September 16, 2005 - Volume 34, Issue 1
Future Farmers dig
in to busy schedule
By: Haley Huffman, sophomore
Cartoonist
FFA recently attended the Kansas State Fair on September 14. Those who attended viewed the welding projects, agricultural equipment, and livestock.
“ I think that the kids who attended the State Fair enjoyed it,” said Matt Kerr, agriculture instructor and FFA sponsor.
During the summer, FFA held a swimming party for all members on August 23, before school started. The Humboldt Public Pool was rented out for two hours and approximately 18 members showed up. A barbeque was also held on August 30 for FFA, with around 35 members in attendance. Students there also ate hot dogs and hamburgers and decided to play a game of softball.
Photo By Sarah Works
Don't freak out.
Taking advantage of the boat rides avaliable during
the FFA's trip to the Kansas State
Fair
on September 14, are sophomores
Janell Baker and Dalton Shannon.
FFA is planning to attend the National Convention on October 26-29.
Upcoming events for FFA include: a Green Hand Conference, which is currently scheduled to take place on September 28 for all beginning agriculture students, various work nights to construct a float for the Biblesta parade, and the FFA National Convention in Kentucky held on October 26-29.
Officers for FFA this year include president: Josh Gillespie, jr.; vice president: Katie Manbeck, so.; secretary: Jenell Baker, so.; treasurer Gutierrez, so.; reporter: Staci Collins, so.; sentinel: Sarah Works, so.; and parliamentarian: Jacob Homewood, sr.
FCCLA officers gather at conference
By Haley Terflinger, senior
Reporter
Preparing for a new year of responsibilities, FCCLA officers and members began their training early. Students in attendance participated in various activities, acquired leadership skills, and met other members from the surrounding areas during the officers’ conference held on September 7.
“
I learned a lot about team-building and got to know some people from other
schools,” said Kristin North, sr.
FCCLA members also attended another conference, ‘Take an Aim’,
which covered leadership skills. Members in attendance were sophomores
Katie Manbeck, Jenell Baker, Hali Dawson, and Tessa Coronado.
Officers for FCCLA during the 2005-06 school year are president: Lynsee Wilson, sr.; vice president: Cara Tilman, sr.; treasurer: Maegan Wall, sr.; secretary: North; student council representatives: Coronado and Manbeck; concessions manager: Natasha Thompson, sr.; and vice president of programming: Mallory Mueller, sr.
FCCLA is holding another competition this year between seminar classes. The seminar class that raises the most amount of money for Hurricane Katrina relief will receive a pizza party.
Members are also hoping to continue fundraising for the Lindsey Friederich Memorial Scholarship, which was started last year by FCCLA members. According to Dorothy Neely, FCCLA sponsor, the organization will be selling raffle tickets for blankets at all home football games, and all of the funds received will go toward the scholarship.
Staff to attend workshop
By Anthony Sweeney, senior
Online Manager
Journalism students are preparing for the upcoming year with a new adviser by attending workshops for yearbook, newspaper, and photography.
Kim Isbell, formally the freshman and sophomore English teacher, took over as the new journalism adviser after Allen Wilhite’s retirement last year. Isbell and the publication staffs believe they will retain the award-winning status of the journalism department, and that these workshops will help prepare them for the rest of the year.
“
We have a lot of young staff members working for the yearbook, newspaper, and
photography this year, and we will be improving as the year goes along,” said
Isbell.
Yearbook students will travel to a Jostens One-Day Yearbook Workshop at
Neosho County Community College on September 22. They will cover topics
in sessions
such as cover selection, theme development, yearbook copy writing trends,
layouts and design, working with photographers, writing captivating captions,
color
deadlines and pricing, and Yeartech 2005.
Select students from the newspaper, yearbook, and photography staffs will attend the Eighth Annual Kansas Scholastic Press Association Fall Journalism Conference on September 28 held at the University of Kansas.
More than 60 one-hour sessions are available for the students, while special sessions are available for advisers as well. Both advanced and beginning students will be given the opportunity to find the sessions best suited for them.
School day extended, VPL extended
By: Melanie Weilert, Senior
Editor-in-Chief
Beginning their classes on August 25, students returned to school nearly a week later than their first day in previous years. This extension of vacation was made possible by an alteration of class schedules. In order to compensate for any lost time, classes have been scheduled to commence at 8 a.m. instead of the usual 8:05 a.m., while students are to be released at 3:15 p.m. rather than 3:05 p.m.
This change will also allow for an earlier dismissal at the end of the school year. According to the district calendar, the last day in class for seniors will be May 11, while graduation will be on May 14.
Only a few minutes have been added to each class period, which has made the change an easy transition for many students and faculty.
“
Sometimes it seems like seminar takes forever, but I don’t really notice
the change during the day,” said Joe Ewing, so.
However for select sophomores and juniors, the extra time in seminar they
seem to be having is spent in Virtual Prescriptive Learning (VPL) where they
study
for the State assessments in March. VPL assesses students for their knowledge
in their assigned subject, either math or reading.
Each student is given an individualized lesson, which is intended to help them improve upon their weak areas. Kim Isbell, Hailey Schoendaller, and Briana Wilkerson are instructors for junior reading VPL, while Robert Myers and Jill Cleaver are instructors for sophomore math VPL.
BOE ratifies contracts, pay increases
By Katie Hauser, junior
Opinion Editor
With a meeting on Monday, September 12, the Board of Education
came together to discuss the current school year and possible plans for a
community building and bond issue.
Once the meeting was called to order, student teachers were approved for
the fourth grade and high school biology.
Following an executive session, the Board approved supplemental assignments
for Robert Myers, math instructor, and Richard Weilert, shop and technology
instructor, as lunch supervisors. Gracie Newman, Spanish and language arts
instructor, was also approved as this year’s forensics coach.
New locations were discussed for the high school’s principal’s
office, band room, and weight room to complement the construction of a new
community recreational building pending the possible passage of a bond issue.
The principal’s office would move to the weight room, while the current
band room would become the new weight room, and auditorium would turn into
a fine arts room. The square footage and cost of the bond issue would stay
the same with the inclusion of these possible changes.
A community forum will be held on Wednesday, September 28 for the public
to view and discuss the current plans concerning this issue. A steering committee
for the bond issue was also discussed.
Increases to substitute pay was approved. The ANW Coop was authorized to
buy property at 707 Bridge Street.
Bob Heigele, superintendent, told the Board that several leaks were discovered
when the community received 11 inches of rain, but they were all taken care
of. He also noted that energy and transportation costs may exceed previous
estimates.
After another executive session, the Board ratified the teachers’ contract
negotiations. Fringe benefits were increased. Teachers’ contracts are
178 days in length, 170 of which are student contact days. Craig Smith, middle
and high school assistant principal, Kay Bolt, elementary school principal
Criss, and Heigle also all received pay increases.
Three new supplemental positions were added during the meeting. Travis Burk,
physical education instructor, will become the weight room supervisor, Terri
DeGeer, middle school counselor, will become the District Test Coordinator,
and Tim Osborn, art and technology instructor, will be in charge of the middle
school yearbook.
StuCo sponsors back-to-school movie night for students
By Melanie Weilert, senior
Editor-In-Chief
StuCo is currently planning to hold a
back-to-school movie night instead of the regular back-to-school dance. Students
who attend are required to
bring along a box of Kleenex as an admittance fee to help make up for the
shortage within the school. National Treasure, starring Nicholas Cage as
a Declaration of Independence stealing historian, is being shown as the
feature film. StuCo will be providing pizza and refreshments, while games
will be available as an alternative to the movie. This movie night has
been rescheduled from tonight after the game to a later date.
As an effort to help those who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, StuCo
is collecting non-perishable food items, bottled water, clothing, personal
hygiene products, childrens’ toys, pet supplies, and various other
appropriate items. All donations are to be collected in Kim Isbell’s
classroom and will be directly sent to the victims. StuCo will be sending
the items as soon as there is an adequate amount to contribute.
According to the president of StuCo, Chelsy Wright, jr., they have been in
contact with FCCLA and are possibly going to sell Humboldt Cubs stickers
and rubber bracelets to raise money for the Lindsey Friederich Memorial Scholarship.
On September 20, StuCo will attend a conference to be held in Pittsburg.
Currently, 13 members plan on attending.
Officers were elected for StuCo during a meeting held early on in the second
week of school. Officers are president: Wright; vice president: Kristin North,
sr.; secretary: Maegan Wall, sr.; and treasurer: Hilary Bartlett, jr.
“
My goal is to make the social atmosphere here more enjoyable and to get everybody
involved,” said Wright.
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