This year, students’ last day of school is Dec. 21, and they return on Jan. 2, the day after New Years. That’s 11 days of no school, including weekends.

Junior Riley Mortenson is somewhat indifferent to the length of winter break, as long as it’s time off from school. “Once it’s over it’ll seem really short,” she said.

An important significance of winter break besides having holidays off, Mortenson believes, is having time to visit family. During the break she too visits her family.

Having families getting together is a tradition English teacher Nicholas Jackson also has. “It is important for rest, repose, and maintaining relationships between family and friends,” he said.

Jackson doesn’t believe that having a short winter break is necessarily a bad thing. “It is just another year. I don’t worry too much about the days off during winter break. The full week off is nice, and I do like a longer summer,” he said.

School Board member Cindy Elsbernd, a new Board member since September, also believes a shorter winter break has to do with a longer summer. ”I do notice that the school year ends in May and in years past it has ended in June,” she said.

Elsbernd does not have direct affect on the length of winter break. It is decided by an advisory committee of staff, administration, the Des Moines Education Association (the teacher’s union), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (the union for other school workers) and parent representatives, who submit the plan to the board for approval.

Another topic that varies in opinions is the subject of New Years. To some, New Years is not a big holiday, but to others it holds great significance.

Mortenson is one of those who doesn’t care much about New Years, but to her school should still be out on Jan. 1. It’s still a holiday, and she believes we should still have it off so winter break will be longer.

Jackson’s view is a bit different. “Teacher’s are adults and people, so having New Year’s off is important for the same reason that Spring Break falls during the week of St. Patrick’s Day,” he said.

Why? For headaches mainly, he said.

Mortenson said most students opinions are that winter break needs to be longer, and teachers opinions are probably similar. Jackson, speaking from a teacher’s point of view, believes students should have more of an ambivalent attitude than joyful, because with a longer winter break comes a shorter summer vacation.

As for what he believes teachers feel towards winter breaks, he cannot speak for them all. “But teachers are human, and we all like time off,” he said.

Mortenson doesn’t look to summer vacation like Jackson, she just wants time off from school. Coming back on Jan. 2 is the worst part for her, only because it means coming back to school.

Whether the opinions of Mortenson and Jackson are a majority or not cannot be said, but both opinions hold credibility. Mortenson’s opinion leans more towards living in the moment, while Jackson looks to the future.

What can be said is winter break is definitely shorter. Having 11 days off may not be as much as some hope, but having a longer summer may be better for some.

“I don’t know why it took me so long to find a job, I have experience. Maybe it’s the economic crisis, companies are making less money so they don’t have as much to pay new workers, so the don’t hire as easily”, Vujicic said.

Vujicic applied at the majority of stores in Merle Hay and the library but when she was finally hired it wasn’t at any of these places. She became employed at the Valley West footlocker branch.

“Applying at footlocker did’t even occur to me, I only went there because my cousin, who works there, referred me. I don’t think I would have gotten the job unless I had known someone there.”

Vujicic was grateful to have a job though. In an effort to condition her to the harshnities of the ‘real world’ Vujicic parents’ had stopped giving her money to spend on anything other than necessities.

“Before this year my parents payed for most things, but they cut me off. They want me to learn i need to pay for the things I want myself. So I’ll be spending my money on gas, and basically everything in my social life. I’m also going to save up for college.” Vujicic said.

Vujicic isn’t bitter about this though, she feels supporting herself and having a job will teach her valuable lessons about how to spend her money, especially in the midst of an economic crisis.

“I know the economy is bad and I think that will force me to think about what I spend my money on, gas prices are higher and I need gas, but I also need to save for college.” Vujicic said.

The money Vujicic makes comes from the 4- hour training shifts she’s now in. She likes it though, a mix of apprehension, excitement, comfort is provided from her new job as a sales associate.

“I like the people there, and I like knowing that I have a job secured, but the amount of shoes I have to sort through scare me. I don’t know where everything is and I know I’ll learn it, but it’s still a little overwhelming.” Vujicic said.

As far as she sees it, Vujicic will be working at footlocker until she’s off to college in about a year. She hopes to take up another job while in college and she thinks her footlocker experience will help.

“I don’t know what job I’ll have in college but I know my lessons from footlocker will transfer over, and my lessons from my job in college will transfer over to my career.”

Vujicics’ career choices are still ambiguous, but apparent, and her lessons will transfer over. It could be said that jobs are not only a provider of income but also of wisdom. Wisdom to be used in you next job, and the one after that, and then your career; an endless web of not only applying for jobs, but also applying lessons to those jobs.

The knew locked door rule has caused lots of controversy within the student body. When asked what his feelings were on the topic senior Camron Woods said that it was like being in prison. A big reason for the push in safety rules was the shootings at Columbine.

“Safety is more important than how students feel about our policies.” said principle Doug Wheeler, ” Student’s opinions and those of there supervisors  are always going to split.”

The only doors that students are allowed to use are four doors in the front that are farthest from the student parking lot. While the teachers and other faculty can enter any door they want using there badges.

Most students see this rule as a lack of trust. “Obviously not, everything locked in this b****!” said Woods when he was asked if he thought that the heads of our school trusted us students.

But this rule is not only enforced at Hoover. All DMPS schools can only have one centralized entrance into their schools.

Even though the students aren’t very happy there are no complaints from the parents. “The Parent Advisory Council has given me permission to do anything that is manditory to student safety.” said Wheeler.

Now the question is what is going to happen to the doors now that they aren’t being used? “This is a permanent rule,” said Wheeler. “and since some of the old doors don’t lock and aren’t being used within the next two years there will be renovations to the where the doors are currently at.”

Even though the students aren’t at all happy with the new additions to Hoover’s policies there isn’t much that can be done. “They shouldn’t be spending money on all these useless thing and focus more on are educations.” said Woods.

The girl’s team last year was very close, whilst the boys were not. One would think that adding so many new people to the girl’s team would effect the closeness of the team but it has not and the girls do not foresee such things happening. So while the larger team is extremely close, the small (boys) team is not nearly as close as the girls.

There is an explanation to all of this though. The boy’s team is small and not close,but it is better than the girl’s team according to Black and sophomore Rachel Mount. The girl’s team is close and social but not as good as the boys. It seems as if the girls are in it for the social aspect and the boys are more serious about doing well.

This is the second year Mount has been bowling. “I joined last year because my sister [Amanda Mount] was in it and this year because my friends are in it,” Mount said. “I joined because my friends, my amigos, my chaps were bowling,” Black said.

This only leads us to believe that girls this year have joined for the socializing aspect also. “You don’t need any skill. You can just be really stupid and bowl,” Black said.

“It’s just something to do in the winter,” said Mount. With attitudes like this, one can only be led to believe that the bowling team will not exceed this year. Then again, they did well last year and were just as close.

Another thing that may affect the team is the girls new coach. Hoover teacher Kirk Stevens was the last coach and while Black was very happy with him, Mount hinted that she was glad they have a new coach this year.

“He’s nice. He seems like he knows what he’s talking about,” Mount said.

“He’s a very nice person. Flexible-schedule wise. Tends to get cocky but doesn’t let it get to his head,” Black said. So how does this compare to Stevens?

“Sevens was a wonderful coach. I wish he was still coaching this year. That’s how good of a coach he was. He always knew what to say at every moment. He was a good motivator. He was the team’s cheerful person,” Black said. But he was not Black’s coach.

“He helped us sometimes…He was an alright coach. Sometimes he didn’t help us as much as he could have.” Mount said. So maybe a new coach is just what the girls need to catch up with the boys.

For senior Sean Bremhorst who has been a member for 2 years, the thought of organized violence is wrong. everyone in the group has their own reasons for attending. The reasons aren’t the important part. The group joins as one to protest war.

“The only reason war should happen is in defense, and only when we really have to,” Bremhorst said.

Students Beyond war is made up of local high school students. No one really knows how long they’ve been around, but even so the group still meets every Tuesday at 6:30 at Friend’s Meeting House on 42 Street between Ingersoll and Grand Avenue. The members vary from week to week, but there is always a mix of students.

“There’s no specific leader, we kind of all decide what to do.” Bremhorst said.

The group meats on the specific dates and discuss what they want to do. It’s either planing the next protest or just discussing their views or there lives.

The group participates in many protests against war. They have even hosted a concert a Grey’s lake 2 years ago. Another type of protest is a die in. During this everyone is representing those who have died in a war. The group meats up in a busy location and holds signs explaining their presence. After awhile they all lay down to symbolize how shocking a small group laying down can be, when all those gone in the war have no purpose to be gone.

“We do get negative reactions, like ‘kill all the Afghans’ and ‘get a job’. It’s funny though because I have a job,” Bremhorst said.

Right now members of the group are participating in Occupy Des Moines, a protest at the capital run by Occupy Together.  They are the 99% fighting against the greed and cruelty of the 1%. Occupy wants a real democracy were everyone has a voice and everyone is heard. The group is spread throughout 1,570 cities.

Every day occupy comes together to talk of were they are. They discuss what they want to do and what there plans are.Each person has a chance to talk and give input, this is their example of a democracy.

The group hopes to spread the truth about war, and prevent us from losing unnecessary lives and money.

“We want to cut military spending, they get 60% of the U.S. budget compared to the 6% to education,” Bremhorst said.

They are an example of how people can come together for a greater cause, of how reasoning isn’t a factor when your overall opinion is the same.

This past season most the team quit in the first few weeks and they never won a single meet. But hopefully a new swim coach will turn it around for our husky swimmers.

Dave Lippold, who also coached this years girls swim team, has decided to take on the torch and do his best to improve the boys team.

“He’s a tough coach but the whole team really likes him.”  sophomore Anna Burriola said, “but he’s also really nice and knows a lot about what he is doing.”

Lippold did lots of good for the girls team and hopefuly he can do the same for the boys. “I have a formula that i’ve used before and it works.” says Lippold. “But its not a video game, you have to work at it.”

Dave Lippold has had  quite a bit of experience with swim teams. He was a swimmer in high school and a coach at Dowling for 10 years where he had 4 state champion teams.

because Coach lippold has done such a great job with the girls there is a lot of hope that the boys losing streak will come to an end.

This years team is expected to be a decently sized team.Its predicted that quite a few freshman are planning are joining the team, most of whom have never swam competitively before. The team also has a problem with focusing and not messing around during practice.”If you want to be on the team, follow the rules.” says Lippold.

Lippold says that it’s too early to tell if this season will be successful but he hopes for the best. A couple of students are planning on trying for state qualifying times, including Ryan in the 500 yard and Andrew Gamble in the 50 yard.

“Learning occurs outside the school and outside the state.  It’s good for the students to get out-of-state.  Not just from a musical perspective but to see the world.”  principal Doug Wheeler said.

The trip was exciting for many of the students that went.

“I had so much fun.” junior Bailey Wood said.

The students and their chaperons did many things while in the city.

“We went to Chinatown and we went to Times Square and we went to two Broadway shows and they were amazing,” Wood said. “Shopping in Chinatown, it was awesome, everything was cheap.”

“We saw two Broadway shows, an NBC tour, Top of the Rock, 9/11 Memorial, the choir students did a workshop with a Broadway artist, we visited Times Square and we were supposed to go to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty but we missed it when our bus broke down.” Lee said.

“(We) shopped, saw two Broadway shows and saw the World Trade Center.” sophomore Hailey Soady said.

Memories were made for the students who went to the Big Apple.

“Seeing behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live.  Spending times with my friends and seeing all of the attractions.” Soady said.

“Broadway, I loved it.  I cried at the beginning of Lion King.” Wood said.

Some of the students think there should be more trips like the one to New York.

“I think there should be a ton more trips like this.” Wood said.

The trip seemed to have gone well for those who went.

“I think it was good fun for the students, we had no problems except for the bus breaking down.” Lee said.

“I have been fortunate that I came to a program where winning is a tradition and I hope that we can continue that,” Henderson said.

Knowing that it takes a vast amount of communication, Henderson has an all season workout to keep his players in shape and ready for the season.

“It’s my way of communicating with them to make sure they are ready for the season”, Henderson said.

Seeing the team put all the work and seeing it pay off makes Henderson proud to be a part of it.

“You have to put the the time in to be successful”, Henderson said.

Although losing many key senior players, Henderson is still hoping to compete at high level and to keep the tradition of success.

Senior Cameron Woods has been playing basketball for the last four years as a shooting guard.

“Ever since I could remember, I have always had a ball in my hands,” Woods said.

With the continuous motivation of his family, Woods tries to forget about everything and concentrate on his game.

“I play for more then just myself,” Woods said.

Listening to music before playing and always wanting to improve, Woods makes sure to balance everything in his schedule.

“Every year I get stronger and I try to be more fundamental,” Woods said.

Knowing how much commitment it takes Woods commits himself to his role in the team.

“Everyone has a specific role to play and if everyone plays to their potential it can get dangerous”, Woods said.

Having the experience during state, Woods advises other players to work hard.

“Work on your game, start early because if I could go back then I would. I’ve seen what it’s like out of state and there’s strong competition out there so be committed,” Woods said.

Senior Volleyball player Amber Gaumer feels similar to Woods about the amount of competitiveness.

“It gets fairly competitive out there but I know you can’t be the best at everything and ultimately you get out what you put in,” Gaumer said.

Having off season workouts would be an advantage to the team.

“Other schools that have an off season workout have an advantage to grow stronger as a team plus playing off season helps strengthen your skills,” Gaumer said.

Putting team effort is necessary for a successful sports team.

“I like volleyball because it’s a team sport unlike individual sports that focus more on individual gain instead of team work” Gaumer said.

Improving occurs while playing over time.

“Volleyball is a mental sport so I’ve improved my placement and straightedges on court,” Gaumer said.

Being motivated for having a chance to improve next time, Gaumer considers volleyball as a great anger management tool.

“It’s motivating when you lose because it allows you to step back, look at your mistakes, and improve for the next game,” Gaumer said.

Looking back through all of her memories, Gaumer advises others to not get upset if they don’t make it the first time and to just stay motivated and try harder to make it the next time.

Gaumer is not planning on playing volleyball while she attends college because she would like to make her studies her main priority, while Woods would like to continue playing basketball and major in social work.

A short time before the school year began, the Franklin Avenue Library reopened its doors at its original location at 5000 Franklin Avenue. Now that school is in session, students can use the new library for studying.

There are many new features at the library that students can use to help them with school. With more computers and laptop plug-ins, there is more than books to help ease the burden of studying.

Senior Indira Sheumaker started off volunteering at the library, and now works there. She hasn’t yet had a chance to, but she plans on using the library’s resources to help her with school.

Shuemaker enjoys the new color scheme and ambience, but it’s not all fun and games.

“When it’s busy, it’s hell,” she said.

A few of Shuemaker’s jobs are sorting books, re-shelving them, doing shelf checks to make sure books are in order, keeping the library clean, and occasionally closing. Despite all that, she loves working there.

Another person who loves working at Franklin is the branch manager, Kathy Bognanni. Part of her job is selecting a portion of the books, movies and CDs that the library purchases.

There are many new opportunities for teens to get involved with the library. The Teen Advisory Board is a group that meets and discussed topics like how to improve the library to benefit students. The new study rooms were a suggestion from them.

With the new energy-saving movement, the library has also decided to go green.

“The library’s trying to set an example for the community,” Bognanni said.

Franklin is trying to currently achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification. The highest achievement. This is the first Des Moines Public Library building that is LEED registered.

Along with the new energy efficiency, the library has also stepped up their technology. New online databases are available to the public now.

One of the databases is a site that has practice ACT and SAT tests for students to prepare themselves. The tests are free and anyone can access them.

In addition if students need help with homework or understanding concepts, the library offers online tutoring. The library pays for certain hours so that students can get free help.

The tutoring is interactive and helps by going through the process of getting an answer instead of just spitting out an answer.  It can ever read over paragraphs and critique them for a student’s essay.

With at least twenty different links on their website to help out students, the library keeps up with the growing influence of the Internet for the public. New times calls for new technology.

“One good thing about libraries is that they do really try to grow with the time,” Bognanni said. Franklin has modified itself to keep up with changing technology; acquiring new books, new technology, and new energy efficient policies; all for the benefit of the public.

Another new and resourceful addition to the library’s resources is the addition of eBooks and digital audio books. These downloads are available for most electronic book devices, including the Kindle.

The new library in school is a great place to study, but it’s not always open for student use.

“I think the library is a compliment to the school system.” Bognanni said. “The library’s open when the school isn’t, so students can come after school when school libraries are closed.”

With all the new features, studying at the library could be easier than studying at home. Books, magazines, online sources, free Internet, and newspapers are gathered in one building to be easily accessed by any and all students.

If students need a quiet and peaceful place to study, they can go to the Franklin library and take advantage of the free opportunities available. With an abundance of resources in one building, the library is ideal to study in.

“The system in Texas is different. At Hoover, football is a recreational sport, in Texas, it’s a professional sport,” Siffin said.

Hearing that the new coach would be coming from Texas was intimidating for some players. For others it was looked at as an advantage.

Senior linebacker Armin Mesinivic said, “I think it’s good that he came from Texas because football down in Texas is competitive and that’s what we need.”

Junior quarterback Matt Pearson said, “It is intimidating. In Texas football is everything and talent is very high so I try to meet his standards.”

Hearing about the program’s past could have scared any coach away completely. For Coach Siffin, he looked at it as an opportunity for changes and improvements.

“I looked at it as an opportunity to be a head coach. I also looked at it as a chance to help the players understand how things work, and to turn the program around,” Siffin said.

The football program has not had a recent coach stick around for a long period of time. Hearing about a new coach was nothing new for players.

Senior running back, Cody Pifer said, “I think we continue to lose because we’ve had so many different coaches. We haven’t had one consistent coach so we have to keep learning new offenses.”

The last coach the players had was Coach Means. He was put on the spot as the coach because the program was desperate.

“Our coaching is like two different worlds. He was put on the spot and wasn’t trying to change the program. Our styles are completely different,” Siffin said.

At the beginning of the season the team had multiple ineligible players which was frustrating for both players and an incoming coach.

“Of course it’s frustrating. It means low numbers and kids not showing up,” Siffin said.

“It was frustrating because there were so many key players that had to play both offense and defense and that didn’t give us a chance to get a break. We couldn’t be on top of our game if we were tired,” Mesinivic said.

Students have a negative mindset about the team because of the teams losing past. Both coaches and players try to keep their heads up regardless of student’s nasty opinions.

“It’s the culture now. It’s hard to change someone’s mind. We can’t take it personal,” Siffin said.

“I want to go out and see them do it. It’s a lot harder then they think,” Pifer said.

The seniors on the team haven’t won a game their whole high school career. Their hope is that will change by the end of the season.

“It’s depressing. We have worked hard for four years and we don’t have a win,” Pifer said.

“It’s tough. I wish we would’ve won more games, but going through it brings my senior teammates closer together,” Mesinivic said.

Even though this has been a tough season, players believe that Coach Siffin was a positive impact to the team.

“He is definitely a positive impact. He pushes us to get better,” Pearson said.

“He’s very positive. He brings up the team spirit and tries to bring the team closer together,” Pifer said.

Although the team has plenty to work on Coach Siffin is pleased with the season so far.

“I’m proud. It’s always difficult the first year. It’s always going to be rough at the beginning, but we’re setting a good foundation for the future,” Siffin said.

DMPS Superintendent Dr. Nancy Sebring will receive a $200,000 incentive if she chooses to stay with the district another five years.

In the years that Sebring has been with the DMPS, it has increased graduation rates, there has been high test scores for 4th- 8th graders, choices for parents regarding programs, more AP classes, completed renovations on 42 schools, and made schools energy-efficient.

“I do not attribute all of this to just me,” Sebring said. “There were other people that helped also.”

In light of recent staff and budget cuts, this $200,000 incentive seems absurd to many people. They want to know where the money is coming from.

“The board has its own board budget that they can choose to supply to different things so part of the money is going to be set aside from the board’s budget and how much they believe they would have to pay a search firm to find another superintendent,” Sebring said.

According to The Des Moines Register, board members are encouraged by improved graduation rates and student proficiency, have been pondering some sort of overture to Sebring since she was named a finalist this spring for a job in Boulder, CO.

A day as Sebring would be meeting with executive directors, meetings with other staff members, meeting with public groups, and going to school events.

The factors contributing to Sebring’s incentive include the cost to find a new superintendent, the shortage of candidates, and that the new superintendent would likely demand a higher salary.

“My salary is very competitive but it is not out of line in comparison to similar districts for superintendents,” Sebring said.

To be clear the $200,000 incentive does not add on to her salary every year, she does not see a penny of it until she signs up for another five years.

“Everybody just proclaims it to be awesome. It puts a smile on everyone’s face. Especially the first time they see the building.” Wennerstrom said.

Sporting conference rooms, temporary offices, a soft seating area, and availability for four computer labs, the media center and library have seen increased traffic from the students.

“[It's] brought students who didn’t use the library before…the soft seating brings the lunch crowd who like to just come and be here.” Wennerstrom said.

Many students enjoy the atmosphere of the space.

“A lot of students have noticed they’ve measured up to their neighbors in the suburbs. They’ve commented that it’s like a college library.” Wennerstrom said.

Junior Dallis Roberts was not a frequent library visitor when the space was helf at the front of the school but now that the new center is opened she finds herself there more often.

“[I like] the openness, the couches. It’s not so drafty and dark.” Roberts said.

However, there is fewer shelving space in the new facility. As part of the packing process to prepare for the move old books were given away and the middle school books needed to be sorted as well. But Wennerstrom found a place for a special project of hers.

“I love to update new fiction. I brought a lot of new fiction into the library.” Wennerstrom said.

Staff and Administrators are also confident that the new space will help students academically and offer them new opportunities that the old space didn’t. Student Improvement Leader Kate Wharton believes that the space is already beginning to help students.

“I’m the literary SIL. I think we don’t get kids involved in independent reading…but circulation has gone up 10 fold.” Wharton said.

And the renovations do not stop at the media center and library.

“[The] cafeteria will be all one open space with new restrooms. [The] kitchens will be completely renovated.” Wharton said.

Another large renovation that will be in affect is all the adminstrative offices will be put in the space where the old library used to be. This is so that there will be a central location for all the offices. Which will be helpful for parents and other visitors.

The money for all these school improvements came from a tax for schools that can only be used on infrostrcuture. And as far as the media center and library go Wennestrom will make sure that it is used for academically productive purposes only.

“We’re not the video center-the game center. You have to be academically focused.” Wennerstrom said.

(2 x ACT composite score)

+(1 x percentile high school rank)

+(20 x high school GPA)

+(5 x number of high school core courses) = your RAI score.

The requirements for college have changed.  It’s not as easy to just be accepted into college anymore.  Students have to get good scores on important tests like the ACT, get a good GPA and do well in their classes.  If a student get an RAI score of 245 and meet the minimum requirement for high school you immediately get accepted.

It is more of a challenge to get into college if students don’t get a good RAI score.  Students don’t always understand how important it is to get good grades and they slack off.  That is not a good idea.  The worse do in high school the harder it will be to get into a good college, if you are able to get in at all.

Students need to pay attention in class and do their work so they can learn more and do well in their class.  The more they do that, the better they can be.  School work is important for students futures.

Also when Students are juniors and it is time for them to take the ACT or SAT it is immensely important for them to do well on them.  Study hard for them, not just wait around until it is time to take the test and at the last moment cram for them. 

To do well on those tests you also need a good nights sleep and a good breakfast.  Which are a couple of things people don’t always think about, though they are important anyway.  The little and big things all count for success. 

It would be valuable for the students to go see their counselors or SIL’s to see what classes they need to graduate and how far along they are on the classed they need.  It is important to be equal in your classes.  Take the core classes you need and they fine arts classes you need, just do not take to much of either or you will not meet requirements.

It is different for separate schools as to how many credits students need to get into that school.  Though if students have done well during high school and completed all the classes they need to graduate, they should have a fair chance getting into any of the State schools.  Test scores are also very important for getting into a students choice school.

The bottom line is get you class done, do well in them and get good test scores.  Not such a bad or hard thing considering, if it is not done, life will be more of a challenge.

Junior forward, Laura Hollister said, “We have a really good chance at winning most of the games the rest of the season, and a very good chance of winning conference.”

The girl’s soccer team has two goals on their mind the whole season: going to state and taking conference. Nothing else really matters.

Hollister said, “I definitely think we think we have a good chance of going to state. We just need to keep focused and I think we can make it very far, maybe even to the championship game.”

There are some skeptics that are always running their mouths and doubting the girl’s soccer team. Some believe the team will not make it far regarding the graduation of seven seniors.

Senior striker, Andrea Bailey said, “I think losing seven seniors has affected us a little bit, but we’ve been dealing with it well. We have some trouble on offense since we lost our top scorer.”

Minus the minor struggle on offense, the team has a solid defense. Both have had to make changes regarding the losses of the players from the previous year, but the defense has remained very strong.

Hollister said, “Our defense is still very strong and most of us are from the Northwest Soccer Club G-Force team and we all know each other and how each other plays.”

This year the girl’s soccer team will be playing as a 2-A team in sub-state. Although Hoover is a metro school, it is smaller than most and therefore was switched from a 3-A class to a 2-A class.

Some believe switching classes and playing smaller teams will help the team in sub-state.

Bailey said, “I thinking playing 2-A teams will help us out. We’ll be playing smaller and easier teams.”

Sure, there are always going to be those certain teams that other teams dread playing. Teams such as the Ankeny’s, Johnston’s and Valley’s.

Bailey said, “Valley, Johnston and Urbandale are some of our toughest competition. We’ve struggled with playing against them in the past.”

Some believe the girl’s soccer team has one of the best coaches to get them through tough games, and ultimately the whole season. The team’s coach is Jon Rubino.

Bailey said, “I love ‘Bino.’ My freshman year the team had a different coach and when Rubino came he gave me a chance and saw the potential and talent in me”.

Hollister said, “I fell that Rubino has done a really good job turning this program around. We have won conference for two years in a row and are going for a 3 peat this year.”

“A lot of the time they would hug us. They were laughing a lot, kidding around like they had known us for a long time.” Hollister said.

As part of the second STARS day, which stands for Sharing Talents and Resources Through Service, sophomores and juniors could choose from 12 different organizations to devote time from their day to helping. The event was planned to coincide with Gobal Youth Service Day. From working with the animals at the Animal Rescue League to sorting groceries at the food pantry the goal was to engage the students in acts of service.

“[The] mission was to encourage volunteering. No matter what you’re doing, just to know that it’s important.” Hollister said.

Gear-Up advisor Billy Kirby also recognizes the importance of volunteering in student lives.

“Not only giving you experience with others that may not be like you, it’s crucial for scholarships. They want those well-rounded students.” Kirby said.

It’s rare to stumble across an activity that has so many benefits. Because volunteering has worth beyond the approving eye of colleges. Sophomore Connor Daza also worked with the soccer players from LINK. And it provided him with an eye-opening experience.

“I felt good after it was done. I was actually humbled. It is a morale builder.” Daza said.

And for Daza as well as Hollister the volunteering doesn’t end with the conclusion of the STARS volunteer day. In fact the day was actually a catalyst for them to volunteer more.

“Once I saw what needed to be done. We could’ve used more people. I saw that there was a need for help. Now that I recognize that, I’m ready to step up.” Daza said.

Lucky for him he will have the chance to do so in the future. The future for the STARS volunteer day is bright.

“I see a more focused and direct, regular occurring opportunities. Early outs are great. I see it moving in that direction. Power to the students.” Kirby said.

To students looking to get involved in the volunteering cause Cynthia Granquist, teacher and silvercord organizer, can help get students headed in the right direction. And more technology oriented students should peruse the Hoover Volunteer Page on Facebook.

Because by donning the blue and white STARS volunteer tee-shirt, students are provided with more than just a ticket out of class.

“When I first signed up for it I thought it was just a way to get out of class. But I actually had a really good experience.” Daza said.

And Daza wasn’t the only one who had a positive experience. Kirby saw many students having similar eye-opening encounters. They were able to step outside of their everyday routine. Kirby hopes that this event and events like this in the future will continue to encourage students to see what an impact they can have in society.

“There’s no maximum to what you can do,” Kirby said, “No limit to what you can do if you just consider it.”

These events don’t magically happen though. Someone has to plan, organize and execute them successfully.

Students take advantage of what they are presented with and what they expect of these events without realizing how it came to be so that they could have these opportunities. Administrators run the school but there is another group of people, students in fact, who help make a difference by planning these fun activities and often go unnoticed: Student Council (StuCo).

StuCo is a key part of school activities. StuCo president, senior Kiana Roppe, said that their goal is “to better the school and its morale, create more school pride, and have school unity.”

Students are elected into StuCo or put into leadership class, which is combined with the council. Being a member of StuCo means taking on leadership and responsibility. They have a yearly schedule in which they have certain activities and things that they have to do.

Everything that has to do with homecoming, dances and sports assemblies are just a few of the activities they need to have completed on deadline. Other activities, such as the Ironman buyout sports assembly, are added into the schedule to create more fun opportunities for the student body.

The only thing many students have to do is attend and enjoy themselves, while StuCo has to make it happen.

“We do what we can to please the student body,” senior Jocelyn Merino said.

StuCo even created a facebook page to inform students and to give them an opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas.

“We love hearing people’s input,” Roppe said.

StuCo enjoys doing things for the school, but it can be a frustrating job. StuCo members junior Connor Cunningham, junior Katie Steingrabe, vice president and senior David Mwirichia, Merino, and Roppe all agreed that students don’t realize or understand just how much they do and how much time they put into what they do.

“It’s up to students to have fun, we give them them all we can,” Steingrabe said.

Kirk Stevens, who has been in charge of StuCo for five years, agrees with his students.

“Sometimes it feels like a thankless job, but it’s worth doing,” Stevens said.

StuCo doesn’t just plan school events, they also go out into the communitiy to volunteer. According to Cunningham, last year they went out to Hillis Elementary to read to the kids and help out.

Being part of StuCo means to want to make a difference in school. According to Mwirichia, if you’re in StuCo it means you’re “someone who is willing and able to be a leader in this school, willing to do the hard work and doesn’t do it to get recognition for the things they do well, but willing to take the blame for what they do wrong.”

StuCo would like to get more recognition for what they do, even though some events might not live up to students’ expectations. They’re not perfect, and no matter what they do, someone will find something to complain about.

“We are flawed and we can do more, but we do the best we can with our resources,” Steingrabe said.

Some students weren’t pleased with some of the aspects with Winter Formal, for example, but instead of just providing negative feedback, there needs to be some light shed on the positive side. The worst part of StuCo, according to Mwirichia, is “getting negative feedback on something you worked hard on.”

Within seconds, the cars take off and speed down the track. Welcome to the world of drag racing.

Junior Taylor Grimm, 16, is currently on her ninth year of racing.

“I just like racing. I want to do it as long as I can,” Grimm said.

A racing season lasts from the end of April to mid-October and is almost every weekend. Drag racing consists of two cars racing at a time down a quarter or eighth mile, straight track. Racers watch the tree with lights to determine when to leave and, according to Grimm, to get the best timing, racers should leave on the third yellow light.

The first one across the finish line or the one going at a certain time and speed wins. Sounds easy right? Wrong.

Racers have to have complete concentration and focus to get their timing right. Racers also can’t go faster than 85 miles per hour in 7.90 seconds and if they red light (leave too early) they are disqualified.

These are the basic things to know about drag racing but Grimm said it is more complicated.

“A lot of people don’t know about it and it’s confusing to explain,” Grimm said.

Grimm has been involved with racing even before she became a racer. Her grandfather raced and her dad’s friend races an alcohol funny car so he has been going with him for about 28 years. Her dad started to bring her to the track with him when she was two years old.

Racing has become Grimm’s world.

“It means everything! Racing is my life, not even kidding. Racing is a lot of work, it takes a lot,” Grimm said.

Not only does racing take a lot of focus and time, but it also takes a lot of money. The cost varies depending on how you choose to racer.

Grimm owns her car, a motor home so she can stay at the track, a golf cart to drag her car to and from the track and a trailer to store her car. Racers also have to have their basic safety equipment like a helmet, suit and anything else they need to protect themselves.

With all of Grimm’s equipment, her dad estimated that it costs them $300-$400 a weekend. He also estimates the total investment at around $50,000: the car itself is about $12,000.

Although racing is expensive, it’s all worth it for the Grimms, especially this year, where Grimm won it all and became the points champ.

Grimm said she was doing well at the beginning of the year, not so much in the middle and thought about giving up, but she did better towards the end until she was tied for first with a fellow racer Justin Clark, 16, and had to have a run off.

In the end, Grimm came out on top; she could not believe that she had won.

“It was not real for a while,” Grimm said. “I was like ‘what?’. I always thought it would be cool to be the champ but I never thought it would happen.”

Her dad and crew chief, Todd Grimm, was thrilled.

“It was pretty overwhelming. I was very proud of her. It makes all the time working on her car go away,” Todd said.

Todd loves racing and supports her all the way.

“Anytime her and I go racing I know we can win,” Todd said. He’s confident in his daughter and said she has good control.

Grimm’s parents are her biggest supporters.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” Grimm said.

Her friends support her as well, like her friend and fellow racer, sophomore Dakota Allison. Allison said he was happy for her and was glad that one of his friends won.

For winning points champ, Grimm won a plaque, a $400 savings bond, $200 free track entry, a coat, and the fame that comes along with it. On a normal weekend, Grimm can and has won $100 saving bonds and trophies.

Junior drag racers can only race from 8-18 years old, so Grimm is almost finished, but she wants to continue racing after high school in bigger cars if she can afford it. Allison thinks she will if she can and has faith in her as a driver.

“On certain days she has really good lights and she usually runs what she says she will,” Allison said. Overall, he agreed that she is a good racer.

Todd supports her decision. He enjoys the competition, he has friends at the track and it’s something they can do as a family.

“We’re building memories,” Todd said.

Racing is dangerous, but fear is not a factor to Grimm.

“I know it’s dangerous and it’s always in the back of my head, but I’m not going to let that keep me from racing,” Grimm said.

Grimm has never crashed, though she said her motor blew up three years ago and she felt whip-lash. Her dad knows it’s dangerous, but it’s what his daughter wants and although he has some fear, he has faith in her.

“Its something you try not to think about,” he said.

“The play is Ponyboy’s perspective of change through the greasers and the soc’s who are the rival gangs in the neighborhood,”  Haaland said.  “The cast has been really productive. They work together really well.  They are working really hard on character development so that will bring a sense of realness to the show we havent’ had before.”

Playing the main character Ponyboy Curtis is junior Jay Jacobson.

“I am excited, this is a big part and I think I have it down,” Jacobson said.

Portraying the girl Ponyboy yearns for, Cherry Valance is sophomore Carolyn Evans.

“We have a really great cast.  I’m excited to be working with all the talented people in the cast,”  Evans said.

With only just over a month to prepare their lines and get everything ready, some people wonder what some struggles will be and how it will turn out.

“I don’t see any struggles in this production,”  Evans said.  “I think it’s gonna be the best production the Cunningham (Halland) era has put on.  It will be amazing.  There is so much chemistry between the cast, it’s going to be explosive.”

“I think while they’re working hard on character development, people so young will have a hard time committing to it since it’s so different from them,”  Haaland said.

“Being emotional, (there are) lots of deep scenes everyone will have to do.”  Jacobson said,  “(It’s going) very well; (it’s) a) great show (with a) great cast.” 

There is plenty to look forward to when involved in a play, including “being with a good cast and working with all of them, (and) being a greaser,” Jacobson said.

“I think opening night is so exciting when you see everyone’s work at the same time,” Haaland said.

The favorite part about being in a play varies from person to person, including “all the people I’m working with. It’s great to see all these people who are Thespians and have starred in many productions. It’s an honor to be part of the Hoover drama legacy,”  Evans said.

“(For me to) come after school with everyone and just know I’m in a play with my friends that are good actors/actresses,”  Jacobson said.

Senior shooting guard, Kourtlin Jackson said, “Oh yeah, my teammates and I have been talking about winning the state championship since sixth grade.”

Some of the guys on the team have been playing together since they were in elementary school. They played on an AAU team called the Knicks.

Some of the guys agree that being with their teammates since they were young has helped them improve during high school basketball.

Senior forward, Onterier Brown said, “Basically, we all know each others roles and how each other plays.”

The two previous years, the Huskies have lost one game before “The Well.” This year the guy’s were going to do everything to avoid having that happen once again.

When the guys made it to Wells Fargo this year, they were ecstatic.

Junior point guard, Dwight Sistrunk said,”I was happy. We finally got over a hump because the last two years we lost in sub-state.

Junior point guard, Cameron Woods said,”I felt we should have been there the year before, so it was more of a finally feeling.”

Comparing a high school gym and Wells Fargo Arena is like night and day. The comparison is pointless and the differences between the two are drastic.

Senior shooting guard, Cedric Danilson said,”I thought it was pretty cool and I never thought I actually would be playing at Wells Fargo. I finally realized we could actually take state.”

The first game at “The Well”, the Huskies were playing Cedar Rapids-Jefferson.They were a tough team and were great contenders for state.

Kourtlin Jackson said,”Before the first game, a lot of nerves were released and I knew that we were ready to show the state of Iowa how good we are.”

With no looking back, the Huskies won 45-39. That game was way in the past and now they had Ankeny to look forward to, a game looked at as a rematch by many.

Although the guys had pummeling Ankeny on their minds next, they knew they would have to do it without their starting point guard, Dwight Sistrunk. Dwight was out with a concussion.

Junior forward, Bak’r Brown said,”I looked at it as just another game. I knew it was going to be tough without Dwight, but i knew we could come together as a team.”

With Dwight on the bench as motivation for the team, the game came down to the last seconds. The game was tied until senior Kelly Madison made an unbelievable shot that made the student section and parents bust out of their seats.

Dwight Sistrunk said,”Kelly’s shot was a blessing.”

With Ankeny in their tracks, the Huskies were on to the championship game.

Finally, it was the big night. The night that summed up the hard work the Huskies had put in all season. This was their time.

The Huskies would be playing an undefeated Linn-Marr team with North Carolina recruit, Marcus Paige. With that aside, the guys were ready.

Dwight Sistrunk said,”I was excited to be back on the floor. We practiced so had there was no nervousness. We were prepared and ready for the game.”

Down at half time, the Huskies needed something to pump them up and get them ready for the second half. So the half time locker room speech was intense.

Onterier Brown said,”Coach Henderson basically said that we weren’t playing how we usually play so we needed to get ready for the second half.”

Although it was pretty close throughout the whole course of the game, the Huskies took the L, losing 56-42.

Senior forward, Reggie White said,”I was mad because we didn’t play well and basically let two people beat us. Another reason I was mad was because I wasn’t going to play with my teammates anymore.”

With the game over, the locker room had a devastated fever amongst it.

Dwight Sistrunk said,”I was most dissapointed because it was our last time together in a Husky jersey. We had talked about state since we were young, but i was impressed on how much we matured.”

Kourtlin Jackson said,”It was heartbreaking.”

Cameron Woods said,”Personally, it was bad and I couldn’t even process what just happened. I didn’t think our season was going to end just like that.”

Although the Huskies are losing seven seniors, they have next year to look forward to.

Cameron Woods said,”I think we’ll be better than expected. We’ll be the underdogs but if we put our full potential in it, it could be ugly for some people.”