Volume 1 Issue 8 - Unit School District #304

DELIVER TO BOXHOLDER
Volume 1, Issue 8
IN THIS ISSUE:
Breakfast gets a thumbs up p. 2
Student ambassador to head to
England
p. 2
Third quarter honor roll
p. 3
Busy month for ag
p. 4
So long, Mrs. Youngquist
p. 5
March a big month for UHS
band and choir
p. 7
Girls’ hoops sees change at the
helm for ‘05-06 season
p. 8
IMPORTANT
DATES TO
REMEMBER...
Bobby Dunlap Relays
Due to inclement weather on
April 23, the Bobby Dunlap
Relays will be held Saturday,
April 30, beginning at 10:00
a.m. at United High School.
Prom
The first United High School
prom is set for Saturday, May 7.
See page three for full details.
Graduation
Commencement exercises for
the Class of 2005 will take place
on Sunday, May 29. See page 2
for full details.
STORM ALERTS
Scholarship Available
Chapter G of the P.E.O. is
offering a book scholarship to
a graduating senior girl from
United High School who plans
to attend college. Any interested
girl may applying by sending a
letter to:
Barbara Roseberry
2000 N. Broad Street
Galesburg, IL 61401
The letter should include the
following: school, community
and church activities, goals, and
grade point average. The letter
must be received by May 4.
STORM
TRACKER
THE United High School Newspaper
WYSE places 8th in State
By Eric Hanson
At time t=0, an object is
dropped from rest above the
surface of some planet. Let X23
represent the distance fallen by
the object between t=2s and t=3s.
Similarly, let X12 represent the
distance fallen between t=1s and
t=2s. Assuming the object falls
with constant, non-zero acceleration, what is the ratio X23/X12?
Can you answer that question?
United’s Steven Gillen,
Stephen Eyler, and Laura Cruce
obviously could.
These individuals, along with
Sarah Wildbahn, all placed at
the WYSE (Worldwide Youth
in Science and Engineering)
state competition on April 14. In
the physics division, Eyler and
Cruce tied for fifth place, while
Gillen came away with a sixth
place medal. Sarah Wildbahn
received fifth place honors in
graphics engineering, a course
that is not offered at United.
Wildbahn took her own time to
study a very large graphics book,
and it obviously paid off.
Members of United’s WYSE team that placed eighth in
state competition, held April 14 at the University of Illinois. The team is coached by Mr. Ben McIntosh.
Mr. Ben McIntosh has been
The United team as a whole
the WYSE (previously JETS)
finished eighth overall.
coach since 1980. If you have
To get to the state competition,
ever been in the long time
400 schools in four different
teacher/coach’s classroom, you
divisions each enter their own
would know that he takes this
regional, which adds up to
competition very seriously. His
about 6,000 students. The top
two schools and any individual
winners move on to sectionals,
where the same system applies to By Curt Pratt
The United ICTM (Illinois
get to state.
Council of Teachers of Math)
The Red Storm won the
team will compete in the
regional and finished second at
state contest at the University
sectionals to qualify for the state
of Illinois at Champaign on
finals held at the University of
Saturday, April 30.
Illinois.
The team earned a trip to
state after winning the regional
competition at WIU in Macomb.
The competition consists
of a first period where
participants take a test in their
math classification (Algebra I,
geometry, Algebra II, and precalculus).
The second period is full of
more team competition. There
is a fresh/soph and varsity
Sarah Wildbahn, Laura Cruce, Steven Eyler, and Steeight person team where
phen Gillen each took honors at the WYSE finals.
members work together on 20
walls are covered with plaques
and awards he proudly displays.
“The Academic Challenge
(WYSE) gives the students
insight to the high level of
academic ability of students
throughout the state,” said
McIntosh. “It motivates them
to become prepared for the
challenges they will encounter at
the college level.”
At the state level, the WYSE
competition is dominated by
private schools. Of the top ten
teams, seven of them were
private. The Red Storm placed
third highest among the public
schools, following Heyworth and
Athens, which are both larger
than United.
By the way, the answer is 5/3.
UHS math team also set for finals
problems for 20 minutes without
calculators. Also occurring
during the second period is the
calculator competition where
five students use a calculator
to answer math questions. That
particular team consists of one
person from each grade and
along with two seniors.
The third period has a two
person team competition where
team members work together
to get the answer the fastest.
Another competition that is held
is the relay, which is only held
at the state level. That team
consists of four individuals who
work together much like the two
person team.
This is the 25th year for the
competition.
Mock crash shows effects of drunk driving
A stark reminder of the
dangers of drunken driving was
delivered to United High School
students on Friday, April 8.
“Operation Prom Night,” a
program organized by the Galesburg Hospital Ambulance Service (GHAS), involved a mock
drunk driving accident involving
six United High School students.
Those students were presented
as having been involved in a
head-on collision between a car
driven by an intoxicated prom
Booster Club
The United Booster Club
accepts memberships throughout
the school year, not just at the
beginning of the first semester.
Dues are $5 per person. The
Booster Club supports more than
just United athletics. For more
information visit the “Boosters”
link on the district website at
www.united.k12.il.us
PRSRT. STD.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
ALEXIS, IL
61412
PERMIT NO. 9
OSF’s LifeFlight helicopter
was among the emergency vehicles used in the
Prom Night demonstration
goer and a vehicle in which all
the occupants were sober.
The United students were
dressed in tuxedos and formal
gowns and were wearing makeup
as a reminder of the types of injuries that occur in such wrecks.
One student was depicted as
having been killed in the accident
and was removed from the scene
in a hearse.
The other students were loaded
into ambulances, while one was
taken to a LifeFlight helicopter,
which was among the emergency
vehicles at the scene.
OSF St. Mary Medical Center
provided the helicopter, which
landed on the United football
field, and its crew.
Also participating were ambulances from GHAS and Alexis
Ambulance Service, squad cars
from the Illinois State Police
and the Warren County Sheriff’s
Department, and Warren County
Coroner William Underwood.
The Monmouth Fire Depart-
United students participating in “Operation Prom Night”
included (from left to right) Danellia Connell, Nick
Atwell, Sarah Holman, Drew Johnson, Anna Damos,
Megan Jensen, and Tyler Schleich.
ment was also on hand to
demonstrate the “Jaws of Life,”
which was used to extract the
victims from the automobiles.
Following the demonstration
Underwood addressed United
students regarding his job and
the responsibility he has of
informing family members of
real incidents such as the one
depicted at United.
Among those he has been in-
volved include a fatal drunk driving accident where the innocent
victim was the sister of United
principal Lance Thurman, who
gave an emotional address as part
of the program.
“Operation Prom Night” has
targeted area high schools over
the past ten years in response to
the large number of drunk driving fatalities on prom and graduation nights.
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.
Breakfast program
popular with students
By Curt Pratt
On Monday, April 11, United
instituted a breakfast program for
all ages at both campuses.
The program starts at 7:30
with the grade school kids then
progresses with the high school
and junior high.
Each day will offer a different
breakfast item along with fruit
juice or milk. The items range
from muffins, pop tarts, pretzels,
snackbars, and cereal as the
program progresses.
“Hopefully the program goes
well,” said Dianna Jones, head
cook of the South Campus. “I
think the kids will really enjoy
it.”
“The breakfast program is very
good,” said sophomore Levi
Cox, who says he’s only eaten
breakfast at UHS a few times,
but likes the selection of food
available.
“It’s really nice, because it
allows me to sleep longer and I
can still get breakfast and not be
hungry all day,” said Cox.
The breakfast program is being
paid, in part, by a $7000 grant
the district received earlier this
spring.
Thurman: Legislative proposal would hurt students
By Kylie Logsdon
Recently, Governor Rod
Blagojevich proposed to
increase high school graduation
requirements.
The bill would require students
to take a minimum of two years
of science, three years of math,
and four years of English with
two writing-intensive courses.
Currently, requirements are just
one year of science, two years of
math and three years of English.
No writing course is required.
Blagojevich stated that money
used to pay for the proposal
would come from the nineriverboat casinos adding more
gambling machines.
The bill is now before the full
Senate after a Senate committee
approved the plan which
wouldalso provide more highlevel Advancement Placement
classes.
“It still has a long way to go
to be in effect,” stated United
High School principal Lance
Thurman. Thurman says he does
not know how the state is going
to provide money for schools to
implement this plan “because
the state budget is already in
debt. I do not feel that more
gambling positions at riverboats
will provide the money needed
in order to add the additional
classes that could be required to
graduate high school.”
Thurman also feels the
proposed requirements would
take away the elective classes
that students wish to take.
Thurman says the requirements
are almost pushing students to go
in a certain direction for which
they may not wish to go.
While the requirements would
expose students to more of what
the standardized tests measure,
all in all he does not feel it is an
advantage for students.
United High School counselor
Kay Shaver says the change in
requirements would eliminate a
number of classes.
“It cuts down on electives
because you would have to take
more English classes, etc.” said
Shaver.
United student ambassador
readies for overseas tour
Senior Nick Atwell will represent United High School as
part of the nationwide Student
Ambassador program this coming summer.
The program, begun during
the Eisenhower Administration,
allows students to travel abroad,
learn about different cultures,
and get hands on experience
while meeting new people.
A group of 39 student ambassadors from this area of the state
will depart for England on June
22 and return July 12.
The first stop on the tour will
be London, and the ambassadors
will stay with host families.
During their stay they must do
chores and help the family.
Among their stops in London
will be a visit to Parliament,
Buckingham Palace, and the
Tower of London. The students
will also take in a Shakespearean
play.
Following their tour of London, the ambassadors will head
to Scotland where they will
attend a number of festivals and
medieval re-enactments, and will
tour several castles and see Loch
Ness. While in Scotland, the
students will learn native dances
and how to play the bagpipes.
A trip to Wales will include
a walk and shopping along the
Royal Mile, which leads to the
Royal Castle, along with a tour
of Welsh University.
By Tyler Nelson
The Class of 2005 will graduate on Sunday, May 29, at 2:00
p.m.
Ceremonies will be held at
the United football field. In the
case of inclement weather, the
commencement will be moved to
the United Fieldhouse. Should
weather force the latter, the
announcement will be made on
area radio stations and will be
posted at each building.
Mr. David Norman, a former
recruiter and admissions counselor for Ohio Technical College
who now runs his own business,
will be the keynote speaker.
Valedictorians and salutatorians from each of the former
Alexis and Warren districts will
be honored, among the nearly 60
graduates. Male graduates will
wear black robes, while female
graduates will be clad in red.
The United High School band
and choir will each perform during the ceremony.
Graduation practice, which is
mandatory for all seniors, will
take place at 9:00 a.m. on Friday,
May 27.
An academic awards night is
scheduled for Tuesday, May 24,
at the United High School gymnasium at 7:00 p.m.
United senior Nick Atwell
A final tour stop will be in
Ireland, where the ambassadors
will once again stay with a host
family. Among the highlights
in Ireland include hang-gliding
and the opportunity to kiss the
Blarney Stone.
Each of the ambassadors is expected to maintain a journal and
take photos throughout the trip,
which costs more than $5000.
2005 graduation set
United students named to third quarter honor roll
United students named to the
third quarter honor roll for the
nine-week period ending March
18 are as follows:
High Honors (3.501-4.00 with no
D’s or F’s)
7th Grade: Alex Buckert, Blake
Callihan, Jenna Fox, Duncan
Nall, Elizabeth Olson, Zach
Steele, Kaitlyn Winkler, Carissa
Youngquist
8th Grade: Katie Allaman, Blake
Anderson, Chase Chavero,
Breanna Christian, Jake Kenney,
Patrick Olin, Chris Olson,
Preston Powell, Megan Vanskike
Freshman: Sarah Armstrong,
Ben Battenburg, Aaron Corben,
Cassandra Hawks, Larissa
Prentice, Laura Stahl, Andrew
Teague, Taylor Willett
Sophomore: Rachel Damos,
Leigha Dillard, Michaela Eagen,
Patrick Gavin, Jay Grant, Matt
Grose, Nick Hanson, Laney
Morgan, Jake Murdock, Lauren
Powell, Kayla Winkler
Junior: Lindsey Anderson,
Ryan Armstrong, Aaron Barr,
Jason Bishop, Amy Brown,
Emily Elliott, Alex Fox, Aaron
Gavin, Renee Ischer, Allison
Lam, Rebecca Layer, Amber
Liniger, Michael Long, Chelsea
Macek, Jenna McIntosh, Marci
Patterson, Curt Pratt, Nick Snow,
Tara Van Fleet, Karl Wenzel,
Sara Wenzel, Andrew Yung
Senior: Holly Aden, Brian
Bertelsen, Becky Bridges,
Brandon Bruns, Aaron Carr,
Betsy Caslin, Amanda Chavero,
Ryan Condreay, Alex Corben,
Anna Damos, Beth Eyler,
Stephen Eyler, Steven Gillen,
Gabe Golden, Justin Haase,
Eric Hanson, Brad Herron,
Sarah Holman, Nick Ischer,
Billy Johnson, Brian Johnson,
Drew Johnson, Justine Johnston,
Brandon Knapp, Greg McGraw,
Laci McKelvie, Cory Meador,
Terry Miller, Tyler Nelson,
Priyanka Patel, Stephen Pence,
Chuck Reynolds, Hayley Tyree,
Jared Van Fleet, Lucas Wood,
T.W. Wooddell
and travel to Chicago Thursday
morning, stay at the Chicago
Hilton and Towers on South
Michigan Avenue overnight, and
return via Amtrak Friday night.
While attending the convention, the students will listen to
various guest speakers, interact
with student council members
from across the state, and bring
back ideas to improve United’s
Student Council and the activities it sponsors throughout the
school year.
Petitions for prospective 20052006 members will be available
in August, when the new school
year begins.
After prom party setting changed
STUCO officers head to
Windy City convention
By Tyler Nelson
The newly elected Student
Council officers will be attending the Student Council State
Convention in Chicago on May
5 and 6.
Attending will be United student council president Chelsea
Macek, vice-president Tara Van
Fleet, treasurer Rachel Damos,
and secretary Nick Hanson.
Chaperoning will be student
council advisor Mrs. Brooke Anderson and business teacher Mr.
Joel Zink, subbing for student
council advisor Mrs. Jennifer
Stoneking who is on maternity
leave.
. The group will board a train
7th Grade: Jacob Armstrong,
Jacklyn Barnhouse, Scott
Duncan, Danielle Hartzell,
Katie Hook, Sam Mackey,
Josh Munson, Molly Murdock,
Adam Olin, Amanda Sage, Faith
Schleich, Grace Simpson
8th Grade: Teri Jones, Sarah
McCrery, Eric Olson, Macy
Sprout, Raquel Valencia, Jerry
Wildbahn
Freshman: Erin Bickerton,
Kayla Bishop, Katie Donaldson,
Colt Foster, Vinnie Fritsch,
Nicole Hennenfent, Ian Nelson,
Matt Olin, Courtney Young,
Nicole Yung
Sophomore: Mark Connell,
Alexander Nall, Corey Rundle
Junior: Lindy Allen, Joe
Battenburg, Sean Bertelsen,
Megan Jensen, Rachel Olson,
Tyler Schleich, Ashley Trout,
Andy West, Katie Widener,
Samantha Young
Senior: Nick Atwell, Jeanine
Fox, Kaili Fredrickson, Sara
Hawk, Hilary Leary, Justin
McGuire, Sarah Wildbahn, Zack
Youngquist
By Eric Hanson
The United High School Class
of 2007 is hosting their Second
Annual Golf Tournament on
Saturday, June 4. The tournament
will be held at Gibson Woods
Golf Course in Monmouth
beginning at noon.
Teams of four golfers can
participate paying $50 per
person. There is a reduction in
fees for participants that have
a season pass to Givson Woods
and/or a cart.
There will be prizes for the
longest drive, longest putt, and
closest to the pin on designated
holes. A free dinner and awards
ceremony at the clubhouse
around 5:00 P.M. immediately
follows play.
The first place team will receive
a $200 cash prize, second place
will receive White Sox tickets
and parking passes, and all
other participants will receive
door prizes donated by local
businesses.
Any teams interested in
participating in the golf
tournament will need to prepay
to reserve a spot. Registration
information is available from any
United High School sophomore
or contact Chris Gavin, 7347349, or Roger Watson, 5639691.
Registration forms are due by
Monday, May 23.
By Kylie Logsdon
The United High School
prom will be held May 7 at the
Prairie Inn (formerly Jumers) in
Galesburg.
Portraits by Buff will begin
taking pictures at 5:00 p.m. and
will end at 6:00 p.m. Packages
of the picture options will be
handed out to the students before
prom.
At 6:30 p.m. the Grand March
will take place with other
ceremonies commencing at
10:00p.m. Dinner will begin at
7:00 p.m.
The menu includes fettucccini
alfredo or rosemary chicken.
Ticket price is $15 per person,
opposed to $20 as earlier.
DJ Troy Nelson will be
providing music from 7:30 until
11:00 p.m.
Due to renovation of the pool
at the Galesburg YMCA, the
after prom party will now be
held at the Monmouth YMCA.
Students will still only have
an hour to get to this location.
Students may begin arriving at
11:45 p.m. and can also plan
on changing clothes there. The
students must remain in the
YMCA until 5:00 a.m. at which
time students will be dismissed.
If students are not at the party
by midnight, parents will be
notified. If a student decides to
leave before 5:00 a.m, a parent is
required to pick him/her up at the
YMCA and sign their child out.
There is no cost to attend the
after prom party, however a
permission slip was sent out to
each parent notifying them of the
occasion and a parental signature
is required.
Honors (3.00-3.50 with no D’s
or F’s)
Sophs set golf fundraiser
UHS ag program busy until year’s end
Freshman Condreay
restoring mower
By Tony Hill and Terry Miller
United High School’s ag
program is heading into its final
few weeks of the year, but isn’t
slwoing down one bit.
United freshman Adam
Condreay finds himself in
an unusual position. He’s
working to convert a 15 year
old lawnmower into a fully
functional garden tractor.
Condreay’s work is part of his
FFA Supervised Agricultural
Experience project in Mechanics
Repair and Maintenance.
He’s been working on the
mover for the past three months
in his family’s garage.
Brad Underwood, show
coordinator for the Maple City
Antique Tractor Association, and
a bus driver in the United School
District, has been assisting
Condreay on his project.
United freshman Adam Condreay (right) is working to
upgrade a lawnmower as part of his Agricultural Mechanics Repair and Maintanence program. Condreay is
being assisted by volunteer Brad Underwood (left).
larger tires, etc., then the cost
“I spoke to Mr. Cirks’ class in
January about antique tractors
could easily run between $2000
and Adam asked me if I’d be
and $3000.”
interested in helping him,” said
The Maple City Antique
Underwood.
Tractor Association has
“A project like Brad’s will
its own website at www.
probably cost less than $1000,
maplecitytractors.com
but if he wanted to spend the
FFA exchanges stumoney for a bigger engine,
United students display art
By Laine Martz
April 19 was the date for this
year’s Lincoln Trail Conference
Art Show.
The art show was held at Carl
Sandburg College in Galesburg
and all schools from the Lincoln
Trail Conference had students
with artwork present.
Attending the show from
United were Megan Carlson,
Barbra Dunbar, Jessica Lydic,
Brandon Knapp, Sarah Wildbahn,
Aaron Carr, and Samantha
Gipson.
Winners from United were
Brandon Knapp who took first
in oil painting and an honorable
mention in mixed media. Aaron
Carr took first and third in
landscape drawing. and Sarah
Wildbahn took first in wood
sculpture.
Along with art there were
workshops in which the
students could participate.
These workshops ranged from
glassblowing to bottle cap
jewelry design.
Students attended the show all
day and the art was open to the
public later in the evening.
dents with Chicago
area school
The United FFA recently
received a grant to visit another
FFA chapter in the state and proceeds from that grant will cover
all of the costs associated with
the trip.
Five students from the Chicagoland area came to United last
week to see what our agriculture
program is like and they also
visited a number of area farms.
Six students from United then
went to their school to compare
the agriculture programs.
On April 25-26, students from
Thornwood High School in
South Holland, Illinois, visited
United High School and the surrounding area.
On Monday, April 25, they
visited the school and also went
to Alexis Fire Equipment for
a tour. The day also included
stops at the Tony Van Fleet and
Bill and Rick Bertlesen farms,
followed by a dinner hosted by
FFA advisor Mr. Brian Cirks and
several chapter members.
On Tuesday, April 26, they
visited a dairy farm in Good
ThoHope, along with several
United students, and then headed
home.
On April 29-30 Mr. Cirks accompanied students Jared Van
Fleet, Terry Miller, Jason Lair,
Marshall Boney, Sean Bertelsen,
and Andrew Sherfey to South
Holland to see Thornwood’s
agriculture program.
South Holland is located only
about six miles from Chicago’s
far south side and is less than 10
miles from the Indiana border,
in what is certainly an urban, as
opposed to agricultural, area.
Brian Johnson of United
High School was recently
presented the school highest
agricultual honor, the DeKalb
Accomplishment Award,
sponsored by Monsanto
Company.
Johnson, the son of Rick
and Tina Fox and the late
Bruce Johnson, received
the award for excellence in
academics, leadership, and
agricultural work experience.
His significant experiences
and accomplishments included
chapter presidency, Section 4
treasurer, three year section
winner in record bookkeeping,
the state FFA degree, and chapter
star farmer
Over the past 58 years, more
than 152,000 high school seniors
across the country have received
the DeKalb Award. In 2004,
more than 2100 students from 49
states were recognized with this
award.
As the winner of the 2005
award, Johnson’s name will be
recorded on a permanent plaque
at United High School.
Monsanto has sponsored the
DeKalb Award, named for its
brand of seed, since 1998.
Monsanto honors United senior Brian Johnson with Ag’s highest award
2
9
16
23
Monday
May Elementary Lunch Menu
Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce
Green Beans
Pear Half
Garlic Stick
Burrito or Crispito
Lettuce & Tomato
Applesauce
Cookie
Corn Dog
Tator Tots
Fruit Crisp
Trail Mix
Cook’s Choice
Pasta
Vegetable
Fruit
BREAKFAST
5/2 Cereal & Muffin
5/9 Sausage Biscuit
5/16 Pop Tart & Cereal
5/23 Long John & Fruit
3
10
17
24
Tuesday
Ham & Cheese Sandwich
Baked Beans
Cinnamon Apples
Cookie
Pepperoni Pizza
Veggies & Dip
Strawberries
Marble Square
Tacos
Lettuce & Tomato
Refried Beans
Pudding Cup
Hot Dog
Hot Potato
Cook’s Choice
Fruit
BREAKFAST
5/3 Breakfast on a Stick
5/10 Long John & Bacon
5/17 Breakfast on a Stick
5/24 Cook’s Choice
Wednesday
4
Hot Dog w/Coney Sauce
Tator Wedges
Peaches
11
18
25
BBQ Pork Sandwich
Tator Tots
Broccoli & Cheese
Fruit Cocktail
Cheeseburger
French Fries
Mixed Vegetables
Apricots
Hot Turkey or BBQ Sandwich
Chips & Salsa
Fruit
Vegetable
BREAKFAST
5/4 Breakfast Pizza
5/11 Pop Tart & Yogurt
5/18 Cinnamon Twirl & Bacon
5/25 Cook’s Choice
Thursday
5
Hamburger
Chips & Salsa
Sweet Potatoes
Mixed Fruit
12
19
26
Deli Turkey Sandwich
Baked Beans
Pear Half
Chips & Salsa
Italian Chicken Sandwich
Pasta Salad
Sliced Carrots
Applesauce
BREAKFAST
5/5 Cinnamon Twirl & Yogurt
5/12 French Toast & Sausage
5/19 Cereal & Yogurt
6
Friday
Hot Turkey Sandwich
Tator Tots
Peas
Pineapple
13
20
27
Tenderloin
Tator Wedge
Peas
Cherry Freeze
Sub Sandwich
Chips
Corn
Fruit
BREAKFAST
5/6 Pop Tart & Cereal
5/13 Cereal & Muffin
5/20 Breakfast Pizza
Veteran elementary teacher Nancy Youngquist to retire
Other personnel issues leave United with
several positions to fill
for 2005-2006 term
By Kylie Logsdon
Retirments and a resignation
have left a number of holes to be
filled as the United School District looks forward to its second
year.
Sixteen-year veteran teacher
Nancy Youngquist is stepping
down after four years at Warren
and a year at United.
“It’s time to leave because I
want to be able to travel with
my husband (area farmer Gene
Youngquist) and spend more
time with my daughter in Chicago,” said Youngquist.
She also said with 12 grandchildren and seven children of
her own, she won’t have a lot of
idle time.
Youngquist, a graduate of
Western Illinois University, spent
the past year at United teaching
elementary physical education
and Title I reading at the South
Campus. In past years, she has
also taught self-contained second
and fourth grade classes.
Prior to coming to Warren,
Youngquist had teaching experience at AlWood Junior/Senior
High School, and Lombard
Junior High, Cook Elementary
and Gale Elementary, all located
in Galesburg.
Youngquist says she enjoys
sewing, reading, theatre, and skiing “even though I haven’t done
it in awhile.”
“I’m going to miss being a
part of the children’s lives,” said
Youngquist, “and I’ll miss working with my high school aides.”
In other personnel news, United Board members have granted
a one-year leave of absence to
high school English teacher Jen-
nifer DeJong, a ten-year teacher
at Warren and United..
There has been a lot of speculation as to DeJong taking her
year leave of abscence.
With a number of rumors
circulating, DeJong wants people
to know the real reason for her
year long absence is that her son
is going to be a senior next year
at Macomb High School and she
wants to be able to visit a number of colleges with him as he
prepares for the next four years
of his life. DeJong says she basically wants to be there for him
while he’s making a lot of major
life decisions.
“I have been putting students
here first. It’s also really difficult
trying to be involved with two
different school districts.” said
DeJong. “It’s a big job if you
want to do it well, and it takes a
lot of time.”
DeJong currently teaches freshman and junior English, along
with AP English for seniors.
An elementary position is also
available following the resignation of third grade teacher Alyce
Jenks.
An administrative team is currently interviewing candidates for
the position of district librarian,
which is open as a result of the
retirement of Mrs. Cheryl Schulz,
who will leave at year’s end.
Also to be filled is a junior high
social studies position as a result
of Mr. Jim McNamara’s retirement.
May Jr/Sr Lunch Menu
Taco Chalupa
Corn Chips/Nacho Cheese
Corn Spanish Rice
Mixed Fruit
Tuesday
3
Sub Sandwich
French Fries
Lima Beans Pears
Rice Krispie Treat
Wednesday
4
Chicken Fried Steak
Mashed Potatoes/Gravy
Peas
Fruit Crisp & Ice Cream
Thursday
5
Macaroni & Cheese
Little Smokies
Green Beans
Pink Applesauce
Friday
6
Deli Turkey Sandwich
Chips
Mixed Vegetables
Mixed Fuirt Cake
9
10
11
12
13
2
Monday
Crispito
Corn Chips/Nacho Sauce
Mixed Vegetables
Spanish Rice
Pineapple
16
Burritoes
Corn Chips & Cheese
Peas
Spanish Rice
Mandarin Oranges
23
Taco in a Bag
Spanish Rice
Layered Salad
Peaches Pudding
5/2
5/9
5/16
5/23
BREAKFAST
Cinnamon Muffin
Cinnamon Toast Bar
Nutri Grain Bar
Nutri Grain Bar
Chili Dog
French Fries
Baked Beans
Mandarin Oranges
17
24
5/3
5/10
5/17
5/24
BBQ on Bun
French Fries
Corn
Pears Cookie
Cheeseburger
French Fries
Baked Beans
Peaches Brownie
BREAKFAST
Doughnuts
Long John
Cereal
Jelly Doughnut
Chicken Patty on Bun
Potato Chips
Peas Peaches
Peanut Butter Square
18
Chicken & Noodles
Mashed Potatoes/Gravy
Green Beans
Peaches
25
5/4
5/11
5/18
5/25
19
Spaghetti & Meat Sauce
Green Beans
Chhese Bread
Pears
Chef Rite on Bun
French Fries
Mixed Vegetables
Pineapple
Pizza
Potato Chips
Corn
Mixed Fuirt Cake
20
Italian Chicken Sandwich
Nacho Chips & Cheese
Lima Beans
Mixed Fruit
Cake
Sub Sandwich
Chips
Green Beans Pears
Cookie
BREAKFAST
Pancake on a Stick
Sausage Breakfast Pizza
Cinnamon Pastries
Pancake on a Stick
BREAKFAST
5/5 Egg & Cheese Wrap
5/12 Doughnut
5/19 Pop Tart
BREAKFAST
5/6 Pop Tart
5/13 Pop Tart
5/20 Muffin
May 2005 Calendar
1
Sunday
Monday
2
Baseball @ Princeville
LTC F/S Track @
Wethersfield 3 pm
(Boys & girls)
8
9
Softball @ Aledo
Tuesday
3
Girls Track @ BPC
Invite 4 pm
10
Baseball @ Knoxville
LTC Varsity Track @
Wethersfield (B & G)
3:00 pm
15
22
29
Graduation 2 p.m.
30
Memorial Day
Friday
Saturday
6
7
Baseball @ Galva 4:30 Prom
Softball v. North Fulton PTO Skating Party
AP History Exam
Boys Track @
AP English Exam
Monmouth Relays 4:30
6th grade orientation @
South Campus
11
12
Baseball @
Williamsfield
Baseball v. Orion 11 am
3rd grade orientation @
North Campus
13
14
Girls Track Sectional @
Rockridge
Softball @ Williamsfield Baseball @ LaHarpe
16
17
Spring Fine Arts Festival Boys Track @ BPC
5 pm South Campus
Invite 4:00
23
Wednesday
Thursday
4
5
Baseball v. Alwood 4 pm Softball v. Knoxville
JV Baseball @
Softball @ Union
Monmouth 4:00 pm
18
20
21
19
Cheerleading Workshop Cheerleading Workshop Boys Track Sectional @
3:30 South Campus
Monmouth
3:30 South Campus
Cheerleading Workshop
3:30 South Campus
24
25
Academic Awards Night JH Awards Assembly
7 pm
12:45 pm
Girls Track State Finals
26
8th Grade Promotion
7 pm
PJStar Track Invite
(Boys & Girls)
Spring Sports Awards
6:30 South Campus
31
All home baseball games All home softball games
are played at Alexis
are played at Cameron
beginning at 4:30, unless beginning at 4:30
noted
27
Report Cards
Graduation Pracitce
Boys Track State Finals
28
United musicians rank high at contest
By Laine Martz
United junior Chelsea
Macek took high honors at the
organizational band contest held
April 15 at Avon High School.
Macek’s performance that day
earned her a spot in the Bradley
Honor Band, which played on
April 26.
The band took second place
honors at the organizational
contest.
Overall, the spring has been
a busy one for the United band,
with 16 first place and 18 second
place medals being earned at
the solo and ensemble contest at
Canton High School.
Additionally, five United
students were named first chair
in their respective sections when
the LTC Honor Band performed
at Augustana College on March
14. Those claiming first chair
status were Anna Damos,
Maddie Eagen, Michaela Eagen,
Sarah Holman and Chelsea
Macek.
On Friday, April 15, the United
High School Choir and their
instructor Allison Mendenhall
also attended the organizational
contest in Avon.
The choir sang three songs in
front of three judges, and then
performed a sight reading, which
involves learning a composition
they have never seen.
The choir had to look over and
perform the piece with a piano,
then sing the piece a capella.
The judges then ranked the
choirs on a scale of one to five,
with United scoring a one.
Among the schools in the
By Terry Miller
The United boys track team is
ready to get started following a
light schedule and wet spring.
On Monday April 25, they took
second in the Red Storm Relays
with ROWVA winning the four
team meet. The Red Storm
Relays replaces the long-running
Alexis Relays, which dates back
to 1946. Monday was also senior night for the girls and boys’
track teams.
The Red Storm won five events
at their relays, the 400 meter
dash, the 1600-meter run, the
sophomore relay, the 800 meter
run, and the senior relay.
The Red Storm was in a position to win the race when they
were only down one point but
the Storm did not have a junior
relay team. The Storm only has
three junior boys out for track
and they needed four people to
compete. ROWVA was the only
team with a junior relay, so they
took seven points and jumped
ahead of the Storm, a deficit they
could not overcome.
Coach Dennis Mann commented on the season by saying,
“We haven’t had many meets
yet; we are just now getting into
the season. With Brian Bertelsen
out (due to a neck injury), our
long distance relays have been
hurting, but we have some relays
coming up that we hope to do
good in.”
Mann said, “Our best relay
team has been the 4x4 team. At
the Galva Relays we won the
4x4 relay and we beat some of
the teams that will be in our
sectionals with the exceptions of
Riverdale and Bureau Valley.
“Cory Rundle has been doing
very good in the open 400 and
we hope he can improve on his
times.”
The freshman/sophomore boys
and girls’ track teams will compete in the Lincoln Trail Conference meet on Monday, May 2, at
Wethersfield. The varsity track
teams will run their conference
meet at Wethersfield the following Monday.
Other major meets in the coming month include the Peoria
Journal Star Invitational on Tuesday, May 24, at Peoria Stadium.
The girls’ sectional is scheduled
for Friday, May 13, at Rockridge,
with the state finals on May 20.
The boys’ sectional will be run
on Friday, May 20, at Monmouth
High School, with the state finals
the following week.
Lack of runners costs track team
Fleet of foot? Senior Eric Hanson proves you don’t
have to be fast to be a good baserunner. Hanson, seen
here swiping his 11th base of the season in a game vs.
Stark County, leads the Red Storm in stolen bases.
competition were ROWVA,
Aledo, Avon, Spoon River
Valley, West Prarie, Monmouth,
and Macomb.
The spring concert is set for
Monday, May 16, at the South
Campus.
Grades K-6 will perform at
6:00 pm, while 7-12 will have
their concert at 7:00 pm.
The Music Boosters will
provide a meal that evening.
Softball struggles continue
By Curt Pratt
The United girls’ softball team
in entering the final month of
its season with only one win to
show for the spring.
“At times we’ve played really
good defense; sometimes it’s
mental errors, but that’s from a
lack of experience,” said United
coach Gary Eyler.
“Hitting is our weakest area,
but we’re seeing signs of breaking out.”.
One positive for the program
has been the addition of Brock
Pease as an assistant coach.
Pease, an Alexis graduate, is
in his first year of coaching after
spending several year umpiring
United’s Renee Ischer
at the high school level.
“The girls relate well to Brock
and he’s worked out really well
as a coach,” said Eyler.
Notice to advertisers
The next issue of the Storm
Tracker will be our ninth and
final of this school year..
Without our advertisers, this
newspaper would not exist.
Advertising pays our monthly
expenses for printing and
mailing each issue to our 2600
customers, as well as allowing us
to purchase the necessary layout
software and digital camera
needed to produce each issue.
In May, students in the journalism class will be contacting each
of our current advertisers to
offer renewal for the 2005-2006
school year. Advertisers willing
to renew their contract will be
guaranteed the same rate as this
year, even if there is an increase
in our costs.
If you are not a current advertiser, and wish to become one,
please contact Mr. Kozelichki
at 734-9411. Availability will
be determined after all current
advertisers have been contacted.
During the 2005-2006 school
year, advertisers will receive a
copy of each issue of the Storm
Tracker in the mail. While this
will increase our monthly costs,
we feel it will better serve our
valued advertising clients.
Thank you for helping make
the Storm Tracker the premier
student and community newspaper in western Illinois.
Mann tabbed to lead girls’ basketball program
By Tyler Nelson
At the April meeting of the
United Board of Education,
coaches for the 2005-2006
school year were hired, with
Dennis Mann named to succeed
Ron Koch as head girl’s basketball coach.
Koch’s one year as head coach
resulted in a 6-18 season and he
was not retained by the Board.
Mann, a United High School
physical education instructor,
has spent the past 13 years as
Monmouth College’s women’s
basketball coach.
Prior to that, he spent five
years coaching at the high school
level and seven at the junior
high.
“The transition won’t be easy,”
says Mann. “The fundamentals
will be the same, but the difference in age and level of commitment will be an adjustment
New United girls’ basketball mentor Dennis Mann
brings a wealth of coaching experience to the job
because in college you have a
higher level of athlete who wants
to play at that level.”
“Adjusting to the game
situtations will also be differ-
ent because the college game is
faster, more physical, and you
don’t have a shot clock in high
school,” said the veteran coach.
“Additionally, high school
games are played in quarters,
while the college game has only
the two halves.”
Mann says he’s looking forward to coming back to the high
school level at United because
he has a good staff in place at all
levels.
Mann’s assistant will be one
of his former players, Alexis
High School alum Carrie Yerkey,
who not only played for Mann at
Monmouth College, but served
as his assistant two seasons ago.
“The girls will like him a
lot due to his personality and
his concept of the game,” said
Yerkey.
“We’re going to start this summer playing in a league, attend-
ing camps, and lifting weights,
along with making use of our
contact days in open gym,” she
added.
Mann was relieved of his
duties at Monmouth College at
the end of the 2004-2005 season
because the college was looking
for its head coach to be a full
time employee.
“When I got the job, it was a
matter of being at the right place
at the right time because that job
wouldn’t normally open up to a
member of the community,” said
Mann.
Mann held his first team
meeting on Thursday, April 21,
and told team members not only
would they have a lot to learn
from him but he “would have a
lot to learn from them, learning
their strengths and weaknesses.”
Mann says he’s looking forward to setting up a system that
Baseball team aims for regional title
By Tyler Nelson
Despite having only one loss
and being ranked in the top ten
in the area by the Peoria Journal
Star, the United Red Storm baseball team can’t seem to get any
respect from other programs.
Seeds for the Monmouth
Sectional were determined on
Monday, April 25, shortly after
the Storm’s controversial game
against North Fulton.
In that game, with the Storm
leading 12-1 in the bottom of
the fourth inning and needing
only four outs for a complete
game, the North Fulton coach
was effectively able to stall the
game until the rains came and the
umpires called the contest after
only a ten minute delay, enraging
United players and coaches.
Following the game, the Storm
has handed a ninth seed in the
sectional, forcing them to play a
regional preliminary game.
Galva, a team that earned an
18th seed and that United plays
on May 6, rated the Storm as
the worst team in the sectional,
despite its 8-1 record, a ranking
that cost United a first round bye
in the regional.
“I felt we should have been
higher, possibly a seventh seed,”
said United coach Rick Johnson.
“Not playing Southern (due
to inclement weather) hurt us
Senior hurler Drew Johnson leads the team with a
1.40 ERA and four wins
because beating them would have
given us a higher seed.”
There is a plus side, says
Johnson. “We’re the number one
non-bye team, so we’ll play one
of the lowest seed. We won’t
have to throw our number one
pitcher and each of our kids will
get three or four good at-bats.”
Top seeds in the Monmouth
sectional went to Sherrard,
Orion, Rock Island Alleman, and
Brimfield-Elmwood. Pairings
for the four regionals will be
announced by the IHSA and can
be accessed on the internet at
www.ihsa.org under the baseball
category heading.
Heading into the home stretch,
the Red Storm has been able
to ride on the backs of starting
pitchers Drew Johnson, Aaron
Gavin, and Zack Youngquist.
A mid-season surge at the plate
has every member of the starting
lineup hitting .300 or better.
Junior Aaron Gavin is
among the leaders in
hitting with a dozen runs
batter in, and teams with
Zack Youngquist to give
the Storm a pair of quality
pitchers behind Johnson.
will span all age levels from the
junior high on up.
“I’m looking forward to working with all of our coaches,”
said Mann, who cited the efforts
of United Junior High coaches
Adam Martin and Ashley Sims in
their first season.
John Deere Classic “Birdies” will
benefit United
elementary PTO
Following a successful fundraiser in Alexis a year ago, the
United PTO will participate in
the John Deere Classic’s Birdies
for Charity program.
Pledges can be made for every
birdie holed in the John Deere
Classic, which will be played at
TPC Deere Run, July 4-10.
For example, a person pledged
a penny per birdie would donate
$15-20, depending upon the
number of birdies in the four day
tourney.
Last year, 1879 birdies were
tallied. The highest number
of birdies in the tournament’s
history was 2027 in 2002, while
1996 marked the year for the
lowest number at 1299.
At the conclusion of the
tourney, a notice of your pledge
amount due will be mailed.
“Our goal for 2005 is for the
Birdies for Charity program to
raise $1.5 million for some 500
participating charities affiliated
with the program,” said Kristy
Ketcham, director of the Birdies
for Charity program.
Forms for the Birdies for
Charity program will be inserted
into the next issue of the Storm
Tracker.