Vanguard
The
Volume 2
Humans of Gretna
Table of Contents 02
Vanguard
The
n. a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas
Making Money Makes $ense
04-15
Entrepreneurs Abby Mcgargill Audrey Wilcoxson Hudson Knickerson Leo Conoan Eden Venteicher
More play, less pay
44-57
Table of Contents The Vanguard Vol. 2 2019
thrifting
ella clarke Mrs. ann ross rachelle matson zoey schultz cayce chandler madison peterson
Humans of Gretna Issue Volume 2 Fall 2019
Crazy Critters
16-29
Animals
Elizabeth Zeeke Ava Kanne Emma Kanne Jamie Vaughn Paige Kittelson Maya Burns Kristin ralston
Need for speed
58-67
motor sports brooke lisiecki paige hartman lane hartman kelsey vanwaart
Helping Hands
30-43
Volenteering Anna stednitz brynna seim hannah wiezorek madi nash patrick enfield faith norvig
The vanguard Staff
68-69
Journalism 2
Table of Contents The Vanguard Vol. 2 2019
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Making Money Makes $ense Entrepreneurs
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Making Money Makes $ense page by Allison Meerian
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rom shoe shining and newspaper boys in the 30s and babysitting and mowing people’s lawns now a days, kids have always tried to make some cash. Money for food, clothes, or saving up for college or even putting it in the bank. But all across the nation teens and kids alike are making creative ways to make some money. In this section you will see students as young as eighth grade have businesses, shops and merchandise ready to be sold to the next customer.
Making Money Makes $ense page by Allison Meerian
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I love to make the keychains because they’re super cute and I love seeing them on my friends keys and wallets!
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McGargill - Entrepreneur page by Shaina Russell
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Making Her Work Original
Abby McGargill T
o add little color and vintage look to your keys, Abby McGargill, has made a yarn keychain used as a cute detail to add to your keys as a keychain. McGargill started selling her keychains at the beginning of the year and continues to do it now. McGargill dosen’t have an exact number but she believes that she has sold up to 60 keychains to people. Since the keychains range in price, she’s taken in a profit of around $375. McGargill uses her profit to buy new supplies needed and then puts most of the other profit into savings since she has a different job as well. McGargill’s love for making things like bracelets and necklaces started the idea of making a key chain. When walking around Junkstock McGargill came across similar designs and she thought that it looked easy so she gave it a try and all of her friends asked where she got them from and they wanted to buy them. McGargill’s color options for the keychains are white, cream, mustard, light purple, blue, and pink. To make the keychains, use either rope or cotton cord as the base, and then she finds a keychain or hook that she thinks looks good to attach the string onto. McGargill usually tapes the hook onto her leg or when she makes them. McGargill attaches either 3 or 4 strings to the base of the hook, and then it’s just a bunch of unique knots that she taught herself how to make all the way throughout the keychain. There are so many different kinds and types of knots that may be used. At the end, tie a hidden knot so it’s not able to be seen from the outside of the keychain. Her favorite part about making the keychain is making them knowing that they are going to her friends and they want to support her. It gives McGargill something to do while she’s laying out or watching Netflix. She enjoys making them so she can see them on her friend’s keychains as well. The keychains are sold for $7-10 depending on how long it takes to make it or how much supplies are needed. To get her business started she started by sharing them by showing her friends and them asking her to make them one, but then she started sharing them on her Instagram story and then she made an Etsy account which was super interesting to make and easy to manage. McGargill likes using her own social media so then she can talk to and know the person that is getting the keychains.
McGargill - Entrepreneur page by Shaina Russell
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I think that if you want to start a baking business, go for it and don’t hesitate.
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Wilcoxson - Entrepreneurs page by Anna Speer
Building her Brand
Audrey Wilcoxson
B
ecause there are not any bakeries in Gretna anymore, community members are forced to find other sources to satisfy their sweet tooth. Some people find it from eighth grader Audrey Wilcoxson, who makes and sells baked goods in the Gretna area. Wilcoxson started selling her desserts as a sixth grader and has built a business of sorts from the ground up. She sells chocolate chip cookies, carmels and cupcakes to other students at Gretna Middle School. She sells her products for anywhere from 50 cents to $1. Wilcoxson frequently makes pies, cupcakes, cakes, cookies, cheesecakes and anything she can find from Pinterest. Often times, she finds her inspiration from videos on Instagram, or desserts people ask her to make. Wilcoxson makes baked goods by request for her friends, family, and even teachers, but she mostly sells her products to students in her school. “I like selling my products because when I sit down in the morning, everyone starts handing me money so they can have whatever I made that day,” Wilcoxson said. “It really makes a lot of people happy, especially so early in the morning. I also like that when I give them the baked goods they are always really happy and really enjoy what I made.” She likes selling her products, but
she started her business for other reasons. Wilcoxson bakes so often that she finds she has too many baked goods for her family to keep up with. “My parents kept telling me to get it out of the house,” Wilcoxson said. “My dad also told me that if I’m going to put in the work, I should probably charge for it, and I decided it was time to pay my parents back for everything I used.” Wilcoxson enjoys baking so much because it sets her apart from others in her school and community. She likes to improve her technique and she sometimes creates her own designs as well. There are many reasons why she enjoys the hobby, one being the originality it allows her to have. “I like the freedom baking gives me,” Wilcoxson said. “It really gets me out of my comfort zone when I bake new things and it makes me be creative with what I bake.” She started baking with her grandma at the young age of 4, and has not stopped baking since. Wilcoxson is exceptionally talented at decorating cakes and cookies using frosting and fondant. Her technique and skills have considerably improved and she continues to develop the skill it takes to frost cakes and cupcakes. She advises aspiring bakers to never give up when practicing these same techniques. “You will fail a lot, so keep working for it,” Wilcoxson said. “I’ve had frosting fail on me, cakes and decorations,
but keep on trying. Practice will make perfect but you have to keep trying to achieve it.” She has an Instagram page created specifically to showcase her designs and baking talent. On this account, she posts photos of the things she makes and to announce the goods she will be selling. She may be young, but what she lacks in experience, she makes up for in pure talent.
Wilcoxson - Entrepreneurs page by Anna Speer
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Foods For Life
Hudson Nickerson A
s high school students go through the day, students think of food or get hungry.But we get so busy students to forget to bring snacks. Sophmore Hudson Nickerson took it into his own hands. Nickerson started buying food at local stores like McKinney’s and, began selling the food he bought. “I really started, my freshman year when all the students were complaining about being hungry,” NIckerson said. He started saving money to get food and, He got business but then there was a problem, “all cells have to be out of school, and not sold during hours.” With getting a warning the first time the school heard about it, Nickerson says “Not knowing that I can’t sell on school properties hurt me” “Without having a written consent could have my goods are taken and mayor punishments” Nickerson said. So he started selling at North Park before school. The main thing that thing he tries to do is keep everything cheap, Nickerson “The prices vary but the most expensive that you see that rarely happens is a dollar.” He gets a snack the day before to restock. “I sell, snacks and pop because everyone likes sugary snacks, but I want to get healthier foods if I start to get more customers,” said Nickerson. Nickerson gets some money from the food he sells, “I normally just use the money to buy more food,” Nickerson said. But he is wanting to try to make the sells go to charity or someplace that needs it. “The only thing that would be hard is that I don’t know how I would buy more food,” Nickerson said. Overall, having the idea to sell food to students has made Hudson more well known. His friends helping him sell food, it has been more fun. He is hoping to improve his sells and do more ideas.
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Nickerson - Entrepreneur page by Leslie Jensen
Sale Prices Little Debbies: $1.50 Pop: $1.00 Monster: $1.50
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People having food through the day might just lead to students having a great rest of the day.
Nickerson- Entrepreneur page by Leslie Jensen
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Drawing Dollar Bills
Leander Conoan
A
rt is a skill that anyone can learn but not master. It can take time, hard work and practice to become good at art. However, if someone has been drawing since kindergarten, they can develop their skill enough to make it look amazing, even enough to get paid for their art. That is why sophomore Leo Conoan has made a business selling his art. Conoan started drawing in kindergarten, but he did not consider his art “good” until the 7th grade. He has gotten help from YouTube and his grandmother, who supported him and encouraged him to keep trying to get better. His favorite thing to draw was wolves, which later turned into dragons. He is currently taking Painting and Cartooning, Caricature, and Design at GHS, but next semester he will take Intro to Graphic Design. His favorite drawing he has done was the first digital drawing he did called “Brycen.” It is special to him because while “it was not that good”, it was the step through the door of digital art for him, and he is proud of it. Conoan began to sell his art in August when his cousin commissioned him to draw some characters. He then realized that he could sell his art to everyone. His art costs anywhere from $5.00-$15.00, and so far he has made about $30. “I like doing art, so I might as well make something off of it,” Conoan said. “Plus, art supplies are expensive so I need money for it.” Conoan likes to draw anywhere he can, whether it be at school, at home, or anywhere else. When he decides to draw something, normally he starts by staring at the paper until he has an idea or he will look at some reference
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Conoan - Entrepreneur page by Isa Muhlecke
pictures and make his own piece from it. He prefers to draw with paper rather than digitally because he has not quite figured out how to use his programs. He uses Huion for his personal devices and Firealpaca on his school-issued computer. Huion is a brand of drawing tablets and Firealpaca is free digital painting software. Conoan has gotten many tips and ideas from his friends that he has made through art. It has been pretty easy for him to do so. He makes most of them through his art, if it is from his classes or if it is from posting his art online. He
mostly uses Instagram to post his art and meets many people through it. They help him by giving him advice and showing him some tips. “In general, the art communities I’ve been into contact with are very helpful and accepting of any skill levels,” Conoan said. Conoan is excited to continue selling his art and gain a reputation as an artist. He plans on getting into the art industry after he graduates, so it is necessary that he becomes skilled at art now. He will be taking more art classes to try and improve his skills as well.
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Art has always been a joy of mine. It’s become a part of who I am. Plus, sometimes it’s just fun to make stuff up.
Conoan - Entrepreneur page by Isa Muhlecke
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Venteicher - Entrepreneurs page by Peyton Rewczuk
All Work, No Play
Eden Venteicher B “ �
etween school, homework, extracurriculars, work, family and friends time management can sometimes be very difficult for high school students. Eden Venteicher, senior, works two jobs, as well as being in show choir and a full time student. Venteicher works at Taco Johns as a shift manager and at Village Inn as a server. Venteicher started working at Taco Johns in October 2017 as her first job and has been there ever since. Because Venteicher is a manager at Taco Johns, she gets to pick her hours which makes it easier to manage her life on the side. She is a night time manager, so she works after school on Fridays from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. and Sunday nights from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. She picks up more shifts during the summer. Mondays and Wednesdays after school from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Venteicher works about 20-25 hours a week. Along with her two jobs, Venteicher also participates in the Revolution Show Choir. She practices for show choir on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, Tuesday nights, and sometimes on Saturdays. This leaves only Thursdays as her day off. On Tuesdays she tries to get her homework done before show choir at 6:00 p.m., and on Thursdays she finally gets some time off to either just work on homework or spend time with friends or family.
I have no idea how I do it. I am constantly stressed out, but I think what has helped me this year is having a set schedule so I know exactly when I need to do homework and when I need to sleep.
Venteicher - Entrepreneurs page by Peyton Rewczuk
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Crazy Critters Animals
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Crazy Critters page by Allie Janulewicz
Dog and cat lovers are devoted to their favorite pets so much that it has been a longrunning debate about which is the better pet. But when it comes to exotic and not well known pets, students are not afraid to show and brag about their not-so-popular pets. It is not only the love they give but how our animals make us feel is what makes having a pet special. Even the less common ones. Sometimes the best pets are the least expected and all these students mentioned have interesting pets. Some of these pets incude alpacas, sheep, rabbits, Watchman Gobi fish and hermit crabs. No matter how big or small, all pets are unique and give love in their own ways.
Crazy Critters page by Allie Janulewicz
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Show and Tell
H
The Kanne Twins
ands, heart, health and head are the words that two sisters dedicate their time to through 4H. The twins dedicated their time to some of the in school activities such as cheerleading and soccer, but they also participated in showing animals. Juniors Ava and Emma Kanne began showing animals in 2015, when they were in middle school for 4H. The Kanne’s showed animals such as chickens, goats and rabbits. “We have four rabbits and two chickens,” said Emma Kanne, “Our club leader has the other animals at her house.” They showed animals through 4H, where they showed along with senior Ellie Ball (20), Anna Real (21) and Chloe Crowell (22). They show at the Sarpy County Fair with their fellow club members. The sisters were able to learn more about their animals throughout the events, and enjoyed
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Kanne - Animals page by Elizabeth Daily
it when they were asked questions about their animals before and after they competed. They enjoyed sharing the information that they learned about their animals before showing. Other than learning about how to take care of the animals, they learn about the animal’s role outside of the show as well. “It’s cool to learn about the animals, like the meat industry,” Kanne said. “We learn things that a lot of people don’t know about the animals.” One competition they participated in was showmanship. The girls prepared a speech on either a chicken or a rabbit and explained to a judge what they had learned about the animal. The animal is judged on appearance and behavior; included in the score is the participant’s knowledge on the animal. After four years of competing in similar competitions, the sisters continued to show through their junior year.
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The best part is probably getting a new goat every year and creating a bond with it.
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Kanne - Animals page by Elizabeth Daily
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I think because they are so unique, that it is just going to catch people’s attention. So I was drawn to them, and I just wanted to work with them and see what I could learn.
Vaughn - Animals page by Abby Fisher
Llamas, Alpacas, Shows, Oh My!
Jamie Vaughn R
aising animals is a difficult task, but try raising animals that are not very common. Sophomore Jamie Vaughn raises animals that are very unique. She cares for llamas and alpacas. Vaughn does this with the help of her aunt, Mrs. Catherine Steele, and her two cousins, Mary Kate Steele and Stephanie Steele. Together, they help raise alpacas and llamas, as well as training them for 4-H and state fairs. “My aunt has been raising them for as long as I know,” Vaughn said. “She wanted to get them involved in shows, so that they have a reason to have them.” The alpacas and llamas live on Mrs. Steele’s farm, where a stable and outdoor pen has been built for them. Vaughn visits in the summer and during her free weekends to train them, as well as help raise them. Alpacas and llamas are independent animals, and require minimal work. The main jobs are to clean out their pen, give them food and water, and train them every week or two.
Right now, there are two alpacas and seven llamas living at the farm. The alpacas’ names are Attitcus and Lamumbuma and the llamas’ names are Reggie, Vulpes, Luco, Frankie, Joey, Hephasteus and Santini. Vaughn looks back at her favorite memory, which was of her first year showing alpacas and llamas. “The first year that I got my alpaca, we were not trained at all,” Vaughn said. “But he was very curious, so we wanted to explore everything and see what he could do. In our show, the first show I had with him, we ended up getting first because he was so willing to do everything we wanted him to do.” Vaughn has been raising alpacas and llamas for over 13 years, and still loves working with such intelligent and independent animals. They do not require much work, and do most things on their own. Vaughn will pursue raising alpacas and llamas. In the future, she hopes to improve her animals’ skills and plans to win more shows.
Vaughn - Animals page by Abby Fisher
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Ride For Freedom & Joy
Paige Kittleson S
tarting at age three after being placed on top of one of her uncles horses for her third birthday party was the start to junior, Paige Kittleson’s, lifestyle. She advanced to western riding at age seven. Kittleson then began to figure out which path she wanted to take and she spent most of her time practicing jumping. This made her fall more and more in love with riding. Kittleson has two horses, Diva, a quarter horse, and Freida a westfalen. Kittleson says that the best thing about competing is when she goes around with no faults, or when she has the fastest time or best score possible. Before Kittleson has to compete she gets nervous, so to ease her nerves she walks to the rings she is in to see if they have the course posted. Then she can see if she can walk the course before so her and her trainer can get a set plan for the race. Planning out what to do before she jumps helps her gather her thoughts and prepare her for the competition, whether when to pace, speed up, slow down, and read and understand the track and jumps. To warm both her and her horse up, before they enter the ring they set up practice jumps to help get out nerves and to get time to bond with her horse. One of many of Kittleson’s biggest accomplishments was winning the Long Stirrup Hunter 17 and Under last year. Along with the wind, Kittleson says that the worst part about riding is when her horse does not listen to her correctly to result in a loss. Kittleson spends up to two days a week training with her horse and with her trainor to perfect her skills as a rider. Kittleson and her horse are given exercises to help them work together, trust each other and build a strong connection, so they can figure out what needs to be done. Kittleson’s only tip is when you are riding never forget why you started.
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Jones Kittleson- -Long Animals page by page byShaina KaiyaRussell Russell
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During my show’s I’m very focused and concentrated, but every time I get on my horse and ride for a show, I remember why I started jumping, for the ride and the feeling of freedom.
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Jones - Long Kittleson - Animals page by Kaiya Russll page by Shaina Russell
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Animals - Burns page by Alex Suhr
Animals With a Twist
I
’ll have you sleeping with the fishes, does not have quite the effect on senior Maya Burns as one would have thought. Burns’s love for aquatic animals and reptiles stems from her childhood pets and has made its way into her work life. “I was kinda a regular customer and one time when I was in was like huh, I need a job, maybe I could work here,” Burns said. “I asked if they were hiring, and they said sure.” Burns has worked at Nebraska Aquatic Supply located off 108th st. for three years. They sell aquatic animals along with a few different types of reptiles, which linked the store to be considered “exotic”. “Technically it does fall under the category of an exotic pet store,” Burns said. “However, I’m a bit loathed to use that term, just because when you say exotic pet store, people also tend to lump that in with animals we don’t have and I don’t want to lead customers on.” Burns worked all different types of jobs within the store. She would work with the animals some days, with customers another, or just store
Maya Burns
maintenance. It just depended on the day. “A lot of the larger reptiles we get in are absolutely wonderful to work with,” Burns said. “Right now we have a blue-tongued skink and he has two tails because he had an injury on his tail that started to heal over, but instead of healing completely it started to generate a new tail.” At a young age, Burns loved animals, especially reptiles. She started out with a fish tank, then began to accumulate her collection of animals. At its prime, she had seven fish tanks, a snake, a dog, a lizard, and a tarantula. “As a kid, I always read zoo books and Nat Geo magazine,” Burns said. “My parents encouraged it but they weren’t really into that kind of stuff.” As of right now, Burns does not plan to make her love for these certain animals into a full-time career path but would like to go into something biologyrelated. She loves her animals and hopes to own one of her own one day, and also loves to spread her knowledge on the subject. “If anyone is interested in aquaculture
or herpetoculture, which is keeping frogs, snakes, lizards, that sort of stuff, I would really encourage it,” Burns said. “And if they need help, find a way to get into contact with me, I would be more than happy to help.”
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If this job has taught me anything, it is that I can tell the difference between totally safe zoanthid corals because I touched the wrong one twice. I wasn’t able to use my hands to eat for 24 hours both times to prevent ingestion of the toxin.
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Burns - Animals page by Alex Suhr
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Holke - Norris Ralston Animals page by -Cade Suing page by Allison Meerian
You Chicken?
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Kristin Ralston
earing a dog bark in a neighborhood is completely normal, but hearing a rooster crow is a little different. Kristin Ralston, senior, has a pet rooster that lives in her house. “He runs the house,” Ralston said. “He is like another child.” Ralston’s pet rooster, Susie, sleeps in her house like an ordinary pet. During the winter, he stays in her garage with a heater and during the summer he stays in their house or a coop outside. At night, all year round, he lives in the house. Ralston’s grandmother gave Susie to her on Easter in 2011, along with 4 other chicks that had passed away. Her grandmother thought that the family would raise the chicks until they grew into adults and would sell them to another farm. “We got so attached to him,” Ralston said. “He’s our pet and we are now the crazy chicken people.” Just like any other pet, Susie needs to be cared for. They give him baths, at least twice a week, and clip his nails. And just like any other pet, he needs to be looked after when the Ralstons are out of town. “You would not believe how difficult it
is to get a chicken sitter,” Ralston said, ”Someone has to open his hatch to let him out of the coop.” When the Ralston family are gone on vacation or just out of town, the sitter fills his water and feeds him. Susie sleeps in his coop and the sitter comes to wake him up and put him to sleep. Although Susie is their chicken, Ralston doesn’t show him in events for 4-H. She feels that the conditions for the showings are a bit too harsh for a domesticated chicken. “We saw how small the cages were,” Ralston said. “I’ve always wanted to do it when I was younger, but I knew it wouldn’t be nice for him since he’s not used to the conditions. He probably would freak out and have a panic attack.” While the normal life expectancy of chickens are around 8 years old, a healthy and well groomed one could live 20 or more years. And the Ralstons hope Susie will stay around for that long. “My mom would not give Susie up for anything,” Ralston said. “He’s apart of the family and he’ll probably be around for a long time.” Ralston was most certainly not
expecting a pet chicken for an Easter gift. But as the saying goes, you should never count your chickens before they hatch.
Comb
Sickle Feathers
Wattle
Shank
Ralston- Animals page by Allison Meerian
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Helping Hands Volunteering
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Helping Hands page by Elizabeth Daily
M
any students donate their time in order to volunteer, whether they have done it their entire life or are just starting out now. It is about going the extra mile for them, putting in more than they are taking out. In this section, students who put in that effort are recognized for their helping hands. Their individual efforts vary from helping within the school to traveling outside of the country. Each student recognized is devoted to helping others better their lives. Each has their own story and their own objectives when it comes to giving their time to others.
Helping Hands page by Elizabeth Daily
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Volunteering - Stednitz page by Alex Suhr
Dive Into the Job
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Anna Stednitz
wimmers on their mark, get ready, go! Swimming is one of many different events offered by The Special Olympics program. On Saturdays, senior Anna Stednitz volunteered with the program’s swimming division at Elkhorn Common Ground. “I go down there for about an hour and a half and we have practice, the whole Special Olympics swim team of all ages,” Stednitz said. “I help coach people and critique their swimming.” Stednitz, who was also a swimmer, has volunteered with the program for two years. She became affiliated with the program because of her sister, who participated in other Special Olympic programs. “My sister does Special Olympics, she does basketball and bowling,” Stednitz said. “I figured out they had a swim team, so I thought it would be fun to volunteer, and I knew the lady who runs it.” Not only did Stednitz act as one of
the coaches, but she also was their part-time cheerleader. She would help calm the swimmers who were nervous before their races and cheer them on from the sidelines. “Usually I clap really loud and say their name,” Stednitz said. “One girl (Molly) loved one of the coaches (Andre), and I would tell her that Andre was watching and she would swim faster. It’s the same as any other coach would cheer on their team, which is what makes this program really neat. It’s really inclusive and encouraging.” Stednitz loved working with the program and planned to do it again in the spring. She cherished the time she spent meeting new people and making those she coached happy. “Seeing the equal opportunity Special Olympics brings is really satisfying because most of these people wouldn’t have this chance in other places,” Stednitz said. “It’s also fun, especially at meets. Seeing this type of good really makes you feel good.”
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I will remember the feeling I get when I give my time for this good cause. When a swimmer succeeds, wins a race, and is included in an activity and when I see how happy it makes the swimmer, it means the world to me.
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Stednitz - Volunteering page by Alex Suhr
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Helping Out in Uganda
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he value of a goat can be different for many cultures. In America, it could be $200 or some chickens. But, in Uganda, it could be a wife. Sophomore Brynna Seim was proposed to by a local in one of the Ugandan villages she visited. Her father said no to the boy and she is not married or engaged. Seim, her father, and 14 other volunteers learned a lot more about the country in their 15 day stay. In November 2018, Seim went to Kenya in addition to Uganda for a mission trip. She was there to set up clinics for the school in the villages she visited. They set up rooms to fit people for glasses, draw blood, tested blood and gave them prenatal vitamins and medication. Mr. Chris Seim, Seim’s father, is an insurance software developer and began the trip in 2012. He started the trip because he went on a mission trip to Belize before and saw how much help was needed around the world. He chose Uganda because it was the safest African country out of the neediest ones. Her father has been her role model since she could remember so she decided to go with him this year. Seim played and talked with the kids when she had free time. She had a discussion with another boy about the government and schools at home. The boy explained how corrupt the government in Uganda was and how poor the schools were. Most children make it through primary school but it is unlikely for a kid to go to university. “I described to him what school is like over here, I described to him what our government was like. He described to me what his school’s like and what his government is like,” Seim said. “Their government is really corrupt and their
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Seim - Volunteering page by Isa Muhlecke
school system is very poor and it was very interesting for us to exchange what each other’s worlds were.” As well as the state of the Ugandan government and school system, Seim learned how lucky Americans are for having basic needs such as running water, a free education, medicine and most importantly, freedom. She talks about how the citizens in Uganda are treated terribly and do not receive much for their hard work. According to Paycor, the yearly wage in Nebraska is $20,592, while in Uganda, according to Minimum Wage.org, the yearly minimum wage is $95.00. “I learned that we have it really good,” Seim said. “I know people will tell you that, your teachers will tell you that, your parents will tell you that, but
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it is very hard over there...sometimes what we have can stink, but it doesn’t, it just seems like it does because that’s the world we live in.” While it was saddening to see the people live how they live, Seim will be returning to Africa in November to set up more clinics. She really believes in the work she does there and thinks it is amazing that she can help 2,000 people by just giving them basic medicine, blood tests, and other necessities. “At the end of the clinics, you’re so exhausted,” Seim said. “We were all so tired, we were so ready to go home. And seeing all the people, so sick, so skinny...it was just hard...you just get very tired of it and you just wanna be back, back home, back in Gretna, believe it or not.”
We took pharmacists, we took doctors, we took lab techs, and we took people who have no medical background whatsoever like me. But I was the onlt teenager.
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Brynna Seim
Seim - Volunteering page by Isa Muhlecke
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Being able to help people and see horses is just a dream that i get to live.
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Wieczoriek- Volunteering page by Leslie Jensen
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Helping the Humans
Hannah Wieczoriek V
olunteering, and getting to see horses every day is some people dream. Eighth-grader Hannah Wieczoriek lives this dream. Every week she volunteers at the Full Name of Organization (HETRA) This organization was founded in 1989. It is mostly only volunteers that come and help out. “Really what it is, is a therapy for people with disables working with horses,” said Wieczorek. “Once you are 12 you can start helping, I only help with putting supplies away and cleaning stalls but I love to know I’m helping and getting to see smiles on people’s faces.” 16 they soon learn how to work with different people and learn how to work with the horses therapeutic wise. Horses are found therapeutic by lowering blood pressure, stress and anxiety, feeling comfortable and just feeling loved. “I love horses, I’ve always loved
horses and it makes me love them more knowing that they are used for a good cause,” said Wieczorek. People like Hannah keep the place going by showing all her love for horses and seeing people love them even more. “One day I hope that I can do the same thing HETRA does, and help young adults learn the love of horses,” said Wieczorek. Wieczorek has worked there for little more than a year and can see herself there all the way until she goes to college. “Hetra has taught me so much and I want other people to learn what I learned too,” said Wieczorek, “I think it would be really cool if more people volunteered there, I think it would have an impact on them and HETRA.” Overall Wieczoriek puts her passion and hard work into this organization. Hoping it soon expands and gets more people to love this organization.
Wieczoriek- Volunteering Page by Leslie Jensen
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Volunteering - Nash page by Alex Suhr
Ireland With a Mission
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Madison Nash
ission trips were created for people to travel and help those in need, whether that be rebuilding houses or helping them establish a religion. Junior Madison Nash traveled to Northern Ireland from Jun. 20 to 30 on a mission with a company called Engage through her church. She was surprised that the destination was Northern Ireland, but after she did some research and experienced it for herself, it was clear that they needed more help than people knew. “When I got there, it was crazy to hear about all of the things that aren’t necessarily wrong but are difficult for that society,” Nash said. “There is just so much brokenness over there that not many people see.” Nash stayed in Dundrum Down County, with 25 other people from around the country, which included the group leaders. While there, Nash studied the culture of the country and their difficult past. “They thought that building the wall [that divides Belfast] would help the feuding to stop, which it didn’t,”
Nash said. “Over there they associate Ireland as just Catholics, and then Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, so that’s more associated with Protestants.” One of Nash’s favorite places was St. John’s Point, a lighthouse that was surrounded by rocks that looked out onto the Irish Sea. They sat there for two hours, and read their Bibles and devotionals. “That was the first part of the trip that I really got to contemplate what we were learning and process what they were saying,” Nash said. “We got to sit on the rocks and listen to the Irish Sea crashing up against them. It was ultimately when I felt the closest to God on the trip.” This was the first time Nash traveled without her parents, which made her nervous. She had also not met any of the people she had traveled with until the night before they left. They had only talked with each other through GroupMe. “I’ve always been really shy, so I was nervous that I was going to be alone, not really making any friends at all,”
Nash said. “I met up with people from my group the night before we left and we got dinner and I got to know them. I became really good friends with a lot of the people on the trip.” Nash was still close to the friends she made on the trip and hoped to visit one of them over spring break. She has already been accepted to go on another mission trip next summer to Honduras.
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Another memorable part was getting to meet everyone that went on the trip with me because I lived with them for 10 days, and it was awesome. I built so many new friendships that will last forever.
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Nash - Volunteering page by Alex Suhr
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Work From The Heart
Patrick Enfield W
alking through the halls students can see the acts of kindness performed by their peers. One of these acts is volunteering to help in the ACC room, also known as the accessible room. Senior Patrick Enfield has helped out in the base room since his sophomore year. Enfield was introduced to the room and what he could do by fellow student Cooper Idt (20). “There are quite a few other students that do it, and that’s part of the reason I got in there,” Enfield said. “Cooper introduced me to the ACC room and I just fell in love with the kids in there because they are amazing.” Daily tasks that the helpers are given include taking students on walks and playing games that helped to learn and build on new skills. Students’ schedules are changed depending on what they
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Enfield - Volunteering page by Elizabeth Daily
will do that day; no day is the same. “I like playing games with the kids or taking my buddy Dani [Daniel Kichner (20)] on walks,” said Enfield. “That’s when you get the most laughs and smiles and I love to see that.” Some students know what the ACC room is, but few go in and actually see what it is all about. There are three assistants while Enfield helps during fifth hour that switch on and off because they have gym. “I challenge people to come and see what it is all about,” Enfield said. “Sophomore year, I knew nothing and I was scared, but it one of the best decisions I have ever made.” Everyone can lend a helping hand. Enfield chooses to invest his time in the base room while still helping outside of school with his church because he has found his place at school.
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I like playing with them and taking my buddy Dani on walks. Its just when you get the most smiles and laughs and I love to see that.
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Enfield - Volunteering page by Elizabeth Daily
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Changing Lives
Faith Norvig
Norvig - Volunteering page by Hailey Wojtas
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eeing different views of the world can make people understand the society in a more complex and open minded way. Junior, Faith Norvig goes on a mission trip to Guatemala twice every year. She gets to see life there compared to hers. Norvig began this annual mission trip five years ago, she shares this experience with her family. There is no specific time of the year she goes it depends on when Guatemala needs help most. She does a lot of activities down in Guatemala, but her favorite part of the trip is to help with the girls at an orphanage because she gets to help the girls physically and mentally. She plans on doing this every year because it brings joy to her life seeing the girls have so little but also have the brightest smiles. “The girls bring more joy to me than anyone else does,” Norvig said, “Seeing the kids with such positive attitudes makes me happy.” Norvig gives a lot of help to the girls in the orphanage by donating clothing, building them new add ons to their shelters and overall, just being there for them. The orphanage is mainly where she spends most of her time helping out the girls that have been sexually or physically abused by making them feel loved. “We want them to know they are loved by someone.” Norvig said, “everyone deserves to know they are important to someone.”
Norvig has seen very rough living there, like kids without families and people without homes. Seeing kids that are mentally scarred due to their harsh living is heartbreaking for her to witness. Not only does Norvig feel like she impacts these people’s lives down in Guatemala, but they also impact her life in ways that no one else could. “These kids have been through so much, and they still have more joy than most people in America,” Norvig said, “the kids make me realize how grateful I should be.” When Norvig starts off helping the kids there reactions are first very scared of the people who are there to give help. The kids have trust issues and don’t understand that people are there to give them a hand. It does not take very long for the kids to get used to Norvig and her family. When Norvig and her family start giving kids opportunities and show them that they want to be there for them, the kids start understanding what life is all about. “They don’t understand that were there to love them at first,” Norvig said, “After a day they become more used to us though and start understanding were there for them.” Norvig enjoys giving love to people that have never been shown love. It makes her feel like she is a big impact on there life. “I’ve been going for so long,” Norvig said, “I feel like it has a special place in my heart to help the people that are in need of help.
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I love to give the girls love because they give me so much love.
Norvig - Volunteering Page by Hailey Wojtas
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More Play, Less Pay Thrifting
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More Play, Less Pay page by Anna Speer
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eople can get creative about the ways they go about saving money, especially when they can turn it into a hobby. These three people have found ways to purchase everything from clothing to grocery items without breaking the bank. They have all developed their own individual methods to go about buying discounted goods. However, with saving money also comes making money. In this section we also feature two people who make money in a unique way. By selling other people’s stuff, they are able to earn some extra cash and produce a cheap way to buy everyday items. These people really do believe that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
More Play, Less Pay page by Anna Speer
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It’s fun to go and create your own outfits out of whatever you can find and there are things that maybe aren’t, as someone would say, “in style” but you can make the ugliest thing look good if you put it with the right thing.
Clarke - Thrifting page by Anna Speer
Diamonds in the Rough
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lothes are expensive. They can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, but sophomore Ella Clarke has found a way to find great clothing that will not break the bank. Clarke finds joy in standing out and bringing her outfits to life through thrifted material. She mostly buys jackets and jeans, although she has found other clothing items through this process as well. Clarke started thrifting about three years ago, and has found some of her favorite clothes through it. “Thrifting is something not a lot of people do,” Clarke said. “So it’s fun to go and create your own outfits out of whatever you can find.”
Ella Clarke
Most often, she goes to the Goodwill right here in Gretna, although she has had the opportunity to go as far as California and Nova Scotia for some interesting finds. Clarke enjoys looking for her outfits and being able to wear the items she finds. “I love the creativity of it,” Clarke said. “You never know what you are going to find and you do not even really know what you are looking for.” One of the most interesting pieces she has found are a pair of white shoes that light up on the bottom. She found them while thrifting at Goodwill and wore them for a whole year straight, until they fell apart. Clarke tries to incorporate at least one piece of thrifted clothing into
her outfit on the daily. Her favorite item is a pair of Westport Women’s jeans that “feel like sweatpants” that she found in Canada for only $7. She has also bought six jackets, four pairs of jeans, three pairs of other pants, five shirts, and a pair of overalls. Because she has had so much success, Clarke encourages others to give thrifting a try. “Don’t be afraid to look anywhere in the store,” said Clarke. “Just go for it, and look through everything, and even if you’re hesitant about something, try it on.” Clarke plans on continuing to thrift in the future and hopes to expand her wardrobe by doing so.
Clarke - Thrifting page by Anna Speer
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Old Items with New Use
Ann Ross S
hopping for a wider variety of items at a cheaper price is what ACC instructor, Ann Ross gets when she thrifts. Everyone has a unique hidden hobby, and Mrs. Ross’s is thrifting. Mrs. Ross began thrifting with her mother when she was nine years old and contiues the tradition with her children. She started off not really thrifting, she would just go to garage sales and she realized that she wanted to start her own garage sale and thrift for the items in the sale. That is when she realized she liked thrifting. Her favorite part of thrifting is finding good deals on something worth more than what she buys it for. “You can find items that look like they cost so much more than what I bought them for,” Mrs. Ross said. She mainly thrifts with her children and sometimes her sister in law. Mrs. Ross can thrift for hours without geting bored. She thrifts at the‘Goodwill Oulets’ in Kansas City. Goodwill outlets are a place where items are filled in bins and there is a timer, who ever gets to the bins fastest gets the first pick. Kansas has the largest ‘Goodwill Outlets’ that she knows of, so she attempts to go there when ever she can. “People can be very aggressive and shove you over,” Mrs. Ross said. “I like to be friendly because it is not really a competition to me it is just fun for me.” Mrs. Ross finds a variety of items. She has thrifted clothes, home decor, classroom decor and even toys for the kids in the classroom. The items are good quality. She sometimes just buys items that look nice, and if she does not want them, it is cheap enough to just
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Ross - Thrifting page by Hailey Wojtas
give away or resell. “It is nice for the classroom because a lot of the decor and gadgets are just cleaned up items from the goodwill,” Mrs. Ross said. “If the items get ruined or break, it didn’t cost much in general, so it doesn’t really affect me.” Mrs. Ross likes to find items for herself and her family, but she also likes to sell items on Ebay or at garage sales. She has a garage sale every year with items she has thrifted. Thrifting is not something where she can only have her heart set on one thing because there is no guarantee she will find that specific thing. When Mrs. Ross thrifts, she goes with the flow. She tries to find items with tags on them because they resell fairly easy. She also likes finding gifts for her friends, family and herself, whether it is clothes or decorations. Mrs. Ross never knows what to expect when it comes to thrifting. Sometimes she finds money inside of clothing that has been tossed to the Goodwill. The main reason she does this is because it is fun for her. She also loves it because it is a cheap way to find nice things. She is also very social, and this is a way for her to socialize with her family and other people whether it’s at her garage sale or at Goodwill. “It’s a fun way to create memories with family and make new friends,” Mrs. Ross said. “It also is a stress reliever and sometimes I just can’t wait to go.” People give away clothes, decorations, toys and more to places that resell, this shows how real it means when people say, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
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We call it the bunk bed store because one time we bought a bunk bed there.
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Ross-Thrifting page by Hailey Wojtas
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Cosplaying on TikTok
Rachelle Matson
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ut of all of the social media platforms, TikTok is on the rise with about a billion users. There are many different genres of videos on the app, including cosplay. Cosplay is when people make an outfit inspired by a character. It started in Japan and spread to the whole world. Now, sophomore Rachelle Matson posts many videos on the app, mostly playing characters or people from different eras. Cosplay is when someone dresses up as a character, whether from a TV show, movie, musical, book, comic series or even original characters called “OC”s. When cosplaying, people can buy the pieces of the cosplay or even hand-make them. The point is to replicate the character as best as possible. Matson especially likes cosplaying her OCs. She began cosplaying over the summer and has really enjoyed creating the outfits. She really likes to be as creative as she can when she cosplays, even changing the gender of the characters. She started out with a Victorian-era outfit, which included a hoop skirt, a purple underskirt and a vintage Victorian dress. It was really fun for her to find the pieces to put it together and style it in a way that looked accurate to her character. Then, she went on to do a female version of Inu Yasha, a character from the show Inu Yasha. That has been her favorite cosplay so far. “I started cosplaying because when I watched others doing it on TikTok, it made me want to start dressing up like I used to,” Matson said. “I love to dress up and be someone else I’m not because it can help me cope with the stresses of my life.”
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Matson - Thrifting page by Isa Muhlecke
Matson gets help and support from her mother, Mrs. Jennifer Matson. Matson and her mother spend time making the cosplays, so it is a nice way for them to bond. Her mother is very supportive and proud of her daughter for expressing herself and her interests publicly. “She makes the dresses because she wants to,” Matson said. “I appreciate it because we bond by working together and coming up with ideas.” Matson has a set plan when she decides to cosplay something. First, she plans what she needs to gather. Next, she will check her inventory to see what she has available. Then, she will tell her mom what she needs made and save up on what she needs to buy. Finally, she’ll put her outfit together and film TikToks in the cosplay. Sometimes, she can handmake some of the pieces, while some of it she goes to stores to find. For material, she goes to Walmart and several other stores. “Joanne’s, Hobby Lobby, those are the only places I really know of,” Matson said. “Or garage sales, too, and then
Goodwill as well, if you’re lucky enough to find good material there.” Matson has a few friends that cosplay as well, but she hasn’t ever done a group cosplay before, although she is looking forward to doing one. She has gone into public with her cosplay once at a Drama Club meeting to show off her outfit but has not been anywhere else yet. She wants to grow her skill and confidence before she does so. Matson has created many cosplays, including Audrey from Descendants, Spider-Woman, the Grim Reaper’s daughter, and a masquerade partygoer. Next, she plans to cosplay the Graveyard Bride. After she gets her outfit ready, she’ll share it on TikTok as she does with the rest of her cosplays. Matson is a novice cosplayer, but with some practice, she will be able to do more ambitious and detailed cosplays. That comes with confidence, practice, and a helpful community to help her through tougher cosplays. However, she won’t give up on cosplaying anytime soon.
Matson - Thrifting page by Isa Muhlecke
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If you want to start cosplaying, just gather supplies you need and then just have fun. Just think of something you want to dress up as and BOOM, there you go!
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I don’t ever wear the same clothes twice because after thrifting I have so many different options and I like switching up my vibe with my clothes.
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Schultz - Thrifting page by Shaina Russell
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Thrift ‘Till I Drop
Zoey Schultz
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hrifting for junior, Zoey Schultz, has immensely increased her closet size, after starting up her new hobby. Schultz started thrifting freshman year and got more into it as the years continued. Schultz says she thrifts because she enjoys the vintage look and loves that she can get more products for a cheaper price. Many of the clothes she thrifts are high end products such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Brandy Melvillel, and Doc Martin. A quick trip to the local Goodwill is the only thing needed to fill her closet. Schultz says she enjoys going thrifting by herself because then she can spend more time focusing on every single item. Belts and vintage shoes are the best finds according to Schultz, because they can add a color scheme to an outfit. She sometimes upcycles her items by cropping her sweatshirts and shirts to make them more trendy. Schultz says her best find was a pair of Doc Martins from Goodwill for $13.00. They are the most worn thing in her closet. Schultz says she can spend up to two hours shopping and trying on shoes and clothes. Schultz is always flooded with compliments from strangers asking where she gets all of her clothes. She simply tells them that her whole outfit was actually thrifted. Schultz has found a Ralph Lauren pullover with the original tags, marked at $175.00 and she got it for $3.00. Schultz says to give thrifting a try because you can find some high end, trendy clothes that can be changed anyway that you personally desire. She says thrifting is a cheap and easy way to get vintage or even newer pieces of clothing.
Schultz - Thrifting page by Shaina Russell
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Chandler - Thrifting page by Peyton Rewczuk
Cutting the Cost
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Cayce Chandler
ouponing is mostly used by parents and grandparents trying to save money, but it is uncommon to hear of a teenage boy who regularly coupons. Cayce Chandler, senior, started couponing after his junior year because he was bored. Chandler’s mother, Mrs. Sabrina Schwenk, is a couponer and passed her skills down to him. Mrs. Schwenk learned to coupon by watching extreme couponers who make YouTube videos. Although Chandler learned to coupon mostly from his mom, he also did his own research while he was saving money. He watched videos about couponing on Facebook. Since learning how to coupon, Chandler has become much better and now does it whenever he can to save some cash. He can buy almost anything for a discounted price including everyday items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, laundry detergent, razors, and paper products. Chandler likes to use his coupons mostly at Walgreens and Dollar General because they give out good deals. To find his coupons, Chandler will reach out to companies asking for them to send him some, or even sometimes he will receive some from companies he uses without even having to ask for them. He also hunts through magazines and newspapers to find coupons. Chandler considers it fun to coupon because saving money is one of his favorite hobbies.
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It’s almost like I’m jinxing the system. It’s a simple way to get stuff for way cheaper or sometimes even free.
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Chandler - Thrifting page by Peyton Rewczuk
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Peterson - Thrifting page by Abby Fisher
Finders Keepers
Madison Peterson through them, Peterson has also found some interesting items along the way. “Now I currently own a sword because of estate sales,” Peterson said. “Why? Because I wanted it and it was twenty dollars. You can find cheap stuff there that you like.” Peterson recalls her favorite memory of when she was working a sale on her birthday. Some of the company’s regular customers told her “Happy Birthday” as they walked through. “It was kind of funny because it was only our third or fourth sale,” Peterson said. “They did not really know us that well, but they said ‘Happy Birthday’ anyways.” Peterson wants to continue to pursue the world of estate sales, whether that be working for a company or just walking through the sales on her own. She recommends estate sales to anyone who enjoys thrifting or buying items at a bargain price. Peterson is excited to move forward with building her collection of interesting and unique items, like her sword.
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A couple estate sale finds:
If you want to go to a thrift store, I would also recommend going to estate sales. You can find higher end stuff for the same price.
Peterson - Thrifting page by Abby Fisher
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n estate sale is when someone has opened up their home and allowed strangers to walk through and purchase items throughout the house. Sophomore Madison Peterson has gone to over 30 estate sales. An estate sale is like a garage sale, but inside someone’s house. Someone may have an estate sale if they are moving, and want to get rid of their stuff, or if someone dies. Peterson has been going to and helping with estate sales since the summer of 2016. She has worked for several companies that help set up estate sales for families. They get the house ready with all the items that are trying to be sold, as well as help sell the items to the customers. Right now, she is working for her dad’s company, “Next Gen Estate Sales.” She also enjoys going to estate sales on her own time. Most of the sales that Peterson has been to are in the Omaha and Council Bluffs area. Not only has she worked for estate sale companies and walked
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Need for Speed Motorsports
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Need for Speed page by Hailey Wojtas
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uilding is the lead up of what is about to be driven which is the lead of the race. Little do people understand the hard work and effort put into this hobby, which is called motorsports. There are many different motorsports activities like tractor pulls, soap derbies, or auto races. They are all based around competing against one anothers skills whether it is a race between vehicles people built like a durby, or if it is over whoever can make the strongest vehicles to pull something, like a tractor pull, or even just racing vehicles in general like drag racing or dirt biking. This hobby puts people through labor and hard work. Being creative with ideas is what can make them win, they have to put practice into racing when it comes to dirt biking, go karting, autocross racing etc. When it comes to derbies though they have to build until they are satisfied with what is built and how fast it goes. These three people and pages show us how motor sports work and what the people do to suceed in their hobby/ sport.
Need for Speed page by Hailey Wojtas
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Tractor pulling is something I hope can expand to have more young join the hobby.
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Lisiecki- Motorsports Page by Leslie Jensen
Pulling through life
Brooke Lisiecki
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he technique to tractor pulling is to put more weight on your back tires. But there’s more to it than that, says sophomore Brooke Lisiecki. It contains a tractor and what is called a sled that varies in weight. Tractor pullers hook it onto the tractor and pull it to a designated distance. “Stay on the nicer side of the track, stay away from the holes in the ground because it will slow you down, so there’s no momentum,” said Lisiecki, offering her interpretation of the sport. Lisiecki was introduced to tractor pulling at a young age, by her brother, put his name here. “My younger brother started tractor pulling first. My dad decided to build him a tractor, from there my sister, my brother and I all got involved” said Lisiecki. As they started in the sport, they would compete in little competitions by their dad’s shop. I think the thing that got me started was seeing my brother do it and seeing him have so much fun,” said Lisiecki. Once they started, they couldn’t stop. My dad made all five of our tractors with my grandpa, and it is always fun because we pick what color we want and the design,” Said, Lisiecki. When they wanted to get in more competitions they had trouble with was finding somewhere to compete. “We tractor pull in Iowa because there are not many in Nebraska, so it is hard to make all the competition because there is nothing close,” Said Lisiecki. The technique to tractor pulling is to put more weight on your back tires. But there’s more to it. “Stay on the nicer side of the track, stay away from the holes in the ground because it will slow you
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down, so there’s no momentum,” Said Lisiecki. But just like every sport, there is a place. When you place prizes differ, and depending on what race you’re at. “I place in almost all of the competitions I compete in,you receive money or trophies or both. But at the end of the season we have a banquet and whoever has the most points at the end gets a huge first place trophy,” said Lisiecki. But overall it’s not about winning, it’s about loving your sport. The main reason Lisiecki loves to tractor pull is to show that girls can tractor pull too. Tractor pull is not a well-known sport and I love that no one really knows about it, but when people think about tractor pull they think of guys and I hate that” Said Lisiecki. While tractor pulling may not be a common sport, it is definitely very loved by those who participate. Among those who love it is Lisiecki, as well as many other often-overlooked girls like her.
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Lisiecki- Motorsport Page by Leslie Jensen
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Holke - Norris Hartmann - Motorsports pagebybyAllison Cade Meerian Suing page
Making Her Mark
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Paige Hartmann
heckered flags, loud engines and a race track is what the majority picture when someone says racing. But what about a course made with cones, chalk, and several hard turns. Autocross is a timed motor sport that emphasizes safety, while also being fun and intense competition. “Autocross is not necessarily about speed,” junior Paige Hartmann said. “If you take a turn too fast you will spin out, which is never fun, so you really have to be in control.” In autocross, the course is made by several sharp turns and little straightaways. They don’t go very fast due to all of the turns, and the max speed is usually no more than 40 miles per hour. Hartmann started racing only a couple of months ago. “I started racing because my dad was really into cars,” Hartmann said. “I wanted to start racing, and autocross was the safest and best option for me.” The courses for autocross are usually made in parking lots or airstrips. Unlike normal racing competitions, in autocross the racer competes solo and is timed during the run.
Hartmann belongs to a club called the Flatwater Racing Club and competes in the Lincoln East High School parking lot. They do a couple of practice runs to get a feel for the course and then officially race the course. Whoever gets the top time wins the competition. “My favorite part of the day is after we compete,” Hartmann said. “We do these things call fun runs where you can drive the course as many times as you want.” Although many people do have seperate cars just to use during competitions, Hartmann uses the same car for daily driving and competitions. “I drive the 2003 Mazda Miata,” Hartmann said. “Miata’s are great autocross cars because it’s very light and turns crazy sharp.” Hartman uses a helmet, which is mandatory, and gloves to gain a better grip on the wheel. “The gloves are really useful,” Hartmann said. “They help me to have more control.” Before racing, Hartmann did research on the motorsport before competing. That way she understood the sport a little bit better.
“I watched a ton of videos about autocross on youtube,” Hartmann said. “I also walked the course so I could see where the turns and straight aways are.” Autocross is a great way to give inexperienced drivers more confidence driving. The competition is pretty when friendly, it’s a safe way to practice and has low risk but high reward.
A Typical Autocross Course
- cones to mark the course
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- beginning
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Hartmann - Motorsports page by Allison Meerian
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Hartman - MotorSports page by Allie Janulewicz
Tractor Treasure
Lane Hartman
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t started with a loud noise, indicating something was not right when senior Lane Hartman tried to help start his grandfather’s tractor. It is over 50 years old, and the tractor has seen some better days but continued to refuse to run. Finding the solution to the problem was without a doubt a long process, because the tractor is older and has a large amount of parts. Hartman worked on the tractor for about two hours every day for a month, repairing minor and major parts on his grandfather’s prized possession. “The tractor is a 1961 International Cub Lo Boy, and it has been sitting for 15 years and wouldn’t run. It was hard finding out what was wrong without any electricity.” Hartman said. “The generator would not produce any electricity.” A 1961 International Cub Lo Boy can run for up to $2,500 and the tractor is used for cutting lawns and tree trunks. They were created after World War II in place of a horse or a mule. However, these types of tractors are popular today because they can
make short work of large lawns. The value of these machines has recently been stagnant but the value of their counterparts has increased over the years as they age. “I worked on a lot of things such as the car breakers, air filters, coils and I had to clean out the gas tank.” Hartman said. “I put in new spark plugs, new spark plug wires and other things. We got it running and now we use a loading plow.” Not only was this a learning experience, but something Hartman and his grandpa can now bond over. Trying to fix something that has unknown issues is a challenge, especially with this tractor because it is an antique. Using the skills he learned in Mr. Novatony’s shop class, he was able to fix it after the hard work. There are multiple bits and pieces that need to be accounted for when fixing a tractor like this. Experiences like these are a great way to apply skills learned in high school to real life. Now the mustardcolored paint is shining, and the Lo Boy is ready to be put to work once again.
Hartman - MotorSports page by Allie Janulewicz
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VanWaart - Motorsports page by Abby Fisher
Soap Box Derby Champ
Kelsey VanWaart
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VanWaart has been racing since age eight, but her family has been doing it for generations. VanWaart receives help from her father, Mr. Peter VanWaart, her grandpa, Mr. Roger VanWaart and her great-uncle, Mr. Jerry VanWaart. They help her with constructing her car and teaching her the basics. Her greatuncle started the tradition when he saw someone working on a soap box car in their garage and decided to make one too. The winning car that VanWaart raced in has been retired to the Soap Box Derby Hall of Fame Museum in Akron, Ohio. The cars that are used to race can take a couple months to build depending on the division they are competing in. The cars are built with kits and instructions that individually can cost upwards of $500. Then, the soap box cars can be painted at a car body shop. The main goals when building a car are to keep it as aerodynamic as possible and to make the alignment as
I don’t think this experience has changed me. I think I will learn to try harder, but I don’t think it has changed me.
straight as it can get. If the wheels are off by even a half an inch, it can cause the car to not drive straight. Every detail can make a difference, so the wheels must be aligned perfectly. VanWaart has traveled all over the country for races. She has been to California, Iowa, Kansas City, Chicago and Ohio, where the World Championship is located. Another prize for winning the race was VanWaart’s first trip to New York, where she got to be on the show “Live with Kelly and Ryan.” She was interviewed on live television and raced against Ryan Seacrest and Tamron Hall. This experience has been a big deal for her family, as she was the first in her family to win a title so big. But as for herself, VanWaart says she is still the same person. Moving forward, she will compete in a different division, the stock division. VanWaart wants to just race for fun and see if she can keep improving.
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ixth grader Kelsey VanWaart does something like no other. She races down a 989 foot track at speeds up to 30 mph, with only one eighth of an inch of sight. VanWaart races in the Soap Box Derby, a race meant specifically for kids who design and build their own cars. Just this summer, VanWaart became the winner of the World Championship. The World Championship Soap Box Derby has competitors from all over the world. In VanWaart’s division, the Masters, she races against kids from ages 11 to 21. Her prize for winning was a World Championship ring, trophy, jacket, and a $3,000 scholarship to the college of her choice. “It was very exciting, especially because we have been racing, my whole family who has been involved in the derby, for 65 years,” said VanWaart. “So it was super exciting. My grandpa, my uncle Jerry and my dad were all crying.”
VanWaart - Motorsports page by Abby Fisher
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Journalism 2 - Baijnauth page by Peyton Rewczuk
Peyton Rewczuk - Junior Shaina Russell - Junior abigail fisher - Sophomore Allison meerian - Sophomore Alex Suhr - senior Isabel muhlecke - sophomore
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Elizabeth daily - Senior Allie janulewicz - Senior
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Leslie Jensen - sophomore Hailey Wojtas - sophomore
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Journalism 2 - Baijnauth page by Peyton Rewczuk
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van•guard (‘væn,gard) NOUN
1. A group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas.
Volume 2 2019