Comet Tales Cassville High School

Comet Tales
Cassville High School
April 2014
Issue 3
Fighting for a Cause “Coins for a Cure”
On May 8th 2014 on the
Cassville Football Field at 10:00
a.m. This year’s Guest of Honor
will be Olivia Baker and family for
a “Coins for a Cure” Celebration
and balloon release. The school
is raising funds by selling “T-shirts
for this worthy event. The shirt
motto is “Coins for a Cure” –
Cassville at the Crossroads of
Hope and Compassion.
Concurrently, Cassville
Students are honored to be
participating in a community
service project called “Pennies for
Patients”. “Pennies for Patients”
is a national program where
students bring in spare change
to benefit The Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society. Our school’s
goal is to raise $1000, for the 2014
campaign. To help us reach this
goal, we are asking you to spread
the word and help us with this
worthy cause.
In addition, any and all cell
phones that are no longer in
service are being collected to
raise additional funds for the
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Please recycle your old cell
phones to help out this cause.
Cell phones will be collected until
June 4, 2014.
On behalf of the Cassville
Public School and Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society, we would
like to extend our sincere thanks
for your time and effort on this
wonderful cause.
Let’s Defeat Cancer. For more
information please contact the
high School Office at 725-5116.
Mr. Lavelle and his multi-age
class are the organziers of these
special events.
Annual NHS Cassville
High School Blood Drive
On January 22, 2014, Cassville
High School held their annual
NHS Cassville High School Blood
Drive in the Elementary Gym.
This year 37 pints of blood were
donated, which is the most ever
collected. Also this year there
were 14 first-time donors.
Brandon Laufenberg has
donated over a gallon of blood
over the last couple of years. On
class night he will be receiving
the GallonGrad award from the
Mississippi Valley Regional Blood
Center.
An important message for
upcoming seniors: If you have
ever donated blood or plan to as
a senior, make sure that you write
this as an activity on your senior
scholarship applications!
Rauch - 1
Students Take Part in Teen Conference
Some students may have been
thinking “oh just another field
trip” at the time; however, this
year’s CESA 3 Teen Conference
proved them wrong. On March,
11, Mr. Boyum along with fifteen
Cassville students traveled
to SWTC in Fennimore where
Teen Conference was being
held. The Cassville participants
had the privilege to witness
Kevin Honeycutt and all of
his knowledge about social
networking--both positive and
negative. Kevin stressed that
everyone who chooses to put
themselves out on a social
networking site leaves a “digital
footprint”, meaning they leave an
impression on “who they really
are” for everyone to see. He
showed not only the dark side
What’s Going On In the
World of FFA?
On Thursday, March 27th a
bountiful array of FFA members
ventured to UWP for CDE judging.
CDE is an acronym that simply
means Career Development
Event. CDE exposes high school
students to skills in specific
career areas in agriculture. Our
Cassville members competed
against many different schools
since the judging took place on
the regional level. Even though
Cassville competed with much
larger schools, many of the
Cassville teams could still hold
their heads high. In fact, the
Dairy Products team qualified
for state! State will take place
April 25th in Madison. The team
will consist of Andrew Ihm,
Tyler Torstenson-Harris, Destiny
Cederquist, and Jenna Baliff.
Another FFA activity was the
FFA Alumni Pancake Breakfast on
February 23rd. The event was at
Cassville High and put out some
very good numbers this year as
far as attendance goes. This can
all be credited to Mrs. Peck, her
obedient members, and the everso-helpful FFA alumni. Without
them getting up early, throwing
flap-jacks on the griddle, and
serving them out to our great
community, none of this could
have been possible. The revenue
was put towards FFA Alumni
Scholarships.
Who could forget about
National FFA week? This year
the celebratory week started on
February 15th and ended on the
22nd. Sadly, the fun was put to
a halt two out of the five days.
Monday there was no school,
and on Wednesday mother
nature sent snow and a snow
day was the result. Nonetheless,
Tuesday a tug-of-war contest was
held, Thursday an arm wrestling
tournament, and Friday an egg
carrying race.
of the sites, but also the bright
side. For example, one can show
themselves to the world as a
positive, clean individual just by
what they post or “like”.
During his presentation,
students also had the chance to
try out Google Glasses. These
are holographic glasses that keep
the consumer wired into the
device (internet) without being
distracted. They aren’t even
available for sale yet!
In recognition of all the
FFA members’ hard work and
achievement, the FFA banquet
was held on Sunday, April, 6th
at Cassville High School. The
banquet was a potluck where
every FFA member’s family
contributed either a main dish
or a dessert. To show her
appreciation, Ms. Peck presented
two awards--Star Green Hand
and Star Farmer. Jenna Baliff
received
Star Green
Hand for
being an
outstanding
first year
member.
Meanwhile,
David Seng was granted the Star
Farmer Award for his four years
of contribution and dedication
to the FFA. The new president
and vice president were also
announced. Congratulations
to Andrew Ihm for clinching
president and to Noah Fure for
vice president.
Kirschbaum - 2
Winter Sports Awards
Boy’s Basketball
Wrestling
All Conference
Ryan Kirschbaum - 1st Team
Elijah Okey - Honorable
Mention
Cole Adams - 1st Team
Ty Kartman - 1st Team,
Conference MVP, Six Rivers
West Player of the Year
Girl’s Basketball
All Conference
Andrea Okey - Second Team
Jenna Friesen - Honorable
Mention
Jennifer Tanaka - Honorable
Mention
All Conference
David Seng:
Honorable Mention
Sectional Qualifier
MVP
MVP
Andrea Okey
Ty Kartman
Six Rivers West
Coach of the Year
Captains
Ryan Kirschbaum &
Cole Adams
Dennis Uppena
Captains
Jenna Friesen &
Jennifer Tanaka
Hetcher - 3
Track Runs Solid Races
This year, the Cassville
Comets track team gets a head
start on their season. They
began practices in early March
and already have several meets
under their belts. The numbers
this year were as expected. Both
teams this year are coached by
Laura Esser and assisted by Gary
Corbett. Our girl’s team consists
of seniors Jenna Friesen and
Danny Regalado, juniors Destiny
Cederquist and Kayla Mumm,
and sophomores Bailie Becwar,
Ally Clauer, Brielle Baliff, Taylor
Ploessl, and Payton Brinkman.
The boy’s team is made up of
seniors Logan Kartman, Gage
Kaufman, and David Seng, juniors
Dallas Esser, Luca Floehr, Andrew
Ihm, Luke Kirschbaum, Brad Klein,
and Gabe Phillips, sophomores
Gus Hetcher, Caleb Dahse, Dylan
Ganahl-Johll, Jared Kartman, and
Softball Team Hits
Homeruns
Once again, the ladies from
Cassville join forces with River
Ridge. Already having played six
games, the varsity team is 3-5
overall, and 1-0 in conference
with a win over Potosi on April
10. The girls already played in
the Bloomington Tournament,
with a loss against Seneca
and a postponement against
Southwestern. The JV and Varsity
teams are consisted of girls who
have potential and experience.
The Varisty team is coached by
Jacob Bernetzke and assisted
by R.J. Osterhaus and Emily
Koch. The girls that make up the
Varisty team are seniors Sabrina
White and Emma Hetcher, juniors
Sarah Breuer and Emma Mergen,
sophomores Andrea Okey, Sierra
Schier, and Amber Patterson, and
freshmen Nicole Sturmer, Lexi
Harper, Mahcoy Mumm, Hope
Schier, and Grace Mergen.
The Junior Varsity team is
coached by R.J. Osterhaus and
assisted by Emily Koch. The
team is made up of sophomores
Danielle Ackerman, Maya
Harvey, and Tessa Reynolds,
and freshmen Grace Mergen,
Bea Mumm, Abbigail Schlueter,
Whitney Churchill, and Victoria
Schimming. Hopefully both
teams continue the season with
determination and aggression.
Keegan Morley, and freshman
Will Baliff.
Already both teams have
put up good names for Cassville.
Many of the athletes are being
recognized for their talents
throughout the conference.
With meets coming up, both
the coaches and the players are
wishing for success.
Baseball
faces
tough
opponents
The boy’s baseball team this
year is once again taking the field.
With a good number of players,
the team has good experience.
Already, they have played two
games. The team is coached by
Joe Cox and consists of seniors
Ty Kartman, Ryan Kirschbaum,
Brandon Laufenberg, Codi
Schwab, Austin Mellem, Elijah
Okey, and Sean Murray, juniors
Brad Klein and Hunter Nix, and
sophomores Cam Jensen, Colton
Reynolds, Christian Reynolds,
and Tyler Torstenson-Harris. With
a record of 0-2 this year, we are
hoping to see the boys bounce
back. Though winning may come
tough, the Cassville Comets are
sure to make the games fun to
watch.
Hetcher - 4
Speakers come to Cassville
On Thursday, April 3rd, Mrs.
Oswald’s Personal Finance and
Desktop Publishing classes had
speakers come in. Courtney
Pitzen from Royal Bank came in
to talk to the Personal Finance
class. She explained how the
banking process worked and
more specifically how to use
and manage a checking and
savings account. She also talked
about online banking and a new
mobile app where you can take a
picture of your check to deposit
it. All of this gave the students
new knowledge and skills about
banking.
Business Students Visit
J & J Sewing in Boscobel
Students in Mrs. Oswald’s Intro.
to Business, Accounting, and Web
Page Design classes visited J & J
Sewing in Boscobel on Monday,
March 24. Manager of J & J Sewing,
Travis Harris, enlightened students
on the management of a small
business and related what they have
been learning in class to the real
world. The company does industrial
upholstery contract work for the
government and several companies
in Wisconsin and other states as
well. Some of the many products
that J & J Sewing produces include:
tank seats, jeep seats, fireproof
seating for the military, wheelchair
seats, fitness pads, and seat pads of
all kinds for vehicles, quick release
wrist straps for bow hunting and
designer eco-friendly diaper liners
and covers.
That same day, Jill Friesen
came in to talk to Mrs. Oswald’s
Desktop Publishing class. She
talked about her career in graphic
design and how she uses skills
she has learned. Jill works for
Platinum Insurance and creates
many materials that circulate
inside of the company. This
allows her to be creative and
come up with new ideas. Each
year there is a trip that members
of her company go on and she
creates all of the designs and
materials for this. She also
shared tips and ideas for students
entering the graphic design field.
Arriba!
On Friday, March 21st, Ms.
Mai’s Spanish III class traveled
to see the Hispanic Flamenco
Ballet in the Barrymore Theater in
Madison. The students got to see
firsthand Latin American culture.
Students saw two shows in which
they witnessed Latin American
singing and dancing. The first
show featured dances and songs
from all over Latin America such
as Peru and Brazil. The second
show featured dances and songs
strictly originating from Spain. It
was a very interesting, fun, and
insightful experience for the
students in which they were able
to see live some of the things
they had been learning in the
classroom.
Murray - 5
Junior High Track Begins
Season With a Big Lead
Starting off their track careers
are the seventh and eighth
graders of Cassville High School.
With a good division between the
two grades and a large number
of both boys and girls, the team
is excited to begin the season.
This year, the Junior High track
team is coached by Jeff Hetcher.
The boys section of the team is
made up of eighth graders Parker
Johll, Wade Okey, Matt Reynolds
and Ben Wheeler, and seventh
graders Ty Bausch, Colin Esser,
Mason Infield, and Dalton Pojar.
The six young ladies that make
up the girls section are eighth
graders Abigail Borcherding and
Paige Johll, and seventh graders
Melody Hampton, Madison
Kirschbaum, Kasha Vogt, and
Brinley Wood.
With a new coach and new
numbers, the team is ready for
the action and excitement of
the season. They are also ready
to make new memories and
strengthen friendships.
Cassville Students take “The Plunge”
On Thursday, April 10,
seven students from Cassville
went to Lancaster to take the
“plunge” into the awareness of
underage drinking and driving.
The seven students consisted of
sophomores Cameron Jensen,
Caleb Dahse, James Haas, Ally
Clauer, Christian Reynolds, and
Rylie Laufenberg. Coming from
St. Charles was eighth-grader
Madeline Nix. The kids were
chaperoned by Mr. Boyum.
During the plunge, the
students were provided an
interactive, realistic close-up
of the consequences of a poor
choice and how they affect their
families and others.
The day started off with a
mock accident. Throughout
the day students followed the
“driver, passengers, and families”
to the emergency room, a funeral
home, and the Grant County
courthouse and jail. At each
of these stops, the students
witnessed what the families and
victims go through.
Cassville students pictured with former Badger Football player Jim
Leonhard. who spoke to students on good decision-making skills.
Leonhard is from a small town of less than 100 people.
This program is designed to
“scare straight” the students
involved to see what really
happens when someone you
know makes the choice to drink
and drive. Caleb Dahse told the
Telegraph Herald “What we
learned will always stick with me.
If I’m ever asked to drink and
drive, my mind will come back to
this.”
Each year, more than 70
eighth-, ninth-, and tenth-graders
participate in The Plunge. The
Plunge is sponsored by S.A.F.E.
(Saffe Actions For Everyone)
Grant County Coalition. If you
are interested in participating
next year, ask Mr. Boyum for
information.
Hetcher - 6
Yearbook Cover Chosen
2014
Students
of the Month
January
COMETS
CASSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
o
#C
ag
Sw
met
This year’s yearbook theme is
#CometSwag
designed by Luke Kirschbaum
Social Studies - Brandon Boxrucker
Science - Emma Hetcher
Tech Ed. - Ryan Kirschbaum
Foreign Language - Gus Hetcher
Art - Andrea Okey
Algebra - Christal Bean
Teen of the Week: Andrea Okey
February
English - Taylor Ploessl & Daniela Regalado
Handbells - Zoe Gotzinger
Math - Zoe Gotzinger
Agriculture - Hayley Williams
Science - Walker Gotzinger
Social Issues - Brielle Baliff
Good Citizenchip - Cole Adams &
Jenny Tanaka
Teen of the Week: Zoe Gotzinger
March
Social Studies - Christian Reynolds
Science - Ethan Blum
Foreign Language - Brittany Markley
Business Ed. - James Haas & Caleb Dahse
English - Jenna Friesen
Teen of the Week: Taylor Ploessl
April
Tech. Ed. - Ty Kartman
Math - Blake Borcherding
English - Gage Kaufman
Phy. Ed. Keegan Morley
Teen of the Week: Ty Kartman
Floehr - 7
Multi-Age Group
Appreciates Bus Drivers
On March 25th Ms. Paulson’s
Multi-Age Group honored all bus
drivers for Cassville’s Bus Driver
Appreciation Day. That morning
each bus driver was greeted with
a special treat and thank-you
by the students. The Multi-age
Group plans to continue this
tradition in future years.
“My Kind of
Night”
Prom!
Attention Cassville Students!
This year’s Junior prom, “That’s
My Kind of Night” is April 26th
hosted by the Junior Class at
J & J’s Sandbar here in Cassville.
Tickets will be on sale April 23rd
and available at the door. Cost is
$5.00 per person and $8.oo per
per couple. Good times, good
music, and a night to remember!
After party?!
Comet Forensics
On Friday, April 11th Zoe
Gotzinger and Walker Gotzinger
competed in the State Forensic
Meet in Madison. Zoe performed
a Four-Minute Speech on Date
Rape and received a bronze
medal . Walker performed in
Prose a selection called “My
Rotten Red-Headed Older
Brother” and received a silver
medal. Congratulations to Walker
and Zoe Gotzinger for their hard,
dedicated work! Before the
meet, they were rewarded with a
small shopping trip on State street
This year’s post prom follows
immediately after prom. It’s a
lockdown at the school and will
last till 5 A.M. The party includes
games, food, prizes, and fun!
Human Bowling and Air-Bots will
be two of the highlights! Hope to
see people there!!!!
Haverland - 8
Solo & Ensemble
Music News!
On March 29th the Solo
Ensemble contest was held
at Shullsburg High School.
Students participating this year
were: Emma Hetcher, Jenny
Tanaka, Payton Brinkman,
Skyla Kemerling-Hyer, Danielle
Ackerman, Kami Kedley, Gus
Hetcher, Andrew Ihm, Andrea
Okey, and the high school
handbells. Several are moving
on to State at UWP on April 26
including: Jenny Tanaka (Classical
Vocal Solo & Musical Theatre
Vocal Solo), Emma Hetcher
(Classical Vocal Solo & Musical
Theatre Vocal Solo), Andrew Ihm
(Musical Theatre Vocal Solo) , Gus
Hetcher (Classical Vocal Solo),
and Payton Brinkman (Flute Solo
& Piccolo Solo). Congrats to All!
Tri-State Honors Band
This event was on February
14th to 15th at UW - Platteville.
The students worked hard to
learn their music for their concert
on the 15th. Two of our students
participated in this event -- Payton
Brinkman and Jenny Tanaka. They
did a great performance after
their hard work.
Honors Band
This year’s Honors Band on
March 11th was held here at
Cassville High School. Students
chosen from the high-school
band participated in this event
including: Andrew Ihm, Jenny
Tanaka, Andrea Okey, Danielle
Ackerman, and Payton Brinkman.
This event lasted all day, with a
concert in the evening at 7 p.m.
This concert showed the talents
of young musicians in local high
school bands.
Honors Choir
This year’s Honors Choir was
held at Shullsburg High School
on February 3rd. Members of
the high-school choir attended
including: Jenna Friesen, Danny
Regalado, Payton Brinkman,
Emma Hetcher, Jenny Tanaka,
Danielle Ackerman, Tricia
Haverland, Skyla KemerlingHyer, Gus Hetcher, Andrew Ihm,
Dillon Vogt, and Brett Little. Also
the junior-high choir attended
sending: Makayla Bennett,
Melody Hampton, Ricky Lenz,
Matt Reynolds, and Ben Wheeler.
This event is held yearly to
showcase the talents of local
choirs.
Seniors Attend 12th Annual
Reality Check Activity
On Wednesday, April 16,
thirteen of Cassville’s Seniors
attended the Reality Check at
Prairie du Chien high school.
This was the first year it has
been held at the high school
due to the fact that the Armory
is being remodeled. Also new
to the activity this year was a
texting simulator provided by the
Department of Transportation.
After or before their activity,
students were encouraged
to try it out! Everything went
smoothly and Cassville’s Seniors
represented the school in an
extremely professional manner.
Reality Check is a financial
simulation where students
receive a one-month paycheck
from their chosen career, pay
bills, buy homes/cars, and make
buying decisions with their
salary. Over 150 volunteers are
involved with this from realtors &
bankers to law enforcement and
government officials.
Great Job to the Seniors!
They were well prepared and
many positive comments were
heard from the volunteers on
the professionalism of Cassville’s
representation!
Regalado - 9