Black and Gold Issue 2 October 1, 2021

THE BLACK AND GOLD "WHAT A PAWFECT DAY" OCTOBER 1, 2021

|

VOLUME I: ISSUE 2

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWS SOURCE OF BUCHANAN COUNTY R-IV

Newspaper Staff Members: Mekayla Boydston

Helaina Geoffroy

LOVIN' LATTES AT THE MUDDY PAW

Abigail Miller

Tricia Simpson

Read the article for a tasty discount!

BY PATRICIA SIMPSON Friday mornings at DeKalb you can find lines of students getting their morning lattes. In 2019, the seniors of 2020 started a coffee shop with the help of Mrs. Atkins. Since then, it has only continued to grow. With Covid happening, we were unsure if we would have a Muddy Paw this year, but Ms. Nelson and the Muddy Paw members made it possible. The coffee shop held its grand opening on Friday, September 17th.

Coming to a brand new school isn’t always easy, especially when you’re taking on a coffee shop. Ms. Nelson said “For me it was a fun challenge. I have worked at Starbucks on and off for 15 years so it was fun to share the knowledge I had with the school and watch the students turn it into their own. Watching the creativity of the students come alive is really exciting.” This DeKalb coffee shop isn’t anything new to Ms. Nelson because of her past experience, so the flow with the Muddy Paw is going just as good as any other year.

At any business having a good owner is an important part of being successful but having a good staff is essential.

“Our staff is amazing,” said Ms. Nelson. This year's staff includes Senior Austin Bramble and Juniors Brody Knorr, Riley Johnson, Olivia Fisher, Chris Weinman, and Dylan Nowack. These student workers are also enjoying the experience. Weinman said “This is not my first time working somewhere and I think working there builds character and I like working with everyone.” Fisher agrees: “This is not my first time working somewhere, and I think working here helps build life skills. I like working with my class because they’re all chill.”

Every Friday morning you can get your morning coffee and donuts in the Commons from 7:15 to 7:55. Have this article pulled up on your phone or laptop the next time you stop by the Muddy Paw and get a free topping of your choice .

Pictured left to right: Juniors Olivia Fisher and Chris Weinman, Ms. Nelson Photo credit:Helaina Geoffroy

SPANISH WORD OF THE WEEK

Otoño Definition: Autumn

Use it in a Sentence:

Hola otoño a todos!

GET TO KNOW YOUR HOMECOMING KING AND QUEEN CANDIDATES

BY ABIGAIL MILLER AND PATRICIA SIMPSON

Rebecca Reagan Hidden Talent: "I'm good at softball."

Fun Fact: "I'm the middle child."

Drake Miller Hidden Talent: "I can do the floss dance."

On Being Nominated: "Good."

Rebekah Gunter

Hidden Talent: "I don't know my hidden talent."

Fun Fact: "I have 6 siblings."

Hayden Generaux

Hidden Talent: "I can do the bugs bunny voice" On Being Nominated: "Happy."

Carissa Martin Hidden Talent: "I can low-key rap."

Fun fact: "I listen to really loud music in my slug bug."

Austin Bramble Hidden Talent: "I can ride bikes."

On Being Nominated: "Happy"

OCTOBER 1, 2021

PAGE | 02

GET TO KNOW YOUR HOMECOMING PRINCE AND PRINCESS CANDIDATES

BY ABIGAIL MILLER AND PATRICIA SIMPSON

Lainie Vogan Hidden Talent: " I can do a back flip."

On Being Nominated: "Cool."

Zander Matson

Hidden Talent: "I'm a good driver."

Fun Fact: "I broke my wrist in 3rd grade."

Riley Johnson Hidden Talent: "tripping over nothing On Being Nominated: "good"

Brody Knorr

Hidden Talent: "I'm pretty good at trapshooting."

Fun fact: "I have a little lab puppy."

Marin Moore

Hidden Talent: "good at volleyball" On Being Nominated: "Kinda surprised"

Brayton Furr

Hidden Talent: "I'm just talented."

Fun Fact: "I plan on being a Union Lineman."

Alex Schmutzler Hidden Talent: "Multitasking."

On Being Nominated: "Happy"

Landon Williams

Hidden Talent: "I can eyeball up to a 10th of a thousand."

Fun Fact: I'm a really good rider.":

OCTOBER 1, 2021

PAGE | 03

MIDDLE SCHOOL METAMORPHOSIS

BY MEKAYLA BOYDSTON Most people have had the experience of starting a new school and it's not any different for this year's seventh graders. For them moving from elementary to middle school has been a big change. Cole Kovac says “ In middle school you have more teachers, more independence, and a lot more responsibility.”

Another seventh grader, Isabella Beems agrees.

“In elementary school we didn't have much

homework, but now we are more mature and have more homework.” Being in middle school is a big responsibility for these two, and though they were nervous and worried at first, they have grown to love all the independence and having new teachers. They have learned to handle their new responsibilities well and, as Kole jokes, “I’m a grown man now.” Maybe not quite grown, but definitely growing.

Pictured left to right: Isabella Beems 7th grader, Cole Kovac 7th grader

Photo Credits: Mekayla Boydston

MRS. FAULKENBERRY'S BOOK OF THE WEEK We all have teachers who never quit reading, and for De Kalb, another one of those teachers is Mrs. Faulkenberry. If you go into her classroom, you’ll always see her either teaching or reading. This week she is reading Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir. Mrs. Faulkenberry says “I am 27% into the book.”

When asked if she would recommend this book to other readers she said, “Yes this book was actually recommended to me, and I recommended it to one of my teacher friends and she is on book 3.” Mrs. Faulkenberry's favorite park of the book is that its a quartet and she's on book four so now all the loose ends are getting tied up.

OCTOBER 1, 2021

Mrs. Faulkenberry

Photo Credit: Tricia Simpson

PAGE | 04

Cross Country Requires Grit and Endurance

September Students of the Month

By: Helaina Geoffroy Junior Rylie Johnson Photo Credit: Helaina Geoffroy

When we think of sports we usually first think of football, basketball, or softball, but cross country is not always noticed. Cross country is a long-distance running sport, which basically means you run a lot. So it takes a lot of courage and skills to be able to run for a long period.

Middle School Cooper Wachtel - 7th

What is the hardest part of cross country? Rylie recalled, “ Everything, I hate running. It is the worst.” According to Rylie herself and Tucker Estes, Rylie has faced a lot of injuries.

Junior Rylie Johnson is starting her third year of cross country. “My first meet, I did really bad, to be honest. But, I still got 3rd place in the JV race. So, I think I got thirty-three minutes, or somewhere around there.” That’s thirty-three minutes for a three-mile race.

Matt Dice ,who has been the cross country coach for the last two years, gave some feedback on Rylie’s performance. “She is one of those kids that is very resilient. She is constantly dealing with some type of injury, whether it be her ankle or back or whatever. She always seems to overcome that or push through it. And that’s something I always enjoy about how she manages to get through that.”

Underclassman Kalyn Hartman - 10th

The team as a whole is looking good. Dice said, “We have only had a few meets so far, but their times overall have gotten better. We had some of our difficulties first and they run better in the cold, so the meets that we have coming up in the future are probably going to be better off anyway.”

Advice she gave for those who ever want to do cross country is, “A good mental standpoint about it and an okay physical health.

Would you do it again? Rylie responded, “Yes, I mean I like it, it is just I don't like running”. At the end Rylie added that “Tucker is not the best one on the team, it is me." This fact could not be independently verified.

OCTOBER 1, 2021

Upperclassman Natalyn Killoren - 12th PAGE | 06

THE TIGER SPIRIT KEEPS SOFTBALL TEAM OPTOMISTIC

BY ABIGAIL MILLER

Most of us tend to get down in spirits when we start to lose or when things didn't go our way, but for the De Kalb softball team that doesn't seem to be the case.

The team's current record is 5-13 and 7 of those losses were by one point.

Compared to last year's winning season, 11-5, this could bring anyone down.

However, the only thing you can see from Coach Aaron Matthews and Senior Pitcher Ashton Crockett is positivity about how the rest of the season will go. “No one really gets to see what goes on behind the scenes during practice or at team dinners or on the bus. No one gets to see all the funny moments or all the hard work we put in,” says Coach Matthews.

When it comes down to it, staying determined is hard, especially when things get tough. When things get hard, sometimes you want to quit, but for the softball team, the reason they

stay driven and keep pushing is, according to Matthews, “the fact that we've been through so much together these past four years.” “We're already there so why not put the work in and win?” added Crockett.

No matter how bad of a beginning coach Matthews and pitcher Ashton only hope this year will end better. “ I hope this year goes better than it has gone and I hope we can finish the games we need to finish.”

Quote of the week brought to you by Russ:

"Be Careful!"

OCTOBER 1, 2021

PAGE | 05

Mr. Jenkins Brings Science to Life at DeKalb High School By: Helaina Geoffroy Mr. Jenkins

Photo Credit: Helaina Geoffroy

All day, we talk about science without noticing, from our pretty gardens, all the way to what we use for transportation.

At De kalb, Mr. Chaim Jenkins is our science teacher for middle school and freshmen. Most of us call him Mr. J. Before he became a teacher, Mr. J was in the Missouri Air National Guard for six years. Mr. J recalls, “I wanted to serve my country and I kind of liked the jobs involved with it, being around the planes, and everything having to do with that. It was a good way to be able to both work on my degree and also serve in the military, so it was a good option." Mr. J worked around fuels or liquid oxygen or even testing the gas and storing and moving it on to the plane.

Mr. J has been here since 2015 and this will be his seventh year. When asked why he became a teacher, Mr.J recalled, “I like the variety and how I’ve been around people every day. I like talking about things that involve knowledge - that’s always enjoyable, but it’s a good job if you like talking about interesting things and having a lot of variety." Mr. J went to Northwest Missouri State University for college. “I taught at Northeast Nodaway for 4 years. So I have taught 11 years in all.”

Mr. J also keeps busy in his free time outside of school? Mr. J replied, “I like to hang out with my family, watch movies, TV shows, and sports. I like to work out, go to church. That’s it, that’s what I do”.

Luckily we have Mr. J because without him, we would know a lot less about science.

OCTOBER 1, 2021

Lunch Menu Monday, Oct. 4 No School Tuesday, Oct. 5 Popcorn Chicken Wednesday, Oct. 6 Chicken Patty

Thursday, Oct. 7 Bacon Pickle Grilled Cheese

Friday, Oct. 8 Pizza Monday, Oct. 11 Chicken Strips

Tuesday, Oct. 12 Sloppy Joe

Wednesday, Oct. 13 Chicken Patty

Thursday, Oct. 14 Super Nachos

Friday, Oct. 15 Pizza PAGE | 07

Students and Staff Dress Up for Spirit Week

OCTOBER 1, 2021

PAGE | 08

Students Compete in Annual Hallway Decorating Contest

OCTOBER 1, 2021

PAGE | 09