Volume 5 Issue 5 - Unit School District #304

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ALEXIS, IL
61412
PERMIT NO. 9
STORM
TRACKER
THE United High School Newspaper
Volume 5, Issue 5
IN THIS ISSUE:
United’s EAV jumps p. 2
Stress hits all ages
A S.T.O.R.M. alert
Elementary Menus
CUSD 304 gets $900K check
But it was more than
p. 3 three months late and
there’s no guarantee
p. 4 future state payments
will be on time
p. 5
HS calendar & menu p. 6
Various winter activities
keep students busy p. 7
New area co-ops will have
impact on UHS sked p. 8
STORM ALERTS
Federal judge decides
Moment of Silence issue
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman ruled January 22 that a
state law requiring a moment of
silence in public schools across
Illinois is unconstitutional, saying it crosses the line separating
church and state.
The ruling came in a lawsuit
designed to bar schools from
enforcing the Illinois Silent
Reflection and Student Prayer
Act. It was filed by talk show
host Rob Sherman, an outspoken
atheist, and his daughter, Dawn,
a high school student.
As passed by the Illinois General Assembly, the law allows
students to reflect on the day’s
activities rather than pray if that
is their choice and defenders
have said it therefore doesn’t
force religion on anyone.
But Gettleman backed critics
such as the American Civil Liberties Union, who say the law is
a thinly disguised effort to bring
religion into the schools.
It remains unclear if Gettleman’s decision will end the
dispute or merely signal a fresh
battle in a federal appeals court.
United High School discontinued practice of offering the moment of silence at the beginning
of this school year.
IHSA bans game prayer
The Illinois High School Association Board of Directors at
its January 12 meeting approved
a recommendation to include a
policy in the IHSA Handbook
and Terms & Conditions for
every sport/activity that prohibits
prayer over the public address
system at IHSA state series
events.
The ruling does not affect regular season contests.
By Tony Kozelichki, Publisher
At the December 22 meeting
of the United Board of Education, Superintendent Jeff Whitsitt
informed board members of the
fast approaching $1 million in
money owed the district by the
State of Illinois.
Christmas, then, came early
as the very next day nearly
$900,000 was deposited in the
school’s accounts, albeit some 90
days late in some fund balances.
The State of Illinois’ inability
to pay service providers on time
has left institutions such as our
own school district wondering if
the check is truly in the mail.
That, along with the nationwide recession, leaves school
districts throughout the state
scrambling to pay their own bills
on time.
“Our local tax dollars have
been coming on time and we
had nearly a half year’s worth of
surplus fund balance to start the
fiscal year. We are just o
ver halfway through the fiscal
year and so far can maintain our
payments,” said Whitsitt. “I’ve
also met with the maintenance
personnel to brainstorm some
ways of saving in the current
budget year.”
The Illinois State Board of
Education’s website (www.isbe.
net) allows individuals to access information regarding the
amount of state funding each
school district is scheduled to
receive in a given fiscal year.
It also details disbursement
dates in each of the 24 categories
the United district qualifies for
state funding.
To access the information,
click on the FRIS Inquiry tab
at the top. Then just search for
United. The school district is
listed about 3/4 of the way down
the list.
By accessing information
provided for each of the 24
categories, one can click on the
“details” tab and see exactly how
much money the school district
has received, when the funds
were approved, and the date the
comptroller’s office released
those funds.
For example, under “Transportation, regular and vocational”
you will find the state made
a payment of $181,380.45 on
December 22. However, the
voucher date for those funds
was September 24, meaning that
particular payment to the school
distrcit was just shy of three
months being late.
The district was scheduled to
receive another transportation
payment for the same amount
on December 29. However, the
website confirms the comptroller’s office has yet to release
those funds.
“Right now we are about
$220,000 behind - mostly in
transportation,” said Whitsitt in
reference to the amount of backlogged funds the district is owed.
Other categories in which the
district is owed money include
special education, the free lunch
program and early childhood
education.
And, there are no indications
future payments for the second
half of the fiscal year will come
in on time.
“In fact, the state just borrowed
$1.4 billion in order to get all
the payments out to those they
owed at the end of December,”
said Whitsitt. “The state owes
that money back by June 30, so
I don’t think there will be much
chance of our payments getting
back on track anytime soon.”
With the backlog of unpaid
bills sitting on the comptroller’s
desk, there is concern the state
won’t be able to pay its share
of the school district’s funding
by the June 30 end of the 08-09
fiscal year.
“Obviously, we will have a
problem with the budget that
we amended. The extent of
the problem won’t be known
until we know how much we
are shorted this fiscal year,” said
Whitsitt.
“Again, we had some fund balances available, but they won’t
last forever. If we are shorted
enough, we will have to find
some short term cash flow options, but I’m hopeful not to get
to that point this year.”
General state aid payments
to the school district have been
Thailand gets cold, too
By Bast Chaikhunsombat
Since December 31 passed, the
year 2009 has started.
It’s good to have a resolution
or something you want to do
in the near future. Here in the
U.S., it’s most important to start
the year by welcoming your new
President.
Other countries have kept a
close watch on the American
people during the election cycle
and many are exited over President Obama’s inauguration.
In the last year, some people
probably had both good and bad
experiences, and some people
might have done something
before the New Year, like Christmas, getting gifts, eating food,
and sightseeing.
For me, I went to an underground concert in Peoria with
my host “brothers.” It was good.
After the concert, we visited a
friend’s house and played a trivia
board game.
The next weekend at a church
in Galesburg, I met an exchange
student who was from Thailand,
as well.
We talked about the problems
since arriving in the U.S., specifically the language barriers, home
sickness and school.
Thai news is generally better
and more positive;, however, I
did get some bad news recently.
Thailand had a cold spell
recently, with temperatures
dropping down to as low as
50*. I know that sounds warm,
especially given the record cold
coming in on time, usually
within a week or so after the
listed voucher date. However, at
press time the state owed United
nearly $100.000 in general state
aid on a voucher approved January 12.
Of the funds received December 23, more than $465,000
was in reorganization incentives
stemming from the 2007 annexation of the Yorkwood district.
United is owed another year of
reorganization incentive funding,
but there are concerns the state
will not be able to come through,
leaving District 304 with a nearly
half-million dollar hole to fill.
While it’s no consolation,
United is not alone. It’s likely
all school districts receiving state
funding are getting delayed payments, just like hospitals, nursing
homes, doctors, pharmacists and
all other organizations, businesses and individuals who rely on
state tax receipts for funding.
Whitsitt concluded, “We are no
different than anyone else or any
other business. The effect on the
economy has an impact on all of
our decisions and our plans.”
To contact your elected state
officials to discuss this issue,
please address your comments to
Rep. Richard Myers
331 N. Lafayette St.
Macomb, IL 61455
(309) 836-2707
(309) 836-2231 FAX
in this area a couple of weeks
back, but for us the temperature
is normally 68-75* throughout
the winter.
Sen. John Sullivan
926 Broadway
Suite 6
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 222-2295
(217) 222-2944 FAX
A little heat during the cold months
On Friday, January 30, United
High School librarian Mary
Murray conducted her annual hot
sauce sampling day.
She began the project four
years ago, challenging brave
and unsuspecting students to
test their culinary instincts while
tasting a variety of hot and spicy
sauces and foods.
Each year dozens of students
accept the challenge, but many
refuse to return for a second try a
year later.
With the recent opening of
Buffalo Wild Wings in Galesburg, anyone can now take a
similar challenge.
Pictured right is United junior
James Mettler who consumed a
half dozen of Wild Wings’ spici-
est offerings in under a minute.
Mettler was awarded by having
his picture placed on the restaurant’s wall, and walked (shakily)
away with a T-shirt and, reportedly, true appreciation for what it
means to be “hot.”
STORM TRACKER
1905 100th Street
Monmouth, IL 61462
309-734-9411
The Storm Tracker is published
monthly by the journalism students of
United High School, is printed through
the facilities of The Register-Mail, and
is distributed to residents of CUSD
#304. The material published does not
necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the
administration of United School District
#304, nor the policy of The RegisterMail.
While every attempt is made to
determine the validity of advertising
contained herein, the advertising in the
Storm Tracker is not to be construed as
endorsement of a specific product or
service. The Storm Tracker assumes no
responsibility of liability resulting from
the content of paid advertisements.
The Storm Tracker does not knowingly
accept advertisements that discriminate
on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion,
color, handicapped status, veteran or
sexual orientation, nor does it knowingly
print ads that violate any local, state, or
federal laws.
Parties interested in advertising in
the Storm Tracker should contact Mr.
Kozelichki at the address and/or phone
number listed above.
Letters to the editor must be mailed to
the address above and cannot be more
than 350 words. The author’s name
and phone number must be included for
verification purposes. The Storm Tracker
only edits letters in cases of timeliness
and obscenity and does not guarantee
publication of all letters.
Agendas light at December & January board meetings
Due to school cancellations
and bad weather, the December
meeting of the United Board of
Education was postponed until
Monday, December 22.
Most of the discussion at
the meeting revolved around a
budget hearing and ongoing talks
regarding the district’s leasing of
a bus fleet to the Monmouth-Roseville district.
At the budget hearing, members were informed that the
district’s Equalized Assessed
Valuation (EAV) has risen from
$103 million to $113 million
over the past year. With the district asking for the same tax levy
rates as last year, the increase in
EAV could result in the district
getting $650,000 more in local
tax revenue in the coming year.
Of that increase, approximately
$400,000 will go to the Education Fund, with the remaining
money being split among the Operations & Maintenance, Transportation, Working Cash, IMRF,
Social Security, and Tort funds.
For comparison’s sake, Superintendent Jeff Whitsitt stated the
last time the local EAV was as
high as the newly projected total
was in the 1991-1992 school
year, when the combined EAVs
of the former Alexis, Warren and
Yorkwood districts was $117
million.
Also discussed was ongoing
talks with the Monmouth-Roseville district about an expiring contract with United which
provides M-R with 11 buses.
A joint transportation commit-
A changing of the guard will soon take place as the April election looms. With board member Tim VanFleet having already
resigned due to scheduling conflicts with his job, and with board
members Moses Anderson (top row, middle) and Terry Johnson
(bottom row, right) stepping down, the United Board of Education will look vastly different in a couple of months. Current
board members Marshall Schrader (top row, left) and Rick Elliott (top row, right) are seeking re-election while Lisa Gavin and
Susie Frieden (bottom row, left and middle, respectively) have
two more years on their current terms.
tee meeting was held between
the two districts in January, but
no decision regarding future contracts between the two districts
has been decided.
By Bethany Fredrickson
January’s school board meeting
was held on the eighth.
The main topic foccused on
the Alwood-Cambridge and
ROWVA-Galva athletic co-ops
(see page 8).
Also discussed was the anticipated withdrawal of the Prairieland Conference from the West
Prairie Trail football conference
following the 2009 season.
Board membes discussed the
advantages to changing conferences along with the lack of stability the LTC currently presents.
The meeting ended with discussing the transportation issues
with the Monmouth-Roseville
school district, a carryover from
the January meeting that remains
unresolved heading in to the end
of the month.
These topics will be continued
and updated at the next meeting
on February 12.
First “U made a difference” award winners announced
STORM TRACKER
Stasha Giese, Editor-in-Chief
Vic Fredrickson, Business Mgr.
Reporters
Katie Allaman, Bast Chaikhun
sombat, Bethany Fredrickson,
Julie Gunter, Elizabeth Johnson,
Anton Kozelichki, Jillian Rundle,
Katy Schrader
Mr. Tony Kozelichki, Advisor
“Some material courtesy
of American Society of
Newspaper Editors/MCT
Campus High School
Newspaper Service.”
United CUSD #304
contact numbers
Superintendent’s Office
482-3344
FAX 482-3236
United High School
734-9411
FAX 734-6090
At its December meeting, the Board of Education President Rick Elliott presented the first-ever “U made a difference awards” to
Sheila Pressley (pictured left) and Trent McKeown (pictured right) and his wife Jenny for their efforts in promoting and contributing
to the betterment of the United School District.
rmg Risk Management Group, Inc.
Bill Ramsey
1-800-553-7475
Helping agricultural producers manage price risk
Commodity futures, options, and cash
United Junior High
734-8511
FAX 734-6094
United Elementary North
482-3332
FAX 482-3341
United Elementary West
734-8513
734-8515
COUNTRYSIDE
BIBLE CHURCH
Thanks United students for
making our 5th quarter
Friday’s a huge success!
Youth Group @ Emanuel Baptist
Sundays @ 7:00 p.m.
Holiday angst knows no age boundaries
By Stasha Giese, Editor-in-Chief
Everyone has been there, you
know. You’re standing behind
the indecisive woman as she
rants while inching closer to the
end of a very “crucial” purchase.
Her husband tries to assure her
that the sweater is the “perfect”
gift for her great aunt in law,
who will settle for nothing less
than cashmere. The husband finally succeeds, after what seems
to be hours of coaxing, and the
purchase is finally made.
Fortunately, it is your turn; too
bad your lane just closed, but
check-out lane 25 is available.
Oops, did I forget to mention
the man in front of lane 25 just
dropped and broke a can of
yams. Oh yes, and you will be
“on board” right behind Mrs. My
Kids are aAngels and Should
Not be Punished for that Very
Naughty Thing They Just Did.
Where does holiday stress
come from? When does it
even start? Maybe somewhere
between cooking the Thanksgiving turkey and dodging flying
purses at 4:00 a.m. on Black
Friday. This may be something
that is never to be found out, but
one can’t deny the avalanche of
stress that seems to invade every
home.
So here I am, 17, already
stressed from this merry time of
year. Which leads me to ask: Is
the stress of the holiday season
worth the joy that it brings?
Every year the “freaking out”
starts just before Thanksgiving. I
come from a split family, which
means that I cannot spend time
with both my mother and father
at the same time.
So then my balancing act
begins. This day is spent with
Mom, that day with Dad, and
hopefully I remembered to
schedule time with friends, but
most likely I have forgotten.
Now I feel guilty.
Whenever someone says “Remember, you only have so many
hands to give,” believe them. I
usually don’t and end up trying
to “grow” an extra ten arms.
My problem, I can’t say no.
The first word I ever spoke and I
cannot seem to say it. As a result
I am running from destination A
to location B-Z all in what seems
to be the same day.
Did someone just say the “P”
word? Oh, how I love to give
presents. I love the anticipation
of the recipients as they finally
tear back the paper and flash
me those pearly whites (well, in
most cases).
Oh, but the stress beforehand is
ever so great, as in incalculable.
First you have to figure out what
this person you are buying for
actually likes . If you are not
well acquainted with him/her,
then this is a little tricky. Then
finally you find out what he/she
enjoys and hope they do not
already have it.
Now, finally, all the shopping
is done! Maybe, for some, this
takes all the stress away. That
is just great for them! Now I
am worried because I just spent
more money on Mom than Dad,
Warren County Library to
display students’ art work
A new “teen room” was dedicated Saturday, January 24, at the
Warren County Library. Along
with a naming contest for
the new room, local high
school students’ artwork will be
on display and for sale.
Mr. Sean Cavanaugh and the
Warren County Library have
been working together on the
room, which will honor his late
father. The room will be used
as a meeting area for local teens
and a public place for budding
artists to display their work.
Art work will be rotated each
semester, and each time new art
is brought in, an article will be
run in the Review Atlas to recognize the artists.
This semester, six United High
School students will have work
displayed in the room – Trisha
Swanson, Megan Vanskike, Sara
Martin, Teri Jones, Alex McKee,
and Emilee Holmberg.
Feel free to stop in the new
“teen room” to view their artwork and enter the room-naming
contest. The winner will receive
a $30 gift card to Italian Village!!
and it is Christmas Eve and I forgot to buy my aunt her cashmere
sweater.
Phew! Christmas is over, and
now there is only one more event
that may just cause me to bite my
nails to the quick, very quickly.
Phone calls ring in inviting
me to ring in the new year. Once
again I am only one person. So I
must carefully chose one event,
preferably on that will not upset
as many people when I don’t
show for the rest.
At last “the ball” drops my
stress onto the ice cold January ground. Currently I have no
“problems” to worry about for
approximately 11 months.
Some of you may be thinking. “Oh my goodness, how did
one create herself into a Scrooge
at such a young age?” and by
no means should that thought
stay there. I have simply set out
with a goal to answer my prior
question: Is the stress of the
holiday season worth the joy that
it brings? My answer is “yes”,
because some things are worth
a little (a lot) of self-sacrifice.
Christmas would be one of them.
Every student interviewed at
United confessed their stress
level was in some form higher.
Much like myself, reasons given
were were usually related to not
having enough money to buy
presents, and satisfying those
they cared about.
If we students are already allowing joy to bring stress to our
lives, imagine what we may be
like at age 35.
CNN recently interviewed
various age groups, both men
and women (all from different
economic standpoints). Fifty-two
percent of women between the
ages of 35 to 54 and 40% of men
said levels of stress increased
during holidays. Forty-three
percent of women within the
age group of 18 to 35 admitted
to the same results, as did 37%
percent of the male gender. CNN
researched groups such as split
families, widows, and families
with varying levels of income.
Sadly enough, 28% was the lowest statistical number, reflecting
responses only from retirees.
I believe holiday memories
should not be grouped along
with stress. It just takes so much
away from the substance of this
wonderful time of year.
As you begin your plans for
2009, keep in mind, learn to enjoy yourself. Besides, who wants
gray hair and worry churned
stomachs.
Monmouth Armory becomes youth center
By Elizabeth Johnson
On Monday, January 26, the
old Armory, now the youth
center, welcomed Stellar Kart to
Monmouth for its grand opening.
Area churches pulled together
to raise enough money to buy the
Armory and turn it into a safe,
clean center for the area youth.
Right now, it is only being used
for church functions but the leaders hope to eventually open it
every Friday for a hang out spot
for teens.
The center will open itself to
Friday night Fifth Quarter parties beginning February 20 from
6:30-11:00 p.m., following a
successful series of Friday night
events following fall football
games.
Among the churches involved
are Maple City Baptist, Immanuel Baptist, First Christian Church
in Monmouth, Countryside Bible
Church.
The Stellar Kart and Lightswitch concert was the official
opening for the youth center and
it had an excellent turn out.
The Christian rock band drew
Stellar Kart bassist Brian Calcara wows a large crowd at the
former Monmouth Armory.
in all ages and captivated the
audience’s attention.
Everyone asked said that they
enjoyed the concert and all on
the floor were rocking out to
Stellar Kart.
The leaders hope this concert
would help bring more teens to
the youth center and get them
comfortable with the message
they were sending out.
It looks like that plan will succeed.
The Stellar Kart concert was
a huge hit and it looks like the
youth center will be getting a lot
of attention in the future.
The former Armory is having
its basement renovated at this
time and it is expected to house
wide screen televisions where
youth video game tournaments
will be held.
Tanning Beds Open!
Haircuts and Styling
Visa/Mastercard Accepted
482-3549 or 371-6277
SPORTSCARDS
Buy-Sell-Trade
Baseball-Football-Basketball-Hockey
482-6600
Seniors, need help
getting started on your
high school scrapbook?
Call Linda 482-6600
The Seedhouse
1930 140th St.
Cameron 61423
Steve Youngquist
Sales Representative
563-9842 (office)
221-9843 (cell)
S.T.O.R.M. Alert Team plans schoolwide assembly
By Jillian Rundle
This year, the United’s safe
driving prgram, better known as
the S.T.O.R.M. Alert team has
received a grant o use to promote safe driving to high school
students.
Last year’s grant money was
used to purchase free giveaways
for students, such as lanyards,
bracelets, etc. Activities that were
held include a poster contest with
Monmouth-Roseville students
as well as an all school assembly
that was held at the high school
with the Illinois State Police conducting sobriety tests and having
students demonstrate driving
habits while wearing vision impaired glasses..
The committee this year has
decided to change a few aspects.
TheSTORM Alert team has
chosen to purchase two sets of
impaired vision goggles for Mr.
Engebretson’s driver’s education
classes.
They have decided to keep the
poster contest open to all United
students with entries to be collected February 15.
The winner will be announced
at a school assembly on February
20, when Randy and Cathy Waddell will be the main speakers.
The Waddells have traveled
throughout the state from their
home in Pekin, sharing their
tragic story of their high school
daughter Ashley’s death.
United FFA busy in January with full calendar set for coming month
By Victoria Fredrickson
As the end of the past year was
approaching and the students
were getting anxious about the
Christmas break coming up., the
United FFA Chapter teamed with
Sandy Bertelsen, the Agriculture
Education Coordinator, to host
their Christmas Extravaganza.
The Christmas Extravaganza
kicked off on December 15 and
ended the next day with prekindergarten and kindergarten
classes from both north and west
campuses coming to the high
school for the afternoon..
The young children visiting
were able to enjoy many fun
activities including Christmas
bingo, writing letters to Santa,
making jelly beans and fudge,
while also learning about food
origins and their agricultural
ties. Even with all those exciting events happening, most of
the children were ecstatic when
Santa walked in.
After the New Year had rolled
around and school was back in
session, the FFA officer team
headed to the Mercer County
Farm Bureau Meeting on the
January 22.
The officers were treated to a
speech by Clayton Zwilling, the
Illinois State President speak
about his responsibilities as a
state officer.
Zwilling also informed his
peers about the International
Leadership Trip for the state
officers to China, which would
be an amazing opportunity for
them.
The next couple days, the 23rd
and 24th of January, a few other
FFA members headed to Chicago. Jennifer Elliott, Cori Sargent, Westin Gunter and James
Brownlee had the privilege to
attend The Made for Excellence
Conference.
On a similar note, the Greenhand officer team was elected
during the Introductory Ag Class
with President Ellen Reeder, and
learned Parlimentary Procedure.
The Greenhand officer team consists of Jennifer Elliott-president,
Hannah Hartzell-1st Vice President, Ashlynn Winkler-2nd Vice
President, and James Brownlee
as Secretary.
Reeder, United’s FFA president
and Section 4 President, will
attend the state officer meeting at the Illinois FFA Center in
Springfield on the 29th and 30th
with the other state officers. This
event was postponed in December due to poor weather.
Some of the other members
will be participating in the Quiz
Bowl CDE on the 29th. This
contest gives the students the
chance to meet new people from
other schools and also learn facts
about FFA and other important
issues or activities.
After Reeder returns home, she
will have the opportunity to go
with the other FFA members who
choose to go to Snow Star in
Andalusia to ski or snow board
on the 31st. This activity is an
entertaining time for the students
who attend and is a great way to
wrap up the month of January.
As February soon approaches,
the FFA chapter has many
activities for their members to
participate in, the first being the
proficiency awards and state
degree interviews on the 14th.
Next up, are the Ag Olympics
at West Central on the 17th,
while on the 19th, the chapter
will have its monthly meeting
where officers will inform members of upcoming activities.
Speaking of activites, February 23-27 will be National FFA
Week with United holding many
fun-filled activities and contests
throughout the week.
The month of February will end
with the Public Speaking CDE
contest on the 25th.
RED STORM FANS
SHOW YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT
ORDER A YARD SIGN TODAY
Signs are made of all-weather plastic with vinyl
lettering to withstand the outdooe elements.
Signs are 3’ x 2’ and come with two metal stakes
for displaying in your yard. All sports and
activities are available.
BEST WISHES FOR A
GREAT 08-09 YEAR
From a United Backer
LOVDAHL & SHIMMIN, INC.
Cost is $25 and includes the sign, two stakes and
one decal. Additional decals available for $5
each. Proceeds benefit the United High School
sophomore class.
Contact Michelle Kaywood at 337-7889 to
place your order. Delivery is available.
220 east broadway
monmouth, il 61462
309-734-7109
309-734-4492 FAX
PORTER INSURANCE AGENCY
DEBBIE MEEKER-KING, Agent
200 East Broadway Monmouth, IL 61462
309-734-7234 [email protected]
Feb. North Campus Menu
Feb. West Campus Menu
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
2
Sausage Pizza
Green Beans
Pear Half
Cookie
3
Italian Chicken
Pasta Salad
Carrots
Applesauce
4
Tenderloin
French Fries
Mand. Oranges
Teddy Graham
5
Chicken Strips
Broccoli/Cheese
Tropical Fruit
Cookie
6
Stormburger
Tator Triangle
Peach Half
Fruit Roll-Up
2
Tenderloin
Potato Puffs
Mixed Fruit
3
Fiestada Pizza
Corn
Pears
No Bake Cookie
4
Grilled Chicken
Lettuce/Tomato
Mixed Veggies
Fruit Yogurt
5
Spaghetti w/
Meatballs
Tossed Salad
Applesauce
6
Hot Dog
Hash Browns
Peaches
Breakfast Stick
Cereal/PopTart
Bacon & Donut
Cereal/Muffin
French Toast
Nutrigrain Bar
Taster Pastry
Omelet & Toast
Cereal & Donut
Danish Pastry
9
ChickNoodles
Mashed Potato
Mixed Veggies
Pineapple
10
Cheeseburger
Chips & Salsa
Corn
Mixed Fruit
11
Hot Turkey
Tator Tots
Apricots
Cookie
12
Chili
Cheese Sticks
Carrots & Dip
Pear Half
13
Breaded Chick
Peas
Tropical Fruit
Cherry Cake
9
BBQ Pork Rib
Green Beans
Pineapple
Cookie
10
Turkey Wrap
Tomato Soup
Applesauce
11
Taco
Lettuce/Cheese
Corn
Jello
12
Chicken Noodles
Mashed Potatoes
Mixed Fruit
13
Chili
Cheese up
Mini Carrots
Pears
Cinn. Tastry
Cereal/Toast
Sausage Biscuit
Cereal/PopTart
Bacon & Donut
Sausage Biscuit
Cereal
Break. Burrito
Cereal
Muffins
16
NO SCHOOL
17
Spaghetti
Garlic Sticks
Green Beans
Applesauce
18
Hot Dog
Coney Sauce
Tator Triangle
Mixed Fruit
19
Ham AuGratin
Mixed Veggies
Mand Oranges
Fruit Roll-Up
20
Hamburger
French Fries
Peach Half
Cookie
16
NO SCHOOL
17
Escalloped
Chicken
Green Beans
Pineapple &
Mand. Oranges
18
Super Nachos
Mexican Corn
Applesauce
19
Cheesy Sausage
Pasta
Cole Slaw
Pears
20
Pancake Wrap
Hash Browns
Orange Half
Muffin
Cereal/Muffin
Bacon & Donut
Cereal & Toast
Cinn. Biscuit
Bacon & Donut
Cereal & Donut
Cereal & Toast
Breakfast Pizza
23
Chick Nuggets
Mashed Potato
Mixed Veggies
Pineapple
24
BBQ Rib
Tator Tots
Corn
Pudding Cup
25
Grilled Cheese
Tomato Soup
Tropical Fruit
Fruit Roll-Up
26
Crispito
Lettuce/Tomato
Peach Half
Cookie
27
NO LUNCH
23
Chicken Patty
Oven Potatoes
Peaches
Grahams
24
Cheeseburger
Corn
Applesauce
No Bake Cookie
25
Sausage Pizza
7-Layer Salad
Pears
Trail Mix
26
Chicken Nuggets
Potatoes/Gravy
Sliced Carrots
Pudding
Roll & Butter
27
NO LUNCH
Breakfast Pizza
Cereal/PopTart
Pancakes
Cereal/Muffin
Muffins
Cereal
Bacon & Donut
Cereal & Donut
President’s Day
School Improvement Day
President’s Day
Frank Zucker
Consultant
P. O. Box 5151 Phone 309-283-2805
Rock Island, IL FAX 866-353-3137
61204-5151 [email protected]
1201 W. Broadway
734-9494
School Improvement Day
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FEB. 28
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February High School Menu
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
2
Fiestada
Chips & Cheese
Spanish Rice
Mixed Veggies
3
Chicken Patty
Chips
Baked Beans
Peaches
4
Chicken Fried Steak
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Peas Hot Rolls
Mandarin Oranges
5
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Garlic Bread
Salad
Pears
6
Pizza
Chips
Green Beans
Pineapple Cake
9
Crispitos
Chips & Cheese
Spanish Rice Corn
Mandarin Oranges
16
NO SCHOOL
10
Cheeseburger
French Fries
Scalloped Corn
Pears
17
BBQ Rib Sandwich
French Fries
Baked Beans
Mixed Fruit
24
Chefrite
French Fries
Green Beans
Peaches
11
Chili or Chicken Soup
Peanut Butter Sandwich
Mixed Vegetables
Fruit Snack Cookie
18
Chicken Nuggets
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Green Beans
Fruit Crisp Ice Cream
25
Salisbury Steak
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Corn Hot Rolls
Mixed Fruit
12
Chili Dogs
French Fries
Baked Beans
Peaches
19
Goulash
Cheesy Bread Sticks
Peas
Peaches
26
Lasagna
Garlic Bread
Salad
Mandarin Oranges
13
Macaroni & Cheese
Little Smokies
Green Beans
Pink Applesauce
20
Fish Sandwich
Chips Corn
Mandarin Oranges
Cake
27
NO LUNCH
PRESIDENT’S DAY
23
Burritos
Chips & Cheese
Spanish Rice
Mixed Veggies
11:30 DISMISSAL
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Equal Housing Lender
Alpha 629-4361 ~ Aledo 582-3150 ~ Alexis 482-5511
New Windsor 667-2735 ~ Viola 596-2189 ~ Woodhull 334-2802
visit our web site at: www.fsbwil.com
Member
FDIC
February Calendar
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
1
2
BBB LTC Trny TBA
3
BBB LTC TrnyTBA
4
BBB LTC Trny TBA
5
BBB LTC Trny TBA
6
BBB LTC Trny TBA
7
BBB LTC Trny TBA
GBB vs Princeville
GBB vs Aledo
GBB @ Alwood
JHGBB @ Mon.
Rville
JHGBB vs ICS
Schol Bowl @ United
8
All boys basketball
games are played
at the Fieldhouse in
Alexis beginning at
6:00 pm unless noted
9
GBB Regionals Begin
10
BBB vs ROWVA
Frosh BBB vs
Wethersfield 6pm
11
12
United Sports Booster F/JV BBB vs BPC
Mtg @ High School
6:00 pm
Schol Bowl @ United
GBB vs Cambridge
1pm
Speech Regionals
@ Limestone
13
BBB vs West Central
14
JHGBB vs Orion
Speech Sectionals
@ DeKalb
JHGBB vs Costa
School Board Mtg @
North Campus 7pm
15
All girls basketball
games are played at
the South Campus
beginning at 6:00 pm
unless noted
16
NO SCHOOL
PRESIDENT’S DAY
22
All junior high
basketball games are
played at the West
Campus beginning at
5:30 pm
23
GBB Supersectionals
17
BBB @ Princeville
18
JHGBB @ Cambridge
19
Schol Bowl @ United
GBB Sectionals Begin
20
BBB @ Aledo
21
BBB @ Williamsfield
Speech State Finals
@ Belleville
Speech State Finals
@ Belleville
ICTM Regionals
BBB Regionals Begin
JHGBB vs ROWVA
24
25
JHGBB @ Wethersfield
26
Schol Bowl @ Stark
County
27
GBB State Finals
11:30 Dismissal
28
FS BBB @ Elmwood
Tournament TBA
GBB State Finals
Ag Alumni 3-on-3
Despite weather, United winter activities are hot
No bull: UHS cheerleaders work
out at Chicago’s United Center
United High School’s cheerleading squad was afforded a rare
opportunity ahead of Christmas
break: a chance to work out with
the Chicago Bulls’ cheerleaders
at the United Center.
The girls performed a dance
routine and were part of an
afternoon competition. Unfortunately, United’s squad finished
third in their division, with the
top two teams being given the
opportunity to perform at that
night’s Chicago Bulls game.
Even though they didn’t perform, the girls were treated to
an exciting 113-104 Bulls’ win
as Ben Gordon scored 29 points
and Derrick Rose had nine of his
22 in the fourth quarter to lead
Chicago to the victory over the
New Jersey Nets.
More than 30 United parents,
family and friends also attended
the game that night
Pictured left at center court
are (top row, from left to right)
Melissa McDonald, Ivy Shepard,
Krissy Mason and Macy Sprout;
(center row, left to right) Amanda
Sage, Trisha Swanson, Lyndsey
Fredrickson and Caiti Kozelichki; and (bottom row, left to right)
Lindsey Brentise and Megan
VanSkike.
By Katy Schrader
The Fellowship of Christian
Athletes has been recuperating
from the December food and
gift drives with weekly meetings
and devotions in the month of
January. The main focus of the
club has lately been to encourage fellow peers to attend Teens
Encounter Christ (TEC), a faithbased weekend retreat located in
Moline that is open to any high
school student at least 16 years
of age.
The journey begins on a Saturday morning and ends Monday
afternoon. Transportation can
be provided. A TEC weekend
is held every month, December
through June, and alternates from
guys to girls each time.
TEC is composed of homemade meals, games, lots of cookies, and....surprises. The retreat
is held at a special community
center made just for the purpose of holding TEC weekends.
Everyone who has attended TEC
enjoyed their time spent there
and encourages their fellow peers
to consider the experience.
If you are interested in going to
TEC, you can get an application
from Mr. Johnson or any student
in FCA.
FCA is plans to host a presentation by Mr. and Mrs. Marty
Johnson at United High School
in late February. The parents of
high school students Elizabeth
and Brittany Johnson, Mr. and
Mrs. Johnson have twice made
a trip to Cambodia to volunteer
at a center called Rapha House,
which rescues young Cambodian
girls from the sex slave trade
and teaches them basic skills and
Christianity to better their lives
after leaving the safe house.
The Johnsons plan on presenting a slide show of their trip and
a detailed account of what they
do there.
If you are interested in attending this motivating presentation,
contact an FCA member, Mr.
Zink, or Mr. Johnson in February
to learn when it will be held.
TEC on minds of FCA
United cheerleaders at the House that Michael Built
Speech team solid heading
into Kessler’s final stretch
By Julie Gunter
The United Speech team, led
by coach Deb Kessler, has put up
a solid season thus far. Sending
Marina Eagen to finals at the first
meet in Metamora and placing
third in sweeps at the Monmouth-Roseville invite, the team
started off on the right foot.
The last meet, on January 10
at Canton, saw 11 of the team’s
15 entries make finals, netting a
fourth place finish overall.
The stats rack up as follows:
Kristy Schwass - 7th in declamation, Logan Hickerson - 6th in
prose reading, Cecilia Prentice
- 6th in declamation, Joe Wood
- 5th in humorous interpretation,
Maisie Hendrickson - 5th in
original oratory, Grace Simpson
- 4th in extemporaneous speaking, Marina Eagen - 2nd in
special occasion speaking, and
Jake Armstrong - 2nd in original
comedy. Armstrong also finished
third with Beth Johnson for their
humorous duet, and Johnson
received 2nd with Katy Schrader
for the ladies’ dramatic duet.
One invite, the Lincoln Trail
Conference meet, and Regionals remain on the speech team’s
schedule for this season.
This will signal a fond farewell
to Coach Kessler, as she retires
at the end of this year, after five
years of holding rank as coach at
United and several more as head
of former Yorkwood’s speech
team.
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Approval of LTC and WPT co-ops for 2009-2010
means altering schedules for United athletics
However, future of the
two conferences remains in limbo
With United casting the deciding ballot at the January meeting
of the Lincoln Trail Conference, approval was given for the
Alwood and Cambridge school
districts to co-op volleyball, golf,
cross country and boys and girls’
basketball for the 2009-2010
school year.
The two schools already co-op
baseball, softball and boys and
girls’ track.
The two schools will not be
allowed to co-op football until
the 2010-2011 school year, at the
earliest.
Agreement between the
Alwood and Cambridge athletic directors will mean using
Alwood’s volleyball schedule
and Cambridge’s basketball
schedules next year.
For United athletic director
Tony Kozelichki, that means
finding another non-conference
opponent in each sport to go with
the holes in the schedule already
being created by the loss of
Westmer, which next year consolidates with Aledo under the
moniker “Mercer County Golden
Eagles.”
“Finding non-conference opponents is getting harder at this
point in the year as most team’s
already have contracts to fill out
their allotted number of games,”
said Kozelichki.
“The IHSA limits the number
of single games we can play in
both volleyball and basketball
based on the number of tournaments we’re in, so once a team
has it’s full schedule, there’s no
way to squeeze in another game.
“I expect we’ll still play the
maximum number of games
allowed, but it might mean travelling a little further and playing a school we don’t normally
schedule.”
It appears the dilemna regarding the football schedule has
been solved.
The IHSA has given approval
for a one-year extension of the
Alwood-ROWVA football co-op
for 2009.
Alwood had sought approval
from the West Prairie Trail Conference to co-op football with
Cambridge, while ROWVA had
sought a similar agreement with
Galva-Williamsfield.
Both proposals were rejected a
second time at the January meet-
ing of the WPT Board of Control.
With the Alwood-ROWVA coop continuing, United is expected
to play the same schedule as it
had this past season, unless other
changes are made..
For the Red Storm, that will
mean home varsity games on
September 11 versus Stark
County, October 2 against Alwood-ROWVA, Ocotber 16 with
Peoria Heights, and October 23
versus Elmwood-Brimfield.
The United freshman-sophomore team would have five home
games, on both Mondays and
Tuesdays, depending upon scheduling around the Labor Day and
Columbus Day holidays.
Still to be determined is the future of both the West Prairie and
rience was good for them.
“It was a real neat experience.
The boys probably don’t realize
how neat it was, but when they
get older, they will”.
Following the Moline game,
the Red Storm lost a heartbreaker to Rockridge, 39-38. They
went on to beat a struggling
Galva team 66-56. They lost to
Annawan, 80-37, then played
Westmer and went down early
10-0 without scoring until late
in the first quarter. At the end of
halftime, the Red Storm had a
lead, but not a comfortable one
they were hoping for.
After halftime, it looked like
a completely different team, as
same schools as the Prairieland
for future expansion.
Prairieland, Olympic and West
Central Conference schools,
along with several others in
neighboring conferences have
received letters of inquiry from
the Lincoln Trail Conference.
Included in that group is Monmouth-Roseville, an Olympic
Conference school.
Additionally, the Storm Tracker
has learned the Olympic Conference, iteself, is soliciting for new
members and has sent invitation
letters to several LTC schools,
including newly consolidated
Aledo-Westmer. Aledo had been
an Olumpic Conference school
until two years ago when it
joined the LTC>
Girls already double 07-08 win total
By Anton Kozelichki
For the 2008-2009 Red Storm
girls basketball team, having
3 out of 4 games cancelled is
tough. “It wasn’t just that we
missed games, it was that we
weren’t able to practice either,” said coach Dennis Mann.
“Having so many practices and
games in a row, and then have a
Boys continue up & down season
By Anton Kozelichki
For the Red Storm boys
basketball team, improvement is
very big in
the eyes of head coach Jim
Noonan. “Overall, we have improved a decent amount, but we
still have a lot to improve upon.
First, is consistency. We have
shown spurts of being a very
good team, but we need to stay
consistent”.
After the West Carroll tournament, the boys had a special
oppurtunity when they played
the Moline Maroon junior varsity
team at the historic Wharton
Fieldhouse. The boys lost, but
coach Noonan thought the expe-
Lincoln Trail Conferences.
With the neighboring Prairieland Conference indicating it
will pull out of the West Prairie
Trail at the end of the 2009
football season, the survival of
the conference beyond next year
is in doubt.
Additionally, United is among
a number of schools that has
received a letter inviting it to
become a future member of the
Prairieland Conference which is
seeking to expand from its current nine team base to as many as
16 teams.
At the January principals’ meeting, Lincoln Trail Conference
schools voted to extend invitations to a number of area schools,
as well, targeting many of the
their defense was very good and
offense changed dramatically as
they went on to win 57-29.
The LTC tourney begins Saturday, with the schedule available
on the school’s website.
stretch of no practices or games,
it throws off your rhythm. Also,
because the games are rescheduled, there will be a time when
we have a lot of games and little
practice.”
The girls were scheduled to
play Abingdon on December
22, but because of weather, the
game was cancelled. It will not
be rescheduled. The Cambridge
and Alwood games were also
cancelled and have been rescheduled for January 30 and February
5, respectively.
The girls recently finished the
Lincoln Trail Conference Tournament with a record of 2-3.
The girls started out facing
Aledo, winning by a score of
55-42 with Gina Long scoring 20
and Bre Christian scoring 12.
In the second game, the Red
Storm lost to the IHSA’s class
1A number 3 ranked team, West
Central, by a score of 55-36 with
recent Review Atlas Athlete of
the Week Mollie Murdock scoring 10.
The Lady Storm went on to
beat Cambridge 60-47, but lost
senior Victoria Fredrickson,
when she broke her wrist with 10
seconds left in the game. Long
scored 21 and Murdock scored
11 for the Storm.
In the final game for United,
the girls, who had an 11 point
lead at one point, couldn’t pull
Sophomore Gina Long has
consistently led the girls in
scoring throughout the year.
out the victory losing to ROWVA, 56-51, with Long scoring 13
and sophomore Brooke Armstrong scoring 10.
“That’s been our biggest
problem all year. We can’t finish
games. We’ve had three games
that were winnable, but we
couldn’t pull it out,” said coach
Mann.
The Red Storm is currently
8 and 13 which already doubles
their win total from last year.
“We kind of expected to have
more wins this year, but it wasn’t
as good as we thought. We need
to learn how to close games out
because that’s when we struggle”
said Mann.
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