2022 October - Fairbury High School BLAZER

We need to improve school spirit

Looking back at old yearbooks I see so much pride and school spirit, and I wonder, what happened? They all seem so proud to be a Jeff.

Fairbury is Class C for most sports. The class that we are in is based on our population. We have a larger number of people that attend Fairbury, but our participation rate is only 39%. This makes it hard to be successful in sports as we have a disadvantage of competing with schools with such larger numbers.

Looking back at yearbooks from years ago, I notice that there are so many people that participate in just one activity. I think that we are finally starting to gain more numbers. In previous years there were only about 30 players on the football team. This year we have 40 players out for football.

Besides comparing our school to how it was in years past, it can also be compared to other schools in our state. When visiting another school and seeing that they have such a large crowd or student section, it makes me think of what we could be. There are the same few people that participate in the themes that are made for each home game.

Thoughts of creating prizes for the best dressed or anyone dressed up in general, will give students an incentive to go to games and participate in the student section and support their classmates.

When the energy is high at events it pushes athletes to do their best, and have fun with what they are doing. However this requires people to show up and engage in the game.

Although there are things that we need to improve in showing school spirit, there are also things that we do that are great ways of showing Jeff pride. I think that students and staff take pride in our fight song.

We honor this by playing it after football scores a touchdown, or singing it after a sporting event. I have never seen another school do this. I also don’t know if most schools even know the words to their fight song.

When I think of a time that Jeffs show a great amount of school spirit, I think of homecoming week. There is participation in dressing up with the themes, and many people show up for the parade and the football game that might not usually attend these events. I wish this is how it could be all the time.

Looking at recent sporting events, or attending organizational meetings, I do think that improvements are being made. Some examples are seeing the student section full at home volleyball games, and at the first FBLA meeting there were 87 students that attended.

The school has also added several different things to ensure that every student can find something that fits their interests such as One Act, Esports, and Show choir. We are also giving junior high students more opportunities by adding a J-high FBLA chapter.

This gives me hope that we’re on the road to great school spirit. Just remember, don’t be afraid to show your school spirit, and every day is a great day to be a Jeff!

And what do I do now I am a senior?

Ihave been thinking about college for years. Did I ever think I would get accepted into any colleges or even have a slight chance of going? Nope. I was a good student up until I got to high school. My grades started slipping and I started being lazy. I would save assignments and study until the last minute for the hardest classes. I would always take naps after school because I was so tired of sitting at a desk all day and getting information crammed into my brain but then not even remembering it by the time

the school bell rang at the end of the day.

I was getting bad at managing my time wisely and doing everything that was not homework because just looking at it gave me a headache. I still have all of these problems today.

You may ask, “Jorjia, if you talk about school like this, why would you want to go to college?" To that, I would give a long answer that consists of all of the reasons why I DO want to go to college but I’ll only give a few.

I would be able to take classes in things I love without having to wait until my senior year of high school. I would be able to do those things without being judged by the classmates I have known my

whole life.

I would have a completely fresh start with new people and new surroundings.

While the college does scare me in some ways, everyone needs to get over their fears someday. I will dread not being able to rant to my parents about the drama that happened at the high school that day.

Will I be able to call them and tell them the drama? Yes, but it won’t be the same at all.

But honestly, I think I would need that time away from my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, but they can be a little much sometimes.

This year, I have started trying to get out of my comfort zone more and finally take my

parents’ advice and try out new things. I’m starting to get out of my comfort zone this year because I feel like I would be too afraid to come out of my bubble right as college starts. College would be a change in scenery and people but also classes.

College has way more opportunities than a high school like more clubs, sports, and more in-depth classes. I think a lot of people won’t go to college or don’t think they can because they can’t afford it or they are too scared of it.

That’s why financial aid and scholarships are a thing. That’s what I’m going to have to figure out if I do go to college. I’ll have to be applying for scholarships like my life depends on it.

We need more sidewalks!

I’m

sure that all of us would like a safe route when walking or biking anywhere, but I have noticed a strange lack of sidewalks and bike lanes all around Fairbury.

For example, there is no clear sidewalk or bike lane that leads to Walmart. Either you are biking or walking on foot to Walmart through Highway 15 or you are taking H Street or 30th Street to get to Walmart. If you are feeling rather adventurous then you can walk through the open field that is connected to 27 Street and H Street.

some corners by walking through grass.

Surely walking to school cannot be that bad, right? Well, it could certainly be worse, unless you live in the north part of Fairbury, good luck then. There is a sidewalk that leads from Jefferson to the high school, and there is also a crosswalk right outside of Jefferson for people to cross.

there is no clear sidewalk or bike lane that leads to walmart.

While there is sidewalk coverage from Jefferson to the high school, there are no sidewalks the entirety of L Street. A route that is littered with houses and is near the high school has no sidewalks at all. So you are either going to be walking on the road or some lawns.

Going to Subway or Ray's Apple Market is also met with the same problem of a lack of sidewalks. If you are walking, then you are going to walk down K Street, Highway 15, or get there by walking Highway 136. Or, just like Walmart, you can be adventurous and cut

Now, will the lack of sidewalks mark the end of the world? No, it won’t, but having the additional sidewalks would be nice to have just for simple safety reasons. It is better to take precautions and safety in case something may happen later down the road.

Seniors impact makes a difference

As the end of the volleyball season comes to a close,

I don’t think a lot of people realize that this means losing six valuable players that contribute to the team and to my own volleyball career.

It wasn’t until this year that I felt like I belonged to the team and this had everything to do with these six seniors. Whether it was their hilarious remarks on the bus rides, or the energy they brought to the court, they never failed to brighten my day.

Mikya Lierman ‘23 and Alyse Peterson ‘23 would always bring their energy during bus rides which would

conist of a game of telephone or criticizing the rocky roads whether it was caused by the driver or the roads we will never know.

Never failing to criticize my hits, Hannah Robertson ‘23 helped me so much throughout the season when I felt like I couldn’t knock a hit down.

She helped dig me out of my slumps, and I could always count on her to help me when I made a mistake throughout the season.

Bringing the energy on the bench, Baylee Tracy created such a lively and fun bench with her consistent cheers and energy.

I believe that no one truly knows the importance of an energized bench and she made sitting the bench so much fun.

Allison Davis ‘23 and Emily Huss ‘23 have always been amazing at creating a positive environment sense the moment I stepped on to the court.

This positive atmosphere has been one of the most valuable characteristics that has kept me coming back to this sport.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities that this season has given me to create these friendships with the seniors.

Without these relationships my season would have been incredibly dull.

So many times you see these seniors on the court and you only look at their success but you don’t look at how they impact other people to become successful.

BLAZER STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ElizaKroEKEr ASSISTANT EDITOR Morgan StEwart COVER Eliza KroEKEr ADVISER JEd Martin REPORTERS

trEnton ruhnKE

Brant gillhaM

JacKSon Martin

JorJia ShEllhaSE

EMily wooSlEy

annaMariE Bryan Schuylar MalonE

adElinE Blatny

www.FHSXray.com

Issuu.com/fairburyjeffs-journalism

1501 9th StrEEt • FairBury, nE (402) 729-6116

it iS thE policy oF FairBury puBlic SchoolS and itS carEEr and tEchnical Education prograMS to not diScriMinatE on thE BaSiS oF racE, color, national origin,

occurrEd.

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SEnior Spotlight • thE SEnior Spotlight will BE choSEn Each Month or SElEctEd By thE Editor-in-chiEF coluMnS/EditorialS • coluMnS arE thE opinion oF thE individual writEr, not thE StaFF oF thE BlazEr. EditorialS arE thE opinion oF thE Editorial StaFF lEttErS to thE Editor • thE BlazEr wElcoMES puBlic opinion. all lEttErS MuSt BE SignEd thE Editorial StaFF rESErvES thE right to Edit For JournaliStic StylE, availaBlE SpacE and inappropriatE contEnt. lEttErS Should not ExcEEd 250 wordS in lEngth and can BE SEnt to JournaliSM@ FairBuryJEFFS.org.

Increase in a teacher shortage worldwide

Reporter Adeline Blatny

Over the past couple of years there has been a large increase in the teacher shortage across the country. In our school we have seen and been a part of the issues that come with it.

“I think we’ve had a history of education not being a perfect profession and there’s been a huge swing lately. Covid and everything really exposed the weak points of education as a profession and it started to really burn people out,” English teacher Grace Ellis said.

Once covid started teachers started to share how they felt and began to raise awareness to the issues in education as a profession. This made more and more people become uninterested in being a teacher or standing up for themselves if they already were a teacher.

“People can make a decent living doing many other

things. The benefits used to be great compared to other jobs and the starting salary for a college graduate is not fantastic,” English teacher Karen Horky said.

Low salary is used to back up a lot of people’s argument on why they don’t want to pursue a career in the education field. The average salary to be a teacher is the same as jobs where you won’t have to work outside your set hours which also deters people from becoming a teacher.

“I think that as a society we have a harder time building relationships for many different reasons: Covid, social media and just plain time-making to meet new people,” Horky said.

In our school we deal with teachers constantly coming and going each year. In the state that society lives in today it’s become harder to build relationships with

people who are new to us. Not having the same teachers can make it more difficult to build relationships between teachers and other teachers as well as teachers and students.

“If there are teachers that are going to be gone, because of plan periods, teachers here in the building can provide coverage at that time. Teachers do it because they want to support each other but still lose out on plan time and the ability to grade and work with students,” Principal Sean Molloy said.

Along with the shortage of teachers our school has had a shortage of substitute teachers. This issue has caused many teachers to not have plan periods because they have to use that time to sub for other teachers who are gone or have to leave early.

“We are always very careful to make sure that we don’t ever over burn somebody; we

want to try and space it out so we typically go through a rotation. We don’t ever want teachers to feel like it’s all on them so myself, Mr. Davis, Mrs. Biehl, or Mrs. Dux will help out at times too,” Molloy said.

The school and administration has tried to do their best to accommodate teachers who don’t get to use their plan periods to catch up. Administrators have also been taking time out of their day to go in and sub for a period or a few if they are needed.

Our school has been trying to help and understand all staff and administration the best they can so we can help resolve this issue. As we add on to the plans they have already made; over the next few years hopefully as a school and as a country we can lower the percentage of teacher shortage and can listen and understand all teachers point of views.

Grand Island NW discontinues school paper

Bryan

Grand Island Northwest made a curriculum change this year when it comes to their journalism department. More specifically, to their newspaper the Viking Saga. GINW decided it was best to pause their newspaper due to controversial topics reported in the June 2022 issue.

The school newspaper gives Journalism students when it comes to deadlines, story writing and photography, but it also gives other students a chance to see what is going on in their school.

“I’ve always believed a school newspaper is one of the most real-life classes students can take in high school,” adviser Jed Martin said, “As an adviser, The Blazer provides students with a sounding board, and the story ideas, the photos, the

design and the whole paper is their creation.”

The Blazer has been around since 1954 and before it was called the Blazer, it was the X-ray and started prior to 1915. With the newspaper being around for that long it would be a very difficult decision taking that away. Taking away a publication like the Blazer would involve many different people, including but not limited to, Principal Mr. Sean Molloy, Guidance Counselor

Mrs. Taylor Beihl, and Superintendent Mr. Stephen Grizzle, as well as the school board.

“It would be really difficult if journalism or the newspaper was no longer an option, and that is something that I can’t foresee doing,” Molloy said. “In an instance like Journalism and a newspaper that would impact all the students, because they wouldn’t have access to a newspaper that has been here for a while it would typically

be made in collaboration with the superintendent and also the school board.”

Taking away a high school newspaper would directly affect the school yearbook. If the Blazer got taken away it would affect the Trail (yearbook) in a variety of different ways. There are two class periods for journalism, in those two periods students work on both the Trail and the Blazer.

“The main way that it affects the yearbook is that the newspaper is a great way for them to really hone their skills in terms of writing and putting together a well structured story,” Martin said. “If we don’t have the newspaper to practice those skills the writing quality, the design quality, the yearbook overall suffers because we don’t have that foundation of writing a story, designing pages, and taking photos.”

Reporter

It would be really difficult if journalism or the newspaper was no longer an option.”

Sean Molloy

Changes in School Lunches for everyone

What do you think of when you hear the words “school lunch?” Do you think of sitting around a table with your friends, laughing over classes as you enjoy a good meal? Or do you think about the opposite?

Out of a survey of 33 students, about 56 percent said the like school meals.

With the 2022-2023 year starting up, policy changes have been instituted. Phone policies and new teachers are something all students and staff encounter; however, school lunch prices are something of a new change.

As of Sept. 7, food service supervisor Jane Rhine said, “We have had 74% of the students eat school lunch, in comparison to 77% in the same time period last year.”

She added on with, “Honestly, that is better than I expected after going back to paid meals.” Yet on the other hand, breakfast participation had dropped. “Compared to last year, (breakfast) numbers have dropped by about 25%.”

The recent change in charging for meals came after waivers expired.

“The USDA has control over that,” Rhine said. “We had waivers that allowed us to serve free meals the last two years due to the Covid pandemic. All of those waivers were allowed to expire, so we had to start charging for meals again.”

As prices increase due to inflation, lunch prices go hand in hand. The funds coming from our purchases will continue to support the future meals we will receive. If our prices were lower, the quality of meals and healthy options change. Rhine said to compare our lunches

to a restaurant. “The government tells us what we can and how much we can serve and gives us just a little bit of subsidies.”

The lunch ladies analyze what students will enjoy and also contain a balanced diet.

“I can pretty much make whatever I want, as long as I can make the menu fit into the required meal pattern and nutrient restriction,” Rhine said. “There sodium and fat limits that we have to follow, as well as keeping cost in mind…Popular items do cut down on waste, but unfortunately, the biggest waste items that I see are fruits and vegetables.”

What goes uneaten into the trash and finding items student want to eat is the challenge.

Avery Bauman ‘24 said that pizza is her favorite school meal; alongside Principal Sean Molloy, who said that he frequently eats school lunches and fiestada pizza is his number one.

In the survey, many students agreed, and enjoyed macho nachos. On the other side of the spectrum, many people inside the school dislike meals such as chicken tetrazzini, cordon bleu, Asian meatballs and spaghetti bake.

So, what do you think about when you hear the bell that calls you to lunch? Are you prepared to enjoy macho nacho with your friends as you commune? Or do you think about the prices, vegetables wasted, and flying saucers that will be served? Whatever it is, it’s something that’s always fluctuating year after year.

CSO recuitment party results in cases of food poison

Trenton Rhunke

Reporter Schuylar Malone reporter

Multiple cases of food poisoning occurred during the aftermath of the Organization Recruitment Party that was held out at Camp Jefferson.

The Organization Recruitment party took place on Aug. 22 and walking tacos were served to all of the guests.

“It had to have been the meat,” FCCLA president Makena Schramm ‘23 said. “Not everyone all got lettuce, or all got sour cream, or all got cheese, but everyone had meat and chips.”

The cause of the food poisoning is believed to be from the walking tacos, but it is unknown what specifically caused it. Some people believe that it was contaminated meat, others believe that it was contaminated lettuce, and others believe that it was contaminated cheese.

“Yep, I really, I just have no clue,’’ FFA advisor Thomas Dux said. “It could be all of those, it could be one bag of lettuce, it could have been some hamburger, I don’t know. Some people got sick and some

didn’t. But we are happy that everyone is healthy now and that it didn’t cause any further illness.”

Due to the food poisoning, some students were unable to attend school or unable to participate in extracurricular activities after school as some were experiencing symptoms that kept them from doing so.

“Throughout the day it got better, but I had to sit out of my softball game that day as they said I was too dehydrated for me to play that day,” Jayden Tracy ‘23 said. “I was upset I could not play softball, but I just wanted to stick it out for my team.”

Other than the mishap with the food poisoning, the recruitment party was able to continue on with members of various organizations introducing themselves and talking about what their organization is all about.

“I would say that the FFA president Trayce Blas and vice president Lexi Mau did a good job representing FFA and talking about what FFA is,” Mr. Dux said.

“Because sometimes it is tough to get in front of people and talk, there were a lot of kids there and they did a good job.”

Students were also able to go around Camp Jefferson and participate in a variety of activities after eating. The types of activities that the students flocked to were gaga ball, sand volleyball, frisbee golf, and socialization with one another.

“I think it went great (the recruitment party),” Schramm said. “We had a lot of people there, people were listening and sat down for the organizations, and then everyone had fun playing volleyball and gaga ball.”

Even with the food poisoning cases, the recruitment party was still able to provide students an opportunity to meet with the various organizations and spend time with one another.

“I think other than the food poisoning, it went really well,” Mr. Dux. “We had a ton of kids show up. Probably the best turn out that we’ve, that I’ve ever experienced. So I would say it turned out very, very well.”

MCDONALD’S CLOSES

Closed doors opens up a history

Reporter Trenton Ruhnke

Opening all the way back in 1982, Fairbury Nebraska’s McDonald’s is now closed permanently.

McDonald’s last day was August 30, 2022 before finally closing with no intention to reopen. While closing, McDonald’s in Fairbury would not go shopping for any more ingredients for their meals and tried to use up all of their ingredients that they had left.

“I know there were a lot of poor Facebook reviews,” art teacher Connie Schouboe said. “I kind of wonder if it was more that the building needed to be updated and the owner of that franchise didn’t want to or couldn’t financially.”

The reason for McDonald’s closing was due to Fairbury’s McDonald’s being too small, with the building being only 2,000 square feet, when the requirement for starting a new McDonald’s franchise for the building is 4,000 square feet.

“I’m really sad about it (McDonald’s closing),” Jax Biehl ‘23

said. “I liked to go there a lot. I usually got frappes, stuff like that, not usually food.”

The intention to open a McDonald’s was made back in 1982 along with the intentions of Pizza Hut and Casey’s before opening in 1982.

“I know that I was in high school, I graduated in ‘83 so I would have been a junior,” Mrs. Schouboe said. “I do remember that everyone had open campus at that time for lunch, so your options for lunch for school were to go to the little store across the street where they served a sloppy joe and chips or just eat junk food like candy bars and pop, or you had the school cafeteria, or you could go someplace in town because I think we had close to an hour for lunch everyday, which is a long time for high school people to have nothing to due. But I remember several times that we would go up to McDonald’s and have lunch once they opened, and that was, like, the highlight of high school because you got to go to McDonald’s.”

When McDoanld’s came, it brought with it a new place for people to eat, and with that McDonald’s became a popular place for high school students to come and eat during their lunches.

“They were kind of a gross place,” Tiffanie Dietl ‘23 said. “And the place was like that for at least three years or longer.”

The size of the McDonald’s was also a downsized version of other typical McDonald’s, and Fairbury’s used to be one of the smallest McDonald’s in the world.

“I think we were the first ones to get the scaled down version of McDonald’s,” Mrs. Schouboe said. “It is sad, I was kind of hoping that they would just rebuild like what Beatrice did.”

The building that once held McDonald’s is now empty, the golden arches now gone from the premises.

“I think they won’t open anything else,” Biehl said. “It will just be used for something else, but not for a restaurant.”

Making memories at McDonald’s NO LONGER LOVIN’ IT

happy meals or the McFlurries.

Being known for their catchy slogan “i’m lovin’ it”, and their delicious breakfast, McDonald’s creates happy memories for anyone that goes.

Meant to be an easy and convenient experience makes it the perfect outing for parents and their kids. Being able to relax as a parent and enjoy the time spent with your children is something that can be overlooked.

“My daughters and I always got breakfast together there on late-start snowy school mornings, because we had more time,” Science teacher, Emily Winter said. “I will definitely miss that!”

As a child going to McDonald’s with your family was always something to look forward to, whether it would be the

renovation

“One of my favorite memories about McDonald’s would have to be getting Happy Meals when I was younger, and collecting the toys that came with them,” Alexis Mau ‘24 said.

“My favorite toys to collect were the Barbies and the My Little Ponies.”

Although the facility was a building of memories for many children, the circumstances of it were not fit for requirement. People express their concerns for it as it was getting to be old but they are excited as it will open up a new chapter and other chances for their town.

“I’m not extremely upset,” Elizabeth Kerwood ‘24 said. “Of course I’m sad because I ate there a lot but I also felt like it was time for it to go and it’s always good to have a new change and I’m excited for whatever is to come.”

McDonald’s Fast Food more like Fast facts

1.) McDonald’s was founded in San Bernadino, CA in 1955.

2.) Their french fries are the most popular thing on their menu.

3.)About 68 million people eat there a day in the nation.

4.) Fairbury had the smallest McDonald’s when it was built in 1982.

5.) There are 13,438 units in the nation.

6.) The M is more recognizable than the holy cross.

7.) Originally McDonald’s was going to sell hotdogs.

Fairbury welcomes French exhange student

MaiLee Garner

Some of us have a hard time staying at a friend’s house without getting home sick. Now imagine leaving your home, flying eight hours to a new country, and staying with people you have never met before for nine months.

Studying abroad Sofia Chatto is doing just that moving here from France. The 18 year old Chatto is studying at Fairbury for the 2022-23 school year. Sofia plans on doing things she has never done before and is excited to try new things like traveling, prom, and graduation.

“I am just really excited to do a lot of new things that I haven’t done before,” Chatto said.

Moving across the country can come with a lot of different effects on your body. Moving from France can affect your sleep schedule and your eating schedule. It can take a lot of time to fix these things or to get your body to adjust to them. Everything may seem different from what you have at home or what you are used to seeing and experiencing in your everyday life.

“The change of time zone was not that difficult; It was just the time I had to eat because I had to eat at five pm and in France it was like snack time.” Chatto said.

Along with these changes that you are having you also will have a lot of requirements to even be considered to be able to study abroad.

You have to learn a new language if you haven’t already, you have to save up

your money, you also have to follow a strict guide line of rules when you get here as well.

“I had to apply to an organization as well as get an interview and have good grades; I also had to request permission from my college back in France to be able to study abroad,” Chatto said.

Before doing any of this, one may have to convince parents to let them go. Parents would have to be okay with allowing a student to leave the country to stay with people they have never met in real life nor people that they know personally.

“My mom was okay for me to do this, but one thing she was really scared about was leaving to live with strangers that we didn’t really know, but we got to Facetime with them and after that she was more comfortable with it,” Chatto said.

McCowns’ complete reserve basic training

Reporter Brant Gilham

Two of our 2022-2023 seniors, Ashton and Ethan McCown, have returned from basic training. For those who are unaware, basic training is essentially the entrance exam into the military. It is one of the hardest forms of training, and the McCown brothers went through it. They did something that not a whole lot of people would do, which shows the bravery from each brother.

The training itself consisted of a multitude of different tasks. “Basic Training itself took 10 weeks, with one week regarding reception, which consisted of no sleep and a lot of paperwork,” Ethan said.

After reception was over, the physical training began. “We usually did training around 5:45 a.m. to 6:50 a.m. with field exercises like rifle training and more afterwards, with the main three courses being called The Hammer, Anvil and Forge,” Ashton said.

“Some other types of training we did was stuff like throwing hand

grenades, hand to hand combatives and maneuvering through obstacles under enemy fire,” Ethan said.

There are many factors to any type of jobs or occupations, but one of the biggest factors to take into consideration is motivation. Both of the McCown brothers have strong motives for joining the military and serving their country.

“I’ve always wanted to serve my

community and country and people used to say I won’t make it so I had to prove them wrong,” Ashton said.

Each brother has different, yet equally valid reasons to join. “I’ve always had an interest in joining the military, with my grandpa being a medic in Vietnam,” Ethan said. “It also gives me an opportunity to set up a path to follow for my career.”

Fairbury only has one exhange student this year. Sofia Chatto comes from france and will spend the school year here. Photo by: Annamarie Bryan

The McCown brothers pose in front of a billboard after basic training graduation. “We stood by that billboard for an hour I think,” Ethan McCown, 23’ said. Photo contributed: Heather McCown

FHS hosts Mental Health Awareness Week

Schuylar malone

Reporter

How are you feeling? How was your day? Did you answer these questions with, “I’m fine.” or something along the lines of that? Better question, is that how you’re really feeling?

In society, many people go without expressing their internal feelings. While this may seem fine for the average person, other people are dealing with strong emotions that aren’t easily expressed, or even welcomed. To one person things may seem perfectly calm, but in another person’s mind, things could feel stressful and disastrous. So what do people do to help those feel at ease, and combat this psychological crisis?

The week of October 3, 2022, the school hosted a Mental Health Awareness week for people who’ve felt stressed, anxious, depressed, and any other draining emotions. There will be calming activities such as a convocation on the first day, snacks, motivational videos, and coloring pages throughout the week, and finish off with a “green out” at the football game. The week is hosted by Ellie Livingston ‘23 as her family has been impacted by mental struggles.

“Last year, my family and I lost my dad's cousin to suicide,” Livingston said. “Many people experience anxiety, depression and don't know how to talk about it. I want kids to be able to learn from this week and be able to help others too… it is important just to talk about it in general to get over that ‘stigma’.”

School counselor Taylor Biehl agreed.

“I believe that it is important to talk about mental health so that it doesn't lead to bigger issues involving our physical health or even worse yet, self-harm. Mental health is a real issue and not talking about it won't make it go away”

The goal for the week is to tackle that challenge.

“Throughout this week the impact I want to have on staff and students is learning some strategies that you can do when you don't feel upbeat. Another thing I want to accomplish is to teach students and staff that it is ok to not be ok,” Livingston said. “We all go through things and we just need to lean on each other for support and know that it is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Combating mental health comes in different styles and approaches to fight the psychological battles they face.

“Exercise is a huge way to help our bodies release good feeling hormones,” Biehl said. “Find someone you trust to talk, and activities that help you cope.”

At the end of the day, people are available to help. Someone is there to give a helping hand, whether it be an organization, a person, a teacher, or a complete stranger. We may never fully understand each other completely. Although, it is important to take time to put yourself in another person’s shoes for a minute. So, do yourself and a neighbor a favor, and ask about their day. And when they do the same to you, be honest with yourself. It’s okay to not be okay.

Blockbusters rule summer releases!

Schuylar Malone and Brant Gillham

The summer of 2022 brought moviegoers a nice course of blockbusters and indie films alike. Now, that's not to say that all these new movies and shows were good, because there were definitely a few that really divided people in terms of if said media is good or bad. So today, we will be having a recap on the most remarkable movies and shows that were released during the summer!

TOP GUN: MAVERICK:

Top Gun: Maverick (2022), is one of the biggest movies of 2022, and for good reason. It is a sequel to Top Gun, one of the most influential movies of the 80s. Most people from that time were excited to hear that one of their favorite movies was getting a sequel, and it delivered fully. With Tom Cruise back in the saddle, this movie brings the realism and the intensity to the danger zone. It was my favorite movie from this summer, and it deserves an A+!

ELVIS:

Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann, is the latest bio-pic of a famous musician, with Austin Butler playing “The King” himself. Butler gives an Oscar-worthy performance in recreating all the mannerisms and movements of Elvis himself, it gave me goosebumps watching Butler perform. Everything else however is a mixed bag. First off, Tom Hanks gave one of the weakest performances of his career, playing Colonel Tom Parker. Second off, the movie is almost tiresome to get through. Baz Luhrmann’s style is all over the place, making events in the movie go by too fast. Other than that, It was overall good, but I personally have issues with it. I will be giving Elvis a solid C+.

STRANGER THINGS 4:

Released in two separate parts onto Netflix, one on May 27nd, and the other on July 1st, Stranger Things 4 hit the internet. Following the different stories of the groups of teens through our, and other, dimensions, danger will always be right around the corner. From monsters and demons to Russian camps, nowhere is safe, especially not Hawkins.

Within the season, I really enjoyed seeing more content of other characters and watching them grow. My main examples are Nancy and El who were growing as people. Yet, other characters dragged, or had loads of potential but were cast aside. Don’t plan for sun today, folks. I’m giving Stranger Things 4 a condition rating of cloudy due to the inconsistent ups and downs, and the missed potential.

SPLATOON 3:

From kid to squid in a flash, you play as a human-squid (or octopus) hybrid. Your task? Paint the town with your colors and help save the world from total “fluffification.” From a story of heroics, to exciting minigames of turf war and more, Splatoon 3 is the third, and most intense, member of the trilogy.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the franchise, and Splatoon 3 did NOT disappoint! The story ties so much together, and while there are still some mysteries left untouched I believe it’s for the better as of right now. The new graphics, controls, specials, maps and minigame modes have definitely had me coming back again and again. My only complaint is that due to the mechanics I still have to adjust to the new material and controls, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it in the end. Look out, Fairbury and Splatsville, you’ve got sunshine coming your way!

Entertainment Writers

J-high increases involvment

During the summer the junior high athletes showed a tremendous increase of involvement in summer weights and their fall athletic programs.

Getting people to commit to athletic activities especially in the summer can be difficult. Spreading the word about summer weights along with the improvement that can come from working during the off season assisted the increase of involvement. Placing incentives like pool parties, or a Kansas City Royals game, along with building relationships to get students involved really helped them increase their involvement rates by creating a fun environment.

“The athletes who are performing at a high level right now are the ones who showed the most commitment,” Junior High Coach, Colby Hamel said. “JH Football had an incentive of 85% or more and they would get to go on a KC Royals Trip this summer. Positive Energy and Relationships will go a long way along with Coach Accountability, Player Accountability, word of mouth and Culture is all contagious in a positive way.”

A lot of the time it is stressed for athletes to go to summer weights to grow stronger for their sports but weight lifting can also be beneficial in an everyday life spreading the word about that helped

with their involvement to telling students about how fun and important it is.

“We got a lot more people involved by talking to them and telling them how fun it could be,” Trace Goosman ‘27 said. “Weight lifting can help with your daily life, and there is nothing wrong with having a lot of strength.”

Not only do the coaches demonstrate the importance of getting in the gym and putting time into their training but they also show the value of becoming an “Uncommon Athlete” as Coach Harvey called it. Teaching their athletes how to be respectful and responsible students as well. The Junior High football coaches get their athletes involved outside of the gym and in the community by setting up flags at the cemetery, working concession stands, helping people move and overall helping at any time they can.

“The Jr. High football guys were very involved in their community this summer,” Junior High Coach, Tate Harvey said. “We are hoping that this community service translates onto the field by helping them be better teammates and also carries over into the classroom where we ask that they be polite and helpful students. Coach Hamel and I talk about being an “Uncommon Athlete.” This just means that we ask them to do the little things right, such as hold the door for someone, help a teacher or classmate out, being respectful, etc.”

Who you rootin’ for?

Emily Woosley

This story features Breona Meyer ’23 and Jazmin Dike ‘23. Both seniors this year for 2023. Both of these students transferred from Tri County. Breona transferred her junior year, and Jazmin transferred her senior year. This is why this story is interesting.

When I interviewed Meyer, she transferred because, “Tri County simply wasn’t a good fit for me, I always felt out of place and I heard good things about Fairbury, and

wanted my last two years to be enjoyable.” I asked, “ which side did you sit on and cheer for?” Meyers says, “ I sat on the Tri County side, but I cheered for Fairbury.” Breona has been going to Tri County since Pre k. She thought Fairbury was going to win.

When I interviewed Dike, she says that she transferred because, “I needed a change of environment, and wanted to be reunited with some old friends who also transferred Emily and Breona.”

Jazmin went to Tri

County since 3rd grade, she sat in the Tri County sectiction and cheered for fairbury. When I asked, “who did you think was going to win?” she says, “I thought that Fairbury was going to win because TC is new to 11 man football and they have never done it prior to this year.”

Breona and Jazmin are similar in the fact that they both wanted some new environment and they both heard great things about Fairbury. We are happy to have them with us for their senior year.

New Coaches

SPORTS SPORTS

Nebraska Football dissapoints again

Nebraska Football

fans always seem to have high hopes at the beginning of each football season. It might be time to lower the expectations for the team.

This was supposed to be THE season as this year’s team were projected to start with a 3-0 record and have a chance against the ranked Oklahoma in week four, but what actually happened was far from what was expected.

The Huskers started off ther season one week before every other college football against Northwestern. This matchup was set in Ireland and was supposed to be a great way for Nerbaska to start their season. Unfortunately they did not live up to the hype.

Going into the fourth quarter,

Nebraska had a four pont lead over Northwestern, but would allow a touchdown and lose the game 31-28. Nebraska went on to win their next game against a not so good South Dakota team 38-17.

Nebraska then payed Georgia Southern $1.4 million to come play them. It was supposed to be an easy game for Nebraska but Georgia Southern came out on top winning by a single touchdown.

After taking a huge loss to a team that they easily should have beat the Huskers organization knew it was time for a change. They decided to fire Scott Frost and hire Mickey Joseph to fill in for the rest of the season in hope for better results.

Everyone wants to think Nebraska always has a chance to comeback and be a good football team but it might be time to lower our expectations.

LayoutBY:JacksonMartin

Sports Briefs

FOOTBALL

Jax Biehl ‘23 currently leads the football team with 1803 passing yards with 24 passing touchdowns. Jackson Martin ‘23 has 867 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns while James Olds ‘23 has 520 receiving yards with 6 receiving touchdowns. Jaret Wood ‘26 leads the defense in tackles with 42 on the season. Devon Carel ‘23, has the most sacks with 5.5 accumulating for a total of 36 yards lost.

GIRLS GOLF

Schramm led the team in scoring at the Lincoln Christian invite. Schramm finished with a 92 and placed fifth at the invite. Ausk finished with a 140 and Justis Perez finished with a score of 150. Arielle Pereze did not attend the invite.

Districts would be the final invite of the year for the girls golf team as no golfers qualified for state. Schramm finished with a score of 104 leading the team in scoring. Ausk scored a 144, Arielle Perez with a 146, and Justis Perez with a 155.

SOFTBALL

Featured athlete for football is the offense and defense. The Jeffs are 3-3 with three games left to play. Displaying a pass-oriented attack, seniors Jax Biehl, Devon Carel and Jackson Martin have either set of tied multiple school records and offense and defense. The Jeffs won their first three games followed by three losses, two of which were to ranked oppenents. The Jeffs face St. Paul, top-ranked Aurora, and top-five ranked Hastings Adam Central to close out the season.

Ellie’s favorite memory was state cheer last year. She started doing cheerleading in 8th grade when she tried out. She wanted to become more involved with school spirit. Cheer has taught Ellie leadership, confidence, organization, and teamwork.

Alekz’s favorite memory was his junior year when EJ ate a full plate of baked beans. This is his fourth year with the boys cross country team. Cross country has taught Alekz to improve his overall work ethic and pushed him to be a better version of himself.

Cora’s favorite memory was a conference at Superior where it was 20 degrees.

“Cross country has taught me commitment, determination, and an I can do it attitude, but most importantly it taught me how to support other people.”

In softball’s final game of the year, they played Milford in the first round of districts. The softball team struggled only putting up three hits which would lead to a loss of 9-0.

Softball finsihed the season with a 6-21 record

VOLLEYBALL

Arielle Perez

Arielle’s avorite memory is the car rides, and her and Makena playing checkers Justis Perez, Arielle’s sister, wanted to join golf and Arielle didn’t want her to be alone so she joined as well. Golf has shown Arielle how angry she can get at a little white ball, but most importantly it showed her patience.

Alyse Petersen

Alyse has been playing volleyball since 3rd grade. She does not have plans to continue playing volleyball in college. “This sport has motivated me to be a leader on and off the court and has taught me to push myself and work hard not only in highschool,but the rest of my life.”

TaLeia Loves softball because it builds personal growth. Has been playing softball since T-Ball. Shedoes not have plans to continue softball in college because she is going to focus on schoolwork. “This sport has impacted my life by showing me how to build better relationships even with the other team.”

The final home game of the season for the volleyball team was against the Souther Raiders. The volleyball team woin after three sets with Emily Huss leading the team with 20 kills.

CROSS COUNTRY

The conference cross country meet was held at home where Jakolbe Atkins ‘24 ran a time of 19 minutes and 18 econds finishing 12th. Brittany Kroeker ‘23 finsihed 15th running a time of 26:08.

Alekz

Hunt Cervantes

TaLeia

Tatro

Cora Line

DefensiveOffensive Huddle

Livingston

Ellie