“The first meet is scheduled for January 26,” Forensics sponsor Zach Butte said.

The season stretches a total of five months and will finish up in May if students from the team quality to advance to state competition.

“The state meet ends our season on May 5,” Butte said.

Although many Forensics meets occur on Saturdays, it is still an elected class. However, some students may not have room in their schedule to take Forensics as a class and choose to participate in the activity after school hours.

“We have 20 students taking Forensics as a class, and six students participating outside of class,” Butte said.

Butte said he is looking forward to beginning the season, but still has some nerves about competing at the first meet.

“I feel good about the students and the outlook for success this season,” Butte said.  “However, I will feel better when we are all ready to compete.”

“This trip isn’t only for students but also for parents to travel along with us,” sponsor Abby Maska said. “The organization we are going through, World Stride, will also have trip leaders/instructors with us throughout the trip.”

The trip is for next year’s Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors who are in good academic standing.

“There has been a fair amount of interest in the trip so far,” Maska said.

There is a parents meeting on Tuesday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the Lecture Hall.

“The trip is four days and three nights and will cost $1,689 if students register by February 15,” Maska said. “The cost includes: round-trip airfare, sightseeing transportation, course leaders, hotel accommodations, night chaperones in hotel, breakfasts and dinners, all admissions fees, evening activities, accident/health insurance, field journals, online educational resources, and 24-hour emergency support.”

For a trip itinerary click here.

“So far, 15 students have signed up for the trip, but I’ll know more after the parent meeting,” Maska said.

Maska encourages students to sign up ASAP.

“I think this will be a unique experience for our students in that they will get to experience the history and tradition of our nation in a first-hand way.

For more information contact Abby Maska at amaska@usd489.com

Juniors Ryan Unruh, Courtney Hess, Heaven Vrana and senior Sam Drabkin went to state debate. They went in teams. Hess was with Unruh, and Drabkin was with Vrana.

There were 58 teams in the 5A division.

“We were in the top two-thirds out of 58 teams,” debate coach Zach Butte said.

The teams won two out of their six debates according to Drabkin.

Success of a good debate team is based mostly from experience, Butte said.

“We believe that 80 percent of our success as a debate group has everything to do with experience,” Butte said.

Three out of the four state debaters will be returning to debate next year as seniors, while the other one will be leaving high school.

“I hope that this experience will help the three members that will be returning to debate next year to have a successful year,” Butte said.

There were 58 teams in the 5A division.

“This was the first time in seven years that Hays High has sent two teams to state debate,” Butte said. “In the past five years we’ve sent at least a team though.”

In order to qualify for state, the debate team has to attend at least four varsity debate tournaments and has to have a winning record at those tournaments.

“We found ourselves to be successful,” Butte said. “Maybe not as successful as we wanted, but successful. We look forward to having another successful year next year.”

As the winter begins taking its toll and second semester is underway, students are starting to feel the harsh effects of the sickness making its way around the school.

From a small pain in the pit of the stomach to the full-blown flu, it seems new students are getting sick and missing out every day.

But for some students, missing school isn’t such a plus side. Some even fight through it just to avoid the dreaded zeros in place of where their completed grades should be.

“I got sick sadly, but it was just a cold and then a sore throat,” junior Elizabeth Smith-Moore said. “But I didn’t miss school, thankfully the worst part was over the weekend.”

Yet not all students are quite so lucky to get such a small dose of the sickness floating around the school. For some it’s inevitable to miss time and work to the winter chills.

“I was sick but it wasn’t like the normal sick, it was intense,” senior Emma Hilton said. “It sucked and I missed  a week.”

But it’s not like this has ever been an unknown fact that the cold weather brings bad health. Some are just more fortunate in the fact that they avoid the germs making their way to people while others have to suffer the sore throat and twisted stomach every year when the snow starts falling.

Yet those who know the torture and some who just don’t want the experience or missed days begin taking precautions to protect themselves from others.

“I refuse to get sick,” senior Larissa Smith said. “Last year when I got sick around this time I had to go to the hospital. So this year I refuse, I’ll chug a V8 if I have to.”

So as the fear sinks in that the flu bug is hiding just around the corner, students take caution, weary that they may be next. And while some may welcome the days away from school, others dread the very thought. Not all parents are so open to the easy excuse that they’re child isn’t feeling well and they need to miss that day.

“I’m not allowed to get sick in my house,” senior Catherine Waring said. “I can’t miss school. But I don’t have to try that hard not to, my immune system just rocks.”

12rscott@usd489.com

STUCO decided recently to make the informal dance more exciting by making Indian Call a Sadie Hawkins dance.

“That’s how every dance should be,” senior Aaron Stewart said. “Girls get to see what we guys have to go through at Homecoming.”

Senior Katie Krug, a member of STUCO, said she thinks the move was a great idea.

“People still wanted something that resembled a formal dance,” Krug said. “Sadie Hawkins dances are usually a little nicer than informal dances.”

Spirit week will still consist of many of the usual spirit days—for instance, Monday will be Superhero Day, and Tuesday will be Pink and Red Day. One thing will be different, however: Instead of having Dress-Up Day at the end of the week, Friday will be Sweater and Khaki Pants Day.

“It’s like the Relient K song,” Krug said. “We thought that would be really fun for students.”

The dance will be held in Gym B after the basketball game on February 17.
“I think the whole Sadie Hawkins thing was a really fun idea,” Krug said.

12lmarcotte@usd489.com

The cast list for “Virgil’s Family Reunion” is as follows:

Eloise Sludge— Anna Hickert
Harley Wayne Sludge— Travis Wright
Mama Hooper— Margaret Moore
Papa Hooper— Laken Kennedy
Pamela Chambers— Madeline Trout
Virgil Sludge— Aaron Cunningham
Margaret Sludge— Leisha Sadler
Bertha Mae Sludge— Katarina Rorstrom
Ellard—Jake Nelson
Police Officer— Quin Brungardt
Moe Moe— Delphine Burns
Curly Sue— Aislinn Walters
Larry Sue— Molly Barnett
Grandma Petunia— Erica Staab
Mr. Perky— Chris Rooney
Tiny— Faith Burdine
Aunt Polly— Nicole Feyerherm
Aunt Esther— Elizabeth Smith-Moore
Family Members— Kaylee Dewitt, Eryn Johannes

The cast list for “Town Council” is as follows:

IB Wishwashy—Rachel Muirhead
Miss Takes— Shelby Matlock
Titus Canby—Conrad Hoffman
Mary Emall—Amy Jordan
Mayor Seymour Killens— Dustin Mulkey
Macon Sense—Samantha Rohleder
Summer Love— Catherine Waring
Herman Roid —Spencer McCue
Able Stain— Laken Kennedy
Emma Starvin—Mary-Kate Menendez
Pam Chambers—Madeline Trout
Ida Rather— Delphine Burns
Attorney— Erica Staab
Citizens—Nicole Feyerherm, Kaylee Dewitt, Eryn Johannes

The concert began at 7:30 p.m. and two high school choirs performed: Chamber Singers and the Staley High School Chamber Choir from the Kansas City area.

“I think it was neat for the kids to meet new people who enjoy music making music as much as we do,” Choir Director Johnny Matlock said.

There are approximately 30 members in the Staley High School Chamber Choir. They performed Sicut Cervus, Dulaman, O Nata, Carol of Joy, and Coming home. Chamber Singers performed Shehcheyanu, Light of a Clear Blue Morning, Ave Verum Corpus, In the Moon of Wintertime, and When I Have Sung My Songs to You.

Tracy Resseguie is the choir director at Staley High School.

“Tracy and I have been friends for a long time,” Matlock said. “We really became good friends when we worked together at the KU music camp.”

In the four years Staley High School has been in existence, the Chamber Choir has performed at the Missouri state contest three times and received 1’s each time.

They also have done an international tour of Norway. On that tour they sang a piece that was composed for the choir by Dan Forrest and Tony Sylvestri that is about a Norwegian immigrant who came over to the US in 1890’s.

Through the help of Jerry and Robba Moran, the choir obtained special permission from the white house to sing in the Great Hall in Ellis Island in New York City.

“We had an impressive crowd at the concert,” Matlock said.

At the concert, there was an opportunity for the people attending to donate money to First Call for Help.

“We were able to raise $850.10 for First Call for Help,” Matlock said.

Although the organization of the dance has already commenced, there are still upcoming opportunities for students and parents wishing to participate.

“There will be a parent meeting to start organizing Prom,” co-sponsor junior Jenna Ball said.

The meeting is coming up this month and will be starting the organization of Prom by juniors and their parents.

“The junior parent prom meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 23, 2012 at 7:00pm in Lecture Hall,” co-sponsor Courtney Storer said.

Ball and Storer are the two student sponsors and Tammy Stewart is the junior class sponsor responsible for organizing the 2012 Prom. Ball said that some elements of the dance have already been decided.

“The theme for this year is fifties,” Ball said.

However, Stewart said there is still significant planning left for upcoming meetings.

At the parent meeting we will go over committees and what each committee will entail,” Stewart said. “We will also answer questions and have the sign-up sheets for parents and establish ordering deadlines.”

There will be an email sent out to juniors with additional information.

“An email will be sent out to juniors about committees and signing up for them,” Storer said.

Students and parents are still encouraged to sign up and help with organization and planning.

“Without Junior parent help Prom cannot happen,” Stewart said.

If you would like to help but cannot attend the meeting, please contact Julie Pfannenstiel at jpfannenstiel@usd489.com or Tammy Stewart at tstewart@usd489.com for information and to sign up for a committee.

“It would be greatly appreciated to have as much help and participation as possible to make a successful Prom,” Ball said.

The scene described above is one that will soon be played out on Feb. 17 at the Indian Call King and Queen crowning. The senior class nominated five girls and five boys Tuesday.

The students voted are Kaycee Bielman, Madeline Curry, Megan Mayo, Alexis Pfannenstiel, Jill Taylor, Brady Baumgarn, Zach Binder, Luke Madden, Corey Miller, and Booker Rohlf.

The Indian Call dance is to be informal this year. Some candidates don’t like this idea.

“I don’t like that the dance is informal. But I am excited that it’s going to be a Saddie Hawkins Dance,” Bielman said. “But the candidates are still going to dress formal for the crowning.”