Thanks to Bryan Daum of Farmer’s Pride Co-Op of Battle Creek for presenting the Wayne FFA with a $1,500 donation that will directly support the students through their involvement with FFA.

With 70 years difference between graduating classes, the Class of 1947 and the Class of 2017 designated their class funds to the Wayne Community Schools Foundation to add beautiful updates to the front of the Jr./Sr. High School building.  The Class of 1947 donated two, concrete benches surrounding the flagpole to honor their classmates.  The Class of 2017 wanted to include their mark as well.  The recent graduates designated their class funds for landscaping to add to the beauty of the benches and building.

During the Class of 1947’s reunion on Friday, August 18th, Wayne Community Schools Foundation hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to present the benches.  It was a gorgeous, warm, and sunny day to honor the alumni of ’47.

Class of 1947

Ribbon cutting

Grant provided by Farm Credit Services of America Working Here Fund for Agriculture Education

 NORFOLK, NEBRASKA – Wayne Community Schools Foundation received a $2,000 grant for drone technology and utilization.  The grant is provided through Farm Credit Services of America’s (FCSAmerica) Working Here Fund.

Wayne Community Schools Foundation will purchase a drone and complete training classes with grant funds.  Instruction including the rules, regulations, and proper etiquette when using technology devices such as drones will be part of the training. The photos taken by the drone will be utilized in the classroom for students to compare different ecological areas of northeast Nebraska.  Students will learn about technology innovation and management,

“Students graduating high school and entering the work force or college now are required to have more experience and knowledge of technology than ever before,” said Lindsay McLaughlin, executive director of the Wayne Community Schools Foundation.  “By having a drone in the classroom, students can gain more experience with technology and learn how it works, how it is best used, and expand the possibilities of using this technology with experiments that they may create.”

“At FCSAmerica, many of us grew up in agriculture and continue to farm.   We know first-hand the value of agriculture education and are proud to partner with Wayne Community Schools Foundation to ensure future generations have the same opportunities for learning,” said Zach Gansebom, vice president of retail operations at FCSAmerica’s Norfolk office.

The drone, operated by teachers and students and following proper etiquette, will seek approval from landowners, when taking photos of the area.

Wayne Community Schools Foundation is one of 77 organizations to receive a Working Here Fund grant in the first quarter of 2017. FCSAmerica awarded $111,965 during the latest grant cycle ending March 31, 2016.

The Wayne Community Schools Foundation received a $1000 DuPont Pioneer Grant to help fund the upcoming FFA Chapter that will be implemented during the 2017-2018 academic year.  Along with the $1000 grant, Koenig Enterprises (Teri and Kevin Koenig) matched the grant and designated the gift to the Ag Ed Program that begins in the fall of 2017.  We are very thankful for the support from DuPont Pioneer and Koenig Enterprises in the development of these programs.

Sherry Murray presented a donation of $10,000.00 to the WCS Foundation this past fall. 100% of the proceeds raised through the Kevin J. Murray Memorial FishingTournament are used for projects within the Foundation. We are verygrateful for the Murray family’s continued support. ​(Pictured from left to right: Lindsay McLaughlin, Sherry Murray and Terri Hypse)

Wayne Community Schools Foundation announced that DuPont Pioneer donated $1,000 toward the Backpack Program, which provides a weekend of nutritious meals for the students of the Wayne area.

Last year, the Backpack Program served roughly 5,000 meals to children throughout the Wayne Community School District.

The Backpack Program provides a weekend supply of nutritious food for children, commonly for low income families, to replace the school meals that children miss during their weekend or extended breaks from school. Each weekend the food bag contains enough food for two breakfasts, two lunches, two snacks, and one can of vegetables and one can of fruit. All food is nonperishable.

Though the program is intended to help those children whose families find it difficult to have enough food for the entire month, all children are eligible for this program. Children will be able to opt in and opt out of the program. The program is run completely by volunteers who help coordinate with the school to sign children up, pack food bags weekly, and keep the program running.

Bob Liska, Pioneer product agronomist, sponsored the grant.

“Pioneer is pleased to support the Wayne Community Schools Backpack Program. This is a great way to provide food security to students across the district,” Liska said. “I’m happy to see that there are dedicated people making this a successful program, and that they have the ability to find resources to make this a worthy project.”

Jenny Hammer, co-director of the Backpack Program said, “The Wayne Community Schools Backpack Program would like to thank Pioneer for the $1,000 grant. This grant will help enable the Wayne Food Pantry to provide weekend nutrition to over 100 students in Wayne County over the course of the 2015-16 academic year.”

“On behalf of the Wayne Community Schools Foundation, I would like to thank Pioneer for their support of the Wayne Community Schools Backpack Program,” said Lindsay McLaughlin, Executive Director of the Wayne Community Schools Foundation. “Contributions such as yours helps the Backpack Program provide nutritious meals to the students of the Wayne community. We are very fortunate to have businesses such as Pioneer assisting in the support and care of our youth.”

Wayne Community Schools was awarded a $10,000 grant from America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education,

sponsored by the Monsanto Fund.

The district will use the money to purchase Chromebooks and a mobile cart for the computers.

Seventh- through ninth-grade students will use the Chromebooks to increase the number of science research projects conducted and showcased at the Wayne Junior High Science Fair in the spring. Teachers will encourage students to choose agriculture-based topics, with an overarching goal of using the new Chromebooks to increase agricultural literacy among students.

“The students of Wayne Community Schools have a history of excellence in science research,” said Lee Brogie, science teacher at the school. “This project will greatly enhance our program by giving students the technology needed to boost awareness of the current challenges facing agriculture.”

Representatives from the school, the school’s foundation and the Monsanto Fund attended a check presentation to celebrate the grant during the homecoming football game on Sept. 4.

“Thank you to the farmers who believe in our students,” Brogie said. “Because of this grant, our students will use their intellect and their passions to propose solutions that will positively impact the agriculture industry.”

This year the school district also received an educational starter kit from Monsanto Company to help establish a pollinator garden, which will give students first-hand knowledge of the critical role habitat plays in providing bees and butterflies with food, shelter and places to lay eggs.