Today's Bengal Spotlight Featured Department is the Science Department. The Science team implemented a new curriculum last year, that specifically addresses the Next Generation Science Standards. Labs, hands-on discovery, and small group investigations are all part of the new curriculum. It has been great and has had many benefits for our students. These three teachers were so busy teaching their hands-on lessons they avoided a group photo but we still managed to get them on a poster together... Below is a peek into the world of our Science Crew:
Jason Walsh taught 6th grade SPED, Elementary Music, and 6th grade Science. He lives in Leonardville with his wife and three daughters. The oldest is going to college, the middle daughter is a senior and the youngest is a junior. Jason was in the Army and contracted with the Army before teaching.
Greg Kalivoda has been teaching for 32 years. Teaching Physical Education and Science, from Goddard, Paola, and Clay Center since 2000. His wife of 20 years is Shannon Kalivoda, sons William, Garett, and Hayden make their home in Miltonvale, KS. He enjoys hunting, shooting, and fishing year-round, as well as watching his boys in sports. Summers are spent construction/remodeling, gardening/canning, and traveling with his family. He bleeds Yankee Blue and K-State Purple!
Craig Rickley is in his 26th year teaching science at CCCMS. He enjoys traveling with his wife Dana, visiting his sons Brett and Thomas and their families, playing golf, and rooting on the K-State Wildcats and Las Vegas Raiders.
The 2023-2024 Boys' Basketball and Girls' Wrestling Team Stores are open! They are open early this year due to the deadline being soon... boys' deadline is 12/19 and 12/27 is the girls' deadline this is to ensure we get items back by the first games/matches. Order some amazing Bengal Gear and show your support!
Boys' Basketball Link: https://bengalboysbasketball23.itemorder.com/shop/sale/
Girls Wrestling Link: https://claygirlswrestling23.itemorder.com/shop/sale/
We are excited to Spotlight our Lady Basketball teams and our Bengal Wrestlers this week! All athletes have had a great season thus far as we start to wrap the seasons up. The 7th Grade B-team ended the season with a 7-6 record and outscored their opponents 188-115 on the season. The A-team finished with a regular season record of 8-5 and outscored their opponents 353-204. Both teams improved weekly throughout the season. The girls will play in the NCKL tournament next week on Monday and Thursday and are looking for a strong finish to the season. Our wrestling numbers were down this year but they will be competing in the NCKL Tournament Thursday in Concordia. Good Luck to them all! #bengalstrong
Good Luck today Lady Bengals! #bengalstrong
Happy Monday! Question of the day how many boys can fit on the Bengal Library couch?!?
Special Education Day is celebrated on December 2 to commemorate the signing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act into law on this day in 1975 (IDEA). IDEA granted access to children with special needs to free and quality public education. The act has been revised several times but the crux of it remains the same, and is the foundation for special education in the U.S. In support of this act, many organizations pledge to provide good education to students with special needs.
We truly appreciate the work that all of our Special Education staff do with every student at CCCMS. Each of them helps make CCCMS a positive place for kids!We may be one day early but we wanted to Spotlight our amazing staff for all they do! Below is a glimpse into their worlds...
Dee Brown is in her third year at USD379. Her first year was at the high school. Prior to this, she was in Belleville for 8 years as a 6th-8th grade Special Education teacher. She started her teaching career in Concordia in 2007 at The Learning Center. She has 5 sons, four wonderful daughters-in-laws, and 7 grandchildren. She lives in Concordia with her two dogs and one cat.
Brandon Pigorsch started with USD 379 in 2009. He has been working in Special education since 2012. Spent 4 years in the Army on active duty before attending college on a wrestling scholarship. He has an amazing family (wife and 3 children) that he loves spending time with. He enjoys the outdoors-camping, golfing, disc golfing, and hiking. He also loves attending concerts and sporting events. His favorite sport is wrestling and his favorite NFL team is the Las Vegas Raiders. He coaches Middle school football and wrestling and is also the head wrestling coach at CCCHS.
Alisha Brownell has been a special education teacher at CCCMS for five years. She and her husband have two boys and three dogs. Alisha and her husband, Josh, own and operate Simply Scoops in Clay Center. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading books, and running. She is also the middle school boys and girls assistant wrestling coach.
Mary Mellon has been teaching in the USD 379 district ever since she graduated from college. She started as a 6th-grade teacher at McKinley and transitioned to Special Education with a Masters in Gifted Education. She is a died-in-the-wool KU Jayhawk fan (Rock Chalk) and Chiefs (She lived through all the “Chefs” and “Chumps” years) Kingdom supporter. She has had the privilege of teaching or providing services in all the 379 and TLEC schools at one time or the other. Currently, she serves Lincoln, Garfield, CCCMS, Riley County, and Blue Valley-Randolph schools. It is one of my most rewarding experiences when she has the opportunity to watch the students she serves grow and mature over multiple years. Some even from Kindergarten through High School.
Shanna Freeman is in her 22nd year working as a speech-language pathologist. She has worked in every school in USD 379 over the years. She is currently providing speech services at CCCMS, Garfield, and Wakefield. She's been married to her husband, Chris, for 25 years. They live in Wakefield with their two boys. Noah is a Senior & Nick is a 7th grader. She loves to kayak, lift weights, read books, and create healthy recipes that taste delicious! She spends a lot of time watching football, as her husband is a football coach, both of her boys play football, they attend KSU football games, and she's a huge KC Chiefs fan! Her favorite place to be is the beach and her favorite way to spend time is hanging out with her family.
This is Amy Pladsons 12th year working as a PTA for USD 379. I provide PT services to all of the TLEC schools which includes 5 different school districts. Her husband is Cory and they have 2 children, Cole a junior, and Addyson a freshman both at CCCHS.
Shannon Kalivoda has been working in special education for 28.5 years and 24 of them have been with USD 379. Although she has worn many hats over the years, she is currently one of the Behavior Specialists for TLEC. She is married to Greg Kalivoda and they have three amazing young men to call their own, William, Garett, and Hayden. She loves going on long walks with her dog, working her small business, and spending time with her family.
Thank you all for all your hard work! You are appreciated!
Good Luck to all of our Bengal Athletes today!
Good Luck at HOME today Lady Bengals!!!
No School on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, November 22-24th. We will see everyone after break, on Monday, November 27th. Have a great Thanksgiving!
The Bengal Recycling Club is currently having a PAWS Plastic Challenge! Tomorrow is the last morning to bring in the plastic! Mrs. Fickes's PAWS is in first place at the minute here is a picture of them adding in over 1000 plastic items this morning!
Good Luck tomorrow morning Bengal Wrestlers! If you need something to do on a Saturday morning you won't regret catching these Bengals on the mat at Home! #bengalstrong
Today is Substitute Educators Day! This event occurs the Friday before Thanksgiving each year and highlights substitute teachers' important role in education. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there were over 500,000 substitute teachers in 2020. We may be biased, but we feel we have the top 64 subs in the US hands down! We want to give all our wonderful USD #379 Substitutes a shout-out and let them know we are thankful for all they do for our students and our district not just today but every day! THANK YOU SUBSTITUTES!
Come enjoy some great music performed by our amazing CCCMS Band tonight!
Good Luck at HOME today Lady Bengals! Notice the time change the games will start at 4 pm today. #bengalstrong
Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving Meal in USD 379. A huge thank you to Chartwells for their work preparing this meal for our students!
Today's Bengal Spotlight Featured Department is our Para's! We are extremely lucky to have some amazing Paraprofessionals at CCCMS who truly put our students first! Here is a tiny glimpse into what adds to making them the amazing humans they are: Denise Beutler is in her 8th year as a para at CCCMS. She has been with USD 379 for 18 years. Her and her husband have 3 adult kids; all 3 are married. They also have 6 grandkids! She enjoys time with her family, music, and traveling. Nicole Kennison started out as a para in 2015, she worked for Family Dollar/Dollar Tree From February 2022 to September 2022 but realized she missed the students and came back to CCCMS as a para in September 2022. She is a mom of 3 boys, AJ a sophomore, Marcus an 8th grader, and RJ who is in 6th grade. She enjoys spending time with her boys, and her parents. She enjoys reading, and painting. Shaylee Simnit has worked for USD379 for 6 years. She is married to Wade Simnitt. They welcomed a baby boy in August 2023. Shay is currently in school to be a K-6 teacher. Sally Chestnut is in her fifth year working at CCCMS as a para. She is married to a farmer and has three grown daughters. Shannon Appleby is in her 3rd year at USD 379. She previously worked for 30 years in the medical field. She is a mother of 5 and a grandmother of 6. She is a caregiver. She likes to stay busy and welcomes a challenge. Where there is a will there's a way. . Marilyn Burger has been with the district for 21 years and at CCCMS for three years‼️ She loves spending time with her family and grandchildren and visiting her family in Colorado. She recently welcomed a new grandbaby to the family! 😃 Thank you Para's for all you do for our students and our school as a whole! You are Appreciated!!!
Hope to see you at our community night! Free meal, free child care, and lots of good sessions! You can view session details by visiting www.usd379.org
Good Luck today Bengals!!
We have just the thing for you to do tomorrow as part of your three-day weekend!!! Come support our Bengals! Good Luck Athletes! #bengalstrong
Reminder there is no School on Monday, Nov 13th. Have a safe three-day weekend! We would also like to acknowledge all the Veterans for their sacrifices and service to our country as we celebrate Veterans Day tomorrow. Thank you all for everything you have done for our country.
