Trojan Tribune Staff

Since 1937, the American Legion has hosted Girls State and Boys State. Nearly one million juniors have had the opportunity to learn how their state and local government works. In one intensive week, high school juniors work together as self-governing citizens and learn how to participate in their state’s government.

Participants are first divided into groups referred to as cities. The “citizens” elect representatives to the mock state legislature. Other positions are governor, lieutenant governor and other state-level officials. The legislature meets to organize, elect leaders and pass bills in a similar way to how an actual legislature operates. Other parts of the program include speakers throughout the week. The goal of Girls and Boys State is to prepare young adults for their future role as responsible adult citizens. Not only will participants meet other students from across the state, they will develop confidence and leadership skills that will be useful in life.

This year, Girls State will be held in Vermillion at USD, and Boys State will be in Aberdeen at Northern State University. The Girls State participants are Liz Renner, Sydney Rechtenbaugh, Jackie Bossman, Tiffany Anderson and Nicole Christensen. The Boys State participants are Eric Wolfe, Cole Jorgensen, Isaac McMahon, Andrew Kapperman, Nick Shumaker and Ben Gute. Renner says, “I am incredibly excited to learn about the U.S. government and constitution. I am also looking forward to meeting new people.”

Trojan Tribune Staff

Throughout the year students have been rewarded for their character, and these students are known as the students of the month.  April Students of the Month were senior Adam Hentges, junior Sydney Rechtenbaugh, sophomore Elsie West and freshman Jeevan Mueller.

Adam Hentges, who has never before been named a student of the month, says “It’s awesome”. His goal is to make enough money early in life so he can retire early and live a long, successful life.  This summer he plans to work at Mike’s Roofing, play baseball, and then attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Junior Sydney Rechtenbaugh was excited to get student of the month and plans to hang out with her friends during the summer, play softball, and work.

Sophomore Elsie West was “pleasantly surprised” because she wasn’t in school the day students of the month were announced. Elsie eventually wants to go to college for nursing. This summer she plans to work a lot for a trip to Europe, hang out with friends and volunteer.

Freshman Jeevan Mueller says getting the award is great because he can brag to his  friends, like fellow freshmen Chase and Trevour. His goal is not to “epically fail”, and this summer he plans to hang with friends and go to different countries.

Trojan Tribune Staff

With the announcement of next year’s “no backpack policy”, many students are distressed with how they’re going to carry around all the essentials while still having only two hands. Alongside the fact that there’s going to be no change in the amount of time between classes, there are some definite holes in next year’s plan.

For one class period, students could need or want a calculator, book, notebook, folder, computer, headphones, some type of music player, a water bottle and pencil pouch. Even with a backpack, they might end up carrying something–like some books or a water bottle. Between the distance from one class to another, and crowding in the hallways, some students don’t even have adequate time to stop at their locker to drop off a book and grab another, so they end up carrying two or three at a time. Take away the backpack and leave the same amount of time, and you have a mess on your hands.

Backpacks actually benefit students, allowing them to have everything with them at one time. Let’s say a student needs two books, a calculator, pencil pouch, computer and notebook for their class. Plus, they want to bring along homework from another class that they could work on if they finished everything from the block they were in. Without a backpack, they would have to stack all these items on top of each other and weave through the crowded hallways without spilling. It may not sound that hard to teachers, who have all their things in one room and don’t need to drag them around the school, or administrators, who keep everything in an office, but it’s stressful getting everything you may need from point A to point B on time, without a backpack and without dropping everything in your hands. Even those who work in an office have a briefcase for all their things so they don’t have to pile all the essentials in their arms. The same should go for students. If there’s a big problem with backpacks being in the way on the floor, have the student put it under his or her desk for the class instead of banning backpacks from the room.

 Teacher of the Year: Mrs. JoAnne Bohl

 Students of the Year:

Senior: Shannon Miller

Junior: Liz Renner

Sophomore: Brooklyn Ketcham

Freshman: Rachel Schartz

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of srsd.net

West Central’s prom went out of this world. The theme for this year was space. For grand march, there were huge planets hanging from the ceiling, making the room come alive.

A few juniors got together and created a massive rocket ship that all of the couples walked through.  “I thought the rocket ship was very life-like and I was impressed with the creativity,” commented senior Dustin Kleba. When all of the couples finished walking through grand march, it was time to introduce the prom prince and princess candidates.  The male candidates were Anthony Even, Dustin Kleba, Alex Qualm, Dalton Kuehl and Dan Kapperman.  The female candidates were Payton Steen, Katie Stahl, Allie Macdonald, Shannon Miller and Christina Becker.  The Homecoming King, Joe Shartz, and Queen, Melinda Knuth, revealed the prince and princess.  The crowns went to Alex Qualm and Katie Stahl.

Following grand march and the announcing of the prince and princess, everyone headed into the commons to eat. Taste of Country catered for the meal. They served pulled pork sandwiches, chicken strips, mashed potatoes and chips.  Senior Shannon Miller joked, “It was the best shrimp I have ever tasted.” The decorations in the commons were spectacular. The juniors put together some signs with clever sayings on them. They also had cool looking arrangements put together on all of the tables along with neat coloring sheets. When the majority of the couples were done eating, a few boys thought it would be funny to have all of the guys go to the bathroom at the same time.  Joe Schartz said, “It was a thrilling experience because I have never seen so many people in such a small room.”  After the meal everyone took class pictures and then headed into the auditorium to watch the senior slide show.  Senior Paxton Steen reflected back, “The senior slideshow was well put together thanks to Maty Skinner. It brought back a lot of memories from back in the day; I cried. Just kidding, but seriously.”

After the senior slide show was what many people look forward to the most: the dance. “DJ Kor was a stud,” exclaimed senior Dustin Kleba. Andrew Ideker said, “I liked it when Anthony and I were dropping down the Cat Daddy.” During the dance, there were lots of different snacks and refreshments. Also during the dance, some people played cards and others just hung out and talked. By the looks of people on the dance floor, you could tell they were having a great time.

Following the dance was the hypnotist and After Prom. There was a plethora of activities, games and snacks before and after the hypnotist. There were many inflatables including the Rock-N-Roll Joust, the Wrecking Ball and the Obstacle Course. Following that, everyone went into the auditorium to watch JayZee the Hypnotist. Many people that saw the hypnotist would tell you how funny it was and that they would love to see another one. Next was carnival games along with carnival snacks and treats. Some of the carnival games were Blockbuster, Roulette Wheel and Ringo. Other fun games were a pool table, foosball and arcade video games. The carnival food included: cotton candy, funnel cakes, slushies and corn dogs. For those who enjoy taking funny pictures with their friends there was also a photo booth.  When after prom was done, everyone gathered in the Becker Center to listen for the names of the prize winners.  The prizes included giant stuffed animals, iPads, Kindles, Tv’s and gift cards.  Prom 2012 was one that many people will remember for years to come.

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo by Emily Miles

West Central’s boys and girls track teams have experienced great success in the past few years. Last year’s boys’ team got runner-up at state while the girls won the state title. This year, the teams were a little nervous about their chances for another successful season after they lost a number of important runners to last year’s graduating class. However, both teams have made adjustments and are running their best at the most important time of the year.

Senior Dalton Kuehl stated, “Track is going very well. I think we’re right where we need to be. We’re missing a lot of valuable assets from last year, but we have people who are rising up to the challenge.” The boys got third at last week’s conference meet and are looking forward to the region meet on Thursday in Wagner.

The girls’ team is doing great. They won the conference meet last week and are Big 8 conference champs. Joan Peters, the coach of the girls team, reported that while this year’s team doesn’t have as much depth as last year’s they have a lot of quality athletes. All around the board, the girls are doing great. Distance runners are doing really well at getting the team a lot of points, and Kylie Hanisch is setting personal records in the triple and long jumps. Also, the girls’ relays, hurdles and short distance events are looking strong. Overall, the girls have great odds of becoming back-to-back state champs.

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of West Central FFA

West Central FFA has been awarded a $2,500 Food For All Grant from the National FFA Foundation, Farmers Feeding the World and the Howard G. Buffet foundation.  While 27 percent of West Central’s students already qualify for free and reduced lunch, there are still many students in need. This is one reason West Central’s Ag Leadership class spent hours researching and writing the grant. West Central’s Food For All Grant will be put into use not only to help those in need of food in our school district, but also in the Humboldt and Hartford community.

West Central FFA has also grown vegetables to give away to different families in the area to transplant into their own gardens. After the plants start producing, the different recipients of the plants take the produce to the local food pantry to share for all in need.

While FFA does a lot of community services, these are just a couple of examples of how they try not only to help the West Central district, but the Hartford and Humboldt community as well.

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo by Jessie Hauff

West Central teacher DaNann Kistler has worked in the Family and Consumer Science field for some time now, but she has decided on a different career path to take on. Although she will still be in the West Central School District, Kistler will pursue the position of a librarian, effective when school starts up again in August 2012.

“I received a scholarship two years ago from the Laura Bush Foundation that has allowed me to complete six semesters of online classes at BHSU,” Kistler stated. “I completed my internship at the elementary library with Lynn Margeson.”

Kistler was a reluctant reader until she began working at West Central. When she was in school, she read only what the teachers asked her to, but didn’t pursue much other reading on her own. That all changed when a student recommended a book to her. Her perspective changed, and she hasn’t stopped reading since. The reason she chose the career path of librarian was that she wanted to help others develop that same love of reading. She wants it to happen sooner for others than it happened to her. “We have an outstanding library and staff at West Central,” Kistler said. “I am excited to be a part of the team! Reading opens the doors to learning, and I plan to work with K-12 teachers to determining needs for their classrooms and ways to enhance curriculum.” She is excited about incorporating 21st century skills and providing an environment where students can utilize books and technology that’s available at the school.

Although the library career she will soon take on excites her, she will miss being in the classroom. “I have always had the best students I could ever ask for! They treat me well and make me look forward to coming to school every day. I love my current job, but I am really excited about the new challenge,” Kistler exclaimed.

Trojan Tribune Staff

The West Central SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) group hosted a Reality Party at Darin and Kandice Lewin’s home on April 13. The Reality Party was a mock presentation put on by high school students to show parents what kinds of things go on at teen parties. A total of 44 parents attended the Reality Party, along with several community leaders and professionals.

Attendees were split into smaller groups and toured through the house, witnessing a different scene in every room. “The ‘realism’ was great. Unfortunately, this (the dangers) is all too true and a great message for parents,” stated an attendant. After the presentation, the parents were led into the garage, where more facts and information were stated, followed by a group discussion. Before leaving, each parent took a pledge to better communicate with their children about partying.

Not only was it important for these parents to become more knowledgable of what happens at teen parties, but also that they become aware of the law. As a parent, you cannot legally give alcohol to your teen’s friends under the age of 21 under any circumstances! In fact, you can’t even allow anyone under 21, other than your own child, to remain in your home or on your property while consuming or possessing alcohol. If you give alcohol to a person under 21, and they hurt someone or damage property, you can be sued!

With graduation and summer vacation just around the corner, there will definitely be a lot of partying going on. However, as a parent, there are plenty of things you can do to make sure your kids have fun while still being safe. One of the best things you can do is communicate with your teen about providing alcohol-free activities and events. Always refuse to supply alcohol to your teen’s friends, and don’t allow anyone to bring alcohol into your home. Most importantly, make sure you are home at the time of the party!  However, remember not to be too intrusive, and respect your teen’s need for privacy and independence.

Trojan Tribune Staff

Photo Courtesy of Echo Depiction

The 2011-2012 school year is drawing to a close, and West Central is planning for a grand graduation ceremony. The West Central graduation will take place May 19 at 2 p.m. in the West Central Gymnasium. It is expected to last about an hour and 15 minutes.

There will be many speakers. Everyone will be welcomed by class president Joe Schartz. The top two GPA students, Brianna Titus and Eric Mehlhaff, will give speeches as well. National Honor Society President Shannon Miller will then introduce the West Central High School teacher of the year, JoAnne Bohl. West Central will also be having former Representative and Congressman Larry Pressler speak at the ceremony. Finally, Bohl will call the graduating seniors up to receive their diplomas.

Graduation is a happy time of the year, but it’s also a sad time. Seniors will be here for only a few more days until the big day, and hopefully all seniors will finish high school strong. Graduating high school is a big stepping stone in anyone’s life, and the ceremony should be a great memory for the students and their friends and families who attend. “It should be a grand affair,” high school counselor Kieron Murphy stated.