New study hall helps students build character

7th and 8th graders created cartoons during study hall to display problems they see going on inside the school, such as wanting new bleachers (above) or seeing 

cockroaches (below).

by Bridgette Moore and Andrea Farrington

First year teacher Kelsie Sheets is surrounded in the old study hall room by several junior high students working on community and character building skills.

Due to the new block scheduling, students rarely have homework. Teachers saw study hall as a time that can be used to encourage kids to get involved in the school and community and take small steps to make a difference.

“Instead of wasting time, we can use the time to help build the students’ character,” said Debbie Iverson, who assists Sheets in study hall.

Sheets also hopes to challenge students and prepare them for high school and the adult world.

In the class period students come together and study. The 7^th and 8^th graders present a small project that encourages students to identify school and community problems and begin the process of trying to solve them. Students who need to finish assignments have an open supervised classroom that they can go to for a quieter space. 

“It is more fun and we get more done. We are actually learning something while having fun,” said Frank Gillum, an 8^th grader.

All students in study hall were asked to draw cartoons that deal with a problem that they felt we have at Montezuma Community Schools. Examples include cold water in the showers, school building issues, bullying, hygiene and foul language. 

They were asked to consider the causes of these problems and the effect that they have on a variety of people.

Students were then asked to brainstorm possible solutions to the problem; the majority of the students thought fundraising was the best possible solution for building problems and talking to the elementary about the bullying, hygiene and foul language issues.

JH faces off with Lynnville-Sully

Aly Fahlenkamp guards a Lynnville-Sully player during the 7th grade basketball game on Jan. 16.

by Natalie Kirton

The junior high basketball teams faced Lynnville-Sully on Jan. 16 with mixed results. 

At Lynnville-Sully, the 7^th grade Braves quickly pulled ahead during their game to carry out a win of 52-13.

 Logan Price made the most points, bringing in 14 points, while Dakota Strong followed close behind with 11 points. Kaleb Kriegel helped by scoring eight points, while Matthew Baker made six rebounds and four blocks. In total, there were 17 steals and 34 rebounds.

The 8^th graders fought hard defensively during their game, but something was missing. The final score was 22-49 in the Hawks’ favor. 

While the boys played away, the girls played at home.  The 7^th grade girls played an intense, close game against Lynnville-Sully, losing 34-32. 

“It came down to a last second shot and it didn’t go our way. They showed great resilience and effort on the court. They continue to improve each game,” said Coach David Brondyke.

The 8^th grade girls played hard, scoring 36 points to the Hawks’ 31. High scores came from Katie Maschman and Cassidy Ely, who brought 12 and 10 points respectively. 

“The 8^th grade team has really turned this season around. I am so proud of all of them,” said Coach Brondyke.

JV Braves come out on top against Hawks

by Elizabeth Ostrem

On Monday, Jan. 16, the JV boys’ basketball team headed to Lynnville-Sully to battle it out with the Hawks in a tight, well-played match. The final score for the match was 39-33, with Montezuma  the victor.

“I thought our guys battled through some adversity and showed poise down the stretch,” said Coach John Bushong.

Siraj Thomasen led the Braves with 11 points, along with Bryant Sutfin with nine and Dillon Wilhelm and Bryan Gregson with eight points each.

The first period ended with 14 points for the Braves and 17 for Lynnville-Sully. Neither team scored during the second period. 

The Braves caught up in the third period with 26 points, tying with the rival team, and pulled in for the win in the final period with 13 additional points to Sully’s seven points.

Coach Bushong said, “We need to continue to work on our rebounding and blocking out a guy in our area. It has been fun being part of a group who is very unselfish. Our guys have found a lot of ways to win, and I think their unselfish attitude has been the reason for that. I look forward to seeing our guys continue to get better.”

The boys will go up against the Hawks again at home on Thursday, Jan. 26.

A string of disappointing losses for JV

by Kayla Werner 

The JV Bravettes played the Keota Eagles on Jan. 14. Sadly, the Bravettes lost with a score of 24-10. 

It was very slow scoring in the first half as the Eagles led 8-6 at break. 

“Our mental focus was not there in the press break early and throughout the game,” said Coach Stew Timm. 

The Eagles took off in the second half while the Bravettes still couldn’t get going.

Coach Timm said, “This was a frustrating day for the girls and myself. We just couldn’t get into an offensive flow, which was apparent by the score.”

Although the Bravettes weren’t playing their best, they still had some great shots. Clara Johnson scored six points, and Paige Snook and Mackenzie James each scored two.

“It is a game that I hope the girls learn from, and we will bounce back for a strong finish in our remaining games,” said Coach Timm.

On Jan. 16,  the JV Bravettes competed against Lynnville-Sully. It  was a disappointing score of 46-11, in Lynnville-Sully’s favor.

At halftime, the score was 24-6. Defense was the difference at both ends. Montezuma struggled with backdoor cuts and the Hawks’ defense prevented the Bravettes from getting good looks.

Coach Timm said, “I felt like we played better in the second half but still struggled to score.”

Even though the score was disappointing, there were many great moments. Alex Brenner scored six, Katelyn Gregory and Snook added two points each and Abbi Nelson scored one.

“This was a very good team we played and with no chance to practice or prepare a little for them, it was a tough night for the Bravettes,” said Coach Timm.

Turn of the Page: 'Of Mice and Men'

by Elizabeth Ostrem and Kayla Werner

“Of Mice and Men” is a John Steinbeck classic that follows two men, George and Lennie, who go to work at a ranch after being chased out of another town. The two share a vision of one day owning their own land and never having to work for anyone else again. Lennie in particular fantasizes about caring for rabbits and other animals, while George seems more drawn to the idea of answering only to himself.

Lennie, a kind giant, seems to attract trouble wherever he goes, partly  because he doesn’t know his own strength but also because he isn’t very bright. Although they both help each other, George, the smarter of the two, usually makes the decisions for dim-witted Lennie and handles all their affairs.

Liz:

What I appreciated most about “Of Mice and Men” was Steinbeck’s ability to pack so much into such a short novel; the version I read had little over 100 pages. I’ve only read one other book by him, “The Grapes of Wrath.” Out of the two I preferred this one mainly because it kept my attention better and the characters were more memorable. The two make for an interesting duo. Lennie is tall, obedient, simple-minded and innocent; George, on the other hand, is short, authoritative and intelligent, thereby more conscious of the evils in the world they come across.

Like George and Lennie’s friendship, I believe that this is a book that will endure for years to come.

Kayla:

While I was reading “Of Mice and Men,” I found that the characters had personalities that were completely different from what I had thought at the very beginning. Lennie was very childlike and George is more like the older brother type. George gets frustrated with Lennie quite a bit, but he is still very protective of him. Lennie likes animals because they are soft and fluffy, but he doesn’t know his own strengths and usually end up killing them without realizing that he is handling them too hard. George always tells Lennie that he can’t have animals because he always kills them, but feels bad afterwards.

The ending was not what I expected it to be. I thought that the outcome would have been way different, but it was an interesting turn of events. Overall, it was an awesome book with an interesting ending.