The Crusader

Blinded by the Stars

Another showstopper by the Saxony dream team. pg. 4

The Printed Voice of SaxonyVolume XV, Edition IIIDecember 16, 2016

@saxonypublications

Inside Reporting Crusader life since 2003

Joy to the World!

Holiday Munchies

Save the holidays with your magical cooking. pg. 2-5

Staying Chill for

Christmas How to deal with that relative that never stops pestering you. pg. 13

Eli Bohnert: EditorSally Lorenz: Adviser

Student Life story covered by Jake Wyatt and Rachael Koehler

Oh Come All Ye Faithful2

Saxony students Jack Foeste, Jed Jones, Luke Richmond, Katie Richmond, Tessa Allee and Megan Casasola volunteering at

Feed My Starving Children.

Saxony Beta Club students turn out to spread cheer.

-Sponsored by La Croix United Methodist Church.-Overall goal: Pack 1,000,000 meals to feed 2,739 children every day for an entire year.-Occurs every December over a weekend.

Feed My Starving Children Facts

Twice this month, the Beta Club brought Christmas cheer to elderly members of our community by caroling at nursing homes. On Thursday, December 8, the group went to the Missouri Veterans Home and Fountainbleau Lodge. The following Tuesday, December 13, members visited Chateau Girardeau and the Lutheran Home. This is the second year the Beta Club has gone caroling, and with the enthusiasm shown on these two visits, it seems that this will become a Saxony tradition for years to come.

Throughout the month of November, the Saxony Lutheran High School Beta Club collected donations to fund its Kids Against Hunger Meal Packing Event. With bake sales, chapel offerings, dress down days, and donations, the Club reached its goal of raising $2,500. This fundraiser allowed students to partner with the local Kids Against Hunger office and pack almost 17,000 meals. These nutritious and non-perishable meals were divided between the SEMO Food Bank and support for Hurricane Matthew victims in Haiti.

Kids Against Hunger BETA Club Holiday Cheer

3 Student Life

Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but what is it all about? Is it about getting great gifts? How about

getting off of school for two weeks? Well, I think we all know what the real answer to the question is: Christmas is all about the prefix – Christ. This time of year should be all about celebrating Jesus coming down from heaven to be born a man and save us from our sins. Nowadays, that isn’t always the case, though. These days, it seems all people are concerned with is what will be under the tree or what there is going to be on the supper table. Many of us have lost sight of what is important, and that is Jesus. We need to be like the wise men in Matthew 2:11: “On coming to the house, they saw the child with

his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” These men traveled thousands of miles just to lay eyes on and worship Jesus. They knew what that night was about, but do we? It is time to sit back and think about what we perceive to be the true meaning of Christmas. Everyone is guilty of getting carried away by secular and materialistic things at times, but we should all make a special effort to focus our hearts and minds on

the One who came to this earth to save us. It can happen, and it will happen if we make it a point to remember the real "reason for the season." Merry Christmas!

Oh Christian TreeThe weeks of Advent are here, and

that means one thing: ‘tis the season for frog tape Christmas trees and

helpful thoughts, words and deeds. For those confused readers out there, let me clarify. This Advent season, a new group at Saxony, the Christian Climate Committee, started a tradition. This year, instead of the usual pine tree in the Commons, two frog tape Christmas trees were placed on the wall. These trees had a larger purpose, though, than their obvious beauty. They played a part in a three-week plan designed to improve the “climate” of our school. Each day, Monday through Thursday, had its own theme: hope, peace, joy or love. Each week then utilized a different method of expressing each day’s theme: thoughts, words and deeds. Thus, the Christian Climate

Committee created a challenge for each day that reflected that day’s theme and the week’s method to express it. For example, on the Monday of the week of “words,” the challenge emailed to students was, “Share something that you are hopeful for or that gives you hope.” After students completed each day’s challenge, they put a small green square, or “light,” in an area of the taped tree. The goal was to fill the tree with a green background and numerous lights. As a special “bonus opportunity,” each Friday students were encouraged to post something on social media with #saxonyway that led to a positive social environment. All of these things were designed to improve the already positive atmosphere at Saxony. However, this positive climate is not

meant to be limited to Saxony—we are to take this attitude into the world, reflecting Christ’s love for all.

Oh Holy Night

stories covered respectively by Jonathan Mueller and Jake Wyatt

4 Student Life story covered by Josh Varnon

Under the Bright (Christmas) Lights

There was excitement in the air as a multitude of people filed into Saxony’s Moeller Commons during the third weekend of November to watch the first drama production of the school year. This year’s dinner theatre consisted of two separate performances and was

catered by Stooges in Jackson. The first was “Last Minute Wishes,” which followed different plot lines of people who were shopping last minute during the Christmas season. It featured a group of thugs and elderly southern ladies, a mystical bell ringer, an overwhelmed sales associate, and many other hilarious roles. The second play was “Complaint Department and Lemonade.” This play starred a wide variety of drama members, whose characters displayed a strange problem and then complained about it to the associate working the complaint desk. All of the performances went exceptionally well. While the actors were the people everyone saw, there were many people who worked behind the scenes who made the show possible. Mr. Brian Russel operated the sound board and microphones, the stage crew assisted in changing and creating the scenes, and many parents helped plate the food that was served. Thank you to the whole drama department for putting on an outstanding performance and to the audience for coming out to support the drama program. Finally, the biggest thank you goes to Mrs. Tammy Petzoldt for directing another amazing show. We wish the drama department the best of luck in its future performances this year!

Sweet Treats for Santa 5 Student Life stories covered respectively by Nicolette Baker and Nathan Ruark

Vegan Peppermint Red Velvet Cupcakes from the kitchen of Emily Weber1 Box Duncan Hines red velvet cake mix4 oz applesauce (single serving cup)1½ tablespoon vegetable oil1½ tablespoon water2 teaspoons baking powderPillsbury peppermint icing

Preheat oven to 350°. In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix and applesauce. In a separate bowl, combine oil, water and baking powder. Mix these together until they crackle, then add to the cake mix and applesauce. Add water until the batter reaches the right consistency—2 cups at most. Fill the cupcake pans and bake for 19-22 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Frost cupcakes with peppermint icing and voila, you’ve just made a tasty vegan Christmas treat!

Christmas toffee bars from the kitchen of the Camerons

1 cup brown sugar1 cup butter, softened1 teaspoon vanilla1 egg yolk2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt1 milk chocolate candy bar (6 oz)1/2 cup chopped nuts

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg yolk. Stir in the flour and salt. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake until very light brown, 25-30 minutes. The crust will be soft. Break the chocolate bar into pieces and place it on the crust. Let it stand until soft. Then spread the chocolate evenly over the crust and sprinkle on the nuts. Cut into diamonds or triangles while it is still warm. Let cool before serving.

Vanillekipferl – From the kitchen of Liza Davila-VoigtFor the short-crust pastry:200 grams (1 ½ cup) all-purpose flour1 pinch baking soda100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar1 bag vanilla sugar2 medium egg yolks110 grams (¼ cup) butter or margarine100 grams (1 cup) ground almonds

For sprinklings:1 cup confectioner’s sugar1 bag vanilla sugar

To make the dough, mix together the flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a mixer, at first briefly on the lowest setting, then on the highest setting until all the ingredients are completely incorporated. Then knead the mixture on a lightly floured work surface to make a dough. Divide the dough into two portions. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator to cool.Preheat oven to 350°. Take one portion of the dough and shape it into finger-thick cylinders, and cut into pieces 6 cm (2 ¼ inch) long. Make the pieces slightly thinner at the ends. Arrange the pieces individually on a baking sheet greased and lined with parchment paper and shape into ornaments. Work the second portion of dough in the same way. Put the baking sheets in the preheated oven one after the other. Bake the crescent cookies for about 10 minutes per baking sheet.Mix together the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla sugar in a small bowl.Slide the cookies and the parchment paper underneath them onto a wire rack. While they are still warm, sprinkle them with the sugar mixture and allow them to cool.

Answ

ers left to right: Grow

ing Economy

Missing (U

), Falling in Love, Try to understand, In between Jobs, Space Invaders.

No need to fear, the freshman spotlight is here! This month,

the lucky freshman is Olivia Grace Spanley. Coming from the great city of Jackson, Olivia has one sister, Madison (’16). Liv, as she is also known, went to St. Paul for grade school and currently worships at St. Paul Lutheran Church. Miss Spanley was an outstanding member of this year’s volleyball team. She currently plays basketball and plans on playing soccer in the spring. I got the chance to ask Olivia some questions to find out more about her.Q: If you could change your name, would you, and what would you change it to?A: I wouldn’t change it. I don’t like my name, but I just don’t want to change it.Q: What three things are on your Christmas

list this year?A: Clothes, shoes, and money.Q: What fact about yourself would surprise people the most?A: I’m afraid of mascots.Q: How do you spend your Christmas?A: My family usually goes to my Grandma Rita’s house.Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?A: Really loud breathing.Q: What is your favorite Christmas memory?A: When my sister and I went sledding down a hill and ran into a tree.Q: Lastly, do you have any shout-outs?A: I want to shout out Makayla Mueller, Meredith Scheper, Audra Steffens, and Emma Brune. Olivia is an amazing addition to the Saxony family. If you haven’t had the chance to meet

her, make sure you do and wish her a Merry Christmas and the best of luck in all her activities here at Saxony!

6

Spotlights

Students, as of now you can all check off the number one item on your Christmas wish list: learning more about Jade

Samanta. Jade currently resides in Cape with his family, where he attends church at St. Andrew. It is an understatement to say that Jade is very involved at Saxony. Here, he participates in Scholar Bowl, Beta Club and numerous other activities, while maintaining a perfect G.P.A. Let’s take a trip into the brilliant mind of Jade.Q: If you could have lunch with one historical figure, who would it be?A: I think it would be cool to sit down to a meal with the one and only Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi. It would be very interesting to learn about his peace-driven life and applaud his brave actions for the free people of India. Q: Is there anything you don’t know?A: “The only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing” -Socrates

Q: What is your favorite Christmas song?A: “Jingle Bell Rock” all the way. Q: What do you want for Christmas this year?A: Since it’s too cliché to wish for “world peace,” I would really like a Playstation 4, so I can keep up with the “cool kids.”Q: Whenever Hollywood makes a movie about the famous Jade Samanta, who is going to play your character?A: I feel like if Hollywood made a movie about me, that movie would be a horror flick…I would probably play myself, no scary makeup needed… Obviously Jade is a very fascinating individual and truly one of Saxony’s finest. If you ever find yourself bored and wishing to be entertained, go find Jade and have a conversation with him. It will be well worth your time.

I'm Dreaming of a Jade Christmas

Snowmen, Stockings and Spanley

stories covered respectively by Josh Varnon and Jonathan Mueller

7

Spotlights stories covered respectively by Eli Bohnert and Karsten Short

The Christmas season is upon us and so is this month’s senior spotlight! During this wonderful time of year filled with

joy, we will be taking a trip to the North Pole and exploring the merry mind of Jolly Saint Jon (Jonathan Mueller). Jonathan was raised in Longtown, Missouri, where he currently resides with his mom, dad, and two sisters. Jonathan attended Immanuel Lutheran grade school in Perryville and attends church at Zion in Longtown. He is very involved here at Saxony, participating in various clubs and activities. In his spare time, he does his best to make monthly trips to the North Pole, making sure the elves are doing their ever so important work. Now, let’s take a magical sleigh ride together and explore the wonderful mind of Jonathan Mueller. Q: Who’s your favorite reindeer?A: Comet.Q: Do you have a significant other?A: I’m in the process.

Q: Any Christmas traditions?A: Every Christmas Eve after our church programs, we head to my grandma's house, open presents and eat appetizers. Then the next day we have our big meal. Q: Do you have a preferred cookie?A: Little cookies with a Hershey’s kiss in the middle!Q: What’s your favorite activity to do while on Christmas break?A: Sledding.Q: Any shout outs?A: I’d like to shout-out Hayden Moll because he got left out in the last paper.

Now that you know more about this outgoing Saxony senior, don’t be afraid to stop him in the halls, or on the way to the North Pole and say hello! I guarantee you will cherish the moment for the rest of your life. It’s safe to say

that Jonathan Paul Mueller is hands down one of the most interesting people on the Saxony

Jolly Saint Jon

Some know her as Rachel, others know her as the girl with the freakish amount of baby animals, but I know her as my

sister, Rachel Bohnert. Due to the fact that I live with Rachel, I can verify that all of this information is, in fact, correct, which should help keep her on Santa’s “nice” list. Let’s dive into the world of Rachel and learn more about her!Q: So, how many dogs do you have?A: I have two adult dogs and twenty-two puppies-- eleven from each dog! But don’t forget about my two new baby kittens!Q: Who is your favorite sibling?A: Sibling? I don’t have any siblings…. But my parents might have another child at Saxony named Eli. (Editor’s note: The longer Rachel refuses to claim me the more likely I am to post pictures of her with ten chins.)Q: What is something interesting about

yourself?A: I drive a 1968 Ford Mustang Q: What are your plans in life?A: Well, job wise I don’t really have any plans, but I would love to travel Europe and Central America.Q: Favorite memory at Saxony so far?A: It would have to be meeting my best friends Khloe Koch and Kate Hallman. Also shout out to Kate for leaving me to go to Cape Central, giving me the opportunity to meet more guys.Q: What do you do with your weekends?A: Hang out with friends, go for long drives, watch an extreme amount of TV, and teach Sunday School.There you go- the life of my favorite (and only) sibling, Rachel S. Bohnert. She can be sassy (wonder who she got that from?), which only makes her an even more interesting and fun person to hang around!

A Gift With A Boh(nert) on Top!

8 Sports story covered by Karsten Short

Pictory!

Looking for a new, free, and exciting app to play with your friends?! Well, Pictory is the

app for you! Write a prompt, take a picture, and challenge your friends to beat it! This app allows you to take on your friends in a photo contest by creating a tag, like "cutest dog," "best hair," "America," etc., and having your friends submit a picture for that tag. Select the friends you want to play and set the time limit. After the time is up, everyone sees the pictures, but nobody knows whose is whose until you pick a winner. Now let’s explore more of the background on this new exciting app! A passionate programmer by the name of Cole Bradley created Pictory. He currently lives in San

Francisco, where he is pursuing the world of technology. If you don’t know by now, this intelligent man is none other than Mrs. Lorenz’s son. He got his first taste of programming when he took the computer programming block course at the Career and Technology Center (CTC) his junior year of high school. After earning his bachelor of arts degree in philosophy at Rhodes College, Mr. Bradley began a program at Webster University, where he got his bachelor of science degree in computer science to learn the hard skills required for his field. Mr. Bradley loves programming. When asked what his favorite part about making Pictory was, he said, “This project was fun for a couple of reasons. I decided to try out some new technologies to build this app, and learning them was really fun. The absolute most rewarding part about building Pictory is being able to share it with others. It makes me so happy every time someone sends me a new game.” As you can tell, Mr. Bradley is a very passionate man who loves his job. For more information

on the app, go to getpictory.com and to download the app, go to your app store and type in Pictory! If you have any questions for Mr. Bradley, you can contact him at stantoncbradley@gmail.com. You don’t get many chances to play an app created by “one of our own,” so download the app today and share it with all your friends and family!

9 Sportsstory covered by Jake Wyatt

All I want for Christmas is…An A+ in Psychology-

Isaac Scheper Boyfriend- Miranda Wyatt

For Jon to have a solid relationship-

Drew Zieba

MacBook Pro- Rachel Howey

Kylie’s Cosmetic Holiday Collection- Casey Kester

A new car- Nolan Brown

To get ALL the scholarships- Lucas Ruessler

Ukulele- Annie Hurst

Hubba Bubba- Laurel Mueller

A girlfriend- Timothy Deason

Clothes- Kalani Gill

Lots of Books- Alli Haertling

Phone- Mason Lewis

"12 Days of Christmas" from 2014

12 Inconsistent Lunches11 Quarry Road Blocks

10 Twirling Keys9 Baby Fish

8 Different Janitors7 Foxy “Love” Stories

Seis mas estampas5 Class Interruptions

4 Last Minute Study Guides3 Shortened Days2 Mrs. Zum Hofes

1 Giant Christmas Tree

During the Christmas season, music is all around us—then again, for Saxony’s music department, music is

always around them. There are three groups that make up the music department: band, concert choir and Chamber Choir. The band and both choirs are filled with extraordinarily talented Crusaders. The concert choir is open to all students who want to sing in the choir, while the Chamber Choir consists of students who audition to become a member. Both of these choirs are under the direction of one of Saxony’s new teachers, Mrs. Misty Rivers. The choirs both performed beautifully at the fall concert back in October. Some of the featured songs were “10,000 Reasons,” “Cornerstone,” “Seasons of Love” and “At the Riverside.” Also, back in the fall, members of the choir

competed at districts. Two choir members made it into the All District choir: senior Corie Williams and freshman Sam Varnon. The final component of the music program at Saxony is the band, which is conducted by Mr. Tyson Wunderlich. The band also performed at the fall concert and played phenomenally. Some of the pieces performed included “Olympic Fanfare” and the first movement of “English Folk Song.” Band members also competed at districts and had four members selected. Junior Jacob Homer (flute) and freshman Claire Hadler (French horn) were both selected for the All District Band, and junior Nate Hartmann (percussion) and sophomore Samuel Koenig (tenor saxophone) were both selected as alternates. The music department will host its annual Christmas concert on Monday, December 19 at 7:00, featuring the traditional “Hallelujah Chorus” by both the band and

choir. Lastly, the band and choir will close out the semester with a shortened version of their Christmas concert on Wednesday, after students have finished their last final. At the Wednesday performance, the band will sing (yes, the band members will actually sing) their remix of the “12 Days of Christmas,” which is sure to bring many laughs. (A sample of a previous year’s rendition is shown at left) Be sure to come out to support these musicians at the Christmas concert on Monday. We wish all choir and band members the best of luck at their upcoming concerts and for the rest of the school year!

Sports stories covered by Josh Varnon

10

The Twelve Days Throwback

Do You Hear What I Hear?

11 Sportsstories covered respectively by Jake Wyatt and Nicolette Baker

Finally, Finals!

Monday Dec. 19 8:01 – 8:16 Chapel 8:20 – 9:00 SGM Party 9:04 – 10:24 Period 1 10:32 – 11:52 Period 5

Tuesday Dec. 20 8:01 – 9:21 Period 2 9:29 – 10:49 Period 4 11:00 – 12:20 Period 6

Wednesday Dec. 21 8:01 – 8:16 Chapel 8:20 – 9:40 Period 3 9:48 – 11:08 Period 7 11:12 – 12:12 Christmas Concert

12 Entertainment

Jolly Jingles to Jam To 20 of the best Christmas songs to listen to1. Jingle Bell Rock2. Waiting for Christmas3. White Christmas4. Silent Night5. All I Want for Christmas is You6. Do they know it's Christmas7. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)8. O Holy Night9. Baby it’s Cold Outside

10. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas11. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer 12. Santa Clause is Coming to Town13. Frosty the Snowman14. Let it Snow15. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus16. Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer17. Mr. Grinch18. Mistletoe19. Walking in a Winter Wonderland20. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

1.Get a good night’s rest and pray!!2.Exercise 30 minutes a day every day. (Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and keeping oxygen flowing- it will keep your mind sharp!)3.Drink plenty of water. 4.Remember that your teachers

want you to do well.5.Focus on what you do know rather than what you do not know.6.Eat a low sugar, nutritious breakfast.7.Avoid drinking caffeine (Energy drinks, Coffee, Coke)8.After an exam, don’t ask your

friends what answers they put—this might cause anxiety.9.Take a deep breath when you get stuck. Relax. Then refocus and answer confidently.10.Get comfortable. Stay comfortable.

Top 10 tips for finals week!

stories covered respectively by Wil Walker and Nathan Ruark

13 Entertainment

Watcha Doin' Over Break?

Keeping your Cool over Christmas

1. Sledding down Cardiac Hill at SEMO (At your own risk) 2. Having snowball fights3. Making Gingerbread Houses4. Watching Hallmark movies5. Decorating the Christmas Tree6. Drinking Hot Cocoa

stories covered respectively by Wil Walker and Jake Wyatt and Eli Bohnert

7. Building a snowman8. Seeing Christmas light displays on houses9. Driving through Cape County Park to see the displays10. Making ornaments for the Christmas Tree

14 Opinion

12-1 Caleigh Boren12-1 Rachael Koehler12-1 Alina Lorenz12-1 Andrew Schwarting 12-3 Tyson Wunderlich 12-5 Shane Mockler 12-6 Olivia Petzoldt12-7 Joshua Drury 12-10 Tyler Mockler

12-11 Nora Fornkohl12-12 Justin Buerck 12-12 Molly McNabb12-13 Britney Koenig12-15 Jacob Blackwelder12-15 Erin Rauh12-15 Macie Smith12-16 Audrie Seabaugh12-19 Colton Jones

12-19 Hayden Moll12-22 Courtney Bangert12-24 Amber Langston12-27 Sydney Macke12-28 Noah Franke12-28 Deanna Rubach12-29 Kelsey Horton12-30 Laura Hayden12-30 Bryn Meyr

December Birthdays

BAKINGCHOCOLATE

COOKIEEGGS

FLOURFRUITCAKE

GINGERBREADGINGERSNAPS

ICINGOVEN

SUGAR

Holiday Baking

stories covered respectively by Nathan Ruark and Nicolette Baker

Opinion/Upcomingstories covered by Jake Wyatt

15

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