| WC High School |


12 Days of Christmas

By: Keeley Ruring

The Woodbury Central School’s “12 Days of Christmas” began on December 8th and continues through until the 22nd, the day before break. The Woodbury Central Pep Club has been doing this for three years and will be continuing it for as long as they can. Mrs. McElrath, head of the Pep Club, says, “it’s a fun way for the kids to get in the Christmas spirit.”  

The days remaining are on Monday, Dec. 18 - Wear red and white. Wear Santa Hats and do Random Acts of Kindness on Tuesday. Wear Red and Green Wednesday. On Thursday, wear your favorite holiday sweater. Then, on Friday you can participate by wearing holiday pajamas. Some of the teachers and students favorite days are Cookie day, Christmas socks day, and pajama day. Celine Bendl, a junior says, “It’s fun, but I wish more kids participated!” madison,ashley,az,madison,maddie,hope



WC NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY NEW INDUCTEES

 

Congratulations to the students that were recently nominated into the National Honor Society:

 

The juniors are: Garret Arment, Henry Burbach, Katelyn Champion, Alexis Fickbohm, Sally Gallagher, Sidnie Graff, Logan Hammond, Derek Hytrek, Tori Korver, Miah Manker, Emma Persons, Payton Petersen, Sidney Steffen, Payton Stover.

 

The seniors are: Josie Buckholtz, Loryn Nettleton, Sean Parks, Nick Phelps, Carter Schultzen, Beth Struve, Dustin Widman.

 

The induction ceremony is Wednesday, December 13 at 2:45.


 


abc

Student of the month: Casie Petersen

By Celine Bendl

 

Casie Petersen is the student of the month for December. She was nominated by Faith Lambert and Pat Hofstetter.

 

She was nominated because of her hard working attitude and because she’s really interested in learning new stuff. She’s also really active and is a great participator in her classes.

 

Casie says that she feels very honored to be recognized as student of the month. She describes herself as hard working in the classes, organized and always has her assignments done on time. She helps other and she always keeps a positive attitude and she participates in class.

 

As advice for other students to become student of the month she says, “Work hard in your classes and participate in class discussions. Have a good attitude about learning new things and learn how to accept the challenges of hard assignments and tests because they will make you a better student in the future.”

 

*senior picture attached


quiz bowl

Woodbury Central: QUIZ BOWL

By: Marta Perez

 

Quiz bowl is an academic competition in which four students compete together against a team of four other students answering questions about random knowledge.

 

During the competition, there is an announcer who reads the questions out loud, the team who rings the bell first can attempt to answer the question. In each competition there are three rounds with 20 questions.

 

The competitions are always on Saturdays and there are six competitions from October to March. They have their first competition this Saturday. This is a combined competition against Lawton-Bronson and Sergeant Bluff-Luton.

 

 Practices for this team are on Monday from 7:30 to 8:30AM and on Thursdays, right after school.

 

The quiz bowl team is made up of 12 students, and there are two different levels, Varsity and JV.

 

Mrs. Clark has been teaching this activity for the past four years and her favorite memory is when Varsity team claimed the Championship in the conference competition last winter. Good luck to the Quiz Bowl team with their season this year!


quiz bowl 

foods class
Pat Hanson is the Foods and ProStart teacher at Woodbury Central. She started teaching in 1978-1979 because her of her mother who also worked as a family consumer science teacher. Because of this, Ms. Hansons grew up being really active in 4-H and later she decided to become the same as her mother.
Pat lives with her husband in the country between Moville and Climbing Hill and she has three daughters and two grand children. In her free time she likes to go boating, being in Okoboji, and baking.

She really enjoys eating seafood, especially King Crabs.

 

She really likes her Foods classes because the students learn about what good food choices are and how to cook different types of food. In her Foods class are about 20 students. In ProStart 1 are about 15 and in ProStart 2 are 5 students. The difference between ProStart and Foods is that the ProStart classes focus more of industry instead of home cooking.

 

Her Foods classes aren’t only about cooking; it includes many other factors and content areas, like health, consumerism, art, reading, math, science and social studies. The types of food the kids cook in her classes are dictated by state standards and benchmarks.

 

By: Celine Bendl


Foods

THREE FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS STANDING IN A WOODBURY CENTRAL HALLWAY RIGHT IN FRONT OF SOME LOCKERS

Marta Perez


Marta is a foreign exchange student from Madrid, Spain. She was born on January 5th and is 15 years old. She enjoys dancing, such as ballet. She got her inspiration from her mother, and has been dancing since she was three years old. Her favorite class in America is Biology, because she loves science. Her favorite movie is Burlesque, because it’s a musical and she loves the storyline. Her favorite food is Choco Flakes which you can only find in Spain.

However, iin America, her favorite food is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Her American host family is the Fixels, which include Amy, Marc, Eric, Tanner, Alora, and Isabelle. Marta’s favorite parts about America are the people and her experiences.





Pig Dissection
Cutline: Sophomore student Sidnie Graff holding a “pig book.”
Pig Dissection
Semester Test
26 May 2017
By Katelyn Champion
The sophomore biology students at Woodbury Central dissect pigs to see the
different body systems for their semester projects during the last few weeks of school.
When the students complete their dissection, they operate on “pig books” to
showcase what they learn about the pigs and the dissection. The students may
decorate their “pig books” with interactive designs and pictures.
The students dissect their pigs for approximately one week of school. They finish
their “pig books” the last week of school and present them to the class. Biology teacher,
Mrs. McElrath, grades the students on their group work and quality of their “pig books.”
“Here’s the thing, I love making the pig books,” explains student Sidnie Graff. “I
thought that dissecting the pig was a bit disgusting at first, but after I started, I really
enjoyed it. It taught us how the human body works because of how similar the pig and
human systems are.” The body systems the students observe in the dissection include:
musculo-skeletal, digestive, circulatory, respiratory, urinary, nervous, sensory, and
reproductive.
“From start to finish, the biology students did an amazing job on their semester
projects,” comments Mrs. McElrath. “It is always exciting for me to observe my students
using their minds in both a scientific and creative way.”





SA

Cutline: Freshman Shawn Archer, high school Student of the Week.
HS SOW
24 May 2017
By Katelyn Champion
Freshman Shawn Archer is Woodbury Central’s high school Student of the
Week. Mr. Lilly, a science teacher at WC, nominates Shawn because he “is always
positive, friendly, and nice.”
“Shawn works hard to maintain good grades, keeps a positive attitude, and is
always prepared.” Mr. Lilly comments.


           sw

 



Semester test

Middle school student of the week

By Jacob Wohlert

 

Mr. Galloway chose Charlie Polkinghorn, a Woodbury Central eighth grader, for Middle School Student of the Week. Mr. Galloway chose Charlie because he improved his grade throughout the school year and Charlie always did his assignments and always came to class with a good attitude. Mr. Galloway said, “Charlie is a great kid to have in class.I like his attitude and effort.”

 


sw

High school Student of the week

By Jacob Wohlert

 

Woodbury Central superintendent Mr. Glackin chose sophomore Emma Persons for Student of the Week; Emma is in his Pre-Calculus class and was the leader of her group's project that Mr. Glackin assigned in the final weeks of school. According to Mr. Glackin, Emma displayed a "full understanding of the concepts" in the project and "was able to transfer them to the rest of the class." Mr. Glackin adds, “Emma is a student, an athlete, and personable young lady. She truly enjoys learning and I truly enjoyed Emma’s contributions to my class and the school.”

 

cs



Simone and Lucrezia Castelli Foreign Exchange Student Interviews

By Zach Thomas

Lucrezia Castelli and Simone Zambrin, two of the three Italian exchange students that visited Woodbury Central this past year, both agree that America was all they expected because they had visited here before.

“I felt homesick most of the first part of the year,” says Lucrezia, “I got over it by talking with all my friends and host parents.” The thing Lucrezia misses most about her home country of Italy is her family, friends, and the food. Simone says he never felt homesick while in America because of all the friends he made; Moville felt like home to him.  

Lucrezia’s favorite part about coming to America was that she was excited to learn about what the people do here. “I wanted to know if it was like a movie I saw when I was younger,” she says. Simone’s favorite part about coming to America was that it was “a different environment and all the different opportunities in sports and everyday life,” he says.

One thing Simone misses about his home country of Italy is the food. His favorite Italian meal is spaghetti or any type of pasta. Lucrezia’s favorite food from her home country is pizza. Her favorite memory about America was when she, her host sister, and host mom went to Mall of America and rode a rollercoaster. Simone’s favorite memory of being in America was either playing basketball or the day he arrived.

When asked what one thing she would take back to Italy to remind her of her time here, Lucrezia said, “My dogs Sophie and Bear.” Simone says, “If I could take one thing back to Italy to remind me of my time here, it would be Moville, Iowa.”  

Lucrezia says she didn’t expect anything from America because she’d been here before. “I was excited about high school because I wanted to know if it was like the movies.” Simone explains that America was all he expected: “This is my third time in the States and even though I’ve been to both Coasts with my family, the Midwest was all I expected it to be,” he says.

“My life will probably change when I go back to Italy because I changed,” Lucrezia says. “Some of my friends didn’t talk to me all year and I finally figured out who my real friends are.” Through her time in America, Lucrezia says she’s learned to be more responsible. “I met some great people that made me understand what true friendship is,” she says. “I never thought I’d miss America and the people this much now that I’m leaving.” Simone says that once he returns to Italy, he will be more independent and be able to face problems alone after being away from his family. Simone says after visiting Iowa he can speak more fluent English, and it helped him grow up both physically and mentally.


 


i wonder what shes listening to

By Loryn Nettleton

 

            “With technology changing every industry, computing knowledge has become part of a well-rounded skill set,” says Woodbury Central TAG teacher Mrs. Lilly. Then she adds that "only 40% of schools teach computer programming," and unfortunately, only 8% of college graduates are in Computer Science. Statistics show that 71% of all new jobs in STEM are in computing.

            “Computer Science prepares students to be active and informed contributors to our increasingly technological society, whether they pursue careers in technology or not,” explains Mrs. Lilly. This year, Mrs. Lilly started a computer-programming course with the second W.C graders. Mrs. Lilly says, “Students learned to write computer code at a very basic level, with words that included ‘algorithm,’ ‘program,’ and ‘debugging.’” The activities included within this course help develop a common foundation upon which all students in the class can construct their understanding of Computer Science concepts.

 “Many of the activities in the course ask students to solve problems while writing code which really makes them have to think,” Mrs. Lilly states. Each student works at their own pace, and the program is laid out nicely.  This year, eight students completed Course 1, and received a certificate. These students were Avery Brown, Holden Koele, Ean Tschirren, Logan Phipps, John McFarland, Drake Knight, Annabell Martens, and Kadynce Lloyd.     


look its karsen
Mrs. Schultz English I “Student of the Week”

17 May 2017

By Brandon Stender

            Mrs. Schultz is ecstatic about choosing her entire English I class as a “Students of the Week” for their poetry book project. The project required an introductory page, and three poems by three authors with student interpretations of the poem's meanings. Students also interpreted one song (since they are poems), as well as write two original poems.

            The project ended a poetry unit in which students learned to interpret, explain the meaning, and justify his or her answer for the meaning of the poem. In addition, they included textual support from the poem, and identified and explained the figurative language and tone, along with the relationship of the title of the poem to the text.

            The students read High Flight and created a “web” – they taped string to their desk and threw a spool of string to someone to contribute to the conversation or to ask a question of the class. By the end of the class period, the spool of string had gone around to every student’s desk at least two or three times.

            “I absolutely loved to hear what they had to say as you could tell they thought deeply about the content. The substantive conversations they were having were at a new level and rarely did I have to ask questions to get them talking about the poem. Conversations like this teach students to be open to new ideas, to consider other’s perspectives, and to understand a peer’s line of thought.” Those words from Mrs. Schultz illustrate how her English I classes pushed the sky to the limits during class discussions about their poems.

            The students were very helpful to one another whenever sharing answers in class by adding onto what another student said. Their comments will carry them into high school. Mrs. Schultz chose her English I class as “Students of the Week” because “They took the concept and ran with it.”

             

   nurses aid
By Katelyn Champion

“The students are very lucky to have this course available because WC was the first high school in Iowa to offer the class," explains Laura Sailer, the school nurse who teaches a Nurse’s Aide class, a 75-hour course, through Western Iowa Tech Community College. "The class itself has been in place for about 25 years and runs two separate semesters each school year,” adds Mrs. Sailer. To teach the class, one must be a certified CNA instructor and have experience working in long-term care facilities.

Forty-five hours are in class, which includes theory and labs, while 30 hours make up clinical practice. Students must be at least 16 years old, be up to date on immunizations, and pass physical and background checks.

For clinicals, students work with a CNA at the Kingsley Specialty Care nursing home and practice with real residents the skills that they learn in class. “Clinicals give you experience about helping the elderly," comments junior Jake Dennison. "They really make you think.”

To complete the class, the students must pass both the clinical and classroom portions. The semester test for the class includes scenarios where the students must choose the right answer. After the students pass, they are eligible to test at WIT to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.


jacob

 

Cutline: Jacob Wohlert working on the mail truck.

By Kameron Paulsen

 

            In Mr. Miller’s Industrial Tech ll class at Woodbury Central, sophomores Jacob Wohlert and Kameron Paulsen are building a mail truck from the early 1900s; the project will last most of the semester.

            The truck is from the early 1900s, it has a 20-HP engine. It is all built from wood, and has a metal frame. The rims are built from wood and three-inch bicycle tires that go over them. It will fit two people in the front, and four in the back.

            “We plan on turning the project into the tech fair this year,” says Mr. Miller.

             “The hardest part of this project is the roof,” says Wohlert.

            Mr. Miller chose to do this project because he is fascinated on how it was made and the shape of the truck." When we are finished with the construction of the truck we will paint it blue, green, and black," Wohlert says." On the side of the truck we will also paint the Marine Corps symbol on the side because Mr. Miller served in the Corps." To complete this project, the boys must work together patiently as they problem-solve to fix mistakes and complete the math.           

            “It is important to the WC curriculum because it supports core courses through the application of hard work,” says Mr. Miller.


Casper Student of the Week

 

By Carter Crum

A Woodbury Central junior Casper Svan was chosen as Student of the Week by Mr. Miller in CAD 1 for his hardworking nature, perseverance in the face of doubt, patience, manners, and his tendency to help others.

When asked why he chose Casper, Mr. Miller says it is because “he comes to class with the attitude of getting business done. He doesn’t quit if he doesn’t know something, he is very patient and has good manners, and he’ll take the time to help those who need help.” Mr. Miller says Casper is “one of the hardest working students I have in class.” Kendall

Kendall Fouts reading her autobiography for Spanish 4.

 

By Katelyn Champion

 

            At Woodbury Central, seniors in Spanish 4 class presented autobiographies written in Spanish, a class taught by Mrs. Stratton. In their autobiographies, students wrote about how they act, their family and friends, their classes, what they like to do, and their future plans. They first wrote a rough draft and then proofread it. Then, they wrote a final draft and presented them to their classmates.

            Mrs. Stratton says, “The students benefit from this because they use Spanish vocabulary and grammar structure they have learned over the last four years.”

This project became a part of the curriculum because, Mrs. Stratton explains, “I follow the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning. This meets the following: communication and comparison. Students provide information in Spanish, understand written and spoken language, and demonstrate an understanding of the language through comparisons of the language studied and their own. “

            The project lasted about 4-5 class periods of writing, editing the rough drafts, and writing the final draft. The project ends with about 2-3 days of class presentations, all in Spanish. 

Shoe People The Soles4Souls shoe drive at Woodbury Central ended April 19. Mr. Baldwin’s OLWEUS group, who sponsored the drive, received approximately 400 pairs of shoes.
             The students of Mr. Baldwin’s OLWEUS group were excited to see the results of their shoe drive. Junior Casie Petersen said, “I think it was really amazing to see how the WC student body and community donated all the shoes to help people around the world.”
            On April 19, the group loaded the donated shoes into the pickup of Gary and Venita Wilcox of Rock Branch; the Wilcoxes delivered the shoes to Village Northwest Unlimited in Sheldon, IA.  Mr. Wilcox spoke of the project’s impact on people. “People all over the world gain from this, and I hope you did too,” he told the group.
            Village Northwest Unlimited is a program that assists adults with “intellectual and developmental disabilities” as well as people with “traumatic brain injuries.” The organization’s residents sorted the shoes to prepare them for shipment. From Sheldon, the shoes travelled to New Jersey where they were shipped around the world to people in need. Mr. Wilcox said that the program tries to send different types of shoes to where they are needed most.

Stratton

 

Spanish End of the Year wrap up Mrs. Stratton            

Cinco de Mayo, a one-day celebration held on May 5, signifies the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Pueblo in 1862. Woodbury Central's high school Spanish teacher Mrs. Stratton has celebrated this holiday for the past 11 years with videos and foods brought by the students. Students bring Mexican-type foods varying from chips and salsa, to bean-and-meat burritos. The celebration reinforces the curriculum because, Mrs. Stratton explains, “cultural understanding is an important part of learning foreign language students gain knowledge and understanding of another culture. Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the culture studied and their own.”

Also in May, Mrs. Stratton’s Spanish 4 classes create piñatas to connect them to the culture and community standards for foreign language learning. “It’s a fun way for seniors to end their four years of Spanish,” Mrs. S says of the 3-week project. In addition to learning about culture and community, piñatas help students learn patience, creative thinking and collaboration.

"We read about the history of the piñata, and we watch How to make Piñatas on YouTube. Students brainstorm with their group what they want to design. Many begin with balloons, some with cardboard. They paper mâché several layers during construction."

Once students finish their shape and it's sturdy, they prep strips of tissue paper to cover it. "The tissue paper takes a while because students cut into strips, fold over glue, and one side down then cut 'loops' to make 3D. When the tissue paper is ready, they glue them onto the piñata,” she explains. 

oceona

Ms. Logan High school Student of the Week Oceana Downs

3 May 2017

By Brandon Stender

 

            Oceana Downs, a Woodbury Central senior, was selected this week by Ms. Logan as “Student of the Week.” Oceana is Ms. Logan’s “School to Work” student. "I am blessed that Oceona chose me," says Ms. Logan with a smile. "She keeps me in line."

            Oceana is very helpful to Ms. Logan because, during her class period, she runs around the school printing off copies of assignments and notes for Ms. Logan; she also cleans out Ms. Logan’s folders and files her books. "The day that Oceona came to WC is a date that will live in infamy," adds Ms. Logan of the curly-headed brunette who transferred from West High School in Sioux City as a sophomore. "Outside of the school day at her work at Misty's, she keeps my father in line; she is a busy, personable and engaging young lady."

The purpose of the School-To-Work program is to promote an increased level of partnership between businesses and education. School-To-Work provides businesses with opportunities to develop a highly skilled workforce from within the area high school population. Students involved in the School-To-Work Program spend a portion of the day in school and a portion of the day on the worksite.

Caleb

Science Survey – Mrs. McElrath

April 26 2017


By Kameron Paulsen

At Woodbury Central, Mrs. McElrath teaches Science Survey and several other classes. For about a week, the eight juniors in this class worked in groups of 2-3 students to study the concepts of bridges for a couple of days before and then after creating their own bridges. “As a class, students planned the required dimensions for building a bridge out of Popsicle sticks,” Mrs. McElrath explains. Their goal was to build the bridge that held the most weight.

Prior to building their bridges, students researched a variety of bridges to plan their design, says Mrs. McElrath of the hands-on learning experience. Throughout the bridge-building activity, students researched terminology and structures to learn to strengthen their bridges. When completed, they presented their findings to the others.

Caleb Renteria, Tanner Ploen, and Jacob Brosamle built the strongest bridge; their bridge held up to 55 pounds of weight plates from the weight room.

Hanna

High School Student of the Week – Mrs. Clark

20 April 2017


By Kameron Paulsen

Mrs. Clark chooses Woodbury Central freshman Hanna Stratton as High School Student of the Week for her work in Geometry class.

“Hanna was the only student to get a 100% on the Geometry test,” Mrs. Clark explains. “Hanna is always working to understand the concepts and has high expectations for herself,” she adds.

Mrs. Clark praises Hanna. “Hanna is consistently working to achieve at a high level,” says Mrs. Clark. “She is conscientious, responsible, and a pleasure to have in class.” prom

Cutline: From left to right Seniors Maddie Crichton, Kennedy Krieg, Kaylynn Manker, Halle Gray, Matt Petersen, Austin Rapp, Anthony Gallagher, and Brent Bormann

 

Prom Spotlight

By Jordan Martin

 

             “The last Prom was a good one,” said Woodbury Central senior Matt Petersen who, with senior Halle Gray, was elected WC's 2017 Prom King and Queen, respectively. High school students had previously filled the Royal Court with Petersen and Gray, Brent Bormann, Anthony Gallagher, Austin Rapp, Kennedy Krieg, Kalynn Manker, and Maddie Crichton.

             “It was very surprising to me," stated Halle. "I didn’t really expect to win, but was happy when I did.” She continued, “For Matt to win King was nice too, because we have been friends for a very long time.”

            Approximately 136 students attended prom. Mr. Meister was the emcee at the Grand Promenade, and WC's Prom featured the unique theme “Lost in Wonderland” for this year’s dance. The junior class students decorated the school in the quirky style of the Lewis Carroll novel “Alice in Wonderland.”

            The décor featured a checker-printed floor; bright, popping colors such as red and purple adorned the gymnasiums and cafeteria. The scenery also included cutouts of the characters from the novel.

            WC's Prom was held from 7-11 pm April 1 at the school. Prior to the dance, students took pictures at the Moville Community Center. The Grand Promenade was at 6:30, and Sam Thomas catered the meal shortly thereafter.

            Sophomores Jade Davidson, Logan Hammond and John Hilpire, and freshmen Stephanie Havelicek, Logan Bartholomaus, and Megan Warren served a meal of salad, pasta, chicken, and green beans. For dessert, attendees chose between brownies and cheesecake. Jade, one of the servers, commented about her experience. “I’ve seen all the work that goes into putting Prom together and I’m glad I did it. It was a good experience for my first prom,” she said.

            Junior parents hosted the after-Prom. The students had options of canvas painting, dodge ball, a comedy show, obstacle courses, scrapbook activities, and bingo. After-Prom activities lasted from 12-4:30 A.M. At the end of After-Prom, Mrs. Stratton and her husband, Casey, served a breakfast of sausage gravy over biscuits to the remaining attendees before the students returned to their homes.

logan

kaylnn

dawson

General Business – Mr. Meister class

Pictures are of Logan Hammond, Dawson Peterson, and Kalynn Manker. The photos are taken from the video interviews of the students.

12 April 2017


By Kameron Paulsen

For Woodbury Central students to learn how to be successful at a job interview, they share mock job interviews with Mr. Meister during this month's General Business classes. “They practice and learn from their mistakes,” he says. “Then they test-interview with Mr. Glackin.”

This semester, approximately 19 WC juniors and seniors benefit from the multi-week activity, Mr. Meister says. "It will help me in the future because it will prepare me for what will come,” says sophomore Logan Hammond.

Students voted WC senior Kalynn Manker "Best Interview"; of this month's 19 interviews, she won by 1 point over the next best interviews. Seven people tied for second place. “I did not expect to get first,” she recalls. “I definitely stuttered on some of my answers, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought,” Kalynn recalls. “Mr. Glackin asked me a lot of different questions. Anything from why I was best for the job to what if I could pick to be any car, what would it be?”

Then Kalynn adds with a smile. “I learned that the best way to answer questions in an interview is to be honest, and yourself because that is what will make you stand out from others,” she explains. She adds that this mock interview teaches her the "proper way" to introduce herself as well as that it offers tips on "how to answer tricky questions.”

Mr. Glackin asked senior Dawson Peterson "three adjectives" to describe himself. "He also asked me what kind of car I would be if I could choose.” Dawson explains. “I learned to think quickly and logically on the spot. To be professional when I need to be,” he says, adding that it teaches him what it's "like in an interview environment.”

Sophomore Logan Hammond, says that Mr. Glackin “asked me how I was as a person, how I would react from certain things, and how I would improve myself,” Logan explains. “I learned to expect the unexpected; some questions might throw you off in a real job interview situation.”




Kelsey


Loryn Nettleton

 

Ms. Logan

Student of the Week: Kelsey Smith

19 April 2017

Woodbury Central high school teacher Ms. Reinders chooses senior Kelsey Smith as Student of the Week. “Kelsey is always willing to help when needed,” explains Ms. Reinders. Kelsey is the kind of person to “always goes the Extra Mile to understand material.”  In class, Kelsey “takes good notes, and shows up every day ready to rock,” says Ms. Reinders.

Kelsey enjoys learning; she is “great at participating after she’s done ‘farming’ on her phone.” Ms. Reinders describes Kelsey as a “great leader, and a great contributor to class discussion.” Kelsey is a member of the high school student council, and has been “fantastic in Social Problems.”    

nasa

Cutline: From left to right- Junior Kurt Countryman, sophomore Louisa Fickbohm, juniors Kaylie Coulter, Makenna Smith, and Anthony Baird at the beach in Galveston, Texas.

NASA Spotlight

By Jordan Martin

            Five Woodbury Central students travel to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas to participate in a competition with high school students from around the United States.

            Accompanied by WC science teacher Mr. Lilly, juniors Anthony Baird, Kaylie Coulter, Kurt Countryman and Makenna Smith, and sophomore Louisa Fickbohm ride a bus to Houston to participate in a competition at the Johnson Space Center. Prior to the competition, they stop in Galveston, Texas to enjoy a day at the beach.

            While at the competition, the students create a space settlement on Mercury to shelter 10,000 to 12,000 people. The students split into four “companies” of approximately 50 students, and from there, split into subdivisions. The subdivisions analyze every element needed to provide shelter for humans in space in the year 2087. Kurt's marketing group prepares information from his “company” to present to the judges of the competition; Louisa holds a similar role in her company. Kaylie's division researches the best materials to use in the settlements and analyzes “how much of that material to use, and how much the material will cost.” Kaylie also “helps design the robots on the settlement.” Makenna's group designs “electrical power generation and internal and external communication systems.” Anthony's group designs “systems that will generate, purify, and filter the air in the space settlement.”

            When not working on the projects, the students meet noteworthy people such as Norman Chafee, who worked on the Apollo program; Anita Gale, a space engineer who worked for NASA for over 40 years before retiring; Dr. Kathleen Vander Kaaden, a scientist who introduced the competitors to the planet Mercury; Jerry Ross, a former astronaut and author; and Dennis Paul, a Texas State Representative.

            While none of the WC students’ “companies” win the competition, some students  find that the time positively impacts their interest in science- related careers. Kurt states that the experience gives him “a deeper appreciation for those in science-related careers. It is amazing to see what goes into sending people and machines into space.” Kaylie echoes this and says, “There is so much work and thought that goes into these projects and not everyone can do it… excelling in a science career takes a lot of brainpower.” Makenna discovers an interest in engineering in the competition and adds, “It opened my eyes to a part of life that I hadn’t experienced before.” Anthony says, “I believe that completing this project brings confidence that the participants can succeed in science-based careers.” Louisa says that while she learns about the different components involved in space missions, she “wants to go into the medical field, so it doesn't really affect” her career path.

            Mr. Lilly believes that the NASA trip sometimes makes a positive impact on students’ interest in science-related fields. He explains, “If a student has an inclination for this type of scenario, it can positively impact their interests … However, some students learn that this isn’t what they are cut out for,” he continues. He states that he is grateful when a student finds out that they enjoy math and science on this trip.



Q&AQ&AQ&AQ&A

 





The question this week at Woodbury Central is tough and challenges students in their response. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what will you buy?

            Freshman Seth Mattioda’s (bottom left) answer is simple. He will buy a house, five dogs, a pool, and horses. He also will buy a small island and a doughnut. He says, “Don’t look for happiness where you lost it.”

            Sophomore Seth Stamm (bottom right) will have a nice house and a couple vehicles. He claims, “The land will have a pond so that I could go fishing with my friends whenever I want . I will also help out my friends if they need it.”

            Junior Ellie Gilles (top right) replies that she will buy cars and a new house. She claims, “I will also help my parents with the money.”

            Senior Jasmine Gold (top left) states that she will buy a house. She continues, “I will also buy out 'Hot Topic' because I love the store.” 







Marc

Artist of the Week Marc Eyer

By Gage Libke


Ms. Rollison, Woodbury Central’s vocal music instructor, chose senior Marc Eyer to be Artist of the Week because Marc earned the award for "Outstanding Vocal Soloist" at the Northeast Jazz Festival on March 27 in Norfolk, NE. She explains that 18 show choirs that competed that day, and "Marc received the only solo award given out that day." Ms. Rollison recalls that Woodbury Central "has only had one other student receive this award, and that was back in 2011.”

“Watching Marc grow both as an individual and as a vocalist these last few years has been pure joy," Ms. Rollison adds. "He has a true natural talent, and judges and audiences are captivated by him from the first note to the last. We will miss hearing him sing for us but I know we will hear him again some day, maybe even on the radio.”




kara funk

 

Student of the Week Kara Funk

By Gage Libke

 

            Mrs. Manker, Woodbury Central Resource Room teacher, chose Kara Funk as Student of the Week because “Kara is organized and works hard to be prepared for classes every day. She has a positive attitude toward school and her classes.”

            Mrs. Manker adds, “I really enjoy working with Kara. She studies hard and cares about her grades. I can always count on Kara to have a smile and be willing to help someone else.”


olweus

Cutline: L toR- Senior Tony Glackin, Junior Casie Petersen, and Senior Brent Bormann

Mr. Baldwin’s OLWEUS Group Spotlight

By Jordan Martin

 

Students in Mr. Baldwin’s OLWEUS group have reached out to Woodbury Central's student body for help with a project to benefit people around the world.

 Mr. Baldwin’s group will start a shoe drive in mid-April to collect shoes of “all types” and “any condition.” Junior Casie Petersen and seniors Tony Glackin and Brent Bormann are in charge of the shoe drive, and Casie speaks positively of the upcoming project. “Our group enjoys finding ways to help our community and we think it’s a great opportunity to help people who can’t afford shoes” she says. She explains that shoes that are deemed “unwearable” will be “used for parts.”

Mr. Baldwin’s group will send all donated shoes to Soles4Souls, a program sponsored by Village Northwest Unlimited in Sheldon, IA. Venita Wilcox from Rock Branch will deliver the donated shoes.

The OLWEUS program is a nation-wide program designed to prevent bullying in school. WC students meet every other week in small mentor-type groups to discuss current issues. During these meetings, the groups often form ideas for projects that will benefit people other than themselves.

Village Northwest Unlimited provides services and residencies for individuals with “intellectual and developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries.” Clients of Village Northwest Unlimited will sort the donated shoes and prepare them for shipment to others; the U.S., Guatemala, Uganda, Iraq, Thailand, and other countries receive shoes from Soles4Souls.

             

Pi


 

Cutline: Pi winner sophomore Sidnie Graff

By Katelyn Champion

 

            Sophomore Sidnie Graff was the winner of Woodbury Central's recent Pi contest.             Sponsored by Mrs. Clark, the Pi contest was held March 14, which is National Pi Day. A mathematical constant that is represented by 3.14, Pi is a continuous number that reportedly has no end. For the Pi contest, students memorize as many numbers of Pi as they can and then recite them. If they say a wrong number in the sequence, then they are disqualified.

            Participating this year in the Pi contest were seniors Dalton Christiansen and Kendall Fouts; junior Trevor Clark; sophomores Logan Hammond and Sidnie Graff; and freshman Hannah Stratton. “I was able to recite 89 numbers of Pi.” She explains. As the winner, she chose a bag of Double Bubble Gum as her prize. 





 Stender productions

HS SOW Stratton Spanish IV

By Jordan Martin

Woodbury Central Spanish teacher Mrs. Stratton nominates seniors Kelsey Smith and Halle Gray as Students of the Week in Spanish IV. Students in the class “are working together reading a book in Spanish,” Mrs. Stratton says. “They work every day during class time to read, write English summaries, and answer Spanish questions.”

She praises Kelsey’s and Halle’s work ethic and says that “both girls use class time effectively each day and work very well together.” Mrs. Stratton believes that Kelsey and Halle are “definitely finishing high school Spanish well!”Sweetheart Queen




Cutline: Candidates include: Hanna Stratton, Maddie Paulsen, Miah Manker, Emma Persons, Brooke Bauer, Loryn Nettleton, and Kalynn Manker. Not pictured Maddie Crichton.  



Loryn Nettleton

Ms. Logan

Sweetheart Winner

29 March 2017



    “I was very shocked, yet very happy at the same time," says sophomore Miah Manker after Woodbury Central students selected her as their Sweetheart at the end of an evening of music and dancing. "It was a great experience.”

    After a week’s weather delay, WC's Sweetheart Dance was held March 3 in the school commons. The dance was sponsored by WC's freshman class and, according to emcee Caleb Lubbers, "We made a little more than $300" for future class projects. Caleb was ably assisted at the dance by freshman Karsen Gray who crowned Miah as Sweetheart Queen. Senior Brandon Riebesell was in charge of the music throughout the dance,

    Previously, each high school student voted for two girls from their classes to be queen candidates; these candidates included seniors Maddie Crichton and Kalynn Manker; juniors Brooke Bauer and Loryn Nettleton; sophomores Miah Manker and Emma Persons; and freshmen Maddie Paulsen and Hanna Stratton.







 Oh look at Lil Corndog

Feature Story- Mrs. Schultz Class

22 March 2017

By Jacob Wohlert

 

Recently, the Woodbury Central students of Mrs. Schultz’s English class composed and illustrated a 30-40 page children’s book. The students’ target audience was WC's first and second graders. Mrs. Schultz set up the project so that several academic checkmarks within the process examined the structure and content of the books. For instance, students created their text on Google Docs and then shared their work with Mrs. Shultz to receive frequent feedback on plot and grammar.

When Mitchell Countryman was asked about the project, he said that it was a “good” one. The students benefit from this project as they applied their knowledge of literary elements along with grammatical structure to produce an entirely new original, creative piece of work; the students also shared their finished pieces of work with Mrs. Anderson’s second grade students. This sharing agreement promotes reading and writing across the grade levels, and allows for interaction between elementary and high school students.

According to Mrs. Schultz, the project is part of the curriculum by touching upon benchmarks in the ELA standards of reading and writing, speaking, and language. It also incorporates the 21 Century Skills of Technology and Creativity.

This project is introduced at the beginning of the second semester, and the students worked on the project parallel to a grammar unit. The final text was due Feb 3 and the final product with illustrations was due Feb 17. They partner-read with Mrs. Anderson’s-class in late February.

Pie Day

 

By Zach Thomas

“It’s March 14,” just another day for you, but for us here at Woodbury Central, it’s Pi Day. Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. To celebrate Pi Day, Mrs. Hanson and her high school Foods II classes made pies. Not just any regular cherry or apple pies, but the students made banana cream and chocolate pudding pies. Students also made homemade crusts: for the banana cream pie, they used vanilla wafers, and used chocolate graham crackers for the chocolate pie. Sophomore Garrett Arment said, “I love Foods class because we always cook and it’s delicious.”

Only three days later was St. Patrick’s Day and the class made green pies. One group made a mint chocolate chip pie, while another group made a quiche, a spinach and egg pie. MattMaddieHunterCarley Q and A at Woodbury Central, –

What’s your most prized possession and why?

By Jacob Wohlert

Maddie Paulsen, freshman: “my camera, it has all my favorite memories.”

Hunter Doucette, sophomore: “my truck. It gets me home and I like to get wild with it.”

Carley Meister, junior: “My family. They are always there for me and always look out for me.”

Matt Peterson, senior: “I like to watch television.”


ACT


Pre-Act test, Sophomores

 

By: Gage Libke

Woodbury Central guidance counselor Mrs. Walker recently took WC's sophomore class across the street to the Trinity Lutheran Church to take the Pre-ACT test.

Students took this pre-ACT test to expose them to “the length and questions that would be on the test," she explains. "Even for those students that won’t take the ACT for college readiness, it might eventually help them earn a placement for a career program or internship.”

As a new activity, the students took the test at the church rather than at the school. "We decided to take it off campus to show what students what it would be like taking test elsewhere,” Mrs. Walker states, adding that the school certainly appreciates the church's assistance. This year the sophomores took the pre-ACT test rather than the test of previous years, particularly because the other test was much longer. The pre- ACT test takes the students out of the classroom only one morning.

 

 Y dat girl look fishy tho

Iowa Central Career Connections

By Gage Libke

Woodbury Central junior Trevor Clark recently learned that being a cop “could be stressful, but it’s okay. I also learned that they don’t use regular guns, but they have special ones.” On March 2, Mr. Miller, Mrs. Hanson, Trevor and approximately 35 more students from WC's Industrial Tech classes, Foods classes, and Business classes traveled to Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge for a Career Visit Day. These classes are for the school's Career and Technical Education, a term applied to programs that specialize in the skilled trades, applied sciences and modern technologies. Trevor, who participated in presentations for “Criminal Justice" and "Auto Restoration" decided that "the presentations were cool; I enjoyed them.” He adds, “In Criminal Justice, the cop shared stories of when he was on duty, and we got to shoot guns.”

According to the school’s website, “Iowa Central Career Connections is a work-based learning program designed to prepare students be successful … by connecting them to local businesses to explore an assortment of fulfilling career options through work-based learning."

In Auto Restoration, the students saw "paint jobs" on cars. “It was pretty cool,” Trevor recalls. “In Auto Restoration, I learned what they used and how they did it.”

This statewide program pairs educators with businesses to help students understand careers and attain skills so they may make appropriate post-secondary decisions.

English IIIEnglish IIIEnglish III


English III Spotlight

By Jordan Martin

Students in Woodbury Central’s English III class recently chose classic novels from their teacher's list to read and study.

Ms. Logan, the teacher of the class, includes novels such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury in her list of options for the students. She says, “A novel is worth reading and teaching if it is a classic which continues to be relevant to today’s students, and contains a universal theme which can be integrated into at least one other curriculum area.” She explains that she chooses novels that she believes will interest students or encourage them consider social issues and concerns. In her choices, she takes into account student abilities, the Iowa State Core standards, and her own curriculum objectives. The novels feature a variety of cultures and communities. Because the vocabularies within the story differ, Ms. Logan helps students use context clues.

Ms. Logan likes the novels on the list because books such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “The Chosen” by Chaim Potok are set in the time of major historical events. She selects “Hedda Gabler” by Henrik Ibsen and “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry because they comment on deep-rooted issues in society, while including “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes because these novels focus on a theme of “Man’s Inhumanity to Man.” Ms. Logan says with a smile that the students particularly enjoy “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie because “it is a mystery.”

As part of the project, students discuss their stories with other students reading the same story to “analyze events, clarify details, make predictions, and evaluate the book and the author.” Ms. Logan also helps the students with the comprehension of the story and, if asked, offers them her interpretation of the stories’ events and themes.

The students’ final project is to present their “reading experiences” to the class. Loryn Nettleton, a student involved in the project, says that she benefits from it because it shows her how to present information in front of the class, and gives the other students ideas of books they would like to read next. 



Blake

High school Student of the Week Blake Stratton

9 March 2017

By Brandon Stender


Blake Stratton, a junior at Woodbury Central, was selected by Mrs. Wurth to be this week’s high school “Student of the Week.” Mrs. Wurth became director of the school's instrumental music program last year and hasn’t looked back, having lots of success.

Mrs. Wurth says that she chose Blake because he “works hard to better himself every day. I can count on him whenever I need help. He knows who he is and stands up for it. He’s an outstanding band member, musician, student, and person.” She adds that Blake is not only well known for being a musician but also helping around the community.

When Blake heard that Mrs. Wurth selected him for “Student of the Week,” he said, “I enjoy being a part of the band. We always have fun and joke around, but we also work hard, and get things done.”




Simone

Cutline: Senior foreign exchange student Simone Zambrin searches for an equation.

HS Spotlight Calculus

By Zach Thomas


Mrs. Clark’s eleven Calculus students created a project to determine “How volume-optimized are the cans at the grocery store?” Optimization is a common application of derivatives in calculus, she explains. The students were to find the surface area of each can, and use the limit of its surface area to discover if it has the maximum volume possible given the amount of metal used. Each group presents its conclusions.

The students benefit by learning real-life application of derivatives in calculus, she adds. “The project ties into curriculum by using derivatives and integrals,” says Mrs. Clark. The project is a summation of a unit on application of derivatives. “It has wonderful connections to geometry, algebra, and business,” responds Mrs. Clark. When asked about the project, senior Ben Burbach said, “It was fun because we got to go to the grocery store.”

The project lasts four class days, one of which includes a field trip to the Moville grocery store to take measurements. Then students were given three more days to finish their calculations and create their presentations. The presentations are posted in the hallway outside Mrs. Clark’s room.  


Karsen GraySidney SteffenJacey Gray

Who has been the most influential person in your life and why? This is the question that four students from Woodbury Central answered this week.

Freshman Karsen Gray’s most influential person is his grandma, Bonnie. Karsen chose her because she pushes him to work harder in everything he does. She always has fun activities for her family to participate in. Karsen comments, “She’s definitely my favorite.”

Sophomore Sidney Steffen’s most influential person is her grandpa, Ronni Christopherson. Even though Mr. Christopherson has retired, he is still working for Woodbury Central and surrounding schools. He is very well known in our area, and at Woodbury Central. He is also one of the most hardworking people around. Sidney explains, “As everyone in my family says, ‘He definitely failed retirement.’”

Junior Jake Dennison’s most influential person is Laura Sailer. Mrs. Sailer is "always nice" and "in a good mood." She is very positive when she is teaching the Nurse Aide class at Woodbury Central. Jake explains, “She is one of the best teachers around.”

Senior Jacey Gray’s most influential person is her mom; Jacey’s mom teaches her that life can be hard, but there is also good. She pushes Jacey to work harder for what she wants, and encourages Jacey to do her best. Jacey says, “I wouldn’t trade her for anything else in this world.”



 

 


Q and A – If you could
travel anywhere in the world where would you go first?

By Kameron Paulsen

Ryan Putze, freshman at Woodbury Central, “I want travel to Australia and New Zealand. They are supposed to be really nice. I want to see the difference between Australia and New Zealand, and the Midwest.”

Ryan Bormann, sophomore. “I want to travel Australia. I would like to travel there because I want to explore the Outback.”

Noah Muckey, junior. “I want to travel to upper Oregon. I like seeing nature and think it is really cool to see.”

Dakota Custer, senior. “I want to travel to Canada. I’m curious and would like to visit a place with lots of nature.”