News
Meet the artists: Steve Mineck's blown glass is State Fair winner
Steve Mineck, a native of Cedar Rapids, now residing in rural Vinton, Iowa, is among one of the newer glass blower artists in the state. He is one of nearly 30 artists preparing to display their work during the June 21 Festival at Celebration Park in Vinton
Mineck's interest in blowing glass began many years ago after observing a glass blower at an art festival in Madison, Wisconsin. Thanks to those who made Lions scrap metal drive a huge success!
A huge THANKS to everyone who contributed to the May 10 Vinton Lions Scrap Metal Fundraiser. This idea came from Lions in New Hampton. Iowa, and it was really a winner.
Local businesses including Barnes Furniture, Nick’s TV and Appliances, and Michael and Dowd Furniture gave us their non-working appliance trade-in stockpiles and a great many area residents cleaned out their basements and garages to yield 22. VS FFA officers attend Leadership Training event
On Wednesday, June 4th, the Vinton-Shellsburg FFA chapter officer team went to Hawkeye Community College for the annual Chapter Officer Leadership Training (COLT). At COLT, FFA officers go to different workshops to help them become outgoing officers. This year the officers got to experience four interactive workshops, plus the usual session of learning the duties of their specific offices. Meet the Artist: Marvin Drenter
Marvin Drenter is one of the artists who will participate in the June 21 Arts Festival being organized by the new Vinton Guild of Fine Arts.
Marvin is retired and lives in Vinton. Marvin draws pictures and designs models. Marvin is currently making models of the farm buildings where he grew up on as a child. You can see the drawing of the farm at the art show and check out his barn in the making. School board hears technology update, approves staffing changes
The Vinton-Shellsburg board met in regular session on June 9, 2014. Board President Sue Gates called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
No one from the public spoke under Public Comments.
Under Administrator Reports, Kim Meyer updated the board on several projects that are happening this summer. The new phones are here and will be placed later this week; the new laptops are in and all of the old ones will be reimaged and the seniors’ machines will be moved to the MS.
Award for dad, special letter for daughter as Davis family visits Des Moines
Ryan Davis and his family traveled to Des Moines last month, where Ryan received the recognition from Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as the School Administrators of Iowa Assistant Principal of the Year, an award announced last November.
Gov. Branstad was among many to honor Ryan for this accomplishment. He invited the Davises to attend a special event to honor Ryan and other educators for their state awards. Old Creamery Nature Trail receives $20,000 donation from Guernsey Foundation
The Guernsey Foundation has become the latest donor to the Old Creamery Nature Trail with the gift of $20,000 towards the trail’s re-surfacing project.
Matt Purdy, Executive Director of Benton County Conservation and Randy Scheel, chairman of the Old Creamery Nature Trail committee, recently accepted this generous donation from Soo Greiman, Executive Director of the Guernsey Foundation. Mobile food pantry coming to Benton County
A group of Vinton residents have partnered with Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) to bring a mobile food pantry to Benton County.
The Mobile Food Pantry will take place on the second Saturday of each month from 10:00 to 11:30 at the 4th Street Diner, HACAP North Benton Center, 202 East 4th Street in Vinton. The first mobile food pantry distribution in Benton County will take place June 14, 2014.
Update on VSHS 1:1 computer program
We’ve made it through the first year of the 1:1 program. I’m happy to announce that we had very few damages of the 495 computers in student hands. Damages included 2 computers that were a complete loss with accidental liquid damage, 3 screens that were broken, and many chargers that needed to be replaced. When you just count the computers, we are at just 1% damage.
Strait Run: Schmidt family approaches first decade; sings at historic Surf
The guys of the Schmidt Family -- Victor and sons Stephen, 16; Samuel, 15; and Gabriel, 12 -- have been singing together for nearly a decade now. The quartet already has a busy schedule for 2014, says wife/mom/tour manager Michelle Schmidt.
Now called Strait Run -- the one name they all could agree on, says Michelle -- the band recently played a 50s-style music show at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, which music lovers know as the last concert site for Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.