News
Residents view new Nature Center displays at Open House
New displays featuring birds and other animals gained the attention of the crowd at an open house for the Benton County Nature Center Sunday afternoon. Naturalists Karen Phelps and Aaron Askelson did most of the work on the displays, which feature a variety of birds, including an owl. A bobcat is also featured in one part of the display.
Dozens of people attended Sunday's event to get a look at the new educational displays inside and out at the Nature Center. VSHS Marching Band does well at 5 Seasons Festival, prepares for State
While many people are familiar with the Friday night contests that take place on football fields all over the country, here in Iowa, Saturday contests are taking place on many of those same fields.
These contests, however, feature high school marching bands.
The Vinton-Shellsburg Marching Band has been practicing throughout the week and performing in contests on Saturdays. 100 + 1 Bethelehm Lutheran donates to Operation Backpack
While the school lunch program locally helps children from needy families to have healthy lunches during the school day, many of those families struggle on weekends to have enough to eat.
To help fill in that gap, two Vinton Shellsburg High School students are leading Operation Backpack which began early in September. A total of 91 students from Tilford and Shellsburg elementaries were able to go home last weekend with a bag of food, as a result of this program. AmeriCorps NCCC Class 20 Corps Member Spotlight: Valerie Munoz
Valerie Munoz, from Salida, California is serving on team Oak 3 in AmeriCorps NCCC Class 20. She arrived in Vinton on February 11 to start her 10-month service term. Oak 3 is made up of seven people from across the country who will serve together around the Midwest.
Valerie says “I liked the idea of serving something larger than myself, and never having had an actual opportunity to do so before, I thought now would be a great time through such a great organization as AmeriCorps.
A quaint wedding: Q and U get married at Tilford
Quick!
From all quarters, without equivocation, even if it requires an equestrian route and payment of quayage, quiet your quarreling, quit your inquietudes, and acquiesce to the quizzical inquiry into this unique and unequivocally quirky custom: Q and U have exquisitely quantified their quizzotical and quid-pro-quo correlation to become a couple. Field turf project nearing goal; VS leaders seeking donations
The future of the renovation of the Karr Athletic Complex, including the resurfacing of the all-weather track and the installation of an all-season, multi-purpose artificial field turf, is now largely in the hands of Vinton-Shellsburg school district residents.
The school board, over recent years, has allotted $610,000 in PPEL funding for the project, which has an estimated cost of $1. Elementary coat drive under way at Tilford, Shellsburg
Tilford Elementary and Shellsburg Elementary leaders have organized a coat drive for VS families. Donors may bring coats to either school. This project differs from the Coats For Kids project organized by the TV station. All coats collected locally at the schools will be distributed to VS families.
For more information, call Molly Noren at Tilford Elementary, 319-436-4728.
Red Ribbon Week to focus on tobacco this year
Benton County students have identified tobacco use as a major issue in their schools. The statistics back up their claims. According to the Iowa Youth Survey, 14% of 8th graders in Benton County have used tobacco. Many more students are starting or continuing their tobacco use into their high school years.
Currently there are advocacy groups in Benton high schools that are working to prevent tobacco use among their peers.
Vinton Police Department Log for September 2014
All charges are subject to review by the Benton County Attorney's Office. An arrest or criminal charge is merely an accusation and the Defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Intrastate Warrants are issued by Law Enforcement Agencies for crimes happening in their jurisdictions.
Adult Arrests
September 3:Daniel J.
FFA members help first-graders make terrariums
On September 29th, the Vinton-Shellsburg 1st graders went to the high school to learn how to make a terrarium, with the help of the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Advisor and Ag teacher, Mrs. Fleming, and some FFA members.
To make the terrariums, the students had to put different materials into a plastic bottle. The materials consisted of rocks, moss, soil, seeds, bugs, and a decoration of their choosing, along watering the terrarium at the very end.