Winter Sports Week fills students with school spirit

Alexis Ferguson and Brady Losure are crowned as Winter Sports Week Queen and King after the varsity basketball games on Jan. 13.

by Morgan Sanders 

Winter Sports Week this year began on Wednesday, Jan. 11. “Can’t Break This Chain” was the theme for the week. Down the halls, a paper chain created by students connected the elementary to the high school. 

The week started on Wednesday with dress up days. The first day was held on Wednesday  since students were unable to dress up Monday and Tuesday due to semester tests.  After two days of testing, students were encouraged to come to school in their pajamas on Wednesday. Thursday, students showed their true nerds for Nerd Day by dressing in items such as suspenders and fake glasses. Friday was Blue and White Day. 

During advisor time on Friday, high school students voted for Winter Sports King and Queen. This year, candidates were any seniors participating in an activity that takes place during the winter. These groups included basketball, wrestling, cheerleading, band, vocal,  yearbook and journalism, Speech and Drama, and FFA.

Before dismissal at 1:30 on Friday, the school gathered in the high school gym for a pep assembly at 1:00. The cheerleaders and band started the assembly with the school song and a cheer. 

Student council and cheerleadering sponsors then led seniors in a game of Name that Tune. 

After the cheerleaders led two more cheers, there was a surprise announcement. This year, students voted for a king, queen, prince and princess of the teachers.  Cheerleaders Morgan Sanders, Makayla Slings, Megan Facile and Tailor Snook then crowned the king and queen as Dale DeJong and Roxanne Goudy and prince and princess as David Brondyke and Leah Farrington. 

To finish the assembly, the cheerleaders led one last cheer, performed the school song and students and teachers were dismissed. 

The final event for the week took place after the basketball games on Friday night. Cheerleaders Arly Labahn and Makayla Slings and  crowned Brady Losure and Alexis Ferguson as Winter Sports King and Queen.

Teacher Talk: Abby Clark

by Rachel Ranfeld

Abby Clark brought her fun and creative personality to MHS in the fall of 2010. Since she was a senior in high school, she knew she wanted to be a teacher. She loved to learn, and she believed that school was the best place for that.

Clark enjoys getting to know all her students, creating interesting ways for them to learn and helping them shape their futures. She enjoys the students the most because “we have some very bright students with a lot of potential.”

Each semester, her classes are slightly different as she continuously discovers and shares new ideas with her students.

She graduated from Newton High School in Newton, Iowa in 2006, where she participated in swimming, golf, Speech improvisation, Big Brothers Big Sisters (pairing up with a younger student in need), marching band and the international club (a club that explores foreign languages).

She then advanced to Wartburg College to major in elementary education and student taught in second and fifth grades in Waverly, Iowa. At Wartburg College, she participated in Best Buddies (partnering with an adult with a disability), Wartburg Association of Student Educators, Adopt-A-Grandparent and Empty Bowls (a program she introduced to MHS last spring). In addition, she tutored other students and was a family’s nanny for four years. 

During her last semester there in 2010, she found MHS’s job listing online. Since it was close to her family, she didn’t hesitate in applying for the job.

While adapting into MHS’s atmosphere, she has brought new experiences to share with her students. First of all, she made a SPRINT class for the junior high and high school students to take for credit. 

Last spring, she orchestrated the Empty Bowls event where students glazed bowls to be sold for donations. The donation money was then given to the Montezuma Food Pantry. Clark plans to hold this event again this spring, and she predicts that the donation money will go another hunger organization. 

Also last spring, she took some of her junior and sophomore students on a visit to Wartburg College. 

Last fall, she had the entire student body participate in the Start Somewhere Walk with help from her SPRINT class students. 

In her free time, Clark likes to make beaded jewelry and hand out her masterpieces as gifts to her friends. She also loves to spend time with her family, visit her college friends, instruct Zumba fitness, travel, read interesting books and watch movies. 

One of the movies she likes watching is “When Harry Met Sally.” “It’s the ultimate romantic comedy,” Clark responded when asked why this was her favorite. Her students, however, would guess her favorite film is “2001: A Space Odyssey” since she talks to them about it all the time.

Montezuma holds annual JV basketball tournament

by Vincent Bushong

Montezuma hosted its annual JV basketball tournament on Saturday, Jan. 8. The tournament consisted of a girls’ and boys’ bracket, with each team playing two games. 

The Montezuma girls’ team won the first game versus Belle Plaine but lost the championship game to BGM. The boys’ JV team came out on top against Belle Plaine and HLV, winning their own tournament for the second year in a row.

The first boys’ game was clearly the Braves’ game in the first half, ending with a 16-point lead. In the second half, Belle Plaine outscored the Braves but not enough to close the gap. The Braves’ held their lead for a victory of 58-49. Bryant Sutfin led Montezuma for scoring with 17 points with Bryan Gregson taking second with nine points.

The second Braves’ game was a small victory every quarter. Per quarter, the Braves’ either scored more than or the same as HLV. This brought the game to a final score of 41-24 in the Braves’ favor. 

For scoring, Joseph Peck was on top with 10 points. Kane Barker and Siraj Thomasen followed with eight and six points, respectively. 

The first girls’ game was close the whole time. The Bravettes were behind at halftime with a deficit of four points, but they came out and outscored Belle Plaine in the second half for a close victory of 36-35. 

Leading the Bravettes for scoring was Abbi Nelson, with 10 points, followed by Clara Johnson with seven points and Paige Snook with six points.

In the second game, BGM’s defense gave enough pressure to strangle out many of Montezuma’s offensive opportunities. This gave BGM many good scoring opportunities, leading to a loss and a final score of 44-23.

Courtney Petersen led the Bravette’s scoring the second game with a total of eight points. Next was Katelyn Gregory with six points and Dakota Norris and Nelson, each with three points.

JH dominate North Mahaska

by Natalie Kirton

On Monday, Jan. 9, each junior high basketball team, both girls and boys, had very successful plays that resulted in wins against the North Mahaska Warriors. The Bravettes played at North Mahaska while the Braves played at home. 

The 7^th grade girls worked well as a team, completing a lot of passes that contributed to their final score of 18-6. 

The 8^th grade Bravettes stepped up their defense to beat the Warriors 25-13. 

“I was very proud of how well both teams played,” said Coach David Brondyke. “They came out focused and played with great vision and determination throughout the whole game.”

As for the boys, the 7^th graders got an early lead to the game. Carson Losure scored a total of 13 of the team’s points, with Grant Johnson pitching in six points. The 7^th grade boys defeated the Warriors 44-23.

“We got tons of steals and dominated the rebounds. It was a solid effort and everyone contributed,” said Coach Clayton Hjelmeland on the 7^th grader’s performance. 

The 8^th grade Braves won against the Warriors with a score of 44-12. Bobby McCulley and Brody McKeag brought the most points to the board, scoring 12 and 11 points respectively. Tyler Geiger contributed six steals as well as five points. 

“We got a quality production out of both the starters and backups, just about everyone scored. It was a very good team effort,” said Hjelmeland.

Speech and Drama showcases large group events

Top: Kendra Cranston helps free Abbi Nelson from a trashcan during the varsity choral reading “Move” at the Speech and Drama dress rehearsal on Jan. 5.
Middle (l to r): Zach Gibson, Alexis Ferguson and Niall Lyons portray superheroes and super villains during their ensemble acting piece “The Supers.”
Bottom (l to r): Bridgette Moore, Morgan Sanders and Natalie Wheeler sing to “Omigosh You Guys” during their musical theater performance of “Legally Blonde: The Musical.”

by  Natalie Kirton

On Thursday, Jan. 5, directors Liesl Roorda and Derek Bates presented to the community this year’s large group Speech and Drama participants. 

The annual dress rehearsal began with a dinner of Maid Rites, chips and a variety of desserts. Then, student groups were split between the junior high gym and the school lunchroom. 

Performing first in the gym was the Freshman Choral Reading group with their piece, “Magic Land.” Performers include Clara Johnson, Alex Brenner, Steve Kopp, Vincent Bushong, Joe Peck, Seth Fahlenkamp, Kaylene Corbin, Cheyenne Peters, Trevor Moyer, Sidney Roorda, Mikey Lyons and Luke Goodman. “Magic Land” is a collage of different fairy tale-like stories tied together with the theme of magic. 

Next were two Group Improvisation acts. The first group consisted of Dayton Pringle, Cassie Corbin and Kaylee White. The second group was Matthew Armstrong, Niall Lyons and Zach Gibson.

“Party of Three” was an ensemble piece played by Macy Taylor, Alyssa Lyddon, Karah Hansen, Matthew Armstrong and Stephen Vavroch. This piece is about a married couple being interrupted by an obnoxious diner at the next table. 

The Reader’s Theatre group performed a skit titled “The 11th,” a serious piece compiled of different memories from September 11, 2001. These included a woman boarding a plane and sitting next to a woman who she believes to be an Arab, as well as a school principal stressing over whether or not to release their students.

Group members include Alyssa Lyddon, Karah Hansen, Destiny Romberg, Bridgette Moore, Kaylin Hansen, Macy Taylor, Mariah Hirsch, Nathan Wheeler, Tiffany Heishman, Lex Jack, Cassie Corbin, Julie Audas, Colleen Johnston and Sage Comstock. 

The last performance in the gym was a Choral Reading piece called “Move,” which transitions through inspirational Christian songs dealing with some of life’s harder choices.

The participants in this group include Shena Bryan, Aly James, Kendra Cranston, Natalie Wheeler, Abbi Nelson, Stephen Vavroch, Coleton Tompkins, Alexis Ferguson, Emily Long, Brynna Steele, Kaylee White, Courtney Petersen, Nathan Wheeler and Shane Lyons. 

The ensemble group consisting of Niall Lyons, Alexis Ferguson and Zach Gibson kicked off the performances in the lunchroom. Their piece was titled “The Supers” and focuses on three superheroes angry about a life-long dispute over a Yo-Yo. 

The Musical Theatre group sang tunes from “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” This group was made up of Natalie Wheeler, Bridgette Moore, Kendra Cranston and Morgan Sanders.

Next was an ensemble group coached by Earlene Taylor performing “Elevator Games.”  Members of the group include Shena Bryan, Madison Dawley and Carly Steele, who play three strangers stuck in an elevator together. 

The last performance was the Radio News Broadcasting group led by Anya Johnson. The audience was able to listen to a recording of a fitness and health broadcast, performed by Colleen Johnston, Becky Kopp, Lex Jack, Tiffany Heishman and Garrett VanMaanen. 

These students are anxiously awaiting  their first contest, which is held at Grinnell High School on Jan. 21.

Teacher Talk: Earlene Taylor

by Chelsey Moore

This year marks Earlene Taylor’s second year as the Oasis Room instructor at Montezuma High School. Taylor grew up in Montezuma and attended high school at Montezuma. In high school she was involved FFA, student council, National Honor Society, Brave New Leaders, volleyball, basketball, track, speech and drama and school plays and musicals. 

After she graduated from Montezuma Schools in May of 2004, she started attending college at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa where she studied psychology and counseling psychology. Taylor worked at the preschool on campus, studied and spent time with friends while she was attending Grinnell. 

After Taylor graduated in 2008 from Grinnell, she began going to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. While attending Indiana University she did an internship at Eastern Green Community Schools. Taylor then graduated from Indiana University in 2010 to earn her masters degree in Counseling. 

Taylor said, “I became a teacher because my advisor in college suggested I look into school counseling because it matched my interests.” 

She returned to Montezuma, Iowa, because of family and a job opportunity.

Taylor has enjoyed her time here but most enjoys getting to know the students.

Taylor said, “In my free time I like to hang out with my puppy, Ava Mae, spend time with friends and family and read.”

JV Braves fight Warriors

by Colton Talbert

The JV basketball boys fought a close game on Jan. 3 after being on break from their last game back on Dec. 20. They outplayed HLV on their court in Victor and pulled out a win 27-20. The game was played at HLV in the downstairs gym while the varsity girls were also in action. 

Coach Dale DeJong was pleased with the game and  said,  “I thought our guys played well together, and it was great to get a win coming off of Christmas break.”

The Braves had  several key players contribute to the win on both ends of the floor. Point leaders were sophomore Siraj Thomasen and freshman Jake Hasley with six points each and freshman Joe Peck  and sophomore Dillon Wilhelm with five points each. Sophomore Bryan Gregson was  the assist leader on the night with five of the team’s eight assists. Rebound leaders were Hasley (9), Thomasen (6), Peck (6)  and Gregson (4). 

Coach DeJong said, “We have to get better at finding a guy in our area and blocking out, and we will work on that in practice. All in all, our guys continue to practice and play extremely hard, and I look forward to getting even better as the season progresses.” 

The JV Braves will be in action on Jan. 12 at English Valleys at 6:00.

Students and staff celebrate the holiday spirit

Allison Pargeon awards David Brondyke with a ribbon for winning the Ugliest Sweater Contest at the school’s assembly before winter break on Dec. 22.

by Morgan Sanders

With the holidays just around the corner, Montezuma students and staff show their holiday spirit with their attire. 

Monday was holiday hats day, Tuesday was holiday socks and ties day, Wednesday was red and green day and last but not least, Thursday was ugly sweater day.  

Throughout the week, after giving one last test before break, many classes had holiday parties or watched movies in class to unwind before break. 

Thursday afternoon at 2:00 p.m., students and teachers piled into the junior high gymnasium for the assembly. To start the assembly, the band performed the songs “God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Deck the Halls.”

Then, the teachers entertained with a production of the song “Carol of the Bells.” 

After students had got a good look at the teachers’ sweaters, the second annual ugly sweater contest began. The teachers anxiously waited while students cheered or jeered at their sweaters. Determined to defeat previous champion, Keith Sietstra, teachers brought their A-game. Multiple teachers had light up sweaters and some of the men simply wore very small sweater vests and turtleneck shirts. This year, David Brondyke won with a sweater vest featuring a snowman he made using cotton balls  and pipe cleaners.  He was awarded with a ribbon to commemorate the event.  

To end the assembly, the band performed a “Holiday Medley” featuring “Jingle Bells,” “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,””Up on the Housetop” and “We Wish you a Merry Christmas.”