Sandy Hook Elementary
By: Matt Knudsen
December 14, 2012, is another day
that we will always remember. It is the day that many little innocent children
and teachers lost their lives. Sandy Hook Elementary will never be the same
because of it. The children who witnessed this massacre have had their
innocence stripped away from them.
Central City is supporting their
school by participating in the "Winter Wonderland" idea. This idea is
where you make a snowflake and send it to the school. Central City also has
ribbons of the school colors all over town. As a town we give our condolences
to the families of the lost souls of Sandy Hook Elementary.
Sandy
Hook staff and students are moving to a new school, so the remaining teachers
and children can have an easier time. They are all looking forward to getting
back to normal schedule.
Image Citation: http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/HT_patch_sandy_hook_school_kb_121214_wg.jpg
Top Dogs
By: Katie Sackett
On
Saturday, December 15, there was an archery shoot in Eddyville, Iowa. A few
members from Wildcat Archery decided to go. They didn’t have enough members for
a team, so they shot as individuals. There were three high school students who
shot: Kyra Ellis (freshman), Drew Mollenhauer (freshman), and Katie Sackett
(junior). Kyra has been in archery for 6 years. Drew has been involved in
archery for 5 years, and I have been in archery for 4 years. We all are in a
group together that is called JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Division). That day
Kyra received second place in the high school female division. She shot 275 out
of 300. Drew shot for the high school male division and got second place with
287 out of 300. I received third place in the high school female division shooting
a 273 out of 300. Great shooting guys!
All
three of us feel there was some things that we didn’t do right that day, but it
was a great day of shooting. Drew
said, “It was out first tournament of the 2012-2013 season so we were nervous,
it was very hot in there, and we were all crowded.” “I felt my form wasn’t the
best,” replied Kyra.
Image: Katie Sackett, Kyra Ellis, and
Drew Mollenhauer
New Semester at Central City
By: John Langer
The
students at Central City have started another semester of high school. Their
first semester of the 2012-2013 school year ended on January 10th,
and the new semester started on January 14th. Students and staff are just
getting comfortable with their new schedules.
The
students of Central City High Schools were asked what their goals are for the
new semester and do they feel the new semester will be difficult. Many of them
have the goal to get better grades and there was even a new year's resolution
of no procrastinating.
Each
semester the Central City students strive to do better. After every schedule
change there are sometimes tough times, however, the students push through and
sometimes find it easier than the previous semester and hope the transition to
their new classes is smooth.
A
caution to parents, new semesters may bring stress. If you find that your child
is tired a lot, irritable, frustrated, these may be linked to stressing over
studies. Watch out for stressing over studies, it could lead to lower grades.
Image- School items
for new semester
Ms. Zach’s December Student of the Month: Brandon Rollinger
Brandon Rollinger is a respectful and responsible eighth grade
student who uses his class time well. He has a sense of humor that his
classmates and teachers can appreciate. He is also a talented illustrator. In
addition to his academic efforts, Brandon is a member of student council who
volunteers for a variety of community service events. Congratulations Brandon!
Ms. Delaney’s December Student of the Month: Sarah High
Sarah High is a dedicated and helpful eighth grade student. She does an excellent job of staying
focused and using her class time wisely.
She is consistently prepared and participates in all activities
well. When other students need
help or when there are volunteer opportunities, Sarah never fails to step up to
help out. Congratulations Sarah!
Prom Soup Supper Fundraiser
By: Katie Sackett
On
December 11, the junior class had a prom soup supper fundraiser. The turnout
was excellent. They had approximately 90-100 people there. It was held in the
commons from
4pm to 7pm. They wanted to raise $300
in this fundraiser and they went above and beyond and made $315.92. They had
chili, chicken noodle soup, broccoli cheddar soup, cookies, pies, brownies, and
lemonade.
The
junior class is hoping to have a pancake supper sometime in February or March
to raise the rest of the money. They are hoping to raise a total of $500. Please
come out and show your support!Senioritis
By: John Langer
Being
a senior in high schools is a great feeling. It comes with a sense of power and
freedom. Knowing that it is the last year of your high school career can be
very exciting for some and annoying to others.
Being excited to leave or just annoyed
can lead to something called senioritis. This is a condition in which seniors
in high school begin to take their studies less seriously, where students
sometimes fail to do assignments, procrastinate, or perhaps pay less attention
more than their previous years of schooling.
Senioritis
can happen anywhere, even here at Central City High School. Some of the class
of 2013 has confessed to feeling of senioritis. They were asked if they thought
senioritis was a physiological issue or an actual disorder.
Two thirds of the seniors who answer
believed that they had senioritis, however, all of them thought senioritis is
purely physiological. Many of Central City's seniors think senioritis is just
an excuse to be lazy and occurs because they have been in school for 12 years
and can't wait to get out and experience something else.
Winter
Weather Advice
By:
Jeff McGovern
Now that winter is
right around the corner, I thought I would throw out some winter advice. First
thing first, dress for the weather! It will be cold, so I would go out and pick
up some coats, sweatshirts, wool socks, snow boots, maybe even some under
armor.
Second, If you
have a fireplace, I would get going on cutting some wood while it's not
freezing. This it will make your experience a lot easier.
Third, I'd like to suggest some car
advice. Make sure you have a scraper for ice on the windows. I would also go
out and fill up all your tires with a little more air than usual, and make sure
your good tires are on the back. I
would also put some extra hats, gloves, blankets and a coat in the trunk in
case you go in the ditch or something happens while you are driving. I would
put a chain or a rope in the trunk as well so that way you have something to
pull you out of the ditch.
Happy Holidays! Stay safe and warm!
FFA
By: Adam Krog
On October 23-26, over 50,000 FFA members from
all 50 states and multiple US territories filled the streets of Indianapolis
with blue and gold. Austin Himes, Luke Kramer, Gabby Appelhans, Mikayla Hartl, and
Kyra Ellis represented the Central City Chapter. They spent time at The National
Agricultural Career Show visiting the booths of many colleges, universities and
agriculture businesses.
At Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, the students from
our chapter attended several sessions. They were able to listen to keynote
addresses from Olympian, Scott Hamilton, and Dr. Lowell Catlett of New Mexico
State University. Students also toured the National FFA Center and Archives in
Indianapolis.
On the way home the chapter stopped at the
largest dairy in the United States, Fair Oak Farms, in Fair Oaks, Indiana. This
will be the last time the Convention is held in Indianapolis for a while. Next
fall students will be making the trip to Louisville, KY.
Student of the Month: November
By: Matt Knudsen
Ms.
Delaney's student of the month for November was James Christianson, who is in
eighth grade.
James was our November student of the month because
he is a very dedicated student. James always comes to class prepared and
with a good attitude. He brings a light-hearted attitude to all
activities and never hesitates to volunteer or do something. James
constantly works on being the best student he can be and works hard on all of
his assignments without cutting corners. James is
also constantly coming up with new ideas and fun projects to try.
He helps keep the class fun and focused for all.
Ms.
Zach's student of the month for November was Samantha Uhlenkamp, who is in
eighth grade. Samantha is a motivated student who always strives to do her
best. She takes advantage of the opportunity to complete extra credit
assignments and isn't afraid to ask questions to clarify her understanding in
class or after school. She is a kind and helpful young lady with a positive
attitude. As an avid reader, Samantha has set a goal to read as many books on
the Iowa Teen Award list as she can. Congratulations Samantha!
Student of the Month: October
By: Matt Knudsen
Ms.
Delaney's student of the month is Kamryn Smith, who is in the eighth grade. Kamryn
was our October student of the month because she is a great student.
Kamryn continually pays attention in class and is always focused on
learning. She volunteers answers, helps other people, and is very
organized with her materials. Kamryn also has one of the best attitudes.
She never complains, she never whines, and she is constantly polite to
her peers.
Ms.
Zach's student of the month is Kyle Oberhauser, who is in the eighth grade. Kyle is
a hard-working student who maintains a positive attitude in the face
of adversity. He often comes in during study hall or after school to extend
his learning. Kyle has been working to implement new technology and participate
more in class. Kyle is very respectful and kind to his
classmates and teachers. Congrats Kyle!
Star Wars, the Disney Chapter
By: Alison Hickey
On October 31, 2012,
Disney bought the rights for the Star Wars Trilogy for 4.01 billion dollars. "I'm
doing this so that the films will have a longer life." Lucas, the
68-year-old creator of the series and sole owner of Lucasfilm, said in an
interview posted on YouTube. "I get to be a fan now. It’s a lot more fun
actually, than having to go out into the mud and snow," said Lucas. Disney
CEO Bob Iger said Lucasfilm had already developed an extensive story line on
the next trilogy, and Episode 7 was now in early-stage development. This has
been a topic of discussion for over a year now, but didn't truly get considered
until Lucas set his retirement in motion.
Get-a-Grip
By: Matt Knudsen
Get-a-Grip is a student advocate group for helping students
make good choices. Their goal is
to help students stay away from alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and prescription
drugs. The group meets every third Thursday of each month.
There is a parent group called, the Rail Coalition (RC),
that meets once every fourth Thursday at Central City. Other schools that participate
in this group include: Alburnett, Center Point, North Linn, Springville, Lisbon
and Mt. Vernon.
The group sponsors functions like the Great American Smoke Out,
parades, the group attends conferences, they've had dances, like the Bridge Dance
that was held a few years ago.
Anyone is welcome to join. We encourage students to be
strong leaders and to make good choices at school and at home. If you have any
questions or want to join contact LouAnn Phillips at the school.
Kirkwood Student Observer: Sam Beck
By: Katie Sackett
We have a new face roaming the halls here
at Central City High School. She’s here every Tuesday and Thursday. She grew up
in Cedar Rapids and has lived in Central City for three years. She has 6
brothers. She is a twin to one of her brothers. She says her and her brother
look nothing alike.
Sam
is doing a field experience in the special education room for Kirkwood. When
asked what Sam wanted to do after college she said, “I want to be a special education
teacher after college.” Sam helps the kids out by helping them understand their
homework and classwork. She tries to have them use as much knowledge as they
can.
Movie Review: Paranormal Activity 4
By: Matt Knudsen
Paranormal
Activity 4 is the fourth movie in the Paranormal Activity series.
Its genre is American supernatural horror film. The movie's directors are Ariel
Schumlman and Henry Joost. The movies writer is Zach Estrin.
This
movie is about a family that lives in a nice neighborhood that is nice but
boring. The Nelson family is the focus of the movie. The Nelson family consists
of Doug, the dad, Holly the mother, Wyatt the youngest sibling, and Alex, the
oldest sibling and the main character.
Robbie
is a little boy who lives across the street, with his single mother, from the
Nelsons'. One night Robbie's mother goes to the hospital for unknown reasons.
Holly Nelson talks to Robbie's mother.
The two decide that the Nelsons' can take care of Robbie until his
mother is better. This is where things start getting eerie, and the problems
for the Nelsons' start.
In
contrast to the first few movies where actual cameras were used to capture the
events, the directors used everyday items that have cameras built into them.
They used Mac book laptop cameras that were always recording. They also used an
Iphone camera. However, there was one normal camera that was used. It was able
to pick up the infrared dots created by the Xbox Connect. I thought this was
very clever of the writer, and director.
Personally,
I thought that this movie was not as good as it may seem on the trailers. However,
I have a different take on horror films than most people. I would recommend
seeing it if you liked the other three Paranormal Activities. If not, I would
not recommend this one. The ending was the best part of this movie. The rest
was interesting and left the viewer wanting to know what was coming, but for me
it was just not that scary.
Waltonian Olympic Games
By: Tom Alatalo
Katie Sackett, a junior at Central City High School, was awarded a
2nd place medal in Junior Olympics Archery Competition on September 15th, in
Waltonian, Iowa. Katie shot a 236 out of a 300. The competition was an outdoor
tournament, which made it more difficult. Excellent work Katie!
World Archery Competition
By: Katie Sackett
The
week of October 4th - 6th was the World Archery Competition in Orlando, Florida.
There were thousands of kids competing. One familiar face there was, Kyra
Ellis. She is a freshman at Central City Community Schools. Kyra did an
outstanding job when she was down there, she got 9th place of 160 girls in her
division of the competition, and 5th place in her grade. Her overall score was
287 out of 300. When asked what her favorite thing about that competition and
Florida, Kyra's response was, " It was cool getting to go down to Florida.
There was a bunch of people from different countries I got to meet.” She's been
in archery for 6 years. She has also been on a junior Olympic archery team for
three years. Excellent job Kyra!
Archery
involves many different things and talents. Kyra is in National Archery in the
Schools Program (NASP). The Program she is in is through the school. She has to
have a special bow. It is a Genesis bow. Each kids’ bow is the same brand. She
also has to have special arrows. They are called Easton Genesis arrows. They
are 30 inches long. Each shooter can have a choice of gold or blue arrows. It
is an option to have an arm guard, finger tab, glove, a sling, and an eye
patch. When Kyra shoots in NASP, she cannot have a bow that has any sights or
releases. Kyra has to have a lot of talent to shot a bow without any sights or
releases.
In
archery, competitors can earn up to 300 points. There are 6 rounds of shooting at
10 meters, plus one practice round. Then there are another three rounds at 15
meters, plus one practice round. The target has designated spots on it that are
a point each. In the middle, there is a place for 10 points, then 9 points, 8
points, 7 points, 6 points, 5 points, 4 points, 3 points, 2 points, 1 point, and
no points. Each round the competitors shoot 5 arrows. If they shoot a 10-point,
each arrow will earn 300 points.
Student of the
Month
By: Jeff McGovern
The student of the month award was given to two students this month. Ms.
Delaney and Ms. Zach both select one student from their classes. They choose
the student based on how much they feel the student has grown (regarding their
academics and/or their character) during the month. The student of the month
selects a treat of their choice for the entire class to share. The student is
also awarded five extra credit points.
Ms. Delaney's student of the month was 8th grader, Dylan Bogard. Ms. Delaney
said Dylan, “Reads independently, helped others, was very respectful, took
initiative during class, and applies himself academically.”
Ms. Zach's student of the month was Josie Harkness. Josie is a seventh grade
student who demonstrates the skills needed for academic success on a daily
basis. She takes responsibility for missing work if she has to be gone during
class. She is actively engaged and participates regularly. Josie asks questions
for clarifications as well. To top it all off, she has a positive attitude and
treats her teachers and classmates with kindness and respect.
Congratulations to both students! Keep up the good work!
Team Walk This Way: Especially For You
Race
By: Candice Mullnix
On
October 7, 2012, a group of staff members from Central City Community School
District participated in Mercy’s Especially For You Breast Cancer Race. It is
the 22nd annual race for the Cedar Rapids area. This year the race
had more than 15,000 participants.
The
race is about honoring those who have had or have breast cancer and those who
have lost their life or those who are survivors of breast cancer.
Laura
Batcheler, the elementary secretary, has participated in the race since the beginning
to honor her mother and for her friends in the community who have been
diagnosed with breast cancer. Erin Marshall, the high school math teacher, also
participated because her grandmother and mother have been impacted by cancer
and knows it’s a worthy cause. “The number of people who were there for the
race was pretty impressive and was pretty awesome.”
Kathy Wells, the special education teacher,
also supported the cause because cancer runs in her family. She says, “Seeing
the support other groups give to members of their family, friends, co-workers
who have had breast cancer and may or may not be a survivor was the most
memorable part of the experience.”
Cindy
McCarthy, the computer/business teacher, said, “It was an opportunity to
support a good cause. This was the first time I had run the 5k run/walk and it ended
up being my best time of the year so far. Also, it was fun doing this with my
colleagues from CC!!”
Cody
Ratliff, the physical education teacher, supports the cause because the
proceeds go to a local charity. He also commented on the competition portion of
the race. He enjoys the satisfaction of completing a long race, competing with
friends, and watching them be successful.
Laury
Whithan, the district secretary, said, “I have always wanted to run a 5K. Getting
together with good friends for a good cause, it doesn't get any better than
that! The most memorable part was seeing all the people that turned out
to support breast cancer awareness.”
Buffy
Campbell, the special needs facilitator, said it best, “Like most
people, all of us have been touched by breast cancer. The names change, but it
is always a close friend or relative. Some were fortunate and early detection
prevented a more extensive situation, some were not - and lost not one, but
both breasts, and for some - life. The bottom line is that we still live in a
society where not all women have access to medical care for financial reasons,
and they are doubly at risk. If walking three miles and paying twenty-five
dollars helps even one person, we have moved ahead more than the miles we
walked.”
It
was an honor to be part of the team. Next year, we would like to have more
members, so come join us. If you’re interested in joining the team next year,
please contact Candice Mullnix at cmullnix@central-city.k12.ia.us or
319-438-6181 ext: 5526.
**Picture
Caption: Top Row (left to right): Cindy McCarthy, Kathy Wells, Buffy Campbell,
Barb Dudley, Laura Batcheler, and Candice Mullnix
Bottom Row (left
to right): Aaron Klein, Erin Marshall, Katie Delaney
Other members of
the team (not in the picture): Laury Whitham, Matt Weiss, Cheryl Hagerman, and
Cody Ratliff.
Central City School Robotic and Science
Grants
By:
John Langer
On
September 28, 2012, Central City Schools received three grants from Stem
Scale-Up Program. The grants gave $10,000 to Central City Schools to help
provide technology programs for elementary, middle school, and high school
students. Three Central City teachers made these grants possible: Courtney
Bortle, Alyssa Calhoun, and Nicole Litterer. Together, they submitted these
grants; two first tech challenges (FTC's) for the high school robotics team,
The First Lego League (FLL) for middle school robotics, and Engineering is
Elementary for all upper elementary students.
Only
one FTC was accepted; however, it will be able to fund high school robotics for
another season. The FLL will be able to create three teams with 28 students for
the middle school. The Engineering Elementary will get 20 upper-elementary
students to experiment and engage with scientific projects.
A big thanks goes out to Bortle,
Calhoun, and Litterer for submitting all of the tedious paperwork that is
involved for all these grants. Each season they submit the FTC. Keep up the
good work ladies!
Photo Caption (left to right): Courtney Bortle,
Nicole Litterer, and Alyssa Calhoun
Greenhouse Update
By: Matt Knudsen
How is Central City's greenhouse (that was started last
year and finished before summer) coming along? "It is going very
well," said Rob Pangburn, Central City's Agricultural teacher and FFA
advisor.
The greenhouse is on its second round of newly grown
plants. The greenhouse students are growing tomatoes, peppers, lettuce,
strawberries and melons. This year the greenhouse will have a new hydroponic
system that is going to grow lettuce. A hydroponic system is a water and
nutrient based system that the plants take up through the roots. The students
are getting the aquaculture system all set up and read for prawn, which is a
small shrimp-crawdad specimen. Soon there is also going to be an aero-ponic
system, which will be growing strawberries.
So far the greenhouse class is growing vegetables for the
school, and later in the year there will be prawn for the school. The school
pays for the vegetables and fruits that come out of the greenhouse, so the food
can be used for school lunches. This is cheaper for the school and allows the
students to have healthy fresh food options.
The class works hard each day to make sure that all the
plants are watered and grow properly so they can be harvested as soon as
possible. The vegetables and fruits are usually sold also at the farmer’s
markets held in Central City.
**Picture caption: The view
of the greenhouse when walking in the front entrance.
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