Beauty and the Beast comes to life on stage

LeFou, Steven Kopp, raises the arm of Gaston, played by Joe Peck, to remind him how masculine he is. (Jered Engelking photo)

by Jered Engelking

Roses, love, and enchantments filled the heads of Montezuma Junior High students as they performed the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast for their fall play on Friday, Nov. 12.

Luke Goodman as the Beast, Sidney Ehret as Belle, and Joe Peck as Gaston filled the lead roles. Vocal Music Director Carol Behounek was pleased with the casting. “The students brought out the best of all characters,” said Behounek.

 Throughout the play, the audience experienced a roller coaster of emotions and was entertained the whole night.

Peck played Gaston, the hunter, who continually showed his strength by flexing his biceps to fight off the silly girls while trying to woo Belle. 

When Belle sang about wanting to fit in, Ehret’s strong and heartfelt voice drew upon the melancholy spirit of her loneliness. 

Goodman demonstrated a character in evolution as he changed from the Prince with a bad attitude to the Beast and back to the prince after his love for Belle broke the curse.

Narrators were Brady Cameron, Katie Maschmann, Alisha Arendt, Siara Broadston, Ceirah Catron, Fernanda Lopez, Caitlin Hicks, Megan Baker, Ashley Moore, Taylor Ives, Aliya Pargeon, and Emma Karnes.

The wolves were Skyler Romberg, Brody McKeag, Trent Salsman and Jake Shaver. Steve Kopp and Caleb Talbert were LeFou and Monsieur D’arque. Vanessa Minner, Mackenzie James and Cheyenne Peters were cast as “silly girls.”

Trevor Moyer, Tyler Geiger, Seth Fahlenkamp, Kerri Gregory, Clara Johnson, Travis Lewis and Cassie Farrington were various enchanted items in the castle.  Other villagers included Aliya Pargeon, Emma Karnes, Taylor Ives, Ashley Moore, Jake Shaver, Skyler Romberg, Kaylene Corbin, Trent Salsman, Brody McKeag, Megan Baker, Keira Blanke, Shayla Townsend and Brittany Bender.

The servants were Heaven Lorenz, Laci Brennan, Lexie Smith, Katie Maschmann, Fernanda Lopez, Siara Broadston, Ceirah Catron, Caitlin Hicks, Brady Cameron and Christian Schmitz. The statue guards were Cole Corbin and Frank Gillum.

The play lasted from 7 to 8:45 p.m. Conner Sirovy managed  the sound system while Sidney Roorda and Vincent Bushong operated the spotlights.

US Navy Band inspires MHS band

by Niamh Lyons

The United States Navy Band is a group of Navy officers who are skilled with instruments. The officers play jazz music but also incorporate a popular music style in their method. 

The touring group visited the Midwest and had a concert planned at the George Daley Auditorium in Oskaloosa. Scott Stanton, the MHS band director, saw the opportunity for the band students to hear a different style of music with the instruments they play. 

Eighteen band students and eight chaperones attended the Oskaloosa concert Nov. 15. One student, sophomore Kayla Werner, said the Navy band was “very fun to watch. They had fun, upbeat music.” She also added that she “especially liked when they played songs from each branch of the military for all of the veterans.” 

Another student, sophomore Norman Martin, said, “The band inspired me to keep working on trying to improve the Monte band. It was also an incredible experience to see such experienced players performing. The solos were amazing; one of the trumpet players was a Grammy Award soloist. I think that would be the best job in the world, considering you are also serving your country.” 

Sophomore Katie Benson found inspiration for her own future solos and said, “Many of the soloists were very confident in what they played.” She added, “The coolest part was at the end when the band played a song to commemorate each branch to recognize veterans.”

The other students who attended the performance were Ben Ahrens, Kaylene Corbin, Jade Crandall, Cassidy Ely, Luke Goodman, Clara Johnson, Jack Little, Jake Shaver, Shayla Townsend, Jacob Woodard, Morgan Benson, Elijah Bryan, Elizabeth Ostrem, Sidney Roorda and Natalie Wheeler. The chaperones were Pat, Harold and Allison Wheeler, Laura Ostrem, Andrea and David Martin, Pam Bryan and Scott Stanton.

Old bus barn belongings auctioned off

by Calli Zimmerman 

On Wednesday, Nov. 10 the old Montezuma bus barn’s belongings were sold. 

The school board saw the old bus barn as an extra on the school property and felt it still had value so they decided to have an auction. 

Since the family and consumer science program is no longer functioning, board members decided to combine the two areas and sell the appliances from each. 

They sold various items including furniture, computers, desks, dishwashers and other kitchen equipment. 

Mr. Versteeg said, “There were no high expectations; [all items] sold at fair prices.” 

M&M auction performed the auctioneering and about 50 people attended. Proceeds from the sale were $8,916 and will be used to pay expenses such as the auctioneer, cleaning up the site and other various tasks. 

The school board is hoping to breakeven with this project. 

Students solve nonprofit problems

Maddi Dawley helps her team solve the math worksheet given to them as an ice breaker at the Poweshiek Leadership Program Youth/Adult Conference. (Mrs. Wilson photo)

by Bryan Stanford & 

Alexa Wheaton

Local students formulated problem-solving ideas at the Poweshiek Leadership Program Conference in order to break the communication barrier between the youth and adults. 

Bob Mann, President of Grinnell’s United Way, presented information about the organization. The United Way is a volunteer-based organization which strives to improve people’s lives and advance the common good of the community by providing fundraising efforts to benefit human services in the Poweshiek County area. 

Four nonprofit agencies receive help from United Way presented problems they have encountered. 

The four agencies were: Big Brothers/Big Sisters Heart of Iowa, Galaxy Youth Center and STARS Programming, Domestic Violence Alternatives and the American Red Cross.

The students who attended the conference were asked to come up with solutions for the problems for each agency. For example, the problems the American Red Cross organization face every year are a lack of volunteers and the amount of funds available. 

The Big Brothers/Big Sisters Heart of Iowa organization has problems with advertising and marketing. The Domestic Violence Alternative also face problems with the number of community members’ knowledge of the organization. 

The Galaxy Youth Center and STARS Programming is in need of updated technology.  After each group of students thought of many ways to help each agency, they presented their ideas to the other groups of students. 

Most groups thought of various fundraising opportunities, while getting good publicity for each agency. One solution was getting local businesses to help with the printing of flyers, posters and the word of mouth. 

Montezuma, BGM and Grinnell students attended this conference at the Carmen Center, Mayflower Community in Grinnell on Thursday, Nov. 18. 

Montezuma students attending were: Shane Lyons, Breanna Johnson, Alexis Ferguson, Matt Armstrong, Connor Johnston, Maddi Dawley, Destiny Romberg, Spencer Roorda, Alexa Wheaton and Bryan Stanford.

Matt Armstrong, Spencer Roorda and Colton Talbert serve dinner to Hope Café residents. (Bryan Stanford photo)

by Bryan Stanford

The Montezuma boys' varsity basketball team fed people at a homeless shelter in Des Moines on  Monday, Nov. 8. 

Team members Spencer Roorda, Bryan Stanford, Kirk Salnave, Garrett VanMaanen, Colton Talbert, Nathan Wheeler, Matt Armstrong, Brady Losure with help from Coach Derek Schulte and assistant coach  Dale DeJong served food and washed dishes at the Hope Café in the Bethel Mission of Hope Ministries, a privately funded organization that seeks private donations without any type of government funding. 

The basketball players split into two groups; one group took a tour of the mission while the other group served food and washed dishes. After the first group finished their tour, they served food while the other group took the tour. 

The mission first serves food for the 85 residents at 5 p.m. After each resident has eaten, then the mission feeds walk-ins. 

The mission is the first step in a long-term recovery and aftercare program available to the residents. The first step lasts 30 days; after that, all residents graduate to the second step in the program that lasts 12 months.

Last year the Braves and the BGM Bears completed a joint project, as they put on Hot Cakes for Haiti, to help the Haitians after the devastating earthquake. 

With full bellies, the Spanish 2 and 3 students express their take on the authentic Spanish food at Café Iberico in downtown Chicago. 

by Alexa Wheaton

Recently 17 Spanish students and 6 chaperones found themselves immersed in the Spanish culture of Pilsen, a cultural suburb of the modern city of Chicago. 

“I was impressed by the culture the students absorbed. Everybody found something unique that interested them,” Spanish teacher Carrie Stockman said. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated Nov. 1 and 2 by honoring their Mexican heritage and that inspired the trip.  

“Yes, we have the internet and books to research, but I hope students will retain it for a longer period of time due to this hands-on experience,” said Stockman. 

The group arrived around 11 a.m. on Saturday. The first stop in Pilsen was La Baguette, an authentic Spanish bakery where students had the option of buying tasty treats such as churros, empanadas and pandulce. 

Students then went to the National Museum of Mexican Art which has the largest Day of the Dead exhibit in the U.S. The cultural art showed students the Spanish speaking culture’s traditions and history. The many altars in the Day of the Dead exhibit represented the real altars families make to honor the lives of their deceased friends and families. 

Each altar has the four main elements of nature: earth, wind, water and fire. These elements are represented by light-weight items such as papel picado (tissue paper cutouts) reminding us of wind, a glass of water, candles resembling fire and food or flowers reflecting earth. 

Students then split up into two groups for a scavenger hunt. They were given a map with designated stops and questions to answer about each one. All over Pilsen, huge life-like murals represent the culture and people of the community. Students admired and interpreted what the murals were saying about the culture. 

Sunday night the group ate at Café Iberico, a Spanish tapas restaurant. Tapas are Spanish appetizers shared by everyone. Stockman ordered 21 tapas from hot to cold plates. 

Some of the students’ favorites were Patatas Bravas (spicy potatoes with tomato sauce), Pincho de Pollo (chicken brochette with caramelized onions and rice), Tortilla Española (vegetarian Spanish omelet) and Paella (orange rice served with chicken, pork and seafood). 

After packing to head home, the group stopped at the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum. The Amazon exhibit in Shedd Aquarium displayed how the river rises and falls every year, affecting Spanish-speaking people who live there. At the Field Museum students enjoyed the Aztec exhibit. 

In addition to Spanish speaking cultural activities, students also had opportunities to see the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), Navy Pier, Blue Man Group, John Hancock Building and many famous shops.

Students who traveled to Chicago are Carly Steele, Mariah Hirsch, Macayla Gregson, Sage Comstock, Alyssa Lyddon, Halley Ogan, Zach Gibson, Coleton Tompkins, Shane Lyons, Stephen Vavroch, Taylor Gregson, Madison Dawley, Breanna Johnson, Cheyenne Klos, Kendra Cranston, Destiny Romberg and Alexa Wheaton. Chaperones included: Marlene Johnson, Jamie Nelson, Matt and Missy Ogan, Marg Stockman and Kristy Romberg. 

As Senora Stockman said, "The students gained knowledge about the Spanish culture which will motivate them to further their studies in the Spanish culture."

Bru shares impression of Vietnam War

VFW member Daniel Bru shares Vietnam War experiences via audio recording during the Veterans Day assembly for students. (Bryan Stanford photo)

by Andrea Farrington

We celebrate Veterans Day on November 11 to honor our veterans who fight for us every day. 

Guest speaker this year was 1968 Montezuma alumnus, Daniel Bru, a Vietnam War veteran. He talked about what it was like to be in war at that time, and then played a voice recording about it. 

The recording was very in-depth, because we could hear bombs exploding in the background showing that he was in danger while recording. It also showed how things have changed over time. Today, veterans have the advantage of using webcam and telephone to talk to loved ones unlike in 1968 when they were lucky to write letters back and forth. 

Every year the school takes part in a Veterans Day assembly at 11 a.m. in the high school gym. 

To begin the assembly the National Guard presented the colors, and the band played the “National Anthem.” Mariah Hirsch then gave the historical background to Songs of the American Civil War that reflect patriotism including “Taps,” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Dixie” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Then, the junior high and senior high bands performed those selections.

Following the performance was the announcing of the Patriots Pen essay winners. The 3^rd grade topic was “I love America because.” Winners were Madelyn DeJong and Caymen DeJong. Fourth graders wrote about “Why I am Grateful to Veterans.” Winners were Jared Theis and Kylee Taylor. 

“The Visions for Our Country’s Future” was the topic for 5^th graders; the winners were Shelby Helm and Vance Bushong. “Does Patriotism Still Matter?” was the theme for 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders. Sixth grade winner was Ashley Vinton; the 7^th grade winner was Katelyn Long and the  8^th grade winner was Joseph Peck. Those individuals advance to Districts. 

The choir sang “I Have a Dream” by Mary Donnelly. To start out the song, Calli Zimmerman sang a solo. To end the assembly Norman Martin and Coleton Tompkins played the “Taps.”

The holiday was first incorporated by President Wilson as Armistice Day in 1919. Armistice Day was enacted as an official American holiday in 1938. In 1954, Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

ITEDS and ITBS tests shake up schedules

by Niamh Lyons

National laws require all schools to report student progress through the use of tests. The scores are then compared with national scores to see how Iowa ranks among the states. They are also used to identify at-risk schools. 

Therefore, students in seventh through eleventh grades are participating in ITBS and ITEDS testing this week. Seventh and eighth grade students are taking the Science, Math and Problem Solving, Math Concepts and Estimation, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary tests. Students in ninth through eleventh grades are taking Math Concepts and Problem Solving, Science, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary tests. If a student misses a test, there will be make-up sessions on Friday.

With the exception of seniors, students are required to take these tests every year. The tests are used to measure how much the students know and provide staff with scores. These scores allow a teacher to recognize a student’s strengths and weaknesses. The test scores also help identify weak areas in a school’s curriculum. 

In the past, seniors have had to come to school while the other students were testing. The testing period is from 8:25 to 9:25 a.m., so seniors do not need to show up until 9:25. If seniors show up early, they must go to the library. The daily class schedule is adjusted to allow each class to meet.