York Elementary students win National Poetry Contest!

Two fourth graders at YES, Lindsey S. and Lilly H., were recently selected as winners in a national poetry contest! The contest is hosted by Young Writers of America.com.

The panel of educators associated with Young Writers of America reviewed thousands of submissions. Less than 20% of of the entries were selected for publication. Lindsey and Lilly will both have their poems published in the prestigious annual student anthology, Award-Winning Young Writers of America-2012.

In addition to having their works published they will also entered into a drawing for a chance to win the Grand Prize which includes an XBox360, iPod Touch, Nintedo Wii, or cash prize--poet's choice!

Way to go young ladies!

Merry Christmas from York Public Schools

"We wish you a Merry Christmas!" Don't forget to come out and watch the York Holiday Basketball Tournament on December 29th and 30th. Also, our wrestlers will be competing at Fillmore Central on the 30th. Good luck to all Dukes!

See you in 2012!

Christmas Ornament Project @ York High School

The YHS Student Advisory Board (made up of class officers from each grade at YHS) is currently involved in the 19th year of a "Christmas tradition" fund-raising project. This year's Christmas ornament is made of solid pewter.

Virtually all of the proceeds generated from the sale of this year's ornaments will be put back into our community by purchasing gifts for a family in the "Adopt-A-Family" program.

You may order an ornament by contacting the high school office at (402) 362-6655 ext. #2. The cost per ornament is $12.00 this year.

Your support of this worthwhile fund raising activity is greatly appreciated.

We do have a few ornaments left from past years if your are interested -- the cost for those is $3.00 each.

Three reasons why you should purchase a YHS Christmas ornament: (1) they are a great gift, (2) they are inexpensive, and (3) the funds support those who are in need at this special time of the year!!

You're either getting better or you're getting worse

Here at York Public Schools we're proud of our rich tradition but also understand that we must continue to work hard. We need to improve in each and every area imaginable. That is the name of the game. You're either pushing the envelope to get better or you're falling behind.

During the Fall of 2010, 69% of our students were "proficient" on the first ever Nebraska State Accountability Reading Assessment. After a year's worth of hard work, focused efforts in all buildings, etc. the percentage of York Dukes that performed at the proficient level on this state test rose to 78.6%! Look for this figure to continue to increase. We take a lot of pride in what we're doing and how we do it.

I'm proud of the talented students and staff we have here at YPS. Go Dukes!

- Mike Lucas

Lots going on within YPS

December is a hectic month for everyone. It is no different for the York Dukes. Below is a quick rundown of just SOME of the great opportunities to catch a school activity this month:

- BAND soup supper from 5:30-6:45 PM and concert at 7:00 PM on December 6th at YHS
- Boys' Basketball vs. Waverly at 6:00 PM on December 8th
- YMS/YHS Choir Concert at 7:00 PM on December 12th at YHS
- 3rd Grade Musical at 7:00 PM on December 15th at YHS

Continue to check out www.yorkpublic.org for a full list of all events.

GO DUKES!!