09/21/23: Area Happenings & Accomplishments
Share
Tweet
IESHA TOFT/SENTINEL-NEWS
Horseshoes fly in Royal: Royal hosted the Iowa Horseshoe Pitching Association's 5th annual Clay County Pitching Tournament last Sunday at Lions Grove horseshoe pits at Memorial Park. The tournament had pitchers attend from across the state, including from Fort Dodge and Sioux City, along with locals competing in the amateur tournament division.
NCC earns high rankings in nationwide report
Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon has earned exceptional rankings in the 2023 Best & Worst Community Colleges in the Nation report by WalletHub.com.
In this year's assessment, NCC received a second-place ranking for Career Outcomes and a third-place ranking for Best Overall Community College among more than 650 institutions evaluated. This recognition marks the third consecutive year NCC has excelled on WalletHub's national ranking.
WalletHub.com's study for the 2022-23 academic year was driven by the objective of providing students with higher education opportunities that are both affordable and rewarding. The report underscores that tuition and fees for full-time, in-state enrollment at a public two-year college averaged $3,860 annually, compared to $10,950 at a public four-year institution and $39,400 at a four-year private school. Community colleges also provide a financially viable path for students aiming to earn general-education credits before transferring to an in-state public four-year university.
WalletHub.com evaluated community colleges using a comprehensive dataset comprising 19 key indicators spanning cost and quality metrics. This encompassed factors such as in-state tuition and fees, student-faculty ratios and graduation rates. The study employed three pivotal dimensions in the assessment: Cost & Financing, Education Outcomes and Career Outcomes. These dimensions were constructed using a total of 19 metrics, each selected to reflect the respective category.
Sheldon school named to National Blue Ribbon list
Five Iowa schools were recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023. The award honors high performing schools for overall academic performance.
The Iowa schools named as 2023 National Blue Ribbon Schools are: East Elementary School, Sheldon Community School District; Grundy Center Middle School, Grundy Center Community School District; Norman Borlaug Elementary School, Iowa City Community School District; Perry Elementary School, Perry Community School District; and St. Ansgar High School, St. Ansgar Community School District.
The award recognizes schools in one of two performance categories based on all student scores, subgroup student scores and graduation rates: Exemplary High-Performing Schools are among the state's highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests; and exemplary Achievement Gap-Closing Schools are among the state's highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school's student groups and all students.
Iowa's Exemplary High-Performing Schools performed in the Top 15 percent of all Iowa schools based on their overall accountability score on the Iowa School Performance Profiles. The Iowa School Performance Profiles is Iowa's accountability reporting system that meets state and federal requirements to publish report cards reflecting the performance of all public schools.
National Blue Ribbon Schools serve as models of effective school practices for state and district educators and other schools throughout the nation. With its 40th cohort, the award spotlights schools that demonstrate proficiency and growth by ensuring students master challenging content. A total of 353 schools received this designation.
Up to 420 schools may be nominated each year. The U.S. Department of Education invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education officials in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. Private schools are nominated by the Council for American Private Education.
Outdoor classroom held for area sixth graders
The O'Brien County Soil and Water Conservation District hosted the 55th sixth grade outdoor classroom on Sept. 7. Sixth graders from Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, Sheldon Community, South O'Brien and Sanborn Christian, along with their teachers and chaperones, spent the day at the Prairie Heritage Center.
Sessions presented were: Predator/Prey, Sarah Fiddelke, Prairie Heritage Center; Fishing, Michael Sundall, Pheasants Forever; Spears, Luke Davison, PHC; Soil Health, Andrew Koehlmoos, NRCS; Nature Scavenger Hunt, Kaarina Van Berkum, Sioux County State Technician; Prairie Life, Kerisa Pingel, Sanford Museum; Water Olympics, Riley White, NRCS; Furs, Lindsey Kleinhesselink, Prairie Heritage Naturalist; and Bees, Philip Westra, Sanborn Christian Reformed Church.
NCC fall enrollment 2nd largest in history
Fall 2023 enrollment at Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon reached 1,792 students, marking the second-largest fall class in the institution's history.
The 1,792 enrolled students represent a slight decrease of approximately 1.05 percent from the record-breaking fall 2022 enrollment of 1,811; however, the fall enrollment reflects a 2.68 percent increase in credits compared to the previous year.
NCC offers multiple terms and start dates throughout the year, making fall enrollment just one data point in its academic calendar. An equally significant figure is the total, unduplicated headcount recorded at the end of the academic year. At the end of the 2022-23 academic year in August, NCC had a total enrollment of 2,778, which was a 3 percent increase over the 2021-22 academic year.
