March paper

Parisee lands role

El Charro Orders Facelift

PELLADIUM P. 3

P. 4

THE PELLA COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL NEWS PUBLICATION

04.01.2014

Volume 26

Issue Seven

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PAGE EDITOR: Gregory Frommelt

New teachers hired for 2014-2015

Current

Along with the new 2014-15 school year comes the new teaching staff here. So far, four teachers are planning for leaving the school for various reasons, yet three positions have been filled.

One of these new teachers is Miranda Raymond. Raymond has been hired as the new English teacher here. Raymond heard of the opening online, and has been considering this position since hearing of it.

“Before the interview I drove around the town, and I could immediately see myself living there. The town really reminds me of Carroll, where I grew up. Everyone I talk to about Pella always has such wonderful things to say, so I am more than ready to take on a new adventure,” said Raymond.

Raymond has a background in education. Both parents are educators - her father a middle school principal, her mother a high school geometry teacher.

Raymond believes this is a great opportunity.

“I plan on bringing in a fresh outlook to the classroom. [This is] going to be my first year as a teacher, and my education at Iowa has prepared me to take on that role. I believe that making connections within the classroom to the world beyond the classroom is extremely important,” said Raymond.

Additionally, current North Mahaka math teacher in New Sharon, Kendi (Beyer) Arndt, has been hired to teach for the 2014-15 school year here.

“I am a 2004 Pella High graduate, and I am excited for the opportunity to give back to this wonderful community. I know the school, faculty, and students put a high priority on education and well-rounded learning, so I am looking forward to being able to contribute to a great learning environment,” said Arndt.

Being the new math teacher for next year, Arndt plans to bring a new, modern way of teaching to the Pdistrict.

“I enjoy the 1:1 laptop learning environment, and I am always looking for new and better ways to include online resources in helping student success. I’d like to bring my technology skills with me. And, I tend to bring along my smile anywhere I go.”

Other recent hires include Josiah Brandt, currently coaching tennis in the district with his wife Lindsy, a middle school math teacher. Brandt will teach Spanish. He currently teaches at North Mahaska. Additionally, Taelor Hilyer will teach two sections of English at the high school.

•Jack Sytsma (jsytsma@pelladium.com)

Graduation medal promotes community service recognition Want another medal while walking down to receive your diploma at graduation? Feel free to take part in community service. Coming 2014-15 school year, Pella will be instituting an opportunity for students to take part in a program of community service. If students contribute 100 hours from freshman to senior year, 25 hours per year, they will receive recognition at graduation.

Community service could mean anything from working at an animal shelter, to shoveling driveways or volunteer work without pay.

The ones behind it all are parent Jackie Meyer, Principal Eric Nelson and guidance counselors Jessica Manning and Teresa Thompson.

“The school my children went to in Ohio had to complete 75 hours of community service to graduate. I loved the idea. I thought: ‘Why can’t Pella High put a similar program in place?’” said Meyer.

The Pella Board of Education loved the idea as well, and the program was approved at the meeting on February 24.

Although the volunteer work itself isn’t required, requirements of community service include finishing some form of volunteer work with the supervisor’s signature, as well as the guidance counselor’s. Another form that one must complete is a reflection work. All of this is done to ensure that you actually did the time you said you put in.

“I would definitely participate in a community service project. I think this is a good idea because many people that want to help their community don’t have many opportunities available to them that they know of,” said freshman Paloma Mate-Kodjo.

•Natalie Meyer (nmeyer@pelladium.com

04. 01. 2014

Champion Roorda honored in Parade of Champions

>>>CHAMPION. Freshman Tess Roorda took a walk that she will never forget March 7. By virtue of her finishing first in 3A cross country, she walked in the Parade of Champions at the girls’ basketball championships at Wells Fargo. Head cross country coach Doug Cutler joined Roorda for the walk.

“It was an experience that I will never forget and was a big honor to be included with all of the state championship athletes,” said Roorda.

Additionally, Roorda’s picture was recently hung among the other champions on the Wall of Champions.

“It’s still hard to imagine that the picture will be up there that long. I don’t know if it will ever really sink in,” said Roorda.

•Garret Jansen (gjansen@pelladium.com)

Swanson, Van Maanen advance to all-state individual speech This individual speech season yielded success, with two students earning all-state honors as seniors Sydney Swanson and Aaron Van Maanen performed at the Individual All-State March 31 at University of Northern Iowa. Swanson performed a literary program while Van Maanen performed an expository address.

“I am really excited to get to go to All-State this year since it will be my last speech event as a senior. I also love the piece that I brought to all-state, so that makes it a lot of fun. Being a member of the speech team these four years has been so amazing. I’ve met awesome people, had some great memories and gotten to do what I love to do in the process,” said Swanson.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity, and I was also excited because all-state was at UNI, where I’m attending next year. My sister will be able to come watch, which is awesome,” said Van Maanen.

State individuals took place March 15 at North Scott High School in Eldridge. Eleven events received straight “I” ratings.

“It is a fun way to show people’s skills for speaking in front of audiences. It makes you depend on your self, and not on others, and if you fail, it is all on you. I felt I did very well at both state and districts,” said freshman Luke Schemm. Schemm received an overall “I” rating at state in storytelling.

“I was proud of both how our students performed and how they came together to support each other throughout the season and on contest day. We had 10 students who were new to speech perform at state. This was a fun group to coach, and it was exciting to see how each student improved, tried new categories, and took risks in performances,” said speech coach Ashlee Whittington.

•Claire Anderson (claire.anderson@student.pella.k12.ia.us)

04.01. 2014

Current

Page Editor: Derrick Akers

Parisee lands role in play “Les Miserables” Senior Jack Parisee is taking the next step in his acting career.

Parisee has a role in one of the biggest plays in Des Moines in “Les Miserables”. He will be starring as a French student leading the French Revolution. The play will be performed up to 25 times.

Parisee has been acting since age five and is looking forward to the play.

“I am looking forward to how big the performances are going to be. The show is going to be the biggest show the playhouse has ever done, and it is getting a lot of attention nationwide,” said Parisee.

Parisee is not the nervous type; he feels that he acts best in front of more people. He feels as if it brings the best out in him.

“I have performed in front of a lot of people before, and those have been my best acted plays. This show is the biggest show I’ve ever done, but I still won’t be nervous because its the same kind of audience,” said Parisee.

Parisee feels as if he growing as an actor, and that the people

Jimmy John’s manager recognized

Pella’s Jimmy John’s is known for good quality food and “freaky fast” delivery. The real story of this restaurant is more compelling behind the scenes.

A convention in Las Vegas led the general manager of Jimmy John’s of Pella, Allie Shaw, to win the “General Manager of the Year” award. The winner was chosen from all locations nationally. She was chosen based on company teamwork, good scores, sandwich preparation and store cleanliness.

“It’s a team effort [to win the award]. We work together as a family and get the job done right, while still having fun,” said Shaw.

The scores are based on various different aspect of restaurant cleanliness and food preparation. Getting good scores creates a greater chance of winning an award at the convention for your restaurant.

The convention was held Feb. 9-11, with over 3,0000 employees attending. 78 managers were nominated for the award, yet Shaw won.

“There was 78 of us [managers], and my name was called second. I walked up in front of 3,000 others to get my award.

It very nerve wracking, but it was all worth it. [The CEO of Jimmy John’s,] Jimmy [John Liautaud] was there, which made me even more nervous,” said Shaw.

Sophomore Macy Nossaman agrees the award is deserved.

“Working [at Jimmy Johns] is eally fun. I like people that work there. She [Allie Shaw] is always positive, she’s really nice and such a good worker,” said Nossaman.

The restaurant, though award-winning, still strives for future success.

“We feel rewarded with the award and will show us that we can work even harder. It’s a good example to win the award; it will help us strive for more,” said Shaw.

•Jack Sytsma (jsytsma@pelladium.com)

around him at the playhouse are influencing him into a better actor than he was before.

“I am growing as an actor. This cast that I am working with is a bunch of people that have done shows at the playhouse before. These actors are known as some of the best in the state,” said Parisee.

Parisee wants to do something with performing arts for a job when he gets older. He feels as if his talent and hard work in this area will pay off some day.

“I want to go into performing arts. This play is a good step because I am experiencing working with new people, and I am going to be a part of an important show that thousands of people will come watch,” said Parisee.

However, when he got the role in the play, he realized that he would have to sacrifice in his life. Parisee will not be able to attend prom because he has a performance that night.

“I knew that I would have to make sacrifices, I considered graduating at semester. This play is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it will help me get to where I want to get to. I won’t

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be at prom, but I will be at after prom,” said Parisee.

The performances began March 21 and will end April 13. The play is performed starting at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday-Saturday, •Photo submitted and on Sunday the play will be performed starting at 2 p.m. in the Des Moines Playhouse at 831 42nd St, Des Moines.

Tickets cost $23 for students, and $31 for adults. Information can be found at www.dmplayhouse.com.

•Corey Elliot (celliot@pelladium.com)

Tattoos hold special meaning Everyone has his/her own way of expressing themselves; it could be painting, through music, even on the basketball court.

Three students in particular have chosen a more permanent and memorable expression by getting tattoos.

Seniors Sierra Williams, Alex Boots and Tara Schuring all have tattoos, but each one has a different inspiration. Williams finds her purpose from her grandpa, who passed away.

“My grandpa and I were extremely close, so it was really hard for me when he passed away. I got the tattoo for a reminder that he is always with me,” said Williams.

Her tattoo is black and white and depicts a feather standing for protection and her initials on the side of her foot with an anklet around her ankle.

“The foot is one of the most painful spots to get a tattoo.

I remember that it burned a lot. It hurts the most when they hit a vein or nerve in your foot. The bracelet part that goes around my ankle hurt really bad on my achilles tendon. I just remember that it was more of a burning feeling than a painful feeling,” said Williams.

Boots, on the other hand, finds his inspiration from a family tradition, by placing a cross on his back.

“My cross was my first tattoo and just like my older brother, his first tattoo was •Sierra Williams’ tattoo a cross, so that was my

877-462-3687 www.central.edu

inspiration. Each of the 12 lines represents a different aspect in my life,” said Boots.

Boots also has a tattoo on his wrist, picturing the Eye of Horus.

He got this tattoo to remember his childhood dreams and his love for Egypt.

“The Eye of Horus was inspired by my • Tara Schuring’s tattoo love of Egypt as a young child and even still today, so I just wanted something connecting me to my childhood dreams,” said Boots.

Schuring also finds inspiration for her tattoo from her grandpa, who passed away. Her tattoo is a picture of a dove with a cross about its head, holding much importance to Schuring.

“It is memory of my grandpa; the dove is from a ring he gave all of his grandchildren before he passed away,” said Schuring.

Many say that getting “inked” is addicting, and Boots agrees, despite the pain.

“It’s just more of an annoyance because it just feels like you are getting a bad sunburn scratched over and over. But, I still say it is an unpleasant sensation but an addicting one at that,” said Boots.

•Derrick Akers (dakers@pelladium.com)

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PAGE EDITOR: JACK PARISEE

Current

04. 01. 2014

>>TRIP TIME. Senior Chase Chesley, sophomore Camille Henry, junior Sarah De Wolf and seniors Kayla Bentz, Madi Van Gilst and Dante Vitullo pose for a photo upon arrival in Nassau. •Cruise ship - Enchantment of the Seas. • AcaPella performs for cruise ship audiences. •Photos courtesy of Madi Van Gilst.

Show choirs perform in Bahamas, experience Disney World Show choirs experienced a string of exciting events March 15-22 as they began their journey performing at a Cedar Rapids competition, and then made their way via bus and Royal Caribbean cruise ship to Florida and the Bahamas. The trip also included a day at Disney World. The choirs performed on the ship and at a school in Nassau.

Over 100 students participated in the tour.

“This trip was one to remember, a good way to remember my high school years,” said freshman Ben Lauritsen.

Choir director Michelle Chaplin was also very enthusiastic about the trip. She believed students learned a lot from it.

El Charro orders face lift “Spicing things up” never hurt anyone, and El Charro thought so, too. The well-known Mexican restaurant El Charro has undergone renovations and was closed for a couple of weeks.

Freshman Marlen Ramirez works at El Charro and is excited about all of the new renovations.

“There’s going to be new booths, tables, bathrooms are going to have marble, the bar is going to add a new part to it. We are going to paint it and have a brick texture done. Instead of flowers, they are going to put arcs; they are also adding new tile to the kitchen. There is also going to be new doors done. If they can and it is nice enough, they will paint the outside. New menus is another thing, and the waiters dress will change and there will also be new rules for them,” said Ramirez El Charro has also used this time to create a couple of new dishes that will add to the menu.

“One of the new dishes is Pollo con Pina (chicken with pineapple). It comes with rice and salad.

This is the only plate that I know so far,” said Ramirez.

When out to eat, the customer wants to feel comfortable and enjoy their surroundings while they eat.

“We are hoping to get out of all this for people to feel comfortable and for it to look nicer. Also, because it’s time for it to have a new look. Many customers have been more than one time, and we appreciate all you guys enjoying the food and coming to El Charro,” said Ramirez Some renovations take longer than others, daunting tasks that take skill to complete.

“The longest would probably be the arcs and the bathrooms just because they are so messy and hard to do. Only three workers from here are helping and, of course, my dad. We also hired some people that my dad knows to help add more to the bar, bathrooms, kitchen and the arcs,” said Ramirez.

Consumers can look forward to returning to El Charro soon.

“Right now my dad is planning to reopen El Charro the second week of March. It also depends on how long everything takes to rebuild,” said Ramirez There are many things to look forward to when returning to the new and improved El Charro.

“Customers should look forward to seeing how it looks and looking forward for the new food that is coming in. Finally, how the employes will say things and look,” said Ramirez Ramirez encourages everybody to come and check it out.

“Thank you everyone that loves going to El Charro. We hope that everything that is being done everyone will love as much as we will. Can’t wait to see you guys there! See you all soon!” said Ramirez.

•Garret Jansen (gjansen@pelladium.com)

“They were able to portray Pella, Iowa, in a positive way and experience other cultures,” said Chaplin.

Students were also more than eager to escape the cold Iowa weather and spend their spring break on the beach and under the sun.

“I was so incredibly excited for this trip! Being in AcaPella show choir is, seriously, the best thing ever, and getting to do what I love in a paradise like the Bahamas was a dream come true,” said senior Faith VanWyngarden.

•Bellara Huang (bhuang@pelladium.com)

Wilborn competes in Poetry Out Loud

Junior Leah Wilborn was declared the local winner of Poetry Out Loud in a competition held in early March.

Since its inception eight years ago, Poetry Out Loud has led numerous high school students to recitate and perform poetry through a competition encouraging them to memorize and perform poetry. Each year Pella enters a student.

“It’s been a really cool opportunity to get to travel and compete with other people. I’ve always really liked poetry, and this gave me a chance to learn how to perform and compete with it,” said Wilborn.

Language arts teacher Suzi Jones has fostered the program at the high school. This year, more than 24,000 students statewide competed in preliminary rounds.

“Its a really well-run program. The building they hold it in is right downtown Des Moines, in a very nice space. It’s always impressive how talented some of the students are and how much support there is for the organization,” said Jones.

This year, Wilborn was selected by Jones, through auditions to compete at state. She performed her two pieces at the Des Moines Historical Building along with the other 11 candidates, March 16.

“It was a chance to be a part of a really cool competition,” said Wilborn.

•Jack Parisee (jparisee@pelladium.com)

Plans take shape for April 5 prom Kicking it back to sneaking into speakeasies and swing dancing, prom preparation is in the works. “The Great Gatsby” will be the theme of the April 5 prom. From flapper dresses to the Prohibition, prom will be captivated with a mixture of throwback and modern day fashion and scenery.

Juniors in student council are heading for prom preparation. Juniors’ parents are also participating. The group has been preparing for five months (since October). Time, money and lots of meetings take up most of the preparation. Junior Mandy Nossaman noted several areas the planning committee has addressed.

“For preparation we had to figure out a presentable theme, find music that everyone would enjoy, make decorations (better than the seniors’ last year) and figure out parking. With all this summed up, everything would need to fit in our budget,” said Nossaman.

The 2014 prom would be held at Central College’s Graham Center.

“I hope everyone’s looking forward to prom this year. It’s going to be a blast and the decorations are going to be beautiful,” said Nossaman.

•Aletta Verhey (averhey@pelladium.com)

2114 Washington Street Pella, IA 50219 641-628-1604

04. 01. 2014

Sports

PAGE EDITOR: Garret Jansen

Student athletes sign with letters of intent

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As the college decisions slowly are made by the senior class, Derrick Akers, Nathan Clayberg and Lukas Steenhoek have taken the step to sign with colleges to continue certain athletic endeavors into college.

The National Letter of Intent signed by these students is a commitment for one academic year to the institution that they signed with. It also marks the end for any recruiting process by any other colleges.

Akers and Steenhoek both signed with Northwestern College. Akers to participate in track, Steenhoek for football.

“It is nice. I really like the people there. They are very nice and kind, and I like their coaches.

I am excited to be able to continue my football career and, in a sense, restarting my career. It should be a great new chapter,” said Steenhoek.

Akers is also excited for his future at Northwestern University.

“I’m really excited to run track at Northwestern and see what the future holds for me. It was a really cool experience to actually sign a piece of paper that officially means I’m going to run track in college,” said Akers.

Clayberg signed to play football with Drake University for the upcoming year.

“I am excited to go to Drake and play football. I think the college is a great fit for me, and the football program is exactly what I want,” said Clayberg.

Clayberg had a sort of celebration to accompany his choice to sign with Drake.

•Gregory Frommelt (gregf@pelladium.com) >>>Senior Savannah Stralow participates in the Adaptive P.E. field trip activities held at Simpson College Jan. 28. Stralow also participated in the Special Olympics as a bowler this past fall. She received the gold medal in her divsion. “It’s amazing going to these events and seeing the range of students with disabilities. When you see their faces filled with joy as they cross the finish line or when they roll the ball down the bowling alley lane. it’s just wonderful,” said special education instructor Lorrie Grubb.

Special Olympics offer chance for success

A wise man once said “A disability does not mean someone is not able to do a task. It simply means they must find another way to do this task.” This statement is true for the eight Pella student athletes enrolled in the special education program who participate in the Special Olympics. Although there are competitions year round, from baseball to swimming, special needs students from second grade to senior year have the opportunity to participate in two events through the school - bowling and cycling. The bowling competition is in the fall while the cycling competition takes place in May. Students participating in cycling are currently practicing for this competition. Records of practice and average times must be sent in April 1 to the state to place students into competition groups.

Special need students are put in competition groups depending on their age and skill level. Students compete at a district level first, and if awarded first place, they continue to the state level. Each of these events, at both districts and state, have hundreds of spectators encouraging and cheering on the student-athletes.

“There were easily several hundred athletes at the district bowling competition. The families are there as well as cheering sections that watch them. The day of state was a complete zoo. It’s amazing the number of student-athletes that go, and the number of family and friends that go to support them,” said Special Olympic coach Lorri Grubb.

Several times a year these athletes get the opportunity to compete against each other through different sporting events. As they do not often get the chance to compete with others that are on the same level as them, this is one of the highlights of the year.

“Athletes like to compete. It’s a natural thing. They also like to get a reward for all the hard work they put in. In the Special Olympics, everyone gets to compete and everyone gets the opportunity to earn the reward of a ribbon, or at the state level, going for a medal. It’s a neat opportunity for individuals with disabilities to compete with each other and show what they are good at,” said Grubb.

These students must practice for so many hours to be eligible to participate in these competitions. All of this hard work pays off when the students reach the finish line with nothing but complete joy on their face.

“It’s amazing going to these events and seeing the range of students with disabilities. When you see their faces filled with joy as they cross the finish line or when they roll the ball down the bowling alley lane. It’s just wonderful,” said Grubb.

Grubb encourages anyone wanting to volunteer with the Special Olympics to apply online.

“Anyone is welcome. If anyone is interested in volunteering, they can apply online or talk to me,” said Grubb.

For more information on volunteering with the Special Olympics, visit www.soiowa.org.

•Christina Gualtieri (cgualtieri@pelladium.com)

Spring athletes optimistic about sport seasons As the snow melts and temperatures rise, a new season of sporting events begin. Many athletes are excited about beginning another season with their respective teams.

Soccer Junior Seth Johnson - “We’ll be a younger team; we lost some key players from last year. We’ve made it a tradition of going pretty far in team state, so I think that is one of the goals that we want to reach again.”

Junior Jessica DeWaard - “One of our main goals is to win state. We came really close last year, but we lost a lot of seniors, so there are a lot of spots to fill. I know we have a lot of talent in the underclassmen, and I’m really excited to see what they can bring to the team.”

Tennis Senior Tom Palmer - “I’m looking forward to the season because this year’s team will be one of the strongest ever. We’ve got a couple great new coaches that we know will take us to the next level, and a fun team to go there with.”

Senior Brianna Buzick - “It’s kind of a rebuilding year because we lost our top two players, and we have a new coach. So, I think our goal would be to establish a great team for years to come.”

Track Senior Jordan Pingel - “A main goal our team has this year, and every year, is to win a state title. We lost a lot of depth last year, so filling in for a lot of new events will be a challenge, but I think with the guys we have and upcoming talent in the underage guys, I think we have a good chance at making that goal.”

Sophomore Makenna Bogaard - “I’m looking forward to being with my friends in track and improving as a team. Our goals are making it to state and doing well while we are there.”

Golf Senior Kelse Veenstra - “I’m excited to hit the course and for the weather to get better to be able to play and start the season. With no varsity members graduating from this past year, the experience in the 2013 season will help us in this 2014 season.”

Senior Kylie Roslien - “We want to grow closer as a team and have fun getting better at a lifelong sport. We are looking forward to the opportunity to work with a new coach and improve our skills. It should be a really fun season with an awesome group of girls!”

•Aaron Van Maanen (avanmaanen@pelladium.com)

Junior Jessica DeWaard (top left) clears the ball in a game from last season.

The girls’ soccer season will start April 8 at Indianola. Senior Tom Palmer (bottom left) serves the ball during his singles match last season. Catch their second meet of the season April 3 at the Caldwell tennis courts. Senior Kylie Roselin (middle) lines up her shot in the fairway last season. Catch the girls’ first meet in Newton on April 10. Senior Jordan Pingel is off to a hot start this track season running a 1:59 split in the 4x800 meter relay at Iowa State on March 18. The track teams started the outdoor season March 27 in Washington. >>>

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In Focus

PAGE EDITORS: Gregory Frommelt and Ben Konfrst

Parents pass traditions on to children

Growing up, children are bound to take after their parents, from learning certain words to specific characteristics.

Junior Colton Bradley, for example comes from an athletic and musical background. While his father was heavily involved in sports in high school and his mother juggled both sports and music before continuing music education as a career, Colton has taken up both loves. He has been in all-state choir, madrigals and select choir in his high school vocal career. As for sports, he and his father share their passion for golf.

“My family and I enjoy being outside. My dad and I will go and golfing or we all go out on the boat during the summer time as a family. We are more outdoors and active as a family,” said Colton.

Regarding his parents’ influence on what he was involved in, Colton replied that he was always given the choice. He assures that their support has always given him an extra boost of confidence and motivation in all activities.

“With all-state, my mom was very supportive. I knew she was super excited when I called her and told her I made it. My dad said she ran around the house screaming for about 10 minutes. With golf, my parents take me to tournaments. Golf is more of a thing with my dad and I. We play rounds together and he loves watching me play. His favorite moments, though, are when I make a lucky shot or putt and he gives me grief about it. But, that’s how we joke,” said Colton.

He isn’t the only one involved with sports in the household. His younger sister, freshman Kiara, is committed to volleyball, soccer and basketball while his youngest sister, seventh grader Caroline, participates in soccer, basketball and cross country. Both of Bradley’s sisters were in choir but have not pursued it any farther. He understands the responsibility that comes with being the oldest sibling.

“I think the biggest pressure is maintaining the right attitude when you’re in that position, especially as an older sibling. Whether you like it or not, they are always looking up to you in some way, shape or form. I feel like that is important to remember,” said Colton.

As for keeping it between siblings, senior Maddy Dingeman shares not only cheerleading but softball with her two twin sisters, sophomores Lydia and Alexa Dingeman. Their parents put them in tee-ball as

04. 01. 2014

Three experience ...

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It’s said that getting a job is “all about who nothing else to do, I can sit and watch Netflix you know,” and for most, that proves to be true. or do homework. That’s awesome. I wouldn’t After all, 70% of jobs are found through per- get to do that if my mom wasn’t my boss,” said sonal relationships according to John Bennett, Miller. director at the McColl School of Business. But Another perk mentioned by Parisee was that for others, it hits even closer to home. It’s all she got the job she loves without the interview about their blood reprocess. Her parents lation. gave her the option of A parent. A boss. choosing another job, They seem to have no but nonetheless, she correlation, besides chose her mom’s shop the occasion when a because she grew up mom turns into one around it and nothing who demands the else appealed to her. floor be vacuumed.

However, on the other Traditionally, a boss hand, Miller feels differoversees the workently. place, while a mom

“I probably folds the laundry wouldn’t have chosen and restocks deodorthis job. Home decor ant and toothpaste. and antiques isn’t really To think of a boss in my passion. I feel like if charge of the family the store was owned by laundry seems a little someone else, they’d hire out of the ordinary, someone who was older but for some high and more experienced,” school students, this said Miller. is the case. At home,

Just because they’re their mom throws >>Sophomore Kayla Langstraat works on cleaning a car under the bosses daughters the dinner in the the watchful eye of her father, Mike, at Langstraat Auto Body. doesn’t mean they get •Photo by Carlee Ver Helst oven, then at work, out of the dirty work. she signs their payLangstraat mentioned checks. This is the case for sophomores Elyse that the worst part of her job at her dad’s auto Parisee, Paige Miller and Kayla Langstraat, shop is cleaning the bathroom. Although the along with a few others in the school. job may not have been the “perfect” fit, it still Understandably, this has its pros and its defi- pays and the family aspect of all three jobs takes nite cons. All three of the girls mentioned the precedence. Langstraat, despite the dirty job of conveniency of how flexible their bosses are. bathroom cleaning, knows she is accountable For Langstraat, it’s her dad at Langstraat Auto and that she is expected to help.

Body and Marine, and for both Miller and “When my dad needs help cleaning cars or Parisee, it’s their mom. Parisee has been something, I’m expected to help because this working at Embellish selling accessories is definitely a family business. My dad runs it, and gifts. Miller reports to her fam- my mom handles payroll and bills and helps me ily’s store, Simple Treasures, selling with cleaning the office and bathroom, and my antiques and decor. For Miller in brother helps fix cars when he is on break from particular, having her mom as her college,” said Langstraat. boss means having the freedom It seems to all pay off in the end, as long as to relax in her down time when mistakenly saying, “Hey mom!” to their boss in customers are sparse. front of a shop full of customers doesn’t get too

“Some days when awkward. it’s really slow, and I have •Megan Kooker (megan.kooker@student.pella.k12.ia.us)

children and has always stuck with them. Cheerleading came into the picture when Maddy convinced her two younger sisters to try out their freshman year; now they are all dedicated to the program. The Dingemans keep each other accountable when prepping for their activities.

“We help each other practice, especially the twins, because Alexa pitches and Lydia catches, so they are constantly helping each other. We constantly discuss softball and cheerleading, sharing opinions and giving each other positive advice about what we may need to work on,” said Maddy.

While they have enjoyed having each other to depend on and are passionate about both the activities they share with each other, it’s not always a walk in the park.

“Sometimes it’s a struggle constantly working with my sisters. We fight, but what siblings don’t? At times we get frustrated with each other, but sometimes we can also have a blast. It’s amazing getting to work with my sisters, especially when we don’t bicker. Not many people get to do a lot with their siblings, but I’m extremely blessed to be able to do so with my sisters,” said Maddy.

Being the oldest and the one responsible for getting her younger sisters hooked on cheerleading, Maddy feels as though she owes something to them especially since she will be graduating this year.

“I feel like I need to set a good example for them. I want the best for my little sisters, on and off the field. I want to help make their sport careers at Pella High the most enjoyable,” said Maddy.

•Sarah Muller (smuller@pelladium.com)

Birth order relates to personality traits: Wassenaar shares insights from iSearch Many can find it easy to believe that parents have an extreme effect on their children, but many would find it even harder to believe that simply where you were born in accordance with other siblings or if you even have other siblings can tell a person lots about you.

Senior Sami Wassenaar became very educated on this subject by doing her iSearch research paper on it last semester.

“I honestly just googled ‘research paper topics’, and birth order was one of the options. I thought it looked interesting, and I was right!” said Wassenaar.

Birth Order looks at the rank of where a child was born in a family, and it makes conjectures about what that ranking means for the child’s personality. See if these match with your family (graphic to the right).

This all begs the question as to how accurate these results are.

“I interviewed Dr. Richard Zweigenhaft, the Professor of Psychology at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina and he gave me this really good quote: ‘Data in studies like these only show patterns and don’t hold for each and every person or family. If, however, you had 1000 families, and placed bets, even though you be wrong at times, you’d come out ahead,’” said Wassenaar.

Birth order can affect people in more ways than you might expect. The part Wassenaar finds most interesting is with marriages.

“The most interesting thing about it is how it affects marriage. According to Kevin Leman’s book, “The Birth Order Book,” if you marry someone in your own birth order, you could have some serious problems with the relationship. This isn’t true for everyone, but it was interesting all the personal stories that were shared in the book about the different issues that came up because of what characteristics the

couples have, because of what birth order they were in,” said Wassenaar.

Wassenaar can see these things in her family.

“This is all so true for my family. It’s almost freaky how spot on it is. Everyone I have talked to, also say that the birth order characteristics are true for their family! It is really interesting,” said Wassenaar.

•Gregory Frommelt (gregf@pelladium.com)

BIRTH ORDER

E LWhat does it mean?

D

M

ID

OLD

YOUNGEST

EST

Oldest/Only Child

Middle Child

Youngest Child

Perfectionist

Peacemakers

Pleasing

Well organized

Compromising

Cunning

Reliable

Loyal

Affectionate

Leaders

Secretive

Demanding

Obsessive

Strong friendships

Love attention

8

PAGE EDITOR: Claire Anderson

Opinion

04. 01. 2014

The Bottom Line •A column by Christina Gualtieri

Controversy always stirs whenever gay marriage or homosexuality is mentioned. Many people have strong opinions about the topic. One of the more recent events dealing with this issue is taking place in Arizona. A legislation called SB 1062 would have given a business owner the right to refuse service to someone when the owner believed doing so would violate their religion. The reason homsexual marriage was brought up was some of believed it to be against their religion. Arizona governor Jan Brewer decided to veto this law. Due to all the controversy, the legislation is still being discussed.

While many people strongly opposed this legislation due to a business owner’s right to refuse service to a homosexual because of their religious beliefs, this is not the only group that would be subject to religious discrimination. This bill, according to Kellie Fiedorek, an attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, explained that this bill has nothing to do with discrimination.

Instead, this would protect basic religious freedoms that belong to everyone.

A day photographer could choose not to work for Westboro Baptist Church and a Muslim could choose not to sell pork sandwiches on a Saturday. So while homosexuals seem to be getting attacked by this law, it is not meant to take us back to 1960 when people were refused service just because they were black. Instead, would have been a law to protect all Americans religious freedoms. Yes, this legislation would have made it possible, for example, for a photographer to refuse to take pictures at a homosexual wedding because their religion says gay marriage is immoral.

Of course, if this legislation would have passed, there would be people refusing to service someone due to their sexuality. Some fundementalist Christian who owns a bridal shop or

Commentary: Making Prom fun

Oh, prom. Such an exciting time of year. The promposals, the dress shopping, the dinner plans and the drama! There is so much to be said about prom. This year will be my fourth prom, and I’d consider myself to be a bit of a “promfessional,” if you will.

Every year there is a different theme with very similar decorations. Although we spend a lot of time and energy trying to decide on a theme, after your first prom, you come to know that the theme doesn’t matter at all. Whether it is Vegas, Masquerade, or Night in Paris, it all feels very much the same while at the dance.

When I began writing this I realized I didn’t remember the themes of my first two proms, I had to look them up. And, I only remembered last year’s because I helped decorate! Whether you think Gatsby is a good theme or not, try to remember that in two years it is not the theme you’ll remember, it’s the experience.

This is true of so many parts of prom. Girls spend hundreds of dollars on their dresses every year. I spend an average of $300 on my dress each year. I know girls who have spent upwards of $700 on their dresses. And although these dresses are beautiful and make girls feel great on the big day, the cost is, honestly, hardly worth it.

After my third year of spending so much money that I was broke for weeks before and after prom, I realized that the price was not worth it for one day of use. The only reason my dress was expensive this year is because I wore it earlier this year for the Miss Teen Iowa USA pageant.

Pulling double duty made the $250 dress worth it. So if you don’t feel like spending hundreds of dollars, don’t! There are so many options for finding cute dresses, and spending lots of money is far from a necessity.

Think about last year’s prom dresses. You remember a few, right? Your favorites and least favorites. But what about the year before? It’s pretty hazy, right? People only remember their dresses and maybe their friends’. So, you must remember that the dress isn’t your wedding dress; it doesn’t have to be expensive and perfectly modelesque. It just has to make you feel good. That can happen whether it’s $600 or $50.

Another area where a big price tag isn’t necessary is the dinner. Whether you’re spending $80 a head, or $35 for you and your date, dinner is about the people. A five-star meal is great and going to the fancy restaurant can be a lot of fun, but it is not necessary. I personally am a huge foodie, and so going to a really good restaurant is worth the money for me. But it isn’t for everyone! If you feel like you’re wasting your money going into the evening, you’re not going to enjoy your meal or anything you do that night.

Which brings me to the most important part of your evening - the people you go with. Your prom group determines how much fun you will have. My freshman year I went with a group of people who were annoyed at prom and had a bad attitude. This ruined the experience for me.

All they talked about was how lame the whole thing was, and it made me feel the same way. I hated prom. But my sophomore year, I went with a group who was excited, and wanted to have fun, and we did! Dinner was great, the dance was fun, and we had a blast at After Prom.

If there is any part of the prom planning process that determines how much you enjoy it, it is picking your group. A big group isn’t a must, and if you decide that going just the two of you would make it the most fun for you, then go for it! I went with just my date last year, and we still had so much fun.

The important thing to remember is that prom expectations will never match the reality of it all. Go into it with a positive outlook and you will have way more fun than if you decide beforehand it’s going to suck. Honestly, there is nothing inherently great about prom as a whole; it’s all in what you make it.

•Claire Anderson (claire.anderson@student.pella.k12.ia.us)

bakery would have refused service to a homosexual couple. But in our capitalist economy, the strong businesses survive and the weak ones fail. So if someone refuses to service someone because they are gay, then it is the business’ loss. They will not recive profit from the customer they refused service to and may give the business a bad name. If the customer goes around and gives the business a bad name, less people will go to the business, and their profit could - and would - decrease dramatically.

Many people may be thinking, “This is exactly like the 1960’s when we had racial discrimination.” I disagree. In the 1960s people would be refused service just because of the color of their skin. It had nothing to do with the religious beliefs of the individual refusing to serve said customer, just the color of their skin. These people were discriminated against, thought of as “lesser” than those serving them, simply because of their skin. But in this situation, they are simply choosing to refuse service to someone who they believe to be doing something fundamentally wrong. They are offended and do not wish to have that person in their place of business.

This proposition would allow someone to refuse service to an individual ONLY on grounds of it being against his or her religion. A business would not be allowed to refuse service to someone just because someone is different than they are. They would need religious backing to do so.

America was founded on freedoms, one of them being religious freedom. Are we going to take that away?

Staff Editorial

If we were to tell you that our parents have an effect on us, your first reaction would undoubtedly be a loud, exasperated “duh!” But it actually goes quite deeper than that. No one at this school is an exact carbon-copy of the people who raised them, because despite the tremendous influence our parents have, it is never absolute. No life is the same, and the experiences that shaped your parents’ character and ideology may be completely different from the moments you have experienced.

We like to think of it that we are all big slabs of granite. Our parents sculpt us by looking in the mirror and into their past. They chip away, piece by piece, until we begin to actually resemble something, but no matter how hard they try, there will always be impurities and differences. These “mistakes” (and by no means are they mistakes) are what create individuality.

The reason we are granite, and not clay, is because with granite you can’t smooth out the cracks.

You can’t mold it into the shape you want; after a piece is chipped away that is how it is, much like how our experiences and adversity in our lives irrevocably alter us.

People will argue the effect parents truly have. After all, we’ve all met people who have the polar opposite views than those of their parents. Staunch conservatives have a progressive liberal daughter. Far left Democrats with a far right Republican son. Parents whose combined weight is less than that of their oldest child. Situations like this and many more are known to all of us, so maybe parents don’t have the influence they’ve been made out to have. To us, when someone has the opposite views of their parents, it means they had an even bigger effect than the parents who have a child with mirrored beliefs.

As kids, we have this tendency to rebel against the people who control us. For some this can be a teacher, the school, or even the government, but the majority of kids rebel against their parents. Whether it is religion or politics, teenagers find dissent against the adults who have raised them to be satisfying. People who do the opposite, and follow in their families’ footsteps, usually do so for the opposite reason -- to make their parents proud. Ask anyone how they came up with their beliefs, and they will almost always say they worked it out completely on their own, but that kind of thinking is self-involved and delusional. If you want to blindly agree with your parents, that is just fine.

If you want to argue and contradict everything they say, that is great. But, don’t for even one second, pretend like they aren’t the ones who made you what you are today. They are.

The Pelladium staff voted 12-0 in favor of this editorial.

Editorial Cartoon

“Obama Hare”

How about the affordable CARROT act? Am I right?

•JR Dorman

04.01. 2014

OPINION

The Lit t le

Guy

Page Editor: Christina Gualtlieri

The Other Side

•A column by Derrick Akers

9

•A column by Greg Frommelt

Every game there is always the awkward language at any point. As stated in a previous moment during a game when the TV station column, I try my best to stay away from decides to zoom in on the coach after a bad cursing. The problem is, there is so much grey call. What do they find? A frustrated coach area in this subject to enforce a penalty being expressing his anger with profanity for the suggested. entire nation to read his lips. Whether it be Okay, so if one player uses the word against a quick slip of the tongue or a regularity for an opponent and is trying to be offensive the coach, they have all been caught with no with the use, then that should be a penalty. punishments.

But what happens when a player comes up This off-season, the National to his teammate and says Football League sets out to put something using the “The NFL has great a ban on the players and the N-word in an encouraging intentions with an attempt to language they use on the field. way with his teammate clean up cursing on the field, The clear assumption would but they have left out too many instead of using the word be the NFL is set out to get in a demeaning way. words, and it is too hard to rid of all the curse words. But Should that be considered enforce something like this. no, the NFL has decided one a penalty? The NFL has If a ban is placed on the field, word to be inappropriate for great intentions with an it should be for all words the playing field. A 15 yardattempt to clean up cursing not appropriate penalty will be enforced if a on the field, but they have for television....” referee hears a player use the left out too many words, N-word. Not the F-word, but and it is too hard to enforce only the N-word. The immediate response something like this. If a ban is placed on the was praise for the NFL to make this a rule, but field, it should be for all words not appropriate as time passes, more and more disapproving for television, not just one slur that the NFL opinions are popping up. players are already numb to.

“It’s an atrocious idea; it’s almost racist, to When it comes down to it, the NFL needs me. It’s weird they’re targeting one specific to realize they have a league of full grown men, word. Why wouldn’t all curse words be not high school students. No matter what banned then?” said outspoken defensive back, they do, players will still default to using the Richard Sherman, in an interview with ESPN. language they have always use when put on a I couldn’t agree with this more. The NFL has football field. A rule like involving language targeted a word seen as inappropriate, but so will only cause more controversy and make are many other words receiving no attention. the fans upset. Then comes the “Did you hear I’m not sure what the problem is. The NFL what he just said?” from players, and “I got and most of the sports world is filled with caught, but he just said the same thing to me.”

African American men who are using the The referees can not hear everything that word themselves. goes on between football players, so they need Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for cleaning up to choose to hear nothing.

Earlier this school year in advanced writing Show me a perfect person, and then maybe class, we were asked to write about a time or a that person can be perfectly content. I believe place that we were pe rfectly content. What I that we should always be at least a little bit ended up writing about was not exactly what uncomfortable with where we are, who we are you would expect. and with what we do. If we do not have this My answer was that there is no place or constant uncomfortable feeling with where we time I am perfectly content. Depressing, huh? are we would never have the push to change But, here is the question: do you ever want to ourselves, hopefully, for the better. be perfectly content?

People often get into a state of being To understand this, we need to understand content. Where they are in life seems pretty what the question means. Content good, and they do not want to “If we do not have means that you are satisfied with change it. The thing is they can this constant a certain amount of achievement do more, give more and affect and not wishing for more. To be uncomfortable feeling more people. We should always with where we are, in a perfect state of contentment be trying to better ourselves and we would never have those around us. would mean you would have to be the push to change perfectly happy if you were to stay Living in this state of being ourselves.” in that one place and moment uncomfortable is in no way for the rest of your life. This is a easy. You are not supposed to be feeling I have most certainly never uncomfortable because it is the easier had. route to go; you are in this state that because Don’t hear me wrong. I have had a life it’s the right way to go. filled with some amazing highs that were It would be easier to convince yourself that spectacular, but even at those moments, I can you are good. It is against human nature to say there was always a little piece of me that look at oneself and think that you are a bad wanted more, that reached for more success. person. Even the most evil people convince Success is not final. That is a sentence that I themselves that they were good. It is critical find very important in the idea of never being to have be aware of your drawbacks in order perfectly content. I get this idea from a quote to improve. that was used for our motto in football. No I would like to think that many years down matter what successes you achieve, they are the line I will reach a state of being perfectly not final. No matter how high you may be in content, or close to being perfectly content. I a moment, it is not going to last forever. You envision this as a scene of being surrounded need to work constantly in order to achieve by friends and family as I pass on to the other the next one, because success is not final. side. Then as I can review my life as a whole, So many messages we take in from society I hope to reach that state of being perfectly convince us that this perfect state of happiness content. Hopefully, in that moment, I will is attainable and that we should be in it. In my become exactly what I had been resisting my humble opinion, that is not the case. whole life.

How are you most influenced by your family?

•Aletta Verhey (averhey@pelladium.com)

Freshman Austin Lemons “Getting my grades up for future careers.”

Sophomore Colby Vos “The type of people I hang out with.”

Junior Stacia Pope “Getting better grades and keeping my GPA up.”

Senior Olivia Gaiser “To be as weird as you can.”

Pelladium Staff Executive Editors: Derrick Akers, Jake Dorman, Greg Frommelt, Ben Konfrst, Sarah Muller Page Editors/Reporters: Claire Anderson, Christina Gualtieri, Garret Jansen, Megan Kooker, Jack Parisee, Frommelt, Muller, Konfrst, Akers, Dorman Reporters: Joshua Da, Corey Elliott, Bellara Huang, Natalie Meyer, Andrew Pavlat, Jack Systma, Aaron VanMaanen, Aletta Verhey Business Manager/Social Media Manager: Marissa Borgerding Cover Page: Ben Konfrst Adviser: Ann Visser The Pelladium is a monthly tabloid produced by the high school journalism department to serve as an informative, educational and entertaining communications media and to provide an open forum to students and readers. •Letters to the editor are welcomed and encouraged. These letters must be signed and should, in no way, be libelous, irresponsible or obscene. Letters must have verified facts and should deal with issues. The Pelladium reserves the right to edit grammatical editors, libelous content or length due to space limitations. Letters may be brought to Room 201 or sent to Pella Community High School, Box 468, Pella, IA 50219. •The Pelladium will strive to deliver information in a fair and truthful manner. The Pelladium will function in accord with all applicable laws, both in regard to the rights and restrictions of journalism. •The views expressed in this publication are those of the individual writer and are not those necessarily of the Pella Community Schools administration or the Board of Education. •The Pelladium will make retractions in the event of errors made in the content of printed stories. Retractions will be printed in the issue immediately following the issue containing the error. •The Pelladium is a member of the Iowa High School Press Association

10

Page Editor: Megan Kooker

Entertainment

Oscars Review:

April Fool’s Day:

>>The good, the bad, the never

Why did they win?

W

hen it comes to April Fool’s Day jokes, pranksters need to be set straight on what is good and what to never do. Many pranksters take things too far; some pranksters have jokes that are just dumb and pointless.

T

he Oscars have been over for a month, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t still talking about them with winners spanning from “Dallas Buyer’s Club” to “12 Years’ A Slave.”

Here’s my take on the results.

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto Leto deserves this award for his supporting role in the movie “Dallas Buyer’s Club.” Leto gave a tremendous performance in this film. The reason I think he won is because he played an HIV positive transgendered woman. Name one actor who could pull that off. A white male who is obviously not transgendered, Jared Leto, did.

Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey McConaughey also deserves this win as the lead actor in “Dallas Buyer’s Club.” He plays an AIDS patient with 30 days to live, and goes from being a man who has weeks to live to someone at the top of the world by smuggling in pharmaceutical drugs into Texas. Now that is a way to get from a man who has nothing to a man who has everything.

Best Animated Film: “Frozen” “Let it go, let it go.” This animated film is phenomenal with the ear-catching song, ‘Let It Go.’ It will get stuck in your head if you repeatedly sing it in a whispered tone. Reviews say it’s better than or on par with the beloved classic, “The Lion King.” This film is nowhere near “Lion King,” but it is up there with its funny characters and voice acting. The best part are the songs they put into the film, which incidentally are still stuck in my head even after it being two months since I last watched it.

Best Original Screenplay: “Her” (Spike Jonze) Even though it didn’t win best picture, it should be praised for its original screenplay of a man (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with an OS (Operating System) or a handheld computer. If anyone can do this and make it great, Jonze did. It was spectacular and amazing.

04.01.2014

•Joshua Da (josh.da@pelladium.com)

The Good:

•Put a rubber band around the sink sprayer and have your buddy get you some water from the faucet. This is a quick and easy prank that is an easy clean-up afterwards.

•Flour in the hair dryer or in the car vents never fails. Sure, it makes a mess, but the reactions are priceless. If you plan to pull this one off, make sure to get it on video so all can see.

•Wake-up Pranks. Wake-up pranks are always good. Some people like to pull off the cold water wake-up; some enjoy using the air horn; some prefer to pull off the scary look. My personal favorite is the pool beside the bed. Water is not enjoyable to land in, but it would be so funny if they rolled off the bed and into a mini pool of water.

The Bad:

•Be nice to your parents. They can sometimes be hard on you, and you may think it is your turn to get back at them, but don’t scare them. Don’t tell the parents that you are pregnant or that you got someone pregnant. If you are a bad driver, don’t tell your parents that you got in a wreck, and it’s really bad. Your parents love you and want the best for you; don’t scare them like that!

•Don’t pick up the phone, say it is for someone else and give them the phone when it’s not for them. This is just dumb, and people will think that you are dumb. Don’t be dumb.

The Never:

•Never put Gorrilla Glue in someone’s hat. People work hard on their hair, and it takes a while to grow. We all know that it is painful to pull out pieces of hair; just imagine if you have a hat stuck to your head.

•Never combine dead animals and food; that is just disgusting. Imagine if I put dead flies in your sub; you would be scarred for life. This may cause vomiting, which is an awful thing to clean up. Never put Nair in someone’s shampoo. Once again, people love their hair. Not only will the person’s hair slowly start to fall out, Nair burns.

•Garret Jansen (gjansen@pelladium.com)

That awkward moment when...

Few things in the world are common to every single human. There are over seven billion of us out there. With that many people, there will never be a single experience that matches those of every other member of the human race. Well, besides one. Awkward moments transcend language, borders and even individuality. Ideological differences exist in every nation in the planet, and there is little we can all agree on. But when that guy said that thing in front of that person, it was uncomfortable for everyone.

1. The Long Walk of Awk - This is the most painful moment you can experience in this school. Imagine you just got done doing (insert something people do at school), and you’re headed to your locker. Class is in session, and the hallway is empty, except for one person, walking towards you from the opposite side of the hall. Your eyes meet, and maybe you exchange greetings. There is still 50 feet between you, and in this situation, 50 feet feels more like 50 miles. Most people counter this by pretending they received a text when, in reality, they’re just staring at the Flappy Bird start screen. Others take the time to extensively examine their shoes. I prefer the method of dropping everything and running in the opposite direction, but honestly, that’s my answer for everything.

2. “Oh hey... nevermind” - With around 800 people in this school, only a select few of them have unique names. This leads to confusion. My name is Jake, which is the most common name for a white kid in this country (Yay, stereotypes!) Because of this, I can seldom ever walk down the hall without hearing my name multiple times. I’ve become accustomed to this, and I’m able to determine when it’s my name that is being called, but I can’t even count how many times I’ve had awkward looks or waves exchanged with people who were talking to someone behind or adjacent to me. I’d compare it to have a scratch lottery ticket. You scratch off the first two panels, and you see those jackpot symbols, only to scratch the final one and see that sad, awkward lemon.

3. Lock-ward - The new, shiny lockers we have become accustomed to have created a plethora of awkward situations. The worst moment you can have with your locker is the dreaded failed combination. We’ve all been there, desperately fumbling with our lock trying to enter the numbers in the correct manner and order, while the person who had the locker above/below you clears their throat as passive-aggressively as humanly possible. A crowd begins to gather, some mocking, others cheering. For some, the pressure is too much, and they begin to feel like the skateboarder at the assembly last year who fell 1,000 times in a row (slight exaggeration).

•Jake Dorman (jdorman@pelladium.com)

Gold Sponsors - Pella High School Publications Boat’s Home Furnishings, 620 Franklin Street Brom Auto Service & Sales, 202 Main Street Dr. Gregory Vannucci, 2601 Washington Street G & B Concrete & Foundation Repair, 2174 Coolidge Street

Great Clips, 1586 Washington Street Iowa Bike & Fitness, 814 Main Street Jansen’s Decorating & Kitchens, 614 Franklin Street Klyn Law Office, Vincent S. Klyn, 729 Main Street Leighton Processed Meats, 227 Otley Street, Leighton Midtown Tire, 109 East Oskaloosa Street

Pella Orthodontics, Dr. Kim Wass, 715 Main Street Pella Pets & Veterinary Clinic, 411 Oskaloosa Street Precision Pulley & Idler Inc., 300 SE 14th Street Royal Amsterdam Hotel, 705 East 1st Street Tri-County Veterinary Clinic, 650 Hwy. T14 Triumph Martial Arts 308 SE 9th Street Ulrich Motor, 1130 West 16th Street Van Hemert Chiropractic Center, 1310 East Washington Street Van Sant Collision Repair, 80 Truman Road Wiskus Group, 821 Franklin Street Van Gorp Corporation, 1410 West Washington Street

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “awkward?”

“Dating.”

- Freshman Trevor Nelson

“Craig Miller and girls.”

Sophomore Joseph Gaiser “Me.” - Junior Taryn Ernst “When I say something sarcastic, and people don’t get it.”

-Senior Ania Stras

11 Entertainment Book Review: “Divergent” App Review: “Clash of Clans” PAGE EDITOR: JR Dorman

04.01.2014

Author Veronica Roth creates a suspenseful novel with the perfect mix between action and romance. Readers will find it challenging to put the book down. Guys and girls alike are sure to find this novel captivating.

The main character, Beatrice, lives in a dystopian society. Her society is divided into five different factions.

When Beatrice turns 16 she has to make the decision to either stay in her faction or leave her family and friends for a new one. With each faction there is an intense initiation to follow. The initiates have to go through physical tests and psychological simulations testing their endurance and bravery. Through initiation, Beatrice meets new friends and finds herself in love with a boy. Throughout everything, Beatrice has a secret she needs to keep hidden from everyone, or it could result in death. She discovers conflict within her society and learns that her secret could either help save the people she loves, or it could result in destruction.

Many readers are excited about the upcoming movie version of this novel. Let’s see if the film holds a flame to the book.

• Kayleen VanDyke, Introduction to Journalism student

Clash of Clans is an okay game, not bad, but not very good. Most of the time in Clash of Clans players just wait. Waiting for all the “upgrades” you did to finish. Most of the time upgrades are what makes the game less irritating. Thankfully there’s more to the game then waiting and being irritated.

It’s a combat system that allows you to build a village and train little creatures to destroy other villages, and that isn’t it. As the chief, players have to design a village to stop others from attacking your village. One can also build a clan, which is the best part about the game so you can help each other who are struggling.

•Ryan Suplee, Introduction to Journalism student

Josh Draws with Josh Da

H appy April Fool’s Day

Teens today have the basic necessities for school such as a laptop, pencil, paper and textbooks. There are also objects that are not necessities, and some teens cannot leave home without them. These obsessions have become an important part of these students’ lives.

Junior Cole Janssen - “My wallet because money is happiness.”

Sophomore Brent VanderWiel - “Music, because it gives me something to get through the day.”

Junior Julie VanEe - “My phone because I need it for emergencies and to socialize.”

Sophomore Taylor Fleener - “My clarinet because I need it everyday for band, and I enjoy playing it.”

Freshman Hannah Cutler - “My sketchbook; if I have an idea, I can write it down immediately.”

•Jack Sytsma (jsytsma@pelladium.com)

TWItTEN BY Top Tweets for March

1.

Nathan Henry - @TBillingsClyde I never know if they actually put the ash on me during Ash Wednesday #darkproblems

7. Micah Hammann - @TheMannsplan

2.

I will know my life is complete when I: win by defeating the Heart of doom, achieve legendary status on rachet and clank. #geek4lyfe #legend

3.

8.

Jason Mingboupha - @MING_boupha What a nice warm shower! <3 #Warmth Amelia Vande Lune - @ameliavandelune The closest Krispy Kreme is an hour away in Clive. Who’s game?

4. Seth Johnson - @Seth_Johnson007 Woman drivers = no survivors

5.

Rachel Mueller - @Rachelsmueller7 Sometimes I wish I could dance like a Spanish woman but I don’t have the goodies

6.

Ben Tysseling - @BenTyss When there’s no hope left, go right. ->

Chase Van Sant - @ChaseVS101 Coach schulte? You mean god?

9. William Warner - @warner_william “A lil histogram action.” - THE Doug Cutler

10. Natalie Meyer - @natalie_meyer28

I got naked at walmart today. #WhereIsTheShampoo • Jack Parisee (Jack.Parisee@student.pella.k12.ia.us)

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PAGE EDITOR: Sarah Muller

Picture This

04.01.2013

Sports, music, arts or classes ... they all make up the student body. However, taking a closer look, our students have a plethera of talents. These four students demonstrate how diverse our student involvement here.

50% Runner/Sports. I have been involved in different sports most of my life. However, running has always topped most of the sports I've done.

Thanks to my dad who helped me and supported me with all of my sporting events.

40% Photographer. Photography has been a new hobby I have picked up, and I love everything about it. Photography allows me to show my creativity through every picture I take.

10% Singer. Ever since I was a baby, I loved to sing wherever and whenever.

Not much has changed!

100% Follower of Jesus Christ

48% Dance. My life basically revolves around dance. Most of my life is devoted to training, driving to the studio, and traveling all over the country.

22% Friends/Family. I’m so thankful for the amazing people that have been placed in my life and who have helped shape me as a person.

9% Phone. A good part of my day is spent on my phone, so I would say it does play a significant role in my life.

11% Traveling. I love to travel whether it be for fun, for dance or for any other reason. I hope to be able to travel to many different places in my lifetime.

10% Reading. I love to be able to escape into other worlds through reading.

25% Writer. I am at my core a composer. Whether it’s a novel or nonfiction, I express myself best and most through the written word.

25% Advocate. I work for two different GNO’s [Non Governmental Organizations] and love every moment I spend educating people about hunger here and abroad and what we can do to change the situation.

20% Musician. I love to belt high notes and low ones, too, plus play piano and write songs. It’s a great way to destress and say what even the writer in me can’t quite find the words for.

10% Dancer. Show choir has simultaneously shown me how much I love to dance and how very bad at it I am!

15% Student. I just really love to learn, as cheesy as it sounds!

5% Drama Queen. Because I love the stage, whether I’m acting or dancing or delivering a keynote address.

30% Swimmer. Swimming is my passion, and I wouldn’t trade anything for it. I spend at least an hour a day in water.

20% Music. I love listening to and playing music. It’s so much fun to find new artists and songs.

20% Food. I eat on average 4000 - 6000 calories a day and still can’t eat too much food.

15% Fashion Nerd. I have way too many clothes and pairs of shoes.

Nothing better than a fresh outfit.

13% Straight Chill. Favorite thing to do is hang with my friends and discovering some new music or movies.

2% 2 Chainz. Only because I love saying 2 chainz.