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More than 40 Giltner Public School students from three different classes pose in front of the first Jen Stark inspired mural on March 16. The project represents months of work under the direction of art teacher Jenna Hermann. -
Aurora’s Gage Griffith signed with Wyoming to participate in track and field alongside his parents, Jeff and Melissa, sister Riley and Aurora coaches from left Bodie Moeller, Gordon Wilson and Scott Jones. -
Successfully completing their weekend pair of shows, the cast of “Madam’s Been Murdered, Tea Will Be Late,” at Aurora High School gave the murder mystery their best. Pictured here, Katie Balfour (left, Kimberly Friesen) watches as Matilda Trent (Jorja Pohlmeier), Mark Jacobs (Lucas Talkington), Trisha Jacobs (Sarah Springer) and Inspector Milo (Andrew Reed) discover the dead body of Major Armbrewster (Martin Holke). Robert Totter (Daniel Helzer) watches the scene unfold from the background. -
A Phillips firetruck sits at the base of a hill as crews look for hot spots in the Votaw Road Fire last week between North Platte and Welfleet. -
Aurora senior Ellie Hutsell was the hero for the Lady Huskies, scoring the game’s only goal with two minutes left in overtime to defeat Schuyler 1-0 Thursday in the opening contest of the season.
Giltner students complete two murals inspired by modern artist
Walk down the halls and there will be color oozing out the walls of Giltner Public Schools.
The fourth, fifth and sixth grade art classes made The Jen Stark-inspired art installation over the course of two semesters.
“I think it was fun doing it,” said sixth grade student Peyton Schutt. “Learning about the artist who made them…that she is still making art today and she takes all these different colors, puts them together.”
The inspiration behind the new mural is K-12 art teacher Jenna Hermann, who has been at Giltner for three years.
“My favorite thing about my job is the fact that each year I get to see the kids grow and I get to grow with them,” Hermann said. “I have a close understanding to their knowledge and to their interests.”
Griffith inks with Wyoming to join track and field program
Gage Griffith has two pretty simple goals for the next two months -- breaking records and winning state titles.
Before he does any of that in the throwing ring, however, he took time to make his college decision official.
The Aurora senior signed a letter of intent March 16 to join the University of Wyoming track and field program.
Griffith was all smiles surrounded by his friends and family after putting his signature to paper, concluding a stressful process that he’s happy to have in the books.
“A lot of work has been put in to go to a place like Wyoming. It means a lot to me for all this to happen,” he said.
Griffith’s top three narrowed down to Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota.
‘Madam’s Been Murdered!’
Having finally completed its pair of shows, the cast of “Madam’s Been Murdered, Tea Will Late” at Aurora High School took time Monday to reflect on the weekend.
“It was pretty good,” Lucas Talkington said of the whole experience. “There was a lot of energy and excitement, especially at the end.”
Kim Wanek, assistant drama director for the spring production and Aurora educator, agreed with her cast.
“I think it (went) great,” she said of Friday. “And the bottom line for me, and I think for Mrs. Wiarda, too, is that you want the kids to have a great experience, good memories, something fun, something that they’ll remember fondly and take forward. What’s the point of doing something if you can’t enjoy it?”
That was the goal the whole way through and that goal was accomplished, she said.
Phillips firefighters help battle No. Platte blaze
Three Phillips firefighters answered the call to help battle a raging fire near North Platte last week, spending two days on site as members of a volunteer strike force unit.
Rob Evans, assistant fire chief in Phillips, reported that he and two young members of the department, Kylie McBride and Abigail Cronin, joined a mutual aid crew which included firefighters from as far west as Gering and as far east as Fairbury. A request for help was sent out March 16 and the local trio took a newer grass unit rig from Phillips, meeting other volunteers from the area near Wood River. The team set out at about 2 a.m. Thursday and was on scene at what was called the Votaw Road Fire for two solid days.
Hutsell connects for game-winner
Ellie Hutsell did it again.
There was no score in the game and with the threat of penalty kicks on the horizon, the Aurora senior found the least bit of space she’d waited for all night long and capitalized.
Hutsell’s only goal came with two minutes left in the second overtime session as Aurora defeated Schuyler 1-0 to start its 2022 season at home on a high note.
Aurora coach Micayla Dunn explained after the game that Schuyler’s defense made it tough to find space, but Hutsell made a nice move with the game on the line.
“I was really proud of her perseverance and patience throughout the game,” Dunn explained. “She had a couple chances early in the game that she knew she should have finished, but she kept battling. Schuyler was man marking plus-one on her the entire game, so her goal was most definitely earned.”
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