More than 100 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony at the Wausa Public School on Sunday afternoon.

The event began with a welcome by Mike Kumm, president of the Wausa School Board in the high school gym, followed by a few words from Supt. Brad Hoesing and Senator Tim Gragert.

School officials and members of the Boyd Jones construction staff broke ground for the school addition behind the fitness center in front of a large crowd of district patrons. The ceremony concluded with cake and ice cream in the gym and tours of the construction site. 

“I thought it was a real good turnout,” Sen. Tim Gragert said. “The support shows how important education is to this community. They get a chance to show the kids, ‘Hey, we’re going to give you the best possible facility that we can.’ That’s really what it’s all about.”

Supt. Brad Hoesing said the community support has been an important part of the process.

“I think that the community is stepping forward and addressing needs that they need to address,” Hoesing said. “To their credit, they have taken a big leap forward with this project.”

Last September, Wausa school district patrons passed a $3 million bond to complete all of the school building projects. The first phase was made possible by an endowment to the Wausa Community Foundation from Eunice and Lillian Anderson of Wausa. In turn, the foundation donated $500,000 to the school renovation project to be named the Eunice and Lillian Anderson Industrial Technology and Agricultural Complex.
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The 1913 school building was demolished in June. The remaining facility is being renovated for new classrooms as well as the IT/Ag complex and is expected to be operational this fall, while construction of the new building is just getting started this summer. Construction officials said the new building is scheduled to open in August of 2020. The new construction, which will be located where the demolished building stood, will include a commons area, a new media center/library, administrative offices and additional classrooms.

“It wasn’t just about a new building,” said Michael Kumm, school board president. “It’s about how you set up your community for success. The facility is one component of it, but it’s not the main thing.” 

Kumm said he is also working on ways to retain graduates in the community.

“If we can get 25 percent of our graduating classes to come back here, you would change everything,” he said. “Right now, we have a 90 percent leaving rate. Well, if Omaha did that, Omaha would be losing their mind because they wouldn’t function as a city. They wouldn’t tolerate it. So why do we allow it in rural Nebraska?”

Kumm and Hoesing said a strong ITE program is one way they are addressing the issue. Bob Evans has built successful programs in Yankton and has been hired to run Wausa’s program next year.

“Throughout next year he’s going to run meetings with local businesses and tell them we are going to tailor our curriculum to match your needs,” Hoesing said. We’re going to ask, ‘What do you need? You pay taxes here, so you need to be a part of this process.’ Our goal is to create our curriculum around the needs of our community.”

The superintendent said he is pleased with the vision the school board has for the future.

“This is not a knee-jerk reaction board,” Hoesing said. “They are very critical thinkers. They think long-term and have bought into a long-term planning process here.”

Kumm said Wausa’s enrollment figures have actually grown in the last 10-15 years.

“We are probably a pretty unusual outlier in terms of growth, but I don’t think that’s accidental,” he said.  

Kumm said he thinks many graduates want to return to Wausa and feels it’s up to the school and community to provide them with opportunities to make that happen. 

“To me, it’s the model for success,” he said. “I’m excited for the future. I wasn’t ready to give up. I wasn’t ready to die yet.” 

Wausa high school graduated 14 at their graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 11.

Cheryl Holm, a member of Wausa Chapter No. 159, Order of the Eastern Star in Wausa, NE was presented her 50 year membership pin and certificate by Lowell Erickson, also a member of Eastern Star in Wausa, NE.

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The Wausa Fire Department and Rescue Squad recently donated an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the Rolling Hills Country Club to assist them in emergency preparedness.

An AED is a portable defibrillator designed to be automated so that it can be used by anyone with little to no medical training who are responding to a cardiac emergency. An AED delivers a brief electroshock to the heart through pads placed on the chest. It can check a person's heart rhythm and determine if a shock is required. The device begins providing clear and concise voice prompts as soon as it is turned on.

"Early defibrillation is critical in a cardiac emergencies!" states Jill Claussen, EMS Captain. Having an AED unit nearby can increase the survival rate of a victim by beginning care while emergency personnel are called and arrive on scene.

While training is not required to operate the device, brief 'how-to' courses will be held soon with RHCC staff and the general public. If you or your organization are in need of additional AED or CPR training, please email [email protected].

Last fall, the Wausa Public Schools received an additional AED from Wausa Fire and Rescue. AED locations include the WHS Gymnasium, outside of the Wausa Cafe and Senior Citizen's Center, Magnet Bar, and every Wausa church.

Photo: Rolling Hills Country Club Board members receive AED from Wausa Fire & Rescue EMTs.

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​Wausa High School students participated in the Northeast Community College Academic contest and came out with the Class D Championship after defeating 32 schools to win the title. Individual Results included: Ruth J.: Champion Administrative Professional; Esther N., Champion Accounting 1; Kamryn P., Champion Child Development; Destiny F., Champion Personal Finance; Will H., Runner Up Public Speaking; Tyson K., 3rd Place Accounting II; Will H., 3rd Place American History; Derek G., 3rd Place Business Law; Taylor K., 3rd Place General Science; Brandon K.: 3rd Place Geography; Daniel T., 3rd Place Physics; Jonah S., 4th Place Body & Frame Dimension Diag.; and Tyson K., 4th Place Calculus.

​Wausa Public School’s speech team was crowned this year’s Lewis and Clark conference champions.

Wausa Public Schools is nearing key milestones related to its upcoming renovation and construction project.

Construction manager Boyd Jones completed its preparation of the bid package for demolition in early February. Project demolition is expected to begin around early May, and staff will begin moving supplies out of the existing high school in early April. Boyd Jones anticipates crews will begin removing the building’s boiler around mid-April, about the same time pre-demolition efforts will begin. Demolition can begin when students are sent home for the summer.

More specific dates around the full scope of work will be released and shared through local subcontractor outreach events and various media channels as more information becomes available.

“We are so excited to start this process,” said Wausa Superintendent Brad Hoesing. “Although it will be a challenge to move 108 years’ worth of inventory, as well as five classrooms, office space, and students out of the old building, we are willing and able to do so with the knowledge that this building will bring so many additional educational opportunities not just to the students of Wausa, but to the community, as well.”

Regional subcontractors interested in learning more about Wausa Public Schools’ renovation and addition project are encouraged to attend an informational meeting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, at the Lied Lincoln Township Library.

Representatives from construction manager Boyd Jones will be present to provide an overview of the project, review the schedule, and introduce the project team. Interested subcontractors will have the opportunity to ask questions about the project, bidding requirements, and the bid process for the project.

Please RSVP to the March 12 event to project manager Brian Dembowski by Thursday, March 7, by emailing [email protected] or by calling (402) 660-0010.

Lied Lincoln Township Library is located at 603 E. Norris St., Wausa, NE, 68786.

About the Project
Boyd Jones will manage construction and renovations for Wausa Public Schools’ construction project. The company will begin with demolition of the existing high school building, administrative offices, and breezeway. Renovations to the existing facility will result in new classroom spaces and a new art room. New construction will provide the district with a commons area for students and community events, a new media center, administrative offices, and additional classroom space.

About Boyd Jones
Boyd Jones is active in eight market sectors, providing a range of construction services including as a general contractor and construction manager. With a commitment to serving school districts in Nebraska and neighboring states in the Midwest, Boyd Jones works with districts of all sizes on projects including facilities assessments, campus master planning, renovation, and new construction.

Recent education projects include the new high school for Minden Public Schools, the junior-senior high school building for Fort Calhoun Community Schools, and various projects comprising DC West Community Schools’ master plan.
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Learn more at www.boydjones.biz.

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency sponsored a NE Severe Weather Awareness/Preparedness Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest for middle school students. The purpose of the contest was to promote weather preparedness, storm readiness, tornado safety, fire safety or other emergency topics. Students needed to produce a PSA that was 30 seconds to 1 minute in length. The winning class would receive $250.

Mrs. Friedrich of Wausa Schools shared the contest information with the Computer Applications students who quickly decided to participate. Students included Taylor Alexander, Teyah Anderson, Alexa Cunningham, Joe Johnson, Alexis Munter, Kilee Thorell, Blair Wakeley and Josh Wattier. They decided to promote awareness for Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

Wausa ws announced as the winning school in December. Nic Kemnitz, Northeast NAEM Rep. and Laura Hintz, Knox County Emergency Management Director, traveled to Wausa to give the $250 award to the students. If you would like to watch the video, please go to www. naem.us. The video will be posted in the near future. The video can also be found on the school's office website - wausaschools.org.