The Mini Bell This section showcases first semester Journalism 1 students’ spotlight writing
Melissa Koempel By: Lindsey Gercken
Run-off hand layouts. Fulls. Standing tucks. For most people these words mean nothing, but for freshman Melissa Koempel, they mean everything. “I do competitive cheer for Fury on the Black Ice team,” Koempel said. “I’ve been doing
it for over seven years and I love it.” When Koempel moved here from her hometown in New Jersey she never imagined that cheering would be such an important part in her life. Her team managed to come in 1st place in the U.S. Finals and Jam Fest. In another competition in Dallas, Texas they overcame a great feat, coming in 6th place against over 500 different gyms across the nation. Being this successful not only means that everybody on the team is a hard worker, but
Allie Boese By: Allison Schowengerdt
“One sentence to describe Allie is she is a wonderful young lady who is rough, tough, and hard to bluff,” social studies teacher Jeffery Wilkins said. Senior Allie Boese maintains good grades. She loves “analyzing texts” Boese said,
in College Comp. Her favorite thing is to write is sarcastic pieces. Junior year was one of her most stressful years, but it helped prepare her for this year as a senior. She took A.P History with Wilkins. “Allie was a tad shy at first, but not for very long. I believe this is because it did not take her or the rest of the class long to feel comfortable around me,” Wilkins said. Even though this class was a challenge, she loved it.
Koempel is too. She balances her time between practices every day after school, her school work, and time to just hang out with friends. Koempel admits it’s sometimes difficult to come to school if you were up late the previous night practicing and becoming sore, but somehow she does it. “She’s really determined. She knows what she want’s to do, and she’s going to do it,” freshman Haley Ruark said. “If she has goals she’s going to live up to them, like her expectations.” Not only is Koempel hardworking in cheer, but she also does her best at school. “She’s a good worker, she works hard and is always on
task,” sculpture teacher Tammi Kennedy said. “She’s just nice with everyone.” Koempel hopes to become either a physical therapist or an anesthesiologist after she graduates high school. “I want to be a physical therapist because I know all the bones in the body and I want to work with them,” Koempel said. “For an anesthesiologist, when you think about it, giving a shot is not that hard, but putting it in the right spot is what’s important.” But no matter what she does after she graduates, cheer will be an important part of her high school career.
One of her favorite memories from the class was signing Wilkins’ fridge on the last day. “Signing my mini fridge seemed like an appropriate way to end what was a great school year in AP World,” Wilkins said. In addition to being a strong student, Boese is also involved in school activities. She is in the club, Be Kind and Unwind. “We discuss ways to improve the school,” Boese said. They also have relaxing days where they drink tea and listen to music. “It’s basically a hippy club,” Boese said. The only thing she regrets in high school is not sticking
with track, where she did the hurdles; however, with two ACL knee injuries, running track was difficult. When asked what she would like to do after high school, Boese said, “Well dream wise.” She would like to be a talk show host. In real life though she will go to college to study biology and English. Boese said, “Shout out to Ahart,” who is her senior English teacher. Boese wants to strive for her best. “I want to accomplish being better than everyone else.”