Across China, protests have erupted against the government’s controversial zero-Covid policy.
The policy imposed strict local lockdowns until no new cases were reported even if only a few cases tested positive.
unrest among the people living in lockdown. According to the BBC, in the Zhengzhou region, workers at a Foxconn factory, which produces iPhones, were forced to sleep in the factory so they could continue working while still quarantined.
lockdown rules leading to the deaths of at least 10 people and 9 more were injured. Videos of the disaster surfaced on WeChat, the popular Chinese social media, sending thousands to the streets of China. A large number of the protesters have been younger college students protesting at their campuses, with some of the largest protests occurring at the prestigious Peking University, Tsinghua University, and the Communication University of China.
As the end of the year approaches, over 115,000 rail workers have threatened to go on strike in the railroad industry, primarily due to the industry’s failure to meet the union’s conditions.
Over the past year, rail unions and freightrail carriers have been deliberating about a new rail contract that includes better scheduling and paid sick days.
the U.S. economy due according to “USA Today ,” which said that “Threats of a railroad strike could debilitate the economy linger after one of the country’s largest railroad unions rejected its deal with freight railroads.” “Reuters” claims that if the rail strike were to occur, over 30% of freight would have been frozen, which could cost the US economy an estimated $2 billion per day.
to 5out of the 12 unions rejecting the agreement and continuing to push for more paid leave even though the deal included better pay and improved working conditions.
Some of the rules involved the closure of all schools, shops, and businesses unless they were deemed essential; mass testing of communities where cases were reported; and people who did test positive were then placed in either strict home isolation or government quarantine facilities for at least 10 days. These strict rules led to
As Covid cases rose in the factory the workers began to fear for their lives eventually leading them to force their way out of the factory. However, according to CNN, the largest of the protests were sparked by an apartment fire in Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang region, where firefighters were shown to be severely hindered by the
As of November 29th, 23 protests have been confirmed in 17 cities including the Chinese capital of Beijing and its financial capital in Shanghai. The protests have been successful since the Chinese government has promised to ease the restrictions and lift the lockdowns as soon as possible. Some of the new policies include more localized lockdowns rather than entire cities, lockdowns ending after 5 days of no cases, and lowering the isolation period from 10 days to 8.
However, earlier this year the rail carriers refused to concede, leading the workers to threaten to strike. According to “The Washington Post,” “A rail strike could threaten the nation’s water supply, halt passenger rail travel and trigger major disruptions to the U.S. supply chain during the height of the holiday season, potentially worsening inflation.”
The rail strike could also potentially further weaken
The danger of a strike, however, was lowered in September after President Biden was able to negotiate a tentative agreement that gave rail workers a 24% raise by 2024, $1,000 bonuses, and lower health care costs, but the rail carriers only gave one paid personal day. This still led
On November 24th of this year, as the strike deadline loomed, Congress imposed an agreement between rail employees and carriers in order to end the threat of a strike. Although the bill included better policies and pay for workers, the bill still did not give workers the paid sick leave they were hoping for due to the Senate rejecting the measure for 7 paid sick days.
As of December 2nd, 8 of the 12 rail unions ratified the new deal, and the threat of a rail strike seems to have passed for now.
Protesters gather in Beijing, China during a vigil for the victims of the Urumqi apartment fire. Photo courtesy of Thomas Peters, on Reuters.com.Early last week on December 8th a deal concerning Brittney Griner’s incarceration due to drug charges while in Russia was made between Russian and United States governments.
Griner was a star player in the WNBA traveling to Russia so she could play for “UMKC Ekaterinburg”. Ekaterinburg is one of the best female basketball teams in Russia, currently ranking 1st in the league. The WNBA star played on the Russian team as a means of income in addition to her WNBA salary.
However, on February 17th of this year,
Griner was detained at Moscow’s airport after vape and oil based cannabis products were found in her possession.
Cannabis, while largely legalized in the U.S. is highly illegal in Russia and is considered a major offense. Therefore, Griner was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison, resulting in mainstream awareness and increased distress to spread around the world and especially in the States. On November 9th of this year, Griner was transferred to a labor camp where there were reports that she would face racial and homophobic discrimination and harassment.
Fortunately for Gri-
ner, a prisoner exchange was agreed upon for her release after she had served two hundred and ninety-four days of her nine year sentence.
Her freedom was at the cost of the U.S. surrendering notorious prisoner, Viktor Bout a convicted arms dealer, nicknamed “The Merchant of Death.”
Bout was arrested by the U.S. for supplying weapons to various terrorist groups such as, Al Qaeda and the Taliban. His crimes earned him 25 years in prison, with his sentence being cut 15 years early due to the trade made last week.
The deal freeing Griner and releasing “The Merchant of Death” was reached over a long and ten sion-filled period between the U.S. and Russian governments described by cbsnews.com as, “five months of stalled diplomacy and various permutations of potential swap arrangements.”
The effort to free Griner was, however, met with nothing but thanks and appreciation from the WNBA star. Despite the tumultuous journey, we are glad to have Griner back home on U.S. soil.
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Many who check the news or even have any social media would have heard of WNBA star Brittney Griner and her detainment in Russia. Earlier this year in March, Griner was traveling to Russia to play in the Russian Premier League during off season. CNN reported Griner was arrested when security found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her suitcase. Later in August she was officially charged with drug posession and was sentenced to 9 years. The Biden administration negotiated for her release and finalized a trade with Russia for Griner’s release. In return, the US gave arms dealer Viktor Bout. For more information on the situation, see Page 3 News. Unsurprisingly, many Americans found the trade controversial, criticizing the decision made by the Biden administration. Though the arrangement might not have been what everyone would have liked, it still saved one American’s life and should be celebrated as a win.
Obviously some people questioned the evenness of the trade. Griner is an average celebrity with no real benefit to Russia or the U.S. while Viktor Bout is a no-
torious international arms dealer and is suspected to have been involved in serious weapon deals in countries with civil wars and conflicts like Afghanistan, Sudan, Liberia and more as reported by “Insider.”
Former chief of operations at the US Drug Enforcement Administration Micheal Braun wrote a foreign policy column stating, “Trading Bout away wouldn’t just be a slap in the face of the law enforcement officers and operatives who labored to bring Bout down, many of them risking their lives in the process. It would also pose a grave threat to the national security of the US and its allies.”
Furthermore, many Americans were outraged that another victim of Russian imprisonment wasn’t being included in the swap. Paul Whelan, a former marine who routinely visited Russia for work as a Corporate security executive, has been serving prison
time in Russia for four years on espionage charges. Whelan’s situation is tragic and is no doubt a terrible and traumatic experience for he and his family. This doesn’t take away from Griner’s own release though.
The government was under a lot of pressure due to the extra media attention and though the trade may not have been what we were all hoping for, one American is back and safe at home. Either way, had the U.S. called off the deal and allowed Griner to remain incarcerated, officials would have fallen under serious scrutiny then, too. Many also aren’t recognizing that Whelan’s charges are much more serious than Griner’s, and Griner’s entire detainment was a political move to give Russia even more power amidst their ongoing war with Ukraine. I also wonder to myself, if Brittney was a young white woman, would people have bee as concerned about the “fairness” of her release? I highly doubt it.
Whelan, unfortunately, remains in Russia, but his brother David Whelan told NBC News that Griner’s case does not upset his family, and“It is so important to me that it is clear that we do not begrudge Ms. Griner her freedom, as I have often remarked, Brittney’s and Paul’s cases were never really intertwined. It has always been a strong possibility that one might be freed without the other.” David Whelan also remarked to NBC that Griner’s family must be so happy to have her back just in time for the holidays, saying he was happy for them.
If even another family struggling with the same and quite frankly more severe situation can be empathetic and supportive, that is a sign that the rest of us should follow suit. As citizens, all we can do is keep Paul Whelan’s story alive to force more action and so he knows he is not forgotten.
In the meantime, we can all celebrate the longawaited victory of having Griner back in the US with her wife and family and continue to support others who are unfairly detained like Paul Whelan with the proper media attention they deserve..
As the first semester comes to end, with winter break starting soon, many associate the break with the Christmas holiday. However, some schools are going beyond the Christmas norm and are starting to recognize non-Christian holidays in their calendar systems. And it’s about time they did since up to 40% of the American population consists of racial or ethnic minorities according to the Visual Capitalist
To begin, within the Scarsdale School District located in New York a few students pushed for the inclusion of Asian holidays within the school’s calendar system, including Eid, Diwali, and the Lunar New Year. The school district asserted that students “suggested how these days could be marked and honored in the community.”
With the students’ initiation, Superintendent Drew Patrick stated that possible drafts of future calendars will be created with the inclusion of the listed holidays. These three holidays have been added, or are in the process of being implemented, to schools’ calendars throughout the nation, acknowledging multiple cultures across Asia and promoting more diversity within the community.
Currently, the Moline Coal-Valley school district does not formally recognize any holidays; however, three holidays do occur over winter break: Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday that occurs from December 18th to December 26th, Christmas on December 25, and Kwanza, a celebration of African-American culture that begins on December 26th and ends on January 1st. During spring break, Easter, a Christian holiday, occurs on April 9th. Although these holidays occur over break, some holidays that are celebrated during the school year have little to no recognition amongst students and staff.
First, Diwali is a Hindu holiday known as the “festival of lights” that is celebrated by Indian Americans across the nation. The festival is usually celebrated at the end of October or the beginning of November and consists of five days of celebration. During these five days, poojas,
or rituals, take place during the day, and in the evenings, families and friends gather to light diyas, small lamps that are lit during Diwali, and enjoy fireworks.
Personally, Diwali is one of my favorite holidays because of the feeling of warmth it provides me with after spending time with my family and friends by attending poojas, indulging in a wide variety of Indian sweets, and lighting fireworks as the sun goes down.
According to NPR, Jenifer Rajkumar, a New York State assemblywoman, introduced the legislation for making Diwali an official school holiday in New York City, and NYC’s mayor, Eric Adams, believes that the inclusion of Diwali on school calendars could be an educational opportunity for many students and highlights the importance of inclusiveness within the city.
Next, USA Today contends that Eid al-Fitr is a celebration that occurs after Ramadan, “a month-long religious holiday for Muslims as a time of self-reflection and strengthening their relationship with God.” The objective of fasting during Ramadan is to practice self-restraint; Muslims must abstain from liquids, food, intimacy, and negative thinking. The religious holiday occurs based on the lunar cycle, “beginning and ending with a crescent moon.”
knowing that students won’t have to decide between their religion or education anymore.
Finally, Lunar New Year, now refferred to as the Spring Festival, is celebrated throughout many Asian cultures. The festivities may last a week or even longer, and the entire idea of the holiday is to get rid of negativity and prepare for an optimistic future. Families and friends gather to celebrate the holiday with new clothes, festive foods, and radiant fireworks.
Line O’Type is the official school-sponsored paper of Moline High School. The paper is published by the students under the supervision of faculty advisors for the Moline High School community. The staff will strive to accurately report school, local, state, and national news that affects high school students. Line O’Type Signals is also a forum open to students, faculty and administration to encourage the airing of opinions respresenting all sides of an issue.
All submitted material must be signed, due to a code passed by the school board. All responses or questions regarding editorials should be directed to your Editors-in-Chief, Sophia Brockway and Siri Chintala and faculty advisors, Heidi Norcross and Heather Briedenbach
In fact, the Mehlville School District, located in St. Louis, Missouri, added Eid al-Fitr to the 2022-2023 Mehlville School District calendar. The school district reports that many families practice Islam, and Imam Eldin Susa from the St. Louis Islamic Center stated that in the past, students had to choose between skipping school and celebrating Eid with their families and friends or attending school to make sure they wouldn’t miss anything. However, with the addition of Eid to the school’s calendar, many families feel appreciated
As reported by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, the Iowa City school district decided to add the Lunar New Year to their district’s calendar after a formal petition was made to recognize this important Asian holiday. The school district stated that with the “rise in anti-Asian sentiments in the past year,” it was important for the school board to take immediate action and honor the Asian community.
Overall, I feel that the Moline School District should plan on inlcuding holidays from diverse religions and cultures in the calendar in the future to honor students and their families and make them feel appreciated.
The Moline Coal-Valley School District currently does not include the holidays mentioned on its official calendar, but hopefully, the district will follow suit with other districts making these changes, and students in this district will be able to embrace their culture better without having to decide between attending school or celebrating a holiday. With many students of different ethnic backgrounds attending schools within the Moline School District, it is important to recognize their cultures and holidays.
This year, the second annual Cookie Cram kicked off MHS’s annual Share Joys fundraiser on December 2 during halftime of the boys basketball game held at Wharton Fieldhouse.
This is an event in which principals and staff from the Moline-Coal Valley School District all come together and participate in the Cookie Cram contest as a way to help raise money.
The Cookie Cram is essentially a cookieeating contest, where the rules are simple: Eat the most cookies, and don’t let the referee see you cheat!
This year’s participants were as follows: Butterworth: Julie Paup and Paul Sanders
Franklin: Grant Putnam and Diane Blaser
Hamilton: Lynsy Oswald and Doug Bodeen
Jane Addams: Teresa Landon, Lynn Vershaw, and Stephanie Davis Lincoln Irving: Rosi Portillo and Charles Moore
Logan: Tom Ferguson and Darren Dykstra
Moline High School: Chris Moore, Scott Ehlers, and Nick Youngblood, Roosevelt: Paul Mills and Jake Viaene, and
Athletic Director Todd Thompson oversaw the competition as the event’s referee.
This year’s Cookie Cram raised $2,716.
By using a multiplier based on enrollment, Jane Addams won “most money raised” with $635 in donations (Teresa Landon, Lynn Vershaw, and Stephanie Davis).
MHS was second with $728 (due to the multiplier).
As for the CookieEating, Moline High School’s team of Chris Moore, Scott Ehlers, and Nick Youngblood won that prize.
When Mr. Moore was asked what is the
most exciting aspect of this event to him, he replied, “Interacting with other fellow principals, and the idea that they all can come together and participated in a great event.”
This year’s Cookie Cram was a great success. Mr. Moore even said he is just so proud of the Moline-Coal Valley District for coming together for such a great cause, and all of the principals and staff were happy to “compete” against one another for the goal of raising money for kids!
By: Maranda Bargren LO’T Focus Editor
One of the annual traditions of Moline High School during the holiday season is Share Joys.
This tradition is based around gathering donations for the in-need children of the district. This year, the culminative efforts of district administrators, staff, and students garmered a total of $55,395.17!
This money raised will go toward clothing for children in need.
and the festival for Elementary school students to participate in winter-themed games and crafts.
During the school day, three aspects of Share Joys dominate the week: the student and staff raffle, where members of the school buy tickets in hopes of winning big, the elves roaming the hallways with treats, and the classroom fun occuring on the Thursday and Friday of the Share Joys week.
By: Maranda Bargren LO’T Focus Editor
One of the long-held traditions of Share Joys is the Donut Eating Contest, which happened on Thursday, December 8 during seventh period.
In this contest, teams of 5-6 need to eat (or pretend to eat) an entire box of donuts. Cheating is not allowed, so if they are caught cheating, more donuts are added to their box. The teams that make it to the final round must eat one last donut in the shortest time possible.
Typically, the competition takes place in the cafeteria, but starting last year, it has been held in the Bartlett. This year, the competitors were only allowed to use the front portion of the stage since most of the stage was occupied by the set for this year’s Puffs performance. Because of this, only four teams were allowed to eat at a time rather than all of the teams eating at once.
with its eater dressed as Oscar the Grouch in a life-sized trashcan, Santa’s Workshop, with its eater dressed as Santa and other members dressed as reindeers, Despicable Us, with its eater dressed as Gru and other members as minions, and Willy Wonka and the Donut Factory, with its eater dressed as WIlly Wonka and the other members as Oompa Loompas, the winner of this round was Despicable Us.
Round 2 consisted of Presidential Powers, with each member dressed as a different president or secret service member Santa and his Thugs, with its eater dressed as Santa and the other
Members of the Charlie and the Donut Factory team posing for a photo before their eat-off., including eater Amy Anderson.
Photo courtesy Chase Tholl.
members as thugs in white muscle tanks and Santa hats, The PKs (Pastry Killers), with its members dressed as soccer team members and its eater as a soccer ball, and the Scooby Doo team, with members dressed as various Scooby Doo members and its eater
as Scooby the Dog.
Round 3 consisted of Disney Donuts, with its members dressed as various Disney princesses, Elderly Eaters, with its members dressed as various elderly folk, Nightmare Before Christmas, with its members dressed as
various characters from the Tim Burton film, and Christmas at the Beach, with its members dressed in Christmasthemed beach attire.
Round 4 consisted of the fire department members, joined by their trusty Dalmatian mascot, split off into two teams.
The Winner of the final round was none other than Team Presidential Powers, with Zachary Houtekier as its eater.
“I didn’t think I was going to win. I was just doing it for the fun,” he told Dispatch-Argus.
“Me and my team talked about strategies, but I wasn’t really focusing on that. I was just trying to have a good time.”
for the Cram.
Photo courtesy Heidi Norcross
During Share Joys, there are a multitude of different events, including some new ones that were added this year, such as the dance hosted by Latinos Unidos
The top elves of this year’s ShareJoys included seniors Anandi Hoogheem, Olivia Gratton, and Graham Crippen.
“It was worth every oreo ball I made,” says Anandi.
12 student teams and 2 teams consisting of members of the Moline Fire Department competed in 4 rounds, with the fastest in each advancing to the final round.
The first round consisted of Oscar and the Grouches, a Sesame Street-themed team,
Members of the Despicable Us team, including eater Liam Woodward, being penalized with an extra donut for being caught cheating.
Photo courtesy Chase Tholl.
Additionally, awards were given to the student teams that donated the most to this year’s Share Joys campaign. The runner-up team was Despicable Us, and the winner of the “Top Banana” award was the Elderly Eaters, who donated over $1,000 to Share Joys.
This year’s Donut Eating Contest raised around $7,000 towards Share Joys.
“The best thing about it is that we constantly reiterate our mission that this is for a good cause,” said Principal Chris Moore to KWQC.
FIFA selected Qatar as the first Arabian country and only the second Asian country chosen to host the World Cup.
Outspending the previous World Cup in Brazil, Qatar has spent nearly 200 billion dollars more in order to host this highly publicized event. However, the increase in spending has not gone without controversy.
It has been widely reported that slavery was used to build Qatar’s facilities and stadiums which resulted in nearly six thousand five hundred deaths. Poor treat-
for Qatar’s workers has led to renewed calls for basic human rights and priveledges.
The World Cup has also been censored by the Qatarians by not allowing LGBTQ+ attire within the stadiums. The World Cup has taken the world by storm with an average of 227 million viewers everyday and a projected 5 billion views by the end of the series.
Although many teams have made it to the draw, only one will come out on top and it seems France is favored to win, repeating last year’s win. I’ve personally had my eyes on France to
win because I’m currently taking French and am now familiar with their culture.
Speaking of classes, this World Cup series is being held during November and December, instead of the summer months because of the extreme climate of Qatar. Students support their favorite teams by wearing their player’s jerseys and many attempt to watch a match when they can.
Finally, this World Cup could be Messi and Ronaldo’s last World Cup. The two most influential players of the sport, and maybe the most popular sport’s players in the world.
In a similar way that earlier audiences rooted for Pele, today’s followers of the sport are rooting for Ronaldo or Messi to win one last World Cup.
This series will be one that will go down in history as one of the most exciting and highly publicized events in professional sports.
I would rate the World Cup an 8/10 because it creates opportunities to create change and equality for all through competitive sports. I enjoy that aspect of soccer because peace and love is something that should always be at the center of humanity.
The “Need for Speed” franchise is one that is loved by both gamers and car enthusiasts. It is an open-world racing game that implements free roam and racing.
“Need For Speed” is famous for being one of the only games that has active police that will chase you and try to take you down for street racing. Additionally, there is an arcade-ish feel for handling. This makes “Need For Speed” stand out from many other racing games which try to replicate real life scenarios (also known as “Sim Racing”).
For 2022 “Need For Speed Unbound”, which released on December 2nd, is introducing a mix of anime/comic art style for
the characters in the game while keeping the realism aspect for the cars and environment. Unbound’s city of Lakeshore is based on the real-life city of Chicago. One strength of the “Need For Speed” series is the sheer amount of customization the game has, which Unbound continues, each car has around 100 parts that can interchange with each other including wheels, fenders, and the spoilers from many reputable brands such as BBS, APR Performance, Rocket Bunny, and Wilwood.
Another addition to “Need For Speed Unbound” is the introduction of a new main character, rapper A$AP Rocky who is the leader of the game’s “Takeover” events. A$AP Rocky’s tastefully modified Mercedes 190E is the
game’s cover car detailed with the comic-inspired effects and background The music playlist is comprised of rap, pop, dance, electronica, trap, and alternative. A$AP Rocky has a few songs of his own in the game such as “Babushka Boi”, “Palace”, and “The God Hour”.
Finally, the inventory of cars consists of 143 cars ranging from Acura to Volvo; you can earn Bank,which is the in-game currency, through the race
events around the map which allow the player to purchase vehicles, parts, upgrades, and more.
Overall, the game has received good reviews by critics and players, such as 73% approval by Metacritic, a 4 out of 5 by GamesRadar, and an 82% by Google users. The game is gaining traction with its different take on racing compared to the Forza and Gran Turismo series which seems to accounts for its success.
A new coffee shop called “Wholly Grinds Coffee Shop” opened on November 18th in Rock Island.
have a large menu with a wide range of choices ensuring everyone can find something they like.
For drinks, they have coffee brews, lattes, mochas, frappes, hot chocolate, teas, smoothies, shakes, and energy drinks. They also have additional flavors, which allow you to customize your drink perfectly for your liking.
the coffee flavor balanced the sweetness.
Wholly Grinds has another special feature which sets them apart from the rest. In their iced coffee drinks, instead of normal iced cubes, they use coffee iced cubes.
Thus, your drink is kept cold without watering it down and affecting the coffee flavor.
I’m a slow coffee drinker, so I’m used to
watered down coffee. However, with the coffee iced cubes, my drink never lost its flavor! I was able to enjoy the sweet Iced White Chocolate Mocha until it was gone.
I really enjoyed the mocha, and I can’t wait to try it again!
One thing that made my visit exceptionally delightful was the extremely friendly staff.
As soon as I walked
in, they were welcoming and kind. They struck up a nice conversation with me, and then gave me a free sample!
It was a free sample of their “Wholly Waffle Original,” and it was quite appetizing.
On their counter, they display a heartening quote: “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have.”
Wholly Grinds embodies this quote because the happy, friendly staff makes some of the best coffee in the area.
I had an amazing experience at Wholly Grinds due to my tasty drink, welcoming staff, and rustic environment, and I cannot wait to revisit.
I highly recommend this new coffee shop
Wholly
The owner’s son, Darrel, worked for two years to design and craft an original brew named “The Goliath,” which is Wholly Grinds’ signature coffee brew.
As you walk in, you’re met with a long counter displaying a large, red “Coffee” sign, which adds to the clean, rustic feel.
There are multiple tables to enjoy your coffee at, or, because free wifi is available, do homework.
If you like your coffee to go, Wholly Grinds has an easy and efficient drive through. They are open 6am to 4:30pm everyday except Sunday when they are closed.
Additionally, they
It is described as “very bold, very smooth, very caffeinated, Quadruple blend.”
Wholly Grinds also provides food options to pair with your tasty drink. The coffee shop’s signature treat is “The Wholly Waffle,” but they also have waffle sandwiches, muffins, cinnamon rolls, and pastries.
When I visited, I tried an Iced White Chocolate Mocha. It was absolutely delicious. Though the chocolate was stronger than I expected, it wasn’t too prominent because
“Wholly”Grinds offers a great iced mocha that comes with ice made from coffee. Photo courtesy of Abby Comp.
Moline High School students performed “Puffs” on December 8th, 9th, and 10th in the Bartlett Performing Arts Center.
“Puffs” is a parody of the magical book series about witches and wizards. While it takes place during the same time as the “Harry Potter” series, it is focused on a different set of characters over the course of seven years at the school. The story is based on the idea of how awful it would be as a student at the magical school while Harry Potter was there.
The play follows Wayne Hopkins, an orphaned boy who lives with his uncle in New
Mexico, before he is given a letter inviting him to the school of magic in England. Hopkins is played by senior Alec Bull. Upon Wayne’s arrival, he is “sorted” into the house of the Puffs, a group of loyal outsiders who always seem to get the short end of the stick.
Wayne soon becomes friends with Megan, an outcast feared by the rest of the school, played by Winter Roland, and Oliver, a math prodigy who worries about the difficulty of magic, played by Liam Woodward.
The three quickly realize that the school is a very unsafe place for children, as a disaster occurs each year they’re in attendance.
Making his directo-
rial debut at MHS, Mr. Koski reveals the following goals for the play and actors, “I’m excited to see how well all the students work together because this is an ensemble piece, and it’s not focused on one or two characters”. It’s a team effort as Koski states, from the “acting, props, costumes, lights, and sound that work together to bring something funny and unique to the show”.
Josef Bodenbender, who plays Ernie Mac, expressed, “There’s a real sense of community in theater, and we’re all here to have a good time and put on a good show that people will like”. Mycah Asuncion, who plays Blondo and Bippy adds, “I’m pretty new to the-
ater, but I enjoy it for the community that grows closer as we go through”. And Faith Burns, who’s on crew, says, “While in the theater community, I make friends and I get experience, and meet in-
teresting people with interesting experiences.”
MHS Theatre encourages everyone to get involved in theater or attend a show. The next production will be the musical, “The Wizard of
Oz” which will be presented on March 9th, 10th, and 11th. Reach out and get involved, or show your support for MHS theater by attending the next production!
Aries - Strive to be number 1
Drink: Peppermint Mocha Treat: Oreo Ball Taurus - Consistent and Reliable Drink: French Vanilla Latte Treat: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Gemini - Clever, Good Conversationalist Drink: Almondmilk Honey Latte Treat: Brownies
Cancer - Loyal and Caring, but Sensitive Drink: Hot Chocolate Treat: Puppy Chow Leo - Confident and Ambitious Drink: White Chocolate Mocha Treat: Double Chocolate Fudge Cake Virgo - Analytical and Observant Drink: Dirty Chai Latte Treat: Pistachio Biscotti
Libra - Peaceful and Idealistic Drink: Lavender Honey Iced Latte Treat: Lemon Poppy seed Muffin Scorpio - Passionate and Resourceful Drink: Affogato Treat: Vanilla Ice Cream Saggitarius - Curious and Intellectual Drink: Tiramisu Latte Treat: Espresso Biscotti with Chocolate Drizzle
Capricorn - Patient and Perseverant Drink: Brown Sugar Bubble Tea Treat: Cream Cheese Pastry
Aquarius - Innovative and Progressive Drink: Chamomile and Cardamom Tea Treat: Honey Stroop waffels
Pisces - Intuitive and Empathetic Drink: Vanilla Matcha Treat: Strawberry Vanilla Cupcakes
The boy’s basketball season is off to a great start. They have won four out the five games they have played so far and are excited to see how they will perform at conference.
The team had a successful week of games. On Friday December 2, the boys’ played Galesburg in a home WB6 game, winning 91-32 with seniors Brock Harding and Owen Freeman leading the scoring..
The next day, they played Urbana in a nonconference game finishing 86-32.
On December 6, the
team won a non-conference game against Geneso there with a score of 91-31.
Most recently the boys team played Rocky on Friday, December 9th and dominated them 78-40.
While the team is happy with its success, they are gearing up to play 3 tough teams that are ranked top 10 in the state. They will also compete against Pleasant Valley in the last game of the Illinois/Iowa Shootout held at Augustana on December 17th.
Head Coach Taylor is excited about the rest of the season and is confident in the team’s abilities commenting, “The players continue to work extremely
hard. We have great senior leadership led by Brock Harding, Grant Welch, Owen Freeman, Jasper Ogburn, Maddux Dieckman, and HysonBey Buie.”
During the holiday break from school, the boys will get a chance to participate in the Pekin Holiday Tournament, one of the oldest holiday tournaments in the state.
These games will provide challenges and opportunities for the team to continue to succeed, and Coach Taylor is eager to see his team keep up its good work ethic.
Good luck to the boy’s basketball team in the month ahead!
The girls basketball team started their season playing 3 away games at the Joliet West Tournament starting on November 14.
The girls took a tough loss against Lincoln Way Central with a score of 49-65 in their 1st game. Next, they played against Joliet Catholic, but fell short again with a close score of 55-63. And to end the tourney, the team played Joliet West, which resulted in a final score of 30-58. While the outcome of the tournament wasn’t what they had hoped for, the team learned a lot about what they needed to work on in the future.
Although the girls took some hard losses, Senior Corynn Holmes still maintains a positive outlook, saying, “I’m excited for the season to progress as we become a more cohesive and efficient team”.
The Maroons played another non-conference game against Minooka on November 19, and the result was their 1st win with a final score of 50-47.
The girls’ next game was a home game at Whar-
ton Field House against conference rival Galesburg. Unfortunately, the girls came up short to the Silver Streaks with a final score of 47-60.
The girls had high hopes for a better outcome in their next conference match against Rocky but after going back and forth throughout the whole game, the final score was a disappointing 47-55 loss.
As the Maroons plunged on into their tough Western Big 6 schedule, they faced former MHS girls basketball Coach Steve Ford who is now coaching the Allemen squad at home on Saturday, December 3. Again, after a tough battle back and forth, Allema came out ahead and tool the took the 59-47 win.
After that tough loss, the girls refocused for their game against UT at the Panther Den on December 8. Senior Sam Veto had a fantastic game, pulling down a game-high 17 points, and 10 of those points came in the 4th quarter to give Moline the “W” with a final score of 45-44.
The girls continued their winning streak in a confidence-boosting win against Sterling on December 10, with a final score of 49-26.
And while the girls have struggled in their season so far with a 3-6 overall record (1-3 in conference play), they still remain optimistic. Senior team captain Sam Veto states, “I’m excited for us to showcase our talent and how good we’re going to be.”
All the girls are ready to pull down some wins, and they know that they are capable of it with continued hard work and dedication.
Squeaky shoes hit the mat and sweat drools off their heads. The Moline Wrestling team has definitely started its season. The fresh new year got its start a couple weeks ago, and the athletes are working hard to determine their weight classes. Although they struggled at first, they quickly regained confidence before the season started.
The first meet was a quad dual in Dekalb, and MHS went against 3 other schools.
The varsity team was able to dominate both South Elgin with a score of 65-12 and Lake Park by 66-12 but got de-
feated by Dekalb High School who were the state runner up last year. The team learned a lot from the loss, and they have grown tremendously from then.
The wrestlers practices often throughout the season and continue to follow strict rules since they are required to meet weight requirements and fill weight classes. Senior Captain Noah Tapia who was state runner-up last year continues to strive for his goals by continueing to work hard and be resilient on the mat.
Tapia says, “The team is tight knit and have really come together, and this has really improved everyone in the long run. I always think that your
team has to be successful for you to be successful. I’m really proud of the team, and I hope we all reach our gaols at the end of the season.”
We are excited to see all the success the team will earn with
veloping. No one is perfect, so we have to keep training to compete to the best of our ability. My goal personally is to be the best I can be by the time I leave the program and inspire young athletes in the process. This year I want to make the state tournament. It’s a personal goal for me.”
After the first meet, the team got the push they needed for the rest of the season.
They had another home dual vs. United Township and the team won 40-26.
Moline is excited to see how the team strives to reach its goals and how individuals strive to reachpersonal goals. We as
Moline students are also very appreciative of the involvement factor that this team portrays. Young women are striving on this team and continue to improve themselves. Ruby Sepeda and Miriam Ndiaye have goals for achieving successes.
Team Captain Tapia says, “I’m proud that there are women involved; it creates n inclusive environment at meets and practices. It makes me sad that girls wrestling doesn’t get much attention, and I hope these young women can disrupt the status quo and reach their gaols.”
Miriam Ndiaye won against a wrestler from Rock Island High School, who
made the state tournament last year.
Miriam truly has experienced a lot of success and is taking a wonderful opportunity with Moline wrestling. It’s inspiring to see how girls can also bring it on the mat this year. We as students hope to get a feel for how women excel in this sport as well. The school is so fortunate to have such a powerful team of wrestlers this year. As Moline students, we should encourage student engagement at meets and tournaments and support this impressive team of young men and women. Go Moline Wrestling, and Good Luck this season!
Noah’s leadership. Noah leads by example by being an outstanding student-athlete and showing limitless determination.
Junior Zander
Ealy also steps it up on the mat. He is a Co-Captain this year and leads the team alongside Noah. He continues to improve his performance and shows this during meets.
Ealy says, “It’s important for the young teammates to keep de-
Noah Tapia gets first place at the Prospect High School Meet on Saturday, December 10th. Photo Courtesy of Moline Wrestling Twitter