Goodwill Games 2016: The Cougars Earned It

The Cougar’s Roar
VAN WERT HIGH SCHOOL/ SPRING PRINT EDITION/ VOL. 5
Goodwill Games 2016: The Cougars Earned It
By: Elizabeth Lassiter
For more than a decade, Van
Wert High School has had the
much anticipated Goodwill Games.
Originally the games started as an
incentive for the annual food drive.
Now the tradition has transitioned
to a reward that must be earned.
This year, students had to achieve
three of five goals: to achieve a set
goal for cans in the food drive, to
get 72 pints of blood in the blood
drive, to recycle plastic bottles, to
boost attendance, and to reach another set amount in a second blood
drive.
Luckily, students were able to
have the games. Whether it was
playing dodgeball in the gym, winning at life-size Jenga in the band-
room, or cake decorating in Mrs.
Ragan’s room, there were many
opportunities to participate. The
FCCLA group sold out of homemade pretzels, with many students
working throughout the day to bake
more than 18 batches of dough.
Student Council also sold an assortment of snacks to keep students
energized for their select events.
The last event, the tug of war, was
won by the seniors.
The Renaissance Talent Show
at the end of the day included a
high level of competition, with 11
acts. Talent consisted of a band, a
duet, dancing, movie production,
singing and playing instruments. In
the midst of waiting for the results
of the show, seniors claimed the
coveted spirit stick, with 88 points.
Second place was awarded to the
juniors with 76 points, third went
to the freshmen with 70 points, and
last but not least, the sophomores
with 50 points.
As for the results of the talent
show, Elizabeth Lassiter placed
third, Mikayla Johnson placed
second, and Samantha Duquette
placed first. All participants received at least 10 dollars. The
teachers marked the end of Goodwill Games with a fun, glow-inthe-dark dance. With a high level of
participation and positive attitudes,
students were again able to enjoy
a fun-filled day inspired by the
goodness in others, and this time
students earned it.
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Bring Back “That’s So Raven”
By: Madison Pauquette
Everyone has a trigger that
brings back memories from when
they were growing up— favorite
childhood songs, movies, smells,
sounds, pictures, and for so many—
Disney Channel.
Shows like “That’s so Raven,”
“Hannah Montana,” “Phil of the
Future,” “Even Stevens,” “Lizzie
Mcguire,” “Suite Life of Zack and
Cody,” “Kim Possible,” “Wizards of
Waverly Place,” and so many others
have the power to strike child-like
excitement in teens who thought
they had long-since outgrown the
Disney scene.
A popular opinion exists that
since these shows were canceled
and replaced with a new generation
of Disney Channel and Disney XD
shows, the quality of the entertainment has decreased significantly.
Shows such as “A.N.T. Farm,” “Liv
and Maddie,” “Best Friends Whenever,” “Dog with a Blog,” “Austin
and Ally,” “and Kick’n It” have given
Disney Channel a bad rap among
teens.
It is possible that teenagers are
less accepting of the changing Disney Channel simply because they
are loyal to their own first impressions of the network. It is normal
for teens to think their own childhood experiences are better than
the new ones children are creating
because the shows they watched
were created for their age group at
that time, and now that teens are
watching it with a more mature
mindset, it is more difficult for
them to find the jokes funny and
the story-lines entertaining. So, to
today’s teenagers, the new shows
simply do not measure
up to their perfect memories of
psychic high schoolers, undercover
pop stars, and rowdy twins wreaking havoc in Mr. Moseby’s lobby.
In spite of this, some students
at Van Wert High School have
deemed acceptable current shows,
such as “K. C. Undercover, “Girl
Meets World,” and “Bunk’d.”
Even so, maybe there is some
truth to this idea that shows have
dropped in quality.
During his day, Walt Disney
had very strict standards regarding
his work and all of the work of his
employees, and this was without
exception.
Walt was devoted to making
sure his products taught good
moral messages and were as family
friendly as possible. So what would
Mr. Disney say about the work that
is being produced in his name in
the 21st century?
Disney Channel has lately
been criticized for its inaccurate
portrayal of social events, subconsciously permitting children
to behave inappropriately. It has
been
enforcing negative stereotypes
such at the ditzy blonde teenage
girl whose only concerns are with
fashion, shopping and boys.
Disney channel has become
the equivalent of that mom who is
trying too hard to be cool around
her teenager’s friends. It is constantly highlighting the differences
between supposed “nerds” and
the “popular-crowd,” showing that
these two factions only collaborate
under special circumstances.
Kids on these shows are constantly flashing around their smart
phones and tablets (or “A.N.T.
Pads”) and teaching kids by example to be concerned with being
“cool” and allowing their lives to
revolve around social media.
Some parents argue that Disney
Channel seems to make it a priority to be relatable and cool in the
eyes of their young, impressionable
audience rather than to be teaching
them good moral values. Getting
a cheap laugh out of a 10 year old
has become more important than
demonstrating real-world events
and values.
Van Wert High School government students participated in the annual We
the People competition, held Friday, March 11. Members of the Board of
Education, County Commissioners, City Councilmen, and representatives
from Central Mutual served as judges for the event.
Test Schedule
Cougar Sports
CONGRATS CADE!
Wrestlers Compete at District Tournament
By: Brock Blythe
Van Wert wrestlers recently
match, and I won in overtime. It felt
advanced to the district level to
really good to get that win, and I
compete for the right to go to the
ended up 1-1 after the first day.”
state tournament. The four wrestlers
He went on to say, “In my secthat made it to districts are Seniors
ond-day match, my opponent ended
Brody Couts, Andy Hammond, and up beating me 15-2. It was my last
Caleb Cantrell, along with Freshman match, and it was an emotional moIsaiah Bretz.
ment, but in the end it was a good
In the end, all four wrestlers
day and it felt good to be part of the
advanced to day two of the tournateam and to be a good teammate.”
ment, with Hammonds and Cantrell The freshman wrestler had a similar
surviving to the second match of
story.
the day, and Couts and Bretz ending
“In my first match, I took on a
their season in the first match of day kid that ended up finishing fourth in
two.
the state. Then, in my second match,
Couts talked about his final
I had to win to make it to the second
matches as a senior.
day, so I pinned my opponent in
“The first guy I faced was from
the first period,” Bretz said. “On the
Brookside who came in with aresecond day, in my first match, it was
cord of 46-1. It was a difficult match, a kid from Wapakoneta, and I ended
and I lost in a second-period pin.
up losing a close match, 7-5.”
That got me fired up for the next
Boy’s Tennis Hopes for WBL Crown
By: Brock Blythe
The Cougar tennis team has
“This year’s team includes all
some high hopes for the season
but one of last year’s starters, so we
after only losing one player from
should be a little bit stronger than
the 2014-15 year.
we were last year,” said Rollins.
According to Van Wert’s co“We are going to need our third
coach Chuck Rollins, the Cougars
singles person to step up and have
have a lot of depth at different
a good year,” said Rollins, “and our
positions this year, with strength
doubles needs to play well to give
coming from the experience of
us a run.”
those who will be returning. He
Brandon Amstutz plays first
says they will rely on that experisingles and Nick Etter plays second
ence as they progress through this singles. Ryan Keber may fill the
season.
hole left at third singles. Then, for
“Shawnee is always the team to
doubles the team has Gabe Rollins,
beat in tennis,” said Rollins, “and
Davis Munroe, and Michael Etter
Wapakoneta and Celina are also on as the returning letterman.
the radar.”
The Cougars will have some
Overall, the Cougars are expect- big matches, including some very
ed to be one of the WBL favorites.
competitive league matches.
Van Wert High School Senior
Cade Fleming recently earned
third place in the Ohio Attorney
General’s 2015 “Take Action Video
Contest.” Fleming’s video, titled
“Over Care, Don’t Over Share,” was
among more than 215 video submissions from all across Ohio.
Swimmers Move On To District
Competition
By: Madison Pauquette
This year’s swim season has
come to a close, and individual
swimmers have moved on to the
bigger competitions. The team
swam in the WBL meet on Jan.
30 at the Defiance pool.
At this meet, the girls placed
seventh, and the boys placed
sixth out of ten total teams.
Divers Sam Easley and Madison
Jarrett each placed sixth out of
10 girls and 12 boys.
“I think we improved a lot
for WBL,” Sophomore Cameron
Nouza said.
After the WBL meet came
sectionals, which were held Feb.
13 in Ayersville.
In this meet, the boys placed
fifth out of 13 teams, and the
girls placed ninth out of 14.
The students that moved on
to districts on Feb. 19 at Bowling
Green State University included
Sophomores Dalton Hepperd
and Steven Hamblet as alternates,
Junior Sam Easley in the 100
Backstroke and 400 Freestyle Relay,
Junior Bethany Fast in the 100
Breaststroke, Senior Cade Fleming
in the 100 Breaststroke and 400
Freestyle Relay, Senior Cory Pinson
in the 100 Freestyle Relay, and Senior Joe Linser in the 400 Freestyle
Relay.
Easley and Jerrett also moved on
to districts for diving. Easley placed
13 out of 29 and Jerrett placed 10
out of 35.
“The practices were challenging
this season, but I liked the meets
and being on the team.” Jarrett said.
On Sunday, Feb. 7, the Van Wert High School Cheer Team
competed in this year’s regional cheerleading competition,
held in Dayton, Ohio. The team had a great performance and
qualified for state, where they competed in Division II. The
state competition was held on March 6 at St. Johns Arena in
Columbus, and the Van Wert team finished in 13th place.
Great season cheerleaders!
Van Wert Softball
Brings Experience
to the 2016 Season
By: Brock Blythe
Last year, the Cougar softball
team benefited from its overall
player experience, which led
them to a 13-9 campaign. This
year, the ladies hope to build on
that experience, and with that
in mind, they have set a lofty
goal for the season.
Although the team lost some
key players from last year’s
squad, the overall outlook is
good, with some vital pitchers
returning to play in this season.
Assistant Coach Jay Royer says
the team will be good on both
sides of the diamond, but will
rely strongly on defense, including those returning pitchers.
“Both of our pitchers are
strong, which is big, and they
have been pitching since they
were freshman,” said Royer.
The Lady Cougars have six
veteran seniors, and Royer
expects them to take on the
leadership this year.
“They will all be starters, and
we will rely on them for leadership and to show their experience playing,” Royer said.
The Lady Cougars have
some big games this year, but
the team hopes to do well as it
contends for the Western Buckeye League crown.
“Of course, the goal is always to win the conference,”
said Royer, “but we will face
some good teams. Bath is always good, and Shawnee is also
pretty good, too.” To sum it up,
Royer said, “Any WBL game is
always big.”