Winter guard takes second with flying colors

The winter guard performs their competition routine during the halftime of the varsity boys’ basketball game on Nov. 30, from l to r: sophmore Colleen Johnston, senior Shena Bryan, sophmore Julie Audas, and sophmore Katelyn Gregory.

by Morgan Sanders 

On Friday, Dec. 2, Montezuma winter guard, also known as Zuma Blaze, set a school record by placing second at the state competition at the Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. Prior to this year the highest they had placed was third in Dec. 2005. 

This year’s team consists of seniors Brynna Steele, Aly James, Natalie Wheeler and Shena Bryan; junior Carly Steele; sophomores Katelyn Gregory, Colleen Johnston, Julie Audas and Tiffany Heishman; and freshmen Mackenzie James and Alex Brenner. 

The seniors chose the song “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica. After the seniors chose the song, Coach Brian Nolton and assistants Tracy Gregory and Kelsie Sheets spent many morning practices throughout the last week of Oct. up to the competition perfecting a routine.  

The only doubt Nolton had was that the routine was different from anything they had done in the past. 

“The routine was slow paced and was pretty much constant motion. Very seldomly did the flag stop moving. Other routines contain a series of short, sharp moves and our routine had a series of slow flowing movements,” said Sheets. 

Many of the girls were nervous before the performance that they would drop the flag or get off on timing. 

Katelyn Gregory said, “I get more nervous getting dressed and ready than waiting to go on. I just kept trying to run through the beginning of the song in my head because I knew if I got the first part down perfectly, I shouldn’t have to worry about the rest because it would all come together.”  

Although some of the girls had to leave after the competition due to other committments, some of the members stayed behind to find out the results. Later that night, after hours of anticipation Johnston, Heishman, Gregory, Audas, Wheeler and Nolton learned they placed second and strode across the stage to receive their trophy. 

Nolton’s final comments on the season were, “I am so proud of the ladies and how they did! All those early mornings paid off! Thanks so much for all you do to make Zuma Blaze fun and successful. A special thanks to the seniors for all the years you have given to the guard. I also want to give a big thanks to my assistants Mrs. Tracy Gregory and Kelsie Sheets for all you do.”

Students struggle to complete FlexNet courses

by Rachel Ranfeld

As the first semester nears a close, high school students hurry to wrap up their online college classes through Iowa Central Community College. 

These classes are FlexNet courses, which means the students are free to complete fifteen topics at their own pace from the beginning the semester until Friday, Dec. 16. They are also dual credit classes, which means the students gain one high school credit for the course as well as the same two to four credit hours a college student would receive at Iowa Central Community College.

Natalie Kirton, who is taking a psychology course this semester, says, “These classes are a lot of work, and while they pay off in the long run, procrastination is the worst thing to have. If you slack off, you’ll end up in over your head. You really have to be honest with yourself in thinking you can get it done on time.” 

Due to the flexibility in the courses, most students took advantage of the opportunity to procrastinate at the beginning of the semester, and are now scurrying to finish all fifteen topics in a shorter amount of time. 

Andrea Farrington, who is also taking a psychology course, says, “Taking an online class is a good experience, but it made my stress level skyrocket. If you don’t do it on a weekly basis, it’s a hassle to get it finished on time. If you’re a procrastinator, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

A few students planned accordingly to complete one topic each week to avoid this last minute stressed-out struggle. 

Mariah Hirsh, who is taking a composition course this semester, says, “My class has been very helpful, not only because I don’t have to take it in college, but it makes essays easier in high school.” 

According to John Gallagher, who enrolls the students in these courses, the majority of students take humanities classes and other general education classes that transfer into most liberal arts colleges. The humanities include classes for composition, history, psychology, sociology and religions. 

Students take these courses at no expense to them, courtesy of the Montezuma High School. If a student happens to fail a course or feels the need to withdrawal from a course after the full refund period, the student is responsible for reimbursing the school for the wasted funding.

Three seniors get an early start

by Natalie Kirton

While most seniors are thinking about Christmas break, three seniors are busy preparing themselves for graduation. Taylor Gregson, Cheyenne Klos and Jamie Van Dee have accumulated all of the required 52 credits to complete high school early at the end of first semester. 

Graduating a full semester early opens up a lot of opportunities for these students, including moving away and starting a new chapter in their lives before anyone else. 

Gregson will be moving to Iowa City to attend Kirkwood Community College. She is planning to get her business administration degree there.

 Klos will be moving back to New London in order to take care of her grandmother, work as a CNA and become an obedience trainer for police and search & rescue dogs.

Van Dee was planning on attending Kirkwood for the spring accounting program, but then decided to get a full-time job and work until the fall semester starts. 

All three girls are excited to move on with their lives. While each had a different piece of advice for the Class of 2012, the general message was the same. “Don’t procrastinate, plan ahead because the future is just one step ahead of us!”

These seniors will come back in May to walk with the rest of their class for the official graduation ceremony. Until then, they will be working, continuing their education and living life to the fullest.

JV Bravettes claim a win

by Kayla Werner

On Dec. 1, the JV Bravettes played Sigourney at Montezuma. Montezuma won with an ending score of 31-29.

Coach Stew Timm said, “Our defense and intensity led to easy looks early. The girls did a great job in the press.”  

The Bravettes were in the lead at the end of the first quarter with 7-0, but in the second quarter Sigourney found some success on offense. The Bravettes led at half with 14-11. 

“Offensively and defensively there were good things to learn from and build on,” said  Timm.

The Savages were able to tie up the score in the second half, but never took the lead. Late in the game it came down to which team could make free throws, and Dakota Norris was up to the challenge for the Bravettes. Norris had made two out of four of her points. With 15 seconds left, she knocked down two free throws and gave the Bravettes  the lead with 31-29.

Timm said, “This game and win is a huge step in the right direction.”

Young Bravette games both close calls

by Elizabeth Ostrem

The JH Bravettes basketball teams had a hard night Dec. 5, with both 7^th and 8^th grade losing to BGM. The teams played well, though ultimately lost to BGM by small margins.

“Our ladies put their heart and soul on the court. They successfully ran the offense and dominated the full court press. I was very proud of the way they played,” said Coach David Brondyke.

For 8^th grade, the Bravettes had a rough time starting out, making just one basket in the first half to BGM’s nine. They came back in the second half with six additional points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth. Katie Maschman led the team with five two-point shots, followed by Cassidy Ely and Megan Baker with four points each. The final score for the 8^th grade match was 29-22, in BGM’s favor.

The 7^th grade started out strong in the first quarter with nine points. The team controlled the game until the end of the third quarter, with BGM taking the lead 22-20. Saphire Gatton, Hannah Beenken and Lauren Slings led the team with scores of 12, six and four, respectively. The final score for the night came out to 31-25, with BGM the victor.

“Our girls worked really hard and successfully ran our offense,” said Brondyke. “We just barely lost but we fought hard. I was very happy with their effort.”