Link to article: 2025 NHS InductionOct 28, 2025
Congratulations to our newest NHS members who were inducted into the NHS October 27th, 2025 at 6:00 PM. Guests were served a delicious dinner served by Stephanie Sholes and listened to speaker Tammy Johnson before being inducted. Congratulations to Lisa Boustani, Mark Cabeen, Halle Riley, Isaiah Sholes and Bella Simmons!
Link to article: FFA GreenhandsOct 16, 2025
Five Essex FFA Chapter members attended the Greenhand Fire Up Conference in Atlantic Wednesday, Oct. 15. During the event, district, and state officers lead four interactive workshops for first year high school FFA members, also known as Greenhands, for the annual Greenhand Fire Up Conference. The workshops facilitated were leadership focused with an emphasis on the experiences that occur in the lives of beginning high school students.The goal was to engage FFA members in learning about the tools that would allow them to . . .
Link to article: Free Fruits and Vegetables ProgramJan 10, 2025
Thanks to the Free Fruit and Vegetables Program students in grades K-5 are able to have fresh fruits and vegetables for classroom snacks. The program will provide healthy foods throughout the 2024-2025 school year. The goal is to increase a child's consumption of fresh produce as they continue to be introduced to new and different types through nutrition education and tasting opportunities.
Link to article: Free Lunch District WideJan 10, 2025
Thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision--a National School Lunch and School Breakfast program students district wide will receive free lunches. Speaking on KMA's "Morning Line" program Thursday Morning, Essex School Superintendent Dr. Mike Wells says they hope the additional fee removals assist parents in an often expensive time of sending students back to school. . . .
Link to article: Maxwell takes 3rd at Essex' First Wrestling MeetDec 11, 2023
Caleb Maxwell placed 3rd place at Lenox on Saturday December 9th at the first wrestling meet for the Essex season. He won with1 pin and a 10-2 decision. Cash won the first ever match for Essex with a 39 second pin.
Link to article: FFA National ConventionNov 14, 2023
Along with 72,000 other people, Essex FFA Officers (from left to right) Mariska Kirchert, Tony Racine, Addy Resh, and Lydia Edwards traveled to Indianapolis for the 96th National FFA Convention and Expo that was held from November 1-4. During their time there our officers were able to network, explore careers in agriculture, hear from keynote speakers, and learn new skills to help them grow into the next future leaders of America! The Essex FFA Chapter Sponsor is Rebecca Sampers.
Link to article: NHS New InducteesNov 14, 2023
Essex High School held its annual National Honor Society Induction Ceremony Thursday, Nov. 9, in Trojan Hall. Existing members Tony Racine, Brooke Burns and Tori Burns welcomed new members Bradley Franks, Cynthia Swain, and Lydia Edwards. The EHS NHS Chapter is under the advisement of Kathleen Johnson. (Photo provided)
Link to article: Rustic Romance Essex Prom 2023Apr 17, 2023
The Essex Juniors planned the 2023 Prom this year in a Rustic Romance style and it was a huge success! Prom goers were treated to a gourmet meal prepared by our own Chef Alex and Mrs. Sholes with choices of ribeyes, bacon wrapped chicken, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, smoked mac and cheese, and for dessert cherry cheesecake or chocolate mousse! This delicious meal was served in the beautifully decorated new Opera House downtown which was recently renovated; and in fact was the first event held in the . . .
Link to article: Student Council Visits the IA State Capital and Governor's MansionApr 12, 2023
The High School Student Council traveled to Des Moines on Wednesday April 5th to visit the State Capital and Terrace Hill (Governor's Mansion). They were able to witness the legislature in session and get tours of both buildings. Members in attendance were Bradley Franks, Alex King, Brianne Johnson, Johnny Resh, & Addy Resh along with their chaperones Brenna Craig and Kathleen Johnson.
Link to article: Essex High School Students Recognized by USAFMar 13, 2023
Three Essex High School students were recently recognized by the United States Air Force for their outstanding results on the ASVAB tests. Seniors Olivia Baker and Brianne Johnson, and junior Cynthia Swain all achieved above-average scores and were recognized by USAF Recruiter SSgt Jessica Montano of the 343rd RCS Air Force Recruiting Service. The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test is a nationally recognized test used by the US Department of Defense in grades 10 and above to measure . . .
Link to article: Essex Players Receive Area Basketball HonorsMar 13, 2023
Congratulations to these Essex athletes who have achieved area basketball honors: Tony Racine - Corner Conference Basketball 2nd team! Brianne Johnson - 2nd Team All-Express Team! Brooke Burns - All-Express Team- Honorable Mention! Qwintyn Vanatta and Brooke Burns - Corner Conference Honorable Mention and SW Iowa Herald Winter Sports All-Area Second Team! KMAland Corner Conference All Junior Award- Brooke Burns, Kaden Peeler, Tony Racine, & Qwintyn Vanatta! KMAland Corner . . .
Link to article: Essex Celebrates Read Across America WeekMar 3, 2023
This week we celebrated Read Across America Week! Students participated in dress up days, special treats for Dr.Suess' birthday and a book mark contest. We always end this fun week with secondary reading to the elementary in the gym followed by donuts. Thank you to McDonalds in Shenandoah for donating the drinks and Bank Iowa for donating the Donut Stop donuts!
Link to article: Essex National Honor Society Inducts New MembersMar 3, 2023
Essex High School held a ceremony to induct new members Wednesday evening. National Honor Society members are selected based on 4 pillars; Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character. Mrs. Tammy Johnson addressed the students in the ceremony and the Study and Service Club provided refreshments. Pictured are Mrs. Johnson, current member Olivia Baker, new inductees Tony Racine, Brooke Burns, Tori Burns, and current member Brianne Johnson.
Link to article: Baker Signs with BVUFeb 27, 2023
Olivia Baker signed with Buena Vista University Track and Field and Cheer in a ceremony on Wednesday, February 22nd. Way to go Olivia!
Link to article: Essex Celebrates FFA WeekFeb 27, 2023
The Essex FFA Chapter celebrated National FFA Week with many activities and events for the student body. To kick off the week the members organized a dodgeball tournament and they drove their tractors to school on Tuesday. Special snacks were prepared for the staff and media announcements of the officers were posted as well. The chapter is sponsored by Mrs. Rebekah Sampers. Thanks for the fun week!
Link to article: Student Council Completes the February Service DayFeb 15, 2023
The High School Student Council completed their service day this month by deep cleaning and organizing the East Gym and both basements at the main school. They made a huge difference and we are grateful for their contribution to keeping our school beautiful! Members of the council are Brianne Johnson, Olivia Baker, Alex King, John Staley, Johnny Resh, Bradley Franks, Mariska Kirchert and Addy Resh. Their sponsors are Kathleen Johnson and Brenna Craig.
Link to article: Annual Sweetheart Week Celebrated in the Essex Middle & High SchoolFeb 11, 2023
The Essex High School organizes the annual Sweetheart Week each February which is a great way to break up the monotony of the long season of winter with its timing around Valentine's Day. Students as well as the staff have a fun time participating in all the activities and it enhances the student body by rejuvenating school spirit. Activities this year included daily dress up days with brain break challenges that came at random times of the day and a pep rally for the basketball games. The varsity volleyball girls . . .
Link to article: HS Chemistry Class Celebrates National Periodic Table DayFeb 11, 2023
The High School Chemistry class celebrated National Periodic Table day last week by creating their own periodic tables using items of their choice to categorize as a class assignment. They displayed their creativity in Trojan Hall for the public to see. Members of the class include Seniors Nat Taylor, Matt Givens, Olivia Baker, Clara Showalter, and Juniors Tori Burns, Brooke Burns, Kyndra Gray, Cindy Swain, Alex King, Christian Johnson, Bradley Franks, Tony Racine, & Johnny Resh.
Link to article: Makerspace Highlight: Tech Group Experiments With Photography Feb 6, 2023
The Makerspace tech group led by Martha Sunderman has spent the last two Fridays exploring the school and seeing things in a new light. "This week we were practicing with light, shutter speed, and aperture. We created still life displays to practice and did some photographing in the gym for action shots. We also did some experimenting with stop-action video and green screen." The featured photos come from students Aila Valdez. Kira Green and Emmett Green.
Link to article: Essex Honor RollJan 31, 2023
Congratulations to all of our 6-12th grade students who made Bronze, Silver and Gold Honor Roll 1st semester of the 2022/2023 school year! Bronze: Jersey Bowers, Jesse Johnson-Wityk, Benjamin King, Brody Kirchirt, Garrett Harris, Payton Taylor, Damien Aradanas, Isabella Donnelly, Riley King, Jacelyn Huntley, Haillee Kievit, Haleigh Olson, Adriana Resh, Kylie Valdez , Hunter Steinhoff, Bradley Franks, Christian Johnson, Qwintyn Vanatta, Olivia Baker, Victoria Sample, Natalie Taylor. Silver: Clayton Deihl, Piper . . .
Link to article: Essex Cheerleaders Chosen to Cheer at the Shrine BowlJan 25, 2023
Essex varsity cheerleaders Olivia Baker and Kirsten Kalkas were both selected to the 2023 Iowa Shrine Bowl All-Star Cheerleading Team after being nominated by their coach Mary Ohnmacht. The Iowa Shrine Bowl All-Star Cheer Squad is made up of the best cheerleaders in the state of Iowa. Olivia was chosen to be on the ICCA All-Star Squad that will perform at the Basketball All-Star Tournament in March. The All-Star committee selected its team based off of try out videos and coaches recommendations. Seniors with similar . . .
Link to article: Essex Espresso Now Open to the PublicJan 25, 2023
Essex Espresso is a student council ran coffee shop in Trojan Hall. Outside patrons can now order Starbucks style drinks from 7:30-7:55 AM. Public hours are for GRAB AND GO ONLY due to school security. Please order by 7:55 and exit the building by 8:00. We appreciate all your cooperation!
Link to article: Essex FFA ChapterJan 23, 2023
Essex Community Schools is excited to announce we now have our own FFA chapter. The chapter will be led by sponsor Rebekah Sampers who works at Essex CSD as the Ag Farm teacher and has had a huge hand in running the farm school. Check out Essex FFA on Facebook for updates on everything the group will be doing!
Link to article: Essex Seniors Honored on Senior NightJan 11, 2023
Essex Senior boys and girls basketball, cheer, and band members were honored Monday evening between the varsity basketball games vs. Diagonal. Pictured is Band member Natalie Taylor, Mike Johnson, Girls Basketball player and Band member Brianne Johnson, Kathleen Johnson, Don Baker, Girls Basketball player, Band member and Cheerleader Olivia Baker, Meredith Baker, Caleb Robinette, Boys Basketball player Jacob Robinette, Stephanie Robinette, Chris Staley, Boys Basketball player Jonathan Staley, and Mindy Staley.
Link to article: Student Council Spreads Christmas Cheer to SupportersDec 16, 2022
The Essex High School Student Council recently completed another one of their monthly service days by preparing Christmas goodie trays and volunteering at the Food Pantry. After putting the trays together, they delivered them to businesses and supporters of the school in appreciation for all they have given us. We are very thankful for the community support! The second half of the day they volunteered at the Shenandoah Food Pantry where they helped with recycling and restocking the shelves. Previously . . .
Link to article: Essex Education Foundation Awards Fall GrantsDec 16, 2022
The Essex Education Foundation represented by Tim Johnson awarded their spring grants to several Essex teachers Friday afternoon. Recipients included Brenna Craig who was awarded $1390 for new white board tables and chairs, Amy Resh who received $275 for Makerspace tools, Rachel Cabeen who received $300 for instrument repairs and purchases, and Kimberly Peterson received $2078 to expand upon the school based enterprise and $800 for elementary books for the library. Congratulations to all the recipients and thank you to all the . . .
Link to article: Essex Celebrates the Holidays with a Christmas Feast!Dec 13, 2022
Essex students and staff were treated to a special Christmas Feast on Monday, December 12th. The menu included shrimp scampi, crab cakes, steak pasta, fruit, salad, rolls, and cannoli for dessert! We appreciate all the hard work Mrs. Sholes, Chef Alex, and the culinary students put in to make this meal possible. It was delicious and enjoyed by all!
Link to article: Essex Takes Top Honors at the Corner Conference Science FairDec 9, 2022
The Junior High Corner Conference Science Fair was held in Hamburg on November 22nd. There were 21 Junior High students attending with their instructor Mrs. Cynthia Fischer. Essex had several winners including the Grand Champion! Rhys Chambers earned that title with his project testing the amount of electrolytes in sports drinks. He also earned 1st place in the Consumer Science division. Great job Rhys! Aila Valdez earned 2nd place in the Physical Science division. Ella Sandahl earned 3rd place and Payton . . .
Link to article: Essex Juniors Plan Veteran's Day Ceremony Honoring Vets and Two of Our OwnDec 7, 2022
The Essex Junior American History under the direction of Steve Schuster planned their annual Veteran's Day Assembly honoring area veteran's. This year the assembly included honoring two of our own teachers. Mr. Curtis Sloop was awarded the Quilt of Valor for his service in the US Army. Mr. Steve Schuster was awarded the Quilt of Honor for sharing his love of veterans with students through his class. The assembly included band and choir performances, a soloist, a special flag folding demonstration, and video prepared by the . . .
Link to article: Volleyball AwardsNov 8, 2022
Congratulations to Cindy Swain for being selected to the KMA Sports 2022 Volleyball Corner Conference All Junior team and to Addy Resh for selection to the All Freshman team! Congratulations to Olivia Baker and Brianne Johnson for the Academic All State award! Congratulations to Brooke Burns on making honorable mention for the Corner Conference team! Great job girls!
Link to article: High School Student Council Completes First Service DayOct 27, 2022
The Essex High School Student Council recently traveled to Council Bluffs to complete their first Service Day of the year. The Council members have committed to give back by volunteering at various non profit organizations throughout the school year. The first day included volunteering at the Midland Humane Society in Council Bluffs. They also took a tour of the Council Bluffs Police Station and received valuable information to help plan an upcoming school Safety Workshop they will be providing for the Middle and High School . . .
Link to article: Essex Farm School Oct 24, 2022
The farm school at Essex Community School has been a long time passion of superintendent Mike Wells. With the help of Ag teacher Rebekah Sampers students have the ability to help raise and tend to goats, chickens and soon many other animals. The Essex farm school was featured in an article by Nick Johansen for The Red Oak Express. To read the full article click the link below. Hands-on learning at Essex Farm School
Link to article: Essex Volleyball Team Honored at KMA Sports Hall of FameOct 24, 2022
The Essex volleyball program owned the early 1990s in KMAland. The 1991 and 1992 squads qualified for the state tournament and combined for an incredible 68-2-4 record with their only two losses coming in the state semifinals. “(They) worked extremely hard,” former Essex coach Angel Melendez said on behalf of the team. “Coaches say that all the time, and I think (assistant coach) Dan Cox can attest to it. We worked extremely hard every day. We never opened the doors to the gym to get fresh air. We would play in . . .
Link to article: Students Attend Plum Creek Literacy FestivalOct 12, 2022
Essex students in Ms. Martha Sunderman’s 7th Grade ELA class attended the Plum Creek Children’s Literacy Festival at Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska this fall. Students were able to attend presentations by three of the nineteen authors and illustrators present at the festival. The three chosen authors were Jerry Pallotta, Roland Smith, and Jennifer Nielsen. Pallotta’s advice to young writers was to be aware that subject matter is all around them. “I had a dory when I was younger, so I . . .
Link to article: Clarinda Band JamboreeOct 3, 2022
Congratulations to our marching Trojans! They marched on Saturday at the Clarinda Band Jamboree parade competition. The middle school received 3rd place and the high school received 12th place over 18 bands in the 1A division.
Link to article: Essex Students Creations Selected for the 2022- 2023 Choose IOWA Coloring CalendarSep 23, 2022
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages school-age students to participate in the Choose Iowa Calendar Contest hosted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The artwork should feature at least one aspect of Iowa agriculture — food, livestock, crops or renewable fuels. Submissions will be judged on creativity and the ability to connect agriculture to everyday life. Two students were selected from across the state of Iowa from Essex. . . .
Link to article: Annual Powder Puff GameSep 15, 2022
Congratulations to the White Team on their win in the Second Annual Powder Puff game!
Link to article: Essex Homecoming Court 2022Sep 8, 2022
Congratulations to our Essex Homecoming King and Queen Brianne Johnson and Preston Driskell and all the court members! Pictured left to right: Front row: Crownbearers Maelie Ward and Nick Johnson Back row: Freshman Attendants- Riley King and Ashon Kline Sophomore Attendants- Promise Steng and Kaden Buick Junior Attendants- Alex King and Bradley Franks Queen Brianne Johnson, King Preston Driskell Senior Candidates- John Staley, Olivia Baker, Jacob Robinette, and Chloe Edie