His eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. A look of surprise froze Parker Klein’s face as the announcer read the winners of the Class D1 Nebraska State Speech Championships in Kearney last Friday. Klein was named the Class D1 state champion in entertainment speaking. “I was just hoping for top three, but then when they got to second place and me — the person who had gotten first and beat me at districts — it was like a district rematch,” the Elkhorn Valley senior said. “I was really hoping I could beat him.” When Klein was announced as the state champion during the medal ceremony, he was in disbelief. “At first I didn’t believe what I heard because I was like, ‘He beat me at districts’ and he did super good in finals round,” he said. “And then I was holding back tears.” Klein walked up to receive his gold medal and take his spot on the top of the podium. “I walked up to the guy who shook your hand and gave you the medal,” he said. “Instead of shaking his hand, I gave him a hug and he was wearing his nicest suit, and I feel bad because I probably snotted on his shoulder. He probably had to go get that dry cleaned, which isn’t cheap. He still said ‘Congratulations,’ and was a good sport about it. He looked a little disgusted, but I understand.” Klein said his speech coaches, Elizabeth Hansen and Wes Prater, told him they were not surprised when he won state. “They told me they weren’t going to watch, but there was a little window in the door and they knew my speech so well they knew which way I’d be facing when I was talking about certain parts, so they would look through the window to see how I was doing and then, quick, when they knew I’d be turning around, they’d ninja-move away from the window. When I finished, they said they looked at each other and said, ‘That’s a state champion performance.’” Although the coaches may not have been shocked, Klein said they were very excited for him. “I snotted on each of their shoulders equally,” he said. “It was a very touching moment. I’m pretty sure I’m their favorite senior. They just don’t want to say it.” Klein, who is the lone senior for Elkhorn Valley, has been a member of the speech team all four years. He earned a fifth place medal at state in interpretation of humorous prose last season. This year is his first time competing in the entertainment speaking category. And Klein missed the first three meets of the season for various reasons and “probably only competed at six or seven meets.” “And I didn’t start doing good until Creighton when I got first,” he said. “That was the meet right before districts.” Klein said that was the point in the season where he realized the true potential of his entertainment speech. At Creighton, he beat Brandon Westlake, a speech competitor from Lutheran High Northeast with whom he had a friendly competition going. “That’s when I knew, ‘Wow, this speech really could do well.’ So I kept working on it and working on it,” Klein said. “At the Creighton meet, I went over for time in the second round and I thought that was the end of it, but then in finals, I got a perfect score from both judges. I was like, ‘This is gonna go places.’ I just had to keep working on it and I did. It turned out to be a great speech that won me state.” Although he was the district runner up and qualified for state, Klein admitted that the finals round at districts was a bit of a struggle. “I didn’t grab my two (visual aid) boards for finals, I just grabbed one, so I had to just chuck my board at the side to make a transition because I didn’t know what else to do,” he said. “The judges loved it, so that was cool. It was really nerve-wracking as to how they would react to that, but they loved it. The coaches didn’t, but the judges loved it.” Klein said the idea for his speech was derived from his personal experience of having his dad for a math teacher—and math is his least favorite subject. One of the judges at state told him that he typically doesn’t like personal entertainment speeches, but he loved this one. “The judge almost fell out of his chair at one point,” he said. “He wrote, ‘My pet peeve for entertainment speakers is when they talk about their personal lives, but you made me get over that. Great performance.’” Klein said the judges often commented about how much they enjoyed the opening for his speech, which he began with a puppet of his dad on a ruler behind his back. “Then I’d say, ‘I want to start off this speech by saying I love my dad. He’s great.’ And then I’d pull the puppet out. ‘Now that that’s out of the way, I want to say, I hate my math teacher.’ And then I gaze across the room and turn around and say, ‘This is my math teacher. I don’t hate him as a person, just the subject he teaches, the boring way he teaches it and sometimes him as a person, depending on the day.’” Klein said the judges loved his puppet show “because it was a new concept they didn’t really see much.” His performance also featured a puppet of himself where he was smiling big on one side and sad on the other. “I always got them when I turned around to my sad face because they wouldn’t be expecting it,” he said. “They saw that both sides of my dad’s face were the same, so they just assumed both sides were the same for mine. I got them every time.” Klein said his closing summed up his pros and cons of having his dad teach a class he despised, why he hates the class and a look at his home life. “And what it’s like to sit across from your dad who is also your teacher, who also knows full-well you didn’t hand in your homework that day,” he concludes. “I hope none of you have teachers as your parent, but if you do, just know I sympathize.” Student’s Name: Kimberly Frey
Student’s School: Elkhorn Valley High School Parents Names: Andy and Loretta Frey Siblings Names/Ages: Ethan Frey (13) What activities did you participate in while in high school? FBLA, FCCLA, Band, Jazz Band, Girls Golf, Track & Field, Quiz Bowl, NHS What is your favorite memory of high school? I always enjoy the hilarious conversations we have in different classes. What advice can you offer underclassmen? Stay organized. Keep deadlines and due dates for school-work, colleges, and scholarships straight so you don’t fall behind. What are your future plans (college with major if known or workforce) and where do you hope to be in five years? I plan to attend the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and major in accounting. In five years I plan to have a job in the Tilden/Neligh/Norfolk area at an accounting firm. Student’s Name:
Elizabeth Hoffman Student’s School: Elkhorn Valley School Parents Names: Lucas and Stephanie Hoffman Siblings Names/Ages: David Short (20) and Jake Short (18) What activities did you participate in while in high school? Yearbook, FCCLA, FFA, and National Honor Society What is your favorite memory of high school? Annoying Dittmer What advice can you offer underclassmen? Don’t wish it away, because everything goes so fast. What are your future plans (college with major if known or workforce) and where do you hope to be in five years? Possibly go to either Northeast or Wayne State for Early Childhood Development. And I hope to just be in a great state physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, while I’m surrounded by the people I love. Elkhorn Valley earned third place in the Niobrara Valley Conference Quiz Bowl competition in Clearwater on Monday.
Elkhorn Valley defeated Santee, Keya Paha and Clearwater before falling to Neligh-Oakdale. Clearwater then avenged their earlier loss to EV to advance to the championship round, eliminating the Falcons from the contest. Team members were Josiah Wriedt, Audrey Chvala, Parker Klein, Carter Rautenberg, Alyssa Maughan and Brie Magdefrau. They are coached by Kayleen Amend. Clearwater placed first and Neligh-Oakdale was second in the competition. Elkhorn Valley's Parker Klein picked up a medal for the second straight year — but this time the gold — in the Class D1 NSAA State Speech Championships in Kearney on Friday.
Klein earned 1st place in entertainment speaking in his senior season after earning 5th place in humorous prose last year. Student’s Name:
Amber Kate Miller Student’s School: Elkhorn Valley High School Parents Names: Tony and Kristi Miller Siblings Names/Ages: Tyler Miller (age 20) Adam Miller (age 16) What activities did you participate in while in high school? Volleyball, Basketball, Track & Field, Choir, Show Choir, Band (Concert, Marching, Pep), Jazz Band, Drum Major, Flag Corps, BMW Dance Team, Student Council, National Honor Society, One Act, Circle of Friends, Stand for the Silent, FBLA, FCCLA, FCA What is your favorite memory of high school? High school is full of memories, and there are so many to choose from. But one of my favorite high school memories is competing at state (for at least one year) in 3 different sports. What advice can you offer underclassmen? My best advice to underclassmen is be who you want to be. Don’t let anyone tell YOU what you can’t amount to. Don’t let anyone change who YOU are. Don’t let outside influence make YOU change the person you were meant to be. “Never let anyone dull your sparkle!” BE YOU! What are your future plans (college with major if known or workforce) and where do you hope to be in five years? I plan on attending Mount Marty College to study Physical Therapy/Athletic Training or Special Education. I also will be joining the Mount Marty Lancer Volleyball Team. Elkhorn Valley will start off the new school year with a new superintendent and two new principals.
With the pending retirement of current superintendent Keith Leckron at the end of this school year, EV Principal Darin Hahne was hired as the new superintendent under a two-year contract. Hahne currently serves as the lone principal at Elkhorn Valley. At the November school board meeting, it was decided to split Hahne’s position into two—a PK-6 grade principal and a 7-12 principal. The additional principal position was deemed necessary due to the increased enrollment at Elkhorn Valley, Hahne said. Brandon Black, Elkhorn Valley’s current sixth grade teacher, was hired as the PK-6 grade principal and Patty Novicki, Plainview’s current K-12 principal, was hired as the new 7-12 principal. Hahne said Elkhorn Valley started advertising the principal positions in November and conducted the interviews in January. The hirings of Black and Novicki were both approved at last month’s school board meeting. Both are one-year contracts for the 2019-20 school year. Their official duties will begin Aug. 1, 2019. Parker Klein of Elkhorn Valley earned two second place medals at the D1-3 District Speech Meet in Hartington on Wednesday to qualify for state in two events.
Klein finished second in entertainment speaking and humorous prose. He will compete in the NSAA Speech Championship on Friday, March 22 at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Angel Qualset also earned two district medals, placing fourth in informative speaking and sixth in persuasive. Elkhorn Valley Schools will be letting school out early today at 11:30 am due to the weather and road conditions.
NO RURAL BUS ROUTES WILL BE RUN. Parents will need to make arrangements to pick up kid(s) at the school. Immanuel Lutheran Teens In Christ Youth Group will be sponsoring a "Valentine's Night Out" Saturday, March 16, from 5-8 p.m.
This will be a restaurant setting meal at Immanuel Lutheran Fellowship Hall. The Menu is Dinner Salad, followed by your choice of soup: Creamy Tomato Basil Bisque, Chicken and Wild Rice, Stuffed Pepper. The Main Course will be your choice of Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp; Pork loin with wine and herb gravy or Brown sugar and Dijon glassed pork loin. Dessert is your choice of New York style Cheesecake - strawberry or turtle; Molten Chocolate Lava Cake; Caramel Flan; Lemon Berry Cream cake and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. The cost for this delightful evening is $25 per person. We will be taking reservations for the evening. You may call the church office 368-5690 or Tim Hart at 368-5813 to make a reservation. When you call for a reservation please let us know which meal you want and if you will need babysitting. Babysitting will be available for a free will donation. There are also "party rooms" available. |
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