Sterling Cub Reporter: February 2015

FEBRUARY 2015

Youth battles cancer Pg. 2

Volume 1 • Issue 5

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New baby on board Pg. 6

SHS hosts Invitational Pg. 12

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February 2015 • Sterling Cub Reporter • 1

FEATURE

Many band together to support Ally TARYN GILLESPIE Cub Reporter

It isn’t uncommon for a 3 year old to get the sniffles. However, it is uncommon for it to last over a week.

The only choice then is to go to the doctor and get checked out. For young Ally and her family this didn’t go as planned.

“Ally had been sick for about a week and a half with varying symptoms. We originally thought she had a stomach bug, and it turned into cold symptoms and loss of appetite. We took her to a pediatrician the Monday before New Years Day, and we were told she had an ear infection,” Ally’s mother, Carly Eilert said.

She thought that the end of the sickness was in clear sight, but that was not the case.

“After three days on an antibiotic I was very surprised that she didn’t seem to be getting any better. I also started to notice the last couple days that her belly appeared bloated and hard and that made me very nervous that she could be having an appendix problem or something that could be urgent, and that’s what caused us to decide to take her to the emergency room on New Years Day, just to be safe,” Carly said.

Carly’s motherly instincts kicked in and it turned out to be a good decition to take Ally when they did. News from the doctors shocked them.

“We had no idea they would have ever told us it was something as serious as cancer. I’m very glad I went with my gut and took her that day. We were surprised that the Emergency room told us it was most likely Leukemia, Lymphoma, or some kind of tumor because of how elevated her white blood count was. They told us to pick either Kansas City or Wichita and that they would put her in an ambulance to our place of choice. We decided to start with Wichita, but figured we would end up in Kansas City after a few days.”

They went to Wichita to see what the doctors there could do for Ally.

“They immediately started cleaning her blood of white blood cells. The next day we were told she has T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. We were told this is the most common and most treatable type of childhood cancer. They did tell us, however, of the two kinds, T-Cell and B-Cell, Ally has the more aggressive type, meaning a more aggressive treatment plan.”

With a new illness comes a new routine for Ally.

“Ally is a very strong and deter-

mined little girl. I am so proud of how she has handled her time in the hospital and her new routine at home.

She currently takes an average of four to six medications twice a day. She is definantly not back to her old self yet, but each day we are seeing a little bit more progress, which keeps us hopeful,” Carly said.

This is a big change for the family, including many bills and a new routine.

“I feel so beyond blessed to call Sterling my hometown. The amount of people who have rallied around us brings me to tears every time I think about. The out pouring support we’ve received, and are still receiving, is truly amazing. This is one of the few things that has continued to bring our family comfort during this time. I have never felt so loved,” Carly said.

Ally has continued to make the best of this time and has spent her days playing with mommy.

“My favorite things to do are hugging and kissing Mommy. And I like stickers and coloring with her too,” Ally said.

Both Ally and Carly had to cut back on some of their everyday activities to continue recovery.

“This changes almost everything

About the Cover Photo: The varsity boys basketball team huddles before the home game against Hoisington. “Wearing the throwback jerseys was a fun thing to do for one game of the year, and it brought the team energy,” Kyler Comely said.

(Photo by Taryn Gillespie)

The Sterling High School Cub Reporter and all subsidiary publications are designated forums of free speech. The print edition is published October through May of each school year by the journalism class at Sterling High School. It is distributed for no charge throughout Unified School District 376 buildings and the Sterling community. The first copy is free. Subsequent copies will cost $1 per copy. For information about being added to the subscription list, contact Todd Vogts at 620-278-2171. Letters to the editor are welcome. Email them to editor@sterlingstudentpublications. com. All letters must be signed. Anonymous letters will not be printed. All letters subject to editing for legal, grammatical and factual reasons.

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Ally Eilert lays on her mother Carly as she receives her treatment in Kansas City while watching Mickey Mouse.

“We travel once a week to Children’s Mercy for chemotherapy,” Carly said.

(Photo Courtesy: Carly Eilert)

in our everyday lives. I am no longer working and Ally is no longer in preschool. The only places she goes is her grandparents house in Salina, and to do her chemotherapy in Kansas City on Friday’s. She cannot do the little things like go to the grocery store with me or see any friends because of her low immunity. She is very susceptible to getting sick and just a fever would send us to the emergency room. This will last for about three months. As well as not getting to do anything, her antibiotics make her very irritable. She is very tired most of the time. We miss her bubbly personality, and she will not be able to be declared cancer free for five years,” Carly said.

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Many have taken it upon themselves to do what they can to help support the family in their time of need.

“I’m still learning about all the fundraising going on. Besides everything that Sterling is doing including, T-shirts, bracelets, candles, and baked goods, we have the youcaring.com site that my cousin set up. There has also been a meal train set-up in Salina with different families bringing us meals,” Carly said.

The Eilert family is very thankful for all the support of everyone who has done anything to help them.

“I would love everyone to know how extremely appreciative we are of everything that has been done for us.

It’s been hard to thank each person individually because we have been that blessed by many people. We have learned so much already through this journey, but especially how many good people there are in this in this world.

We know God is working through all these people to help support, provide and comfort us. Ally has touched so many people, and we really feel that this is just part of God’s plan for us and Ally’s journey,” Carly said. “We hope to make good come out of this experience, and eventually be able to ‘Pay it Forward’ to bless other people in the way that we have been blessed.”

February 2015 • Sterling Cub Reporter • 3

NEWS

NHS members submit project proposals

C

KASADY SMITH Cub Reporter

ommunity service can vary from mowing lawns to volunteering at church. National Honor Society members begin their projects for the school year.

Project proposals began to filter in to the new sponsor, Todd Vogts, before Christmas break.

Vogts noticed the project proposals varied and offered many different benefits for the community.

“The project proposals I’ve seen so far show a wide breadth of service to the community, both on a large and a small scale,” Vogts said. “I’m excited to see the students complete these projects and truly give back to Sterling.”

Some members’ projects benefit family members as well as the community.

“I’m wanting to clear leaves out of an access road to a lake at my grandparents’ house,” senior Andrew McPherson said. “They are responsible by the Corps of Engineers to clear this road but they’re old so they can’t do it. It’s their responsibility to have this road cleared, so I’m going to go out there and do it.”

Other members –NHS Sponsor Todd Vogtsts focus on projects that don’t require manual labor.

“I teach SOS,(##$#)” senior Kandra Pattison said. “I will teach a lesson, and it’s every other week with Sydney. Then the first Monday of each month, Julie has a worship time She brings her guitar, and then we have breakfast.”

While some projects focus on spirituality and hard work, other projects look to improve the community from visual stand point.

“I am going to repaint the inside of the pool house because it looks really, really, really, really bad,” junior Mac Thrasher said.

Other students took a similar approach to their project.

“I’m painting tables at the Sterling Lake,” senior Ian Stephens said. “Those tables are dirty and need to be painted so people enjoy sitting at them at events like the Fourth of July.”

Junior Kaci Wilson plans to be part of Sterling’s Steering Committee.

“My NHS project is that I will be participating on the Steering Committee to create the new 20-year plan for the

“I’m excited to see the students complete these projects and truly give back to Sterling.”

4 • Sterling Cub Reporter • February 2015

city of Sterling,” she said.

Some students take the essence of community service to another level. One student looks to help the well-being of women in the community by hosting a self-defense class.

“I’m going to fundraise and volunteer for Take Defense.

It’s all girls self-defense classes, and I’m going to host one here,” junior Hannah Hendricks said.

Another student plans to help individuals with disabilities.

“I’m going to help out with Reins of Hope,” junior Jessica Ricker said. “I’m going to volunteer there for some weekends and I’m going to help all the kids.”

Vogts requested that the school supports NHS projects in a different way that better serves the community.

“One minor change was, in the past there’s been funding from the school for the NHS projects. I felt like that defeated the purpose of community service, so any money that they spend is going to have to come from their own pocket or their own fundraising initiatives,” Vogts said.

Because of the new change, some members are going to have a busy schedule in order to complete their projects.

“I’m going to be really busy because I have to make stuff to sell, I have to sell the stuff, I have volunteer, and I have to organize and host the thing,” Hendricks said.

Senior NHS members are also required to complete a senior project to graduate this May. Some students find that being involved with two projects requires creativity.

“Well, both projects were due on the same week and that required a lot of creative juices to be flowing. That week I had no creative juices,” Stephens said. “I think I will be able to manage to get both done because both projects I’m doing kind of have to go through the city, so I can kind of knock out both at once.”

Some members feel that their projects should be farther along.

“Well, I just kind of started, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I probably need to get a little more done than what I have right now,’” Thrasher said.

Though Thrasher feels behind, she is excited about her project.

“I’m looking forward to getting it done so the pool house will look really nice because it doesn’t look good right now,” she said.

Even though some students feel that their projects are a little behind, others have already started their projects and are well on their way to finishing.

“I’ve already started,” Wilson said. “One meeting underway, and I was introduced to the people who are going to help. We made a list of what we want for Sterling in the future and got some things down.” www.sterlingcubreporter.com

Athletes compete at powerlifting meet DALLAS LACKEY Cub Reporter Since the dawn of time men and women have taken pride in their strength. On Jan. 17 a handful of Sterling High School students braved an early morning trip to Kingman to compete against other schools in a powerlifting competition. “‘I was nervous because I thought was going to get destroyed by the people in my weight class,” sophomore Ethan Proffitt said.

Sterling High School sent a total of 11 athletes, with nine finishing in the top five of their respective weight classes.

“The 11 that went all had a positive experience,” Powerlifting Coach Tyson Bauerle said. “I thought it went better then they all expected.”

Leading up to the event there was plenty of hype, as Sterling hasn’t competed at powerlifting meets in past years.

“I was excited to see where I rank with girls my size,” freshman Raegan Mantz said. “I wanted to know how competitive I was going to be, and what I needed to improve on.”

The athletes prepared in their own ways.

“I actually did lighter weight a couple days before we went,” junior Holly Davis said. “This way I kept my muscles from getting too tired from the actual competition.”

Other athletes continued to do their BFS lifts.

“I just did the same lifts, just to make sure I was used to the lifts we were going to do,” freshman Lucas Weigel said.

Where some athletes are excited, others were apprehensive.

“I was nervous because I did not feel good that day,” junior Veronica Norez said. “I also had no idea how I would do compared to the other athletes.”

Junior Steven Hinshaw agreed.

“I was nervous I thought I would be under everyone’s weight, and it turns out we all competed really well,” he said.

Even senior athletes were nervous to compete.

“I was really anxious about it all week,” Kasady Smith said. “I kept telling myself I was going to make myself better, and I wasn’t going for the competition.”

But the seniors managed to shake off the nerves, “I was nervous at first just because it was my first competition,” Andi Dowell said. “But I relaxed after the first event.”

As the day went on and everyone got the feel for the competition, the nerves tended to go away.

“I got less nervous as the day went on, and I ended up getting fourth out of 11 guys in my weight class,” Proffitt said.

However, some of the athletes’ per-

formances declined as the day went on.

“I was the only freshman in my weight class,” Weigel said, “which made it hard for me to stay mentally strong the whole day knowing they were all older.”

The athletes did three lifts. Power clean, squat, and bench press.

“My favorite of the three would have to be squat,” freshman Aniston Ramsey said. “I feel it helps you the most in sports out of the three.”

Coach Bauerle said Kingman wants to start a yearly league meet, and this years was a test run.

“They wanted to see if they have enough interest to put one on every year,” he said.

The athletes seem to like the idea of a yearly tournament.

“I would definitely do it every year,” Weigel said. “It’s a great place to see where The athletes seem to see the value in putting their strength to the test against other schools.

“It was such a cool experience to compete and see the levels of the surrounding towns’ student athletes,” Davis said.

With the success coming from the first tournament, the Black Bears seem to be excited for next year.

“They were nervous at first, but they all did well,” Coach Bauerle said.

“I think we will continue competing if Kingman holds a yearly meet.”

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February 2015 • Sterling Cub Reporter • 5

FEATURE

New Baby on board

Wagley family brings home newborn addition during holiday season ALEX VELIZ Cub Reporter When most families consider having another child, some things that have to be considered are space for the baby and all the supplies that will be needed for the months come. Even if the baby is unplanned, there is still a time frame of at least eight to nine months to put everything together and have the crib setup for the newborn.

In the unique case of adoption, anything can happen, from a shortened time frame to having to complete a legal process before you can even bring the baby home.

“We didn’t have a lot of time to think through the adoption until everything was set and done,” Rebecca Wagley said. “After, it was just so surreal because it happened so fast.”

The circumstances of how Rebecca found out about the possibility of being able to adopt was special. “My friend Jill Rowland called me and asked if I still wanted to adopt, and I said yes, she had a friend whose cousin was expecting and couldn’t keep the baby, so she asked if she knew anyone and Jill gave her my name,” Rebecca said.

The adoption process was thrown into turmoil after there was a conflict with the custody of the newborn baby

boy, Sullivan Wagley. “Sullivan was put into the county’s custody, so we had to jump through the county’s hoops and hire a Colorado lawyer along with our Kansas lawyer,” Rebecca said. “We also had to provide some things for the birth parents because we went through the county that we weren’t expecting, along with traveling and the fact that he was premature, but in the end it was all good.”

On top of the added legal complications, the time frame for having a house prepared for a newborn was also an obstacle. “We had five days notice before he was actually born, compared to his due date which was supposed to be five weeks, so the biggest obstacle was having a steady home and all this had to be done like yesterday,” Rebecca said.

Rebecca was surprised by how easy everything came back to her, “It wasn’t as hard it would be and we were a lot more laid back when it came to having a baby in the house again after a long time,” she said.

Besides all of the challenges the family had to face when it came to bringing the baby home, they also had support by the people around them.

“I am overwhelmed by the love and support that the community has given us from gifts to well wishes,” Rebecca said. “Sometimes I feel that Sullivan’s middle name should be Sterling as funny as it sounds, andif we came

6 • Sterling Cub Reporter • February 2015

during the day, there might have even been a parade for him.”

The schedule for the coming weeks for both parents is still undecided due the fact both parents work.

“We are not really schedule people, so it has been Spencer that has been taking care of the baby for the most part, but he goes back to work soon.

We will just have to wait and see,” Rebecca said.

Despite the fact the Wagley family had taken the responsibility of hosting a foreign exchange student, the family has gone with the flow in terms of the new baby coming in.

“I just have always wanted a big family, so it has been coming along nicely Betty couldn’t have been a better Wagley,” Rebecca said. “Betty is surprisingly maternal. She is probably the most maternal person in the house, and she has handled this beautifully.”

There are a lot of things that Rebecca is looking forward in terms of having a baby in the house.

“I can’t wait for the day that Sullivan is old enough to understand that God had a purpose for his life,” she said. “It thrills me to know that someday he will to know that his birth parents were courageous enough to follow through with that plan. There were countless miracles that took place in order for us to overcome the many obstacles surrounding this adoption.”

It is hard to fathom what it would www.sterlingcubreporter.com

Junior Betty Baar, mother Rebecca Wagley, sophomore Maddie Wagley, and father Spencer Wagley sit with new baby Sullivan Wagley. (Photo by Alex Veliz) be like to have two new people in your life and how they will affect you. This is what happened to sophomore Maddie Wagley when she got a new foster sister but also a newly adopted brother in the same year. Maddie has been an only child for the most of her life.

“I think having a baby brother and a sister is great because it’s always something new everyday,” Maddie said.

One of the obstacles that Maddie faced was having to wait for her parents while they had to take care of all of the legalities in Colorado.

“I was anxious because everything www.sterlingcubreporter.com

was so unclear, and I didn’t know what to expect when it comes to having siblings,” she said. “One of the hardest things that I had to face was being far away from my parents, because I am so close to them and probably the second hardest was doing my own laundry for two weeks.”

Besides the fact of having a baby brother Maddie is also looking forward to what kind of person he becomes.

“Seeing him from just being a baby to growing older and developing a personality and just being able to teach him some of the things that I have

learned, it is exciting,” she said.

Betty Baar the foreign exchange student staying with the family, is excited to have a baby in the house.

“The best thing about having a baby, is just having a baby,” Baar said.

“I am excited to see him grow even more.”

Baar also takes on some of the responsibilities when it comes to the baby. “I hold him a lot after school and I sit on the couch with him and feed him,” she said.

Baar finds the baby’s company doesn’t affect her day to day activities.

February 2015 • Sterling Cub Reporter • 7

“It is still like before, it didn’t make a big difference,” she said. “The good thing is when I am at home I am not alone because the baby is here, so I have someone to play with.”

Spencer Wagley, the father in the Wagley family, is thinking about the changes to be made in their lifestyle for the baby.

“We just have to make sure that we plan ahead for some activities because we have a high schooler and a baby, so we have to make sure that everyones’ schedules coincide,” he said.

Spencer also puts his input on how he feels about the adoption.

“It was a real blessing. Truly a miracle, and it was calming because I felt like this was what we should have been doing,” he said.

The adoption process has shown Spencer how things can change.

“Everything was fast and it just shows how your life can change day to day,” he said.

Up until this point in their lives the Wagley’s have only hosted or have raised girls, and Spencer is hopeful of

what a baby boy will bring.

“It is totally different and this adoption has provided me with someone to watch football games with,” he said.

“I am older now, and so there are new challenges out there that come with having a baby boy.”

Spencer is excited with what the future will bring with having a baby once again.

“We are really excited and it has challenges like any other part in life, and We can’t believe that it happened, but we are happy that we did,” he said.

Sophomore Maddie Wagley holds her new baby brother and tries to help him go to sleep after she gets home from school. (Photo by Alex Veliz) 8 • Sterling Cub Reporter • February 2015

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Junior Betty Baar, mother Rebecca Wagley, and sophomore Maddie Wagley admire their new baby boy, Sullivan Wagley. (Photo by Kasady Smith)

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107 N. Broadway, Sterling February 2015 • Sterling Cub Reporter • 9

NEWS

Debators come home with winning records CALEB HENDRICKS Cub Reporter Traditionally, the Sterling High School debate team is always a contender at the state meet. This year was no different.

“Being a part of the Sterling debate team comes with the expectations of being successful,” junior Hannah Hendricks said. “We knew going in that it wasn’t going to be easy, but we also knew that we had put in the work and we would be ready for anything.”

For the two speaker debate team, sophomores Maddie Wagley and Sierra Emery placed 4th overall, and seniors Scott Dellinger and Cole Slupski were the state runners-up taking home second place.

“Winning fourth place as a sophomore was really unexpected and exciting,” Wagley said. “It definitely was not what I was expecting, but I’m so excited about how it worked out. I’m excited to see how next season turns out.”

Despite not coming away with a state title, the senior duo over exceeded their expectations going in, and both were pleased with the results.

“I only expected us to have a winning record with the possibility of breaking,” Dellinger said. “The biggest problem we faced was trying to combat arguments that have been proven wrong, but it felt great to come in second at state because it just shows how working all year pays off.”

(Back): Alex Veliz, Cameron Fair, Edward Weiner, Solomon Dold, J.J. Oden (Middle): Brian Walker, Cole Slupski, Scott Dellinger, Brayden Hosman (Front): Kaci Wilson, Hannah Hendricks, Sierra Emery, Maddie Wagley. (Photo by Kasady Smith) The four speaker team consisted of seniors Cameron Fair, Brian Walker, and Henry Weiner; junior Hannah Hendricks; and sophomore Edward Weiner. The four speaker team was able to take care of business, and come away as the 3-2-1A State Debate Champions.

The team put in hours of research and hard work, but the payout was worth it.

“We really did a great job of being well prepared with our topics,” Hen-

244 South Broadway Sterling, KS 67579 Ph: 620-278-2102 10 • Sterling Cub Reporter • February 2015

dricks said. “Sure it was a lot of time spent, but the results of being a State Champion makes it all worth it. All five of us worked well together, and we had the winning formula.”

Even though not everyone placed, the other competitors still enjoyed the experience and are eager to go at it again next year.

“I enjoyed being able to watch every else,” junior Brayden Hosman said. “It was fun to be there and see the success of the others.”

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February 2015 • Sterling Cub Reporter • 11

SPORTS

KYLAH COMLEY Cub Reporter When it comes to putting on a high school basketball tournament, more goes on than what meets the eye.

This year was the second year Sterling has hosted the girls and boys Sterling Invitational basketball tournaments.

“A lot has to happen to put on this tournament,” Athletic Director Monte Ball said. “It starts with securing the teams; finding eight teams that are willing to agree to a two-year contract to participate in the tournament.

Some teams are regulars, meaning they have a long-standing commitment to the tournament. Others drop out for various reasons and new teams have to be secured. With the number of tournaments in this region of the state, it has become increasingly difficult to secure teams each year.”

Most schools hosting tournaments have the girls and boys teams play during seperate weeks, due to facilities

and space. However, SHS has the ability to do it differently.

“One thing that is unique about us at Sterling is when we host the tournament, we do both the boys and girls tournoments in the same week and at two different locations,” Ball said.

“Most schools don’t have the facilities to do that, but since the college is open to letting us have games there, it works out great for us getting them done all at the same time.”

Ball puts in a lot of time and effort in making the tournament possible.

“It’s a lot of work, lots of paperwork and phone calls in the week leading up to and during the tournament week.

Officials, workers, hospitality, and, of course, the games themselves. I am fortunate to have a great core group of volunteers that are willing to help every year,” Ball said. “Mr. Brian Richter and Mr. Derek Schneider do lots of things behind the scenes to help make the tournament special. This year Mr. Todd Vogts stepped in to make the tournament programs a little more

Sterling High School faculty member Dan Whisler and Principle Bill Anderson keep the book and score at a tournament game. (Photo by Kylah Comley) 12 • Sterling Cub Reporter • February 2015

special. Deb Wiebe and the college staff help make things run smoothly at the college site.”

Unlike the girls tournament, the boys tournament tradition started many years ago.

“I’m not sure how many people actually know, but the college started the boys tournament 43 years ago,” Deb Wiebe said. “Our sports information center does a lot to help. They do the stats for the tournament, and they run the broadcasts. Really, so does Lonie Cruise. Even though he’s retired, he’s still the tournament director. He comes back and does a lot for us.”

Wiebe is the Athletic Department Office Manager at Sterling College.

“I do all of the hospitality rooms for the week,” Wiebe said. “I’m also in charge of getting all of the help for the score keeping, the addmissions gate, the pass gate, and I make sure concessions are going okay, I mean there’s a lot to do.”

Deciding where the girls and guys games would be held this year was a

Athletic Director Monte Ball tallies the scores of the girls 3-point contest on the third day of the Sterling Invitational. (Photo by Kylah Comley) www.sterlingcubreporter.com

Sterling High School sophomore Joel White goes up for a layup against Remington in the opening night of the Sterling Invitational. (Photo by Taryn Gillespie) two-sided decision.

“When we originally decided to add the girls to the format we discussed rotating the boys and girls between the two sites,” Ball said. “I guess the decision to keep the girls at the high school was two-fold. One, it gives our girls the advantage of playing on their home floor, and, two, the college site has traditionally been the boys site, so Sterling College wanted to be able to continue that tradition.”

There are many advantages to hosting a tournament at the high school level.

“The most obvious benefit is that our boys and girls teams get to play at home this week. No long bus trips, no travel expenses, no loss of instructional time. Those are things that you don’t normally think about but are really big pluses. For our fans it means being able to support our teams without traveling,” Ball said. “Of course there are also some financial benefits. We are able to put some money back into www.sterlingcubreporter.com

our athletic fund from the tournament. Not a big amount by the time we pay all of our expenses including officials, hospitality, and awards. Our clubs and organizations that work concessions also benefit from the tournament, and then there is the benefit of extra sales for some of the businesses in town that benefit from the visitors to our tournament.”

Brian Richter and his staff live broadcast the games so that friends and family who can’t make it still get the chance to watch.

“At the girls tournament we are able to do screen overlays, video introductions, KSHSAA Public Service Announcements, instant replays, as well as a Twitter feed during timeouts and halftimes and pregames,” Richter said.

“We also can use an iPad as a wireless camera to provide additional views of the players on the court.”

The Cube, the website used to live stream the games, recived 764 visits alone the first night of the Invitational.

“In the age where people rely on technology for everything, the website provides a really nice touch to what are becoming some of the best tournaments in the state,” Richter said.

“Being able to provide video provides a lot of people to watch their children, grandchildren, friends, et cetra when they can’t be there.”

A 3-point contest, all tournament team selection, and most inspirational player award are some extra features of the tournament and some athletes favorite part, however, Ball finds more enjoyment elsewhere.

“Seeing teams that I normally don’t get to see during the season and seeing old friends from the various communities is my favorite part about the tournament,” Ball said. “I have lots of friends that work at the visiting schools and officials that I’ve known for a long time, so it’s always fun to catch up with those old friends.”

February 2015 • Sterling Cub Reporter • 13

VAL E N T IN E S day

INFOGRAPHIC

BY THE NUMBERS Males Females

50% 50%

61%

% of Americans* planning to give the gifts below

39% 36% 15% Candy

190 million

Flowers

Dinner

The number of cards sold anually around the world

$126.03

The average amount spent on V-Day gifts per person

14 • Sterling Cub Reporter • February 2015

*out of 100 Americans surveyed Sources: Newsfeed.time.com and statisticbrain.com www.sterlingcubreporter.com

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ENTERTAINMENT NOTE: Killer Serial Fiction is a part of Sterling Student Publications. It is the home of creative writing by Sterling High School creative writing students.

Stories appearing here are works of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. These stories are presented for entertainment purposes only and are not intended to be read as being part of Sterling Student Publications news coverage. For more stories, visit www.sterlingstudentpublications.com/fiction.

“It’s a comin’”

BY BAYLEE MASKIL

“Hi, Berney’s Pizza Place, how can I help you?” my boss greeted the person on the other end of the phone line.

“Yeah, I’d like a large artichoke pizza with sun dried tomatoes and gorgonzola cheese,” ordered the caller.

“Alright. Is this dine-in, carry-out, or delivery?”

“Deliver to 5700 SW Chicken Dinner Road,” the caller said.

“Awesome! It will be there in about 20 minutes,” my boss replied.

20 MINUTES LATER I packed up the pizza and hit the road. Where was I headed? 5700 SW Chicken Dinner Road? Wasn’t that out in the boondocks somewhere? We barely deliver to 6 blocks away, why would we deliver to that far away?

This wasn’t right. I decided to call my boss.

“Hello? Yeah, you took this order to 5700 SW Chicken Dinner Road? That’s way out of our delivering range...” I said confused.

“Take it anyway!” my bosses voice boomed.

“Yes, sir. I’m sitting in the driveway right now.” I answered. My boss hung up the phone.

In front of me sat a huge, run-down house, it had no siding, the paint was chipping off, and the grass was brown. Even though it was totally creepy, I got out of the car and started up the sidewalk. I didn’t see any, “BEWARE OF DOG,” signs so I figured I was mostly safe.

When I got to the door, I immediately noticed it was wide open. Was I walking into a murder scene? Was this an episode of some Stephen King TV series? I was only here to deliver pizza! Then I heard a noise.

“It’s a comin’. It’s a comin’,” said a raspy voice.

That was odd.

I stepped inside the door.

16 • Sterling Cub Reporter • February 2015

“Knock knock! Anyone here?”

If left without payment, I would get fired.

“It’s a comin’. It’s a comin’,” said the voice again.

I walked into the house. Inside the door was what I assumed was the living room. There was one lone reclining chair and a dusty TV. The floor was wooden but not finished.

“It’s a comin’. It’s a comin’,” the voice became slightly louder.

I had to be getting close. I walked into the next room. It was the dining room. I peeked under the table looking for anyone or any sign of life. Nothing except cat hair and dust bunnies so big you could trip over them.

“It’s a comin’. It’s a comin’.”

It definitely got louder.

The next room was the kitchen. The sink was piled to the ceiling with dirty dishes. The trash can was filled with Taco Bell wrappers.

Someone has to be here! The trash was recent!

On the busted up counter sat three butcher knives.

At this point, I should have been freaking the freak out, but I was more curious about where the dead body was to be frightened. Scary movies have never actually scared me.

“It’s a comin’. It’s a comin’.”

It sounded like the voice was in the next room over.

The next room was the bathroom. I was hoping to find the body in the bathtub in pieces or something crazy.

Instead I found a rather large man sitting on the toilet taking a dump saying, “It’s a comin’. It’s a comin’.”.

When he saw me, he said, “What? I had bad tacos.”

I dropped the pizza and ran as far away as I could. www.sterlingcubreporter.com