The Conde Horizons II team has set the last Thursday of every month to meet with Cheryl Jacobs to make sure that we are making progress, “walking the plank” so to speak to make sure our vision is coming to fruition. Our meetings will begin at 4:00 in the afternoon and will be held at the Community Center. Our first meeting with Cheryl will be held February 28th. Everyone is invited and more information will be coming as the date gets closer.
OK, picture this: one quart glass jar layered with ingredients, a pretty fabric circle held in place with the ring lid, WITH the following explanation. Brownie ingredients with the explanation.
Flour, baking powder, salt. The foundation for brownie mix is dry ingredients. The foundation of Horizons II is to find leadership within ourselves. We are all different and we all have different attributes and we all can do something well.
White sugar: Sugar adds sweetness to the brownies. The “sweet” thing about our community is that we have Horizons II help us identify our community assets.
Brown sugar: When Measured, brown sugar sticks together, it packs well. This is how it can be with groups within our community, awarded through Horizons II, we have been able to measure our activities and results.
Walnuts: We can get along without nuts in our brownies but they are necessary for a complete product. Meetings can be worked well when we have an agenda, things are talked about and we get to the bottom of any conflict.
Chocolate Chips: Chocolate Chips add so much to our product, just as managing conflict helps us focus on the issues and get things done. When we know how to manage conflict, it just adds so much to our work just as chocolate chips add so much to our brownies.
The cover: The ingredients won’t hold together in the jar until we really need them witout a cover, just as building strategies will help us work together to get the job done. You can’t do it all yourself and there are plenty of people and support to help.
Decorative Fabric: this is the real attraction, the attention getter that makes us feel we are getting close to the finished product; a finished product that comes with planning.
Instruction Tag: We are looking to make this product work so we plan and evaluate to make sure we have instructions to guide us.
Other Ingredients: There are the final components in our plan for a complete product that we all can enjoy. Other ingredients of people, planning and communication to others in what we are doing for a successful commitment with support from Horizons II. YOU are the integral part of this to take action for Conde and for it to be the best that it can be!
The jars were placed around town for all to see and help with the explanation of Horizons II.
With the aid of the Conde High School students, the communities of Conde, Doland and Mellette showed their support to the Dan & Teresa Noetlich family at the BB games in Conde on Tuesday night. Those in attendance generously donated over one thousand dollars to this “DC Charger” family who lost their home and belongings in a house fire at Doland. This overwhelming support shows good will between all the neighboring small town communities and makes one proud to be a part of them. Good luck to the Noetlich family and thanks to all for your kindness and giving.
Area residents be sure to attend the DC Charger girls and boys basketball games in Conde on Tuesday beginning at 4pm with the junior varsity games followed by the varsity teams. We will not only show support of our basketball teams but also for the Dan and Teresa Noettlich family of Doland as they lost their home and all belongings in a house fire last week. The Conde school students and community will be showing their support for this family with various fundraising efforts. There will be lots of food and fun.
Just want to thank members of our community who have been on top of things with our school. Many went to Pierre to attend the legislature. With all of your hard work we hope that something can get accomplished.
Members of our Conde community traveled to Pierre on January 24th to hopefully sway the House State of Affairs to send HB 1158 to the floor. We had some very good speakers on our side. As it turned out, we don’t think it really mattered because they already had their minds made up as to how they were going to vote. It was a totally waste of time for us.
As a proud member of Conde’s Horizon II team I decided it was time that I try to keep up with technology and learn to blog. I want to thank “the blondes ” Jessica and Erin for attending the workshop and teaching us this great method of communication. Conde has a strategic plan in place for future projects and goals for the community but our main focus right now has been on saving our school. Several members of the Conde Horizon community have traveled to Pierre on several occasions to witness our govt. in action on issues relating to our school. We have experienced many highs and lows. Although it appears our voices have not been heard there are several lawmakers out there that do understand the concept of rural South Dakota and it’s values. We thank them for their support. It is time to get the word out to all of South Dakota what is happening to the future of it’s rural population. The magical number for closing schools right now is enrollment of 100, it should be no surprise when that number is increased to 200 in the near future. What happens to our Horizon’s communities that have been working to better the way of life for it’s residents when there is no school? Our school ,we feel is the core of our hometown. I encourage all residents of Conde to join the ” C Team” in working to fight to keep our school here at home. Be aware of what our government is doing, make your voice heard by e-mailing or writing legislators right now during this years legaslative session. I am proud to have been raised, educated, married and now reside in rural Conde. I am as well proud that my children are graduates of Conde High School and are proud to call Conde home. Our forefathers paved the way for us, let us do the same for Conde’s next generation.
As members of the Conde communty traveled to Pierre today in support of HB 1158 (read below), the house state of affairs deferred it until the 36th day ( the session is only 35) . We beleive this was their “nice” way to kill 1158.
So Now, we need your help bloggers!! Let’s email those that sit on this committee to let them know the importance of HB 1158. Go to the link below and email the 13 committee members a short little email just letting them know they should have sent HB1158 to the floor. The more communication with have to them the better the outcome will be! So…Please get emailing.
http://legis.state.sd.us/index.aspx once at this site go to contact information located at the bottom of the left hand column and click. Once on the next screen again on the left hand column click email a legislator. It will pull up your email screen. Type your email address on the top line and HB1158 on the subject line. Once that is done type away. You will only have to type your message once. Be sure before you send, that the right legislators are in the box above the subject box ( titled “TO”). These are the people to send it to for right now.
If this bill would have made it to the floor ( which we wanted ) We would have than emailed all the others!!!
| Name | Chair/Vice |
|---|---|
| Brunner, Thomas | |
| Cutler, Joni | |
| Deadrick, Thomas | |
| Dykstra, Joel | Vice Chair |
| Faehn, Bob | |
| Gillespie, Margaret | |
| Hargens, Dale | |
| Krebs, Shantel | |
| Miles, Kathy | |
| Moore, Garry | |
| Rave, Tim | |
| Rhoden, Larry | Chair |
| Turbiville, Charles |
Members of the Conde community will be attending the 2008 South Dakota Legislative Session on January 23, 2008 to show our support of HB1158.
HB1158 is an exemption to SB158 forcing all schools in the state of South Dakota under attendance of 100 to have a re-organizational plan in place by 2009. The exemption that is stated in the HB1158 is any school that receives less that $20,000 in state aid/year should be exempt from SB158 regardless of attendance. Conde being a school that receives less than $20,000 in state aid/year. Because of a re-organizational incentive given by the State of South Dakota to any school that the Conde School District may attach to, the State of South Dakota may send in upward of millions of dollars in the next two to three years to send our 46 students to other schools.
Since, SB158 was passed in the 2007 South Dakota Legislative Session many in the Conde community have been in a S.O.S. mode. Many individuals in the Conde community have been rallying to keep our school open. Many feel that regardless of the number of students attending the Conde School District, our children are still getting the utmost of an GREAT education. Conde students are not getting dealt a lower hand in education, they are actually preforming above state and national levels. Honestly, what more could we ask for.
Here is a link to a story that was on Keloland news Jan. 16th 2008:
http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=25,65375
If you would like to attend the 2008 South Dakota Legislative Session on Jan. 23rd 2008, please meet at the Conde Community Center at 6:30 am that morning. Bus transportation will be provided! Please attend and support the Conde School District!
More information will be provided following the session on Jan 23rd, 2008!
In Conde we seemed to have had problems explaining this new program called “Horizons II.” Therefore two methods were used to SHOW and explain the program. Jars of explanation (Quart jars layered with the ingredients, a colorful cover with ribbon around the lid tied to the following explanation) were placed in 4 areas of the town. It went like this:
HORIZONS II HOLIDAY S’MORES
S’More Information on Horizons II
INGREDIENTS: Graham Crackers:
Marshmallows:
Chocolate Pieces: These signify the people participating who believed in our town. The were the basis for “dessert in the making.”
The Graham Crackers would signify Conde. Just like a graham cracker holds a S’More together; we each want Conde to grow and thrive; it is what holds Horizons II participants together, and we were chosen to participate for many reasons.
The Chocolate Pieces shows how sweet it is to have Horizons II come to town.
The Marshmallows are necessary to make our S’Mores complete. When we roast the marshmallows it is not only fun but a toasted marshmallow is what will hold the dessert together.
The Tag with the instructions for making S’Mores are the instructions we have received to create a plan for Conde. We started with the Study Circles to understand poverty and how poverty is more than just money. Then we had the Leadership/Plenty to develop that leadership to make any plan successful. Next will be strategic planning to carry on other projects the people have voted on.
The cover and attractive decorating all signify some things we have been given through Horizons II that we wouldn’t have had before. The projects will enhance and beautify the town. The banners will be a new decorative cover for the town to show pride. The Grant Writing workshop will lead us to grants that may be available and show that we are willing to have others be a part of our community.
The benefits to S’Mores information on Horizons II is that they taste good and we have all benefited from having them just as we have benefited from having Horizons “come to town.” It is something we have never done before. It is a wonderful group supporting Conde and S’Mores from Horizons II is good for us all!!!!