Benton Community School District

Kindergarten and Preschool Pre-Registration will be held Monday, February 10, 2025 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at both Atkins and Keystone Elementaries. Current students will be sent a link prior to February 10 to pre-register online.

Just a reminder there will be no school today, Monday, January 20, due to staff professional development. #BeABobcat #APlaceToBelong

Benton wrestlers face Solon and West Delaware -Courtesy of Jim Magdefrau Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, at Van Horne BOYS Solon 35, Benton 28 165: Teague Williams (SOLO) over (BECO) (For.) 175: Jackson Feuerbach (SOLO) over Mayson Mitchell (BECO) (MD 13-3) 190: Brenden Heying (BECO) over Kyler Jensen (SOLO) (TF 21-5 2:19) 215: Lucas Feuerbach (SOLO) over Troy Kupka (BECO) (MD 9-1) 285: Grant Wilson (SOLO) over Will Clausen (BECO) (MD 11-3) 106: Anderson Osgood (SOLO) over Memphis Bishop (BECO) (Fall 0:40) 113: Jaxson Mehlert (BECO) over Quinten Henning (SOLO) (Fall 1:44) 120: Jayden Steapp (SOLO) over Garrett Kuch (BECO) (Dec 7-3) 126: Jason Eastman (BECO) over Michael Bigelow (SOLO) (Fall 1:36) 132: Brock Corrigan (BECO) over Justin Moore (SOLO) (Dec 6-4) 138: Charlie Karam (SOLO) over Ryan Koehler (BECO) (TF 16-1 4:53) 144: Elijah Kupka (BECO) over Jordan Schmidt (SOLO) (Dec 4-0) 150: Brady Patterson (BECO) over Evan Burg (SOLO) (TF 17-1 6:00) 157: Carson Kidwell (SOLO) over Elias Bieschke (BECO) (Dec 6-0) West Delaware 36, Benton 29 157: Liam Weber (WEDE) over Elias Bieschke (BECO) (TF 18-3 4:40) 165: Ryan Hilby (WEDE) over (BECO) (For.) 175: Blake Mather (WEDE) over Mayson Mitchell (BECO) (Fall 1:39) 190: Brenden Heying (BECO) over Brent Yonkovic (WEDE) (Dec 1-0) 215: Troy Kupka (BECO) over Jeryn Funke (WEDE) (Dec 5-0) 285: Will Clausen (BECO) over Owen Pettlon (WEDE) (Dec 11-5) 106: Lucas Peters (WEDE) over Memphis Bishop (BECO) (Fall 2:56) 113: Jaxson Mehlert (BECO) over Sladen Shover (WEDE) (TF 17-1 1:37) 120: Garrett Kuch (BECO) over Colten Roling (WEDE) (Dec 6-0) 126: Jarrett Engel (WEDE) over Jason Eastman (BECO) (MD 14-3) 132: Kooper Waugh (WEDE) over Brock Corrigan (BECO) (TF 20-3 4:13) 138: Ryan Koehler (BECO) over Rylan Gaul (WEDE) (Fall 3:03) 144: Jax Miller (WEDE) over Elijah Kupka (BECO) (MD 13-3) 150: Brady Patterson (BECO) over Lane Gudenkauf (WEDE) (Fall 1:14) GIRLS Solon 45, Benton 36 100: Alexis Sexton (BECO) over Hailey Anderson (SOLO) (Fall 1:00) 105: Kara VeDepo (SOLO) over Maria Davis (BECO) (Fall 1:00) 110: McKenna Rogers (SOLO) over Courtney Hlas (BECO) (Fall 0:50) 115: Kaitlyn Bonewitz (BECO) over Rylee Worrell (SOLO) (Fall 0:56) 120: Jadlyn Huynh (SOLO) over Alexis Northcutt (BECO) (Fall 1:03) 125: Makayla Keller (SOLO) over Madelyn Kenny (BECO) (Fall 1:55) 130: Alannah Mahoney (SOLO) over Willow Sexton (BECO) (Fall 5:49) 135: Alexis Anderson (SOLO) over Izzy Schoettmer (BECO) (Dec 10-5) 140: Lucianna Miller (SOLO) over Jordan Koehler (BECO) (Fall 1:32) 145: Olivia Bonnema (SOLO) over Jordan Voelkel (BECO) (Fall 4:19) 155: Lizzy Wolf (BECO) over (SOLO) (For.) 170: Layna DeMoss (BECO) over (SOLO) (For.) 190: Mo Brown (BECO) over Adlie Miller (SOLO) (Fall 4:47) 235: Averie Gale (BECO) over Haiden Wolfe (SOLO) (Fall 1:16) Benton 52, West Delaware 28 100: Alexis Sexton (BECO) over (WEDE) (For.) 105: Addison Schulte (WEDE) over Maria Davis (BECO) (Fall 1:46) 110: Courtney Hlas (BECO) over (WEDE) (For.) 115: Kaitlyn Bonewitz (BECO) over Addesyn Welcher (WEDE) (Fall 5:15) 120: Lexi Bunting (WEDE) over Alexis Northcutt (BECO) (Fall 1:32) 125: Anna O`Rear (WEDE) over Madelyn Kenny (BECO) (Fall 1:03) 130: Kylee Shoop (WEDE) over Willow Sexton (BECO) (MD 10-0) 135: Izzy Schoettmer (BECO) over Gabriella McDermott (WEDE) (Fall 1:38) 140: Hannah Crane (WEDE) over Jordan Koehler (BECO) (Fall 2:21) 145: Jordan Voelkel (BECO) over Lily Heim (WEDE) (Fall 1:37) 155: Lizzy Wolf (BECO) over (WEDE) (For.) 170: Layna DeMoss (BECO) over Parker Robinson (WEDE) (MD 14-0) 190: Mo Brown (BECO) over Gracie Heim (WEDE) (Fall 5:42) 235: Averie Gale (BECO) over Ella Goedken (WEDE) (Fall 1:28)

What do you love most about working at Benton? The sense of community, amazing co-workers, and watching the kids grow.

Scholarships Available for High School Graduating Seniors -Courtesy of Jim Magdefrau January 15, 2025 Once again, Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI) is partnering with Benton Soil & Water Conservation District (Benton SWCD) to foster the higher education endeavors of Iowa students interested in conservation and agriculture by offering scholarships. Iowa High School Class of 2025 students pursuing programs of study in any field of conservation or agriculture are eligible for the Conservation Scholarship. While many college majors qualify, preference will be given to students pursuing programs of study in conservation. The scholarship must be used for the student’s first year of college education. Information and applications may be found on the CDI website: https://www.cdiowa.org/get-involved/scholarships/ Applications should be submitted to the office of the Soil & Water Conservation District in which the student resides. Only applications for Benton County residents should be submitted to the Benton SWCD office at 1705 West D Street, Vinton, IA, 52349. Contact information for SWCDs contiguous to Benton County may be found at the CDI web address. The top three scholarships will be awarded at the state level in the amounts of $3000, $2000 and $1000. Winners from the remaining six regions will each receive $500. First, second and third place awards will be paid directly to the applicant’s school of choice in two equal installments, one upon enrollment at the beginning of the year and the second at midterm. The six other scholarships will be paid directly to the students. Applications and supporting documents must be submitted to the Benton SWCD office in hard copy by 4:30 p.m. on February 7, 2025. For CDI applications only. Visit the CDI website for additional information. If you have questions or are home schooled, please contact Jessica Rambo at 319-472-2161 ext. 3 or jessica.rambo@usda.gov Additional scholarships for Benton County residents only will be considered at the local level for one $1000.00, one $750.00, and one $500.00 award. These will be due March 14thby 4:30pm at your local Benton SWCD office 1705 W D St, Vinton IA 52349. No additional scholarship application needs to be submitted for the local scholarships if applying for both. If you have questions or are home schooled, please contact Jessica Rambo at 319-472-2161 ext. 3 or jessica.rambo@usda.gov

What do you love most about working at Benton? I love watching the kids growth throughout the year. The staff is very accepting and great to work with.

Are you tough enough? Attending school regularly is a challenge that makes you stronger.

Thanks for all you do to make Benton Community a great place to be!

Preschool Schedule Change: Wednesday, January 15 will now be 4 yr old PK only Friday, January 17 (early out) there will be NO PK This schedule change is for both Atkins and Keystone Elementaries.

Please remember there is NO Early Dismissal this Wednesday, January 15. There will be an Early Dismissal this Friday, January 17 at 1:00 p.m.

Thank you to the Benton County Sheriff’s department for the donation of hygiene products to the MS/HS pantry. We are fortunate to have community support and donations of items that students don't always have access to.

Thank you to Iowa Army National Guard Recruiter, Nate Reynolds, for coming in and helping the BC Robotics team prepare for their tournament . He gave feed back on their engineering portfolios, and held a mock judges interview with each team and gave valuable feedback.

Bobcats host Bobcat Jerry Eckenrod wrestling invite -Courtesy of Jim Magdefrau Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, at Van Horne Team scores 1 Don Bosco 184.5 2 Dallas Center-Grimes 181.0 3 Waukee Northwest 179.5 4 West Delaware, Manchester 170.5 5 Assumption, Davenport 167.0 6 Independence 159.0 7 Benton Community 148.0 8 Williamsburg 143.0 9 Union, LaPorte City 117.5 10 Anamosa 79.0 11 West Liberty 72.0 12 Washington 45.0 13 Cedar Rapids Jefferson 35.0 14 Vinton-Shellsburg 32.0 15 Centerville 26.5 16 North Linn 23.0 17 East Marshall/GMG 11.5 Benton results 113 - Jaxson Mehlert (21-7) placed 2nd and scored 23.0 team points. 120 - Garrett Kuch (17-11) placed 8th and scored 6.0 team points. 126 - Jason Eastman (15-12) placed 8th and scored 8.0 team points. 132 - TJ Lovell (17-13) placed 8th and scored 7.0 team points. 138 - Ryan Koehler (14-15) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points. 144 - Elijah Kupka (20-8) placed 4th and scored 14.5 team points. 150 - Brady Patterson (15-7) placed 5th and scored 11.0 team points. 157 - Elias Bieschke (19-13) placed 6th and scored 9.5 team points. 165 - Blayke Heying (22-4) placed 4th and scored 15.0 team points. 175 - Sage Edberg (1-12) placed 8th and scored 1.0 team points. 190 - Brenden Heying (24-1) placed 1st and scored 25.0 team points. 215 - Troy Kupka (22-7) placed 2nd and scored 21.0 team points. 285 - Will Clausen (19-8) placed 6th and scored 7.0 team points.

Lady ‘Cat Duals held January 10 at Benton -Courtesy of Jim Magdefrau Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, at Van Horne Placings 1st Place - Mount Vernon 2nd Place - Benton Community 3rd Place - Grinnell 4th Place - Lisbon 5th Place - BCLUW 6th Place - Xavier, Cedar Rapids 7th Place - Union, LaPorte City 8th Place - Johnston Lady Cat Duals - Benton Community Benton Community defeated BCLUW 66-18 110 - Courtney Hlas (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 115 - Kaitlyn Bonewitz (Benton Community) over Brayleigh Gardner (BCLUW) Fall 1:02 120 - Katilynn Guldner (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 125 - Ceanna White (BCLUW) over Madelyn Kenny (Benton Community) Fall 0:36 130 - Willow Sexton (Benton Community) over Sisse Levison (BCLUW) Fall 1:11 135 - Izzy Schoettmer (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 140 - Jordan Voelkel (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 145 - Jordan Koehler (Benton Community) over Kaelyn Dixon (BCLUW) Fall 0:32 155 - Layna DeMoss (Benton Community) over Taya Hollingsworth (BCLUW) Fall 3:23 170 - Cheyenne Simmons (BCLUW) accepted a forfeit 190 - Kaitlynn Dickes (BCLUW) accepted a forfeit 235 - Averie Gale (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 100 - Alexis Sexton (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 105 - Maria Davis (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit Benton Community defeated Grinnell 47-36 115 - Kaitlyn Bonewitz (Benton Community) over Baylee Boyd (Grinnell) Fall 2:39 120 - Kyrie Chapman (Grinnell) over Katilynn Guldner (Benton Community) Fall 0:30 125 - Madelyn Kenny (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 130 - Kiaya Shuey (Grinnell) over Willow Sexton (Benton Community) Fall 2:35 135 - Adriana Versendaal (Grinnell) over Marissa Nolte (Benton Community) Fall 1:57 140 - Izzy Schoettmer (Benton Community) over Jayla Westcott (Grinnell) Fall 1:55 145 - Myla Kurk (Grinnell) over Jordan Voelkel (Benton Community) Fall 0:29 155 - Jordan Koehler (Benton Community) over Alejandra Hernandez (Grinnell) Fall 1:14 170 - Layna DeMoss (Benton Community) over Abigail Hatcher (Grinnell) TF 17-1 190 - Jahzarah Ward (Grinnell) accepted a forfeit 235 - Averie Gale (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 100 - Piper Madren (Grinnell) over Alexis Sexton (Benton Community) Fall 2:44 105 - Maria Davis (Benton Community) over Zaria Bunch (Grinnell) Fall 1:47 110 - Courtney Hlas (Benton Community) over Peyton Davenport (Grinnell) Fall 0:10 Benton Community defeated Johnston 63-11 120 - Katilynn Guldner (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 125 - Madelyn Kenny (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 130 - Willow Sexton (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 135 - Izzy Schoettmer (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 140 - Jordan Voelkel (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 145 - Jordan Koehler (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 155 - Double Forfeit 170 - Layna DeMoss (Benton Community) over Jasmine Newman (Johnston) TB-1 16-10 190 - Lauren Silhanek (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 235 - Averie Gale (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 100 - Alexis Sexton (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 105 - Grace Petersen (Johnston) over Maria Davis (Benton Community) Fall 1:22 110 - Charlotte Spah (Johnston) over Courtney Hlas (Benton Community) TF 18-0 115 - Kaitlyn Bonewitz (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit Mount Vernon defeated Benton Community 48-36 (first place match) 125 - Lexi Glaza (Mount Vernon) over Madelyn Kenny (Benton Community) Fall 2:28 130 - Willow Sexton (Benton Community) over Liliana Grosse (Mount Vernon) Fall 1:26 135 - Izzy Schoettmer (Benton Community) over Lyla Glaza (Mount Vernon) Fall 1:13 140 - Jordan Voelkel (Benton Community) over Hannah Jones (Mount Vernon) Fall 1:18 145 - Addi Whisner (Mount Vernon) over Jordan Koehler (Benton Community) Fall 0:37 155 - Layna DeMoss (Benton Community) over Kaylee Kintzel (Mount Vernon) Fall 2:48 170 - Gracie Pinckney (Mount Vernon) accepted a forfeit 190 - Dottie Korte (Mount Vernon) accepted a forfeit 235 - Libby Dix (Mount Vernon) over Averie Gale (Benton Community) Fall 1:14 100 - Alexis Sexton (Benton Community) accepted a forfeit 105 - Carly Elliott (Mount Vernon) over Maria Davis (Benton Community) Fall 2:51 110 - Kate Martin (Mount Vernon) over Courtney Hlas (Benton Community) Fall 1:33 115 - Kiersten Swart (Mount Vernon) over Kaitlyn Bonewitz (Benton Community) Fall 0:59 120 - Katilynn Guldner (Benton Community) over Rose Pisarik (Mount Vernon) Fall 1:18

Kindergarten and Preschool Pre-Registration will be held Monday, February 10, 2025 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at both Atkins and Keystone Elementaries. Current students will be sent a link prior to February 10 to pre-register online.

Bobcats face Independence and CCA in wrestling meet Thursday -Courtesy of Jim Magdefrau Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Clear Creek Amana Independence 37, Benton 29 106: Benjamin Anderson (INDE) over Memphis Bishop (BECO) (Fall 0:23) 113: Jaxson Mehlert (BECO) over Jackson Zieser (INDE) (Fall 0:48) 120: Zach Homan (INDE) over Garrett Kuch (BECO) (Fall 5:42) 126: Remy Ressler (INDE) over Jason Eastman (BECO) (Dec 8-6) 132: Carver Wieland (INDE) over TJ Lovell (BECO) (MD 18-5) 138: Tanner Wilson (INDE) over Elijah Kupka (BECO) (Dec 8-5) 144: Tyler Wieland (INDE) over Ryan Koehler (BECO) (Fall 5:29) 150: Brady Patterson (BECO) over Kameron Kremer (INDE) (Dec 14-10) 157: Owen Miller (INDE) over Elias Bieschke (BECO) (Dec 6-4) 165: Blayke Heying (BECO) over Christopher Meyer (INDE) (Dec 3-2) 175: Braylen Bieber (INDE) over Mayson Mitchell (BECO) (Fall 3:06) 190: Blayke Heying (BECO) over Mikey Bailey (INDE) (TF 21-6 1:33) 215: Troy Kupka (BECO) over Colton McDowell (INDE) (Fall 3:22) 285: Will Clausen (BECO) over Gable Eddy (INDE) (Fall 2:25) Benton 47, Clear Creek Amana 28 113: Jaxson Mehlert (BECO) over Wyatt Iburg (CCA) (Fall 0:43) 120: Garrett Kuch (BECO) over Jose Mendieta (CCA) (Fall 3:36) 126: Jason Eastman (BECO) over Malachi Clement (CCA) (MD 15-7) 132: Cale Nash (CCA) over TJ Lovell (BECO) (TF 17-1 3:16) 138: Elijah Kupka (BECO) over Jay Halverson (CCA) (TF 18-3 4:57) 144: Nolan Howell (CCA) over Ryan Koehler (BECO) (TF 17-2 1:25 ) 150: Brady Patterson (BECO) over Trace Robertson (CCA) (MD 23-13) 157: Ben Haughey (CCA) over Elias Bieschke (BECO) (Fall 2:49) 165: Blayke Heying (BECO) over Connor Duncan (CCA) (TF 18-3 2:05) 175: Clayton Isham (CCA) over Mayson Mitchell (BECO) (Fall 2:56) 190: Brenden Heying (BECO) over Dylan Schrock (CCA) (TF 22-6 2:54) 215: Troy Kupka (BECO) over Brody Fairholm (CCA) (Fall 1:33) 285: Will Clausen (BECO) over William Carhoff (CCA) (Fall 2:00) 106: Cole Kasparek (CCA) over Memphis Bishop (BECO) (Fall 0:28)

For all you weekend warriors wanting to get out and support your Bobcats here is a list of activities this weekend. Enjoy!

Check out all the news this winter in the January issue of the Middle School Newsletter

Eighth grade students participated in a dynamic three-hour "Life Skills Simulation" presented by Junior Achievement (JA) of Eastern Iowa designed to teach practical budgeting and decision-making. The event began with a 15-minute orientation, where participants were assigned a life scenario, including a family structure, career, and monthly income. This set the stage for the day’s activities. During the 1 hour and 45-minute research and budgeting phase, students visited 20 interactive stations, each covering a key expense category, such as housing, transportation, and pet care. Guided by volunteers, they discussed real-world costs—like average mortgage expenses in Iowa—and crafted a personalized budget based on their assigned scenario. In the 45-minute shopping phase, students used iPads to make spending decisions within their budgets, exploring the impact of choices like securing a home loan on their overall finances. The session concluded with 15 minutes of reflection and group discussion, where participants shared insights and asked questions, rounding out an engaging, hands-on lesson in financial literacy.

What do you love most about working at Benton? Working with kids everyday and having an opportunity to support them.