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Leigh Community Schools

Learning Empowers Individuals to Great Heights

  • GBB Has Tough Week

    The Lady Patriots are officially halfway through the season. On January 7th, the team hit the road and traveled to David City to play the Aquinas Monarchs. The varsity girls battled hard for 4 quarters, but couldn’t grab the win after getting down early in the first.  The final score ended 37-45. 

    Sophomore Reese Wietfeld said, “Going into the Aquinas game we knew that we had to be physical and lock down defensively. In the end, it didn't go in our favor. We got into foul trouble, which allowed them to go to the line to shoot free throws. We gained some momentum in the fourth quarter, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to win the game. I think we learned a lot from our mistakes, and we can only grow from here.” 

    On Thursday of the same week, on January 9, the Patriots hit the court at home in Clarkson for a battle against the North Bend Tigers. After scoring just 6 points in the first half, the girls tried to mount a comeback in the second half, but they ended up losing in a low-scoring game, 21-31. 

    “Coming into the game after a good practice the day before, we knew we were prepared,” said sophomore Vylet Hollatz.  “We started off slow in the first half, but we played a very hard game and worked really hard, making it a close game in the end.”

    Here is what coach Willie Hollatz had to say about the last two games:

    “The girls started off a little slow in the first quarter of the Aquinas game, which set them up for a tough fight the rest of the game. The girls never quit and battled hard all game. Against North Bend, our defense was really good, which led us to only give up 31 points and causing many turnovers; but the girls struggled to get their shots to fall on offense.”

     

     

    Clarkson-Leigh vs. David City Aquinas

    Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final

    Clarkson-Leigh 7 8 13 9   37

    Aquinas 15 5 12 13           45

     

    Individual Stats vs. Aquinas

    (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks)

    Cadence Indra: 3, 3, 0, 1, 0 ; Vylet Hollatz: 0, 1, 0, 0, 0; Nevaeh Zulkoski: 4, 1, 1, 0, 0; Brynn Settje: 10, 8, 4, 3, 0; Baylee Settje: 9, 8, 2, 1, 1; Reese Wietfeld: 5, 1, 2, 2, 0; Elizabeth Hoffman: 0, 1, 0, 0, 1; Ava Kasik: 4, 3, 0, 2, 0; Izzy Hollatz: 2, 4, 2, 1, 0

     

    Clarkson-Leigh v. North Bend

    Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final

    Clarkson-Leigh 4 2 10 5   21

    North Bend 11 7 7 6            31

     

    **Individual Stats against North Bend unavailable

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  • Girls Finish Third in Holiday Tourney

    On December 28th and 30th Clarkson-Leigh girls’ basketball took on new opponents, joining a different Holiday Tournament, hosted by Lakeview, than previous years. The Patriot girls traveled to Columbus Lakeview on Saturday the 28th to play the Scotus Central Catholic girls in the first round of the tournament.

       Clarkson-Leigh girls started off the game with a lot of energy and ended the first half neck and neck with the Shamrocks 20-20. After a tough first half, the girls battled but unfortunately fell short losing 45-40. 

    “Even though the Scotus game didn’t have the ending that we were hoping for, I still think that we gave it our all and played well," said senior Izzy Hollatz. “We still have some things to work on going forward, but I think so far we have been playing as a team and giving all our effort at every game.”  

    Bouncing back the second day of the Holiday Tournament on Monday the 30th, the Patriot girls team took it to the Schuyler Warriors 68-26.

    “The Schuyler game was a great game that gave every player different opportunities throughout the game. We played with a lot of energy and confidence, which ultimately led to us knocking down shots and making different plays to help us close out the win,” stated senior Baylee Settje. “Overall, it was a good game for us to get back on our feet after a tough loss against Scotus.” 

    “Coming out of break and playing Scotus was a tough battle. The girls worked hard and played great defense. Improving defensive rebounding will be important as we continue through the season. Throughout the tournament, we were able to find a rhythm and shot the basketball well. Overall, we were able to get our legs under us and are ready to head into the second half of the season,” said Head Coach Rebecca Hiatt about placing third in the Lakeview Holiday Tournament. 

     

    Clarkson-Leigh vs. Scotus 

    Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 

    Clarkson-Leigh 13 20 30 40

    Scotus 11 20 33 45

     

    Individual Stats vs. Scotus 

    (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks)

    Elizabeth Hoffman: 0, 1, 0, 1, 1; Izzy Hollatz: 12, 3, 0, 1, 0; Vylet Hollatz: 0, 3, 0, 0, 0; Ava Kasik: 4, 1, 4, 3, 0; Baylee Settje: 4, 2, 1, 1, 0; Brynn Settje: 7, 4, 4, 3, 1; Reese Wietfeld: 10, 1, 1, 1, 0; Nevaeh Zulkoski: 3, 0, 0, 0, 0

     

    Clarkson-Leigh vs. Schuyler 

    Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

    Clarkson-Leigh 21 37 52 68

    Schuyler 5 18 20 26

     

    Individual Stats vs. Schuyler 

    (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks)

    Ella Baumert: 5, 0, 1, 1, 0; Makenna Hake: 0, 2, 1, 0, 0; Elizabeth Hoffman: 2, 4 2, 0, 0; Izzy Hollatz: 17, 3, 4, 0, 0; Vylet Hollatz: 2, 1, 1, 0, 0; Ava Kasik: 9, 9, 2, 1, 0; Baylee Settje: 5, 7, 1, 2, 2; Brynn Settje: 12, 2, 7, 6, 0; Maizie Stoklasa: 2, 0, 0, 1, 0; Reese Wietfeld: 4, 3, 0, 0, 0; Nevaeh Zulkoski: 4, 2, 0, 2, 0

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  • Boy's Basketball has a Bad Week

    Coming back from Christmas Break, the Patriot boys’ basketball team was ready to play as they traveled to David City to face the Aquinas Monarchs on January 7, and hosted North Bend on January 9 for a matchup against the Tigers. 

    Unfortunately, the boys came out slow in the first half and struggled to get to the rim. The Monarchs were knocking down shots while the Patriots couldn’t get anything to fall. At halftime the Patriots trailed up 14-37. 

    Coming out in the third quarter, the Patriots knew that they needed to knock down shots and to lock down defensively, but the Monarchs’ defense held the Patriots to only 4 points in the third quarter. 

    In the fourth quarter, three pointers started to fall, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to win the game. The final score of the game was 30-59 with the Monarchs on top. 

    Tucker Matthies led the team with 13 points and Kyle McMullin added 6 points and 8 rebounds. 

    Head coach Jeff Bachman said, “I was proud of how we competed. We played a pretty solid game on the defensive end, but we just struggled to score. We are improving and our guys keep working hard, good things are coming.”

    Against North Bend, the Patriots came out in the first half full of energy. The Patriots were able to keep up with the Tigers. After halftime, the Patriots struggled to stop the Tigers from scoring and allowed them to knock down shots. The Tigers came out on top, winning 56-40. 

    In this game, the Patriots were led by Kyle McMullin with 19 points and Korbin Lemburg with 8 points. 

    “We have made a lot of improvements as the season goes on,” sophomore Blake Loseke said. “We played a great first half, but we need to get better at coming out the second half fired up and ready to go. Obviously, I wish we could've gotten the win, but overall, I was happy with how we performed on offense and defense.” 

     

    Clarkson-Leigh vs. David City Aquinas

           Q1    Q2    Q3    Q4

    Patriots:      5      9       4      12 

    Monarchs:  16     21    13      9

     

    (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks)

    Kyle McMullin: 6, 8, 5, 1, 1; Easton Brabec: 0, 3, 0, 1, 0; Wyatt Crosley: 8, 6, 0, 0, 0; Tyce Larson: 0, 1, 0, 0, 0; Blake Loseke: 0, 2, 1, 0, 0; Tucker Matthies: 13, 4, 1, 0, 0; Grant Hanel: 0, 2, 0, 0, 0; Korbin Lemburg: 3, 1, 0, 2, 1; Jacob Kroeger: 0, 1, 0, 0, 1

     

    Clarkson-Leigh vs. North Bend

         Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4

    Patriots:    10      8      7     15

    Tigers:      10     14    15    17  

     

    (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks)

    Kyle McMullin: 19, 7, 1, 1, 2; Easton Brabec: 0, 2, 1, 0, 0; Wyatt Crosley: 3, 4, 0, 0, 0; Blake Loseke: 0, 5, 1, 0, 0; Tucker Matthies: 6, 9, 6, 0, 0; Grant Hanel: 2, 7, 1, 0, 0; Korbin Lemburg: 8, 5, 2, 1, 0; Jacob Kroeger: 2, 0, 0, 0, 0

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  • Student Opinion: Everything Is Better in Pairs

    Everybody has heard the common expression that says good things come in pairs. This comes from an ancient Chinese proverb that says harmony and order can be achieved when opposing forces are being balanced. Essentially, this means that two is better than one in most situations. 

    Yes, there are the obvious pairs, like your eyes, legs, arms, and ears.  These bodily features make life functional and make our bodies look symmetrical.  Yet, there are many other pairs that we don’t think twice about, but in my opinion are still extremely important aspects of our daily lives. 

    I mean to start off, cookies and milk is a pair that is undoubtedly the best. Every day after I get home from school, I snack on cookies and milk. 

    Another iconic duo has to be peanut butter and jelly. I mean, obviously they are fine separate, but slap them together, and you’ve got a sandwich that fixes all of your lunch issues.

    Have you ever been running around in the morning looking for a matching pair of socks to wear? Well, I have been there before. In my opinion, one of the most satisfying feelings in life is finding that missing sock to complete the pair. One sock is useless, if you don’t have its pair. Same with shoes. They come in pairs for a reason. You can’t just leave the house with one shoe and call it a day. You have to have both, and you’ll be late if you can’t find one. 

    Earrings—another pair that if not together seems incomplete. Think about that feeling when you or somebody you know notices half way through the day that they have been missing one earring. They immediately take the other one out due to feeling weird that they don’t have the matching one in the other ear. Let’s face it, nobody wants lopsided bling. 

    The poles of a magnet is another important pair where if not together, nothing really happens. Once put together, they can do things like stick to a fridge or connect together. Without one pole, it won’t work, but when united with its pair, everything seems to work together.

    All the pairs I have already listed are definitely important, but there’s one important pair I have not yet covered. Undoubtedly, the best pair of all is twins. 

    I am a twin with my sister, Brynn, and although I may take her for granted sometimes, I can’t imagine my life without her. We have a unique bond that most people don’t get to experience. From day one, we have been given the opportunity to experience milestones together, creating a bond that will never be undone. Brynn and I balance each other out perfectly, leaving me with an automatic best friend. 

    We may not look or act the same, but without each other, we wouldn’t be complete. We can also be twice the fun! At home, we are acknowledged as “the twins” and not by our actual names, representing how we are a unit that is always better together. Everybody needs a sidekick like Batman and Robin in their life, and I just happened to have one built in since day one. I am so fortunate to say that I am a twin, and I couldn’t imagine what my life would look like without her. Overall, in my opinion, the ancient Chinese wisdom is true - two is definitely always better than one. 

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  • Senior Spotlight: Brianne Kuhr

    On October 19, 2006, at Columbus Community Hospital, a beautiful baby girl, Brianne Kay Kuhr made her debut into this world. Brianne is the daughter of Russ and Beth Kuhr.  She has 3 older siblings: Zach 29, Ben 28, and Holly 23. 

    Brianne’s grandparents are Norene Kuhr and the late Dennis Kuhr of Creston, NE, and the late Urban and Alice Imholte.

    To round out her family, she has a pet dog named Chipper.  

    Throughout high school, Brianne has participated in FCCLA for 1 year; Volleyball, Basketball, Golf, Band, and National Honor Society for 2 years; Yearbook for 3 years; Track and Field, Journalism, Play Production, Speech, FFA, and Quiz Bowl for 4 years.   She is also an FFA officer and the president of the Leigh Youth Advisory Committee. She has been a member of St. Mary’s PRE throughout school. She was also a 2024 Cornhusker Girls State Graduate, and she was a participant of the 2024 Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute.

    Brianne has earned many accolades in high school. She was chosen to participate in EHC Conference Honor Band her junior and senior year.  She was the 2023 NECC Scholastic Day Biology champion. She was also chosen to receive Academic All-State awards in Speech, Play Production, and Golf. She was recently named “Best Performer” in the entire East Husker Conference in Play Production.  She also finished 4th place last year in NSAA Class D1 State Speech in Extemporaneous Speaking, and she was named as one of the 2023-2024 LHS “Students of the Year.”

    Brianne says her proudest high school accomplishment was receiving 4th place in Extemporaneous Speaking at NSAA state speech. Her favorite high school memory is attending a play at the Orpheum Theatre with her classmates, playing in band, and participating in One-Act with the majority of the people in high school.

    After high school, Brianne’s current plans are to attend Wayne State College for three years and major in pre-pharmacy. Then she will attend medical school for four years to become a pharmacist. 

    In 10-15 years, Brianne sees herself working as a pharmacist and living in her hometown. 

    If Brianne won the lottery, she would bet it all on red. If she could travel anywhere in the world, she would go to Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska has many recreational activities, and Hawaii would be a place where she would like to learn how to surf and go whale watching. 

    Three things on Brianne’s bucket list include growing a few inches taller, hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live, and starring in a movie with Ryan Gosling. 

    Brianne’s favorite subjects in school are band and science. Her favorite movies are La La Land and The Avengers. Brianne’s favorite TV show is by far The Office. Brianne has more than 1,900 hundred liked songs on her Spotify playlist, but her favorite song this week is “Hanging by a Moment” by Lifehouse. Her favorite sports team is the Nebraska Huskers. Her favorite hobbies include playing cards, hunting, ice-fishing, sledding, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. Some other favorites of hers include her favorite singers who are Bryan Adams, Pat Benatar, and Maroon 5. Her favorite actors are Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Chris Evans, and Ryan Reynolds. Her favorite pop is Diet MTN Dew. She says that one of the best decisions she made in high school was to join golf her junior year. Brianne’s biggest pet peeve is when there is a good song playing on the radio and someone either turns down the radio, changes the station, or skips the song.

    Brianne’s most embarrassing moment was during last year’s EHC Band Wind Ensemble practice. She had no idea where she was in the song, so she started playing random notes. The song ended, but Brianne kept on playing the note. She was the only one playing, and no one realized it was her.

    Another embarrassing moment of hers is when she was stick welding for the first time, she thought that she was supposed to attach the electrode holder back to the ground when she finished welding. Thank goodness Carter Brabec was her welding partner and stopped her.

    Three words to describe Brianne are dedicated, determined, and short.

    Someone Brianne admires in her life is her sister, Holly. “I admire my sister Holly because she is the best at everything she does,” Brianne said. “She has been a role model for me since I was born, and she is someone I turn to for advice.”

    Before she graduates, Brianne leaves this advice to the underclassmen: “Participate in many activities throughout high school, but do not allow yourself to get burned out. If you do not like an extracurricular activity, try something new. Become friends with your classmates because you will spend the next four years with them, and they will be lifelong friends of yours.”

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  • Opinion Column: Why High-Schoolers Should Have a Job

    Since I was a freshman in high school, I have had a part time job. This has been so beneficial in a lot of ways in my life. I have learned so many soft skills, I have networked with others, and learned how to manage my money wisely.

    Some of the soft skills I have learned at my job at Went Show Goats are communication, teamwork, leadership, time management and problem solving. Some of the hard skills that I have learned at my part time job are animal management, nutritional needs of animals, and how to work with others on a daily basis. 

    Having a part time job can also help students financially in the future. They can use this money to put toward college, and they can learn how to finance their money from a young age. This will help any student be successful. 

    Networking with others has been the most important benefit for me because I have met so many people from my part-time job. Not only have these peers taught me so much, but I know that they would be more than willing to help me in the future if needed. I have met so many people from my part time job that have already helped me be successful.

    All in all, having a part-time job has already benefitted me in so many ways, and I know it would benefit other high school students too.  I know my job is something I will be thankful for in the future. 

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  • Patriot Wrestlers Finish December Strong

    The Clarkson-Leigh Patriot wrestlers have had a busy and successful season so far. The Patriots traveled to Wisner on December 21st for their first tournament of Christmas break. 

    Overall, the team placed 13th out of 16 teams with 28 points. Two Patriot wrestlers medaled: Levi Gall and Wyatt Langhorst. Gall finished 1st in the 285-lb weight class, winning all 5 of his matches. Langhorst finished 4th in the 190-weight class going 2-3. Hunter Gall went 2-2 and Brett Wemhoff went 3-2 for the day.

    The Patriot wrestlers were back at it as they traveled to Newman Grove for the Holiday Invite on Saturday, December 28th. This tournament consisted of 16 teams. Clarkson-Leigh scored 37.5 points, earning themselves 11th place as a team. 

    For the Patriots, Aiden Jurgensen went 1-2, Hunter Gall went 2-2, Wyatt Langhorst went 0-2, Levi Gall went 4-0, and Brett Wemhoff went 1-2 on the day. Hunter Gall finished 5th and Levi Gall finished with 1st place.

    Head wrestling coach Ryan Molacek said, “The two tournaments went well. Our boys were well prepared for their meets and are becoming battle tested for the upcoming weeks and end of the season.  The boys are continuing to improve each and every day and hopefully we can make some noise at districts and state.” 

    Good luck to the Patriot wrestlers with the rest of their season!

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  • Patriots Face Jags in Marathon

    On December 21, the Clarkson-Leigh Patriots took on the Howells-Dodge Jaguars in another marathon Saturday, this time at the Patriot Pavillion in Clarkson. After both the girls’ and boys’ JV teams lost against the Jaguars, the Patriot girls varsity came out and played a close game to end up victorious over the Jags 36-34. Then, despite their best efforts, the Patriot boys’ varsity fell behind and lost 22-55.

    Reflecting on the girls’ varsity game, Junior, Nevaeh Zulkoski stated, “It was a great game to be at and fun to watch. The energy was very high from the crowd and from us girls on the court. It was really exciting and my favorite game to play so far in the season.” 

    “I was pleased with our effort. We had a very poor shooting night and struggled against their strong defense, but we worked hard and showed good signs on the defensive end of the floor,” said head coach Jeff Bachman about the boys’ game. 

    The Patriot girls are 4-3 entering the holiday break, and the boys’ team is 1-5. 

     

    Clarkson-Leigh Girls vs. Howells-Dodge

    Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

    C-L Girls 8 20 30 36

    H-D Girls 13 20 26 34

     

    Girls’ Individual Stats vs. H-D

    (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks)

    Izzy Hollatz: 6, 4, 0, 0, 0; Vylet Hollatz: 5, 2, 0, 0, 0; Cadence Indra: 0, 0, 0, 1, 0; Ava Kasik: 3, 4, 1, 2, 0; Baylee Settje: 11, 3, 4, 3, 0; Brynn Settje: 6, 5, 0, 2, 0; Reese Wietfeld: 3, 0, 0, 0, 0; Nevaeh Zulkoski: 2, 3, 1, 0, 0

     

    Clarkson-Leigh Boys vs. Howells-Dodge

    Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

    C-L Boys 9 13 14 22

    H-D Boys 16 28 42 55

     

    Boys’ Individual Stats vs. H-D

    (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks)

    Easton Brabec: 0, 2, 0, 0, 0; Wyatt Crosley: 6, 3, 0, 1, 0; Cody Jedlicka: 0, 1, 0, 1, 0; Jacob Kroeger: 0, 4, 0, 1, 2; Korbin Lemburg: 5, 4, 1, 1, 1; Tucker Matthies: 7, 5, 1, 2, 0; Kyle McMullin: 4, 7, 2, 0, 2

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  • Narcan Awareness

    Narcan is a medication that can be administered to people who have overdosed on drugs. Narcan is the brand name, and the medication’s generic name is naloxone. Many people probably think that Narcan would not be an essential item to carry with them. However, accidental overdoses happen more often than we think. In 2020, unintentional overdoses accounted for 388 workplace deaths. Even though drug overdoses are not a problem within our immediate area, accidental drug overdose can occur at any time. Many of our community members travel throughout the country to larger cities, and knowing the signs of drug overdose can help save others’ lives.

    The signs of a drug overdose include unconsciousness, very small pupils, slow or shallow breathing, vomiting, an inability to speak, faint heartbeat, limp arms and legs, pale skin, purple lips and fingernails. Narcan cannot cause any further damage if used even when the victim is not suffering from drug overdose.

    Opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Narcan Nasal Spray can help save others’ lives by reversing the effects of an opioid emergency. Emergency medical service units average 12.7 minutes from the time of a 911 call to arrival on the scene. During an opioid emergency, it can only take 4 minutes for brain damage to occur after someone stops breathing, and death can result in another 4 to 6 minutes. Narcan Nasal Spray can reverse the effects of an opioid emergency by restoring breathing while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive.

    To administer Narcan, make sure the person is unresponsive. Lay the person on the floor, and hold the nasal spray device with your thumb on the bottom of the plunger. Insert the nozzle into either nostril. Press the plunger firmly to give the first dose. Call 911 immediately after giving the 1st dose. Wait two to three minutes after the first dose, and if the person does not wake up, continue to give doses every two to three minutes in separate nostrils until the person wakes up. Stay until the ambulance arrives and give another dose if the person becomes very sleepy again.

    If you would like to receive Narcan, you can buy Narcan online or from a pharmacy. Through the state of Nebraska, Nebraskans can receive Narcan for free from participating pharmacies.

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  • FCCLA Care Closet

    Leigh FCCLA is collecting items for our Care Closet. We started this initiative to ensure that all students at Leigh Community Schools have access to personal care items. Statistics show that students who don't have access to hygiene products don't perform as well academically, so we feel this would really benefit our school. If you are interested in donating any items, they can be dropped off in the office or FCS room. 

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