Platte Center Elementary

Viking Voices

Mrs. Goedeken and the Viking Voices treated students to a vocal performance Wednesday.  Selections from various musicals were featured.  Past Platte Center Elementary students who are members of the Viking Voices are Marie Goering, Jenna Alswager and Macey Gronenthal.  Thank you Viking Voices!

Student Council Receives Award

Artist-in-Residence Nancy Fairbanks

Platte Center Elementary students were fortunate to have Nancy Fairbanks, an artist from Grand Island spend a week with them, teaching the artistry of molding clay into various sculptures.  Some of the pieces the students created include animals, vases, teapots and bowls.  Read on to learn more about Nancy. 

By Dennis Kellogg - One Grand Island artist is making a name for herself through her pottery. Nancy Fairbanks first started working with clay in her eighth grade art class. She has never stopped.

"It is my full–time job so I am in clay every day up to 10 hours a day, sometimes more. Seven days a week," said Fairbanks.  Nancy is a professional potter, whose artwork is eye–catching. She is always working on something new.

"The ideas are endless. You can make functional pieces, decorative pieces. Why not furniture? A lot of different types of pieces. And I have so many ideas and not enough time," said Fairbanks.  Nancy's days often begin at the potter's wheel with clay that has been prepared just the way she likes it.

"After the clay is centered on the wheel, you make the opening with your thumbs, pull out the floor, then pull the walls. After the walls are pulled into a cylinder, you can do any shape that you want," Fairbanks said.  Once Nancy finishes the piece on the wheel, they dry on her shelves for several weeks. They are then baked. Glaze is added. They are fired again to more than 2300 degrees before being cooled and placed in the showroom. If it sounds easy; it is not. It is a long process that is physically grueling at times, and also mentally challenging.

"Potters have to take a lot of chemistry classes in college to learn chemical reactions, equivalent weights, molecular structure of the different chemicals and ingredients in your glazes," Fairbanks said. "So there is a lot of science behind it. It is not just a matter of going out and making pots."  The pots and other works of art Nancy does create, though, are impressive. Nancy does have certain themes she works with.

"I build a lot of cat sculptures. I enjoy the cats. I have live models in the house that give me lots of inspiration and personality for this," said Fairbanks.

Her leaf pots are also popular. Then there is something new she has added.

"I am also doing a series of goddesses. These women, these funky, wild, crazy women with crazy hair and it is just very expressive. A lot of people really enjoy those," said Fairbanks.  If you look at Nancy's studio, you will see many works of modern art. But there is also a part of her work that dates back several thousand years.

"I do create replicas of Pawnee pottery," said Fairbanks. "Pawnee pots take much longer to create than a piece on the potter's wheel. And I do them authentically. I hand build them. I do the designs and the handles and shapes all like the replicas of the pieces in the museums."  It is the variety that keeps her work interesting for Nancy, which is a good thing, because she is always working.

"People ask me what I do in my spare time. I do not have spare time. I work in my spare time. I want to work. I need to get out there," said Fairbanks.

For this potter, the wheels are always spinning.  Nancy's studio and gallery are just a few yards from her home in Grand Island.  She also travels the country selling her work. And she puts on workshops in her own studio and in schools across the state. Click here to see Platte Center sculptors at work!

Jump Rope for Heart

Platte Center 7th Graders Launch Student Web Site

The seventh grade students have been busy, using their technology skills to create a student web page.  Chase Gronenthal came up with the idea and helped to organize a group of classmates to help make decisions about what to include and type articles to include on the website.  The students will also be publishing a paper version, which is scheduled to be completed in December.  Check out their website here!

Automated Library System Implemented

Platte Center Elementary has recently acquired and is in the process of setting up an automated library system.  The system is Alexandria and Mrs. Wessel has been very busy barcoding books, entering data and learning how to use the system.  Students can now access the Platte Center Library database from classroom and lab computers to check to see if our library has a book they are interested in. Click below to link to Alexandria.

 

World Book Online

Lakeview Community School District has recently acquired a subscription to World Book Online.  World Book Online offers three levels of  articles, World Book Kids, for elementary age students, World Book Student, geared toward middle grades and World Book Advanced for high school and older.  To access World Book Online, click on one of the links below.  Take some time to get online with your kids and check out this great resource.  There will be a letter coming home soon with a login and password for you to use at home to access these sites.  Click on the link below to access the site.

    

CultureGrams

Another great resource for students is CultureGrams.  CultureGrams helps you and your students
discover the world with concise cultural and statistical snapshots of every country recognized by the United Nations -- from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.  Local experts document the unique, intimate details of each country's customs, traditions and daily life.  And whether it's Iraq, Canada, or Kenya, each CultureGram offers an equality of coverage detailing 25 different aspects of the country and its culture. Click below to link to the CultureGrams website.