 As Kimberly Frey waited for the names to be called to the holding area at the National FBLA Convention, hers was nearly the last one.
The recent Elkhorn Valley graduate knew she was a top finalist in accounting, but she wasn’t expecting to be crowned the national champion. “I still can’t believe I really got first,” Frey said Tuesday night from San Antonio. “When I got there, I kept expecting the next name to be mine. Then they called the second-place girl, and she was shaking my hand. I got first place, and it was unbelievable.” Frey actually earned third place in accounting at the state level to qualify, but outperformed everyone to finish best in the nation. Frey, who is the daughter of Andy and Loretta Frey of Tilden, said she thought she did well on the exam, although not quite as well as she actually did. “I felt like I did very well, but I also felt like there were a lot of easy questions. So, I assumed the trickier ones I wasn’t 100 percent sure about would be deal breakers,” she said. “I honestly felt like I would get on stage since I walked out of the testing room, but I thought I’d be getting 10th.” Frey said the national convention has been a tremendous experience for her, and she appreciates all of the support she’s received, including the encouragement from FBLA sponsor Laura Parks. “I would just like to thank everyone for their support and congratulations. It means a lot to me,” she said.  Four Elkhorn Valley FFA members have qualified for a trip to compete at the National FFA Convention.
(Left to right) Brooke Wilcox, Sadie Smutny, Ashleigh Nelson and Alexis Larsen won the State Horse Evaluation contest at Northeast Community College last week. Ashleigh Nelson received overall state runner-up, a blue ribbon in reasons, third place in halter and third place in performance. Sadie Smutny received a blue ribbon in reasons, second in performance, a blue ribbon in halter and third place overall. Alexis Larsen received a white ribbon in halter and a blue ribbon in performance. Brooke Wilcox received a white in performance. The team placed fourth overall in reasons, third in halter and first overall in performance. Contestants had to give three sets of reasons and judge six classes, including Aged Mares, two groups of Halter Geldings, Western Pleasure, Horsemanship and Reining. This is the first year for FFA at Elkhorn Valley. Mr. Grosserode commented how proud he was of the kids and to see them using their skills, knowledge and potential to team up and succeed and punch their ticket to the national competition. The team will compete at the National FFA Horse Evaluation contest in Indianapolis this fall.  Father Pat Nields from Our Lady of Mount Carmel spoke Monday morning at Tilden's Memorial Day ceremonies, reminding those present of who sacrificed for our freedoms. The Battle Creek-Meadow Grove-Tilden American Legion Post provided the color and honor guard.  Commencement exercises for Elkhorn Valley High School were held on Saturday in the high school gym. The 21 members of Elkhorn Valley's graduating class were Amber Miller, Brock Schaecher, Christian Yaw, Elizabeth Hoffman, Hannah Ollendick, Julio Sierra, Kimberly Frey, Mitchell Petersen, Xavier Antuna, Destiny Beard, Skylar Glynn, Paige Harvey, Parker Klein, Damien Knight, Brie Magdefrau, Josh McFarland, Riley Nall, Sierra Rystrom, Rider Short, Prestin Vondra and Austin Wood. Frey was the class valedictorian and Miller was the salutatorian. The sunflower was their class flower and their class colors were gold and white. Their class motto was: "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all."  Commencement exercises for Elkhorn Valley High School will be held on Saturday, May 11. The graduation ceremony is set to begin at 4 p.m. in the high school gym.
The 21 members of Elkhorn Valley's graduating class are Amber Miller, Brock Schaecher, Christian Yaw, Elizabeth Hoffman, Hannah Ollendick, Julio Sierra, Kimberly Frey, Mitchell Petersen, Xavier Antuna, Destiny Beard, Skylar Glynn, Paige Harvey, Parker Klein, Damien Knight, Brie Magdefrau, Josh McFarland, Riley Nall, Sierra Rystrom, Rider Short, Prestin Vondra and Austin Wood. Frey has been named the class valedictorian and Miller is the salutatorian. The sunflower has been chosen as their class flower and their class colors are gold and white. Their class motto is: "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all."  Six Elkhorn Valley students have been selected for the spring 2019 Academic All-State team by the Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA).
Those honored were Ben Wilcox and Josiah Wriedt, boys golf; Amber Miller, music and girls track; Mitchell Petersen, music and boys track; Prestin Vondra, boys track and Kimberly Frey, girls track. A maximum of two students are nominated by their schools per NSAA activity for their individual academic excellence, leadership and significant contributions. To be eligible for the honor, students must be a varsity player or organizational leader who has played a significant role on the team or in the organizational activity and must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 93 percent or 3.7 on a 4.0-point scale or the equivalent. Any student, freshman through senior, is eligible for the honor. Antelope County recipients by school: Clearwater Music - James Kester and Jacob Long Boys Track & Field - Jacob Long and Eli Thiele Elgin Boys Golf - Hunter Reestman and Allyson Wemhoff Music - Grace Rittscher and Allyson Wemhoff Boys Track & Field - Colton Wright Elkhorn Valley Boys Golf - Ben Wilcox and Josiah Wriedt Music - Amber Miller and Mitchell Petersen Boys Track & Field - Mitchell Petersen and Prestin Vondra Girls Track & Field - Kimberly Frey and Amber Miller Neligh-Oakdale Boys Golf - Hunter Charf and Austin Rice Music - Austin Rice and Trey Svatos Boys Track & Field - Cole Belitz and Ashton Higgins Girls Track & Field - Emma Bixler and Claire Whitesel Orchard Boys Golf - Blake Hoke and Ryan Wilhelm Music - Avery Cheatum and Kaci Wickersham Girls Track & Field - JoCee Johnston and Kaci Wickersham Pope John Music - Breanna Bartak and Marissa Preister Girls Track & Field - Lexi Bode and Faith Kinney  A large American flag hung from the fire truck’s ladder near the highway as it fluttered in the breeze and waved its welcome. School children chanted, “USA! USA! USA!” and flag-waving crowds of more than 100 people lined the roadway. As onlookers squinted to see in the sunlight, dots of bright orange, blue, purple and black came into focus. Seven motorcycles representing the Legion Riders could be seen escorting a silver car down the street. He was home. Major Chad Boggs of Tilden returned home to a hero’s welcome last Thursday after his six- month deployment in the Middle East. “As I drove into Tilden, I felt the love of not only my immediate family with me, but my extended family of the Tilden community celebrating my return as well,” he said. Boggs, who also serves as the pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tilden, smiled and waved at the crowds during his homecoming before turning his car into his driveway. He and his wife, Becky, exited the vehicle and tightly hugged their children. His parents, Tom and Lorna Boggs, and his brother Troy, all of Neligh, each wrapped him in an emotional embrace. Boggs then ventured into the street to thank the Legion Riders, who had met him at the Battle Creek spur and led him down Hwy. 275 into Tilden. “I felt humbled, yet proud, to represent all the veterans who have gone before me ,” he said of their escort. Boggs, 46, was deployed for 205 days as a chaplain with the Air National Guard, which included 14 days in New Jersey for Field Craft Hostile training, as well as three months in Afghanistan and three months in Kuwait. He is currently assigned to the 155th ARW in Lincoln. “It was very hard, emotionally, to be away, but I knew that it was even harder for my family at home dealing with the joys and challenges of daily life, including eight birthdays and three major holidays,” Boggs said. He and his wife of 25 years have 10 children—Drew (20), Adam (18), Evan (16), Grant (15), Isabel (13), Asher (11), Micah (8), Leah (5), Luke (5) and Judah (2). “Being away has given me a greater appreciation for my family and the true freedoms we experience living in the United States,” Boggs said. “I had a sense of peace while I was away, knowing that so many church members of Immanuel Lutheran, friends and family supported my family with prayers, meals, gifts and encouragement.” A Neligh-native, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1991 after graduating from Neligh-Oakdale High School. Boggs later earned his bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland European Division and his master of divinity from Concordia Seminary. He spent 15 years on active duty, and five years in the Air Force Reserves during his time in the seminary. Boggs has spent the past eight years as chaplain with the Air National Guard. He said he felt surrounded by love during his recent deployment and since his return home. “Thank you to all of you who prayed and supported my family and I during this time,” Boggs said. “A special thank you to Immanuel Lutheran Church, the American Legion Riders and all who lined the highways and streets for the unforgettable welcome home.”   School: Elkhorn Valley Schools
Parents Names: Thamica Mahan Siblings Names/Ages: Kevin Beard (15) Kalub Beard (12 ) What activities did you participate in while in high school? Band, Cheer, Volleyball, Wrestling Manager, FFA, FBLA, Track and Field, Art, One Act, Student Council What is your favorite memory of high school? My favorite memory would have to be when I was in Chemistry class Mr. Amend bought the wrong size of marshmallows for our s’more lab so we had to use our brains and try to figure out how many small marshmallows will it take to make a big marshmallow. What advice can you offer underclassmen? Do your work and it is easier than people explain it to be aka personal finance What are your future plans (college with major if known or workforce) and where do you hope to be in five years? My future plans will be attending college at Briar Cliff. While I am there I will be majoring in Nursing after graduating I will hopefully move back to California and start working at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.   School: Elkhorn Valley Schools
Parents Names: Shawn and Ryan Robertson and Riley Glynn Siblings Names/Ages: Alex Ellison 24, Michael Glynn 14, Hunter Robertson 8, Kaylee Robertson 5, Jaxsyn, Robertson 3 What activities did you participate in while in high school? Choir, show choir, FFA, FCCLA What is your favorite memory of high school? Throughout my four years at this school there has been so much that has happened. From countless arguments to uncontrollable giggles, there has been so much that has gone on that I simply cannot pick just one favorite memory of this place. How lucky am I to have so many reasons that make saying goodbye so difficult. What advice can you offer underclassmen? Have fun with high school. It’s not going to matter who had the most friends, or who was dating who. What matters is the connections you make, being nice to people isn’t hard or something you really need to try to hard at, holding a door open or sending a smile someone’s way could make all the difference in their day. What are your future plans (college with major if known or workforce) and where do you hope to be in five years? I will be attending Wayne in the fall and I want to be a chiropractor. After I graduate from Wayne, I will find a job and hopefully be in the process of obtaining my business degree so I can run my own practice. I don’t know what life has in store for me, but I’m just going to roll with it.  The Easter bunny visited Prairie View Assisted Living in Tilden this afternoon, bringing with it a golden egg. Jaxsyn Robertson, age 3, was the lucky winner of the golden egg during the Easter egg hung. |
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