Senior wrestler looks back on his career at MHS

by Natalie Kirton

Wrestling is a sport of physical strength and endurance, designed to overpower and pin an opponent. Being the only senior in wrestling this season, Connor Johnson must say goodbye to the sport alone. 

Johnson has been wrestling since he was six years old. He was inspired to join after watching his older cousin at various meets. 

He and his teammates have ranked third as a team in sectionals, while  individually, he has placed eighth in state competitions.

“It’s cool to know that you are one out of 16 kids in your weight class that are still wrestling at the state level,” says Johnson. 

No wrestler can make it to state level meets without a lot of training and dedication. Johnson has put in countless hours of practice, trying new maneuvers and making sure he stays within his weight class. 

He says, “Practices can be very challenging, but you just have to push through it. They are fun if you make them fun.” 

Johnson’s favorite part of wrestling is the Saturday meets.  He enjoys them because it’s an opportunity to spend the whole day wrestling and hanging out as a team. 

“I like how it’s a one-on-one sport; you can’t blame anyone but yourself for losing,” says Johnson. 

The thing he will most miss is meeting new people  at meets.

Teacher Talk: Clayton Hjelmeland

by Chelsey Moore

New teacher Clayton Hjelmeland began teaching at Montezuma Schools at the beginning of the year. Before he started living in Montezuma, he was living in Harmony, Minnesota, where he attended Filmore Central High School. Hjemeland was involved in football, basketball, golf and choir. After graduating in 2007, he started going to college at Northwestern in Orange City, Iowa. 

In college, Hjelmeland was involved in all types of intramural sports. He was a resident assistant so he was very active in his dorm. He also served as a student school ambassador. 

When he was there he studied elementary education and also got endorsements in reading, coaching, and middle school.Hjelmeland student taught last winter at MOC-FV Middle School in Alton, Iowa. 

Hjemeland said, “I’ve experienced first hand the impact a teacher can have on a student, both positively and negatively. I’ve just always wanted to be the type of teacher that has a positive, lasting impact on my students. That’s what made me decide to become a teacher.”

When looking for a junior high math teacher position,  Montezuma seemed to be a perfect fit. It was just the type of small town in Iowa he was looking for.

Hjelmeland said, “With it being my first year, it’s been pretty busy. Overall, I’ve liked it pretty well and think I’ll like it even better once things slow down a bit.”

He enjoys many aspects of our school, but has been most impressed with the administration.

Hjelmeland said, “I feel very fortunate to be working in a place that has quality people in these leadership roles.”

He said, “In my first year I’m doing as much learning, if not more, than my students. I’ll be making a lot of adjustments in my instructional strategies and classroom management policies.”

In his free time, Hjemeland enjoys just spending time with his wife and following his favorite teams and playing sports when possible.

Final hurrah for senior cheerleaders

by Morgan Sanders

With basketball and wrestling now back, so are the cheerleaders. This year there are four senior basketball and wrestling cheerleaders who are not quite ready to give their final chant at the end of the season.

Kaylin Hansen has been a part of wrestling cheerleading for two years and cheerleading all together for six years. Her favorite part of cheerleading is the Saturday tournaments and spending time with her fellow cheerleaders. She is most excited to go to state this season. After graduating, she will miss all of her cheerleaders the most. 

Andrea Farrington has been a part of cheerleading for three years. Her favorite part is being able to be loud without punishment and doing what she loves. She is most excited to do stunting, they were unable to other seasons. She is going to miss the friendships she’s made with the girls over the years. 

Cheyenne Vogt has been a part of cheerleading for about five years. This is her first year cheering at Montezuma for basketball. Her favorite part of cheerleading is seeing the fans and doing the cheers. She is most excited to make memories with her other cheerleaders this season. She will miss hanging out before games and getting the fans and teams pumped up.  

Morgan Sanders has been a part of cheerleading for three years. Her favorite part of cheerleading is the having fun with the squad and getting the crowd fired up. She is most excited for the possibility of going to state competition. She will miss the friends that she made during cheerleading the most.

JV girls taste second defeat

by Colton Talbert

The JV Bravettes basketball team  traveled to Tri-County on November 22. The varsitvy played first then it was game on for the JV.   

The Bravettes played for half a game, then agreed to play an extra three minutes of overtime.

It was a low scoring half game at 8 for each team. When the buzzer sounded, the final score was Montezuma 9, Tri-County 11.

Freshman Mackenzie James, sophomore Abbi Nelson, freshman Clara Johnson and freshman Alex Brenner all scored. Sophomore Courtney Peterson also made a free throw. The Bravettes made four of the attempted 19 shots.  They also made one of five free throws attempted. 

Coach Stew Timm said, “I was pleased with the effort and thought we showed improvement from the BGM game. My hope is that we bring the same effort and attitude daily to practice, and if we do, then the improvement will continue to grow and the wins will start to come.”  

The JV Bravettes will have a game on Monday, December 19 at home against Eddyville-Blakesburg.

Sing the Christmas cheers

by Cami Shaver

Celebrate with the choir and band as they bring the Christmas spirit through their music. Both performances are on December 8 in the Junior High gym. 

The band will be playing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Renaissance Version),” arrangement by Chip Davis; “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Rock Version),” arrangement by Chip Davis; and “Deck the Halls,” arrangement by Chip Davis. 

The choir will be performing three songs from “Handel’s Christmas Messiah”: “And the Glory of the Lord,” “For Unto us a Child is Born,” “Hallelujah Chorus.” The arrangement is by James A. Dasher. The next songs are from the movie “Polar Express.” The arrangement is by Teena Chinn. Within this medley there are eight short songs: “Believe,” “The Polar Express,” “When Christmas Comes to Town,” “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” “Hot Chocolate,” “Rockin’ on Top of the World,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Spirit of the Season.”  The final song performed for the concert is “We’re the Choir,” arranged by Kjell Lönnå.

Department of Education to visit December 13 and 14

by Elizabeth Ostrem

An Iowa Department of Education team will be making an on-site visit to school Tuesday, December 13 and Wednesday, December 14 for school accreditation.

The team will review the school’s board policies and other documents. An overview presentation on the seven areas of Montezuma’s Iowa Core Curriculum Implementation Plan will begin the visit. The areas included are: Vision, Mission and Goals, Leadership, Collaborative Relationships, Learning Environment, Curriculum and Instruction, Professional Development and Monitoring and Accountability.

Following the presentation, the Department of Education (DE) team will tour the school.  They will then meet with interview teams representing stakeholders in the school, which includes parents, sudents, teachers, the school board, and other groups.  They will finish the visit by having a preliminary exit report for the district leadership team on Wednsday, December 14.

Superintendent Dave Versteeg will receive a complete report within 45 workdays, and the district will then have 45 days to prepare and submit a plan to address any non-compliance issues found in the report.

20% of Iowa’s schools have an on-site visit each year, and schools should be visited in the course of five years. The last visit to Montezuma was during the 2006-2007 school year. Eric Heitz from the DE will lead the visit, and the other eight team members will be from the DE, Area Education Agencies and other school districts.