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The Black and Gold Volume 5 Issue 31 April 17th, 2026

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April 17th, 2026 HELP MC IS BEATING ME

What to Read MC ka

t too

jus ky per

Need a good book to curl up and read? Here’s what one of our Tigers recommends! -p. 3

Prom Pics Find out what Prom ended up looking like and all the fun that followed! - p. 6-7

Parents As Teachers Find out what the elementary has been up to this week! - p. 10

THE BLACK AND GOLD MC’s bus is here

MC eats her boogers

MC has left us :[

Volume 5 Issue 31 April 17th, 2026

MC hates Christmas

MC beats me

is st

inky

Newspaper Staff

MC is cray cray

MC

MC is smelly

Editor-in-Chief

Michaela Copeland

Assistant Editor-in-Chief Bella Beems News Editor Laci Burnett Reporters Katlyn Boydston Grayson Moore Photographers Lauraly Lane Josephine Long Designers Ashlynn Bowen Gunner Delp Guest Writer Miley Phillips

Photo Credit: Josie Long Pictured: .Avalee Servaes

Records Broken by MS Track By: Katlyn Boydston

This week,the Middle School Track team had two meets, the first at Mound City and the second at Mid Buchanan. On Monday, April 13, the team competed at Mound City. Seventh grader Avalee Servaes said, “It went pretty well, and most of us placed,.” Servaes earned 4th place in the 100m hurdles and got 5th place in the 100m dash. “It went well. We didn’t do that badly, and most of us placed,” says eighth grader Jackson Wachtel. He got 6th place in the 100m dash, 12th place in the 400m dash, 8th place in the High Jump, and 1st place in the Long Jump. The Middle School Track team's next meet was on Thursday, April 16th, at North Andrew. The girls 4x100 team broke the Middle School Track records by with a time of 57.32. Avalee Servaes broke the 100-meter dash record with a time of 13.90, and Zoie Nowak broke the Long Jump record with a jump of 4.3 meters. These athletes have been working all season to break these records. Their next Track meet is on Tuesday, April 21, at North Platte.

MC bites me


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April 17th, 2026

High School Track Has Phenomenal Meet By: Laci Burnett

Photo Credit: Josephine Long Pictured: Left- Cole Covac, Middle- Brinkley Frakes, and Right- Delaney Frakes

On Friday, April 10th, the DeKalb High School Track and Field Team competed at Stanberry High School. This meet went great overall, with a couple athletes surpassing their personal goals. One athlete, Isabella Beems, threw a personal best in Shotput of 7.06 meters. The team worked hard this meet and got themselves in the top 10 for the overall meet. On Tuesday, April 14th, the team once again competed, this time at Mid-Buchannan High School. Coach Rumpf said that the meet “went really well” despite facing a couple challenges. At this meet, there were many personal records among the athletes, including Kenzie Pflugradt in the 400 meter dash, Cole Kovac in the mile, Delaney Frakes in Shotput, and Blake Norton making a personal best for this year in the 800 meter. After the meet, Coach Rumpf mentioned how even though they “didn't have everybody again, [they] went and there was a lot of PRs.” With this ongoing streak of hard work, Coach Rumpf hopes that they will continue “push[ing] themselves and push[ing] each other” to help them “have good chances to make it beyond districts.” The High School’s Track and Field team is filled with dedicated and hard-working athletes this year, and they are bound to go far with their efforts. Their next meet is at Worth County High School on Tuesday, April 21st. Make sure to show up and cheer on our Tigers!


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April 17th, 2026

What to Listen To By: Michaela Copeland

What to Read By: Josie Long

Photo Credit: Pinterest Pictured: Cover of They Both Die at the End Photo Credit: Pinterest Pictured: Shawn Mendes album cover for Wonder

I typically listen to a lot of classic rock or alternative music, but a few years ago I really liked pop music. One of my favourite pop artists is Shawn Mendes, known for his hits from 2015 through 2020, such as Stitches (2015), Treat You Better (2016), There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back (2017), In My Blood (2018), Lost in Japan (2018), and If I Can’t Have You (2019). Although each of these hits are good, I personally prefer his album, Wonder, which was released in 2020. In August of 2020, Shawn tattooed the word “Wonder” on his right arm, which turned out to be the title of the album, which was released on December 4th, 2020. "It really feels like a piece of me has been written down on paper and recorded into song. I tried to be as real and as honest as I've ever been. It's a world and a journey and a dream and an album I've been wanting to make for a really long time. I absolutely love it”, says Mendes about his album Wonder. His music on the album is more emotional and soft than his other albums, which Rolling Stone describes as “coming of age agony” and “youthful passion”. I recommend this album for anyone who enjoyed his pop hits during 2015-2019, but would prefer a softer tone to his music.

If you're looking for a book that strays away from the typical happy ending and dives into themes of living life to the fullest, the pursuit of meaning, and, of course, love. I would recommend They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera. Published in 2017, They Both Die at the End was the first book in this series. It explores the life (or end of said life) of 2 boys, Mateo and Rufus. Death-Cast, an organization that informs people when they are going to die, reaches out to both of these boys, who are at two completely different points in their lives. Mateo, who is more of an introvert, decides to get an app for deckers like him that lets him meet others in the same predicament as him. Through many errors, he meets Rufus (who seems to be his polar opposite) on the app, to which they ultimately decide to meet up in person Rufus and Mateo spend their last day together meeting each other’s friends and families, taking risks and doing things they usually wouldn’t on any other given day, and of course, making the most of the time they have left. Rufus posts his last memories as a time capsule on Instagram for people to see and witness how they lived. “Two dudes met. They fell in love. They lived. That’s our story.” If you are like me and are always looking for books that don’t fit the stereotype of typical fairytale happy endings, I would recommend this book, and the rest in this series.


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April 17th, 2026

Don’t Miss This

18 20 21 22 23 24

April

By: Miley Phillips

District Scholar Bowl at Craig

HS Baseball at Nodaway Valley HS Track at Worth County MS Track at North Platte

FFA Awards at 6 p.m.

HS Baseball at Marantha Chr. Academy

HS Baseball at Marantha Chr. Academy


April 17th, 2026

V I A D

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of the

W E E K

Carter Kendall

Reason: He is a pro in PE

Cane Delp

Reason: His luscious locks


PROM

April 17th, 2026

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2026


April 17th, 2026

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April 17th, 2026

Junior Class Parents Host Annual After Prom Event By: Bella Beems

Photo Credit: Junior Josie Long Pictured: Left to right: Cole Kovac, Cooper Wachtel, and Grayson Moore

After the music ended on Saturday night, Prom attendees’ night was far from over. Junior class parents once again hosted a safe and sober alternative for students wanting something fun to do. After Prom takes place at DeKalb High School and each year has different, fun activities for students to enjoy. One of the most anticipated activities the students did was the cake walk. A cake walk is when people walk in a circle to music and when the music stops, you have to stand on a number. If the host calls your number you get to come up and choose a sweet treat of your choice. “My entire kitchen island is piled with sweets.” says Junior Cole Kovac, who won a total of nine different desserts. Other activities that were provided were paint a partner, open gym, laser tag, and a 360 photo stand. Or you could just sleep the whole time. It was your pick. Either way everyone who stayed until the end got a prize. DeKalb Juniors and Seniors got $100 and guests got a $20 Walmart gift card. Junior Michaela Copeland says the event “was good. There were a lot more options of things to do, and a lot of parent involvement. My favorite activity was walking around and watching everyone have fun. And, of course, catching a couple of naps.”


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April 17th, 2026

Baseball Faces Tough Losses By: Grayson Moore

Photo Credit: Josie Long Pictured: Parker Pierce getting ready to hit the ball

On Monday, April 13th the DeKalb High School Baseball team played against South Holt at home. Dekalb varsity lost 1-10 and there was no JV game. The most recent game was an away game against Platte Valley on Tuesday, April 14th. Varsity lost 2-8 and JV lost 2-3. Sophomore Aiden Bramble says “I could’ve hit the ball harder but I was making good contact. I hit a lot better in JV though.” “We competed pretty decently but had too many fielding errors. We had a bunch of base runners but gotta have better defense. We really need to make the routine plays,” says Coach Aaron Matthews. Our next game was supposed to be on Friday, April 17th, against Stanberry at home, but it was postponed to a later date due to the weather. The next game will be an away game against Nodaway Valley on Monday, April 20th at Nodaway Valley so make sure you come out to support the team!

How To: Make Mug Desserts By: Michaela Copeland

Brownie: In a mug, combine: 4 tbsp flour 4 tbsp sugar 1 egg 3 tbsp milk 3 tbsp oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp of cocoa powder/hot cocoa mix - Chocolate chips are optional! Microwave for 1-2 minutes! Vanilla Cake: In a mug, combine: 4 tbsp flour 2 tbsp sugar 3 tbsp milk 1 tbsp oil ¼ tsp vanilla extract 12 tsp baking powder - Sprinkles or toppings are optional! Microwave for 1-2 minutes! Chocolate Chip Cookie: In a mug, combine: 2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp white sugar 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp milk ¼ tsp vanilla extract ¼ cups and 2 tbsp flour ¼ tsp baking soda ⅛ tsp salt Chocolate chips *Make sure you melt the butter in the mug first, then add the rest of the ingredients and microwave. Microwave for 1-2 minutes!


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April 17th, 2026

Rushville Families Engage in STEM Activities By: Lauraly Lane

Photo Credit: Mrs. Black Pictured: Family Event Night and Touch a Truck event

On Thursday, April 9, Rushville Elementary School had a ‘Touch a Truck’ day held at the Ag building. Many parents brought over different types of vehicles, from drag race cars to firetrucks. “There were many kids there that enjoyed the event; overall, it was very good.” says Shaylee Phillips. On Wednesday, April 15, the Elementary school had a family engagement night. There were 20 families at the event. They had many fun activities, including tally mark sign-in, build-a-boat, don’t let the boat sink, math plinko, basketball ping pong, they played with Legos, designed brownies, counted cubes, made rainbows, and planted flowers to take home. The Elementary school provides many opportunities for families to get closer; their next event is on April 30.


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April 17th, 2026

What to Watch By: Miley Phillips

What to Play By: Gunner Delp

Photo Credit: PlayStation Pictured: Pragmata video game cover

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com Pictured: Pirates of the Caribbean movie poster

If you’re looking for a movie series to keep you entertained and engaged, then I recommend the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. In total there are five movies that follow the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp. From gaining back a lost ship from cursed pirates to breaking the curses of the sea, these movies will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end. They explore deeper themes of love, heartbreak, and betrayal while also staying lively and fast paced. These movies are truly suitable for almost everyone. In my opinion, I would classify these movies as some of the most cinematically made movies I've ever seen. Even though the entire series is great, the first three are my favorites. I would 100% recommend these movies to anyone looking for a series filled with adventure and passion.

Science fiction is a genre of video games popular among many members of the gaming community. Games such as Halo, Cyberpunk 2077, and Dead Space have helped this category become so common on many gamers’ radars. As of today, a new video game in this category, called Pragmata, has dropped on consoles such as PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Pragmata is a science-fiction actionadventure-style game where you take the role of the main character, Hugh (a spacefarer), who, alongside him, is an android named Diana, on a dangerous pursuit through a desolate, AI-controlled lunar research station to return to Earth. For $59.99, you can purchase the standard edition of the game. However, for $69.99, you can get the deluxe edition, which includes the following: base game, “Outfit Set - Neo Bushido & Neo Kunoichi,” and “Shelter Variety Pack.”


SENIOR SPOTLIGHT by Mrs. Powell


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