millard west high school def1n3d - amazon web services · 2017-12-19 · millard west high school...

millard w

est high schoolOm

aha, nebraska

2013 Prowler

Volume 18

def1n3d

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‘MW’ are debossed

School Name: Millard West HS

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2013 PROWLER YEARBOOK5710 S 176th Ave Omaha, NE 68135 402.715.6000 (phone)402.715.6040 (fax)http://mps.omaha.usStudent Population: 2327Staff Population: 238 Volume: 18

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1 Violin Lady Softball Lady Laughers Nicholas Hargis, Tyler Banyay, Amber Baudler

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MILLARd WEST High School

DEFIND (Opening)

Another year begins. We awkwardly stand in front of our staring classmates and

try our hardest not to blush a bright red. We tell everyone our name, what we do for fun,

a weird habit we just can’t get rid of; everything that makes us who we are. It may be

hard to choose just ONE favorite movie or THREE traits to describe us, but the entire

class claps at the end of our introduction.

Some teachers may want to break the ice a little deeper, asking more personal

questions to get a grasp on who it is we think we are. We may find it difficult to think of

ourselves in this light – analyzing who we are to others, or who we try to be. But with

every buzzing alarm and every sunset, the world around us is changing constantly,

causing ourselves to adjust year after year.

As our teachers throw these questions at us, we wonder, what is it that defines us?

Is it how we adjust to the spinning world under our feet? Are we defined by the countless

weekends spent with friends? Maybe some of us define ourselves by how hard we work

on that paper after we changed the topic three or four times. Others may be defined by

our performance on the field, our dripping sweat on the court, or the resonating cheers

from the crowd below the stage. Or, is it who we’ve grown to be while we’re standing on

the stage in our cap and gown?

The beauty of it all is that ultimately, the decision is up to us. We have the power

to choose who we are, letting our experiences in the world help define who we are

becoming. We don’t have to decide who we are today or tomorrow, but our definition

awaits us after these four years of high school.

So, while we think of the silly answers to finish our teacher’s usual first-day

activity, remember that the little things we discover piece together the puzzle that makes

us complete. We are defining ourselves one chapter at a time, including another year as a

Wildcat.

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School Name: Millard West HS School Name: Millard West HS


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PFS Date: 02/05/2013 Time: 14:46 PFS Date: 02/05/2013 Time: 14:46

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photo by Karley Isenberg photo by Mary Brummel

by Amber Baudler and Mary Brummel

Costume CrazeStudents think of new ways to dress for the Back To School Dance On the first Friday of the school year, students scram-bled to department stores, Goodwill’s, Hobby Lobby’s, or searched for the costume box in the basement to find the perfect outfit for the annual Back to School Dance. Those new to the process and old pro’s prepared to define them-selves with a creative approach to their dance apparel. Despite the bittersweet arrival of the school year, an-ticipation soared for a group of senior girls ready to reveal their idea planned long before they held the senior title. Senior Emma Schelble was a part of the group posed as elderly women. “We’ve had this idea ever since we were freshmen,” Schelble said. “After we found the ugliest clothes possible, we took on the roll of senior citizens. Instead of grinding like everyone else, we danced just as old ladies would and ended up having a blast at our last Back To School Dance.” While many groups had their ideas planned out, some felt comfortable putting it off until a last-minute costume came to mind.

Senior Daniel Carroll and his friends explored their pos-sibilities only hours before arriving. “We needed a costume for our group, so we went to Hobby Lobby,” Carroll said. “We looked around and saw the bunnies. The bunny suits were so weird and we loved it.” Although some rumors spread about new rules of the dance, dancers were able to respect new policies and impress the administration. The new athletic director, Chris Loofe, was satisfied with the outcome of the event. “I was shocked by the number of students there to sup-port and how many dressed up,” Loofe said. “I was blown away by the cool costumes and how everyone was respectful of the new expectations.” In the midst of the dimmed lights and off-the-wall at-tire, feet grew tired and voices wore out. That Friday night brought in an estimated total of 1250 students decked out in their Back to School Dance clothes, and all grade levels made their best effort to creatively dance in the new school year.

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CALLING all costumesUNIQUE: Before the dancing fully takes off, seniors McKale Turner and Brian Diggins try to get the crowd going. Dressed as uniquely as possible with their cowboy hats, neck ties, masks and tutu’s. “We decided to go as erotic dancers,” Turner said. “We just wandered through Nobbies and picked out random clothes to wear for it.”

NINJA TURTLES: While waiting in line outside of the corridors, juniors Gabrielle Wise, Emma Morice, Danielle Obregon, and sophomore Kylie Cullen laugh together and talk about the night to come. The girls dressed as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle clan, decked out from head to toe. “We wanted to think of something creative and different,” Wise said. “We had fun dancing in our costumes and the music was pretty good.”

BARBIE DOLL: As they stay in character, seniors Ashton Taylor and Kody St. Aubin smile wide to impersonate Barbie and Ken. “I found a shirt that said ‘think of me as the Barbie you’ll never get to play with,’ and Kody agreed to dress up as Ken,” Taylor said. “We went over the top and most people didn’t even recognize us. The looks we got throughout the night were priceless.”

HIPSTER: Hair flips back and forth as junior Jade LeBlanc dances in her costume of a tie-dyed shirt, maxi skirt and denim jacket. “I decided last minute that I was going to go to the dance, and I wanted to be a ‘hipster’,” LeBlanc said. “I just used clothes I already owned. I actually had fun dancing alone.”

UNIQUE NINJA TURTLES

BARBIE DOLL HIPSTER

photo by Karley Isenberg

Tyler Vetock ‘13Bailey Brown ‘14

Edward Robinson ‘13

Morgan Coil ‘14

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A fundraiser for the fearlessOver the Edge

What was supposed to be a week full of sunshine and students going on carnival rides turned into a week of nothing but dark clouds and rain. Millard Days is a week filled with lots activities such as live music, a car show, fireworks, and a parade. Unfortunately, this year, the week was filled with bad weather. “I was disappointed that it rained,” senior Nickalos Wright said. “I had other things I could have done but I sill wanted to go and have fun with my friends .” Although many people didn’t attend the events due to the weather, there were a few student’s who didn’t mind getting wet. “I walked around with my friend and cousin,” senior Emily Werthmann said. “We went around the carnival singing, dancing and had fun talking to one another.” One event the rain couldn’t stop was the parade. Many people turned out to watch the annual event. Although Millard Days didn’t go as many hoped it would have this year, they still enjoyed it and have hope for better weather next year.

“I like to go to the book store because it a quite place to relax and study” said Megan Luedtke

“I like to go to Panera Bread every Tuesday to study because it’s a good study environment.” said Emily Richards

“I like going to guitar center to look at gear, play guitar, and hang out with friends.”said Nicholas Jaton

“ I like to go to beaver lake to relax, hang out with my friends ,and swim with the fish” said Daniel Carroll

by Aaron Chieply

photos courtesy of Deborah Wente

by Aaron Chieply

photos courtesy of Deborah Wente

SPEEDING : While racing through the water at 40 mph, senior Daniel Carroll enjoys his summer by hanging out at Beaver Lake. “I like to go to there to relax and unwind,” Carroll said. “When I’m at the lake, I hang out with my friends and swim a lot of course. I’ve been going there for about two years now and I plan on going there every summer.”

JAMMING : At Omaha’s recently built Guitar Center, playing the electric guitar is senior Nicholas Jaton. Jaton considers Guitar Center one of his favorite places to hang out and explore his music interests. “I like going to Guitar Center to look at gear for my guitar and also when I’m there I can try gear out to see if I like it,” Jaton said. “Also, when I’m there with the other members of my band, we can each try out gear to see what sounds good.”

READING : After a long day, junior Megan Leudtke likes to find a nice book to relax with in the library . She enjoyed escaping all of the outside noise and stress and cozied up with a good read. “I like to go to book stores because it’s nice and quiet there,” Luedtke said. ”I like to go there so I can get away from people and relax.” When reading, Luedtke can escape from the real world and go on a epic adventure. STUDYING : To prepare for an upcoming test, junior Mackenzie McGlynn enjoys going to Panera Bread to study with her classmates.“I like to go there with friends so we can study for the tests we have together,” McGlynn said. “ We mostly study for test we have in honors Pre-Calculus. We feel it’s a good study environment.” McGlynn goes to Panera to study, but the food keeps her and her friends coming back.

SPEEDING

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READING STUDYING

photo courtesy of Daniel Carroll

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At the top of the second tallest building in downtown Omaha on a cool September day, stands junior Deborah Wente. Most people would’ve seen this as a nightmare, but Wente had shown her excitement through telling friends about the event beforehand. “I was scared for Deb when I found out what she was doing,” junior Daxton Chonis said. “When she told me, I thought she was crazy.” Despite any nerves, Wente stood tall, ready to repel down the 30-floor Woodmen Tower. Wente was one of 63 people who got to participate in the fund-raiser ‘Over The Edge’, hosted by the Boy Scouts of Mid-America. Wente learned about the event from her father and was told that in order to partake, she must raise one thousand dollars. “I went around with my friends and visited family and coworkers to ask for donations,” Wente said. “It took two months to raise all of the money that I needed.” To her surprise, Wente ended up donating more than the required amount, making her involvement in the fund raiser a go. When September 22nd rolled around, Wente was more than prepared.

She invited her her mother to go to with her for support. After arriving to the tower, she met with a trainer to get all of the necessary equipment and receive some needed preparation. “The trainer made us practice on a small building

in the parking lot for five minutes to get ready,” Wente said. “The safety gear I had would protect me from falling if anything went wrong.” Once they were done practicing, they headed to the highest point of The Woodmen Tower. After some last minute tips, the trainer attached Wente to the safety gear, got her into position, and she started repelling. “At first, I was telling myself not to look down. But once I reached the middle of the tower, I got the courage to,” Wente said. “It was smooth sailing from there. I enjoyed every minute and was exhausted when I got to the

bottom.” That day turned out to be a memorable day for everyone involved. Sixty thousand dollars was raised for the Boy Scouts of Mid-American Council. Wente got to do something she had never done before, making for an amazing new experience.

photos by Aaron Chieply

photo courtesy of Nichas Jaton

photo courtesy of Megan Luedtke photo courtesy of Emily Richards

Rain, Rain, Go AWAY

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JUNIORS:

Junior year marks the beginning of our upperclassmen privileges and the start to our most

defining year of high school yet. We find ourselves not only another year older but also a

little more mature, stressed, organized, and social. Our schedules are jam packed with AP

classes, ACT prep courses, work, and extra curricular activities. Most of us enjoy the new

opportunities that come along with being a junior like legally driving with more than just

one person, going out on the weekends, front row seating at football and basketball

games, and R-rated movies. Many of us couldn’t wait for our first Prom, royalty voting,

and the official pep rally seating along with “booing” the lowly sophomores and

freshmen. But of all the new and exciting changes we experience this year, what we love

the most is the freedom. These opportunities allow us to create memories for a year that

still embraces our youth. Junior year will always be one to remember and will stay with

us as we continue to define the rest of our high school career.




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“You know you’re from Millard West when you spend all your time hanging out at the BP gas station.”-Samuel Hogan ‘15

“You know you’re from Millard West when your school has a Harry Potter club.”-Chelsea Schula ‘15

“You know you’re from Mil-lard West when you shock the state at every football game.”-Matthew Smutny ‘13

“You know you’re from Millard West when it takes a half an hour to get out of the parking lot.”-Kolby Henrichson ‘14

“You know you’re from Millard West when all the football players wear their jerseys on Thursday.”-Nathan Hudson ‘14

“You know you’re from Mil-lard West when your whole wardrobe is from Urban Outfitters.”-Chloey Olson ‘14

YoU knoW you'rE froM MillarD WesT when

“You know you’re from Millard West when you work at a day-care, because so many people do.” -Megan Theobald ‘14

“You know you’re from Millard West when you don’t know more than half of the kids in your grade.”-Olivia Behle ‘16

“You know you’re from Millard West when you wear other school’s clothes more than Millard West’s.”-Brianne Hansen ‘14

Millard West has many unique qualities that make the Wildcats different from other schools. If it’s not the powerful school spirit the students show, it’s the excelling academics and leadership. “I see a lot of school spirit everyday at school,” junior Jacob Fuller said. “Between the school apparel and pride at the football games, there is just so much.” Coming into high school, not all the freshmen knew what to expect. The freshmen had no idea what Millard West had to offer with the social style, school spirt and academics. “Being a freshman, I was suprised to see how much pride everyone took in the school,” freshman Conrad Sandoz said. “Everyone at Millard West acts like a family and I love that about high school.”

It’s not just the school pride that makes the Wildcats act like family, it’s also the learning experience each student has taken for themselves. Every student’s experience is different, whether it’s easy or difficult, everyone has their own journey. “In my four years of high school at Millard West, I have met so many people that show their leadership and try hard in school,” senior Scott Gearke said. “Millard West has prepared me for my future and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.” All of these things separate Milard West from other high schools making it easier to answer when someone asks you, “You know you’re from Millard West when?”

The truth about what defines the students of Millard WestFRESHMEN“My eyes started to tear up when the upperclass-men booed us freshman at the pep rally. We are just fresh-meat in the environment and they pick on us for no reason. I later found out that boo’ing the freshmen was just a tradition that happens every year.” Rafile Ayubi ‘16

JUNIORS“Walking down on the field for homecoming was awesome. It was really fun to be there and have all your friends cheer for you. I was really glad that my parents came with me and could support me the whole way. I will forever remember that night.”`Kevin McCawley ‘14

SOPHOMORES“The back to school dance was so much more fun this year since we got to dress up. I think everyone in our grade felt more included and had such a great time. I loved getting ready with all the girls in my grade and I think the idea of being Indians was really creative.”Serene Nabulsi ‘15

SENIORS“As a senior, you finally get the privileges that you have looked forward to having since freshmen year. Standing in the front row at the football games is something I will never forget even if it meant being there 3 hours before kickoff just for a spot. The front row truly defines a Millard West senior.” Taylor Stobbe ‘13

“You know you’re from Millard West when you pierce your ears and shave

your head.”

-Adam LeVasseur ‘14

“You know you’re from Millard West when you want to bring a blanket to school because it’s so cold.”-Zachary Dahir ‘15

“You know you’re from Millard West when it’s strange to see someone without an iPhone.”-Megan Cassling ‘14

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“I think the boys basketball team and the boys he hangs out with are really helping him experience the culture,” junior Nicholas Barone said. “He gets to see how the guys act with each other after school. He seems to be adapting and picking up the ways they act.” Pedraja also shared his culture through just answering questions. His friends were very interested when they found out that he was a foreign exchange student and asked plenty of them. “When I’m curious about something, I just ask and he answers all of my questions,” Fabry said. “He tells me the differences between Spain and America.” As Pedraja expected, America and Spain are very different. He thought that American people live lavish lifestyles with large houses and many new things. Millard West was a new world compared to his school in Madrid, but both sides made the effort to share their way of life. When he returned to Spain, he brought souvenirs, and American customs, and many memories. Students were sad to see him leave, but walked away from this year with an experience of a lifetime. Litte did the students know that when they shared their culture with Pedraja, they also shared their culture with Spain.

Millard West welcomes a new student and a new culture from Spain Madrid to Millard

PRETERITE VOCAB BATTLESHIP

ROAD TRIP

by Alexa Leroux and Hanna Selinger

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photo by Alexa Leroux

photo by Hanna Selingerphoto by Alexa Lerouxphoto by Alexa Leroux

photo by Rachel Fabry

photo by Rachel Fabry

photo by Mary Brummel

ALTAR: Placing pictures on their altar at Beadle Middle School, sophomore Taylor Knipp and senior Madeline Lynch try to make them fit. They dedicated their project for Day of the Dead to the artist, Frida Kahlo. "We wanted to teach them about altars," Lynch said. "But, we also wanted to teach them about a significant person in history at the same time."

REMEMBRANCE: While presenting her project, sopho-more Taylor Janzen explains the significance of certain objects being placed on her tribute to Evan Sharp. The items placed on it are things that described the life of that specific person. “We had a lot of orange because that’s his favorite color, and a notebook of letters that were written after he died,” Janzen said. “We also put some candy on it because he loved candy.”

WATER: Before putting their cup on the altar, sophomores Jack Keogh and Gage Thompson describe to seventh graders why it is needed. Water is used to quench thirst and clean the bodies of the people who they are dedicated to. "We put water on the altars to make the spirits less thirsty when they get back,” Keogh said. "Walking makes you thirsty."photo by Hanna Selinger photo by Hanna Selinger

REMEMBERANCE

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During Twitter’s trend- #10BestMomentsInMyLife, senior Jose Pe-draja Gutierrez listed all of the places he’d traveled to, things he’d done with his friends, and his senior year spent halfway across the world. Pedraja was a part of the Exchange Student Program and spent this past year in Omaha as opposed to his school in Madrid. While he was here, he touched the hearts of many, made endless memories, and shared his Spainsh culture with the students of this school. In the ten months that Pedraja was in Omaha, he helped teach his friends about the traditions of Spain, and they helped him learn about the culture in America. One of the biggest ways he and his friends shared ideas was through Twitter. Pedraja tweeted about his favorite things in Spain, and his American friends did the same. “I talk to my friends on Twitter a lot,” Pedraja said. “I talk to my friends from here in English, but I talk to my friends from Spain in Spanish.” Along with gaining knowledge of American culture through social networking, he also learned from his friends. They feel that he’s re-ally easy to get along with and were more than happy to help him get adjusted. “I just do my normal tasks to show him about our culture and daily life,” junior Rachel Fabry said. “I answer questions about what words or phrases mean, and I take him to new places. I just be my-self around him.” He also participated in the boys basketball program, and loved becoming a part of the school. His friends thought the basketball team was a big part of what helped him to soak up our culture.

PRETERITE: Singing to the tune of ‘Call Me Maybe,’ sophomores Brandon Rogers, Andrew Page, Michael Douchey, and William Muller are presenting their project to the audience. The class was assigned to write a song about the preterite tense to help teach their peers. “My favorite song has always been Call Me Maybe, so when I found out I had to do the project, I knew it was the song we had to do,” Page said. “We had a lot of fun with it.”

VOCAB: Scanning the dictionary, junior Kody Ver Velde prepares herself for an upcoming vocabulary quiz. Students throughout the foreign language program use many different ways to study, and Ver Velde uses repetition to help her memorize her vocabulary words. “I write them down multiple times,” Ver Velde said. “It helps me memorize them.”

BATTLESHIP: In one class, juniors Laura Quigley and Megan Sharp play battleship to learn the conjugations of different verbs. The class was using the game as a review tool. “We were studying for a preterite test,” Sharp said. “I was playing Laura and I won. It really helped me prepare for the test.”

ROAD TRIP: Before the crash that was featured in their skit, sophomores John Erbert and Spencer Call get distracted by unusual things. Their skit included several lane changes, texting, and even Erbert taking the wheel from Call. “The skit we did was about driving home from a camping trip,” Call said. “We combined all of our talents to make our skit the best it could be and to entertain people.”

DAY OF THE DEAD

SPEECHES VOCABULARY PRACTICE

VOCABULARY: Language teachers do everything possible to have students leave their class with a new language. The most effective way teachers helped students learn was by repetition. “Repitition has helped me learn Spanish easier than I expected,” junior Matthew Roth said. “Writing it over and over makes it stick in your head.”

PRACTICE: Other than the usual teaching techniques used in class, Span-ish teacher Candi Kraska has students learn little songs to help them. Students got more comfortable with using the words in activities. “We repeat songs a lot to help us learn,” sophomore Kaitlyn McAlpin said. “It helps a lot when I see it on a worksheet or activity.”

SPEECHES: Oral practice is another crucial part to accomplishing a second language and even to understand the cultural aspect. “Speeches were really hard for me,” sophomore Alyssa Sloane said. “But, it made it a lot better for the district assessments at the end of the semester.”

Working with Words

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE

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Volunteering doesn’t just build great character; it also strengthens many individual skills. For junior Ashley Krei-fels, overcoming her strengths and weaknesses from volun-teering at Baker’s earned herself the ultimate reward. The students in the Alternative Curricular Program (ACP) volunteer at least once a week at Baker’s or Sem-peck’s. Kreifels was the only student offered to work as a part-time employee at Baker’s. The staff recognized her potential and hard work and thought she would be a great addition to the staff. “Ashley has been a part of the Baker’s community since February 2012 and was a volunteer for three months,” special education teacher Bret Siepker said. “She is a very diligent hard worker and it has definitely paid off.” Students not only benefit the community by helping out, but they also grow as individuals. They learn voca-tional skills, communication skills, and living skills. The learning experience is the key reason this department offers this for the students. “I think this helps us grow as an individual because we learn how to be more social and interact with others,” Kreifels said. “It also shows that even people like us are able to get out there and get a job.”

Special education students volunteer their time in the community

At Baker’s, Kreifels does the typical bagging, stocking, and helping with customers. Having a job is stressful dur-ing the school year, so Kreifels has to balance her schedule so she has enough time to do her school work. “I work about 15 to 20 hours a week, so it can get re-ally busy,” Kreifels said. “I schedule my hours to get off early enough so I can get home and finish my homework.” Although Kreifels is busy working, she continues to volunteer once a week at Sempeck’s with her classmates. They volunteer Tuesday mornings and afternoons while the entertainment center is closed and they clean and organize the whole facility. “I don’t like cleaning at all, but the teachers do teach us how to do it properly,” junior Vanessa Preciado said. “We clean the bowling alley, the restaurant, and pretty much everything. It’s fun to be around my friends and it makes time pass by faster.” All of these students give up a lot of their time to the community and helping others. They learn many skills to help them succeed later on in the future and they get the opportunity to get out there and make a difference.

SPOTLESS: Reading is not the only thing the ACP students did in the library. They also cleaned. Junior Tyler Pederson cleaned the library bookshelves with much focus and concentra-tion. Students went about once a week to clean off all the dust on the shelves and fingerprints on the tables, making the library nice and clean for the all students and staff. “Cleaning the library is fun,” Pederson said. “When it’s clean, everyone is happy.”

PREPARATION: Before each home game, the ACP students filled around 500 programs. Senior Raymond Tomasello worked vigorously filling many programs for the Homecoming football game. They not only filled them for Varsity football games, but also Varsity basketball games. “I filled a lot of programs,” Tomasello said. “ I like to fill them because I do it with my friends.”

HELPING HANDS

SEPARATING: Hard at work, sophomore Dylan Zimmerman, junior Tyler Pederson, and freshman Daniel Hempel divided the cans and plastic bottles into two different trash bags. They made sure that all liquids were emptied out before distribut-ing them. The students came around during second block every day to collect the cans and bottles.

COLLECTION: Pushing around the trash can, sophomore Peyton Flynn was in charge of bringing the trash can from room to room so he could accumulate all of the recyclables. After each bag was filled up, the students brought them to their classroom where they kept every bagful. At the end of the week, they transported the bags to the recycling company.

STACKED: Carrying the recycling bins, freshman Tyler Radke returned the recycling bins back to each classroom. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday students go to each classroom and pick-up every bin. They also go through the organization process of separating each and every bottle and can.

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As second lunch begins, students rushed to get their food. However, the students in the Alternative Curricular Program (ACP), rushed into to the cafeteria for other reasons.

Every day from second lunch to fifth lunch, two stu-dents worked in the dishroom, drying trays. These students were hired by the school getting paid minimum wage. They worked a little less than two hours a day, teaming up with the cafeteria workers. “I really enjoy working in the cafeteria during lunch,” senior Justin Figgins said. “Especially with the cafeteria ladies, They are really funny.” While the kids were drying trays, the lunch ladies liked to

mess around with them. It’s nothing major, but the kids got a kick out of it. “Sometimes I’ll call them by a different name,” lunch lady Christy Assman said. “They say that I’m crazy. Not many students were given this opportunity. They worked at their best ability to get the job done and earn them-selves additional money for college. Although it was a job, their help was much needed in the lunch room and they made a great team with the employees of

by Mackenzie McGlynn

FIRST FEMALE FILLER: Restocking the vending machines around the school, freshman Alyssa Mowery filled the vending machines with a variety of snacks. She was given the opportunity to be a part of filling the vending machines every Thursday at the be-ginning of fourth block. This was the first year that a girl was able to do this job. In the past only boys were selected to participate in this activity. The students picked up boxes of different snacks from the Cats Den and filled each vending machine full.

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Giving Back to the school

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“Finish it” is the way the varsity softball team decided to start off their new year. No, it wasn’t the season that they wanted to finish off already, it was their year that they wanted to finish strong, leaving nothing standing in their way. The varsity softball team worked together to cre-ate a team motto that would successfully get them to their goal of winning the current season, communicating with one another and being one united team. The first motto the team agreed on was to “Finish It!” Six of the players who were seniors made the team as freshman and have grown up over the last four years with one another, learning from each other along the way. “What’s different is that we are so much closer with each other and we are always helping one another out with things when someone needs assisted,” senior and second baseman, Katelyn Klosterman said. But the teamwork isn’t limited to just on the field. The team shows their spirit by decorating the dugout with chalk and going out together on the weekends for team building events. Favorite spots and activities they frequently visit include Valentino’s pizza, scavenger hunts, the pedestrian bridge, and playing board games that help them bond and increase their team interaction on and off the softball field.

A philosophy that later evolved was to “be a fountain, not a drain,” or “be an eagle, not a duck,” meaning to give more to the team than to take away from it, further motivating each other and all the younger classmen following their lead. “The coaches and the team were focused on being in the moment and picking people up rather than bringing them down,” senior Erin Burling said. While the team didn’t make the goal they were aiming for of being undefeated, they did everything they could to come close to reaching it. The team finished with an almost perfect season of 28-1. In all standards, a banner year and a result of tremendous teamwork, hard work and devotion to a sport they love. As a result, another motto they came up with throughout the season was to “fear none, respect all.” The team used this to ignite their energy during State. “No one respected us as a team throughout the season,” senior Marisa Graslewicz said. “So at our final games in Grand Island, we used the loud crowd as fuel to keep us going. Our team gave it their all.” The seniors led their underclassmen to a winning season and paved the way for them to take leadership roles into a new season next year. As a coach, a fan, a parent, a classmate, many would agree that this varsity team finished the season strong.

Hard work pays off for the varsity teamphoto by Allison Davis

ENCOURAGMENT:

HIT: Senior Cara Williams celebrates as one of her teammates hits a homerun. “When some-one hits a homerun, we all run out to home plate and cheer,” Williams said.

BAT: Junior Megan Sharp swings her bat as the ball approaches the plate. “I watch the spin of the ball so I know if it’s going to change direction at the last second,” Sharp said. Before she steps up to the batters box she watches the pitcher to see what pitches she is best at to prepare herself for when it’s her turn to bat.

SUCCESS: As junior Faith Cain steps up to the batters box she is preparing herself to concentrate. “I focus my eyes on the letter ‘R’ of my bat and take a deep breath,” Cain said. “Then I stare down the pitcher and my mind literally goes blank.” Faith concentrates on the pitchers hip and watches the spin of the ball, timing the ball whether it is inside or outside to determine what the speed of the ball will be approaching the plate.

TEAMWORK: After the pitcher warms up her throws, senior Katelyn Klosterman claps hands with her teammates to get the team ready for the new inning. “The infield gets together after every warm up,” Klosterman said. “It picks people up if they’re feeling bad about thereself if they made an error or didn’t hit the ball.”

FinisH itby Allison Davis

photo by Allison Davis photo courtesty of Marisa Graslewicz photo courtesty of Marisa Graslewicz

photo by Allison Davis photo courtesty of Marisa Graslewicz

photo by Allison Davis photo by Allison Davis

photo by Allison Davis

photo by Katy Mar photo by Katy Mar

photo by Katy Mar

HIT

ENCOURAGMENT

SUCCESS TEAMWORK

“The team making it to state and staying number one all season. State was an amazing experience no matter what the outome was.”-Emily Truitt ‘15

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CATCHER PITCH TOSS

GAME ACTION

STEPS TO WIN

“Our team chemistry this year. We had a lot of team bondings and we became close to each other this year which made us perform better as a team.”-Megan Sharp ‘14

“The day we lost to Millard South in Metros because I am used to teams just giving up and going on a losing streak but this team stayed up and didn’t lose a game after that all the way up until state.”-Alyvia Simmons ‘15

“I think the hardest part of foreign language is probably the vocabu-lary. I study by writing the words down over and over again.”-Cara Williams ‘13

“Being a member of the team that was so close and accomplished so much throughout the entire season. We won many close games and fought till the end as a team.”-Kristen Vanhoosen ‘15

“Making it to state. We had the best season ever and even though we didn’t get the state title, there isn’t a day I know that we didn’t give it our all.”-Anna O’Gorman ‘13

TOSS: First basemen junior Marisa Huetter warms up playing catch witch another teammate for a game. She prepares herself by keeping focus on the game and communicating with her teammates at all times. “My responsibility is to field my postion and catch the ball at the bag when it’s not hit to me,” Huetter said.

CATCHER: For senior Marisa Graslewicz being the catcher is the hardest position on the field. Her responsibilities are not only to tell the team what the coach wants done, but also to focus on everyone and everything during the game. “Being a catcher, I am responsible for the pitcher,” Graslewicz said. “The pitches she throws and the speed in which she goes.” Graslewicz focuses for games by taking deep breaths and thinking about the team rather than herself.

PITCH: Being a pitcher is a lot of pressure and for senior Taylor Muehlich she is in charge of the softball every single pitch and also in charge of her teammates mentality of making or breaking the game. “I listen to music and bounce a tennis ball against a wall,” Muehlich said. “It clears my mind.” She enjoys pitching because her position gets the most action during a game and feels as if she almost runs the game and it’s pace.

What was your proudest moment of this season?

DEFINED (Closing)

Ever since we could remember, the influential voices giving us tips and advice

never failed to include the idea of high school. They promised that these four years would

be seen as difficult, often regrettable, but unforgettable to say the least. We came

prepared for an experience that would be life-changing and ultimately contribute to who

we are. Whether we realized it or not, everyone was right. Another year full of some of

the highest highs and even the lowest lows developed us.

We lived through a summer of watching devoted athletes compete in London for

the Olympics, inspiring us to define our own athletic ambition. Our hearts raced as

skydiver Felix Baumgartner dove through the sound barrier, leaving an impression on our

young minds anxious to try new things in our lives. We coped with those who suffered

through Hurricane Sandy, defining our sympathetic side with eagerness to help through

QT fundraising and raising awareness. Security tightened as a result of the tragedy at

Sandy Hook Elementary school that created an uproar of concerns for safety and stricter

weapon control policies. After surviving the end of the world, the end of one year and the

start of another was took on with a better idea of who we were and who we were

becoming.

As we look back on our school year, it’s easier to see where our defining

moments played out. For many, it could’ve been the moments spent under the glow of the

Friday night lights at our first football game. To some, it was as we were walking out of

Wildcat 1 with our closest friends, realizing we’ve just danced away our last

Homecoming. We may have felt it after dominating our opponent in Forensics after the

hours of practice, or on the last Friday we had to run the Cooper in our gym class. Maybe

our defining moment showed up on the last day as we walked out of our AP class,

knowing our hard work left it in the dust. Although we have all the time in the world to

figure out who we are, we can leave this year knowing that we all went through yet

another year that defined us.

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