Friday, January 11, 2019

Seniors Choose Their Next Steps

By Jason O, Jaydon C. and Brady C.

The Class of 2019 currently attending Potosi High School consists of 32 students. This means that there are 32 different people with totally different lives and goals. There are many careers to choose from, but it may be very difficult to choose, especially as a senior. Every senior has to go through this process, and they all make their decisions based on their own personal reasons. Here are a few of our seniors who tell their story of what they are doing and why.
Jaydon Pfab, one of the seniors currently attending Potosi High, a member of the Art Club and the National Honor Society, plans on attending the University of Wisconsin-Stout for Computer Science. Pfab chose UW-Stout because they have the best school in the state for the career he has chosen. About six years ago, Jaydon began to play video games, which later influenced him to want to create those games. Over the years, After graduating from high school, he plans on going straight to college, and once he does that, he plans on creating an esports team. He plans on living on campus the first two years of college.
Jaydon’s advice for the underclassmen he will leave behind is this: “Do what you want and don’t be mean to other people because everyone has feelings just like you, and personally, I don’t like mean people, so don’t be one.”
Kurt Cardey, another one of the seniors attending Potosi High, is a 3-sport athlete. He plans on joining the United States military, specifically the Marines. Afterwards, Cardey plans on attending Southwest Tech to get an automotive degree. He doesn’t plan on participating in anything throughout college. Cardey’s advice to underclassmen is “Don’t slack off.”
Cyrus Siegert was chosen as a senior spotlight as well. Cyrus is a 2-sport athlete at Potosi, as well as an FCA and Environmental Club member. Cyrus was also a Forensics member for two years and in band for three. Cyrus explains that he will be attending The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, as well as play for the football team during his four years. “I am planning on going to Whitewater because it is a good school for business and the campus is great.” Explained Cyrus. “In regards to football, I’d like to play this game as long as possible and this program gives me the best opportunity to do so.”
Cyrus continued to say that he would live on campus in a dorm, preferably with another football player. He expressed that he is also going straight to college next fall and would like to graduate in 4 years if possible. “I am open to joining clubs but I have to experience it, so we will see. After college however, I am not sure if I will stay in Wisconsin or not. Nobody really knows what the future will hold.” Siegert added.
Cyrus is a highly popular guy in the high school and looked up to by many underclassmen. His advice to those that are looking for guidance is simple but achievable: “Work hard, dream big, because anything is possible.”
Brittany Horner is another senior from the graduating class of 2019. Brittany is a 3-sport athlete, an FFA officer (President), in the Environmental Club, FCA, Band, SADD, Student Council (President), and the list goes on. Brittany will be attending Madison Area Technical College next fall to become a Veterinary Technician. It is a technical school and she will be there for two years. She explains that this school has the only program for her in the state of Wisconsin and the campus is great.
“The campus is only an hour and a half away. I think that is a perfect distance because it isn’t too close or too far away.” She continues, “Right now I’m not sure if I want to become an FFA State Officer next year or not. If I choose to do so, I will not be able to go to school right away next year, which would be okay with me. I still need to decide.”
Brittany also says that she will be involved in FFA no matter what while in college. She loves the organization and always wants to be a part of it somehow, even if that means not being a State Officer. Other than FFA, she doesn’t know what else she will be involved in, but there will surely be more.
“After college, I'd like to live in Potosi and start a family here someday. I like the small town feel and that everybody knows each other and can rely on each other. My family and friends all live here and I don’t really want to leave any of that.” Brittany also added her advice for underclassmen. “Get involved in everything possible because there is only a short time to do so.”
While there are some students interested in possibly pursuing the same career paths, even close friends can have different ideas on where their lives will go. Maggie Schmitz will likely be majoring in biochemistry at UW-Stout in Menominee, Wisconsin this upcoming fall. This is the first step in fulfilling her dream of being a family physician some day. Maggie says that she wants to be a physician because it combines her love for science with helping people. It is also a career where she will do something different every day, meaning she will not get bored. She also wants to participate in a program that Stout offers that allows students to travel to struggling countries to help treat patients.
Maggie also plans on participating in the track and field team, running the hurdles and some short sprints. At Stout, she believes that she will continue to excel with high quality coaching and better facilities. Being on the track team will also help open more doors, and allow her to meet more people. Meeting new people will be one of the biggest issues in attending college 3½ hours away. Even though she will be new to the area, anyone who knows Maggie would agree that she will make new friends with ease.
Maggie does not plan for her schooling career to end at Stout, however. She plans on furthering her education by attending graduate school when she finishes her first degree. While she hasn’t looked that far into schools, she wants to attend one in a bigger city for the experience. As of right now, the University of Iowa would be her top choice for graduate school.
Lexie Brandt has elected to stay away from the four year college path. She will be attending SWTC in Fennimore next fall, where she will be majoring in business management. Lexie isn’t quite sure what she wants to do with that degree, but she knows that it is a degree that translates to a good job that is unlikely to go away.
While Southwest Tech doesn’t offer any sports that Lexie wants to participate in, she does plan to be involved in the community and in a social setting. She has many friends that attend SWTC, and will spend a lot of her time with them. Since Fennimore is close to her hometown, Lexie won’t have to look too far to find many of her friends from high school either.
Although Maggie and Lexie have plans of a much different life, their advice to underclassmen and anyone going through school was very similar. Both young women preached the importance of focusing on oneself and their grades over all else. They said that when they were really struggling in school, they followed their own advice and it eventually got much better.

All of these lives are impressive, and their futures are promising. Each one, and so many more, will provide our world with great things. It just goes to show you that no matter the path, somebody’s place in society is always important for so many reasons. Congratulations and good luck to these and all seniors graduating this year.

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

FFA's Influence on Schools

By Mariah Cull

FFA is one of the most popular clubs in American schools today. FFA gives students who are interested in any aspects of farming and the outdoors the opportunity to gain experience and learn skills.
There are so many different things to do in FFA and so many opportunities to learn something new. It’s not just about the “Future Farmers of America” anymore; FFA is about the kids who want to be involved in something new, something they might not experience otherwise. Another reason someone may join a club like FFA is to meet new people. If you’re new to a school are you going to meet everyone just by going to class, going to lunch and going home? No, you need to broaden your horizons and try new things.
I interviewed kids throughout Potosi School to see what sort of impact FFA has had on their lives. Hannah Nusbaum, a senior this year, said that FFA has taught her that agriculture is involved in everyday life. FFA is a club that strives to teach you that you need to be responsible and have a strong work ethic, because if you want to achieve your goals, you have to be able to work hard for them.
Here in our own FFA chapter, we have an Elementary Ag Day. This is a day set aside for kids to come outside and see all the different types of animals that FFA members have brought to the school.  We have a variety of animals from guinea pigs, to calves, to ducks. The FFA members answer all questions and teach kids about the animals they have brought in. Kids get to learn about all different kinds of animals, and it makes their day when they get to play with animals that they might not see in the city.
Another senior this year, Jessica Klas, said that she has had such a positive experience with FFA. She has a very strong passion for horses, and being involved in a club like FFA has boosted her ambition to learn about horses. Jessica said that she is going to college and majoring in Animal Science, and her decision to do this is partly because of her involvement in FFA.

No matter the age, FFA has something to offer many students. There is very rarely a negative thing said about FFA; if there is something negative then it might be coming from someone who hasn’t fully gotten involved and experienced everything that FFA has to offer. Schools everywhere are adopting their very own chapter and starting to get kids more involved in school. Even other countries have put their own spin on FFA to try and make it seem similar so that their student body will be able to get more involved.

The Impact of Hunting Season on Schools

By Elliot Haverland

There isn’t a bigger tradition than deer season in the Midwest. Thousands of hunters across the region take vacation days during the nine-day gun deer season in hopes of bagging a trophy to hang on their wall. Weeks of preparation are taken in order to find the perfect spot and to locate the animals. The excitement can be seen as monumental to anyone who doesn’t participate in the sport. Many people do not realize how many hunters there are, especially within our schools. Many schools throughout the Midwest see a large drop in student attendance during the week of deer season. Deer season is such a widely participated-in sport that a large majority of students take personal days from school to go hunting.
Lesson plans can be difficult for teachers during the week when so many students are absent. Most teachers have a backup plan just in case too many students aren’t in class each day. One teacher’s approach is to not change his lesson plans at all; he decides how he would like to teach the material as the classes arrive. “I assume that everyone will be here on Monday and Tuesday and plan normally from there,” said Mr. Liechty, the high school chemistry teacher, “If most of the class is present, my lessons go on as usual. If a large number of students are absent, I slow down the lesson or I provide work time on other projects.” Mr. Green, the high school math teacher, also follows a similar plan throughout the week. “I try to get an estimate of how many kids will be gone,” said Green, “I know what I want to teach but I may change the way I teach it and not get as in-depth on topics.”
A majority of the teachers say that their classes go much smoother during hunting season, due to the change in lessons and fewer students. In the chemistry room, Mr. Liechty usually slows down his teaching for the younger classes. For the upperclassmen, on the other hand, he doesn’t change how he teaches whatsoever, because, “The upperclassmen should understand what they will have to do when they come back next week.” Mr. Lynn, the business education teacher, employs a similar plan of attack throughout the week. “I usually plan on an adjustment period for any students who were gone.” Most of the students who hunt are on top of their work and don’t give the teachers many difficulties during the week.
Teachers don’t really consider having so many students gone deer hunting a problem. They think it is a cool hobby for so many kids to participate in. In fact, there are some who think we should not have school during deer season week at all. “I think they should cancel school all week, considering that there isn’t really a spring break anyways,” said Mr. Liechty. There are some teachers who are not enthused by the absence of their students. Mr. Green says that his job becomes more difficult when students go deer hunting because some of the students may be struggling in his classes. These people then end up with a larger workload when they come back, which also results in a larger workload for Mr. Green. There are also teachers who fall in between being alright with students hunting and wanting them to stay in school. “I think it is a cool hobby for kids to have,” says Mr. Lynn, “It’s always better to see them in the classroom, but considering all of the reasons to miss class, this is not the worst.”
Students do not think that the large decrease in attendance is a problem, and most students think that it is alright to miss school. Jaydon Pfab, a senior at Potosi, is one of those students. “A lot of people enjoy hunting and it is a very popular activity in the area,” says Pfab, “I think it is really cool that they go hunting”. Pfab does not hunt; he went once with his uncle and never gained an interest in the sport, spending most of the experience bored. Even if he had a plan to hunt, he would not skip school. “I plan on having a work-week for scholarships and homework,” says Pfab, “it’s a relaxing week.” Most of Jaydon’s classes only have around one to four students missing, mainly only in smaller classes. His teachers will usually just give the remaining students a study period or a review day.
Another senior at Potosi, Jadyn Noonan, shares the same view on students who hunt. “I think it is a personal decision if they want to go hunting during the school week,” says Jadyn, “If they think they are fine in their classes then they can go ahead.” Jadyn is a big hunter, having taken off of school all three days for deer season. She usually doesn’t skip, but her family was low on venison, so she decided to go hunting instead. She prepares for the week by going out and scouting out the property they hunt on, looking for any sign of deer. Once they locate a good spot, they set up a ground blind or a tree stand and allow the animals to get adjusted to the new object in the woods. Usually, during deer season, the classes with more male students seem to have more students missing. “The teachers either don’t move on or they move forward slowly so others don’t miss as much,” says Jadyn.
Dylan Udelhoven, a sophomore at Potosi, thinks that students can go hunting, as long as they are actually hunting. “Some people take off just to take off,” says Dylan,” but as long as they’re hunting and catch up with their work afterwards it’s alright”. Dylan also took the week of deer season off, saying it was an easy decision to make. All of his classes see a decrease in student attendance, and the teachers tend to slow down the material or just have a study hall.

The deficit in student attendance is not as urgent of an issue as many would think. Teachers do not think of it as a bad thing that so many students would rather hunt than attend school. Teachers would prefer to see a system that would prevent students who are struggling in school to skip to go hunting, and allow the students who are not struggling to be able to go. Mr. Green, to name one, would like to see a system enacted in order to help the students in his classes and to help him do his job better, but is unsure how it could work. Students enjoy being able to get the time off because it gives them a break from school for a few extra days and because they have a large interest in hunting. All students have similar advice: if you plan to go hunting, make sure you are caught up and don’t fall behind. Even the students who do not participate think it is alright for other students to be able to hunt. Overall, people believe that students should be able to take off school to go hunting if they are not struggling or falling behind in their classes.

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