The Black and Gold Volume 5 Issue 34 May 8th, 2026

Newspaper Staff

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

Read about the FFA Banquet, who received awards, and how the year went overall!

- p. 3

Pop Queens

Learn about how you could support the Chatman family with their starting business!

-p. 8

See how the baseball team has been doing this week and how their senior night went!

- p. 11

THE BLACK AND GOLD

Trapshoot Team Competes at State

By: Lauraly Lane

On Saturday, May 2nd, most of the Trapshoot team went to State at Linn Creek The top shooters were Kale Cassity and Emma Pitts Kale shot 90 out of 100, and Emma shot 89 out of 100

Mr. Medsker says, “The kids had a great season this year. It’s really nice to see all of these members go out for Trapshooting. This year, there were 21 members, which is a record for our chapter.”

With all of these members, only two boys got top five out of all of their division; Gage Hartmen got fifth, and Kale Cassity got second place.

“This year's Trapshoot was great, not too cold, not too rainy. I think everyone did well at the State Trapshoot this year,” states Sophomore Kale Cassity Kale was the top shooter all year and had a great season

High School Track Goes Above and Beyond

Conference was held on Tuesday, May 5. The team traveled with the middle school up to Rock Port, where field events started at 12:30.

“The 275 was a really good meet for us. We had several medalists, along with all-conference athletes. The boys 4x2 were our 1st-place conference champs, and Blake Norton got 1st in the 800-meter dash, having him win back-to-back years,” states coach Rumpf.

He goes on to say that. “Kenzie placed 3rd in the 100, 200, and 400. Grace placed 4th in Javelin, Easton placed 2nd in the 200, and 3rd in the 400. Alivia placed 2nd in the 800 and 4th in the 2-mile. Reid had a PR in the Discus and placed 5th.

Brinkley placed 2nd in the Pole Vault. There were also several PR’s among our whole team.” The students made big accomplishments and achievements this year, allowing them to have a prosperous season.

“I’m a little upset I haven’t been able to compete in all the events I wanted to do this year because of injuries, but it’s been exciting to do track all four years of high school,” says senior Ceci Sherlock.

With all of these medals and awards, the team will finish out their season with districts on Saturday, May 9, at Worth County. Make sure to show up and show your support to these Tigers for finishing strong this season!

FFA Students Honored At Banquet

By: Ashlynn Bowen

On Wednesday, May 6th, our FFA group hosted won awards including Gage Hartman and Miley Phillips.

Gage Hartman won Rookie Trapshooter and the best Greenhand award because he has succeeded in both Trapshooting competitions and contests. He won these awards by going to State Trap and getting 17th overall in the state for Entomology.

“All of our teams have been doing well, our state teams have been competing well for Trap and State contests,” said Freshman Gage Hartman.

Miley Phillips won the Most Valuable Lady Shooter award because she was the highest Trapshooter out of all of our girls.

“It’s been a really great year So far we’ve had a lot of involvement,” said Senior Miley Phillips

This year in FFA they have had six out of seven Contest teams go to State, which is a new record for FFA. They have had three people get their state degree and a new record of 21 Trapshooters.

Don’t Miss This May May

By: Miley Phillips

DIVA of the WEEK

Rylie Burdette

Reason-her hard work on her painting

Mariah Matthews

Reason-her positive personality

Miley Phillips Takes Solo to State

By: Michaela Copeland

On Saturday, May 2nd, Miley Phillips went to State to play her solo in front of the judge again in Columbia

In order to take her solo to State, Miley has been preparing since December, So far, she has taken a solo each year and participated in one ensemble.

Similarly to contest, she played her solo in front of one judge, and received written comments after the event

Miley says everyone who has the opportunity to take a solo should because, “It’s a great chance to showcase what you can do and help you develop skills of being able to perform in front of people ” .

She also adds that the best part about getting to go to State this year was, “all of the hard work I put in over the years, and this year specifically, really paid off because I was able to achieve a goal that I have been excited about for four years now”.

We are proud to announce that Miley received a Silver, which is a Two rating! She says that Band overall has been a rewarding experience because, “I have been given so many opportunities and have found a great group of people to be close with” Make sure you congratulate Miley on her solo performance

What to Watch

By: Laci Burnett

What to Read

By: Mrs. Miller

Ever since I saw the trailer for the movie Good Boy, I was interested. A horror movie told from a dog’s perspective sounds like a good, creative movie that is different from my usual tastes Then, after watching it, I loved this movie more than I ever thought I would

Good Boy begins with us meeting the dog, Indy, lying near his owner, who, due to an unknown illness, is unconscious and unresponsive. We then see a montage of the owner going in and out of the hospital and doctors’ offices, before spontaneously moving into his grandfather’s old house, much to his sister’s dismay

The moment Indy and his owner arrive at the house, Indy knows that something is not right. After many nights of seeing mysterious shadows that seem to come to life in the old house, Indy realizes that this place isn’t safe, and he must attempt to protect his owner, no matter the cost.

This is a captivating story that surprisingly had an emotional and heartbreaking ending I recommend this to horror lovers, and even those who aren’t big fans of horror While there are a couple of jump scares, the horror involved is mild. I would rate this movie 4.5 stars out of 5, and I hope you will give this movie a chance.

I just finished re-reading Life as We Knew if by Susan Beth Pfeffer, and I think I enjoyed it more than I did the first time. Of course the first time, I was mostly falling asleep as I read it

The story follows Sophomore Miranda as she and her family struggle to survive when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, causing tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, as well as power outages and food shortages

My favorite thing about the book is that it’s written as Miranda’s journal, so we get to see her go from normal worries - like who might invite her to prom - to much more difficult worries - like whether she should quit eating what little food they have so that her little brother can survive.

This book really made me think about what I would do in that situation Would I have the courage and fortitude to survive in this sort of situation? Give the book a read and see what you think I have copies in my room

POP! Queen

Middle School Track Finishes Track

By: Gunner Delp

On Tuesday, May 5th, the DeKalb Middle School Track team attended their highly anticipated 275 Conference This meet marks the end of the Middle School Track team’s season

Many of our players had great placements! Our first-place medals go to 8th graders, Zoie Nowak, Ashtynn Nowak, Khloee Weinmann, and Elliot Tanner, all within the 4x100 Relay!

Our second-place medals go to 7th grader Ruby Farrell for the High Jump, 8th grader Zoie Nowak for the Long Jump, and 8th grader Jackson Wachtel in the Long Jump

Third-place medals go to 7th grader Avalee Servaes for the 200, 8th grader Jackson Wachtel for the 200, and 8th grader Makenna Eastbourn for the 100m Hurdles.

The fourth-place medals were awarded to 6th grader Harper Dewey for the Shot Put and 7th grader Avalee Servaes for the 100

Finally, our fifth-place medals are awarded to 7th grader Ruby Farrell for the 400, Ashtynn Nowak for the 100m Hurdles, and 8th grader Elliott Tanner for the Long Jump, and 8th grader Jackson Wachtel for the High Jump.

8th grader Jackson Wachtel states that, “The season went really great overall ” Avalee Servaes claims, “The 275 Conference went well overall because we all placed!” Furthermore, 8th grader Zoie Nowak feels as though she “performed pretty well this season. I would just say that we did really well as a team.”

What to Listen To

By: Michaela Copeland

What to Play

By: Katlyn Boydston

Last school year, I wrote a What to Listen to about the band Queen, and given that it’s my favorite band, I thought I should write it again as my last What to Listen to before I graduate.

Queen is primarily a glam rock and progressive rock band that was popular in the 70s and 80s. Some of their biggest hits include: Bohemian Rhapsody, Killer Queen, Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy, Under Pressure, and We Will Rock You My favorite songs from Queen are Cool Cat, I Want to Break Free, and Love of My Life,

Queen was originally called Smile, and the original members were Tim Staffel (Singer and bassist), Roger Taylor (Drummer), and Brian May (Guitarist). Tim Staffel left Smile to join a band called Humpy Bong during spring of 1970, and Freddie Mercury (known as Freddie Bulsara) by June of 1970 The last member, John Deacy (bassist) later joined in February of 1971 Smile then changed their name to Queen in order to rebrand their group with a theatrical, bold, and punchy aesthetic

The music by Queen is so monumental that it is easily recognizable in several films. Queen wrote and performed Flash Universe for the film Flash Gordon, the most recognizable song from the movie Bohemian Rhapsody also kick-started the popularity of the movie Wayne’s World

Given that Queen is my favorite band, I would give them a 10/10, and I encourage anyone who enjoys glam rock to give them a listen if they haven’t already.

If you’re bored and looking for something new to play, then I recommend you give UNO Party a try. UNO Party is a variant of the classic card game designed for larger groups (6-16 players), featuring special rules that increase chaos and speed It introduces new action cards like Wild Pile Up, Wild Drawn Together, and Point Taken, allowing players to chain, pair, or force opponents to draw multiple cards

The game starts with dealing seven cards to each player, placing the Direction Tracker (clockwise) and Link Cards in the center, and flipping the top card of the draw pile to start the discard pile The player to the left of the dealer goes first, matching the top card by color, number, or symbol.

The goal is to be the first to get rid of all your cards, with special mechanics like Point Taken and Wild Pile Up causing massive card accumulation The game ends when one player reaches 500 points.

On Monday, May 4th, the DeKalb High School Baseball team played against West Platte High School in Weston and we lost 10-0. Freshman Zylar Helton says “I liked that Grayson could actually catch the balls that were hit to him. Fielding wise I think I did decent but I didn't hit anything.”

The Baseball team also had Senior Night last night against King City at home and lost 15-4. Senior Landon Crockett says “I played alright I could've put the ball in play more and stayed in front of the ball better”

There is a baseball game tonight against East Atchison in Fairfax at 5:00. Coach Aaron Matthews says "I'm hoping we get off to a smooth start in the first couple of innings. We need to be ready to go if we can compose ourselves earlier on in the game we have a good shot at winning.” Another game has been added to the schedule for Thursday, May 14th against Pattsburg Make sure you come out to the last few games to support the team while they finish out the season!

SENIORSPOTLIGHT

byMrs.Powell