Volume 67 • Issue 4 March 9, 2022
Health Fairbury High School 1501 9th Street Fairbury, NE 68352 Non-Profit Organization Permit #64
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Pig Heart The restroom Winter sports Situation Recap Transplant PAGE 4 PAGE 9 PAGE 11
3.9.22
2 Opinion/Editorial
Layout by: Aloe Richie
Trials of running fireworks tent For the past three years, my family has been working the firework tent by Pizza Hut. Our tent is a little different from all of the other tents in town, as we pick out what fireworks we want to sell. With it being our own private tent, a lot of work is needed to set it up and run it. Starting in February we get a list of what fireworks our distributor will sell to us, and we start working on figuring out what we want. This usually takes us about two months to figure out what we want to sell and figure out what we already have. Then at the beginning of June we drive to our distributors to pick up our fireworks and bring them back to town. When they get back
to town, our family helps unpack and take inventory of what we just received. When that is all sorted out, then we wait for the 30th of June. By then, a company had already set up our tent. On the 30th, we take the fireworks from our storage to the tent to prop them up and have it ready for the next four days. Once the fireworks are in the tent, there is always at least one person there to make sure nobody steals anything. Then comes the holiday. The rules for selling fireworks are different from town to town, and in Fairbury, we are allowed to sell from eight in the morning to ten at night from the first through the fourth. On the first, sometime from eight to ten in the morning, the fire marshel comes by and checks the tent for safety and our selling permit. Once he gives us the ok to sell, then the four days are pretty similar. It is not busy from eight to noon, with a couple of customers coming in. Around three in the afternoon
it starts to pick up pace and by six at night, the tent is full with customers picking out the fireworks and buying them. Finally, on the fifth of July, we start to pack up the fireworks and take it back to storage and take down the tables inside. What we didn’t sell will be used for next year’s tent and we get a break from July until February, when we restart the process. All of the work can be a little tough, hauling 50 boxes of fireworks from a trailer to the tent, but it is also a lot of fun. Ringing people up at the register and helping them find the fireworks for their grandkids to watch and not get scared. We also meet new people who sometimes drive three hours to meet up with family and spoil them with fireworks. Either way, it is work that I enjoy doing and hope to do myself when I am older.
Pros, cons of living in the country I have lived my entire life out in the country and I have to say that there are a variety of positives that come with it. Of course there are also a variety of negatives as well. One of the best positives is the sheer amount of pets that you can have. Throughout my entire life I have had multiple cats, dogs, goats, and horses. And you get to have some really special moments with these animals. Especially if you show them in the county fair. I could tell you so many stories about all of my animals; like how my goat Silly helped me to win reserve champion and how my cat Luigi helped me to win grand champion in showmanship. But a negative thing that comes with all of these animals is that unfortunate things may happen to them. I have lost a lot of cats and have lost a total of three dogs. And for the goats, well, we have to sell a majority of them so if you get really attached to one then it is harder to let them go. And it is excruciatingly difficult to watch a horse that you rode as a child die and then have to bury them.
For another positive, you get the biggest yard to play in. When growing up my sister and I had a trampoline that we would jump on, we would also play in one of those tiny plastic baby pools and we would also jump from hay bale to hay bale. But a negative thing about it is that your sister will stop playing with you one she falls on one of those hay bales, so then you are left all alone to play by yourself. Now, another positive that I had was that I was able to drive at a fairly young age. By the time I was in the eighth grade. When I got my school permit; it was just me and the open roads, only being able to go back to school, but hey, it is the freedom of being able to drive that matters. But the major con of driving is that I live fifteen minutes away from the school. It isn’t that bad, but it starts to add up when you have to drive back and forth five times a week. And with how expensive gas prices are getting then it isn’t so fun to have to spend around $30 just to fill up my car for the week. There are a lot of pros and cons to living out in the country, but living out there has been my life. I am excited to eventually see how different it will be to live in a town or city, but I know that I will miss living out in the country; even with all of the cons that come with it.
Layout by: Gavin Schramm
3.9.22
Opinion/Editorial 3
New late policies raise concerns
The Blazer Editorial ver Christmas break, the school administration discussed the previous late work policy. Before the change, students had until the end of the semester to turn in late assignments. Now. students must have all assignments for that unit turned in before the test and if they aren’t submitted, it’s a zero in the gradebook. Some teachers have put in a zero if a student missed the assignment for that day or if they were at a school activity or sick. This rule makes it harder for students if they are sick for long periods of time and miss notes and lessons. This makes students not know much about the material that will be on the tests since they missed a lot of it. The Blazer staff either doesn’t have an opinion on it or they think it is good. Some think it’s good because it sets more specific
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deadlines for students and that it will teach them how to use their time more efficiently, especially for upper high school years and college when deadlines become more strict. A few of the positives about the old policy was that students could turn in assignments any time in that semester or quarter. Waiting until the last minute to turn in a lot of assignments caused a lot of stress on the teachers. With the new policy, it can cause more stress on the students instead of the teachers. Students often suffer from burnout or lack of motivation. That may sound obvious that students can have a lack of motivation with school work, but it happens more than people think. Teachers could suffer from the same problems. Having to grade multiple classes’ assignments and tests can burn them out and students need to think about that more.
Choosing colleges creates stress for seniors
H
ow do I decide which college is right for me? This is a question that I have been struggling with since the end of my junior year and it has been on my mind a lot recently. I have applied and been accepted into four different colleges, so now I need to decide which one I should go to. There is no “magic method” for making this decision. However, I have found a strategy that has helped me narrow down my options to make the decision easier. I started by making a list of colleges that interested me and researching them, cutting down my options as I learned information and applied to the ones that were still in the running. I then visited each college, taking detailed notes of all the information that pertains to me. When I got home from each visit, I would revisit my notes and think through the college that I visited. After I got a chance to visit each campus, I gathered up all of my notes and started a pros and cons list for each choice. I went through the notes I had from each visit and wrote down what I liked and did not like. After I made a list for each college, I went through them and decided whether the cons outweighed the pros or not. If the good things were not enough to allow me to see through the issues I had with it, I took the college out of my options. This wiped out 50 percent of my choices. Now that I only have two colleges to decide between, it’s going to come down to the costs to attend, extracurriculars available for me, distance of the campus from my family, and scholarships that I could receive for each college. Coming from a family that is not greatly wealthy, it is important to understand how much it costs to attend each school and how much scholarship money and financial aid I can receive when looking at each campus. I also can take into account what jobs are available on campus. One of the colleges that I am considering pays students for being involved in pep band which is great because being
involved in extracurricular activities is a great way to make friends and have fun on campus. This is why I not only had to consider the cost but I also had to consider my options for involvement. For example, I love being a part of band and theater, but these activities tend to overlap at many colleges, so I needed to make sure there was a way for me to be involved in both programs in one way or another. One of the other main factors that I have to consider when deciding where I should go to college is how far away the campus is from my family. I have always been really close to my family. My mom, dad, and foster siblings are a huge part of my world and I couldn’t imagine going super far away from home so early in my life. Obviously, when I graduate college and get a job and potentially a family of my own, I will be okay with living further away from my family in order to live my own, separate life. However, during college I would prefer to stay close, especially with my littlest siblings, my 2-year old sister and four-year old brother, being so young. It is quite clear that this is catered towards my values, wants, needs, and lifestyle, so this exact method will not work for everyone. I suggest starting a list of deal breakers first. For example, if someone plans to double major in instrumental music and education to become a band teacher, they should make sure that their choices have a good band and education program. So, not having a good band program would be a deal breaker for them. From the above, I can conclude that if a college campus was 12 hours away from my family, it would be a deal breaker as I want to stay close to home. I encourage anyone who is trying to make a very important decision such as what college to go to or where to apply for a job they come up with their “deal breakers”, visit each place and take detailed notes during the visit, and make a pros and cons list for each place. While this might not be a “magic method”, it sure did help me narrow down my choices and I hope it can help others make difficult decisions as well.
4 News
3.9.22
Layout by: Elizabeth Kerwood
Russia invades Ukraine as World watches Trenton Ruhnke Editor-in-Chief
An invasion by Russia has seen them entering their neighboring country of Ukraine. Russia first entered Ukraine on February 24. There have been multiple speculations as to why Russia is invading Ukraine; from wanting to liberate one of the self-proclaimed area of Ukraine that is loyal to Russia, to the potential chance that Russia wants to be one of the top countries again, to Russia claiming that the invasion is to have Ukraine be purged from Nazis. “I guess there is really no real way of predicting what will happen next,” Ashton McCown ‘23 said. “And it doesn’t help that you can’t trust what Russia will say.” The United States have already stated that they will not be engaging any troops in Ukraine with the decision being around not wanting nuclear weapons to be used. But the United States is
According to BBC News, more than 1.7 million people have fled Ukraine due to the invasion. The United Nations has stated that there have been atleast 1,123 civilian casualties as of March 6 with 364 deaths and 759 injuires.
helping indirectly with Biden approving to send military aid in the form of $350 million. “I am worried (over the invasion in Ukraine),” social science teacher Mick Suey said. “Obviously this could turn into a huge conflict.” Russia has also threatened to use nuclear weapons with Putin announcing on February 27 that his deterrence force would be on high alert in order to sway countries away from interfering with the invasion.
“Ultimately if it gets bad,” Drake Richtarik ‘23 said. “I feel like Britain and the US will get involved.” In order to help combat against Russia, multiple countries have agreed to sanction Russia off of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), a global payment system. If Russia is cut off from SWIFT then it will lack the ability to accept funds or make payments outside of Russia; which will send Russia
into a financial crisis due to them being unable to access their assets outside of Russia. “I hope that the world leaders can help negotiate or interview,” Mr. Suey said. “Hopefully that way it will not get worse then what it already is.” Switzerland, who has always upheld neutrality, has broken this cycle and is moving to have Russia sanctioned and cut off from SWIFT as well in cooperation with other European countries. “It can be avoided (the invasion in Ukraine),” Richtarik said. “But it is what it is. I hope the countries around Ukraine and Russia will keep their civilians safe to stop needless deaths.” At the time of this writing and the situation still continuing; it is unclear as to when and how this event will end. “I don’t think it will end with a nuclear war,” McCown said. “But it will end with a lot of bloodshed.”
Genetically altered pig heart transplant succeeds Eliza Kroeker Reporter
On January 7, 57 year old Bennett Sr. dies two months after transplant use a pig heart in place of a David Bennett gave permission Update: human heart then what else is that allowed surgeons to take a On March 8, two months after receiving the implant, possible? genetically modified pig heart David Bennett Sr. died from undetermined complications. “The pig-heart transplant and transplant it into his body. Bennett Sr., 57, had received the experimental pig’s heart in opens up an incredible avenue In order to understand the a groundbreaking surgery. He received the transplant after of medical treatment options importance of this event it is being denied possible human transplants. Physcians planned for people with organ failure,” helpful if we understand how to publish their results of the autopsy when they become Winter says. “The availability of this is revolutionary to the available. alternative treatment options, medical industry and why you including using pig organs, must be careful in transplanting a genetically modified pigs gives us the potential to save more patients that die while heart into a human. awaiting a viable transplant.” “Since pigs are anatomically similar to humas this has This isn’t the first thing to be done with pigs but it is a major become possible,” science teacher, Dr. Emily Winter said. jump from the pig skin transplants they do. Not only does this “Usually, a donor must be cross matched through blood type open of plenty of medical options for transplants but it will also and cell markers to the recipient, and just be in good health save many people. without damage to the organ. The goal is that the recipient’s “I think that this is a super positive thing if it works as good body accepts the new organ as its own. If not, the recipient’s as a human heart or at least comparably close,” Ellie Livingston body will attack the new organ, this is called ‘rejection’”. ‘23 said. “The medical community has used some pig structures This event changed the way scientists change their way of in human medicine, and they have done transplants with pig thinking about medical treatments and transplants. If you can skin, etc., but they are making huge strides in the science field.”
Layout by: Morgan Stewart
3.9.22
School 5
Welcoming first year teachers Stara completes first semester teaching Annamarie bryan reporter
With the new semester came a new English teacher. Ms. a total of two sophomore English ll classes with 28 students Brooklyn Stara joined the staff as the new English teacher for in each. After Ms. Stara started, they were split into five one 7th grade class, one 8th grade class, and three 10th grade sophomore classes. This gave teachers more time to work with their students English classes. She was able to start teaching at the beginning and it also gave them more time to of the second semester upon get to know their students. completion of her student “We split my grade 8th English teaching at Beatrice Middle class in 6th period. It was my largest School. English class of 25 students,” English Before she started work teacher Mr. Andrew Singleton there were not enough said. “To better facilitate a smaller English teachers to teach all student to teacher ratio and make it of the grades so the school easier on me to be able to focus on had to double up on kids students, we split it up.” in classes and some of the Having so many kids was hard in teachers didn’t even have a a lot of ways. The teachers not only plan period. had to deal with the students being “I came straight from New English teacher Ms. Stara preparing to teach her class. Stara student college and it was really good taught at Beatrice middle school last semester. She plans to return there to loud and chaotic at times, they also had to deal with the amount of time because I came directly from teach full time next year. Photo by: Aloe Richie it takes to grade all of their students’ student teaching,” Ms. Stara work and provide one-on-one assistance when needed. said. “It was a little scary at first, but it was a great decision “It took a fairly long amount of time to grade them (essays),” overall I really love teaching so far, I like being able to engage with so many different students and you never know what type Ms. Linda Brown said. “I know I have spent a few Sundays of class you will get and every class is unique and so amazing.” grading papers for all of my students, but I tried to grade each Ms. Stara starting has helped the other teachers out with paragraph as people submitted them, unless they waited till the taking some of their classes. They now have time to have one last second to turn them in. It was already pretty much revised on one time with their students. The first semester there were and graded for them to fix.”
Band takes prominent role at home events makenzie mills reporter
Taking on a more prominent role, there has been an increase in pep band performances during the basketball season. The band played at more games than usual and even increased the amount of time they play at each home game. While the band used to only play until the end of the boy’s third quarter, they now play for the entirety of the boys game. “From the band member’s perspective, I feel like we add to the game,” Brook Tatro ‘24 said. “I know there are people who don’t enjoy the band performing,
but we just do what we do and hope it is raising team spirit. I think it is a great thing that the band is getting more involved. It is definitely more stressful, especially with other practices and extracurriculars going on, like there were definitely days that I was at school at 7 am and got home at 10:30 pm, but it was still fun.” While it has been an enjoyable, but stressful time for Brook, she is not the only one who approves of this change. “I think it has only enhanced what has been done in the past.” band director Ryan Dusso said. “I grew up in a school where we were at every home
Senior Steven Aden and Sophomore Aiden Haidul getting ready to play in the pep band at the start of a football game. Photo by: Eliza Kroeker
game, weather that would be basketball, football, even some volleyball. “We would be there at every single one and not only
is it good for the band to get out and practice, but it’s also great for bringing that school spirit and to help bring out different atmospheres.”
6 In-Depth
3.9.22
Layout by: Tre
Physical Health - Keeping kids active Elizabeth Kerwood Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Physical health affects the way people walk, talk, eat and function in their day to day lives. It is an important part of living. Learning how to work on physical health can help to improve anyone’s life. Physical health doesn’t have to be just about anyone. Students especially can work towards improving their workout ethic and physicality. Starting at a younger age can help with having a set way of working on good physical health. I think for both mental and physical health, being physically active into adulthood keeps you healthier. Having a healthy diet also adds to the equation.” Coach Derek Garfield said. “Taking a P.E. class is a must, it gives students one period a day to be active and away from computers and technology.” For freshmen just entering high school, they are required to take a physical education class. Due to COVID-19, students like Schuylar Malone ‘24 chose to go online the whole year and she couldn’t submit a proof of physical education. That means she retook P.E. this year and has learned a bit about
dealing with physical health and how it affects students and teachers. “For people in the class and for teachers to understand a student, they need to realize that lots of times students don’t want to participate because they genuinely don’t have fun and other students tend to dog pile on them for nothing,” Malone said. Encouraging high schoolers to stay motivated in anything they do can be a challenge. Getting students to work on their physical health is harder. Depending on your role in student’s lives, you could view their physical health differently. “It’s just as important as their education, taking time out of their day to spend [at least] 30 minutes on some kind of exercise,” Coach Colby Hamel said when asked about students working on their physical health. “Not all exercise has to be painful just to get something out of it.”
Stress - A constant in life Gavin Schramm Reporter
Everybody has roles to fill, from taking care of their family to working until ten at night. With more roles being offered to students and staff means that stress will enter their lives. Kids are growing up fast and highschool may catch them off guard, especially with having a dozen clubs and sports open to them, along with an after school job to fund activities. Even going into senior year it doesn’t slow down, since they have college to work on. Jamie Junker ‘22 has many roles to fill: taking care of her horses, being cheer captain, her college work, and her job is what she balances every day. “There is always something going on everyday, and so much you need and what’s going on,” Junker said. Adults have a lot more experience than students when it comes to almost everything, but they also have their limits for how much stress they can hold for one day. Dr. Jill Timmons, the school psychologist, teaches at three different colleges and watches her kids’ events. “What stresses me out the most is not doing enough or I am failing somebody,” Dr. Timmons said. Although her roles don’t stress her out directly, the expectations of the job she is committed to is what creates the stress, but Dr. Timmons has many coping strategies. Now stress doesn’t have to take over your life, there are many different healthy ways to deal with it. There is setting boundaries, journaling, working out, and therapy.
“As long as I’m journaling , I just get all this stuff that I’m thinking about out.” Dr. Timmons said. Of course, what works for one person may not work for another or work better. Stress doesn’t come from jobs or roles, but from feelings of doubt to time management. Now the roles that we are responsible for cause a little bit of stress, but the feeling of failing someone is what can really mess up your day. “Don’t be discouraged when you’re stressed and my favorite saying, ‘Be gentle with yourself,’” Dr. Timmons said.
enton Ruhnke
3.9.22
In-Depth 7
Mental Health - The mind is also important Makenzie Mills Reporter
According to a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, in 2019, over one in every three high school students will experience signs of depression, a 40% increase since 2009. While these stats are clear, just how many of them could be in this small school? Well, according to the guidance counselor, Mrs. Taylor Biehl, around 30% of students in this school express to her that they have poor mental health and around 20% of students with poor mental health in this school, express that this negatively impacts their grades. “ I feel that 100% mental health is a cause for concern. Suicide and selfharm I feel is at an all-time high. ” Biehl
said. According to a page on the CDC website, last updated in May of 2021, students with poor mental health may struggle with school and grades. This also causes an increase in the risk of using addictive substances and being more violent which could lead to serious trouble with school administration and the law and could severely affect their ability to succeed in school and life. Teachers, parents, and students all play a part in helping improve the mental health of these students. “Fortunately, the same prevention
strategies that promote mental health— like helping students feel connected to school/family—help prevent a range of negative experiences, like drug use and violence,” the CDC said on a page of their website that was last updated in May of 2021. “Building strong bonds and relationships with adults and friends at school, at home and in the community provides youth with a sense of connectedness.This feeling of connectedness is important and can protect adolescents from poor mental health, and other risks like drug use and violence. Youth need to know someone cares about them. Connections can be made virtually or in person.”
Coping mechanisms - A necessity in life Trenton Ruhnke Editor-in-Chief
In life, there will be a multitude of terrible things that will happen to you and that will bring you down. During these times, it is always important that you use your own personal coping mechanism to help you through. “I run personally every day in the morning,” guidance counselor Taylor Biehl said. “It helps with my mental stress. I believe it works well. If I run by myself then I am able to think things through.” Coping mechanisms are strategies that people use to help them overcome the challenges of everyday life and to help them move forward and onward. “I first learned my coping mechanisms when I started having anxiety,” Emily Woosley ‘23 said. “I kind of taught them to myself.” People need coping mechanisms in order to help cope with life from stressful situations. But in order to use coping mechanisms people need to find out what helps them cope. “You have to learn how to cope because life is full of stress,” Mrs. Biehl said.
“You have to learn to cope in a healthy way.” Some examples that people use as coping mechanisms include hobbies, like sewing, gardening, and drawing, to getting in daily exercise, to something like listening to music, watching TV and movies, playing video games, and reading. “Normally I just take a second to breathe and get fresh air,” Woosley said. “It just gives me a second to breathe and decompress.” But, of course, there are always bad coping mechanisms that people may fall into. Two examples of bad coping mechanisms include excessive use of narcotics or drugs and selfharming both physically and emotionally. “I believe they have to be taught (good vs. bad coping mechanisms),” Mrs. Biehl said. “It will be easier to quit a bad coping mechanism short term, but it will be harder if it has been over for multiple years.” Bad coping mechanisms are harmful and could prove to be more difficult to stop. So learning if your coping mechanisms are healthy or not is an important thing to learn in school and throughout life. ”If you don’t have a coping mechanism you can fall behind,” Woosly said. Or you can get more stressed out if you don’t find an outlet to help yourself out.” Finding your own way of coping will always be an important part of life as there will always be stress to life that you will need to find someway to bounce back from. “You have to learn how to cope with stress,” Mrs. Biehl said. “Because life is full of stress and you have to learn to cope in a healthy way.”
8 Feature
3.9.22
Layout by: Jorjia Shellhase
Ausk takes interest to next level Interest with makeup started by playing with extra makeup that her mom no longer want
seven years old, but when she was about eleven years old, makeup got more serious for her. “My mom would give me some of her eyeshadow colors that she didn't like on herself and some lip gloss to aloe richie play around with as a kid,” Ausk said. reporter Ausk enjoys doing other people’s makeup for One Act because she is in Freshman Isabella Ausk has charge of how they appear on stage. enjoyed creating makeup looks She is in charge of fitting the on herself from a very young actor’s faces to their outfits and age. Now she also has a role of the time that the script takes place doing stage makeup for One and can point out to people that Act and the school musical. she did that actors face of makeup. Doing stage makeup for One Izzy Ausk ‘25, does sister Lillian Ausk’s makeup before a One Act performance at the school. Photo by AnnaMarie Bryan. “When we are getting ready it Act can be time consuming normally takes about twenty minutes depending on how many people to get all of the small designs done. So are in need or how much makeup is needed for the character. the first step of turning my face into a dog is to put brown all over, “It takes me about an hour and a half to do a full face of makeup which is the base color,” Elizabeth Ohlde ‘24 said. “Then the white is for me, but for others it takes about of makeup,” Ausk said. painted on the eyes and below the nose. She makes all the other little Ausk started playing with makeup when she was about details such as the smile, nose, and little dots right above my lip.”
Blazer PHOTO
Love of art devloped early for Tatro Morgan stewart reporter
Starting with a love of art, Junior Cora Tatro’s skill has continued to grow through the years. Tatro has enjoyed art in some form for her whole life. She started her career by finger painting with her mom and her siblings when she was about two years old. Tatro says she has never stopped loving art since then. “My mom started me and my siblings finger painting and coloring when we were around the age of two,” Tatro said. “Just like most other mothers, but I just never stopped loving art.” Since the beginning when she started off by painting and coloring her mom has been her support every step of the way. “I would say my biggest supporter is my mom, Tatro said. “She is also an artist and loves how creative I am.” The time that Tatro got most interested in art was when she was about eight years old and she had just started to learn how to make things look 3-D. Quickly she became interested in sketching and marker art then onto colored pencils.
Blazer FEATURE PHOTO
Cora Tatro ‘23, creates a drawing of food boxes for an art project using a variety of colors and utensils. Photo by Morgan Stewart.
Tatro does not have a favorite style, she enjoys anything she does. “I started off with loving to sketch,'' Tatro said. “Then I loved marker art and next colored pencils.” Tatro enjoys drawing many different things. She also loves a challenge and is ready to try new, difficult things. She
usually likes to draw people, water or clouds because they are the most challenging. Even though the pieces she works on are challenging it is still calming to her. “I enjoy art because it is a stress reliever for me.” Tatro said. “I like to do art wherever I feel motivated to.”
Layout by: AnnaMarie Bryan
3.9.22
Feature 9
LOCKED OUT!
Vandalism forces multiple closures Bathrooms locked as vandalism and destruction continues creating long lines and frustration Trenton Ruhnke Editor-in-Chief
The restrooms have been experiencing problems with vandalism going on, but three major events occurred during the third quarter causing extend closures. Two of the events consisted in the boys restrooms in the senior hallway and junior high hallway which had urine sprayed on the walls, toilet paper thrown around, and ink sprayed on the walls. “It’s frustrating,” principal Sean Molloy said. “Because when I think about how students treat their own bathrooms at home compared to the school’s. It’s also Vandalism in the boys restrooms has included urine on the floors and walls, toilet paper being strewn across the stalls, pipes being pulled apart, ink sprayed on the walls, bathrooms stall doors broken and more disappointing because they were graffiti written on the walls. With the vandalism, the restrooms have been closed for extended periods taught restroom expectations and it just causing lines in the office for boys wanting to use the restrooms.Contributed Photos adds more work to the custodians and I have empathy for students since they have to use the common “Our custodians are fantastic people and are excellent restroom.” at their job,” Mr. Molloy said. “I feel bad for them because In addition, the girls restroom had the toilet paper dispenser they are underappreciated and are just having more work for broken open but it was determined it them. It is frustrating to see them was an accident. underappreciated.” “I think it is dumb that there Students that are also not affiliated are a few amount of boys that did with these incidents are also affected this,” Keilani Trimm ‘24 said. “Now by the consequences. Male students are everyone has to sign out. I don’t now only able to use the restroom out in think the sign out sheet is too bad, the commons, which has the chance to the only problem is that people don’t become very crowded throughout the want to read the analog clocks. day due to it being the only one open. The results of the boys bathroom “I think we know who is doing incidents left all of the boys it,” Trimm said, “but the faculty can’t bathrooms closed with the only punish based on a hunch.” restroom being able to be used in the nurse’s office. In an attempt to identify people if incidents in the restroom “I saw all of the girls going to all of their restrooms,” Jax Biehl were to occur, a new rule was added where students are required ‘23 said. “And the boys were 20 deep waiting for the restroom to sign out to go use the restroom and sign back in once they in the nurse’s office.” return. The times that the students left and returned are also For a time, the only restroom left open for the boys was out required to keep a more firm record of who was in the restroom in the commons restroom with the others being locked up. during the day. “I think it is very unfair that the boys only get one restroom,” “Students have to be positive influences to each other,” Mr. Biehl said. “Dosen’t Fairbury pay for cameras so why don’t we Molloy said. “Discouraging negative behaviors and telling the use them?” office. There are more systematic ways that we could do to These incidents have added more work for custodians to eliminate the problems. We could also add stricter bathroom clean up when they already have other responsibilities to clean policies, but I don’t want to because a majority of students are the entire school. making good decisions compared to the few who aren’t.”
“a majority of students are making good decisions compared to the few WHO aren’t.”
-Principal Sean Molloy
10 Entertainment
3.9.22
Layout by: Brant Gillham
Spiderman: No Way Home is the biggest hit of 2021! Brant Gillham Entertainment Writer
Spiderman: No Way Home, is the newest installment to the MCU and possibly the biggest to come out in a post COVID era. It has so many amazing things that are crammed into it’s two hour and 28 minute runtime, and yet people still wanted even more. It is slamming the box office as we speak, gaining around one billion dollars as of the time of writing. This is truly the best of the new Spiderman Trilogy, but, does that mean it’s good? The basic story revolves around what happened after Far From Home, where the villain, Mysterio, reveals Peter Parker’s identity to the public. Now that he is in the spotlight of the world and his friends are feeling the repercussions of his actions, Peter decides to talk to the only person that could fix everything, Doctor Strange. As they begin, Peter messes up the spell, causing a certain amount of “visitors” to come through. The visitors are various villains from the Multiverse, being Doctor Otto Octavius, played by Alfred Molina, a villain from the Sam Raimi Spiderman series, Electro, an electrifying foe from the Marc Webb series, and the Green Goblin, played by Willem Dafoe, a two-faced, ruthless man from the first Spiderman movie. Now Peter must take them back home, so the multiverse doesn’t implode upon itself. The story is very enticing on paper. In reality, it is quite messy. There are so many moving pieces within it, and it expects the audience to go along with it, and it worked. I have seen non-stop praise for this film, which really tells me that people only watched it for the characters and cameos within it. That is perfectly fine, but I would rather have a movie where the story would have more meaning and purpose than the rest of the elements within it. For me, the
Cast & Crew
Tom Holland............................Peter Parker Tobey Maguire.......................Peter Parker Andrew Garfield....................Peter Parker Zendaya..........................................................M.J Jacob Batalon...............................Ned Leeds Benedict Cumberbatch.Doctor Strange Alfred Molina......................Otto Octavious Willem Dafoe.........................Green Goblin Jamie Foxx............................................Electro J.K. Simmons..................J. Jonah Jameson Thomas Haden Church.............Sandman Rhys Ifans.......................................The Lizard Jon Favreau.............................Happy Hogan Marisa Tomei..................Auny May Parker Benedict Wong.....................................Wong Charlie Cox............................Matt Murdock Tony Revolori...................Flash Thompson Arian Moayed..........................Agent Cleary Angourie Rice............................Betty Brant Paula Newsome...M.I.T. Vice Chancellor
IMDb rating: 8.6/10 Rotten tomatos: 93%
pacing really killed this movie. At one moment, the movie is going slow and steady, then faster than a rollercoaster, and then a dead stop towards the end. It is very distracting to me, and makes movies like this hard for me to sit down and enjoy. Speaking about enjoyment, let’s talk about the best thing in this movie, the characters. The characters in this movie are actually pretty good. Each one bounces off each other in an organic way, which is essential for a movie of this caliber.
The best chemistry in this movie is definitely between Peter Parker and his foes, which is a surprise. Each villain knows Peter Parker, and he gets to know them all in due time. My favorite two are Doc Ock and the Green Goblin. Alfred Molina captures his old self, but the standout, if you haven’t guessed, is Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin. If there is anything that is terrifying to see, it would have to be a wild Willem Dafoe. His performance literally gave me goosebumps, his shrill goblin voice and his energy are unmatched. His character is the true definition of evil. Fun fact, Willem Dafoe wanted to do all of his own stunts, so his performance could be more authentic. The final thing I want to talk about is the appearances of two other Spider-people, them being Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of Spiderman. When this moment happened in the theater, I got to say, I was hysterical. To see them come back was jaw-dropping and unforgettable. Andrew Garfield was an “amazing” Spiderman, but in my eyes, Tobey Maguire is my favorite Spiderman. Ever since I was a kid, I watched the Sam Raimi Trilogy nonstop, and now as a young adult, I still watch these movies on a monthly basis. Yes, Maguire’s performance in those films is quite outdated in some areas, it is still enjoyable to see a nerd like Peter Parker become New York’s webswinging hero. Spiderman: No Way Home is an enjoyable film. Even though it has some major flaws in the story and pacing department, the characters more than make up for that. This movie was the movie of 2021, and it really capped off the year in terms of filmmaking. There were many great films and T.V. shows that came out, but nothing could have and would have topped this movie. With all being said, I will be giving Spiderman: No Way Home a solid B.
Layout by: Eliza Kroeker
3.9.22
Sports 11
Sports Briefs Recapping Winter Sports
Jeffs Basketball JCC 44 Fairbury 42 After a last second three point shot the Jeffs boys basketball team fell short to JCC. The game was pretty evenly matched with the largest lead being only six points. The game came down to the final second where JCC made a buzzer beater shot to end the game Jacob Martin Conference David City 57 Fairbury 48, Wilber Clatonia 42 Fairbury 41, In the first round of the conference tournament the Jeffs boys basketball team lost, in a game that went into overtime, against David City. The boys basketball team was down 6 at the start of the fourth quarter but came back to send the game into overtime where they were out scored 12-3. After losing in the first round of the conference tournament the team played Wilber-Clatonia where they were defeated in a close game 42-41. The boys basketball team was down by 18 points at one point in the game and then they brought the game within 1 point. They had the opportunity to win the game but couldn’t convert on the last second shot. Jackson Martin Seward 52 Fairbury 34 After the conference tournament the boys basketball team lost in the home matchup against the Seward Bluejays. The boys started off slow, only scoring 4 points in the first quarter. The bluejays never lost the lead and the boys basketball team went on to lose 52-34. Fairbury 49 Schuyler 30 Coming off of a 4 game losing streak the boys basketball team beat the Schuyler Warriors 49-30. The boys basketball team started off slower in the first half only being up five points at half time. They then went on to outscore the Warriors 2915 in the second half to win the game. Falls City 65 Fairbury 49 In the final game of the regular season for the boys basketball team, they were outscored 65-49 by the Falls City Tigers. The boys basketball team had a rough start being outscored 20-9. The slow start would cost them in the long run and they would never come back. Sub-distirct Fairbury 34 Falls City 23, Auburn 86 Fairbury 47 The boys basketball team played Falls City again in the first round of the sub-district tournament after playing them the game before. The boys basketball team just lost to Falls City but in this game they took a lead after the first quarter and were up 12-7. They then out scored Falls City 34-23 in the second half and went on to win 5545. In the sub-district final the boys basketball team played the Auburn Bulldogs. Auburn started off on fire scoring 32 points in the first quarter. The lead was too great for the boys basketball team to ever come back and they went on to lose 86-47. Jax Biehl
Lady Jeffs Basketball Conference Tournament Fairbury 54 Sandy Creek 31, Fairbury 47 David City 28, Superior 43 Fairbury 38, Sutton 39 Fairbury 27 In the first game of the SNC tournament the Jeffs advanced to the second round beating the Sandy Creek Cougars with a final score of 54-31. Jami Mans lead the team with 14 points and 8 rebounds with Hannah Roberston following with 13 points. With a final score of 47-28, the Jeffs beat the David City Karly McCord Scouts raising them higher in the SNC tournament. Jami Mans lead the scoring with 16 points and Hannah Roberston followed with 13. Karly McCord and Cassidy Siepk tied with 12 rebounds each. In the third game of the SNC tournament, the Jeffs lost to the Superior Wildcats in overtime with a final score of 43-38. Leading the team in points, Karly McCord had 10 and Jami Mans and Hannah Robertson both had 9. Getting fourth in the SNC tournament, the Sutton Fillies beat the Jeffs with a final score of 39-27. Jami Mans had a total of 12 points and Karly McCord had a total of 10 points and Casidy 10 rebounds. Seward 42 Fairbury 40 Sipek
State Wrestling
State qualifiers Connor Gerths, Kazz Hyson, Noah Hyson,Riley Arner, Hayden Bear, Makena Schramm State Runner-Up At state wrestling, Connor Gerths, 138, won his first match in the final seconds of the third period. Gerths was down by one point but then got a reversal in the final seconds and won 5-4. Gerths then went on to lose his next two matches of the state tournament. Gerths Connor lost his second match 15-0 and Gerths his third match 8-7. Kazz Hyson won his first two matches on the first day both by a score of 3-1. Hyson was then defeated in triple overtime by the wrestler who went on to place first. Hyson won his next match 1-0 and went on to wrestle for third and fourth place where he was defeated and he placed fourth overall in the 285 weight class at state. Noah Hyson, wrestling in the 220 weight class, was pinned in his first match so he had to wait and wrestle again the next day. The next day in his first match Hyson won 4-1 and would have another chance to wrestle. Hyson was then pinned in his next match eliminating him from the state tournament. Riley Arner, wrestling in the 160 weight class, also lost his match on the first day so he had to wait for the next day to wrestle. Arner won his first match by a score of 11-8 and then lost his next match 4-2 eliminating him as well.
Losing to the Seward Blue with a score of 4240, with a total of 13 points and 8 rebounds, Jami Mans lead the teams points with Karly following close with 11 points. Casidy Sipek lead the team in rebounds with 9. Fairbury 51 Schuyler 19 Sub Districts, Fairbury 40 Fall City 36, Fairbury 42 Auburn 36 The Jeffs come out with a win in the first game of Sub Districts against the Falls City Tigers with a score of 40-36. Leading the team scoring wise, Karly McCord had 13 points and 7 rebounds. Deja Vocelka followed with 10 points and leading rebounder, Casidy Sipek had 10 rebounds. In the second round of Sub Districts, the Jeffs beat the Auburn Bulldogs in double overtime with a score of 42-36. Karly McCord lead the team with 17 points and 9 rebounds, Jami Mans followed with 10 points. District Lincoln Luthern 38 Fairbury 18 In the district finals against the Lincoln Luthern Warriors the Jeffs held on strong for the first half of the game with a score of 16-11 at halftime. It was a low scoring game for the Jeffs with Hannah Robertson leading the scoring with a total of 5 points. In the Hannah Robertson second half the Warriors pulled away with a final score of 38-18. Hayden Bear, wrestling 106, was pinned in his first match of the state tournament and had to wait until the next day to wrestle again. Bear was then pinned in his second match as well eliminating him from the tournament. Makena Junior Makena Schramm Schramm won her first two matchs with a score of 2-0 on the first match and pinning the second girl on her second match. Schramm lost in the finals but not without a fight earning second overall in the 185 weight class. State Swim & Dive Representing the Fairbury Jeffs, Sophomore Lilly Davis, Junior Mikya Lierman and Freshman Avery Bauman competed at the 2022 state swim and dive meet. Being the 3rd diver to compete her dives at state, Davis placed 22nd at state Mikya Lierman with a score of 132 in the preliminaries. Lierman competed in 5 events, swimming the 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay and the 400 Freestyle Relay. Bauman competed in 6 events, swimming in the 50 Freestyle 100 Freestyle 200 Free 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay and the 400 Freestyle Relay.
Volume 67 • Issue 4 March 9, 2022 Layout BY: Jackson Martin
Bench players play important role for teams
W
hen people think of bench players, they think of someone who doesn’t play and just sits on the bench and watches the whole game, but they perform a much bigger role than that. Bench players are some of the most important players on a team for every successful team. When the team is going good, the bench players keep the energy going and help get everyone hype. Even when the team is losing, bench players can stay positive and bring some life into the team to help them come back in a game Bench players not only have a lot to offer at games, but they do at practices as well. In practice when the team is trying to compete a little bit, they can play against the bench players and get a look at how they are playing. Without the bench players in this situation, the team would have no one to play against and would be stuck running it live for the first time in a game. Many fans overlook the role of bench players, but they play a role almost as vital and just important as the actual players. Without bench players there would be much less energy for the teams at games and practices. Although bench players don’t seem to have a direct impact on the game, they have a lot more to offer than what people think.
Achievements in sports
Kazz Hyson ‘22 wrestles Carson Felhafer of Centennial for third place at the Class C state championships in Omaha. Hyson finished the year 42-8 and finished fourth overall at state. Photo by Brant Gillham
Records, milestones fall for Jeffs Eliza Kroeker
“It was something I’ve worked towards Whether you’re breaking school since the beginning of the season and it records or making it to state, felt good to finally get there,” Hyson said. accomplishing such an achievement is “I dedicated a lot of time during the off rewarding when you look back on all the season with workouts and practicing that hard work and hours you put into it. had a big impact on the outcome of my Making it to state in general is an season.” accomplishment During the to be proud of Conference meet but making it as a Avery Baumann ‘25 freshman is very broke the record significant. Hayden for the 200 meter Bear ‘25 received Freestyle. When 4th at his district starting a sport meet which sent from a young age him to state. Athletes may “It took a while find it challenging to sink in,” Bear ‘25 to maintain said. “I felt really Avery Baumann ‘25 competing in the Butterfly at the focus but when good after though Elkhorn invite. Baumann broke the record for the 200 meter there is a love for freestyle. Photo by Ericka Kroeker considering all the competition and work I have put they strive for into it this season.” success through the work it takes and It takes work and dedication to they find the worth in it. achieve, whether studying for tests or “I started swimming when I was nine,” practicing for an upcoming game. Kazz Baumann ‘25 said, “but the competition Hyson ‘22 earned his 100th win during and the drive to success pushes me to the semifinals Central City. continue.” Sports Reporter