Cougar Tracks 2014 - Manson Northwest Webster Schools

Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 24
Name: Austin Pohl
Parents: Chris and Denise Pohl
Siblings: Andrew, Alison, and Abrahm
My goal is to be: Successful in my career.
My role models are: My dad and grandpa.
It would surprise people: I am red/green color blind.
Place I would like to visit is: Alaska.
Favorites:
T.V. Show- Rat Patrol
Movie- Midnight Run
Color- Blue
Food- Grilled shrimp
Kind of Music- Country and rock
Specific song- Shoot To Thrill by ACDC
Quote: “A man can only be beaten in two ways, if he
gives up or if he dies.”
Favorite Memory: When I killed my first buck.
Senior Spotlights
Name: Shatasha Pritchard
Parents: Mindy Cardenas and Armando Cardenas
Siblings: Keegan, A.J., Emilio
My goal is to be: A probation officer.
My role model is: My mom.
It would surprise people that: I’m half Mexican.
Place I would like to visit is: Puerto Rico.
Favorites:
T.V. Show- Bad Girls Club
Movie- The Conjuring
Color- Purple
Food- Tacos
Kind of Music- Anything but rock
Specific song- Crooked Smile by J. Cole
Quote: “We ain’t picture perfect, but we worth the
picture still.”
Favorite Memory: When my friend Terrika did the
splits in science freshman year and her skinny jeans
ripped.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Name: Shelby Quade
Parents: Kim and Paul Quade
Siblings: Nicole, Ashley, Rylee, and Jackson
My goal is to be: A speech pathologist.
My role model is: My mom.
Place I would like to visit: Ireland.
Favorites:
T.V. Show- Scrubs
Movie- Anchorman
Color- Purple
Food- Spaghetti
Kind of Music- Everything :)
Quote: “Unless someone like you cares a whole
awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.”
-Dr. Seuss.
Favorite Memory: Taking the Daniel May shirt
and hanging it up in a new place every day in
the choir room.
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Name: Jennasee Sankey
Parents: Julie and Dean Woltman, John Sankey
Siblings: Jade, Taylor, Clayton, Lizzie, Mariah, Emma, and
Dasha.
My goal is to be: An equine massage therapist.
My role model is: My mom.
It would surprise people: I love horses.
Place I would like to visit: Greece.
Favorites:
T.V. Show- Cake Boss
Movie- Hildago
Color- Blue
Food- Fettuccine Alfredo
Kind of Music- Any kind
Specific song- Adore you by Miley Cyrus
Quote: “You are never too old to set another goal or to
dream a new dream.”
Favorite Memory: Being Grand Champion Trail winner
at State Fair.
Page 25
Manson Northwest Webster
Senior
Spotlights
Name: Layton Sousa
Parents: Frank and Crystal Sousa
Sibling: Ashley Sousa
My goal is to be: A state fire marshall.
My role models are: My uncle Cory Sanden,
my parents, and Grandpa Herb.
It would surprise people: I am very tight
with my money.
Place I would like to visit: Germany.
Favorites:
T.V. Show- Duck Dynasty
Movie- Saving Private Ryan
Color- Orange
Food- Pizza
Kind of Music- Country
Specific song- Crash My Party by Luke Bryan
Quote: “Live every day as it is your last.”
Publications Class
Page 26
Name: Shelby Marie Huegerich
Parents: Linda Keller and David Janssen
Siblings: Amanda Huegerich, Courtney Janssen and Kesha
Janssen
My goal: Is to be: Successful and happy in life.
My role model are: My mother, father, grandma and grandpa
Keller.
It would surprise people: I was the only child in my family
not to get pregnant in high school.
Place I would like to visit is: New York City at Christmas
time.
Favorites:
T.V. Show- Grey’s Anatomy
Movie- Safe Haven
Color- Purple and Aqua
Food- Any pasta
Music- Country
Specific song- Drink a Beer Luke Bryan
Quote- “Now is the time for us to shine. The time when our
dreams are within reach and possibilities vast. Now is the time
for all of us to become the people we have always dreamed of
being. This is your would. You’re here. You matter. The world
is waiting.”
Favorite Memory- Football cheerleading my sophomore year.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
NHS Senior Trip
By Jennasee Sankey
On March 16, the senior NHS members
went on a trip to Minneapolis. This year these
nine seniors experienced the trip: Hunter Jud,
Hunter Ramthun, Braden Moser, Autumn Martin,
Amanda Lang, Tessa Horn, Jocelyn Keller, Anna
Pedersen, and Shelby Quade. In order to go on the
NHS senior trip, the students had to raise money
that would help pay for the cost of the hotel.
They raised money in many ways by having a
soup supper, a taco in a bag, and a baked potato
bar. They left Manson at 1 p.m. and arrived in Minneapolis at
5 p.m. That night the NHS members went out to eat at Dick’s
Last Resort. On Monday, they visited the Waterpark of America;
at the waterpark, they enjoyed many rides and plenty of other
activities. Afterwards, they volunteered at Hands On where they
helped kids make fruit pizzas and played dodgeball. Tessa Horn
stated that, “The NHS trip was a fun experience. I was glad to be
able to volunteer at a community center and play with the kids.”
On Tuesday, the seniors got a free day and went to the Mall of
America to shop. At the mall everyone had fun, but some kids thought it was
too overwhelming. Hunter Jud recalled her best part of the trip. She said,
“When Hunter Ramthun fell going down the escalator and tried crawling back
up to get to the top floor it was hilarious.” On Wednesday, they came home at
8:30 a.m. Amanda Lang proudly claimed that, “She enjoyed hanging out with
friends. It was one of the best school trips she has ever experienced.”
Page 27
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 28
Physics Olympics
By Danny Mallinger
Physics Olympics is a very interesting extra curricular activity. This year a total of six people
participated The people involved were Danny Mallinger, Westley Aden, Josh Neumann, Adam Byrne, Joe
Bohn, and Braden Moser. All of these people are excited for this event and feel that it will be a lot of fun. The
categories for this event are, a mousetrap car, a catapult, a soda straw arm, a toothpick bridge, and a physics
challenge problem. Each of these projects
take a lot of time and skill to perfect. The
categories stay the same from year to year,
but the projects are improved upon. The
Physics Olympics occurred on March
18th at Iowa Central Community College.
The main reason for this yearly event is to
challenge the students thinking skills. “We
have been doing this for several years and
each year they change up something like the
rules, but the kids are able to handle it,” said
Mr Lynch.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 29
FCCLA Soles 4 Souls Shoe Drive
By Jack Walstrom
MNW Junior High and Senior High School students donated new and gently used shoes for
needy people. The FCCLA and the Student Council put on the shoe drive. Mrs. Tague, stated “All the
shoes that were collect locally, as well as those from other chapters in the state, were taken with the
State FCCLA leadership conference in Des Moines at
the end of March where a Soles 4 Souls truck picked
them up and took them to a distribution center. All the
shoes that were collected will go to people who have
a great need for them. Some shoes will stay in the
United States and go to disaster victims and domestic
violence shelters. Other shoes will be sent overseas to
orphanages and to other groups of people who need
them the most. Our goal was for each grade 7-12, as
well as teachers, to collect 100 pairs of shoes each.”
The shoe drive continued though the middle of March.
Freshmen took the honor for bringing in the most shoes.“It’s
really amazing that the school united and worked towards
Tanner Peterson a FCCLA member uses
a pair of donated shoes to point at the rest
of the shoes on the cabinets.
a great goal like this,” said Tanner Peterson. Several grades
challenged each other and the collection was on. At first it
was the 7th graders who dominated with 97 pairs, but then
the senior took charge with 115 pairs collected. However,
the freshmen class was not to be denied and finish with
a total of 163 pairs of shoes collected. In all, 1300 pairs
of shoes were donated. MNW FCCLA ranked 1st in the
state of Iowa for this endeavor. Thanks to everyone for
participating.
Kenzie Conley holds a pair of Soles for
Souls shoes.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 30
State Wrestling
Payton Rice
Manson Northwest Webster sent a trio of 132 Kaleb Simacek, 182 Lucas Dolder and HWT Tim
Butcher to their initial state tournament appearance while 145 Payton Rice made his fourth tournament title
run.
Number 9 ranked Kaleb Simacek, a freshman, faced a stiff test in the first round when he wrestled #3
ranked Colby McIntire from Central Lyon George Little Rock. Simacek needed to make a quick recovery after
reinjuring his knee during the last weeks of district tournament. Simacek lost by fall to McIntire and then faced
off against Jake Mulford Audubon. During the 1st round consolation action, Simacek was winning 5-3 only to
get caught in a cradle and pinned during second period action. “We had to rest Kaleb’s knee early in the week
due to him tweaking it last week. He showed a lot of guts wrestling this season with a torn ACL. Heck he was
at maybe 80% and still made a run at placing at state as a freshman. McIntire finished 2nd and Mulford 6th, so
Kaleb is right on their heels. I am very proud of him. He had an amazing season, all things considered,” stated
Head Coach Stacey Rice.
Senior Lucas Dolder’s late season run of success hit a roadblock at the state tournament. Dolder lost
by fall to Austin Hoyle of Alburnett in first round action and then his tournament came to an end with a loss to
Adam Poduska North Cedar by fall during 1st round consolations. “Lucas made an outstanding run considering
he didn’t wrestle at all this season until the week before sectionals. He is a very talented young man that took
full advantage of his second chance opportunity. It was very satisfying to finally see Lucas on the mat where he
belonged,” commented Coach Rice.
Sophomore Tim Butcher went from not making it out of sectionals last season to a state qualifier and
one win away from a state medalist. Butcher opened his state tournament with a 1-0 victory over Joe Graff
of Logan Magnolia. Then he faced #3 ranked Luke Kuennen from Turkey Valley, losing by fall in 2:51. The
MNW 10th grader then faced a familiar foe in conference rival Cody Thompson from Graettinger in the medal
round. Thompson won another close battle 3-7. “Butch was tied 0-0 with Kuennen (who placed 5th) and made
one mistake in that second period that cost him. He then crossed right into Cody Thompson from Graettinger
only to lose another close battle with him. Butch is extremely close to placing very high at the state meet. I
can’t wait to see his development next season,” commented Coach Rice.
Senior Payton Rice became MNW’s first 4 time state place-winner. Rice started his tournament by tech
falling Kyle Bauerkemper AHST 17-0. The win paired #4 ranked Rice against #2 ranked Caleb Wedeking
North Butler in the quarter finals. MNW’s
senior leader guaranteed his fourth state
medal by pinning Wedeking in 3:09. Rice’s
upset of #2 Wedeking moved him into the
semi-finals facing off against #3 ranked
Blake Marolf from Eddyville Blakesburg.
Rice would lose a very tight 3-6 decision.
He answered back strong by pinning his
way to a third place finish. Rice won by
technical fall over Alex Mitchell SWLC
15-0 and once again pinned #2 ranked Caleb
Wedeking North Butler in 3:59. ”The loss to
Marolf was very disheartening to the whole
coaching staff. There were two very close
calls on the edge of the mat, that if Payton
gets either call he is in the state finals. But
I couldn’t be more proud of Payton; he
handled the loss with class, walked off with
his head held high and came back with
great focus to finish in third,” stated his
father and Head Coach Stacey Rice.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 31
State Qualifiers
By Hunter Jud
The Cougar girls had a thrill of a lifetime qualifying for State Basketball. They beat an offensively
and defensively strong team. After three days of preparing, the girls were ready for the regional final game
held in Jewell. They took on Dike New Hartford who was 20 and 2 overall for the season. “We knew we had
to play as a team and have strong defense to stop their six foot girl who scored many of their points,” said
Faith Troshynski. MNW played a great game and defeated Dike New Hartford 37-45 to qualify for the state
tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Brenna Peters stated, “It was a great feeling because everyone thought we
were done after losing one of our best players, but we proved them wrong by making it to state.” The girls then
had a week to prepare for state. On Sunday March 2, there was a pep rally held in the high school gym before
the Lady Cougars left for state to prepare themselves for their big day. The next day around 1:30 p.m., the girls
left for the Wells Fargo Arena to take on the Cascade Cougars who was 25-0 overall on the season and ranked
number two in class 2A. Nerves were firing as the girls prepared for competition and they got the best of them
because Manson Northwest Webster was defeated 21-43. “It was extremely frustrating and upsetting how the
game went, but we have to get over it and prepare for next year,” said Brenna Peters. The Cougar girls ended
their season 20-5. Even though they were
disappointed with the state outcome, they
were still happy that they made it to the Well
and got to experience state.
State action!
Front Row: Jocelyn Keller, Hunter Jud, and Ellie Herzberg.
Middle Row: Hunter Ramthun, Emma Snell,
Cloie Herzberg, Erin Gerke, Taylor Markert, Brianna McGinty,
and Emily Wubben. Back Row: Kourtney Condon,
Alexis Caquelin, Becca Krueger, Ashley Sousa, Brenna Peters,
Faith Troshynski, and Taylor Wood.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 32
Summer Fling
By Autumn Martin
On February 28th, FCCLA hosted a “Summer Fling” dance at the high school. It involved grades
ninth through twelfth. It was a fundraiser to help pay for state competition. DJ Curtis Dean played a variety
of music. The committee had meetings to prepare for this event. They came to school early in the mornings
to get everything ready. Two different activities were included in the night of the dance such as a hula hoop
contest and a limbo. The winners got LED glasses. There were three winners for the hula hoop: Katie Smothers,
Marissa Christensen, and Emma Snell. Only one winner took the prize for the limbo and that was Katie
Smothers. FCCLA also sold punch and ice cream with a few different toppings for it. “It was pretty fun even
though not many people showed up,” said Marissa Christensen.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 33
Cougar Challenge:Operation Surgery and Pedal Tractors
By Tim Butcher
Cougar Challenge has been a success so far this year. The events happen on the last Friday of
every month. Any 9-12 graders can participate because these are the grades that are currently involved
in student council. Now the student council has discussed having activities for the 7-8 grade as well.
Cougar Challenge events are usually in the school gym because there is a lot of room for fun activities.
With this activity it’s a perfect time to announce students of the month. Student council members mostly
come up with the ideas for the events. They also get input from teachers. As student council members, they
have also thought about having the school student body think of some activities for the challenges; they
are very flexible and would take any ideas in consideration. Senior Jack Walstrom commented, “I like
the Cougar challenges because it gets us out of class, and it is a good way to get people involved
and build their confidence.
Joshua Neumann takes second
place in the pedal tractor race.
Seniors: Lucas Dolder, Jack Walstrom,
Braden Moser, and Justin Moody took
home the gold after defeating the
sophomores in the championship round.
Left: Only
the Senior and
Junior girls
particapted in
the pedal tractor
race. The result:
senior girls took
home the gold.
Liz stange is representing the
freshmen during the operation
sugery challenge.
Left: Operation surgery
challenge was
also won by
the Seniors.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 34
Searching For The Clues
By Kody Butler
An Amazing Race was the focus of a February 10-17 project in Mrs. Jacobson’s history class.
Seventh graders collaborated with Mrs. Jacobson in the high school commons to get their first clues before
they could proceed to other teachers’ rooms to pick up their next clues. Mrs. Jacobson wanted to give
students a chance to get out of the room for a break from a normal school day routine. Students worked in
groups of four or five. If you have ever seen the Amazing Race television show, this activity is similar to
it. Students were given a riddle that they needed to decipher which then led them to the next clue. Once
they found out what teacher had the next clue, they returned to the commons to decipher it. This process
continued until the groups finished finding and solving 20 riddles. The 7A 1st place team was the Green
team with, Austin Becker, Riley Sweeney, Erin Eldridge, Brian Pearson, and Randi Morrow. 7B winners
were the Blue team with; Jessica Aber, Sam Ruhland, Jordan Morriss, Brenna Birkey, and Lauren Harris.
This is a good activity to use for following directions and using thinking skills.
Students Spark
By Kody Butler
Since Spring is upon us, Electrathon is in full swing.
This year comes with high expectations.
The electrathon team must have faith in their drivers to
succeed and win the race, so they will not have a
specific person as the driver for every race. They will
alternate between people who have been tuning the
vehicle most before the races. Twelve people are involved with building the three vehicles, but
they will only use two of the vehicles throughout the year and one will be an experimental car. Students will
need to problem-solve to find out how to make the car run better and more efficiently to ensure the team’s over
all success this year. The students will be learning the skills needed to work in a group, and these skills and
collaboration will help them when they need to assess something for their careers and working with
colleagues. The vehicles are assembled in the shop at the high school in Manson where the students work on
them after school, and they can work on them during the weekend.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 35
State Speech
By Alison McFarland
Manson Northwest Webster blasted into State Speech contest in Spencer on February 8th. Eight groups
participated in this years contest. The 9th grade Readers Theatre group performed 10 ways
to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse! “I liked [that] I was able to express myself without everyone thinking I was
different,” said freshman Dylan Rhea. The group earned a I rating at State Speech. Participants included Becca
Ellefson, Dylan Rhea, Brandon King, Macey Lewis, Liz Stange, Morgan Estergaard, and Melissa Byrne.
The varsity Readers Theatre group performed “Crazytown,” and they also earned a I rating. Participants
included Chase Almond, Ashley Hisler, Megan McGill, Molly Johnson, Rachel Nickles, and Eryn Martin.
Three novice Group Improvisation teams performed at State Speech. Becca Ellefson, Dylan Rhea, and
Adam Siepker’s group earned a II rating. Austin Zinnel, Josh Neumann, Caleb Sturgeon, and Jacob
Koons’ group also earned a II rating. Heath Nimke, Westley Aden, and Adam Byrne’s group achieved a I rating
at contest. Kelsey Strandberg and Julianna Biedenfeld performed in the group mime event, which was MNW’s
first mime performance in seven years. Kelsey Strandberg, a sophomore, said, “My favorite part about mime is
learning how to talk with my body instead of my mind.” The mime group earned a I rating at state contest. The
mime event was not the only new event performed this year. Also taking State Speech contest by storm was the
television broadcasting event. MNW participants included Justin Moody, Jocelyn Keller, Josh Neumann, Anna
Pedersen, Cole Kitten, Shelby Huegerich, Tanner Spencer, Austin Zinnel, and Adam Siepker. They received a II
rating. continued on page 36...
9th grade Readers Theature participants
include: Front Row: Dylan Rhea
and Brandon King. Middle
Row: Becca Ellefson.
Back Row: Morgan
Estergaard, Melissa Byrne, Liz Stange,
and Macey Lewis
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 36
The final performance was the choral reading group, who performed The Pirates Mark. This group had
an exceptional performance in Spencer, earning a I rating, and went on to All State Large Group festival held
at Iowa State University on February 22nd. They were one of just five teams from northwest Iowa picked to
perform. Participants in this group included Jocelyn Keller, Shelby Quade, Anna Pedersen, Adam Byrne,
Cole Kitten, Amanda Lang, Alli Miller, Lucy Besch, Heath Nimke, Tessa Horn, Kathryn Keller, Andy Abens,
Julianna Biedenfeld, Katlyn Thompson, and Abby Sturgeon.
Choral Reading Participants include: Front Row: Kathryn Keller. Middle Row: Katlyn Thompson,
Heath
Nimke, Abby Sturgeon, Lucy Besch, and Tessa Horn. Back Row: Anna Pedersen, Jocelyn Keller,
Andy Abens, Alli Miller, Adam Byrne, Amanda Lang, Shelby Quade, and Cole Kitten.
Above: Heath Nimke, Adam Byrne,
and Westley Aden’s improv group.
Above: Shelby Huegerich in T.V.
Broadcasting. Right: Julianna
Biedenfeld and Kelsey
Strandberg in the mime event.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 37
District FFA Convention
By Keyton Strutzenberg
On March 8, 2014, the MNW high school was filled with national blue and corn gold, the FFA colors,
as we hosted the District FFA Convention. FFA students from over 36 schools including students from
MNW competed in several events such as leadership speaking, ag mechanics, nursery and landscape, and
parliamentary procedure. FFA members participated in these events to improve on their speaking skills. Mr.
Gaul, the MNW FFA advisor, said, “It was a great opportunity to improve on public speaking ability which
everyone will find useful in life.” The judges at the District Convention consisted of parents of MNW FFA
members, community members, and a special guest, Duane Murley from the radio station Hot Country K-97.
Before the District FFA Convention, on February 28, some MNW FFA members traveled to Newell to the subdistrict contests to compete in events in hopes of moving on to the District Convention. Nick Ruhland, Kelsey
Strandberg, and Emma Nelsen completed the Chapter Program for the sub-district contests and placed well
enough to advance on to Districts. The Chapter Program consists of a presentation of the chapter’s activities
throughout the past year, and Kelsey, Nick, and Emma placed 6th in that contest. The MNW FFA also entered
the scrapbook and treasurer’s book into the convention, both placing 3rd. Ethan Lenz, MNW’s treasurer, who
filled out the treasurer’s book said, “I enjoyed putting together and completing the financial records to compete
in the convention.” Competitors could move on to the State Convention if they placed in the top 2 places at
District Convention. State Convention will be held in Ames on April 27-29. All in all, FFA members gained
skills, met new people, and had a great time competing to better themselves.
Front Row: Ashley Grady, Dylan Rhea, and Dominic
Morriss. Back Row: Collin Harris, AJ Larson,
Brandon King, and Alex McLuckie.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 38
12th Annual MNW Dance Fundraiser and Clinic
By Andy Abens
The MNW drill team held a fundraiser
night on Friday, March 14th. It started off
with a clinic at the elementary school in
Barnum for kids in preschool through eighth
grade. Dancers from the preschool to college
kids performed at the high school event.
The dance teams that performed included
MNW, Iowa Central, East Sac County Dance
Corps, MNW co-ed team, Humboldt, and
the Steppin’ Express Cloggers as well as the
routines that the preschool through eighth
graders practiced at their clinic. The cost for
the event was three dollars for students and
Front Row: Alex Jones, Amanda Lang, Alli Miller, Katie Smothers,
and Lucy Besch. Middle Row: Emma Simpson, Julianna Biedenfeld,
Katelyn Jacobsen, and Madison Moser. Back Row: Emma Nelsen,
Missy Byrn, Liz Stange, Alex Vetter, and Morgan Estergaard.
five dollars for adults. When asked why the
team had this event and where the proceeds go, the MNW drill team coach Kristin Lawler responded with,
“Its a fundraiser for costumes, competition fees, and pretty much any other expense.” The performances by
the MNW drill team included eight different routines, a new opening routine, state pom, state novelty, state
light, hip hop, kick, co-ed, and trio. They started the night off with high lighting the seniors in a routine they
performed with the eighth
grade girls that went to the
dance clinic, and ended
with the night with the
light routine which was a
very grand finale, and the
bleachers were packed
with people who showed
up to support the girls.
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 40
Retiring Teachers
By Lucas Dolder
It’s time we recognize and thank some great
teachers who have given a lot of time to our wonderful
school and students. We will be losing our French and art
teachers at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. The two
teachers that we will be losing are Ms. Medford
Mefferd (Madame)
the French teacher, and Mr. Schapkohl, the art teacher.
Some of Madame’s plans after retiring are getting to travel
some, not to really any certain places but somewhere
to get away. She also plans on getting to be with her
grandchildren more and take part and help them with their
activities they will be involved in. She also wants to do a
lot of volunteer work and help people out. She is considering the Good Samaritan Center and maybe doing
some substitute teaching. She is also the oldest of the teacher staff, so she figured it was about the time to
retire. Madame commented, “Oh yeah, it has been fun getting to know all the kids and teachers and I loved
getting to work with students and the staff of MNW. I have taught 39 years and have never regretted it.” Mr.
Schapkohl plans after retiring are to play a lot of golf and
travel the country for short periods. “There is a lot of stuff in
this country that I wanna see,” Mr. Schapkohl said. He plans
on staying active and staying healthy working on projects
around the house and work on some of his own art work. He
also said, “It was nice because I got a petition to retire with
and always having the freedom during the summer and not
doing anything is always a plus and nice going to Colorado
a lot to see family.” Madame and Mr. Schapkohl have put in
many years of service at Manson Northwest Webster and for
that we thank them!
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 41
State Spelling Bee Competition
Remington Garst
This year Manson Northwest Webster cheered
three kids to the state spelling bee competition. Kaitlyn
Youngdale, a fourth grader, placed first, Aric Davis, a sixth
grader, placed second, and Savannah Michalski, a seventh
grader, placed first at the regional competition. All three
of these great kids entered the spelling bee for separate
reasons. For Savannah she said, “I chose to do the spelling
bee this year because I wanted to see how far I could get. I
also wanted to because one of my friends was doing it, so I
decided to do it with her.” Savannah won her first spelling
bee by correctly spelling the word ominous and won the
regional competition with the correct spelling of inertia.
Savannah said that she has studied with her sister for the state competition but did not make it through
the “A’s” before she got bored. She also said that she felt good about getting to state and was confident in
participating. Kaitlyn said she chose to try out for the spelling bee because it sounded really fun. She is
also planning on participating in the spelling competition in the years to come. Aric said he entered the
spelling bee to have fun. He also said that he would continue to participate in the spelling competition
in the future. On March 2nd the three state qualifiers traveled to the Knight’s of Columbus State Spelling
Bee at Cecilia Church in Ames. Savannah ended up getting sixth place after she incorrectly spelled the
word serenade. Kaitlyn ended up getting last place in the state competition. Aric said that he did not
know what he placed.
Ty
ph
oid
Zu
cch
ini
Intrans
itive
Beh
oov
e
Enthus
iasm
Calamity
r
eu
f
f
u
a
Ch
Dizzy
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 42
FFA Week
By Zach Larson
The MNW FFA celebrated FFA week on the 17th through the 21st of February by having dress up
days for every day of the week. As well as fun activities for the students to participate in. Hayden Grundon,
an FFA member said, “FFA week is a fun week to dress up and show MNW FFA pride.” On Monday, March
17th, all of the FFA members wore their FFA t-shirts to school. The students took turns racing their friends
on little pedal tractors. They all tried to get the fastest times to win the championship plaque. On Wednesday,
March 19th, the MNW students had a 12:10 dismissal. During the teacher’s inservice, some of the FFA
members volunteered to deliver cherry pie to all of the teachers. On Thursday, March 27th, the students wore
their seed corn/bean apparel, such as hats and t-shirts. On Friday, March 28th, everyone wore flannel shirts
to school. Whoever wore a flannel shirt got free ice cream at the end of the day which was served by Mr.
Gaul and a few FFA members who volunteered to help. The pedal tractor races were scheduled to be held on
Tuesday, March 15th, but due to our town’s water main break the schools were dismissed early. The races
were held the following Friday during lunch. Keyton Strutzenberg, who participated in the pedal tractor
races said, “The best part of FFA week is the pedal tractor races because it is a funny competition.”
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
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Fine Arts
By Austin Bedford
On March 10, the annual Fine Arts display
was held at the high school. Traditionally the Fine
Arts includes five main areas: painting, sculpture,
architecture, poetry, and music. Drama and dance
were also included. In today’s art world, film,
photography, and printmaking are included. MNW’s
Rachel Nickles wins awards for Best Painting:
“Twigs” and Students Choice award for “Tears.”
Rachel said she was in shock over the results, but she
is extremely thankful for the recognition and opportunity to enter her artwork into the show. It was fun and
everyone(my friends, family, and especially my teacher
Mr. Schlapkohl) was very
supportive. I don’t think I would enjoy high school as
much if it weren’t for the Fine Arts. Art is everything
to me, and I plan to continue drawing in the future.
art department offers drawing, painting, sculpting,
printmaking, calligraphy, ceramics, and computer art.
Projects and assignments are in place for each area.
Rachel Nickles, Nathan Krueger, Lucy Besch, Katie
Smothers, Alison McFarland, are some, but not all of
the kids who flourish in art. The courses in MNW are
set up so that they are specific enough they can cater
to student interests. Classes can easily focus on what
students like to do or are interested in.
Kierstyn
Ferguson on
the right.
Lucy Besch
Paige Burger
Morgan Estergaard
Missy Byrne
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
National Ag Week
By Keyton Strutzenberg and Jack Walstrom
National Ag Week was celebrated from March
23-29 this year, with National Ag Day being on March
25. National Ag Week is a time to recognize the
importance of agriculture and also an opportunity to
celebrate agriculture. The dates of National Ag Week
recently changed to correlate with the birthday of
Norman Borlaug which is the 25 of March. Norman
Borlaug, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was known as the
man who saved a billion lives. He was known for saving
billions of lives because he led the introduction of high
yielding varieties combined with modern agriculture
practices in Mexico, Pakistan, and India. Because he
helped double the yield of wheat, he helped save several
billion people from starvation. Our school celebrated
National Ag Week with a drive your tractor to school day.
Students drove their tractors to school on Friday the 28
of March. National Ag Week encourages Americans to
understand how food and renewable resource products
are made, and to appreciate the role agriculture plays in
the economy and in the world.
Page 44
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 45
April Roaring Twenties
By Alesha Hanson
Prom 2014 will occur on Saturday, April 26th with a roaring 20’s theme. Any junior or senior
can attend and dates up to the age of twenty. No underclassmen or anyone over the age of 20 is allowed
to attend prom this year because the junior and senior class voted for no underclassmen. Next year there
will be another vote on whether or not underclassmen should be able to attend prom. The meal will
include pork loin, salad, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, and cheesecake or brownie sundae. There will
also be appetizers for all who attend prom; the menu will include pickle wraps, fruit pizza, fruit kabobs,
and a meat and cheese tray. The prom decorations will be based on a roaring twenties theme. As a usual
tradition, the juniors will be in charge of decorating for prom. They will be spending a lot of time
before and after school to get the majority of the decorating completed. The plan is to hopefully not
have to spend as much time the week before prom. Something that will be new for prom at MNW will
be a photobooth. There will also be a google form for music requests so that the best music is played
and everyone enjoys it. Senior class parents are planning an after prom event. The schedule for prom is
as follows:
Pictures:
4:30 – 5:30 P.M.
Open House for Public: 5:00-6:00 P.M.
Grand March:
6:00 P.M.
Dinner:
6:45 P.M.
Hypnotist:
7:15 P.M.
Senior Video:
8:30 P.M.
DJ/Dance
9:00 - Midnight
After Prom Party:
1:00 - 4:00 A.M.
Manson Northwest Webster
Boys and Girls Track
Publications Class
Page 46
By Hudson Spedding
As the weather starts to warm up and the layers start
to come off, track season is upon us. Although Cougars boys
track moved up a class, they look to win a third consecutive
state title. Senior Lucas Dolder knows a three peat will not
come easily as he stated, “We all have to give 100% everyday,
and we always have to influence each other to push one another
to the limit everyday.” The 2014 MNW boys have ten returning
state participants to this years team. The Cougars are losing 3
Ty Condon getting a leg stretch
individual gold medals between two people, this is no mystery
to the team however, Senior Ty Condon states, “We know we
lost some key contributors from last years team, but that just
gives others an opportunity to step up and take advantage of
it.” The Cougars are scheduled to have 17 track meets this year.
Coach Jeff Anliker knows experience will help the team and 17
track meets just might give them all the experience they need
heading to the state meet.
The Lady Cougars will also be facing a challenge.
With more events than there is Lady Cougars, Ellie Herzberg
Ellie Herzberg practicing a block
stance
states,”We know its going to be hard with the limited number
of kids we have out, but we are looking forward to the
challenge.” The Cougars have 12 returning participants, 6 of
them made it to the state meet last year as they respectively
placed 5th in Team standings. Michelle Dolder, a sophomore at
MNW states, “We have high goals based on last years results,
but we know it will not be given to us.” The Cougars seem
anxious to get the season rolling, and they are excited to see
their work pay off.
Hudson taking a selfie
Manson Northwest Webster
Publications Class
Page 47
A Capitol Experience
By Alexis Sturhenberg and Lauren Harris
Legislative Day is about 4-H
students getting to learn about their
government and to meet some Iowa
Representatives and Senators. Students
had the opportunity to tour the Capitol
building and ask some questions. 4-H
students also visited The Hall of Pride. At
the The Hall of Pride, students started a
photo scavenger hunt, taking pictures of
the group doing certain poses, or just the
taking pictures of the exhibit itself. After
the scavenger hunt and looking around
Lauren Harris and Alexis Stuhrenberg
the pride hall, everyone ventured out to
eat a delicious lunch at Spaghetti Works.
When everybody finished lunch, the groups headed to the Capital for a tour of the building. At the end of the
tour, the group from Webster County talked to Senator Beall and Representative Tim Shaw, who both speak for
the Webster and Calhoun county area. After speaking to them and asking some questions, Webster County 4-H
members headed home, ready to rest from our long day of listening, learning, and most of all walking.
Definedstem and Research
Definedstem is a web-based program that is designed specifically to engage students in research and
real-life experiences. Seventh grade language arts students have been actively researching whether backpacks
cause back problems. Guest speakers Diane Happel, a chiropractor, and Susan Quade, a physical
therapist,were invited to share their knowledge on the topic. Students spent time preparing for the guest
speakers by creating questions. Thank you to both guest speakers for taking time out of their day so students can
incorporate primary source information in their research papers.