September 2015 Edition

Zizzerette
Volume 62, Number 1
West Plains High School
September 30, 2015
Congratulations to your 2015 Homecoming Queen Camryn Johnson, escorted by Zak Adkisson.
This amazing photo was captured by The Zizzer Zone. Go and give them a “like” on facebook and you
won’t be disappointed! The senior queen candidates also included Linnea Cornell and Sommer Riddle.
Congratulations to the football team on their amazing win over Joplin, to the delight of an estimated 4,000
fans packing the stands! Zizzer Homecoming coverage begins on page 10.
Homecoming 2015
Chiefs’ Corner
Zizzerette is a publication of West Plains High
School, created by students in Mrs. Dianna Locke’s
English class. Eight issues of the newspaper are created each year. It is published by students in Mr. Scott
Heidy’s class.
Hey, hey, hey! It’s kickoff time. Welcome
back to another championship year in Zizzerland.
We are ecstatic to be your editors for the 20152016 school year. We have gone to school together
since we were wee little Kinderdoodles; however,
we will part ways when we go off to college in the
near future. Enough about us, let’s move on to the
important stuff.
To begin with, all of the fall sports teams
have had great starts to their seasons. Next, Homecoming was a smashing success. Congratulations
to the queen, Camryn Johnson, and the Zizzer
football team for their 35-28 victory over the Joplin
Eagles. Don’t forget to get out and show your
Zizzer spirit by attending a soccer, softball, volleyball, cross country, or boys’ swim meet while these
sports are still in season. Keep in mind, it’s never
too late to join a club or an extracurricular activity!
Once a Zizzer, always a Zizzer.
Until next time,
Madison Cozort and Tara Long
Editors.......Madison Cozort and Tara Long
Writers....Brendan Blades, Megan Biggers, Chance
Davis, John Williams, Peyton Ramseur, Lane Cyr, Lexie
Brauer, Marykate Wagoner, Kylie Givens, Bailee
Doughtery, Karissa Houts, Rachel Knapp, Andria Mullins, Amanda Stevens, and Tricia Evans
Advisor....Mrs. Dianna Locke
Meet the Principal:
Mr. Jack Randolph
By John Williams
Mr. Jack Randolph is arguably one of the biggest Texas fans in Southern
Missouri. No, not just the University of Texas, but everything about the state
in general. This isn’t too hard to believe: he didn’t move to Missouri until his
freshman year of college. Mr. Randolph was born in Denton, Texas, and graduated from Lake Dallas High School before he started playing football at Southwest Baptist University. He left SBU with many degrees. Among them are: a
bachelor’s in physical education, minor in social studies, master’s in educational
administration, and a specialist in superintendency.
Football is has favorite hobby. He was the head football coach at Marshfield for fifteen years and two years at West Plains before he became our principal. His other hobbies include barbequing, hunting, and fishing. He closed the
interview with this quote: “The greatest mark of a man is what he does when no
one is watching.”
By: Megan Biggers
This month’s Senior Spotlight features
the one and only Mitchell Biggers. Mitchell
is the son of Candice and Jason Allen, and
Erika and Steve Griffin. He has five siblings
in total, with three sisters and two brothers.
His sisters are Emma (11), Lilly (12), and his
twin sister Megan (18), which he says also
happens to be his favorite sibling. His two
older brothers include Dillon (21) and Justyn
(22).
Mitchell says that his favorite part
of high school is, by far, being a part of the
Zizzer soccer team, of which he happens to
be a captain of this season. He said he loves
the friendships that are made, the rewards of
hard work, and the sport itself as a whole.
Mitchell’s advice for freshman is,
“Try not to take things too seriously through
high school. Most of the things we find most
important right now will soon be irrelevant
after our high school careers.”
For his post-high school plan, he
currently intends to enlist into the Air Force.
He isn’t entirely sure what he would like to
do while in the service, but he mentioned an
interest in working on airplanes.
Mitchell is always down for new
friends so be sure to shout him a friendly,
“hello” the next time you pass him by!
Senior Spotlight
Junior
Junction
By Lexie Brauer
Meet Hadley Taylor, this month’s
Junior Junction. Hadley, the daughter
of Sandi and Jim Taylor, is a member of
the Lady Zizzer softball team. Her plans
after high school are to attend college and
become a speech pathologist.
Hadley’s favorite activity outside
of school is cheering at the Zizzer football
games. Strength training is her favorite
class, she said, because it helps her get
swole. Her biggest accomplishment, so
far this year, she said, is hitting her first
homerun in the championship game of the
West Plains Tournament. Hadley’s advice
for underclassmen is “Work hard and
great things will happen to you.”
Sophomore
Showcase
By Lane Cyr
Jaden Wiley, a fan of writing music and
hanging out at Cloud 9, is this month’s Sophomore Showcase. He is the son of Todd and Tracey
and has one sibling, a brother named John.
After high school he said he would like
to attend Harvard and major in psychology. He is
interested in psychology, he said, because he likes
to understand the human mind.
Jaden’s advice for freshmen is, “Be prepared for your future and perfect what you love
to do.”
Freshman
Focus
By Chance Davis
This month’s freshmen focus is Liesel Garrett. She
came from Howell Valley where she played all sports. Liesel
is now involved in basketball and track for the zizzers. She
likes to eat food on her free time and claims thats her only
hobby. Liesel has 2 siblings, Jake and Haden. Jake is a senior at West Plains High School and Haden attends Ole Miss
University.
Clubs & Organizations
FCCLA
FCCLA, which stands for Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America, is up and running for the
2015-2016 school year. The theme of “Oh, the places you will go with FCCLA” has been chosen, and they are
certainly going far by partnering with multiple charity organizations to raise awareness. Their officer team consists of Savannah Bailey; President, Madison Harrison; Vice President, Heather Palmer; Secretary, McKenzie
Brower; Vice President of Membership, Hayden Harris; Treasurer, Kara Halford; Reporter, and Heather Pham;
Historian. A community scavenger hunt has been arranged for October 10, as well as a fall festival and concert
featuring Art Bentley on November 14 at Rubydoo’s Vintage Event Center. The membership drive is in full
swing and their goal is 130 members; see Mrs. Ruby Collins or an officer for more information.
Speech & Debate
Mrs. Christina Staab has been a advisor for Speech and Debate for seven years. Speech and Debate is a
competitive, academic program that has been very successful at West Plains High School.
Proving the success of the program last year, the Speech and Debate team won districts and was awarded
with an enormous trophy. While the trophy is a fine example of the fruits of their efforts, the competitors leave
with many more valuable assets. The program helps students learn to communicate and work effectively with
different types of people, important resources that could be used later on in the workforce.
Zizzerette
This year's Zizzerette staff includes: Megan Biggers, Brendan Blades, Lexie Brauer, Madison Cozort,
Lane Cyr, Chance Davis, Bailee Dougherty, Tricia Evins, Kylie Givens, Karissa Houts, Rachel Knapp, Tara
Long, Andria Mullins, Peyton Ramseur, Amanda Stevens, MaryKate Wagoner, and John Williams. The editors
are Madison Cozort and Tara Long. We will be publishing eight times this year, with each issue sold during 7th
hour at the end of each month. If you have any ideas that you think would be a good feature in the Zizzerette
you can stop by Room 206, our advisor, Mrs. Locke’s classroom.
Chess Club
This year looks like it’s going to be a good one for the West Plains High School Chess Club. The coach
from last year, Mr. Schilmoeller, will be returning again to coach the team in the tournaments.
Some of this year’s tournaments include the Howell County Chess Championships on October 29 at
MSU-West Plains. The Central Ozarks Tournament will be held at West Plains High School on December 12.
Also, the Southern Missouri Chess Tournament on March 12 will be held in Seymour, Missouri. The team will
be competing in a total of five tournaments this year.
The team meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays before school and on Mondays after school. Schilmoeller
also said they will start having “open play” on Saturdays at the library. If you have any questions you can go to
the West Plains Chess Club facebook page or ask the sponsor directly!
Drama Club
West Plains High School has a great Drama Club. Currently, the theater program is working on the fall
musical Mary Poppins, directed by Mr. Andy Hanson, Mr. David Hall, and Mrs. Allison Wilson. Mary Poppins
will be held at the Avenue Theater on November 12-14. Talk to Mr. Hanson, Mr. Hall, or Mrs. Wilson if you are
interested in being part of the production.
Many clubs have you pay dues, but the Drama Club is free. Not only does the theater program have a
musical every fall, but they also have many productions in the spring, including Reader’s Theater, One Act, and
the spring play.
FTA
The Future Teachers of America is one of the oldest clubs at West Plains High School. Mrs. Edgeller
is the sponsor of the club this year and she said she couldn’t be more excited. Their first meeting is Thursday,
October 10, and there are no dues to join the club. Mrs. Edgeller said that the fall teaching days will be decided
during the first meeting that will be held. If you thinking of becoming a teacher, this would be a great club for
you.
Junior Class News
With the fresh start of a new school year, the junior class is beginning strong. Planning for prom has
already begun. It will be held on May 7, 2016. The theme will be “A Night of Enchantment.” More details will
be revealed later, junior class officials promise.
Literari Club
New school year, clubs, teachers, everything! One of the newest clubs is Literari Club sponsored by the
one and only Mr. Schilmoeller. Literari Club is a coming together of book lovers. You can read, swap, and discuss books or the book activities. Schilomeller, later on, wants to allow writers to share their own stories in the
club. He wants to turn this small club into a reader’s theater
You do not have to pay any dues and there are no officers to be elected, but
maybe a group leader for each subject, so there is no added stress! The first meeting was held on September 16.
Schilmoeller wants everyone to make the meeting so he said he would be more flexible for when meetings can
be held in the future. So, be sure to make it to the next one. See you then!
BETA
BETA will hold their Induction Ceremony October 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the High School Cafeteria. This is for all
new BETA members to be inducted into the West Plains High School Sr. BETA Club. See a council member at
lunch for more details.
Choir
The choir had an exciting Fall Picnic in September, along with having many kids competing in All-District Choir Auditions.
October will begin to get busy for them as their Madrigal Group prepares for the Renaissance Festival in Kansas
City the 10-11. They will then have their Fall Dinners at the First United Methodist Church at 6:00 pm, on the
19-20.
Band
The band is currently still practicing to be the best they can be during our home football games. They
have active fundraisers going on to help raise money so that they can go to Washington, DC at the end of this
year.
On October 17 they will be going to Springfield for the annual MSU parade competition. They are
already beginning some practice for parade routines as well. A select few students are also busy preparing for
district band auditions
National Honor Society
This year, the National Honor Society is under new leadership. The sponsors are Mrs. Joni Joice, Mrs.
RaDona Henry, and Mrs. Amanda Young. With the new leaders, the club is undergoing a little bit of reorganization. They have, however, already set the date for the fall blood drive. It will be held on November 10.
Ridgerunner
The Ridgerunner crew is up and running this year for a great start. The 2015-16 staff includes; Brendan
Blades, Karissa Houts, Megan Biggers, Alexis Eck, and Zack Siegrist. The team produces two Ridge Runner
issues a year. The fall issue will make its debut in December, and the spring issue will be ready in May.
Along with making an awesome magazine, the class has taken on a community service project. They show
kindness to local nursing homes through visiting residents, reading to them, and delivering complimentary copies of the Ridgerunner. The staff was recently informed it won several national awards from the American Scholastic Press Association’s national competion: First Place with Special Merit, Best Nonfiction article by Mason
Thompson, and Best Theme.
Student Council
Student Council is led by Mrs. Stephanie Wood, Mr. Michael Hess, and President Austin Beard. They
have been working on many exciting things for the student body. One of these things is the fact that the leadership class of student council is currently working on amending their constitution to better fit our school. Also,
they plan on opening back up the coffee stand for students to buy in November in a new location.
Student Council meets about once a month. If you have any ideas about how to better the school you can
let the class officers know. Senior class officer Aimee Metcalf says, “Any idea is a great idea.”
World Language Club
World Language Club, led by Mrs. Desiree Beard, meets monthly to celebrate and explore the different cultures and holidays around the world. West Plains High School has had this club for over 20 years. Every
student is welcome to join and take part in this experience. The Club fee is $5.00 and meetings will be held in
the senior cafe at 7:45 each month, Mrs. Beard said she would announce the date for the October meeting, later
this month.
During each monthly meeting, foods from different origins will be served. There will also be discussions
and themes about different cultures and the holidays they celebrate. During the last meeting, held on September
17, their theme was a “Jazz Festival” (French). They enjoyed crepes and learned about the many countries that
speak French. The upcoming celebration will be “Octoberfest” which is German. Beard said she hopes to see
many student attend.
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Homecoming 2015
Homecoming 2015: great fun
By Tara Long
The 2015 Zizzer Homecoming celebration was a colossal success! The Zizzer football
team triumphed over the Joplin Eagles in the final
quarter of the game, ending with a score of 28-21.
Excellent job, boys!
What’s a Homecoming with a Homecoming
Court? The freshmen attendants and their escorts
included Marlea Galloway and Briar Johnson,
Morgan Mulford and Parker Ramseur, and Emmy
McDaniel and Clay Butler. The sophomore attendants and their escorts included Hannah Davis and
Keith Bodenhamer, Magean Frazier and Camdon
Murply and Jaden Bowles and Evin McCabe. The
junior attendants included Maddi Davidson and
Matthew McCall, Kendra Cleland and Colton
Thomas, and Gracie Watson and Joe Schartz. The
senior attendants included Camryn Johnson and
Zac Adkisson, Linnea Cornell and Sidney Jones,
and Sommer Riddle and Brendan Blades. Camryn
Johnson was crowned Queen during half-time festivities.
New faculty and staff join WPHS
Ms. Raegan Fox
Mr. Kevin Botkin
By Amanda Stevens
Kevin Botkin is
a new teacher this year
at WPHS. He teaches
heath, middle school
adapted P.E., high
school marching band,
varsity band, and 6th
grade band.
Botkin has
received a bachelors of
science and music education from University
of Missouri at Columbia. Botkin has no children, but he is engaged
to our science teacher,
Ms. Molly Horst.
Botkin’s professional goals are to
achieve a doctrine and
teach at a university. His
advice to students is to
invest in the teachers
same way you invest in
yourself. If you ever see
Mr. Botkin teaching at
the high school for heath
and music or at the
Ms. Katie Brege
middle school, be sure
to say “hello.”
By Megan Biggers
Ms. Reagan Fox is new to our counseling office this
year but fits in so seamlessly it seems she has always been
here. Ms.Fox has a one-year-old son named Layne, who
she impressively named after Alice and Chains’ lead singer
Layne Staley. She said that she absolutely loves spending
time with him, and doing fun things with him such as playing with Legos, monster trucks, and all of the things little
boys enjoy.
Fox also likes to do things for herself every now and
again when she’s not busy with her son. She enjoys gardening (attempting it, as she phrased it), reading, avoiding
exercise, baking, and cooking.
Ms.Fox went through quite a bit of schooling to get
where she is at today. During high school, she attended
Cabool High School. She continued on after graduation to
obtain a bachelor’s degree at MSU Springfield, a master’s
in counseling at Evangel University, and a master’s in
administration at William Woods.
Her favorite part of her job, she said, is working with
kids and helping them decide what they want to do in life.
Her advice for students is to not be afraid to ask for help,
and to always be as prepared as possible.
By Petyton Ramseur
Ms. Katie Brege, our new college advisor, was born in Kansas City,
Missouri. She attended Archbishop
O’Hara High School in Kansas City.
In addition, she played soccer all four
years of high school.
Ms. Brege attended college at
Univesity of Missouri in Columbia.
She graduated last May and received
her degree in educational studies. Also,
she has a minor in Spanish. She still
attends all the home football games.
Ms. Brege helps juniors and
seniors plan for college. She said she
plans to eventually earn her master’s
degree in special education. If you
need help finding or applying to any
college, she is the one to go to!
Andria Mullins
Mrs. Julie Prince, a special education teacher,
and a new teacher at West Plains High School.
Though she is new to the halls of WPHS, she
is no stranger to education. Previously, she has
taught at Nixa, Republic, Mtn. Grove, and Marionville High School. She says her favorite thing
about West Plains is the friendly staff and kids,
and the good community.
Prince enjoys traveling and swimming. She
recently got married in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Her favorite types of food are Mexican and Italian. When asked her favorite quote she says it is,
“One day she woke up and decided to color outside of the lines.” Mrs. Prince is a very friendly
lady, and if you see her around school, make
sure to say “hi!”
Mrs.
Julie
Prince
By Tricia Evins
Mrs. Stacy Davis is our lovely new attendancesecretary at West Plains High School. Davis, and husband
Wes, are the parents of three young boys; Justin, 4th
grade, Cody, 5th, and Michael, 9th.
Davis, a native of Cabool, said she is always busy
in the office. She is in charge of answering phone calls,
greeting parents and students, tardy slips, and verifying
absences. “I try to make things easier for parents and
students, anything I can do,” she states. Davis added she
enjoys working with people and is amazed at how
quickly her day passes.
Mrs. Stacy Davis
By Karissa Houts
Celia Owens is a foreign language teacher at West
Plains High School. She has taught for twenty-five years.
She can speak three different languages: English, Spanish, and Italian, but said she is best at Spanish. Owens was
born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York.
She currently lives in Theodosia on the lake. Her birthday
is February 29th.
On her free time, she spends time with her husband
Jeff Owens who retired from teaching science. They have
two boys and one granddaughter.
Her favorite season,she says, “Is not summer time,
because my hair gets frizzy.” One day she said she wishes
to visit Europe, because she has family there that she has
never seen.
Mrs. Celia Owens
Fall 2015 Sports
Volleyball
By Karissa Houts
This year’s volleyball season is 3 to 7 defeating Salem, Gloria Doyle, and Webb City. The seniors include Machea Bruce, Camryn Johnson, Ann Renee Cawvey, Avery Warren, Alexis Eck, and Sara Evens. Coach
McNew said, “We have a good outlook for this season and are working towards improving team building.”
Lady Zizzer Tennis
By Bailee Dougherty
The Lady Zizzer tennis team has hit the courts with a great start to their season. They've worked hard
to prepare all summer, and their efforts are certainly showing this fall. The team consists of 14 girls coached
by Mr. Steve Roseman, and no matter the outcome of their matches, it is clear that all the girls work hard and
embody the true Zizzer spirit. If you see any of them at football games, be sure to buy a raffle ticket for just $1
to go towards things such as new uniforms, and equipment, not to mention a chance to win half of the money
raised that night!
This year's seniors include Emma Watson, Hannah Morrison, Mae Pavelka, Valecity Enlow, and Aimee
Metcalf. They have had a blast spending time together on and off the court, building lifelong friendships. "The
Zizzer tennis team aims to have fun no matter win or lose! It's about the experience and the friendships," says
senior Hannah Morrison. Good luck to the team during the upcoming district tournaments, and good luck to
the seniors as they move onto new chapters of their lives!
Girls’ Cross Country
By Peyton Ramseur
The girls’ cross country team is ready for another winning year as they return several varsity runners.
Coach Alicia Gunter said they have four seniors this year and they are the core of the team. The seniors include:
Hayley Baca, Kayli Brower, Theresa Harto, and Sydney Sanders. The other members of the varsity team are
Madison Brownrigg, Mackenzie Brownrigg, and Whitneigh Drown.
The girls have participated in the Twilight Classic, taking fourth of about 50 teams. Individual times
from the race include: Hayley Baca taking ninth place with a time of 19:25, Sydney Sanders captured twentieth
with a 19:47:08, Theresa Harto ran a 19:47:18 and placed twenty-first, and Kayli Brower ran a 20:18 and placed
thirty-seventh.
Other races include: the Zizzer Invitational, Joplin, and the oldest and most traditional the Hancock Invitational in St. Louis. They have their District meet October 24. Come out and support the girls as they run!
Softball
By Tricia Evins
The softball team is up and running for the 2015 season. Seniors Taylor Knoche, Bailey Pelc, and
Rachel Marcak, along with Coaches Ashley Hamby, Don Long, and Amy Marshall have led the girls into a
great season thus far. They kicked it off and kept it going with an amazing 11 win streak, and later bringing
up a single loss. “We hope to win districts and be conference champs,” states Kylie Givens, a third year player.
Hopefully, the girls can acheive this. If you are up for supporting the softball team as the end of the season
approaches, you have two more chances. Monday, October 5 is a home game, with the Zizzers taking on the
Ava Bulldogs, and the end of season Districts games will be held October 7-9. Good luck, ladies, you make us
proud every day!
Lady Zizzer Golf
By Kylie Givens
The Lady Zizzer golf team is swinging into a victorious season. This year’s team is led by Coach
Rachel Libby. This makes Libby’s first year as head coach. The 2015 lineup includes Bailey Pelc, McKenzie
Barker, Marissa Butler, Caroline Beykrich, Montana Forcum, and Abbey Collins.
Although the team will be facing some tough competitors, such as Kickapoo, in the upcoming All-Conference tournament, Bailey Pelc says she has full faith in her team to battle and come out with a win. The team
placed highly in their tournaments in September and hope to continue to improve on the course in October. The
team says their goals are to see their top three players, Pelc, Butler, and Beykirch move past distrtics and advance to state.
Swim Team
By Chance Davis
One of the fall sports that is in its second year of existence at West Plains High School is boys swimming. The boys swim team meets for practice every morning at 5:50 a.m. and at 3 p.m. each afternoon. Members on the team include: Sam Jensen, Alex Cochran, Drew Bledsoe, Nate Sellers, Zach Jensen, Garrett Forrester, and John Young. The team is coached by Katie Jensen and Stan Dennison. This year’s team has broken a
number of records and will be covered in the next issue of Zizzerette.
Boys’ Cross Country
By Andria Mullins
The boys’ cross country team received wins once again starting the 2015 season. They’ve already gotten
second at the Twilight run, which had over 50 teams. Also, they took home first at the Willow meet.
This year’s seniors include Garrit Hicks, Josh Ingalls, and Evan Hicks. The varsity includes Garrit Hicks
(senior), Josh Ingalls (senior), Dylan Hayes (junior), Christian Rymel (junior), Jacob McCrackin (sophomore),
Ben Stasney (sophomore), Ethan Hutchinson (sophomore), and Caleb Boys (freshman).
Boys’ soccer
This year’s soccer season has had some spectucular highlights thus far. The team, which includes
seniors Layne Sporeleader, Jake Garrett, Kegun Lidgard, Sidney Jones, Alex Ugbah, Devin Schmitt, Mitchell
Biggers, Nicholas Barraza, and Henry Eldringhoff, has a record of 5-5.
The team, coached by Nick Schmitt, Justin Frazier, and Brice Hunt saw wins against Lebanon, Republic, Branson, Marshfield, and Rogersville. Their losses were to Waynesville, Rolla, Greenwood, and two
games at the Greenwood Classic.
Though the next several games will be “away,” the boys will play at home on October 20. Go out and
support our boys’ soccer team and cheer them to victory!
Z-i-z-z-e-r
Zizzer Football
Continues to
Dominate Ozark
Conference
By John Williams
Last football season was one for the record books for the West Plains Zizzers. Two seasons ago the varsity
team finished with a record of 0-10, being the laughingstock of the Ozark Conference. Last season, the varsity
team finished at 7-2 in conference play, earning the Championship Title of the Ozark Conference. This season
the team is looking to make it an even better year, already sitting at 5-0 as we prepare to head into the toughest weeks of the schedule. With 4 games left in the season before districts, the varsity team plans to finish the
season just as they started: champions.
That’s enough talking about the varsity though. The freshman and junior varsity teams are full of younger
kids, obviously. Their seasons aren’t going quite as well as the varsity’s season, but they still play the game
with just as much effort, toughness and love for the game itself. The kids that stand out on freshman and junior
varsity show the coaches who really want to be playing on Friday nights. One thing is for sure though, whether
you’re a freshman player or varsity player, each and every one of us share the same brotherhood.
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