The Black and Gold Volume 5 Issue 29 April 2nd, 2026 (1)
Newspaper Staff
Editor-in-Chief
Michaela Copeland
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Bella Beems
News Editor
Laci Burnett
Reporters
Katlyn Boydston
Grayson Moore
Photographers
Lauraly Lane
Josephine Long
Designers
Ashlynn Bowen
Gunner Delp
Guest Writer
Miley Phillips
For real Don’t miss this These are DeKalb’s next events for April! - p. 4
DeKalb’sPlans forEaster?
Find out what DeKalb plans to do in such a short amount of time!
- p. 8
Former DeKalb student opens her own coffee shop! Find out more about her! - p. 10
THE BLACK AND GOLD
Contest Honors Outstanding Art Students
By: Michaela Copeland
Every year, Mrs Garvey has each of her students participate in an art show during Parent-Teacher Conferences to showcase what each class has been working on.
During the Art Show, the projects are left displayed throughout the week, set up into different categories such as Most Unique Middle School Piece, Best Middle School Drawing or Painting, Most Unique High School Piece, and Best High School Drawing/Painting. Parents and Teachers were encouraged to vote for their favorite work in each category to determine a winner.
Photo Credit: Mrs. Garvey Pictured: Art Show Winners
Scholar Bowl Competes at Top 8
By: Katlyn Boydston
The High School Scholar Bowl team attended the Top 8 Tournament at Craig on Wednesday, April 1st. The top 3 scorers of the night were Thomas Gunter with 80 points, Presli Punzo with 60, and Grayson Moore with 40 Grayson also earned an All-Conference Team 1 title
Coach Miller said, “Overall, the meet went well. We performed better against the top-seeded team, Jefferson, than we did earlier in the season. We also beat a team that we lost two a couple of weeks ago”
“It was good, we got 5th place and we answered quite a few questions and worked together pretty well” ,said Presli Punzo.
Their next meet is Districts on Saturday, April 18th at Craig. If you would like to come out and support them.
Art Show: Continued from Page 1.
Mrs. Garvey says she enjoys hosting the art show every year because “ I just like to show everyone’s hard work, and even if the students seem embarrassed but at the same time they can be proud about their work.”
For the middle school winners, there was Erin Brown and Mariah Matthews. Erin won the category for best overall Drawing or Painting, and Mariah won the category for Most Unique Middle School Piece.
For the High School winners, there was a tie in between Michaela Copeland and Syra Servaes for Most Unique High School Piece Maggie Hall was the winner for Best High School Piece Overall.
Photo Credit: Josie Long
Pictured: Scholar Bowl team at Top 8
Photo Credit: Mrs Garvey Pictured: Art Show Winners
What to Read
By: Lauraly Lane
If you’re looking for a romance book, then I recommend Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood.
Check & Mate follows a former chess prodigy, Mallory Greenleaf. Mallory left the world of chess to support her mom and younger sibling Mallory returns to chess for a charity tournament for her friend’s team In this tournament, Mallory defeats the world champion, Nolan Sawyer. This starts Mallory and Nolan’s rivalry and romance.
This book talks about many topics, including sexism in male-dominated sports, facing trauma, and family responsibility. This book is considered a young adult book. Like many of Ali Hazlewood’s other books, Check & Mate is a STEM-related book.
Check & Mate can be found at Walmart, Target, or online
What to Play
By: Gunner Delp
Seeing as most gamers eagerly anticipate new releases in their favorite categories, I have a great one for you: Crimson Desert is a newly released open-world action-adventure game
In Crimson Desert, you play as the main character by the name of Kliff. Your objective throughout the story is to find the lost members of the Greymane mercenary group and reclaim what was lost.
I have found myself enjoying this game far more than I expected. However, the reviews are very mixed. Some find that the graphics and the story of the game make it rather boring.If you don’t enjoy slow-paced games, you might not like it as much because this is a game more meant for exploration and upgrades.
Crismon Desert was released on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and macOS. I highly recommend this game for people who like medieval-styled stuff, a wide range of exploration, and gameplay styles
Photo Credit: PlayStation
Pictured: Crimson Desert video game cover
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Pictured: Cover of Check & Mate
Easter Break Starts!
3 Don’t Miss This April April
By: Miley Phillips
End of Easter Break
High School Basebal At Home
Middle School Track Meet at East Buchanan
Middle School Track at Mid Buchanan
Don’t Miss This April April
8
By: Miley Phillips
FFA Chapter Officer Interviews
High School basebal at home
9
Middle School Track at Plattsburg
High School Track at Stanberry
Prom at Laurel Brook Farms
DIVA of theWEEK
Levi Frakes
Reason: He is a hardworking student
Carma Swartz
Reason: She is a queen
Dekalb Washed
By: Grayson Moore
OOPS!SORRY!
On Monday, March 30th, the DeKalb High School Baseball team played against Northeast Nodaway at home DeKalb varsity lost 13-5 and JV lost 0-2.
The next game was supposed to be tonight at Stewartsville High School, but it was cancelled due to the weather.
Junior Cooper Wachtel says “I think I played. good I think I could've thrown more strikes and hit the ball a little better.”
Coach Aaron Matthews says “We competed pretty decently but had too many fielding errors We had a bunch of base runners but gotta have better defense We really need to make the routine plays ”
Our next game is on Monday, April 6th, against North Nodaway at home, and it starts at 5pm.
Photo Credit: Tiger Booster Club
Pictured: #8 Grayson Moore
What Are DeKalb’s Plans for Easter?
By: Laci Burnett
Family Time! -Amy Miller
Quiet Family Time. -Cameron Cashman
What Do You Hope to Get From the Easter Bunny?
Hanging out with my boyfriend and probably having a dinner at my house or my Grandma’s house. -Katlyn Boydston
I hope to actually dress up as the Easter Bunny for work and give treats to kids.
-Josephine Long
Not much. A private jet, a mansion, a billion dollars, and a yacht. -Bridgett Baker
Money!
-Olivia Jenkins, Faith Williams, and Anna Rangel
Hopefully having a baby :) But lots of relaxing, soaking up the sunshine, and spending time with my family. ada Holder
I hope Charlie Jo gets a swing from the Easter bunny! -Haley Horr
ing Conferences See Good Turnout
By: Ashlynn Bowen
On Monday, March 30th, Rushville and DeKalb held the annual Spring Parent-Teacher conferences These conferences have been student-led for several years, and Junior Kyleigh Black said, “They’re not terrible, but I prefer Parent-led”.
The attendance rate for the conferences was 69%, and the reward for showing up is tardy passes, and your name is put in a raffle. Conferences are important because “it is important for students to take ownership of the work that they're doing and have that conversation with the student and their parents about their future”, said Penny Powell.
“We were a little bit lower on attendance than last Spring, but we were still close to it. It's good to see parents in the building and for them to have open communication with their students' teachers,” said Principal Austin Chisam.
MS Track Still Awaiting Season Start
By: Josie Long
Track is a sport that's not just made up of physical endurance, but mental endurance as well. Track also has a variety of team and individual events. In the end, Track is a sport where everyone can find their niche, and there is no better time to find a new activity to join and be a part of than during Track season
“I joined track because I like running, and the fact that you get to meet new people and hang out with friends. I am going to run the 4x2 and the 400m for our first meet During practice, I've been working on my handoffs and just running a lot,” says 8th grader Klhoe Cowger.
Eighth grader Ashtyn Nowak runs “4x1 and high jump for our next meet During practice, I’ve been practicing jumping over the bar, and for the 4x1, we've been working on handoffs and just running I joined Track because I really enjoy running.”
The Middle School Track teams' meet on Thursday, April 2, got cancelled due to weather, so their next scheduled meet will be on Tuesday, April 7, at Mid-Buch starting at 3:30
Photo Credit: Michaela Copeland
Pictured: Penny Powell
Photo Credit: Josie Long
Pictured: Ashtyn Nowak and Khloe Cowger
Mooney’s Coffee Mooney’s Coffee Mooney’s Coffee
other things We saw someone else have a mobile coffee trailer, and thought coffee would be easy and fun!”
Owners: Owners: Ow :
Maggie Johnson Maggie Johnson Maggie Johnson & & &
Liz Generaux Liz Generaux Liz Generaux
Location: Location: Location:
510 Edmond Street
510 Edmond Street
510 Edmond St t
St. Joseph, MO St. Joseph, MO St. Joseph, MO
Benefits of Owning a Coffee Shop:
Benefits of Owning a Coffee :
Benefit of wning a Coffee Shop:
“We don’t have to work normal 9-5 jobs; it’s a
“We don’t e t work 9-5 jobs; it’s a
“We don’t have to ork normal 9-5 jobs; it’s a
fun, creative outlet, and a good way to be un creat ve outlet, and a good way to be fun, creativ outlet, and good ay to be involved and get to know our community.” involved and to know our community.” involved and get to know our community.”
Advice for Aspiring Business Owners:
Advice for Aspiring Business Owners:
Advice for Aspiring Business wners
“Don’t listen to the negative thoughts or what
“Don’t listen to the negative thoughts or what
“Don’t list to the nega ive thoughts or what
people say. People will always have something to
people say. People w always ve something to
people sa People will always have something to
say, so be confident in your ideas and yourself. say, so confident in yo r and yourself. say, so be fident in your ideas yourself.
Rushville Elementary Starts a Busy Spring
By: Michaela Copeland
Parents Join in Music Classes
Throughout the month of March, Music teacher Mrs Willson has been inviting the parents of her students to participate in her preschool, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade music classes.
While the parents are sitting in on these classes, the students show their parents what they’ve been working on. So far, each class has been working with rhythm sticks and ukuleles. The 4th and 5th graders are currently working on preparing their program, which will take place on April 29th, and the 6th graders will be playing in the band at the program as well.
Mrs Willson says that she really enjoys, “Seeing the smiles on the parents faces, they don’t realize they’ll be doing what the kids are doing, with them instead of just watching.”
Mobile Dentist Office Travels to Elementary
On April 2nd, the mobile Dentist visited Rushville Elementary The dentist offers all the normal services, such as “Cleanings, X-Rays, fillings If it’s extensive work needed then the dentist will refer them on [to other specialists] I’ve had students prescribed antibiotics before, and they come right to school which is really handy”, says Nurse Bessie.
Nurse Bessie goes on to say it’s important to start working on dental hygiene while the studetns are young because, “It’s good to start healthy habits at a very young age and reinforce what has already been started at home.”
She says the mobile dentist office is super helpful because, “It’s a great service that’s available to our families parents
Photo Credit: Michaela Copeland
Pictured: Mrs Willson’s 2 Grade Music Class nd
By: Bella Beems High School Track Invitational Meet
On Tuesday, March 31, DeKalb Track and Field traveled to North Platte for their first real Track meet. Sadly, the meet at King City on Wednesday, April 1, was cancelled due to the weather, but will be rescheduled for a different day in the near future.
Almost half the group was absent from this meet due to their involvement in FFA, but even though they were missing half their people, they powered through “We didn’t have our whole squad yesterday, but the ones who did go performed really well. Some PR’d from the first meet, and the newbies kicked off the year the right way,” says Coach Rumpf.
For the 100m, Sophomore Lauraly Lane finished in 24th place at 17.01 seconds, and Freshman Easton Matthews finished in 7th place at 12.54 seconds.
For the 200m, Easton Matthews finished in 9th place at 25 03 seconds For the 400m, Easton Matthews finished in 6th place at 53.50 seconds. For the 800m, Sophomore Aidon Standiford finished in 17th place at 3:05.56 minutes.
For the 1600m, Sophomore Syra Servaes finished in 9th place at 7:24.49 minutes, Junior Kaiden Myers finished in 12th place at 5:33.37 minutes, and Freshman Gage Hartman finished in 16th place at 5:58 04 minutes For the 3200m, Gage Hartman finished in 11th place at 12:59.13 minutes.
For the girls' long jump, Lauraly Lane jumped 3.19m.
“Throwers did well yesterday, we had some improvement things to work on, but all in all they got better,” says Throwing Coach Roberts. For the girls shotput, Junior Isabella Beems threw 6.81m, and Lauraly Lane threw 6.69m. For discus, Isabella Beems threw 17.71m, and Freshman Reid Reagan threw 2061m.
“Every day at practice, we are pushing ourselves to be our best and also pushing our teammates at the same time. Hoping to create a positive and competitive atmosphere,” says Coach Rumpf.
Practice for the rest of the week will consist of improving as much as we can for the next Track meet on Monday, April 6, at East Buchanan.
Photo Credit: The Black and Gold
Pictured: Left to right: Runner Easton Matthews, jumper Lauraly Lane, and thrower Reid Reagan
By: Bella Beems
What to Watch
This week I’m telling you to go to the theater ASAP. Please. Now that you are there, get a ticket for Project Hail Mary In this movie, Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up from an eleven year coma in a space ship gliding through space.
Grace can’t remember how or why he is on this ship and later comes to realize he is the only one left from his crew of three.
As Grace begins to remember what exactly led him to end up on space ship Mary, he comes across another space ship floating through the galaxy, but nothing about it is from planet earth.
The movie follows Grace as he pieces together what exactly Project Hail Mary entails and the value of friendship, teamwork, our choices, consequences, and the desperate want to stay alive
What to Listen to
By: Laci Burnett
Project Hail Mary was released to theaters on March 20 and will be in theaters until mid-tolate April, being streamable on Prime Video this summer
In recent weeks, I have revisited the popular artist Radiohead, whom I haven’t listened to since my pre-teen years. While I was impartial to their works in my younger years, after a deeper dive into their past albums and songs, I have grown to be a big fan.
While the rock band was formed in Britain in 1985 by Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Phil Selway, and Jonny Greenwood, they first gained notable attention in the United States with their fan-favorite debut single, "Creep,” released on September 21, 1992. This song was the first to introduce Radiohead to the world and initially reached No. 78 in the UK before gaining popularity upon the release of their first album, Pablo Honey, in 1993
While learning about some of the history of this band, I fell in love with a few of their songs on The Bends album, such as “High and Dry”, “Fake Plastic Trees”, and “Bones”. My other favorites from this artist include “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi”, “Paranoid Android”, and “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”
I highly recommend this band to those who like alternative music, guitar solos, and a singer whose voice will make you cry. I love this band, and the emotion they pour into their songs makes them truly memorable
Photo Credit: Pinterest com
Pictured: Poster for Project Hail Mary
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Pictured: Members of Radiohead, 1996
Burnett DeKalb FFA Groups Advance to State Contest
By: Laci
On Tuesday, March 31st, DeKalb’s FFA group traveled to Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville to compete in the District competition, with many advancing to State with high scores
To showcase all the hard work and dedication that goes into being a part of FFA, members pair up in groups in the middle of January to begin studying their chosen topic. Over the past months, the members have worked tirelessly, and it has paid off Since the middle of March, the students have been to just about four meets to practice competing in their subjects to prepare for Districts, and thankfully, it paid off The students in FFA Knowledge, Entomology, Farm Management, Floriculture, Nursery & Landscape, and Meats groups have all advanced to the State level for FFA. They will travel to Columbia to compete at the University of MO-Columbia from April 15th through April 17th.
One of the FFA members on the Floriculture team, Brinkley Frakes, says that getting to State required “lots of studying and practice, whether it's practice tests or going through slideshows and more ” After all the hard work, this student is “looking forward to all the fun memories that we will get to make as well as all the people we get to meet.” Soon, in just a short week and a half, these students will get to venture off to Columbia and show how much they have learned in such a short time.
FFA Chapter Leader Coach Medsker is excited about this opportunity for the kids, saying that “of [the] seven teams, six of them made it to State, which is definitely the most teams we’ve ever sent to State ” This is a big moment for DeKalb FFA members, and Coach Medsker hopes to earn “either a rating” at state. Under his guidance, the kids are bound to do great.
The kids are going to State from April 15th until April 17th, so if you can, congratula work
