Volume 91
December 2016
Issue 4
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What’s next for America Nyamouch Pal Reporter Tuesday, November 8th the 45th President of the United States was elected. Republican Donald J. Trump won the election with 290 electoral votes. Shocked and disappointed, Hillary Clinton conceded the race to Trump when it was clear she wasn’t going to win the presidency. “Give Trump an open mind and a chance to lead,” Clinton encouraged her supporters. “Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transition of power. We don’t just respect that; we cherish it.” On January 20, 2017 Trump will be sworn in as the president of the United States, and take over for the current president, Barack Obama. Trump’s goal for the U.S. is to deport illegal immigrants. He promised to start deporting “more than two million criminal illegal immigrants” right away. He also is trying to build a wall
Donald Trump’s slogan for his presidential campaign Photo provided by: drrichswier. com.
on the US border with Mexico and wants them to pay for it. Many questions that raise in people’s minds are “how is he going to build the wall?” How is he going to get Mexico to pay for it? And how likely is it that he really is going to build this wall?” In 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Secure Fence Act, a wall along the U.S and Mexico border to stop illegal immigrants, drug smuggling and preventing terrorists from sneak-
ing into the country. “Right now, we’re getting the drugs, they’re getting the cash,” said Trump. “We need strong borders. We need absolute, we cannot give amnesty. Now, I want to build a wall. We need the wall.” Although on November 6, 2007 a DHS fact sheet reported that only 76 miles of the fence had been built making it clear that there was not a double layer being built. Trump believes that without
Bruckner announces retirement
the wall we will never get rid of the bad people of this country. Securing a stronger border is one of his attempts to make the United States great again. Trump has also pledged to repeal Obamacare on his first day of presidency and replace it with Trumpcare. In order to repeal Obamacare it will cost 260 million dollars. Trump explained that Trumpcare will be made much more affordable and improve the quality
of care offered to all Americans. “We must also make sure that no one slips through the cracks simply because they cannot afford insurance,” Trump explained. “We must review basic Medicaid and work with states to ensure that those who want health care coverage can have it.” However, before Trump gets sworn in as the U.S. president the administrator for the U.S. general Services Administration will have to verify the election results.
Increase in enrollment numbers
Cami Wagaman Reporter On November 28th, 2016, Dr. Martha Bruckner stated in an email to the CBCSD staff that she plans on retiring, which will go into effect at the end of June 2017. Bruckner started as superintendent in 2007, and her retirement will mark the end of her tenth year in CBCSD. Bruckner has decided that although the position has brought her great joy and she is proud of the work that the CBCSD team has done together, the time has come for her to spend more time with her family. “The educators in Council Bluffs Community Schools have made a tremendous difference in the lives of children, and it has been wonderful to be part of that work,” Bruckner stated in the
CBCSD Superintendent Martha Bruckner. FIle photo.
email addressed to the district staff. During her time as superintendent of CBCSD, Bruckner was named Superintendent of the year for the year of 2015. Under Bruckner’s leadership, the district has seen an increased graduation rate for eight consecutive years, and also provided individual computers for grades 3-12. “This school district and our community mean the world to me,” said Bruckner. “I pledge to dedicate all my energy in the
Also in this paper... Page 2 Teens React Teens with tattoos Secret Santa
Page 3 Relying on social media Canned food drive Trump’s new ambassador
next months and far beyond to do anything I can to support you, our district, our community, and all our kids.” The superintendent position will be the longest position Bruckner has held. Bruckner stated in an interview with the Daily Nonpareil that she does not want to discontinue education, she just believes it is time to “pass the baton” to someone else. Thank you to Dr. Bruckner, for your time and effort put forth to improve the district.
Page 4 Nintendo Switch Veteran’s day parade Hannah Montana
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Mr. Tworek’s second hour class working on an assignment. Photo by: Cami Wagaman.
CBCSD’s budget and funding is based on certified enrollment numbers. In the recent years, the district has seen a drastic change in their numbers. In public education, enrollment numbers can differ between increasing or decreasing the district’s budget. School districts across Iowa
are required to turn in their enrollment count, which is taken on the first of October, and is due no later than October 15th. Lewis Central’s district has unfortunately seen a decrease in their numbers for the first time in three years. The district lost 111 students this school year. The loss of students could mean a potential funding loss of $600,000. CBCSD hopes to continue to increase the amount of their enrollment status in the future.
Page 5 Renovations to west broadway Treynor recieves grant Face of the month
Page 6 Football Player of the year Competition Dance Competition Cheer
Adriana Ibarra Reporter
News
THE SIGNAL
Teens reacting to Donald Trump as President
Editor-in-Chief Morgan Barth Copy Editor Cami Wagaman Paginator Morgan Barth Adriana Ibarra Cami Wagaman Staff Abigail Edie Alexis Shepard Chancey Travis Courtney Jones Dylan Harold Jordan McAlpine Madasyn Davis Maxine Mass Nyamouch Pal Shae Wilson Tiana Larsen
Reporters Madasyn Davis and Alexis Shepard reading about Presidential elect Donald Trump. Photo by: Tiana Larsen.
Adviser Rob Lindquist Phone: 712-328-6493 Facebook: CBJacketJournalism Twitter:@TJHSJournalism
Tiana Larsen Reporter Trump won the 2016 presidential election, making the fight for president come to an end. The news results were confirmed. Some people started to celebrate, while others were devastated. Clinton had some of the biggest names in the business sending their votes her way, this giving her the popularity vote, but Trump’s Oval Office still couldn’t have been stopped. American exceptionalism is something Trump truly believes in. He’s committed to education and demands high performance. In his victory speech, Trump stated, “We have to bind the wombs and get together to all republican, democrats and independents to come together and
be united as one.” Trump claims that he wants everyone to come together as one to help America become the place people want it to be. “For those who have chosen not to support me, I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and help to work together and unify our country,” said Trump. To help renew the American dream, Trump is passionate about helping fix inner cities, schools, roads, and buildings which can be second to none. He will put millions to work and that hope they come together and rebuild our nation. Here at Thomas Jefferson, some people had voted for their ideal president. Michaela Patterson, administrator here at TJ, believes that Donald Trump will, like his slogan says, “Make
Teens with tattoos
America great again.” Trump provided some of his previews for his presidential spot. In his victory speech, he stated that he would focus on economic growth when he is sworn in next January. Some people stated that America is great, but with Trump as president, America could possibly get worse. Tatiana Sandoval, senior at TJ stated, “Trump becoming president isn’t a good idea, because he has exposed a lot of the hatred and racism.” With a lot of great ideas and knowledge that could help America, Trump could better the nation. “Trump is an alright person,” stated freshman John Hiers. “I think he going to be better than Hillary.”
Tattoos can affect the jobs that teenagers or adults may want to pursue, and according to Statistic Brain, 14 percent of Americans of all ages have a tattoo. “I feel that kids should wait til they’re 18 to get bigger tattoos,” said senior Sarah Rinner. “Some look worse with age.” Rinner explained that sometimes teenagers get tattoos that they regret later on. She believes that they should get something smaller that has a meaning behind it. “I think that it’s dumb,” said
The Signal is a school-sponsored publication of Thomas Jefferson High School 2501 W. Broadway Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501. The Signal’s office is located in room C128. The Signal is printed by OH-K FASTPRINT in Omaha, NE. The Signal is a schoolsponsored-publication and therefore recognizes its responsibility to stay within the boundaries that the school administrator sets. The Signal will therefore inform its readers using a high standard of morals and ethics. The Signal encourages readers to respond in the form of letters to the editor, which can be sent to room C128. The Signal’s editorial staff reserves the right to edit the letters for grammatical errors and to remove any profanity. The editors also reserve the right to exclude letters that are false in their statements or accusations. The Signal will not accept advertisements that promote activities illegal to minors. Advertising rates are available upon request.
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School wide secret Santa
Map of the world wrist tattoo. Photo by: Morgan Barth.
Morgan Barth Editor -In- Chief
In the local area, students had staged a walk-outs to Trump’s presidency. Central High School was one school that had participated in this event. A school with a diverse student population that sits a few blocks west of downtown Omaha. Several students carried signs. Among them: “Love Trumps Hate” and “We Are Stronger Together.” There was also an anti-protest that had happen downtown which ended with two arrest. Trump will be sworn in on January 20th. With that, Trump will help America work towards making America great. Trump stated that, “No dream is too big, no challenge is too great, America will no longer settle anything that isn’t the best.”
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Statue of Thomas Jefferson wearing a Santa Hat. Photo by: Cami Wagaman.
I-JAG teacher Jay Busby. “What’s cool when you’re seventeen isn’t cool when you’re like 25.” Busby believes that teenagers should wait until they are in college and settled down to get a tattoo. Although he doesn’t agree with being denied employment due to having a tattoo, he thinks that people are selling themselves short when getting one in a visible area. “It’s different, it’s changing,” Busby said. “I mean, when you get to the doctor’s, your doctor could have sleeves.” Busby also has advice for teenagers who are looking to get tattoos. He says that teens should
wait until they’re eighteen, not to get it in someone’s basement who owns an old needle, and don’t do it yourself. He encourages students to wait until they are eighteen so they know what they are getting is something that they’re going to love. “Get it somewhere that is not visible so you can still enjoy it,” Busby says. Busby believes that as soon as you’re old enough, then you should go for it. However, he still strongly believes that they should wait until they are 18. He wants teens to make wise choices and take a second guess on what they want to get.
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Maxine Mass Reporter For the very first time SwarmTV is hosting a school wide “Secret Santa Exchange.” Each student that signs up to participate in this Secret Santa, will draw a random name, and will have to buy a gift for that person. To participate in this Secret Santa, you must sign-up through the google form sent to you by email. This google form was due on Thursday, December 8th, and participants were assigned to their partner on Friday, December 9th.
You may or may not know the person you are assigned, but try your best to buy a gift to make them smile, and bring them into the giving spirit of the Christmas season. To receive a gift you must bring a gift. The limit per gift is no more than $10. If you sign-up but then decide you don’t want to participate or are unable to get a gift, please contact Mr. Lindquist. Gifts will be collected before Winter break on next Wednesday, December 14th. Bring your gifts to either Mr. Lindquist’s room (C128) or the Beehive. The gifts will then be sent out to START classes on Thursday, December 15th, and Friday, December 16th.
Alumni of the month; Zach Dahlheimer
NEWS
Relying on social media
Morgan Barth Editor -In- Chief
With writing inspirations like Edgar Allen Poe and Walt Whitman, Former Thomas Jefferson student, Zach Dahlheimer, was able to create his own poetry based book To End Just to Start Over. Dahlheimer started off writing poetry at a young age, and carried it with him through high school. Dahlheimer said that he when it came to other kinds of writing that he couldn’t do it, and that poetry was just his forte. In Sandra Leaders’ English Class, he was required to write four blog posts a week for his blogger site. He decided to use it as an advantage. “The class that helped was English 11 with Mrs. Leaders,” said Dahlheimer. “Miss Haney was also a good influence to me. They both loved my poetry and pushed me to write more.” Dahlheimer explained that there was many times his poetry made teachers cry; however, he also made teachers believe in him. He also explained that he made teachers fear for his life, although he explained that there was no reason for them to be scared. “I felt like I was in a very dark place,” Dahlheimer explained.
Zach Dahlheimer Photo submitted by: Zach Dahlheimer
“My release was through writing; I mainly wrote about my problems.” Dahlheimer explains that it is difficult trying to get his book out, he says that he is still trying to get his book off the ground. Since he published the book himself, he has to sell it himself. “Just because I have to do it the hard way doesn’t mean I can’t do it,” Dahlheimer said. Dahlheimer believes that people should go out and do the things that they want. He knows that they can do it if they really try. He encourages everyone to chase their dreams, even if they’re told they can’t.
Story continued on Bit.ly/ SignalNews
Canned food drive
News trends on twitter. Photo by: Cami Wagaman.
Tiana Larsen Reporter Around 44% of people rely on social media for their news. Approximately 64% of adults in the U.S. use Facebook regularly. This may not necessarily come as a surprise; but almost half of Facebook users, particularly young people, get their news from social media. Recently, most employers are using social media to examine people’s perspectives. Social media has allowed people to connect with their families and friends all across the country. People rely on social media for connectivity and primary communication
with today’s world. With 2/3 of the population using Facebook for consuming and sharing news, it is by far the largest social networking site as stated on PewResearchCenter. org. Nearly 23% of the population on Twitter, Tumblr with 31% of the population, while for the other five social networking sites have about one-fifth of people relying on news. While many users do not search for news on Facebook, they come across headlines and articles incidentally while using the app for other purposes. Social media also revealed that the website exposes them to articles and videos which they may have previously had little or no inter-
est in. Since the internet is now the fastest and easiest way to get news, print media is diminishing and publications are posting online. Almost instantly people can create, share, and spread newsworthy or gossip stories across the world. The power of the media has allowed people be more aware of news. When it comes down to trust, many people who receive news on media sites consume it with skepticism. People only trust the new they want to see. As a result, people consider factors to another story they have trusted. Today, social media has become the new most useful tool to the world.
Branstad to be ambassador of China
Terry Branstad. Photo provided by: WQAD.com
Cans in the beehive for the canned food drive. Photo by: Cami Wagaman.
Maxine Mass Reporter Deca and National Honor Society(NHS) are hosting the 7th annual canned food drive, which started on November 28th, and will last until December 9th. The goal is to collect 1,100 cans to hand out to community baskets for those in need. Each start class must collect as many food cans as they can. All you have to do is bring at least one can of food to START class. Consider this, if everyone brings just 1 can of food, you’ve already accomplished your goal for there are over 1,000 students in this school. In 2013, after only 2 years of hosting the canned food drive,
students blew past their goal of 750, collecting 1,307 cans in total with less collecting time than we did the previous year. Just bring a can and help TJHS reach their goal! The top three start classes that bring the most canned foods will win a prize at the end of the canned food drive. The first place start class will be awarded doughnuts. The second place start class will receive cookies. And the third place start class will be given suckers. Remember, canned food only, do not bring anything other than canned food. Please bring a can to help those in need, you can always buy more ravioli for yourself later.
Nyamouch Pal Reporter Long serving Republican governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad, has officially been selected on Wednesday December 7th by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as ambassador of China. Branstad has had decades of ties and personal friendship with China’s President, Xi Jinping, factoring into the selection as the next US ambassador to China. According to Chinese state media, China has been a fast growing market for Iowa agriculture and processed foods, with exports from the state up by a factor of 13 between 2000 and 2010 to 6.3 billion. China was quick to accept the
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choice. Lu Kang, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described Branstad as an old friend. “We would welcome him playing a bigger role in promoting Sino-American relations,” stated Mr. Kang. Branstad is a politician who is very trusted in Beijing. Trump has repeatedly attacked on the campaign trail and some tweets over its currency policies. He has threatened to slap tariffs of up to 45 percent on Chinese goods if Beijing doesn’t behave. If this nomination goes well it can help reassure China’s leadership that Trump understand how important it is to have a healthy relationship with Beijing. Branstad was one of the most Republicans backing Trump,
campaigning with him on a regular basis in Iowa. Branstad son also managed Trump’s general election campaign in Iowa. “After long discussions with my family, I am honored and humbled to be nominated to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to China,” said Branstad. “I also accept President-elect Trump’s charge to prioritize collaborative policies that will Make America Great Again.” With Branstad’s decision, Iowa is on track to have the first female governor in the history of the state, Kim Reynolds. Reynolds has served with Branstad for six years and has received a good education in running the state government as lieutenant governor.
ENTERTAINMENT
Nintendo Switching it up The Fosters’ hiatus
The new Nintendo Switch. Photo by: Heypoorplayer.com.
Shae Wilson Reporter Nintendo released details about the new project they are currently working on, the Nintendo Switch. They announced their new video game console on October 20th, through a video uploaded onto their website. Nintendo has not given the exact release date for the system yet, but they have confirmed that it will be sometime in March of 2017. This upcoming January, Nintendo will release more information about the console, such as
the price, system specs, and the launch lineup of the Switch. The system is going to be a tablet and game console all in one. It is designed to be hooked up to the console and played on the television, with it being quick and easily disconnected. A few game titles for the new system have already been released. This includes a new edition of Super Mario, the Legend of Zelda, and many more popular video games that are leaving people at the edge of their seats. This game console will be handy for those who have a hard time sitting in one spot. Now, with the Nintendo Switch, they can play games on the go.
Veteran’s day parade
Tiana Larsen watching the Freeform TV show The Fosters during class. Photo by: Cami Wagaman.
Cami Wagaman Reporter The Freeform original TV series, The Fosters, has recently wrapped up the first half of season four. The first half of season four was added onto Netflix on September 26th, 2016. The Fosters will be on a long hiatus until January of 2017, when it returns to Freeform. The drama series follows siblings Callie and Jude Jacob through many tough situations after being in several foster
homes throughout their lives. When they find their permanent family things still do not go as planned for them and they must face many problems to finally be happy. The conflicts in Season four includes many health issues for various members of the family, and internal conflicts that the main characters must decide on. As season four is reaching the end of the road, many fans have expected Freeform to renew the show for a fifth season, which they have not yet decided on. In the first half of the season, the Foster family experiences
Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds Shae Wilson Reporter
Reporter Shae Wilson watching Hannah Montana on Netflix. Photo by: Cami Wagaman.
Disney Channel recently announced that the old and missed television series, Hannah Montana is going to be aired during the month of December. The show is about a girl, played by Miley Cyrus, who lives a double life as pop idol known as Hannah Montana. The series was a hit and brought in millions
many obstacles that they must overcome, some of them are life threatening to certain characters. Viewers are anticipating the second half of season four and what it has in store for them, as the finale of the first part ended with a big cliffhanger. The cliffhanger definitely has viewers on the edge of their seats as they await the destiny of their favorite characters. Part two of season four will return on January 31st, 2017. Part two of this season will hold many answers to the questions the fans have been asking since the finale of part one.
of views for Disney Channel. Not only is it the show that brought Miley Cyrus to stardom and kickstarted her career, but it was loved by many and will always be remembered on Disney channel. This is just one of the many announcements that Disney Channel has been announcing lately. Recently they announced that the iconic show That’s So Raven was getting a sequel.
Newest addition to Netflix
Dancers in Veteran’s Day Parade. Photo by: Krystin Flenker.
Madasyn Davis Reporter Friday, November 11th, is the day veterans and victims of all wars are honored. Veteran’s Day is held on the anniversary of the end of World War I. In 1954, US President Woodrow Wilson encouraged Americans to celebrate Veteran’s Day with parades and public meetings. Businesses were encouraged to take a minute off of work at 11 AM on November 11th to honor World War one veterans. Later that year, U.S. officials changed the name from Armistice Day to Veteran’s Day. The U.S. is not the only country that celebrates this holiday; it is also celebrated in the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Malta, and South Africa.
Each country celebrates differently, but the reason is the sameto thank the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect their country and others. Council Bluffs had their own way of celebrating this year: American Legion Post No. 2 held the annual Veteran’s Day Parade on November 5. This year, many groups came together to march in the parade including: the local police department and fire honor guards, girl scouts, the Abraham Lincoln high school and, the Thomas Jefferson high school band, along with the TJHS dance team. The Thomas Jefferson’s band prepared “America the Beautiful” and led the dance team to the beat of the song. Following the Parade, American Legion Hall hosted a free spaghetti feed with auctions and raffles to be held as well.
Adriana Ibarra downloading shows to watch on Netflix Photo by: Courtney Jones
Courtney Jones Reporter The latest update that Netflix has released, introduced its newest feature that allows you to download shows and movies to watch offline. This feature has been requested by many users of Netflix for quite some time. Netflix delayed the feature to download shows and movies in the past due to not wanting
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the content to take up too much space on the user’s phone. Netflix has made sure that the size of the downloadable content is small enough so the user can have a great and issue free experience. Netflix has caught up to its competitors such as Amazon Prime that has showcased the download feature on their platforms for some time now. Some of the shows that are available for download right now are: Stranger Things, Breaking Bad, Orange is the New Black, Narcos and many
others. On the Netflix app to access the downloadable content, you have to click on the sidebar option on the top left corner of the screen. Click on “Available for download” and it will take you to all of the available movie and shows ready to be downloaded. Netflix has been on the scene for quite some time now and only seems to be improving for the better, with this new feature ratings and popularity will grow even more.
Artistic vibes with the new art club at TJ
A recent project that the art club is working on. Photo by: Courtney Mimick.
Alexis Shepard Reporter
Thomas Jefferson’s Art Club started meeting in early October. The club meets every Wednesday after school until 4:15 in room C123. Due to winter approaching more people will be indoors, Art Club has discussed meeting more frequently. “It is new, so we are still planning things,” said Courtney Mimick, one of the school’s art teachers and runner of the Art Club. “A major focus is making art for all the community to enjoy. For instance, we are working on a large scale character cut out
that will be on display at Bayliss Park throughout the holidays.” As many people know, art is very diverse. Art Club plans on representing that through many different types of creations. Some of the things they’ve considered doing include making a mural, having an art show, having a free paint day, paper making, and even screen printing t shirts. They are also discussing the possibility of field trips. Art Club is currently full but for second trimester, they will be taking new members. There will be posters and announcements with information about the meetings for new members.
Treynor receives grant
NEWS
Renovations to West Broadway
Traffic on West Broadway, where construction will occur in 2017. Photo by: Tiana Larsen.
Madasyn Davis Reporter After many different plans and ideas, Council Bluffs citizens and city workers met at Thomas Jefferson high school on December 6th to discuss the West Broadway reconstruction project. The reconstruction will take five years to complete and the plan is to work from the West End of Broadway starting at 36th street, and stopping at 15th street. This will be cut up into five segments. Segment one will focus on 36th street to 33rd street. They will be installing new storm
sewage, water mains, and a new street surface. The intersection of 35th and Broadway will have special street paving treatment. Overall, the reconstruction will mainly focus on drainage improvements, pavement removal and replacements, sidewalk removal and replacements, increased pedestrian safety and access, and modifications to aesthetics. Raised medians have been a big question in the reconstruction. The medians are to reduce left turns from West Broadway to be safer for pedestrians and traffic. “It’s going to make it difficult to get out of my business and into my business,” says owner
of Metro Pawn & Loan, David Drake for KETV. Owner of Blue J’s Lawn & Landscape Service is worried about crashes later on. Mayor Matt Walsh is supportive of medians and thinks differently along with most of the city council. “It’s going to change the image of Council Bluffs and look like a modern corridor and will help property valuation,” said Walsh, stated for the Nonpareil. Raised medians will not be coming during segment one, but they will come along in the future. Segment one will begin in March of 2017 and the overall project is set to finish in 2022.
Face of the Month: Bitterlin
Maxine Mass Reporter Treynor was awarded a $25,000 grant to help make streets safer in honor of Tristan White, who was killed while running last year. Freshman Tristan White was running south on 300th street for wrestling practice with his two teammates when a sport utilities vehicle struck and killed him in November of 2015. After a year had passed since his death, his mother had still not stopped working to make streets safer in Treynor for students. The grant is helping them get even closer to their goal. “You just never dreamed that he wasn’t safe on the road that he was on -- a little country gravel road,” Tristan’s mother Lisa White told the Daily Nonpareil. “I ran that same road, athletes have been running that road for over 30 years, and we never fathomed it wasn’t a safe place.” Treynor is one of 40 recipients in the U.S to receive this $25,000 grant, and they owe all of their gratitude to the people who voted from Treyor and nearby towns in the fifth annual online voting contest, hosted by the State Farm Neighborhood Assist Program. “It’s pretty exciting given that there were applications all over the country,” Lisa told the Nonpareil. “It wouldn’t have happened without all the support of
Tristan White. Photo provided by: Intermatwrestle. com
the community and all the small towns sticking together.” “What drives this is the energy of the community,” Tom Everson, executive director for the nonprofit, told Nonpareil. “This has really been a cooperative effort and after the holidays, we’ll have a chance to really sit down and meet to lay out the plan.” The Omaha nonprofit Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 (KKAD25) will be awarded with the grant money, which will go towards a safety educational campaign called “A License to Live” in Treynor. The family members of Tristan worked with the city council, Treynor High School, and local Junior Optimists to help the educational campaign to the town. “Now that the campaign has secured funding, plans on how best to roll out the campaign will most likely start at the beginning of next year,” Lisa told Nonpa-
Signal File photo of Ms. Bitterlin. reil. “I do know we don’t want it Photo By: Courtney Jones just to be a one time thing,” she added. “I’d like to see it become Madasyn Davis something we build on year to Reporter year to keep awareness up and keep everybody safe when they’re If you are not in band, you walking and running.” may have not heard or seen that Lisa would like to see a comMonticello’s Regiment has a munity trail built in Treynor in new director. Ms. Cally Bitterlin Tristan’s honor as well, so that kicked off her 2016-2017 school everyone in the town could run, year here at Thomas Jefferson. walk, and exercise without havVarsity band isn’t the only ing to worry about the safety of thing Bitterlin directs here at TJ, their loved ones. she also directs jazz and fresh“But a community trail will man band. take much more funding than the TJ has been good to Bitterlin grant that they’ve been awarded,” so far. “I really do like it. The Everson told the Daily Nonpareil. band kids are great, I have a fun “It’s been a tradition on these START class, and my fellow fine country roads for generations. arts teachers are awesome. I feel Sadly, that had to come to an end well supported by the adminisbecause of Tristan’s death, and tration, too” she said. it’s going to take a lot more than Bitterlin has many strengths the grant, but it’s something we’re that have helped her students. On looking at how to get this trail October 4th, the band traveled built as well.” to Clarinda to compete in the
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Southwest Iowa Band Jamboree. They placed third in the parade competition. Not only has Bitterlin been working hard, but the students have been working hard as well. Bitterlin stated, “I have seen improvement. Many individuals are getting better all the time and are really working hard. The freshmen have taken off and are looking good for Varsity next year.” Coming to a new school there can be challenges that one has to overcome. Bitterlin says, ”I am so busy! There aren’t enough hours in a day. 80% of it is paperwork, but I’m getting it done. I think it will be easier for me now that I know how the state works.” If you happen to catch Ms. Bitterlin in the hallway, make sure you give her a TJ welcome!
City Football Player of the year; Cameron Baker
SPORTS
Dancing their way to state
Competition dance team during their show circle, and again during a halftime performance. Photos by: Michaela Patterson and Morgan Barth.
Tiana Larsen Reporter Signal File photo of Cameron Baker. Photo by: Cami Wagaman.
Dylan Harold Reporter The Jackets very own Sophomore Cameron Baker is the City Football Player of the Year. When they crowned him Player of the City it would be of no surprise if you look at his stats. He averaged 9.2 yards per carry and had a total of 1,255 rushing yards. Baker has moved positions a lot in his little time as a Jacket but he seemed to excel at all of them. He started off at Tight End, next was Wide Receiver, after that he became the primary
ball carrier when TJ switched to the wildcat offense. Cameron has served as a great asset to the Jackets finishing with a combined total of 12 Touchdowns this season along with a few two point conversions. Baker also contributed a great amount on the defensive side of the ball finishing with 35 solo tackles, one interception, and three fumble recoveries. It seems as if he is always working though through the offseason Baker plans on lifting, conditioning, attending camps, and doing wrestling to stay in shape for the next football season where he is looking to have another great season.
Competition cheer
Thomas Jefferson competition dance team had kicked off their season on November 21st at Lewis Central. The dance team performed their pom routine to get some criteria from judges to help them set off their routine. Sophie Knass and Jessica Macossay, both seniors here at TJ, feel that they are ready for the team to kick off their start to competition season. Knauss stated, “I feel like the showcase went very well and was a great learning experience for the team.” Jacket dance had two routines: pom and hip-pop. On November 29th, TJ dance had performed their hip-pop routine to an audience for the first time.
TJ Dance Team headed out for state on December 3rd. Jacket dance has been working hard the past month to make sure they are prepared for state. Knauss said, “It was so exciting to go to state because we got to be a part of one of the biggest competitions in the nation! I think the fact that there were so many experienced teams there made us work so much harder and I believe that showed in our performance.” Michaela Patterson, the couch for the dance team has put a lot of time and effort into the team to make sure they are the best for state. Patterson stated, “I am so proud of my kids for winning Division one. They had a couple of technical difficulties and they have definitely done better in rehearsal, but that’s the name of the game. No matter the outcome, these kids are champions to me.”
Basketball highlights Varsity basketball boys running down the court at a home game. Photo by: Cami Wagaman.
Competition cheer team at the MAC. Photo by: Cait Boyer.
Madasyn Davis Reporter Thomas Jefferson Competition Cheer has been working hard this past year. Lots of practices and camps got the team to four competitions during the fall season. The first competition was held on November 5th, in Des Moines, IA with the annual state competition. Although the girls didn’t get in the top five, they got to show off their routine. This year was junior Meleaha Christensen’s first year at Thomas Jefferson and her first year going to State for competition cheerleading. “I thought State was a fun experience, but I felt like it was unfair,” said Christensen. “I feel like the team did good and worked very hard to achieve our goals.”
Reiver Classic was the first win the competition team had. After two practices, they drilled the routine, stunts, and tumbling using the critiques given from State. Many people were sick and not at their best ability leading the team to feel nervous walking into Iowa Western on November 13th. “Well, we were nervous going into the competition considering we didn’t do very well at state,” said sophomore Jade Sprinkel. “We went onto the floor, gave it our all and showed them what we got. A couple stunts did fall and we had a technical difficulty, but we still got first!” On November 20th, the competition team competed at the Mid America Center for “The Mid America Extreme Challenge.” They received first in the medium varsity division and a nationals bid.
“We were all doubtful because of the bid to Nationals and when we found out we got a bid, I’m pretty sure the whole team cried,” said Sprinkel. “It was such a big deal since we had a lot of changes in the routine, negativity and attitudes. This performance was by far the best we have ever done.” This year the competition team will pass on going to Nationals due to the costs and not enough time to fundraise. This year, they will begin to fundraise and get more sponsors for Nationals next competition season. Although they do have to compete again for the bid, they are going to strive on Nationals 2018. This is Thomas Jefferson’s year, after the win for Mid America Competition with cheer. If you see any of the competition girls, give them a congratulations!
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Competition team had practices in the morning and evenings to help prepare themselves. “We have spent hours nearly every day practicing the routines and going over every little detail,” Knauss stated. “It seems tough when we’re standing in the gym after a 7 hour practice exhausted and in pain, but there’s no better feeling in the world knowing your hard work has paid off.” TJ dance team had won a Division 1 on their hip-hop routine at state competition. Hailey Watts is a freshman here at TJ and feels like competition had worked hard and earned their division 1 ranking. Dance team will have another competition at UNO on the 11th, where they will perform the same two routines. Congratulations to the dance team for winning Division 1 and good luck on the 11th.
Dylan Harold Reporter The Jackets lost the first game of the season at home on Monday against Glenwood, with the score of 71 Rams, 53 TJ. The bright spots for the Jackets were senior Daniel Carey, juniors Chandler Squibb, Tayshaun Hand, and sophomore Devonte Starks. They had been working very hard for the past month trying to prepare for this game. Jeron Sampson on this upcoming season: “The team has been working really hard at practice pushing
ourselves and each other to get better and better every day.“ The Thomas Jefferson boys basketball team suffered another major loss on December 2nd against Sioux City East, 73-44. While being down in points for the most part of the game, the jackets came back in the 3rd quarter with 17 points to East with 14 points. The top points individually were Devonte Starks with 15 points, Tayshaun Hand with 9 points, Chandler Squibb with 9 points, and Daniel Carey with 7 points. Cameron Lukavsky and Jeron Sampson also both had 2 points.