Devin Hall Hits Career Milestone with 1000th Point By: Gavin Moore
Volume 3 Issue 9 | January 19, 2024
Editorial Staff Abigail Miller Managing Editor Helaina Geoffroy Editor-In-Chief Marshall Jones Digital Media Editor Rawley Mydland Assistant Editor-In-Chief
Reporters Boston Burdette Maggie Hall Emma Pitts Shaylynn Coffelt Gavin Moore Ashlee Derry
Digital Media Team Nat Griffin Shelby Pinaire Brayden Bowen
Assistant Nathan Lance
Photo Credit: Maggie Hall
Our Senior, Devin Hall, has hit a huge milestone in his high school Basketball career. On December 19, he scored his 1000th point in High School Varsity Basketball. This has been a hugely anticipated event Before Devin finally accomplished this, it was all the team had been talking about. He has been working hard all 4 years to achieve this feat. We were all cheering him on and counting down the points whenever he scored, just watching them all add up. The night he hit it, the crowd erupted in cheer since they’ve been anticipating it just as much as the team has. He’s gotten lots of recognition and congratulations from many people. We were playing South Holt that night and unfortunately the game ended in a loss, but Devin got a personal win for himself. That’s not an easy accomplishment and it’s for sure that the community and the school are very proud of him. We hope for more success for Devin for the season and in his future.
Reminiscing: Sidnie Nance By: Helaina Geoffroy
Photo Credit: Helaina Geoffroy
The Black and Gold Newspaper staff has sadly had to say goodbye to another member this year. Our dear friend and one of our amazing photographers, Freshman Sidnie Nance, has moved to Leavenworth, Kansas.
Sidnie has been going to De Kalb for 3 years. She was involved in Newspaper, Band, and FBLA. “I am going to miss Sidnie. She adds humor and intelligence to the classroom, and I will miss finding out how the story she is writing ends up,” says Mrs. Miller. Sidnie leaving DeKalb has also affected other students. Freshman Josie Long says, “I will miss having history class with her because I would always talk and joke with her. My favorite memory was in history when we talked about The Polar Express; it is one of her favorite movies. She was also a part of our group in Mrs. Miller’s class, and now there is an empty spot - not only on our team, but in my heart. Sidnie has left a big impact on not only me but many other students and staff. She will be missed!” Sidnie had an impact on her fellow Newspaper crew as well. Senior Shelby Pinaire says, “Newspaper and lunch won’t be the same without her. It was always fun listening to her talk about Call of Duty, even though I had no clue what any of it meant. I will miss going on our fun little adventures when taking photos for the Newspaper.” Another favorite memory is “When someone had asked Sidnie for help, but she said she was busy. She wasn’t busy, she was looking at COD stuff on Pinterest,” says Senior Marshall Jones. We are all going to miss Sidnie, and we wish her the best of luck at her new school. Sincerely, The Newspaper Crew
JANUARY 19, 2024
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Finals Season Arrives By: Emma Pitts
What to Read By: Shay Coffelt
On Thursday, January 11, Finals week started. Finals test everything we have learned from the semester. With the recent weather, everyone has been scrambling to get their finals done and over with. “This has been the craziest year I've ever had with finals. I appreciate everybody being patient and going with the flow,” says Mrs. Taylor. Finals are stressful because it’s the last grade before the semester ends. “Finals stress me out because in high school because semester grades determine whether you have to retake a class,” says Freshman Maggie Hall. Senior Marshall Jones agrees because “Everything we’ve learned for the school year goes into the final exams, and a big percentage of our grade is based on the final. It’s a lot to study.” Jones adds that it helps if you “take notes throughout the semester, so you have them to study for the exams.” Final exams finished up Wednesday and Thursday of this week. We at The Black and Gold hope everyone passed their exams with flying colors.
JANUARY 19, 2024
Photo Credit: Target.com If you like books with mystery and drama, then I recommend Girl Stolen by April Henry. The book is about a girl, Cheyenne Wilder, who was kidnapped by a random man when her stepmom left her in the car. I liked reading this book because I didn’t know what was going to happen next. It was a very good book that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering how it ends. PAGE | 03
High School Boys Keep Hope Alive By: Maggie Hall The High School boy's basketball team has had many ups and downs as their season goes on. The boys are currently 2-7 and are hoping to get more wins. They have been working very hard during their practices and Coach Wildhaber says that he loves to see how competitive they get during them. Although they haven’t won
Pictured: Luke Miller & Devin Hall
very many games they have been working hard and doing their best. Coach
Wildhabor
improvement
has
says
that
their
made
the
season
successful. Junior Luke Miller says that the season has been pretty rough and his favorite part of the season has been “getting yelled at by Devin.” Freshman Kyle Funk says that he’s most
Pictured: Carl Ranada
looking forward to Districts. He also added that the season has been “aight”. Senior Carl Ranada says that his favorite part
of
the
season
has
been
making
memories and spending time with his teammates. Senior Devin Hall says his favorite part has been “basketball” and that he looks forward to “ playing basketball” he also added “good luck, and play hard.”
JANUARY 19, 2024
Pictured: Coach Wildhaber Photo Credits: Shelby Pinaire
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High School Girls Stay Competitive By: Maggie Hall
The high school girl’s basketball team has had a pretty competitive season so far. They have been working very hard not only in games but during practices. Currently, they are 5-4. Even though they haven’t had a game in a few weeks, they have spent many hours in the gym working hard and it’s been showing. Coach Rumpf says that they have accomplished more than people thought they would and so he feels they are doing pretty solid. He also
Pictured: Harlie Hall & Rachel Reagan
says that his favorite part of the season has been “watching the girls compete every day and get better and grow together as a team and as people”. Senior Harlie Hall says that the season has been going pretty well and that her favorite part of the season has been seeing them step into new roles and work together as a team. Senior Rachel Reagan says that her favorite part has been seeing them improve as the season goes on. She also added that she’s
Pictured: Kelsey Chatman
looking forward to seeing everything that they accomplish by the end of the season. Freshman Kelsey Chatman says that her favorite part of the season has been getting to play with a new group of girls that she wasn’t used to. She also added, “Peace.” “Come on out and support us. We have 5-6 home games left and would love to see a student section out there,” says Coach Rumpf. Good luck, Lady Tigers!
JANUARY 19, 2024
Pictured: Coach Rumpf Photo Credits: Shelby Pinaire
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What Did De Kalb Get for Christmas? By: Boston Burdette
Did you receive a Christmas Gift?
Airpods
My cow blankets that I got and my new shoes.
A framed picture of my granddaughter.
Taylor Swift bejeweled bracelet
Bracelet with my kids and husband's name
Heated coat and gloves
What to Play By: Boston Burdette Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of my favorite Mario Kart games. It is so incredible. You can customize your vehicles and choose the courses. The time trial is very difficult - it’s like you’re racing against another player. It’s so much more fun playing with other people. I hope Nintendo makes more Mario Kart games. I'll talk about that another time, but anyways a lot of people give Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a five star rating, and I also give it a five star rating.
JANUARY 19, 2024
Photo Credit: IMDB.com
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Officer Jo Earns College Degree By: Emma Pitts
De Kalb’s School Resource Officer, Joanna Mayer, known to us as our beloved Officer Jo, got her Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice on December 16, 2023. She originally started it twenty years ago, but she knew she just had to finish it. She says, “The course work was not hard; working and trying to go to school at the same time was difficult.” Officer Jo said that the hard work balancing work and school was worth it in the end. “I feel very accomplished. I was able to surprise my mom with my degree.” This accomplishment will also help Officer Jo in her career. “It will get me an increase in pay. Also, a lot of the professors in the program worked in Law Enforcement, so I was able to make a lot of contacts and expand my professional network.” We at The Black and Gold would like to congratulate Officer Jo on this huge accomplishment. We are all very proud of her! JANUARY 19, 2024
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What to Listen to By: Shelby PInaire
Photo Credits: Pinterest.com
In my opinion, when the music industry is putting out terrible music, we should look back to the time music didn’t suck. In my opinion, sometimes it's nice not to have Taylor Swift shoved down your throat and just be able to appreciate the music of the past. I believe the music industry was best from the 1950s through the 1980s. In the 50’s, Rock and Roll was forever changed by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and of course the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley. Their more popular songs were "Not Fade Away” by Buddy Holly, “La Bamba” By Ritchie Valens, and “Suspicious Minds” By Elvis Presley. I could go on and on about Elvis, but I'll just recommend that one song. The ’60s didn't change much, but it introduced bands like The Beatles, best known for their songs “Yesterday” and “Let it Be,” and consisted of four British men by the name of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The 60s also introduced the band Led Zeppelin, united by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham. Zeppelin’s most famous hit was “Stairway to Heaven.” During the 70s and 80s, most of the more popular bands and singers were coming into the limelight. Singers like Meatoaf best known for his song “I'll do Anything for Love (But I Won't do That)” and Elton John, best known for his songs “I'm Still Standing” and “Crocodile Rock.” We can’t forget about bands like Kiss, best known for “Shout it Out Loud”, the Ramones with “Rock Away Beach,” Def Leppard with “Hysteria” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” Guns ‘n Roses with “Sweet Child of Mine” and “Paradise City.” There’s also Warrant, known for “Cherry Pie” and Poison known for “Unskinny Bop” and “Every Rose Has its Thorn.” If you ever find yourself disappointed by the latest releases, I highly recommend these bands and singers.
JANUARY 19, 2024
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STEM By: R.M.Mydland
Photo Credit: R.M. Mydland
Recently, Mr. Loew’s Stem class worked on their new project: Popsicle bridges. The project was something that Mr. Loew had thought about doing for years but didn’t have the right class until this year with Stem. The project was simple: having students craft bridges made of only Popsicle sticks and hot glue that could hold around 20lbs of weight. One student, Nathan Lance, found the project to be fun, but “measuring distances and finding different angles that could work was the hard part. It really made me think about the physics behind what holds the popsicle bridge up and allows the bridge to hold that much weight.” After testing their bridges, Mr. Loew found that about almost all of the classes’ bridges held up, with only a few failing the 20lb task. When asked about how much he like the project, Lance said “It was really fun, and I think a lot of kids could enjoy the critical thinking aspect of figuring out how to make their bridges work right.” JANUARY 19, 2024
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Middle School Scholar Bowl Season Begins on a High Note
What to Watch By: Ashlee Derry
By: Shay Coffelt
Photo Credit: Pinterest.com Pictured: Coach Taylor and Brayden Massengale Photo Credits: Shelby Pinaire
Have you ever struggled for hours
The Middle School Scholar Bowl team had their first meet on Janurary 4, 2024. The 7member team beat rival Rock Port. Even though the team only had three players available that day, which means the win won’t count on the official record, it was a huge moment for De Kalb.
to find a good show or movie to
Mrs. Taylor, the coach, says “I hope everything goes well this season. I finally have a full team, and I’m looking forward to play next week.”
thinks she is. She doesn't remember
Brayden Massengale says the matches are “really fun because when we forfeit, others might look down on us, but we come back.” Although the January 18th match was cancelled due to weather, the next Middle School Scholar Bowl meet is in Jefferson on the 25th. The Black and Gold staff would like to wish the team good luck on the buzzers this season!
JANUARY 19, 2024
watch? I did recently and came across a great show on Netflix called School Spirits. The main character Maddie, played by Peyton List, is dead. At least, she much of what happened or how she died, just that there are a few blood splatters in the boiler room. Join Maddie as she goes on a thrilling adventure to find out what has happened to her and where her body is. Do you think she will find the answers she wants? Or do you think she will remain clueless and never know? PAGE | 10
Meet De Kalb’s New Art Teacher By: Gavin Moore
Photo Credit: Shelby Pinaire
Mrs. Kristen Garvey is the new Art teacher here at De Kalb. This is her first year teaching here at De Kalb, but not her first year as a teacher. She used to work in the St. Joesph School District before joining us here. Before becoming a teacher, she worked in a bank. Mrs. Garvey went to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. In her free time she likes to spend time with her family and friends. One of her role models is her Professor in college. They made her want to become a teacher. She was also inspired to join the profession because she likes kids, and teaching is a really good way to connect with kids. She’s taught multiple art classes for most of the semester. She had to take a small break for the birth of her baby boy, but she’s coming back strong now. She said she loves DeKalb so far. She said “Every one is very kind and welcoming.” Her goal for her future is to become a better teacher. We hope we can continue to give her a loving time and great experience here at DeKalb! Welcome to the Tiger family, Mrs. Garvey! JANUARY 19, 2024
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December Tiger Gold Card Winners
Hemi Donaldson 9th Grade Why Citizenship Matters It helps you make smart decisions and be good.
Garrett Marriott 8th Grade Why Citizenship Matters It helps take care of you and the people around you.
December Students Of The Month
Helaina Geoffroy Easton Matthews 7th Grade Favorite Subject Reading On Being A Good Student “You don’t annoy anyone.”
JANUARY 19, 2024
Kyleigh Black 9th Grade Favorite Subject Math On Being A Good Student “Keep on working hard, and don’t give up.”
11th Grade Favorite Subject Newspaper On Being A Good Student “Respect others, get your work done, and pay attention.”
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Jan. 4 2024