Elmwood, Nebraska, Community E-News

"Growing Together"

September 26, 2007

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.  Mark Twain

Meet the Teacher!

Once upon a time we were all in kindergarten. Most people can look back on that fondly with warm memories of crayons, finger paint, play doh, and lots of hugs from the teacher. My only memory of kindergarten was a little different. I can remember holding a pair of round tipped scissors and carefully cutting my bangs. I think I was under some intense pressure for a five year old and that is how I released the tension. My mom was pretty tense when I got home that day.  We lived in Ralston and I had to walk all the way to Mockingbird Elementary School with my older brother who would have sold me to the gypsy’s for a nickel.  When I drive that route today I can’t help but think my mom must have been insane to let us walk by ourselves.  But back then it was safe to let your kids walk to school alone in the city.

Kindergarten is a wonderful time and those who teach kindergarten are truly special people. They are the ones who introduce the children to school, teach them how to stand in line, to wait their turns, and to share. They must be patient, kind, gentle, yet firm and consistent. One of these special individuals at Elmwood-Murdock Elementary is Diane Vice. She has been teaching for 21 years and has been at Elmwood for nine years. Mrs. Vice grew up in Murdock as the oldest of five kids. When she came home from her first day of Kindergarten she taught her family what she had learned. And she hasn’t stopped since!

Mrs. Vice’s favorite teacher when she was a kid was Mrs. Glantz who is currently one of the second grade teachers at Elmwood Murdock. Mrs. Vice remembers how fun her class was and how they hatched eggs and the Purple People Eater. An important part of being a teacher is reading to the students. In Kindergarten it is important because it helps the kids to learn listening skills and to think. Mrs. Vice’s favorite thing as a teacher is to read to the kids. One of Mrs. Vice’s favorite memories of being a teacher was when she taught in Louisville. She began the First Grade Circus and they are still doing it even after 20 years!

Mrs. Vice lives in Weeping Water with her own family. She has a son, Alex who is a senior and a daughter, Katie, who is a freshman. My son is in love with Katie and just might marry her if she can wait for him. Mrs. Vice loves to play card games and loves Trivial Pursuit, also. There is one thing that her students probably don’t know about Mrs. Vice and that is she loves Jeopardy! She even listens to it on the radio when she can’t watch it on TV.

Teachers are the people who spend as much or more time with our kids than we do. It is great to be able to send your kindergartner off to school knowing that they are loved and cared for by someone who is as dedicated as Diane Vice. She will be the one that her former student will write about someday in an essay that starts out, “My favorite teacher was my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Vice.”

Big Doin’s at the Rink this Week!

As you know my husband and I own the skating rink so I will be telling you about what’s happening up there.  First off, the kids are wonderful.  They are funny, endearing, sometimes naughty, sometimes annoying, but they always make us laugh.  I just try to keep in mind that the kids are laughing at us, too.  So it all works out.   We do more than just skating at the rink.  We play skating games, scooter games, Giant Twister, Sharks and the Minnows, and more.  We color, we sing, we dance, we just get silly.  But it isn’t just for kids, you know.  We have parents who like to come and get silly, too.  I won’t mention any names because they probably want to protect their image.  J

This Friday night is Junior High Night.  This is a time for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to come and socialize.  They can skate, dance, play games, talk and laugh.  We’ll have Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution, too.

Saturday night we are having some special guests from Lincoln.  The No Coast Roller Derby Girls are coming out to play with the kids.  They came once before and put on an exhibition for the kids.  They showed them how they practice and told them about the game.  This time they are just coming for fun.  Most of them are moms themselves and really love kids.  They will probably bring their kids.  They have new skating games to teach us.  We never get tired of the Dice Game but a little variety is good.

Sunday afternoon is our second set of dance lessons.  All ages are welcome and they are free!  We had our first dance lessons of the season a few weeks ago and had about 20 people of all ages.  We not only had some local people show up, we had one group of college kids from UNL come out and another group of college kids from Midland Lutheran College in Fremont.  Everyone danced for awhile and then they had to skate. Last I heard they had so much fun they were all coming back next time.   You may recognize some of the dancers in the pictures.  We have our own Rebecca, Millie, Lacey, and Jennifer no doubt trying the Boot Scootin’ Boogie.

Brian Lawrence was our instructor and his friend Hannah helped out.  They taught some swing, some line dancing, and a variation of the waltz.  We are looking forward to them coming back this week.  If you are interested in learning come on down.  It doesn’t matter if you have never danced before.  We all make mistakes and we just laugh at each other and ourselves.  You are welcome even if you just want to watch…you will probably join us in the laughing!

“Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like no one’s watching, live like it’s heaven on earth.”  Mark Twain

If you have any news or upcoming events please let me know and we will get it posted for you.  Thanks!

Don’t forget to go by Gina Fahrenholz’s garage sale this weekend!   Looks like she’s selling everything but the kitchen sink!

Moving / Garage Sale
Saturday, September 29th (Rain or Shine!)
Starts 8:00 a.m.

204 East C Street, Elmwood
Directions:  At CD’s Express, one block East, Grey house with fence on the NE corner.  Garage is on the North side  off the alley.

Crib with Mattress
Baby Walker
High Chair
Stroller
Playpen
Baby linens
Children’s Toys & Games
Chairs:  Recliner / Rockers
Day Bed
Lawn Chairs
6  White Stackable Lawn Chairs w/cover
Folding Chairs
Upholstered Bar Stools
TV Trays
Small End Tables
Lamps
Vacuum
Stereo w/speakers
Boys Bicycle
Car Bicycle Rack
Coiled Hoses
Sprinklers
Book Case
Books
Lrg Round Table w/formica top (seats 6-8)
6 Upholstered Stack Chairs
2 Electric Space Heaters
Red Metal Lanterns
Scroll Saw
Weight Machine
Refrigerator w/Beer Tap
Small Upright Freezer
Kitchen, Linens, & Much Misc. Items
Holiday Décor

….and a whole bunch more!!

Julie Anderson

Editor@ElmwoodNebraska.com