The Bird`s Eye View

The Bird’s Eye View
Are You Glowin’ To Homecoming ’14?
By: Hayley Neibel
The theme of this year’s
homecoming is “Glocoming,”
which will be held on Sat., October 11, in the high school
MPR. The dance will begin at 8
p.m. and end at 11 p.m. The
coronation will start at 9:30
p.m.
Dress-up day kick off homecoming week. The themes are:
Monday - Character Day, Tuesday - Class Color Day ( freshman-gray, sophomores-red,
juniors-blue, seniors-black),
Wednesday - Neon Day, Thursday - America Day, and Friday
- School Sprit Day.
The powder puff games will
be held on Tuesday evening at
6. The juniors will play the
freshmen, and the seniors will
Inside this issue:
Color Guard
Library
4
Football
Cheerleading
6
FFA Success
9
play the sophomores. The
annual homecoming pep rally
will be held Friday afternoon,
followed by the powder puff
championship game.
On Friday night, there will
be a homecoming parade in
Brighton at 6 p.m. Parade line
-up will be at Betsy Ann Park.
The parade route will end at
Schneider Park where there
will be a bonfire and activities.
2014 Homecoming Court: Top row (l to r) Leo
The homecoming game
Vinyard, Eric Beyer, Toby Fowler, Ryan Laramee,
will be on October 11, at 1
Andrew Fry, Connor Robinson. Front row (l to r)
p.m against Vandalia.
Student Government began Emily Jones, Meghan Peuterbaugh, Amber Barnett,
Grace Luly, Hannah Greeling, Ashlyn Ringhausen.
planning for homecoming
early last summer. Mrs. JenEllie Trombetta, president, commented, “There’s
nifer Borkowski, sponsor,
and members meet on Thurs- way more that goes into planning than people think.
We’ve worked extremely hard to make it awesome.”
day mornings to plan.
SAS Undergoes Changes for ‘14-15 School Year
By: Josh Nagel
Supporting Academic Success
(SAS) began five years ago at Southwestern High School. This year, major changes have been made to the
program. Student mentors have been
added to freshman academy classes.
Mrs. Peg Mitchell, PBIS coordinator,
said that juniors and seniors volunteered to help the freshman by teaching lessons related to study skills,
character education, and school etiquette.
Mrs. Mitchell said that the mentors had five hours of training over
the summer. There are seven freshman academy classes and 31 mentors
(approximately 4 per class).
Senior Meghan Peuterbaugh and
juniors Karlie Green, Madison Greeling, and Brandon Thomas are mentors in Mr. Dan Beilsmith’s SAS
Class. Thomas commented, “By being a freshman mentor, I get the satisfaction of knowing that I had a
hand in the develics. I’m all for it.”
opment of the
Another change that
school’s future
coincides with SAS being
upperclassmen and
moved to the end of the
leaders.”
day is the addition of the
Also new this
“Early Out” reward for
year, SAS is being
Gold/Silver/Bronze card
held at the end of
holders. With this rule,
the day in contrast
card holders are allowed
to the middle of
to leave school early on
the day. Students
Friday or attend celebrawill have been to
tions held during SAS.
all of their classes
To be able to leave,
to know the day’s
card holders must have a
assignments, and
permission slip signed by
athletes who have
their parents and on file in
Mentor Savannah Brinkto leave early for
the office. Gold members
man helps freshman Hanaway matches
can leave early all nine
nah Bell.
won’t miss as
weeks of the quarter,
much class time.
while silver members can leave the
Mr. Joe Buttitta, industrial arts
last six weeks, and bronze members
teacher stated, “I believe that it is a
get this privilege the last three.
good idea for it to be at the end of
Mrs. Mitchell said that she hopes
the day, especially for the athletes so students appreciate this privilege and
they won’t miss out on any academ- won’t abuse it.
News
“Life Basics” Program Starts at Southwestern
By: Ailee Manns and Sarah DuPont
Southwestern welcomes a new
program for special needs children
this year. The program is called “Life
Basics” and was introduced by the
district last spring. Teachers of the
program, Mrs. Michelle Ernst, teacher,
and teacher aide Mrs. Jan Kessinger,
have been planning since March.
Currently, there are six students in
the program. The students follow the
regular school schedule, beginning at
8:10 and ending at 3.
Mrs. Kessinger (left) and Mrs. Ernst look
According to Mrs. Kessinger, the
students are taught “life skills such as forward to teaching life skills.
shopping, doing laundry, and going to
the program. She said that one of her
the movies.” They also teach reading,
goals was to get the program up and
math, social studies, science, and
running and to be successful.
health.
She explained that another goal of
Some of the students are enrolled
hers is to start family and friends events
in high school courses including art,
for the students which would consist of
science, and P.E.
social events where the kids can get
Mrs. Ernst has three main goals for
together with one another and invite
S H S We l c o m e s M r. A l l e n ,
N ew S c i e n ce Te a c h e r
By: Meghan Pomeroy
Southwestern High School welcomes a new science teacher, Mr.
Marvin Allen. Mr. Allen was hired in
July and teaches biology, honors biology, and astronomy.
Mr. Allen said that he has always
been interested in science. He noted,
“I’ve wanted to be a scientist ever
since I was little. What began as a
hobby became a career.”
After graduating from Collinsville
High School, Mr. Allen attended
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville to major in science. A spot
as a teaching assistant for a college
chemistry class opened up at S.I.U.E.
and Mr. Allen then discovered that he
loved teaching as well.
Right after college, Mr. Allen began teaching at a charter school in St.
Louis.
Mr. Allen enjoys teaching at
Southwestern and said, “I love the
school culture. Kids seem to like it
here and enjoy learning.”
Freshman Sophia Deucker, a biolo-
gy student, commented about Mr.
Allen’s class, “It is interesting and
there are many projects that are hands
on.”
Deucker also added that Mr. Allen
has a great sense of humor.
Outside of teaching, Mr. Allen’s
hobbies include:
being an amateur
astronomist and
hunting. Mr. Allen
also enjoys watching hockey and
spending time with
his kids.
SHS
guests.
Mrs. Ernst stated that her third goal is
to get the program involved with Project
United and the Special Olympics.
Mrs. Ernst has been teaching special
education for 21 years and this is her first
year teaching high school students.
“The program provides a great opportunity for special needs children,” added
Mrs. Ernst.
Mr. Rich Joins
Math Department
By: Jamie Brockway
Southwestern
High School welcomes back 2010
alumnus Mr. Seth
Rich. He is no longer walking the halls
as a student but as a member of the
math department. He teaches Algebra
1, Algebra 1 Honors, and Functions,
Stats, and Trigonometry.
Mr. Rich attended Fontbonne University and graduated in May 2014. He
student taught at Alton High School.
He said that when he saw the job
posting at Southwestern, he immediately applied and was excited about the
opportunity to come back to the high
school that he graduated from.
Since he was in elementary school
Mr. Rich said that he wanted to be a
teacher, and enjoyed math. Throughout
high school, Mr. Rich liked to help
others, and he said that he was inspired
to become a teacher by Mr. Lansaw and
Mr. Mosley.
“I’d like students to show and create
an appreciation for math,” said Mr.
Rich.
In his spare time, Mr. Rich coaches
football and enjoys being outdoors.
News
S o ut h we s t e r n U p d a t e s S t y l e o f H a l lway s a nd L o c k e rs
By: Kristen Doerr and Ashlee Wittman
Southwestern High School was built
in 1954 and desperately needed some
updates. Last year the district received
a $50,000 grant to improve the senior
hallway and high school cafeteria.
Over the summer, new flooring, lockers, paint, and tables were added to the
building.
Superintendent Brad Skertich said
the grant covered most of the renovations but the remaining balance was
paid for by money that the district had
been saving for this project.
When asked about the floor design
and why blue tiles were included, Mr.
Skertich explained that they aren’t the
school colors but they do match the tile
in the bathroom that was previously
installed.
He added, “We decided to put blue
in because the goal is to eventually
have all the colors in the building
match.”
Mr. Skertich said that the new lockers have helped the “traffic flow” in the
freshman hallway because less students
have lockers there. Now all of the
freshman have either full length lockers
or top half lockers. No student has a
bottom locker.
“Now students are separated in their
designated hallways. The sophomores
and freshman have their own hallways
while the juniors and seniors share the
front hallway,” stated Mr. Skertich.
In addition, the cafeteria and hallways were painted white. Many murals, including the Piasa Bird in the
cafeteria, were covered.
When asked why the
murals were painted over,
Principal Mark Bearley
said, “It was time for a
change and we wanted a
clean white look.”
Mr. Bearley explained
that later this year Mrs.
Ruyle’s art students are
going to draw on canvases
and hang them up in the
halls and the cafeteria. He
added, “The reason they
will paint on canvases is
because we want the
school to reflect who the
Hayley Neibel stands on the contemporary floor tile
students are now, not thirty in front of her new locker.
years ago.”
Mr. Skertich said that the district is
“The money from this tax will go to
in a planning phase for school improveincreasing security such as cameras, interment and will apply for another
com systems, and exterior lighting, reno$50,000 grant. One of the major goals
vating the high school, middle school, and
of the district is to install air conditionBrighton North, roof replacement, upgrade
ing in the middle school and high
sidewalks, playground paving elementary
school.
school, parking lot improvements, and
He noted that the district wants to
property tax relief.”
get air conditioning as soon as possible
On November 4, voters will see the
but it will depend on how much money
one-cent sales tax proposal on the ballot in
the school gets from grants and tax
the county and get to cast their votes.
revenue.
To learn more about the county school
The one cent tax states that consumfacility sales tax, call the Southwestern
ers will pay an extra penny for every
Community Unit School District #9 at
dollar spent. This tax will not be ap(618) 372-3813, email bskerplied to the following: unprepared food
tich@piasabirds.net or visit our Facebook
(groceries), prescriptions and over-thepage www.facebook.com/pages/
counter medications, cars, trucks,
Southwestern-CUSD-9/457567940940343.
ATVs, farm equipment, and services.
He clarified that if something is not
currently taxed, it will not be taxed.
F r o m The Bird’ s Eye Vie w A rc h ive. . .
 2009– Mr. Rich was nominated for student of the month in September.
 2009– The restrooms were remodeled and water fountains were changed to hands
free.
 2009– Officer Mathis started working at Southwestern, after Officer Lovejoy retired.
 2011– The First Homecoming parade was held in Brighton.
 2012– The science labs were completed during summer.
 2012- Bird Bucks were introduced at SHS.
 2012– The Piasa Bird mascot was brought back after 20 years.
Entertainment
Color Guard Returns After 22 Year Hiatus
By: Jamie Brockway and Aleigha
Dobbs
After 22 years of trial and error,
Southwestern brings back color guard.
Ms. Alexandria Weinberg, band director, claimed that in the past Mr. Stanford was in charge of color guard,
which was part of band and only band
members could be participates.
This year the extra-curricular activity
has been brought back which is an option for band and non-band members.
When asked what the benefit of color guard is, Ms. Weinberg commented,
“It adds a visual for band and ‘pizzazz’
for parades.”
Two non-traditional band members, Some of the color guard members preSarah Dupont and Emily Jones, started pare for first home football game: (l to r)
Emily Jones, Megan Kirby, Carley Link,
color guard in order to be a part of
band. At this time, ten girls participate and Savannah Brinkman.
in color guard and will perform at
another element for band and could help
home football games and in parades.
the band score better when they comMs. Weinberg noted that there are no
team captains, but the team works really pete.
On September 12, the group made
well as one.
their
debut during the football game’s
Ms. Weinberg said that the group will
half time.
not compete, but for now it just adds
New Additions Made to the Library
By: Brittany Hand
rently, there are six
Many new materihigh school teachers
als are available in the
participating.
library this year. Mrs.
Tell No One by
Laura Naugle, librariHarlan Coben was
an, has created a webrecommended by Mr.
site for the library.
Darren Mosely. Mrs.
The website can be
Kelly Goetten suggestfound on the high
ed The Chocolate W ar
school page, as “High
by Robert Cormier.
School/ Middle School Mr. Delong suggests several
Mr. Brian Borkowski
library website.” The John Grisham books, including submitted Floating
site is designed to en- A Time to Kill.
Dragon by Peter
courage reading, and
Straub. Mrs. Jennifer
also help with research and homework
Borkowski added Twilight by Stephenie
through library resources.
Meyer to her list. Ms. Debbie Gaffney
Mrs. Naugle said that there are vide- chose Time Line by Michael Crichton,
os, power points, and the library calen- and Mr. Dan DeLong liked A Time to
dar to help aid anyone who needs it. On Kill by John Grisham.
the site, students can check out books
Mr. Delong added A Time to Kill
online, and also find books on the “3m because it is a thought provoking story,
cloud EBook link” (on the side of the
but at the same time a fast read.
home page). The “3m cloud Ebook”
When asked what he thinks about the
link includes audio books.
new display, Mr. DeLong commented,
Also, something new to the library is “I think it’s a great idea, because it lets
the Teacher’s Favorites display in which students know teachers are readers as
teachers recommend some of their fawell, and it also humanizes teachers.”
vorite books for students to read. Cur-
In the Halls
With Hayley & Breanna
What was your
summer job?
Bella Williams—Cracked Egg
Erika Daube—Farm & Home
Morgan Ozark—Alton Marina
Leo Vinyard—Raging Rivers
Erin Laubscher—Raging Rivers
and Jerseyville Pool
Taylor Nixon—Raging Rivers
and Jerseyville Pool
Dakota Duvall—Raging Rivers
Tiffany Evans—Jerseyville Pool
Tamie Brockway—Sierra
International
Kristen Doerr—Rib City
Leah McGaughey—Dairy Queen
Ailee Manns—Lewis and Clark
Sarah DuPont—Intentional
Fitness Center
Karlie Green—McDonald’s
Breanna Fowler—Arby’s
Grace Luly—Chillout
Emily Jones—Olga’s
Darby Jones—K-mart
Bo Watson—Dairy Queen
Tanner Fry—Moore Farms
Kaleb Cruse—Regal Beagle
Halie Bollini—Alton Marina
and Golden Corral
Entertainment
SHS Students Volunteer to
“Change
theJune
City,
World”
On Sunday morning,
6, formerChange
band teacher Mr.the
Elwyn Mielke
along with 46 students, and several parents a boarded
In the Halls
a charter bus and started their long ride to Orlando, Florida.
OnceManns
the band
arrived in Orlando they had the first day to part into groups and explore the “land of magic.” The parks they
By: Ailee
and
couldDuPont
enjoy were Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. With Hayley & Breanna
Sarah
rd
After
one was
This
pastday
summer,
a done the band took day two, June 3 , to perform and participate in a workshop. The students performed
four
songs
that
had
been
practiced
over
and
over
again.
The
songs played was “The Thunderer”,
“Glory of
The
Who“Pacifica”,
nominated
you
number of SouthwestYankee
Navy”,
and
“Denbridgeway”.
These
were
played
in
Downtrip
was
the
workshop
and
being
able
to
ern students participatfor the ALS and how
ed in a mission trip
much did you donate?
called World Changers. Through World
Sean Maronie - Kayla Lively
Changers, teens get to
$10
meet a variety of their
peers from places all
Hayley Neibel - Sean
around the nation.
Maronie $10
They work together in
crews to finish a proMegan Kirby– Josh Van
ject on old homes in
Rachel Baldwin (front row, far left) and Ailee Manns (front
Doren $5
row, 2nd from right) helped repaint a house in West Membad shape that are
phis.
located in the worst
Kelsey Rhoades– Taylor
areas of the country.
Nixon $10
At World Changers,
students are randomly put
Lauren Camerer– Kasey
into crews with 10 to 12
Morgan / $10
people they have never met
before. Each morning, the
Reagan Rinacke– Maddy
crews wake up bright and
Greeling/ $10
early to go work on their
houses and work for 8
Payton Heyen– Evan Lowis
hours. In the evening,
$10
crews come back to wherever they are staying (a
Andrew Nixon– my mom $20
church or school) to get
Blake Cruse – Jewel Gaither
cleaned up and eat. After
Hannah Price (front row, far left) and Nick Ballard
dinner, they have a wor(back row, far left) worked in West Memphis.
$10
ship gathering with everyone and then they have a devotional
Jessica Hanneken– Hannah
phis, Arkansas and stayed at the First
with their youth groups.
Nashville $10
Baptist Church of West Memphis. For
This year, a total of ten Southwestern
the Crossroads Youth, World Changers
Students went to World Changers. At
Ryan Laramee– Darby Jones
was a life changing experience. Senior
World Changers, students met many
Rachel Baldwin said “I got to see how
$10
new people. Senior Hannah Price
blessed I am and how much I take for
claimed, “I met too many people to
Tanner Dale– Chantale Dale
granted.”
count.” The kids at World Changers not
Both Price and Baldwin recommend
only met people from other churches
$20
a World Changers trip. It was life changthat went to world changers but they
ing for them and they were happy to
Briana Gillespie– Danny
also met people from the town they were
meet people that have the same goals as
working in. Over the six days they were
Merideth $10
them.
there, they not only got to work on housHannah said she still stays in touch
es but they got to play with kids from
with the people she met, especially the
the neighborhood and talk to the homepeople from her crew. These are friendowners.
ships that can last a lifetime. Crossroads
Most of the kids who went were with
Youth Group plans on taking another
the Crossroads Community Church
World Changers trip next summer.
Youth Group. They went to West Mem-
Sports
Football Tackles a New Season
By: Leah McGaughey
Football, once again, is kicking off
the season with a new head coach,
Aaron Fricke. Coach Fricke is assisted by Mr. Seth Rich, and volunteers
Mike Paslay, Rich Arnold, Zach
Slightom, Michael Fisher, and Coach
Fricke’s father, Mark Fricke.
When Coach Fricke was asked
about his experience with the team so
far, he commented, “It’s been good.
We have a strong group of seniors on
the team.”
Coach Fricke and the team anticipate a lot for the season. He has made
personal goals for the team including:
“improving from last year, keeping
the game close, and start having fun.”
Coach Fricke also mentioned that this
year there are four captains who he
hopes set a good example for the underclassmen.
One of the captains, senior Andrew Fry, described the team as
“Experienced,” and added that the
team, “has more confidence.”
Other captains include Connor
Robinson, Troy Wild, and Trevor
Cummings.
Senior Dakota Duvall described
the changes in the team as being,
“more laid back and fun.” Duvall
also mentioned that the team,
“works together as a team and gets
along better.”
In order to have a winning season, Coach Fricke’s strategy is to
keep the boys healthy. He said that
in previous years, injuries complicated the season.
Fry and Duvall both agreed that
This year’s captains are (l to r): Troy Wild,
this year they want to “win, go to
Trevor Cummings, Andrew Fry, and Connor
playoffs, stay a team, and most
Robinson.
importantly-have fun!”
When Coach Fricke was asked
for any additional comments, he simply
8/29 Hillsboro *
H L 20-14
exclaimed, “Go Birds!”.
9/6
Greenville *
A L 77-34
Congratulations to
senior, Andrew
Fry, for breaking
the previous school
record of 330
passing yards per
game and setting
the new record at
353 yards!
9/12
Litchfield *
H W 28-14
9/19
Gillespie *
H W 54-38
9/26
Pana *
A W 35-27
10/3
Staunton *
A L 12-6
Current Record: 3-3
The B, B-I-R..DS Cheerleaders Are Back In Action
By Leah McGaughey
Mrs. Amanda Madson will be
returning for her second year as head
coach of the cheerleading squad.
Sammi Hansen will be the assistant
coach.
This season, the squad consists of
eight seniors, one sophomore, and
five freshmen. Seniors are Courtney
Bangert, Amber Barnett, Shelby Donahue, Ayla Pace, Morgan Ozark,
Leah McGaughey, Chelsey Milligan,
and Maddie Schelle.
“We’re excited for the season and
ready to finish out our last season
with the same girls we started with,”
stated senior Amber Barnett.
Recently the cheerleaders participated in the football Pom and Cheer
Clinic. There were 95 participants
starting from Pre-K to 6th grade. All
victory of the season.
Homecoming is just around the corner
and the cheerleaders are currently getting
material ready for the annual homecoming festivities.
Cheerleaders will be performing at the
pep assembly followed by their appearance in the annual homecoming parade.
Following the parade, the girls will be
cheering at the bonfire and the football
game on Saturday.
The squad cheers for the football team
as they defeat the Litchfield Panthers.
participants learned three sideline cheers
and two crowd cheers.
The participants performed along
side the cheerleaders at the home game
against Litchfield on September 12th.
They helped cheer the boys to their first
Sports
L ady B i rd s Vo l l e y b al l Te am P l a n s to A t t a c k
By: Karlie Green and Reagan Rinacke
The Southwestern Lady Birds kicked
off their season with an away game in
Pana. Although JV and Varsity lost,
Coach Julie Kinser and new assistant
Coach Sue Long have high hopes for this
season.
“I think the JV and Varsity teams are
both very competitive, and we should win
the majority of our games,” stated Coach
Kinser.
After asking Coach Kinser if she feels
the team will bounce back after regionals
during the 2013 season she responded, “I
believe we’re already back, and everyone's hungry for wins.”
Over the summer the Lady Birds prepared for their season by playing in two
summer leagues, one in Greenfield and
one combination league in Roxana, Jerseyville, and Alton.
The team consists of five seniors, Ashlyn Ringhausen, Payton Heyen, Hannah
Greeling, Meghan Peuterbaugh, and Caylin Beeman. With this being their last sea-
When asked if she would
like to continue her volleyball
career after high school, Ringhausen noted, “If I got the
opportunity, I would love to.”
For now, Ringhausen and
the rest of the team are focusing on this season.
“Carlinville is our toughest
competition,” Coach Kinser
and Ringhausen agreed.
Kinser also believes Alton
and Jerseyville will be tough.
Southwestern 2014 Volleyball Team
son, they all are ready to give it their all.
Ringhausen, varsity setter, believes that the
team should finish with twenty wins, get first in
the Alton Tournament, and would like to contend
in regionals. Ringhausen hopes she can lead the
varsity team to the championship game in the
Macoupin County Tournament.
The Lady Birds placed third in the Alton Tournament. Ringhausen and Heyen were selected to
the All-Tournament team.
Support the volleyball
team as they play in the
Macoupin County Tournament at Staunton High
School on Oct. 11th.
Cross Country: Up and Running Again
By: Payton Heyen
“I was so sad! That’s my sport,”
responded junior Evan Lowis when
asked what his initial reaction was
to the news that cross country had
been annulled at Southwestern for
the upcoming 2014 season.
Long time head coach, Gary
Bowker, announced his resignation
from the sport on the final day of
school last year. Due to a lack of
funding it was no longer possible
for him to serve both the Southwestern and Bunker Hill co-op runners.
The team confirmed with Principal Mark Bearley that cross country
was officially cut. He said that unless someone volunteered to coach,
athletes would run as individuals.
Faithful to Coach Bowker and
the sport, the team then made efforts
to keep cross country.
Over the summer, members participated in a series of fundraisers.
The first was a car wash at Tom’s
Grocery Store in Brighton. Runners
brought buckets, soap, sponges, chamois, and a boom-box to get the job
done. Water was generously provided
by the grocery store. As customers
pulled into the parking lot they were
met with enthusiastic signs pointing
them toward the wash. Any donation
was welcome and goals for the day
were overwhelmingly surpassed.
Soon after the car wash, members
Photo by Diane Moore
spoke with Mr. Bowker. He agreed to
return as head coach in the fall.
Girls start off their season at the anThe team started their season with nual Metro East Lutheran Invitational
normal after school practices, but due held at SIUE.
to the heat were forced to have practices before school at 6:00am in Brighton.
The heat picked up around 10:30,
These practices allowed members to
just in time for the boys to take their
prepare for their first meet at SIUE’s
marks. Bunker Hill junior, Brandon
campus on September 30.
Myatt was the only high school boy to
The weather was ideal for the girls
medal.
race, and was a key factor in the sucThe Birds host their first home meet
cess of the team. Senior Payton Heyen,
on Wednesday, September 10 at
junior Erin Laubscher, and Bunker Hill
4:30pm. They will compete against Civfreshman, Amy Duty brought home a
ic Memorial and Staunton.
medal from the girl’s race.
Sports
B oy s S o c c e r Te a m S e t s H i g h G o a l s f o r S e as o n
By: Karlie Green and Reagan
Rinacke
Ending the 2013 season with a
1-11 record, Coach Stephen
French has higher expectations for
this season.
“Our goal this year is to win
more games than last year, and to
keep building the program,” commented Coach French.
Kicking off their season with
an away game in Carlinville, the
Coach French gets the team ready for a win.
boys instantly showed improvement from last season. Losing by a close He explained, “The boys are building on
4-5 score in overtime, Coach French was the basic skills they learned last year.”
more than thrilled.
Although the team consists of mostly
This game showed Coach French that sophomores, there are four seniors, Chase
the boys have come a long way in a year. Bowman, Ryan Laramee, Tanner Dale,
and Tyler Mayhew.
Bowman and Laramee said that they hope to
end the season with
three wins or more.
When asking Bowman how he wants
others to remember this season, he responded, “I want others to think of us as a
threat.”
“I feel that all around we are a better
team. We have better passing and more
experience,” commented Bowman.
Coach French stated, “Greenville is the
strongest team that we face.”
Although its only the 2nd year of soccer at Southwestern, the boys are ready to
compete.
G o l f e rs S t r ive Fo r A H o l e I n O n e
Johnson; junior Reid Nixon;
sophomores Collin Baughmgartner and Alex Watts; and four
freshmen, two from Southwestern
Andrew Ballard and Jacob Fryman and two from Bunker Hill
Joey Robbins and Trent Russell.
Nick Ballard and Nixon said
they’ve been preparing for the
season by practicing almost every
day. They also said they hope to
Leaders on the golf team are
junior Reid Nixon (left) and
do well at sectionals and have
senior Nick Ballard.
low scores.
Nick Ballard added, “I hope
By: Breanna Fowler
we stay over 500 and put up a
Back for his third year as a
good fight. I hope to be allvolunteer coach is Mr. Gary Bal- conference at the rail.”
lard. He has been working with
Besides preparing for the seathe Southwestern golf team since son all the players are ready to
early summer. Coach Ballard said give it their all and are excited to
that he enjoys coaching and has
face Greenville.
been playing and teaching golf
for over fifty years.
When asked what goals he has
for the team this season, Coach
Ballard replied, “There are three
goals set for the team: have our
first winning season, have some
boys be all conference, and have
some boys go to sectionals.”
The golf team is made-up of
seniors Nick Ballard and Briston
Nick Ballard
Briston Johnson
Nick Ballard has been
golfing with his family
since he was 6 years
old. His favorite
memory was when he
got a hole in one at
Rolling Hills golf
course. When asked
who he would love to
beat, he responded,
“Zach Moore.”
Briston Johnson has
been golfing for the
last 3 years. His father,
Jeremy Johnson inspired him to start
golfing. If he could
beat anyone in golf it
would be “Collin
Baumgartner.”
Clubs
FFA Members Make a Beat to Nationals in Band
By: Aubrey Thornsbury
Although FFA once was founded
in 1928 at “Future Farmers of America” the organization has evolved over
the years to “promote leadership, personal growth and career success
through agriculture.” Members of the
Southwestern chapter are busy all
year round. FFA competes in many
CDEs (Career Development Events)
such as Forestry, Ag sales, agronomy,
dairy foods, and job interview.
This summer FFA members went
to Springfield, Illinois, for state convention, and the FFA fair. Multiple
Southwestern students showed livestock at the state fair.
Senior Jacob Rotermund and junior Brad Spurling auditioned and were
selected to be part of the national FFA
band this summer.
Rotermund, who plays trumpet,
said, “I am very ecstatic to be apart of
FFA. It has literally changed my life
drastically. Before Mr. Reed educated
me on the musical department in the
FFA, I just assumed that it was strictly for students interested in agriculture. Once I got involved, I found out
what it stood, and it taught me a lot.”
He continued, “I have found the
music major I want to pursue, thanks
to FFA. It has inspired me to take the
knowledge and skill I have now and
“I am very proud to be a member
of the FFA.” -Jacob Rotermund
2014-2015 FFA Officers
President– Keely
Egelhoff
Vice President–
Chase Bowman
Secretary– Jamie
Moore
Treasurer– Nick
Ballard
Historian– Emily Wolff
Brad Spurling (left) and Jacob
Rotermund perform at State Convention.
apply it in different ways to go further,
dig deeper, and see all of the opportunities I have before. ’I believe’ that FFA
can change anybody’s life. Whether or
not you’re interested in agriculture. It
can teach you skills you can use in your
daily life. I am very proud to be a member of the FFA.”
Spurling, trombone player, said, “I
love FFA. I get to be with my friends and
I get to do other things other than farming. I can’t believe how many doors have
opened up for me just because of making
National FFA band.”
National FFA convention will be held
October 29th– November 1st, in Louisville, Kentucky, and Southwestern students will be attending along with Mr.
Tim Reed, FFA advisor.
To join FFA a student must be enrolled in at least one agriculture class for
at least one semester.
Chem and Recycling Clubs Looking for Members
By: Aubrey Thornsbury
The recycling and chemistry club
are starting back up this year. Ms. Debbie Gaffney, science teacher, is working hard to get these clubs up and running again.
The school board approved Chemistry Club last year and members will
meet once a month after school. Ms.
Gaffney said that this year there will be
service project opportunities such as
helping students in Mrs. Ernst’s “Life
Basics” class. In addition, members
can conduct labs that they wouldn’t
have the opportunity to do in class.
Chemistry Club will be going to the
elementary schools to perform experiments. To join chemistry club, students
must be taking or have taken a chemistry
class. The benefits to joining are: having
fun and becoming a member of the American Chemical Society.
Recycling club will be having meetings
when needed. The purpose of the club is to
help the school with its recycling. Members recycle paper as often as needed. The
benefits of joining recycling club are to
earn community service hours and to make
Southwestern a greener school. Anyone
can join Recycling Club.
Senior Brandon Murphy, Chem and
Recycling Club member, said that he is
proud to be a part of both clubs.
He added, “It is fun and gives me a
chance to explore science more. I encourage students to join.”
Extra
Artist of the Month: Kevin Cox
By: Brittany Hand
This month’s Artist of
the Month is junior Kevin Cox. When asked
when he first started creating art pieces, he jokingly commented, “Fresh out of the
womb.”
He continued to answer more seriously when he explained that he first
started to get interested in it in sixth
grade, but he started taking classes in
the eighth.
He won cartoonist of the year in MSA during his freshman year while he lived
in Florida.
He continues to draw and take art classes. In the past, he has taken cartooning,
digital graphics, and animation. Right now he is in Drawing I/II.
His favorite styles are comic book, realism, and tattooing.
Music and personal experience are what pushes him to make art, also other
artists. Greg Horn, a comic book artist, has also inspired him. Horn has drawn
Marvel covers, video game art, and does the cover art for Elvis Illustrated.
When asked if he would pursue a career in art, he replied that he would. He
wants to become a comic book artist or a tattoo artist in the future.
The advice he would give to aspiring young artists is, “Keep practicing.” He
later added that everyone who does draw should try to develop their own style.
The Bird’s Eye View Staff:
Co-Editors: Br eanna Fowler , Hayley Neibel
Entertainment Editor: Meghan
Pomeroy
Sports Editor: Payton Heyen
Copy Editor: Sar ah Dupont, Aileen Manns
Clubs Editor: Aubr ey Thor nsbur y
Staff Writers: J amie Br ockway, Aleigha Dobbs, Kr isten Doerr, Karlie Green, Brittany Hand, Leah McGaughey, Josh Nagel,
Regan Rinacke, Samantha Simmons, Ashlee Wittman
Advisor: Mr s. Goetten
The Bird’s Eye View is published by Mrs. Goetten’s Publications 1 class. The newspaper is available on
www.piasabirds.net/highschool.
2013-14 Yearbook T h e m e I s
Tr u l y M a g i c a l
By: Brittany Hand
The 2013-14
yearbooks were
distributed to
students on Friday, Sept. 12,
during SAS. The
theme was
“Where Dreams
Begin” and was
based on Disney.
Mrs. Susan
Ruyle, yearbook
advisor, said that
last year’s staff
chose this theme
quickly, and had
very little debate
on it. The editors
were graduates
Ashley Krashaar
and Morgan Cates
and there were
sixteen staff
Senior Hannah Price
members.
is the editor of the
Mrs. Ruyle
2014-15 Yearbook.
commented that
the publications class already has the
theme for this year’s yearbook picked
out. She also stated that it is a fun class
to teach, and that the students enjoy
taking a lot of pictures. This year’s
editor is Hannah Price, and a small
staff, consisting of only eight people.
Mrs. Ruyle said that creating the
yearbook is a good experience because
these students get to be a part of school
history.
Mrs. Ruyle added, “The more pictures there are, the better the yearbook
will be.”
Some students were asked their
opinion on the yearbook.
Sarah Dupont commented, “I like
the layout. It’s pretty cool.”
Aubrey Thornsbury said, “It’s definitely different from what we’ve had in
the past, but in a good way.”
S H OW YO U R S C H O O L S P I R I T
Pep Club t-shirts on sale now!!! See Mr. Henry