B A R K VOLUME 24 ISSUE 3-2014-2015 NOVEMBER 2014 STANBERRY R-II HIGH SCHOOL

B U L L D O G S

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By Hannah Bracken

Guest Reporter Stanberry's FFA chapter sent seven mem-

bers to the National FFA Convention, in Louis-ville, Kentucky. The members who attended with Advisor Rod Walker were junior Lainey Stuart; sophomores Garrett Mattson, Brooke Summa, Madison Summa, Marissa Smithson; and freshmen Kaden Bremer, Mitchell Carroll, Bryce Jennings and Quentin Duley. They trav-eled by charter bus to the convention with five other schools: Lathrop, Worth County, North Harrison, South Harrison, and Princeton. The bus departed from Stanberry at 6:00 a.m. on October 28th and arrived at St. Louis, Missouri, at about 2 p.m. They spent the morning touring Anheuser-Busch. Students first got to view the Clydesdales and go through all of the different areas of the business.

“Anheuser Busch was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. It was inter-esting to see how they make its product,” de-clared Mitchell Carroll.

The group, which consisted of fifty FFA members, then traveled to the St. Louis Arch for a trip to the top and an option to view a movie on the construction of the Arch. “The arch is massive; it was so cool that I could see everything from the top,” stated Brooke Sum-ma. Bryce Jennings declared, ”It was cool to see the city from a different view.”

They spent the night in Collinsville, IL and then traveled into Louisville the next morn-ing. They spent the morning touring the FFA Career Show and Shopping Mall that had FFA stores, John Deere stores, International stores, and many others. At the career show, there were many different booths set up. An example is the United Sates Army booth. There was

also a food court. Near the food court was a stage where FFA members from everywhere in the country sang karaoke.

After visiting the different booths and visiting with FFA Members from all over the United States they attended the 1st FFA Con-vention Session. The opening session had several items on the agenda including an inspirational speech from Steve Brown, Na-tional FFA Advisor, and an interesting mes-sage from guest speaker Nick Vujicic. Imag-ine getting through your busy day without hands or feet. Picture your life without the ability to walk, care for your basic needs, or even embrace those you love. Meet Nicholas Vujicic. Without any medical explanation or warning, Nick was born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia, without arms and legs. The early days were difficult.Throughout his childhood, Nick not only dealt with the typical challenges of school and adolescence, but he also strug-gled with depression and loneliness. Nick constantly wondered why he was different from all the other kids. He questioned the purpose of life, or if he even had a purpose. According to Nick, the victory over his strug-gles, as well as his strength and passion for life today, can be credited to his faith. His family, friends and the many people he has encountered along the journey have inspired him to carry on, as well.

Marissa Smithson declared, ”The FFA session was awesome! It was amazing to see all of the blue jackets. The speaker Nick was wonderful! I really enjoyed the FFA session.” Lainey Stuart added, ”I loved the opening session; it was one of my favorite parts of convention!”

That evening the group attended the Justin Moore concert. The concert was sold out with an attendance of over 45,000 FFA

members. The concert began at 9:30 pm and did not get over until about 12:00.

Madison Summa stated that, ”The con-cert was a lot of fun! There was a ton of peo-ple there, and they played a lot of my favorite songs. I think they did a very good job keeping us entertained.” Easton Corbin also performed a few of his songs at the very beginning of the concert. After the concert concluded the group went back to the motel for the evening.

The next morning the group toured Churchill Downs, famous for the annual Kentucky Derby Horse race, as well as others. The students were able to visit the stables, the racetrack, the grandstands, and the museum. They also viewed a video highlighting some of the past horses and the thrills of the Kentucky Derby. “The trackside tour was really cool. We got to see the uniforms and trophies and even got to watch real races on TV,” stated Kaden

FFA Members Attend National Convention in Louisville

Bremer. That afternoon, on October 31, 2013 the group enjoyed a tour of the famous baseball bat facto-ry and museum, Louisville Slugger. The tour gives informational insight on what the bats are made of, how they are designed, and the ma-chines used to make them. The museum has several interesting facts about baseball and the history involved in the game. “We literally got to watch them make bats for MLB players. There was a batting cage and shops; it was a fun yet educational experience,” stated Quentin Duley. On the evening of October 31, the group attend-ed the Bulls and Broncs Rodeo. There were performances by professional cowboys in bare-back horse riding, bronc riding, and bull riding. The rodeo began at 6:30 and was over by 10:30. Garrett Mattson exclaimed, ”The Rodeo was amazing. We got to see a Missourian win! There were many giveaways and dance-offs. It was a great night!” The morning of November 1st, the FFA members boarded the bus and headed back home.

Front: Brooke Summa, Madison Summa, Marissa Smithson, Lainey Stuart. Back: Gar-rett Mattson, Quentin Duley, Kaden Bremer, Mitchell Carroll, and Bryce Jennings

Bulldogs Make it to State: Bring Home Second Place Helmets high, guys!

Thanksgiving break brought a trip to St. Louis for the state champion-ship game for the third year in a row for the Bulldogs. Once again facing the North Andrew Cardinals, Stanber-ry was unable to pull out a win, but they have ample reason to hold their heads high. In addition to a 12-1 rec-ord on the season, the Dawgs racked some impressive stats and had nu-merous players on the All-Conference, All-District, and All-State rosters. Coach Hilton and the boys have made the black and gold proud. See page 7 for a complete write up about the Bulldogs’ post-season per-formance.

STANBERRY R-II 2 OPINION

It’s Your Call What is the first item that comes to mind when you hear “Thanksgiving” and Why?

By Hayley Farnsworth

Staff Reporter

Just a Thought...

Movie Review

Seventh grader Braylee Woods, “Turkey, because everyone I know eats it.”

Eighth grader Trey Scheiber, “Lots of Food! Grandma’s homemade food. I like

to eat. Also It is fun to be around the family.”

By Aeriell Munns Staff Reporter The movie Divergent, rated PG-13 was released on DVD on August 5th 2014. It is based on a book trilogy written by Veronica Roth. Beatrice, the main character, is fifteen and lives in a world divided into factions: Abnegation (selfless) Candor (honest) Erudite (intelligent) Amity (peaceful) and Dauntless (brave). Beatrice originates from Abnegation, but on her sixteenth birthday she takes an aptitude test to see which faction she belongs in. She can still decide her faction despite what the aptitude test says. The only problem is that her aptitude test results are inconclusive. This is a extremely rare occasion; it is called divergent, which means that she can equally fit into more than one fac-tion. It is considered extremely dangerous to be divergent. Will Beatrice be able to choose the right faction and be able to keep her secret? I liked both the book and movie Divergent. The movie seems more fu-turistic than the book. They made a few changes, but it was still amazing. I rec-ommend this movie to anyone who likes suspenseful, futuristic action movies with a little romance. I saw the movie before I read the book because I think the book will ruin the movie. In my opinion if you read the book first then the movie will not meet your expectations.

Freshman Athena Harsh, “Mashed Potatoes because they are my favorite thing to eat.”

Sophomore Tristin Stoll, “Family, laughter, food, and football, because

they are traditions.”

Junior Chelsea Buntin, “Turkey because it is my favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving.”

Senior Aeriell Munns, “Potatoes because I like potatoes.”

Mr. Maronde, History Teacher, “I think of turkey because I love turkey.”

Hayley Farnsworth Taylor Lager Aeriell Munns Hailey Murphy

2014-2015 Bulldogs Bark Staff

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By Lillian Stoll Staff Reporter How about the Boys in Blue? Yes, that means the Royals. For any of you out there who kept up with the Royals this season, you know what I’m talking about. This season the Royals shocked everyone when they played so well that they made it to the World Series. It has taken the Royals twenty-nine years to get back to the World series. The Royals battled it out against the San Francisco Giants going in to the seventh game in the World Series with an equal number of wins for both teams. After a close ballgame, the Royals unfortunately fell short to the Giants losing 2-3. In the ninth inning of the game with two outs, Alex Gordon stepped up to the plate and hits the ball to cen-ter/left field. The ball went past the center fielder, and Alex Gordon made it to third base. Salvador Perez was up to bat next--talk about pressure--and he foul tipped it towards third, and the third baseman caught the ball for the third out. Giants win the World Series. In my opinion I would have sent Alex Gordon home. If I were the coach, I would want to risk that third out trying to make it home. Who knows what could have happened? Alex Gordon could have done a hook slide and slid past the catcher. No one will ever know now. Anyway, it was a good season for the Royals, and I know their fans are proud of the big exciting season they had. Let’s see what next year brings! The Royals were a fun team to watch, and their accomplishments drew a city and a state together, and remember, it's not right to steal unless you're Billy Butler!

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Character Traits: Per-severance & Patriot-ism

By Dustin Ellis

Guest Reporter

Persever-ance is most needed by those who are impacted by troubling times. They may be individuals who are battling cancer, fighting for our free-dom, or over-coming poverty with their families. People bring out their true colors when put into devastating situa-tions. Soldiers give their lives for the man next to them by pouncing on a grenade or running into cross fire to retrieve a fallen squad mate. Single mothers persevere who have to work double shifts with few hours of sleep each night just so they may provide for their children. Jim Kelly, the Buffalo Bills’ owner, battled severe cancer, infections, and several excruciating surgeries just to stay alive. He nearly gave up but gave his last ounce of strength and prevailed.

Patriotism rings throughout the United States. From our government officials to the farmers of the mid-west, all are citizens that have been lucky enough to have a military that gives so warmly. Our military men and women give their lives to provide our future generations the sense of security and pres-ence of freedom. These individuals are clearly the most patriotic and deserve a warm welcome when they come back home. Whatever your role in life may be, the qualities of perseverance and patriotism can make it, and the lives of others, better.

Student Council Takes Ac-tive Role by Isaac Heddinger

Guest Reporter

The Stanberry High School Student Coun-cil has been very active so far this year and looks to stay very busy the rest of the school year. This year’s officers are President Lucas Raymond, Vice President Paige Kelley,Vice President Savana Wiederholt, Secretary/Treasurer Garrett Mattson. Senior class repre-sentatives are Hayden Rainey, Emily Smithson, Gabrielle Stuart; juniors are represented by Lainey Stuart, Megan Jensen, and Madesen Gage; sophomores by Cameron Gage, Garrett Mattson, and Tristin Stoll; freshmen by Taylin Hunter, Kalie Peterson, and Rylee Ellis; eighth grade by Marissa Jensen, Lexi Simmerman, and Geena Stoll; and seventh grade by Braelyn Cowan, Sydney Mattson, and Ashley Peterson. Mrs. Roxanne Hoover is the group’s advisor.

With the dissolution of spirit club, Student Council took over many aspects of Homecom-ing this year. They provided locker decorations and treats for the football team, were in charge of coronation, and put on the Homecoming dance for the entire school after the game on Friday night at which they were their own DJ.

The Student Council has been promoting the Graduate for Mas program. This is a won-derful program sponsored by Taco Bell. Stu-dents get online and complete surveys, take quizzes, read articles and play games to accu-mulate points. Students can exchange points for individual prizes, and the school benefits from the total points; for example, our school has already won a five hundred dollar gift card. The Student Council is still thinking of ways they could spend this money and help the school as much as possible, and they are still asking the student body for suggestions. They have also been promoting Battle of the Belts, which is a part of the Buckle Up Arrive Alive campaign.

They are busy planning Game Day for the student body, which is coming up at the end of the semester. Also the National Honor Society and Student Council joined together and are doing a cake raffle at home basketball games to raise money for Adopt a Family. Coming up quickly the NHS and StuCo are joining together again to do the food drive and are going to donate all the canned food items to the local food pantry.

Lucas Raymond stated, “ I’m enjoying how much more active the StuCo is this year and look forward to the rest of the year.”

Garrett Mattson is, “excited that Graduate for Mas is promoting our school and giving us money while we gain knowledge on their web-site.”

Band Com-petes at Clarinda & Trenton By Aeriell Munns Staff Reporter

The band went to Clarinda on Octo-ber 4th to march in the Southwest Iowa Band Jamboree. They ate a BBQ lunch that the Simmerman family provided. Later they went to field competitions, where they performed their halftime show. After that they took a moment to relax while playing cards and eating snacks as they awaited for awards that were held at ten. Although the band did not place they put on an excellent perfor-mance. “The band has had a lot of work to do this year and not a lot of downtime. They managed to work hard and show improvement, I am so proud of them. Their dedication is unbelievable, and I couldn't ask for more,” stated director Tricia Hensley.

They went to Trenton to participate in the Missouri Days Marching Festival. They marched in a mile long parade that started at 7. This was their second year attending the Missouri Days Marching Festival. After the parade they went back to camp and awaited for color guard com-petitions to start. As the color guard com-peted they were cheered on by the rest of the band. After the color guard competi-tion, the awards were held at ten. The color guard placed fourth in their competi-tion. Unfortunately, the band didn’t place. Color guard member Megan Jen-sen stated, “I really enjoyed flags this year; we have learned so much. My fa-vorite part was placing fourth in Trenton.”

The band is currently preparing for the winter concert and pep band for bas-ketball season while they are finishing up marching for the season. Lucas Raymond stated, “It is going really well for my last year, and I am excited for the Christmas concert. It is amazing to see how the bands performance has improved over the years. I hope to come back in the future and see that their performance has continued to improve.”

Elementary Academic Teams Fin-ish with Tournament By Aeriell Munns

Staff Reporter

The elementary academic team attend-ed an academic bowl at Jefferson. They competed and won all three matches against Jefferson. The sixth grade score was 145 to 120. The fifth grade’s score was 140 to 105. The fourth grade’s score was 165 to 105.

On November 5h they had a match against Union Star. The fourth grade lost 155 to 185. The fifth grade won 115 to 65. The sixth grade lost 150 to 155.

The teams traveled to King City to finish the year with the Academic Bowl Tournament on Saturday November 8th. The fourth grade won their match against Jefferson 205 to 145. They had a bye the 2nd round that led the to victory against Maysville in the championship match 150 to 130.

The fifth grade’s first match was against Maysville; they lost 80 to 228. Their second match was against Union Star. Stanberry won 140 to 90. The third match was against Jefferson; they lost 165 to 100. “I felt our season was a success even though the tournament did not go as we would have liked. We were undefeated up until tournament play, and we just didn’t have our best day. I am proud of the kids for the time they put into practices and the meets. It was a fun season,” stated coachSharon Luke.

The sixth grade had a close match with Maysville but unfortunately lost. The score was 130 to 135. Then they played and beat Union Star 165 to 105. They also beat Jef-ferson 150 to 95.

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By Lillian Stoll Staff Reporter

This years first grade classes are taught by Mrs. Amy Luke and Mrs. Tammy Graham. The students that are taught by Mrs. Amy Luke are Olivia Blessing, Miley Davis, Macie Gibson, Evan Gregory, Elijah Hamilton, Walker Johnson, Russell Kerwin, Katie Libby, Liliyana Santa Cruz, Jaren Stoll, and Isabella Wilson. The students that are taught by Mrs. Tammy Graham are Eva Cameron, Lindsey Chu, William Ellsworth, Davien James, Hannah McQuinn, Ally Santa Cruz, Kenzi Santa Cruz, Vincent Smithson, Brayden Swaney, Nathan Taylor, and Peyton Utt.

Both of the first grade classes have been up to many activities. This month, the first grade students have been doing sixth grade pals, which means each sixth grade student will be assigned to a certain first grade student. Once a week the sixth graders go to the first grade rooms and help their first grade pals with their homework, crafts, reading, etc. In addition to the activities, the first grade students have made ice cream and performed in the annual Veteran’s Day Program held in the gym. Coming up in December, the students will be creating

family Christmas trees, as well as taking part in Mrs. Michelle Kelley’s annual Winter Concert.

The first grade students have been acquiring new academic skills as well. In math, they are completing the addition and subtraction units and getting ready to begin the place value unit. Animal habitats are the current topic in science, while in social studies they are studying the family unit. In spelling they are reviewing short vowel words, and in reading they are continuing to work on fluency and comprehension and writing complete sentences.

I asked a couple of the students what they like about first grade and what their favorite subject is. Eva Cameron said, “My favorite thing to do in first grade is playing with the pattern blocks, and crafts is my favorite subject.”

Jaren Stoll said, “First grade is fun, and you get to do math, and calendar is my favorite subject.”

Mrs. Amy Luke and Mrs. Tammy Graham commented, “We are busy preparing for the holidays, but are really looking forward to how everything turns out. Stop by to see our family Christmas trees!”

First Grade Prepares for the Holidays

Evan Gregory colors the illustra-tions in his reading book.

Russell Kerwin and Jaren Stoll practice

writing on the marker boards.

After quizzing each other on their spelling words, Macie Gibson and Olivia Blessing com-pare their spell-ings.

The first graders performed with the rest of the primary students in the Veteran’s Day Pro-gram.

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by Hayley Farnsworth

Staff Reporter During the week of October 27 to Octo-

ber 31 Stanberry elementary students once again celebrated Red Ribbon week. This week was originated when Drug Enforcement Agency agent Enrique (Kiki) Camarena was murdered in 1985 by the drug cartel in Mexi-co. After his death, many began wearing badges of red satin to honor Kiki and to show that the fight against drugs would keep going.

The elementary once again hosted a bookmark contest. Members of the 7-12 grade student council were judges. There were three students from each class that won first, second, and third place. The kindergar-ten winners were 1st place Avery Calhoun, 2nd place Josi Creason, and 3rd place Alana Evans. The first grade winners were 1st place Macie Gibson, 2nd place Katie Libby, and 3rd place Davien James. The second grade win-ners were 1st place Evan White, 2nd place Hannah Stevens, and 3rd place Jordyn Wright. The third grade winners were 1st place Colby McQuinn, 2nd place Lexi Kerwin, and 3rd place Kolton Swaney. The fourth grade winners were 1st place Kiley Mattson, 2nd place Addison Shanks, and 3rd place Emma Phipps. The fifth grade winners were 1st place Astasia Brown, 2nd place Bailey Wallace, and 3rd place Tarynn Mattson. The sixth grade winners were 1st place Andaya Brown, 2nd place Riley McQueen, and 3rd place Anna Phipps.

Dress up days for the elementary stu-dents are always a popular part of Red Rib-bon Week. The theme for Monday was “Follow Your Dreams; Don’t Use Drugs!” The elementary students and teachers wore pa-

jamas to school. They had an assembly at 8:30 where the red ribbons were passed out along with wrist bands.

The theme for Tuesday was “Put a Cap on Drugs!” The elementary students and teachers wore hats to school. The item handed out to the students were Dum Dum suckers with the slogan “Lick the Drug Problem!”

The theme for Wednesday was “Sock it to Drugs!” The elementary students and teachers wore red or crazy socks to school. Twizzlers with the slogan “Chew Twizzlers, not tobacco!”

The theme for Thursday was “Band Against Drugs!” The elementary students and teachers wore headbands or ban-danas to school. Bubble gum with the slogan “Don’t burst your bubble. Don’t do Drugs!” was given out.

The theme for Friday was “Team up against Drugs!” The elementary students and teachers wore sport team shirts to school. Smarties with the slogan “Be smart. Don’t do Drugs!” were handed out. They had an assembly at 8:30 with a spe-cial appearance from the Drug Busters. The book mark Contest winners were an-nounced and cards with the slogan “I’d walk a mile to be drug free!” were handed out.Each student and teacher grades k-6 traced around his/her right foot and wrote something on it for the slogan "Take a Stand on Drugs!" These were hung on the wall in the hallway. Hannah White and Riley McQueen, 6th graders, were asked their opinion on Red Ribbon Week and they said “It was fun, and the different pajamas and crazy socks were cool to see.”

Red Ribbon Week Pro-motes Drug-Free Lifestyle

By Skye Wagner

Staff Reporter

The annual Veterans Day Assembly was once again held at 9:00 a.m. on No-vember 11th. The elementary student council, sponsored this year by Mrs. Jo-Anne Lewis and Mrs. Kristi Porterfield. organizes this annual event,

To start the assembly the American Legion Raymond Sager presented the colors. The audience rose and remained standing for the national anthem, played by the Stanberry 7-12 grade band. Ele-mentary Student Council President Han-nah White and Vice-President Collin Sager welcomed everyone, and then the Elementary Student Council, Hannah White, Collin Sager, Clayton McKune, Riley McQueen, Tyler Schwebach, Austin Hill, Taryn Hunter, Adam Jensen, Kolton Swaney, and Colby McQuinn performed a reader’s theater piece titled “Sack Lunch Flying.” Next “God Bless America” was sung by the primary students. Stu-dents from the high school Speech class presented Veterans Day speeches. Jun-ior Kelsey Wiederholt and sophomores Brooke Summa and Cameron Gage were selected by their classmates to honor all

veterans. All three girls paid tribute to family members who have served as well as all military. Legion member Tom Heyde got up and spoke about his memories of fellow veterans and thanked the girls for their tribute. Kermit Simmerman then read daughter Alexis Simmerman’s essay Three Theories. Next the band performed “Lest We For-get” by James Swearingin. Following them the intermediate grades took stage and sang “You’re A Hero”. The 7-12 grade choir then sang the tribute to the branches of the Armed Forces in which members of each branch of the military are asked to stand and be rec-ognized while his or her branch’s theme song is sung. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited during the tribute. Next on the agenda a video named “This is Still the Land of the Free” was shown. Lu-cas Raymond and Keltan Munns then performed an echo version of “Taps.” Hannah White shared a few closing remarks. Everyone then stood for the retiring of the colors. This heartfelt event is a great example of Stanberry generations coming together for a com-mon cause—to remember and honor those who have selflessly served our country.

The elementary

performs “You’re a

Hero” for the veterans.

The veterans stand while the choir sings the veteran’s branch theme song.

Kelsey Wiederholt presents her speech, paying special tribute to her uncle Donnie Stockton .

Veterans Honored at Assembly

STANBERRY R-II SPORTS 6

Check out the new school

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HS Basket-ball Teams Prepare to Repeat Suc-cessful Sea-sons by Hailey Murphy

Staff Reporter

As the Lady Dawgs prepare for the upcom-ing season, they have set many goals that they believe are attainable and have high expectation for the upcoming season. There are eighteen girls going out for basketball this season. This includes seniors Taylor Lager, Hailey Murphy, and Maca Quijada. The junior girls are Claire Akamine, Hannah Bracken, Madesen Gage, Megan Jensen, Lainey Stuart, and Savana Wiederholt. Sophomore Cameron Gage and freshmen Rylee Ellis, Taylin Hunter, Madelyn Luke, Jaden McKune, Taylor McQueen, Kalie Peterson, and Halley Wilmes complete the ros-ter. Senior Taylor Lager said, “I am excited to see what this basketball season brings. As a team we have worked really hard in our practices so far, and I feel that we have a lot of talented players. I think we have the chance to win some big games this year. I am hopeful that this sea-son is one of the best seasons yet!” Coach Karla McQueen stated, “I’m excited about this season. We will not be a high scoring team again this year, so our focus will be good shot selection, defense and rebounding. The girls are working hard and improving. They are excited about getting the season started, as am I,”

After a trip to the final four last year, the high school boys have high expectations for the upcoming season. Many of the players have not started practicing due to the extended football season, but they are excited to see what the upcoming season brings.The team consists of seniors Isaac Heddinger, Quentin Nielson, Seth Noble, Devin Johnson, Dustin Ellis, and Nic Shanks. Juniors are Daniel Hailey, Shelby McMillen, Alex McQuinn, Trent McQueen, and Preston Aye. Sophomores include Cory Luke, Cole Craig, Tyler Hunter, and Tristin Stoll. Fresh-man Bradley Hailey, Levi Murphy, Kaden Bremer, Mitchell Carroll, Bryce Jennings, Grant Osborn, Austin Kidder, and Quentin Duley round out the team.

Coach Nick Groomer declared, “We have high expectations for this team. There are a lot of guys returning with experience, and I look for several others to step up into new roles. This is a fun group, and I know they will work hard; I am hoping that we reach and move past our capabil-ities.”

Junior Daniel Hailey said, “I am very excited about this upcoming basketball season. Although we lost two starters, I'm sure a couple of younger guys will step up. I think we all have the same goal this year, and are going to work hard each and every day to get back to down to Columbia again this year!"

By Madesen Gage

Guest Reporter

The junior high basketball girls are start-ing off the season quickly. They had about a week off from softball, and then they were conditioning. The ball club traveled to North Nodaway for their first game on October 21st. The Bulldogs started the first quarter with a bang. The Mustangs couldn’t get past the Bulldogs’ press. The Dawgs outscored their opponent 15-3. Madi Sager led in scoring with 5 points; Tyra Grayson had 4 points; and Marissa Jensen, Allison Marticke, and Peyton Gage each had two points. The second quar-ter approached quickly, and the Bulldogs, again, outscored their opponent 9-4. Grayson and Sager were the only scorers for this quar-ter. Sager again added 5 points to the board, and Grayson again added 4. The Dawgs only allowed one Mustang to score. At the end of the half, the Bulldogs were ahead 24-7. The Bulldogs again outscored their opponent in the third quarter 8-2. Lily Osborn put 4 on the board, Jensen and Sager added 2 each. Heading to the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs were ahead 32-9. The Dawgs were outscored this quarter 8-6. Osborn and Sager added 2, and Grayson and Marticke each added 1 free-throw. At the end of the game, the final score was 38-17.

The B game started shortly after, and the girls played one quarter. Allie Gage scored 2 points, and a single Mustang had 2 points. The final score was 2-2.

The Dawgs were again on the road for their second game, traveling 10 miles to King City. Again, the girls started the game with a bang. The Dawgs scored an impressive 16 points, and also held the Wildcats to 0 points in the first quarter. Way to go! Grayson and Sager led in scoring, each putting 6 points on the board, while P. Gage and Marticke each scored 2. For the second quarter, the Dawgs scored double digits again. Grayson put up 5, Osborn 4, and Gage, Kierstyn McMillen, and Jensen all contributed 2. At the end of the half, the Dawgs were ahead 31-2. Coming into the third quarter, the Dawgs again out-scored the Wildkats 12-2. Osborn chipped in 4, Sydney Mattson scored 3 points, Gage and Grayson 2, and McMillen had 1 free-throw. The last quarter saw a running clock. The Dawgs scored 12 more points, and the Kats scored 2. The final score of the game was a season high of 55-6. The Bulldogs remain undefeated.

The B game was two quarters long, and the final score was 10-10. Autumn Wagner scored a total of 4 points, Ashley Peterson scored 2, Charity Buntin had 2, and Allie Gage also had 2.

For the Bulldogs’ third away game in a row, they traveled to Worth County on the 30th. In the first half of the game, the Bulldogs dominated the Tigers 15-8. Sager had 6 points, Osborn 4, Peyton Gage and McMillen each had 2 points, and Marticke added 1 free-throw. The second half of the game, Marticke led in scoring with 10, Osborn fol-lowed with 8, P. Gage had 6, Grayson and Sager 4 apiece, and McMillen had 2. The final score of the game was 49-19.

For the B girls, they had a close game. The Dawgs won 12-10. Allie Gage topped the scoring with 7, Abigayle Davis had 2 points, Autumn Wagner had 2, and Elle Ellis had 1, and Allie Gage had 7.

On November 3rd, for the first home game, the Lady Bulldogs took on the Jeffer-son Eagles. The Dawgs outscored the Eagles in every quarter. In the fiirst quarter, the Dawgs scored 8-2. Sager chipped in 6 points, and Marticke had a basket. The Eagles had

two opportunities to shoot free throws, but they missed them both. In the 2nd quarter, the Dawgs had a wide range of scorers. Gage, Osborn, Grayson, Jensen, and Sydney Mattson each had a basket of their own, com-bining a total of 10 points added to the previ-ous 8. The Eagles only scored 1 point. At half time, the score was 18-3. For the third quarter, the Bulldogs scored 6 points and held the Eagles to 2 points. Marticke, Mattson, and Sager each had 2 points each. Going into the 4th quarter, the score was 24-5. To score a total of 10 points in the 4th, there was again a wide range of scorers: McMillen, Elle Ellis, Marticke, Mattson, and Allie Gage all scored 2 points each. The Eagles scored 6 points in the 4th. The total score of the game was 34-14.

The following day, the Bulldogs took on the South Nodaway Longhorns. The Bulldogs start a great first half, scoring 23 points. Os-born was top scorer in the first quarter with 8, Grayson scored 5, Sager put in 4, and McMil-len, Jensen, and Mattson each scored 2 points. The Bulldogs allowed the Longhorns to score only 6 points in the half. For the second half, the Bulldogs scored 22. Jensen led in scoring this time, with 6 points; Ellis contribut-ed 5; Gage had 3; and Osborn, Mattson, and Sager each had 2. You can tell that these girls play as a team when you see that almost eve-ry single person on the team had more than 2 points. The final score against the Longhorns was 45-15. Great work, Bulldogs! The B team lost by 2 points. Braelyn Cowan had a total of 4 points in the effort.

On Thursday, November 6th, the ball club traveled to North Andrew. The Bulldogs had a big first half, scoring a total of 29 points. Osborn had 13 points, Sager scored 6, Gray-son and Jensen had 4, and Mattson had 2. The Bulldogs allowed the Cardinals 6 points. For the second half, the Bulldogs scored a total of 19 points. Osborn and Grayson 4 points each, Marticke had 8, and Sager had 3. Osborn had a total of 17 points when the game was over, for a season high! Great job, Lily Jo! The Cardinals scored 10 points in the second half, giving them a final of 19 points. The Bulldogs had another great victory: 48-19.

Next up, the King City Tournament! The Lady Bulldogs were going into the tournament undefeated for the season. They have trounced every team by 20 points or more. Their offense is unstoppable, along with their stellar defense!

On November 11th, the Bulldogs were up against the Albany Warriors for their first round game. For the whole game, the Bulldogs al-lowed Albany to score 3 times, giving them a total of 6 points. In the first quarter, the Bull-dogs scored 5 points. Osborn had 4, and Mar-ticke had 1. Albany scored 0 points. Bouncing back from the 1st quarter, the Dawgs scored 14 points. McMillen, Osborn, Grayson, and Marticke each had 2 points. Sager had 6 points. Albany scored 2 points in the 2nd half. Leaving at half time, the Bulldogs were ahead 19-2. Coming into the second half, the Warri-ors’ only 2 points were scored on free throws. The Bulldogs had a total of 11 points for the 3rd quarter. Contributing for the 3rd quarter was Gage with 6, Osborn with 1, and Jensen and Marticke with 2 each. Heading into the 4th quarter, the Bulldogs were ahead 30-4. The Warriors scored one final time in the 4th, giv-ing them a total of 6 points for the game. The Bulldogs scored another 7 points. Ellis, Jen-sen, and Charity Buntin each had 2 points, and Cowan had 1. The final score was 37-6.

The Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the Tournament, this time facing North Andrew, once again! The Bulldogs scored double digits in every quarter of this game. In the 1st quarter, the Dawgs scored 14, then 10, then 19, then 13 to combine with a season high of 56 points! To start off the

game, the Bulldogs put on their press and scored some quick layups. Gage had 4 points, Osborn, Grayson, and Marticke each had 2 points, and Sager also had 4 points. For the 2nd quarter, Gage scored another 2, Jensen scored 4, Marticke had 1, and Sager had 3. At halftime, the Bulldogs were ahead 24-10. In the second half, the girls outscored the Cardinals 32-18. Gage had 12 points, Osborn had 8, Ellis had 2 along with Grayson, Mattson had 6, and Sager had 2. The Bulldogs added another win to their list. The final score of the game was a season high of 56 points against 26 points. Next stop, the championship!

November 15th, the first snowfall of the year, the Bulldogs spent their day preparing for the big game. The girls gathered at Lily Os-born’s shed to shoot some hoops and eat some snacks before the game. 6:15 quickly ap-proached, and the girls were more than ready to get that 1st place trophy!

For the championship game, the Bulldogs were up against the Wildcats. Even though the Wildkats had the home court advantage, that didn’t stop the Bulldogs. The Dawgs started the game off pressing the Kats. King City had a hard time breaking the press, and our speed gave us some quick layups. After the first quarter ended, the Bulldogs were ahead 12-2. Madi Sager scored 8 points. The 2nd quarter, also the high-est scoring quarter of the game, consisted of 2 points from Gage, Osborn, Jensen, Sager, and Charity Buntin. Heading for the locker room at the end of the 2nd quarter, the Bulldogs were ahead 26-7. Coming into the 3rd quarter, the Dawgs stepped up their defense and allowed only 2 points to be scored. Gage, Osborn, and Grayson each had 2 points. Sager had 6 points. The 4th quarter arrived, and the Bulldogs were ahead 38-9. To finish off the championship game, Ashley Peterson, Tyra Grayson, and Marissa Jensen each scored 6 points. The final score of the game was 44-12. The Stanberry Lady Bulldogs are the King City Tournament champions! Congratulations!

Head Coach Lisa Craig declared, “Up to this point, we have been very successful due to the dedication and hard work of each athlete. This week our goal on the season was to place 1st in the tournament. Another goal the team has set include holding opponents to a certain number of points in the game. I have really en-joyed working with such a fine group of young ladies. I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with them.”

Assistant Coach Kate Renander added, “We have had a successful season so far. The girls are working very hard in practice, which is used to our success. The girls set goals to beat teams that they lost to last year. Even with a successful season, there is always room for improvement. Overall, it has been a great sea-son with a fun group of girls.”

Eighth graders Tyra Grayson and Marissa Jensen agreed that, “Our goal is remain unde-feated the entire season. Though we have been successful so far, one of the things we would like to improve is our communication.”

Good luck to the girls on the rest of their season!

JH Girls Stomp Opponents; Go Unbeaten

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Dawgs Sweep Playoffs on Third Journey to Dome

Wrestlers Hit the Mats

By Taylor Lager

Staff Reporter

After a successful season last year with three state qualifiers, the Bulldog wrestlers plan to repeat another triumphant sea-son. Due the extended football season, full practices haven’t begun yet, but Coach Jason Dias has tentative weight classes worked out. Planning to wrestle in the 126 weight bracket is freshman Jason Kelso. Kenny Summa, Shanen Law, William Anderson, and Clayton Stoll will even out the weight classes 132, 138, 145, and 152. Vince Carroll and John Shanks will compete in the 152, 160 weight classes. Chad Boatwright, a junior, plans to wrestle in the 180 class. Mason Rosier and Charles Anderson, both seniors, are indeci-sive on which weight bracket to wrestle. They might wrestle 182 or 195. Senior Cody Kelso plans to wrestle 195 bracket and would like to repeat his trip to the state tournament. The heavy weight bracket, which is 285, will see senior Mitchell Fanning and sophomore Elory Anderson and Alex Carroll sophomore will compete in the 220 weight bracket.

Coach Dias stated, “I am excited about the upcoming wrestling season. With fourteen kids out, I feel practice will be very quick-paced and competitive. Coming off another successful football season, these athletes will have the motivation to continue their success through the winter season.” The team’s first competition is scheduled for December 13 at Polo, a dual tournament. Sophomore Shanen Law said, “It is my first year wrestling, so I don't really know what to expect. I know the only way to improve is hard work and dedica-tion.”

By Quentin Nielson

Staff Reporter For the third year in a row, the SHS foot-

ball team qualified for the state playoffs in St. Louis, a truly impressive feat. For the third year in a row, the Dawgs faced the North Andrew Cardinals in the championship game. Unfortu-nately, Stanberry was unable to overcome the Cardinals and claimed second place for the second year in a row. Despite finishing second, the Dawgs have a lot to be proud of--an unde-feated regular season, conference and district championships as a team, and many honors for players individually.

The 275 All-Conference teams were an-nounced on November 4. The Bulldogs that made the All-Conference teams are as follows: First Team Offense, Clayton Stoll at Running Back, Dan Hailey at Tight End, Shelby McMillen at Offensive Line (Unanimous Vote), and Mason Rosier at Offensive Line. First Team Defense includes Quentin Nielson at Defensive Line (Unanimous Vote), Shelby McMillen at Defen-sive Line (Unanimous Vote), Mason Rosier at Defensive End, Dan Hailey at Defensive Line/ Linebacker (Unanimous Vote), and Alex McQuinn at Defensive Back. First Team Special Teams includes Shelby McMillen at Kicker. Second Team Offense lists Isaac Heddinger at Quarterback and Nic Shanks at Running Back. Second Team Defense was Nic Shanks at De-fensive Back. Second Team Special Teams was Nic Shanks at Returner. Bulldogs receiving All-District honors are on offense, Isaac Hed-dinger QB, Nic Shanks RB, Clayton Stoll RB, Dan Hailey TE/WR, Shelby McMillen OL, Mason Rosier OL; on defense, Shelby McMillen DL, Quentin Nielson DL, Dan Hailey DE/LB, and Alex McQuinn DB. Stanberry was well-represented on the elite All-State list as well. 1st Team Offense includes Nic Shanks RB, Dan Hailey TE, Shelby McMillen OL, Mason Rosier OL. 2nd Team Offense includes Clayton Stoll RB. 1st Team Defense is made up of Quentin Nielson DL, Shelby McMillen DL, Dan Hailey LB, Alex McQuinn DB. On 1st Team Special Teams is Shelby McMillen K.

After completing the regular season unde-feated, the Bulldogs had a bye week in the first round of district play. Stanberry played their first district playoff game on October 31. The Bull-dogs faced the Mound City Panthers, who they had previously beaten earlier in the season. The Bulldogs defeated the Panthers 60-8 to ad-vance to the District Championship. The leading rusher on the night was Clayton Stoll with 162 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries. Nic Shanks rushed for 123 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 PAT’s on 13 carries. Quarterback Isaac Heddinger had 46 rushing yards and 1 PAT on 3 carries; Heddinger also completed 4 passes--two touchdown passes caught by Daniel Hailey for 78 yards, and 2 PAT’s, 1 to Alex McQuinn and 1 to Quentin Nielson. On special teams, Cory Luke returned a kickoff for a 70-yard touchdown. On defense, the Bulldogs held the Panthers to just 29 yards of total offense and scored on a safety made by Nielson. The Bull-dogs’ leading tackler was Mason Rosier with 6 tackles, followed by Shanks and Shelby McMil-len, who each recorded 5 tackles on the night. This win moved the Bulldogs to a 10-0 record on the season. The Bulldogs faced off against the Albany War-riors on November 7, playing for the district championship. The Bulldogs triumphed over the Warriors with a 72-20 victory. The Bulldogs’ running game was excellent with 506 yards on just 38 carries with 10 touchdowns. Nic Shanks was the leading rusher with 193 yards on 13 carries with 3 touchdowns and 3 PAT’s. Clayton Stoll rushed for 125 yards on 13 carries with 2 touchdowns and 2 PAT’s. Cory Luke ran for 53 yards on 3 carries with 1 touchdown. Quarter-back Isaac Heddinger rushed for 138 yards on 8 carries with 4 touchdowns and also completed one pass to Alex McQuinn for 14 yards. The Bulldogs’ defense only allowed for one touch-down on the night, the other points for Albany came from special teams. The leading tacklers for the Bulldogs were Daniel Hailey and Isaac Heddinger with 8 apiece, followed by Mason Rosier and Quentin Nielson who each had 7 on the night. The Bulldogs advanced to 11-0 after this victory over the Warriors. On November 14, the Bulldogs traveled to Hop-kins to play against the Northwest Nodaway Mustangs. The Bulldogs came ready to play, blowing out the Mustangs 86-30 in the State Semi-Final game. The Bulldogs’ leading rusher

was Nic Shanks with 245 yards on just 11 carries, with 6 touchdowns and 2 PAT’s. Clayton Stoll rushed for 56 yards on 7 car-ries, and Cory Luke rushed for 65 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown and a PAT. Quarterback Isaac Heddinger through 4 passes for 146 yards and 3 touchdowns and ran in 2 PAT’s. Daniel Hailey caught 2 pass-es for 64 yards with 1 touchdown. Alex McQuinn and Quentin Nielson each had 1 reception for a touchdown, McQuinn for 51 yards, and Nielson for 31 yards. The Bull-dogs’ defense had a busy night, acquiring 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, a safety, and holding the opposing offense to -13 rushing yards. The leading tackler for the Bulldogs was Alex McQuinn with 7 tackles, followed by Cory Luke with 6 tackles. Defeating the Mustangs allowed the Bulldogs to advance to their 3rd state title game in the last three years. On November 28, the Bulldogs faced the North Andrew Cardinals, the same team they faced the two previous years. Both teams went into the game with an 11-0 record on the season. The Bulldogs played their hard-est until the last whistle, but lost 36-48, falling just two scores short of a state champion-ship. On offense, the Bulldogs’ leading rush-er was Nic Shanks with 183 yards on 27 carries, with 1 touchdown. Clayton Stoll rushed 9 yards on 5 carries. Quarterback Isaac Heddinger threw 13 passes with 8 completions for 109 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 PAT’s. Alex McQuinn had 1 36 yard reception for a touchdown, Dan Hailey had 3 receptions for 33 yards and 1 touchdown, Quentin Nielson had 2 receptions for 32 yards and 1 PAT, and Nic Shanks had 1 reception for 5 yards and 2 PAT’s. On de-fense, the Bulldogs picked up 3 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. The leading tacklers were Mason Rosier and Nic Shanks with 9 tackles, followed by Quentin Nielson and Daniel Hai-ley with 8 tackles each.

JH Boys Finish Season 8-5 By Quentin Nielson Staff Reporter

The Bulldogs traveled to North Nodaway for their first game of the season on October 21, where they won 39-20. Trey Schieber was the leading scorer with 22 points, followed by Tristen Lager with 8 points. Cole Durbin had 5 points, Zack Oldham had 2 points, and Hunter Johnson and Elijah Murphy each had 1 point. The Bulldogs played their second game at King City where they defeated the Wildcats 30-26, giving them a 2-0 record. Trey Schieber was the leading scorer with 14 points, fol-lowed by Cole Durbin with 10 points and Tris-tan Lager with 6 points. On October 30, the Bulldogs traveled to Grant City to play against the Worth County Tigers where the Bulldogs were defeated 22-53. Trey Schieber was the leading scorer with 9 points, followed by Tris-tan Lager with 5 points. Zack Oldham had 4 points, Cole Durbin and Elijah Murphy each had 2 points. On November 3, the Bulldogs hosted the Jefferson Eagles. The Dawgs were defeated 22-44 with Cole Durbin being the leading scorer with 10 points, followed by Tristen Lager and Dylon Pappert with 4 points each. Trey Schieber and Elijah Murphy each had 2 points on the night.

On November 4 Stanberry hosted the South Nodaway Longhorns. The Bulldogs fell short in a very close matchup, losing 22-28. Trey Schieber was the leading scorer with 13, followed by Cole Durbin with 3. Tristan Lager, Elijah Murphy, and Grady Mattson all had 2 points on the evening.

On November 6, the Bulldogs traveled to Rosendale where they faced off against the North Andrew Cardinals. Stanberry came out triumphant, defeating the Cardinals 30-27 in a hard fought matchup. The leading scorer was Cole Durbin withy 10 points, followed by Trey Schieber with 8 points. Tristan Lager and Hunter Johnson each had 4 points, and Zack Oldham and Dylon Pappert had 2 points apiece.

On November 10, the Bulldogs played their first game of the King City Tournament. Stanberry faced the Albany Warriors and came out victorious, decisively winning the game 45-17. Trey Schieber was the leading scorer with 24 points, followed by Cole Durbin and Dylon Pappert, who each had 6 points on the night. Cole Durbin had 4 points, Elijah Murphy and Aiden Gregory each had 2 points, and Hunter Johnson had 1 point. The Bull-dogs played their second game of the tourna-

ment against the North Andrew Cardinals. The Bulldogs defeated the Cardinals 38-29 to ad-vance to the championship game. The leading scorer on the night was Trey Schieber with 13 points, followed by Tristen Lager with 11 points. Cole Durbin had 10 points, and Dylon Pappert and Hunter Johnson each scored 2 points. In the championship game of the King City Tourna-ment, the Dawgs faced the Northeast Nodaway Blue Jays. The Bulldogs lost in a very hard fought match, with a final of 31-36 with Stanber-ry receiving 2nd place in the tournament. The leading scorer was Trey Schieber with 21 points, followed by Tristen Lager and Dylon Pappert, who each had 4 points. Cole Durbin scored 2 points as well. On November 18, the Bulldogs hosted the Alba-ny Warriors. The Bulldogs easily defeated the Warriors with a 45-25 victory. The leading scorer was Trey Schieber with 18 points, followed Cole Durbin with 10 points. Tristan Lager had 6 points, Dylon pappert scored 3 points, Elijah Murphy and Braylee Woods scored 2 points each.

On November 20, the Bulldogs traveled to Maysville where they faced the Maysville Wol-verines. The Bulldogs won 35-16, with the lead-ing scorer being Trey Schieber with 14 points followed by Cole Durbin with 11 points. Tristan Lager scored 6 points, Elijah Murphy, Dylon Pappert, and Zack Oldham each scored 2 points.

On November 24 the Bulldogs faced the Northeast Nodaway Blue Jays. After previously being beaten by the Blue Jays, the Bulldogs were looking for revenge. The Bulldogs outlast-ed the Blue Jays 37-30; the leading scorer was Trey Schieber with 18 points followed by Cole Durbin with 10 points. Tristan Lager scored 4 points, Hunter Johnson scored 3 points, and Elijah Murphy and Dylon Pappert each scored 2 points.

On November 25, Stanberry played their last game of the season against the South Harri-son Bulldogs. The hometown Bulldogs were defeated 35-45. Trey Schieber was the leading scorer with 16 followed by Tristen Lager with 10. Cole Durbin scored 8 points and Dylon Pappert scored 1 point. The Bulldogs finished the sea-son with a record of 8-5. Eighth grader Trey Schieber had this to say, “It was good to have a winning season this year. We didn’t do quite as well as I expected. However, we worked really well together, and we make a great team.” Eighth grader Cole Durbin chimed in, “We did pretty well this year; it was a lot of fun playing basketball. I’m looking forward to basketball season next year as a freshman.”

Ike Heddinger

looks to make the

play as his offensive linemen provide

coverage.

Nic Shanks builds up to his 183 yards rush-ing.

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NEWS 8

Activities Artists of the Month December 1– 6-

V Basketball Albany Tournament December 2- 7-12 Student Council Mtg. 8:00 December 8- 7-12 Winter Concert

December 9- Elementary Winter Concert December 11- JV Basketball w/ Princeton 6:00

December 12- JV & V Basketball @ NE Nodaway 5:00 December 13- V Wrestling @ Polo

All-District Band Clinic & Concert December 15-20- Sportswarming Week December 15- JV Basketball w/ N. Andrew 5:00 December 16- School Board Mtg. 7:00 December 18- JV Basketball @ Albany 6:00

V Wrestling w/ Maryville & Albany 6:00 December 19- SCHOOL DISMISSED 12:25 Winter Break

JV & V Basketball w/ Rock Port 5:00

December 20- JV Basketball @ King City 10:00 December 22-January 2- NO SCHOOL WINTER BREAK

January 5- School Resumes

V & JV Basketball w/ S. Nodaway 5:00

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In the Pages In Tune by Lucas Raymond

Guest Reporter

Taylor Swift had her start in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania. This American singer-songwriter became the youngest artist to write and perform a number one song, “Our Song”, on the Hot Country Songs Chart. She is also the youngest ever to win the Album of the Year award after her album Fearless, released in 2008, with songs like, “Love Sto-ry” and “You Belong with Me”, won four Grammy Awards.

Taylor Alison Swift, born on December 13, 1989, has rocketed to fame ever since she moved to Nashville Tennessee, when she was fourteen. At the age of eleven Taylor won a local talent competition and was given the opportunity to appear as the opening act for Charlie Daniels. Swift, at the age of twelve, was shown by a computer repairman how to play three chords on a guitar, allowing her to write her first song, “Lucky You”, and she moved to Nashville at the age of fourteen having, by then, secured an artist develop-ment deal with RCA Records. She then left the company at the age of fifteen because RCA wanted to wait until Taylor was eighteen to release an album. Feeling like she was ready, she signed, after a showcase at Nash-ville’s The Bluebird Café in 2005, with Big Machine Records.

Swift released her debut album, Taylor Swift, in October of 2006 and in 2008 re-leased her second studio album, Fearless, which finally launched Taylor to a whole new level of success.

Now the artist has decided to change the way she and others think of her. The once country music star has decided to try her hand in the pop world. Her newest album, 1989, released in October of 2014, has gotten reviews from Rolling Stone saying the album is “driven by synths and drums in lieu of gui-tar… Deeply weird, feverishly emotional, wildly enthusiastic, 1989 sounds exactly like Taylor Swift, even when it sounds like nothing she’s ever tried before.”

I am not the biggest fan of country music but the way that Taylor in able to fuse togeth-er aspects of pop music into her music make me enjoy Swift’s music just enough. However, with her new album, 1989, Taylor has defi-nitely proved to me the she is a very talented artist. I don’t know how someone can listen to her song, “Shake It Off”, and not want to get up and dance! With Taylor’s new face in the music industry, I know she has many more successful years ahead of her.

The Secret of Laurel Oaks By Lois Ruby Review byAlexis Simmerman

Guest Reporter The Secret of Laurel Oaks is written about

a fictional story that occurs in a real place. The house is surrounded by laurel oaks, which gave it its name. It was once a plantation filled with slaves at the time of the Civil War. There have been sightings of a mysterious ghost appearing to be a slave girl wandering the house. Lois Ruby makes this rumor come to life. Two parents give thirteen-year-old Lila a chance to choose where they stay for a couple of days. After some research Lila picks Laurel Oaks, which is supposedly haunted. When they arrive her parents and older brother joke and laugh at the thought of ghosts roaming the halls. Lila wonders, though, if there is a possi-bility that the house really is haunted. She soon finds her answer when Camilla, the caretaker, and her daughter, Sal, give Lila and her broth-er, Gabe, a tour meant to scare them. But what Lila sees is disturbing. When she looks into a mirror that Camilla says holds the image of a slave girl named Daphne, Lila sees a dark-skinned girl staring back. Gabe doesn’t believe her, and Lila begins to doubt herself. Camilla tells them that Daphne only had one ear. The other got cut off because she was eavesdrop-ping. Everyone says she poisoned the mistress and her two daughters. When Lila goes to sleep, instead of hearing Roberto, a friend who died a month ago, she sees Daphne. She is wearing a lopsided turban, with a single ear sticking out. Lila starts to question everything. Did Daphne really kill a mother and her young children? Was it on purpose, or a tragic acci-dent? How did Daphne die?

I recommend this bone-chilling novel to anyone who likes a good scare. After reading The Secret of Laurel Oaks, you might not want to sleep alone. If you’re lucky enough, you might even hear Daphne whisper the secret of Laurel Oaks!

Kindergartener Kaitlin Porterfield created Silly Striped Zebra using lines and yarn. She stated, “My favorite part was drawing the stripes on the zebra.”

Paige Woods, of second grade, designed a colorful piece called Color Spectrum Spider Web. She exclaimed, “My favorite part was making the spider and gluing it on!”

We had two winners from the 4th grade class this month. Katie Angle (above) and Katrina Blessing (below) painted Folk Art Landscapes. They both said that they really liked painting the different designs to create the ground.