually be placed at the Museum of the High Plains in McCook.

With only about six classmates still around from the original 77 who graduated in 1932, the song Horendeck wrote was doomed to oblivion. But thanks to former classmate Dr. John Batty ‘32, the song was revived by a conversation they both had. Batty brought the song up in a casual conversation and mentioned that it could be given back to MHS.

Horendeck warmed to the idea but finding sheet music to her song proved to be a problem. The lyrics are sung to the tune of a popular 1931 song, “Here Comes the Sun,” performed by Kate Smith. Although Horendeck can still sing the song by the heart, sheet music was needed so a new generation could learn it.

The sheet music was finally found by the daughter of another 1932 MHS graduate, Connie Malcolm Chrisman. Then, with the help of Cheryl “Cheri” Myers Beckenhauer ‘64, director of the Bison Alumni Newsletter and Katie Guthrie ’03, the lyrics were mounted decoratively inside an ornate frame, including sheet music, a picture of Horendeck and the names of those who graduated in 1932.

MHS choir director Sandra Weigel then coordinated the ceremony at the MHS choir room. As Horendeck and Batty sang along in the audience – another classmate who still lives in McCook, Ruth Huet Madron ‘32 was unable to attend – MHS choir students Stephen Smock, Katie Unger and Kim Holthus performed the “Junior Class Song- 1931.” “We sang it almost as well as they did,” commented Batty afterward. “But they have a better piano than we did.”

When presenting the song to the junior class, Horendeck explained how times were different than they are today. With the nation mired in poverty, the song “Here Comes the Sun” was typical of the uplifting radio songs of the day, she said. “It boosted the moral of daddies that couldn’t find jobs,” she told the kids, with Kate Smith the premier singer of the day.

Horendeck explained how desperate the times were in the 1930s, when families used cardboard in the bottom of their shoes, covered with black shoe polish from the outside, when the soles of their shoes wore out. Whether the students understood the poverty of the era is debatable, but they seemed genuinely delighted by Horendeck’s spirited personality.

Like most of her classmates, Horendeck may get around a little slower these days but her mind is still going strong. She can rattle off the names of all the teachers she had through school, from kindergarten to high school, and still lives independently in her own home.

As she and Batty spontaneously broke into a lively rendition of the song, years seemed to slip away and instead of two senior citizens, they became spirited juniors once again. As she good-naturedly corrected Batty’s singing style – “See, it’s snappier right here, then dreamy,” Horendeck pointed out – the kids good naturedly looked on. “You know, it’s been years, but I can still see their faces,” Horendeck reminisced as she read her classmate names from the framed plaque. “It doesn’t seem that long ago, really.”

The band members, their instructor, and the band boosters are delighted that their uniforms will now fit well, look good, and help instill a sense of pride in our MHS musicians. Your donations show that you support the arts in our school and realize that participation in activities like band help to build strong, responsible, and respectful young people.

McCook Public Schools, McCook Elementary PTO, Marie Coffey, Sharon Bohling, Maribeth Augustyn, D. Stanley ‘37 & June Hasty, Class of ’38, Harold ‘38 & Marion Larmon, Shirley Muffley Wallen ‘46, W. LeRoy ’46 & Karola Bell, Myrna Harmon Bollerup ’47, Mary Morgan Howard ’48, Dr. Earl Carlson ’48, Ivan ‘48 & Pasty Rogers ‘53 Schmid, Richard ‘53 & Joan Dike, Joseph ‘51 & Eileen Colling, Terry‘54 & Margaret Fassler‘53 Byrd, Donald ‘55 & Mary Schaaf, Frank ‘53 & Andrea Nicholson ’57 Bauer, Class of 1957, Dale ‘57 & Eva Hofman, Neal ‘56 & Mary Lee Mohr ‘59 Corey, Cleve Trimble ’57, Patricia Patrick Streit ’58, Barry & Linda Harmon ’58 Boone, George & Judy Chinn ‘58 Wortley, Sharon Tennant Johnson ‘59, Ronald & Lillian Roth ’59 Stuhmer, Charles Peek ’60, Cloyd & Linda Haller ‘67 Clark, Larry ‘67 & Karen Lytle ‘73 Siebrandt, Gary & Deborah Best ‘69 Brandt, Jim ‘70 and Kristi Korf ‘71 Clapp, Don ‘71 & Colleen Olson, Michael Thomas ’73, Doug ’73 & Sharyn Skiles, Robert & Jean Anderson ‘74 Warner, Jim or Dari Tucker ’75 Olson, James Ray ’76, Keith ‘76 & Ruth Janisch ’56 Bradley, Diane Putz ’79 Weiser, Leigh Fletcher Farrell ’80, Kurt & Denise Garey ‘80 Ringenberg, David “81 & Christine Liess ‘81 Carfield, Steven & Teresa Ellinger ’81 Wells, Bruce ‘82 &Theresa Bair, Robert ‘83 & Carolyn Christie & Debra Wilcox, Trevor ‘84 & Dee ‘81 McCorkle Premer, Brent ‘92 & Loretta Hauxwell, Kenneth ‘94 & Jessi Keslin, Guangtian & Adrienne Nielson ’00 Zhang, Douglas & Linda Frank, Becky Kilpatrick, Marion Thomas, Marilyn Goodenberger, Skylar Flowers, Gwen Burham, Kevin & Teresa Hodgson, Jeremy Bain, Ron Mousel, G.P. Michaelis, Donald & Marilyn Brandt, Roger & Rosemary Dickerson, Rose Ann Wolf, Jan Kalinski, Carla Rae Kychick, Stan & Carmen Goodwin, Pamela Wesch Bradley, Merita Larson Boone, Marshall & Jean Grant, Jo Smolczyk, Evelyn Salyer, Priscilla Marvin, Donald & Agnes Roberts, Roger & Betty Brush Bower, Joyce Hofman, Samuel Roberts, James & Maxine Dusatko, John W. Haugen, Tim & Sharon Burrows, Roger & Rita Bentley, Darwin & Kay Neuhaus, Marvin Metzer, William Stock, Pete Burger, Willis Jones, Betty Wortman, Harold & Patty Bennett, Dale & Winifred Wortman, Dr. David & Judith Allerheiligen, Dr. Wade & Dr. Kristin Fornander, Terry & Mary Ellinger, Clifford Randel, Dan & Michelle Larington, Merriul Thomas, Rick & Wendy Roberts, Todd & Shariel Thieszen, Richard & Carla Quinn, William & Kathy Donze, Rev. James & Norma Denny, Dr. Wayne & Lori Watkins, Bob & Jean Hardy, D.G. & Marie Kleinschmidt, Darrell & Kirstine Eckhardt, Gregg & Donna Roberts, John & Diane Hanson, Lyle & Jean Wilcox, Chad Hutchins, Acme Touch Printers, Amfirst Bank, Brooks Law Office, Carpenter Breland Funeral Home, Colfer, Wood, Lyons, & Wood Atty, D & L Pest Control, D & S Hardware, First Central Bank, Frontier Home Medical, Gateway Realty, Graff Charitable Foundation, Haag, Inc., Hannebaum Grain Co., Inc., Hershberger Music Co., Hillcrest Nursing Home, Janssen-Kool Motors, Modern Cleaners, McCook Arts Council, McCook Community Hospital, McCook National Bank, McCook Drove #3 BPO DOES, Michael Owen, D.D.S., Midwest Livestock, Olsen’s Agricultural Laboratory Inc., Optimist Club, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Prairie Winds PC, Peterson Jewelers, Republican River Valley Event Center, Sandhills Communications, Sehnert’s Bakery & Bieroc Café, Southwest Implement, TLC, Union Bank & Trust, Wagner Chevrolet -Buick-Pontiac-Cadillac Inc., Wagner Ford – Mercury – Toyota, Wells Fargo, William L. Graves, D.D.S., P.C., XI Beta Alpha

The McCook Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization created as a source of support to enhance educational opportunities for students at McCook Public Schools. Anyone wishing to contribute to this organization or needing more information should contact Al Cuellar at acuellar@swnebr.net or 308-345-2393.

Send donations to: McCook Educational Foundation Inc., P.O. Box 782 McCook, NE 69001

Gifts given for Scholarship Endowment Fund

Gifts given to the McCook Educational Foundation

A list of the donors, plus pictures of the new band uniforms, will be included in our fall edition of Bison Alumni Newsletter. There is still time for you to donate to this fund if you have not done so already. The money will be used to maintain and upkeep the band uniforms and to order more uniforms if the size of the band grows. Funds can be made out to the McCook Educational Foundation and mailed to Jason Loop, 111 West D Street, McCook, NE 69001. Please mark your donations “Bison Pride” so we can credit them to the proper account.

Gifts given to the McCook Educational Foundation
Wayne Rothmeyer ’58
Verna Billingsley Barnett ‘47
Safeco (Matching funds from Wayne Rothmeyer)

Gifts Given for Wrestling Room Project
Earth Sound
S.O.C. Oil

Gifts given for Scholarship Endowment Funds
Gene Weedin
Charles Peek ‘60

In memory of                                                             Given by
Harry & Irma Douglass ………………………………. Betty Knierim Shoulders ‘44

Macedonio & Tranquilina Luevano Cuellar ………………………. Frank Cuellar ‘51

McCook Educational Foundation Inc.
     Gunnar Blanke ‘64
  Gifts Given For Wrestling Room Project
 Harris Douglas 
 Fraternal Order of Eagles

Given for Scholarship Endowment Funds
 In memory:                       Given by:
 Dr. Lavern R. Blank                   Shirley Blank
 Harry and Irma Douglass             Betty Shoulders
 Leo and William Kelly                  Barbara Kelly
   

  Scholarship Fund

Donations can be made to other scholarships that the McCook Educational Foundation Inc. sponsors.  They are Nancy Prosser-Weedin Scholarship, The Strunk Scholarship, The Douglass Scholarship in memory of Harry and Irma Douglass, The Blank Scholarship in memory of Dr. Lavern R. Blank and the Leo and William Kelly Music Scholarship.
The McCook Educational Foundational Inc. is a non-profit organization created as a source of support to enhance educational opportunities for students of McCook Public Schools.  Anyone wishing to contribute to this organization or needing more information should contact Al Cuellar at acuellar@swnebr.net or 308-345-2393.

GIFTS TO MCCOOK EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

Wayne Rothmeyer “58

GIFTS GIVEN FOR WRESTLING ROOM PROJECT

Bison Boosters

High Plains Podiatry, PC
Bison Dental LLC

Western Staab Inc.-Pizza Hut 
Bottle Shop

Jeff Crick
Schamel’s Auto Supply

McCook Wrestling Club
Tri-State Spas

McCook Stull Inc.
Mac’s Drive In

Earth Sound Inc
Doak Construction

The Sports Shoppe
Ray Nokes

Frenchman Valley Farmers Coop
Gary’s Country Peddler

GIFTS GIVEN FOR SCHOLARSHIP ENDOWMENT FUNDS

Grant Strunk ‘77

In Memory:                                                                          Given by:

Phillip M. Johnston ……………………………………..………….William Schultz

Scholarship Fund

In Memory:                                                                          Given by:

Bob K. Backer, Principal & teacher………….Marianne Colling ‘59, Velda  Lambert, 
                                                            Ernie and Shirley Driml Perez,Al Cuellar ‘56

Jacque Molsbee Pyle ‘56……………………..…Al Cuellar ‘56

Donations can be made to other scholarships that the McCook Educational Foundation sponsors.  They are: Nancy Prosser-Weedin Scholarship,  Phillip M. Johnston Scholarship, Myrtle Ashton Scholarship,  The Strunk Scholarship, The Douglass Scholarship in memory of Harry and Irma Douglass,  and the Leo and William Kelly Music Scholarship.

The McCook Educational Foundation is a non-profit organization created as a source of support to enhance educational opportunities for students at McCook Public Schools.  Anyone wishing to contribute to this organization or needing more information should contact Al Cuellar ’56 at acuellar@swnebr.net or 308-345-2393.

This has been a big change for the city of McCook. Throughout McCook’s history there have been up to four elementary schools. They were aptly named South, East, West and North Wards. A bond issue was passed by McCook voters in May 2004 which paved the way for the one-site elementary school. Construction started right before the beginning of the 04-05 school year.

The new facility is designed for six teachers for each grade K-3. The preschool, first and second grades are in the original, renovated classrooms with kindergarten classrooms in new construction on the southwest and second and third grade classrooms in new construction on the north end. The original office became a classroom and the original gym became the new library/media center.

Newly constructed features at McCook Elementary include a commons area/dining room, stage, and full-service kitchen. A gym, computer lab and handicap accessible restrooms are also included at the new elementary school site.

McCook Elementary employs 77 staff members with 34 of those being teachers. McCook Elementary is home to 441 children during the day, with the kindergarten class being the biggest at 111 children. The Developmental Learning Center, formerly located on the North Highway 83, has been moved to McCook Elementary. This has been a great change for those students to be able to enjoy a “normal” school atmosphere. A newly-organized preschool also has a room in the school.

Kathy Latta, the principal of McCook Elementary, has been very pleased with the new school. She notes that some of the best parts are having all the teachers under one roof so they are able to work together easier. Another big plus is having the students under one roof rather than divided. This makes for a better sense of cooperation and loses the competition that lent itself to having three different schools.

There are also more improvements planned in the coming year. The Sertoma Club of McCook has raised funds to install handicapped playground equipment and a couple of trees in the playground area. If you are visiting McCook, please feel free to call Kathy Latta or a member of the PTO and request a tour. You will be amazed at the wonderful environment McCook elementary students now have in which to learn!

Childers is enthusiastic about the project. The craftsmanship of the school is what lured him to the building. The condos will be between 1,600 to 2,500 square feet each, starting at $170,000 and built to the owners’ specifications. Two have already been sold and Childers and his wife plan on living in the building for half of the year.

Using local contractors and materials, a new roof has already been installed, as well as energy efficient windows, updated wiring, plumbing, and independent heating units. Extensive landscaping also is planned.

Much of the building’s architectural details will be preserved or reproduced, such as lighting fixtures, crown moldings, and exposed brick walls. A window-lit alcove facing the staircase will remain, along with a small auditorium.

The original East Ward Elementary was built in 1888 with six rooms. The current East Ward was constructed in 1931. It was known as the Valentine School for many years in honor of William Valentine, the superintendent who joined the district in 1889. The school was closed in November, 2005.

Childers has tentatively set an open house for the renovated school sometime around Thanksgiving and will rename the building in honor of his father, McCook resident Rayburn Childers.

Central High School built in 1906. Torn down in 1985 for construction of current Central Elementary.

Original East Ward build in 1888.

Original Jr. High later was used as Central Elementary. Torn down in 1985.

North Ward built in 1950.

South Ward located south of the railroads’s round house.

Original West Ward used from 1885 to 1923.