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Kelsey Mersch’s family helped her construct the final form of her 4-H playground project at Pioneer Trails outside of Aurora. Mersch is excited that the equipment will provide entertainment for children now and in the future. -
From beginning life in the NICU (left) to running, jumping and breezing by all the obstacles set before him, Bryson Beck’s parents say the almost-11-year-old has faced everything related to his Chronic Kidney Disease bravely. Brighter days are no doubt on the horizon for this young Auroran. -
Brian Kell poses at the top of a small mountain near the Tegernsee in the Bavarian Alps, south of Munich, in September 2019. Before the lockdown Kell had a chance to explore a little of Germany including celebrating the original Oktoberfest in Munich. -
HPC’s Kenzie Wruble scored her 500th career kill in a home triangular last week, tallying double-digit kills against Meridian and Hampton. -
Alex Wheeler drills another point-after attempt through the uprights, from the hold of QB Drew Knust.
Local 4-Her brings playground to Pioneer Trails
Local 4-Her Kelsey Mersch has taken her dedication for community and love for 4-H over the past 10 years and transformed it into something special for generations to come.
As part of a 4-H project, and a bit of good will, the 19-year-old decided to invest some time and money into a small playground set up for kids at Pioneer Trails outside of Aurora.
“I came up with the idea for the playground project my last year of 4-H,” Mersch began. “I have gone to Pioneer Trails since I was a kid.”
Originally, she said, Pioneer Trails was plagued by vandalism, but that changed after the introduction of campsites and a bit of reconstruction.
Bravery abundant, Bryson Beck stands up to CKD
Sure, Bryson Beck might be a little small for his age, but in no way does the blonde 10-year-old have a small personality, or small perseverance.
Alongside mom and dad, Tina and Steven Beck, little sister Rylei, and older brother Matthew Wiederholt, Bryson is just another one of the gang. His life may have started out a little rocky, but there are better days on the horizon.
“We had no idea anything was wrong,” Tina began. “I was induced (at 39 weeks) and when he was born his chest was just completely caved in.”
The delivery itself was hard, she added, as Bryson’s heart rate had dropped in response to pain medication given to Tina, which meant she had to go all the way without any more.
Complications continued, as Bryson’s lungs were underdeveloped and he wasn’t breathing.
Analyst’s path of math from Pittsburgh to Munich
For a lot of people, math or computers can seem like a necessary function at best and a hassle at worst. But for a 2001 graduate of Aurora High School, learning and applying math can be among the most exciting endeavors someone can undertake if taught properly.
“I think part of it is to math can be very dry if you just see it as a bunch of formulas you have to memorize,” said Brian Kell, a data analyst at Duolingo. “Nobody really likes memorizing things, including me. And I think the more interesting part of math is when you can see and understand the concepts and understand how they fit together...show why things are true in terms of pictures or also (it’s) very important to try to tie concepts together... I view math as sort of a puzzle to be solved.”
HPC bests two CRC rivals at home
High Plains exchanged its traditional blue and red jerseys for an all-pink flavor during its first gameday in October and the Storm showed plenty of fight.
The HPC Lady Storm swept Class D1 No. 5 Meridian in its first match, 25-17 and 25-23 before defeating area rival Hampton in two, 25-20 and 25-22 during a home triangular Oct. 4.
High Plains co-coaches Nicole Keenan and Jenna Mattox mentioned that the Storm getting a win over Meridian was a big deal and getting two wins on the day was a huge step up.
“We were aggressive throughout the game with Meridian and smart with the ball,” Keenan said. “We knew where the spots were open and utilize everyone on the court. Hampton is a big rival of ours so we always try to give our best. We weren’t as aggressive as I would have wanted but we finished.”
Hampton board considering sales tax options
Hampton Village Board members discussed the possibility of implementing a local sales tax Monday, gathering input on the options involved and how the money could be used.
The board invited Bobbie Pettit, owner of Kearney-based Five Rule Rural Planning, to make a presentation on the issue at Monday’s regular monthly meeting.
“We know we’re going to have to do something with our water system, we have development coming up and we’d like to maybe do some upgrades to the auditorium,” board chairman James Parsley said as the meeting began. “The development (planned on the west edge of town) will include housing lots, and also has one lot for businesses. And if we can somehow do some work at the restaurant, maybe we could help create interest in someone coming here.”
Huskies bullrush Adams Central in top 10 battle
Aurora’s defense bent but did not break in Friday’s district showdown with undefeated Adams Central, while the offense scored early and often en route to a dominating 41-7 win at home.
Coach Kyle Peterson said his Huskies had to make some adjustments on both sides of the ball for the visiting Patriots, noting that the ability to make those adjustments makes this team hard to beat.
“You know, I think we just played really well in the first half,” Peterson observed. “Was it a test? I know defensively it was because they stressed us and made us do a lot of things. We bent, but didn’t break.”
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