Other schools ahead of MHS in renovation

by Rachel Ranfeld and Natalie Kirton

Continuing from last week’s story about the lowered cost of the school bond issue, Montezuma students agree that we need improvements throughout the school building. “Something needs to be done,” says 7^th grader Christian Schmitz. 

Students stressed the bad conditions of the ceiling, the flooring, the walls and especially the bathrooms.

As you can see from the chart at right, Montezuma has not had any large building renovations since 1989 whereas the nearby schools have all had renovations in this century. 

Obviously, we need the update to keep up with the rising competition and the ongoing demands of better facilities and newer technology.

If you were a family moving into the area, would you choose to send your child to a school that has a new, fresh and professional learning atmosphere or one that looks like it has not been updated for the last 20 years?

Every other school in the area has required the use of a school bond issue within the last dozen years for improvements, such as constructing new rooms.  

The price range of those projects fall between $4 and $14 million of which our $8.5 million asking amount is a little less than the median.

Bates sets a large cast for his third spring production

Alexis Ferguson reads the script during tryouts for the spring play, "Murder in the Knife Room," while Brittany Bryan, Shena Bryan and Aly James wait to recite their lines. Performances are March 25 and 26.

by Jered Engelking

“I suppose you’re all wondering why I gathered you here tonight in the Knife Room,” Mysterious Host said...

With March comes the  spring play production of “Murder in the Knife Room,” a comedic spin on the classic-who-done-it production of “Clue.” 

Tryouts were held on Feb. 21 and 22 and,  unlike most plays, this one does not have a main character or two. It has 22 main parts with 18 reenactment actors.

The play was written by Jonathan Rand and will be directed by Derek Bates.

Bates has directed three high school plays, “Daddy’s Girl,” his first one, “Into the Woods,” his second, and now, “Murder in the Knife Room.” 

Bates is a 2004 graduate of Montezuma high school and now currently a high school English teacher. He also was in a play each year of his high school career. 

Production nights are Friday, March 25 and Saturday, March 26.

“Patience! Patience! In due course all will be revealed. Rest assured, however, that the reason involves… a mystery! (Thunder) Intrigue! (Thunder) And apparently thunder. (Thunder),” said Mysterious Host.                                                                

Cast members are: Olivia Tribby, Nathan Wheeler, Calli Zimmerman,Katurah McKee, Kendra Cranston, Niall Lyons, Brynna Steele, Zach Gibson, Natalie Wheeler, Shena Bryan, Norman Martin, Alyssa Lyddon, Macy Taylor, Aly James, Lex Jack, Alex Peck, Alexis Ferguson, Matt Armstrong, Cassie Corbin, Conner Johnston, Jered Engelking, Tyler Foubert, Brittany Bryan, Emily Long, Breanna Johnson, Bridgette Moore, Garrett VanMaanen, Carly Steele, Arly LeBahn, Cheyenne Klos, Mariah Hirsch, Kaylee White, Colleen Johnston, Becky Kopp, Lizzie Jones,  Robby Sutfin, Dayton Pringle, Shane Lyons,  Stephen Vavroch and  Konner Johnson.

On Friday night, March 25. Carrie Stockman and Spanish students will host a fajita dinner in the junior high gym for community members. 

The menu will be a main dish of chicken/beef fajita, a side dish of rice and beans, and dessert of flan and arroz con leche with a drink of choice. 

For reservations, call 641-623-5121 or cstockman@montezuma.k12.ia.us for emails.

Pi Day is creeping up on us

by Andrea Farrington

Pi Day is nearing and students are rushing to finish their projects for the Pi Math Fair. 

On Monday, March 14 the school will run a 2:30 p.m. dismissal. Everyone is welcome to participate in the Pi Day Run/Walk and the Pi reciting contest.

Schedule: 

2:30- 7-12 participants will be dismissed to the HS Gym

2:30-3:15- Elementary students walk through and view math fair projects

3:30- School dismissed

3:45- Pi Day Run/Walk on the HS track

5:00-7:00- Math fair begins for community members; Silent auction for community donated pies

6:28- Pi reciting contest

7:00- End of Pi day

Hard work pays off for JV Braves

by Bryan Stanford

The Montezuma JV Braves finished their season strong with a 54-41 victory against the BGM Bears Feb. 11. 

“Our game against BGM was a great way to end the year, seeing our guys being unselfish and have fun with each other,” Coach Dale DeJong commented.

Offensively, the JV squad jumped out to an aggressive start, finishing the first quarter with a 19-10 lead. 

The leading scorers for the Braves were Zach Gibson with 16 points and Dillon Wilhelm with 13. Kane Barker also contributed 10 points for the JV squad.

Defensively, the Braves were able to hold the Bears to 18 points in the first half and 23 in the second, diminishing any thoughts of a Bear comeback.

The JV Braves finished their season 9-4. Coach DeJong commented, "They worked extremely hard in practice and earned every win. Gibson, Tyler Swenson, Coleton Tompkins and Niall Lyons were great leaders for us.”

Bravettes gain experience

by Hope Kriegel

The JV Bravettes woke up early on Jan. 29 to travel to Grinnell in the hope of gaining more experience as a young basketball team. 

The girls may have gotten some practice but came home losing, 41-25. Carly Steele showed her strengths on offense, leading her team with 10 points. Courtney Peterson worked hard for her 6 points and Paige Snook also contributed 4. 

The girls caught the Tigers’ defense out of place, causing them to commit 19 fouls. Aggressive Bravette defense held the Tigers to 14 first half goals. 

Their final season record stands at 2-12.

Tompkins leads JV Braves past the Hawks

by Bryan Stanford

The Montezuma JV Braves faced the Lynnville-Sully Hawks in their 34-28 win Jan. 27. 

The JV squad did a good job of making plays offensively and defensively. “It was a great win for us, our sophomores did a great job leading our team to a victory,” Coach Dale DeJong said.

Offensively, the Braves were able to attack the L-S defense throughout the game. Coleton Tompkins led the Braves in scoring, with 13 points on the night. Tyler Swenson and Kane Barker were close behind with 6 points each. 

Defensively, the JV squad disrupted the Hawk offense throughout the first half, and continued to do the same in the second half.

Coach DeJong commented, “We want to use this as motivation to get better and reach our peak potential by the end of the season.”

JV Braves triumph over the Trojans

by Bryan Stanford

The Montezuma JV Braves executed well in their decisive 69-24 win against the Tri-County Trojans on Feb. 7. The JV squad came out fast and jumped out to a 14-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Offensively, the Braves had three players finish with double figures in scoring. Coleton Tompkins was the leading scorer with 16 points, while Kane Barker and Zach Gibson were close behind with 14 and 11 points.

“I thought our guys did a great job of playing extremely hard and creating shots for their teammates,” Coach Dale DeJong commented.

Defensively, the JV squad was able to hold the Trojans to 12 points in the first half and did the same in the second half. The Braves committed 8 team fouls throughout the game, keeping the Trojans out of the bonus.

No new construction slated in school bond

Maleah Philips, Maranda Evans and Tiffany Heishman participate in an Iraqi War debate during Beth Orr's Cultures class. School leaders think building updates will help keep students focused on educational activities, such as class debates, and encourage more families to bring their students to our school.

by Natalie Kirton and Rachel Ranfeld

For years, the Montezuma School Board has been contemplating a large renovation of the school buildings, which would include updates, fixing various problems and nuisances, and giving the school an overall fresh look.

 “Anytime you build something it only has a certain amount of life to it. It is a physical structure that can only last so long,” said Superintendent Dave Versteeg. “Parts of our building were built in 1928. They’re almost 100 years old, and it is just time to update, time to replace. We need to really start putting money into fixing some things.” 

Some of the changes that the Board intends to make are mainly plumbing, mechanical and electrical in nature. One of the main boilers could fail at any time, many hallways have dim lighting and most plumbing in the bathrooms is old and rusted. In other places, tiles are cracked and coming away from the floor, there are stains in the ceiling, clocks are not synchronized and there is no working bell system.

Because the September 2010 school bond issue did not pass, there will be another voting opportunity on April 4 asking voters for a decrease in the amount of money borrowed. Instead of previous $11 million proposal for the project, the School Board will be asking for $8.5 million. This cut in money means there will be a cut in the amount of work to be put into the school if the issue passes.

“There will be no new construction, no new hallway, no new stairwells, no revamping of the junior high. Those are the main things that eliminated about a third of the money,” said Versteeg. 

The School Board hopes to encourage more parents of students who are in school to vote since only 35 percent of them voted during the last election. The school will be sending out letters and e-mails to parents, informing them of the election dates and times. 

If you have questions, please call your current school board members: Pete Ross, Steve Audas, Doug Hoksbergen, Doug Johnston and Vince Johnson, or Versteeg at 641-623-5121.

Jamie's last surgery removes the scars

(Top) Jamie Van Dee, before surgery, displays a new baby calf. (Left) During Jamie's recent surgery, doctors rebuilt her nostril passageway and removed scar tissue above her top lip.

by Andrea Farrington

When Jamie Van Dee entered the hallways freshman year, we all noticed that she had a love for farming and being around her animals; she is a farm girl at heart. She says, “I would rather be at home with my animals doing something productive than sitting in school.” 

Jamie’s can-do personality relates as much to her love of nature as it does to her need for change. 

Flashback 1994. The prospect of a new baby promises new adventures, new giggles, new smells and even if the ultrasound reveals physical concerns, excitement still grows as the baby matures. 

Jamie Van Dee was one of those babies whose ultrasound brought hours of worry, which were confirmed when she was born with a cleft lip. She has had three surgeries from the time she was born. The surgeries were for medical reasons not cosmetic and, as a baby, there were no health concerns. 

This surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals on Feb. 1 was the final stage as long as her body can hold the reconstruction.

Jamie was in the operating room 5-½ hours - the longest surgery that she has endured. Dr. John Canady cut the columella,the small central column of sterile tissue between the nostrils, and then took fatty tissue from her hip to put it into her cheekbone area and her top lip. 

Canady also did some touch up work on the scars from the past surgeries. He put stents inside her nose to keep the nostrils from collapsing: one was stitched in and one just sat in Jamie’s nose. 

He also put a cast on her nose to help reduce swelling and to keep it stable. Her nose has been brought up on the left side and her top lip was made slightly bigger and doctors revised the scar on her lip.

Jamie returned to the doctor Thursday, Feb. 10 to find out that the stents were not as little as she thought, get tubes put in her nose and that her healing is going smoothly. She goes for her next check up on March 7. 

This spring, with sunshine, fresh air and a hope that surgeries are behind her, Jamie will be in the barn helping bring new life to her baby calves. 

Braves put up a fight in JH season finale

by Bryan Stanford

The Montezuma JH Braves traveled to North Mahaska to play the Warhawks in their January 31 season basketball finale and took advantage of the young Warhawk mistakes.

7^th Grade

The seventh grade Braves finished the year with a 24-16 win.

Offensively, Tyler Thompson led the Braves in scoring and rebounding, as he completed the double double to finish the season. Thompson racked up 13 points for the seventh grade team, while bringing down 12 rebounds throughout the game. Bobby McCulley finished second in rebounds with 7, while Brody McKeag led the Braves in assists with 7 on the night.

Defensively, the seventh grade squad forced the Warhawks to 15 turnovers throughout the game. The Braves were able to obtain 13 steals on the night, while McKeag led the way with 5. The seventh grade squad finished 3-7 on the year.

8^th Grade

The eighth grade Braves battled to the buzzer against the Warhawks in their 18-17 loss. 

Offensively, the squad had trouble scoring, with Seth Fahlenkamp leading the way with 5 points and Joe Peck added 4 points.

 Peck and Jake Hasley led the Braves in rebounds, gathering 9 and 5 rebounds respectively.

The Braves finished the season with a 6-3 record.

Freshmen struggle at the start

by Bryan Stanford

The freshmen Braves basketball team faced a tough Grinnell Tiger squad in their 47-31 loss on Saturday, Jan. 29.

 Post players Kane Barker and Logan Battreall combined for 19 points on the night, Barker with 10 and Battreall with 9 points. 

Coach Dale DeJong said, “We did a good job of getting into the paint and creating scoring opportunities.”

The Braves attacked the Tiger defense and reached the free throw line 11 times throughout the game.

Defensively, the Braves had a hard time defending the balanced attack of the Tigers. “We started a little slow defensively, but we were able to pick it up in the second half,” Coach DeJong said.