Benton Community School District

Many of you are most likely familiar with the famous board game, “Monopoly.” If you are not, the goal of the game is to control the ownership of the entire board, charging ever hig...

Golden Ticket Parties are some of the most looked forward to days in our building. They are a great way to add a little excitement to a day or week, while also celebrating a job we...

The Benton girls golf team is coming off one of their better seasons in recent memory. Not only did Bobcat freshman, Halle Sobaski, finish 6th at the 3A state golf tournament, the...

One of our Benchmark Literacy curriculum units is Why Do We Need a Government . Students spent three weeks learning about government workers, our government's laws, and importan...

Fifth grade is currently learning about living systems through our amazing FOSS Kits. Recently, our focus has been on ecosystems, food chains, and food webs. Students are learning ...

The Santa Store is an annual tradition at Atkins and Keystone Elementary Schools, where the spirit of Christmas comes alive for students. This event transforms part of the school i...

Students in Mr. Balvance’s class were given an interesting activity recently. Let’s face it: peer editing is a chore. What if we were to make it more fun? Mr. Balvance attempted a ...

There are several health forms needed to be submitted throughout a child's elementary years. Each student at every grade level is required by the Iowa Immunization Law to have ...

In my role as our 5th and 6th grade band teacher, I am so lucky to see young people experience the gifts of music every day. I get to watch their pride grow as they become more con...

Our year started with learning about trees in science and the plant life cycle in our reading curriculum. With fall fast approaching, we learned about the seasonal cycles an appl...

As the director of the high school band I have the privilege of working with some of the best, brightest, and most well rounded students Benton Community has to offer, those of cou...

A student binder or classroom scrapbook, serves as a powerful tool for organizing and preserving the hard work that my fourth grade students put in every day. Keeping their ‘WOW Wo...

A couple of decades ago, I decided to purchase a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula. At the time I just thought it would be cool. I didn’t even consider the value it might add to connect...

On November 11, the Atkins Elementary third grade students participated in the Veterans Day program at the Benton Community Middle/High School in Van Horne. Students listened to ...

In the world of education, the incorporation of visuals in the classroom has proven to be a very important tool for enhancing student engagement and understanding. Tools such as vi...

This year’s 4th graders may not have been on the ballot this election, but watch for their names in a few years! Currently, 4th graders are learning all about the government, the ...

Benton Community Middle Schoolers recently participated in their annual pumpkin decorating competition. Each 5th block was given two pumpkins to decorate. As a class, they had to b...

Social skills are critical to the foundation for later academic growth and achievement in schools and work related skills. Social skills help children form positive relationships, ...

Each August a new group of students enter the classroom as second graders, for the very first time. As I welcome the new group of students into a classroom, my goal is for each of ...

When I was younger, I always imagined myself in a world where anything was possible. Every day, students throughout our district get the opportunity to do the same thing through...