THE BLACK AND GOLD Volume 6 Issue 1 Sep. 4, 2026
National Honor Society Tackles Its First Project of the Year By: Laci Burnett
MC hates Christmas
MC beats me
Newspaper Staff Editors-in-Chief Laci Burnett Bella Beems
Photo Credit: NHS Leader Mrs. H Pictured: NHS group working hard in the sun to help brighten up the DHS logo
On Tuesday, August 25, National Honors Society members for the 2026-2027 school year spent an hour under the sun to help revamp our DHS logo across from our Football field. To get us ready for our first game, NHS members pulled weeds, applied a fresh coat of paint to the letters, and put down fresh mulch to help the DHS logo look as good as new. Members who were able to help out include Seniors Kyleigh Black and Cooper Watchel, as well as Juniors Syra Servas, Shaylee Phillips, Laci Burnett, Brinkley Frakes, Kale Cassity, Lilly Wagner, and Alivia Hall. Friday nights will look even better after all of their hard work.
Reporters Ivan Bowen Layla Griffin Lauraly Lane Photographers Kiera Kuse Alyssa Rogers Designers Katlyn Boydston Gunner Delp Guest Staff Analeesa Busby
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Softball Jamboree DeKalb’s Lady Tiger Softball team has been working nonstop, even in the heat of the summer! pg. 4
Football
Read about DeKalb’s first Football game of the season and the final score. pg. 9
Tiger Travelogue
Learn where all our DeKalb Tigers traveled to this summer! pg. 13
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Sep. 4, 2026
Welcome to 2 New DeKalb Tigers By: Bella Beems
Sam Moran Sam Moran came to DeKalb after teaching at Highland Community College. She came here because Mrs. H told her to, just kidding! Moran is here for the family aspect and community. Moran is the Assistant Coach for Softball and will be coaching Basketball as well.
Photo Credit: The Black and Gold Pictured: Samantha Moran
She is so excited to be here and plans to stay forever.
Kiera Kuse Kiera Kuse is here for her Senior year from Nixa High School. Kuse moved here because of her dad’s work, but she is so grateful for the fresh start for her final year of high school. Kuse is involved in The Black and Gold school newspaper, The Claw school yearbook, and she might join Track later in the year! She is also excited about the school year and is here to stay forever, or at least until May.
Photo Credit: The Black and Gold Pictured: Kiera Kuse
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Sep. 4, 2026
DeKalb Softball Gets a Head Start By: Katlyn Boydston
Photo Credit: Kiera Kuse Pictured: Khloee Weinmann getting ready for a pitch on second base
Photo Credit: Kiera Kuse Pictured: Kaylee Chatman throwing the ball to third base
On Saturday, August 22, 2026, our High School Softball team played against Albany, Stewartsville, and Stanberry in Albany. Senior Kyleigh Black said, “The game went good and was interesting.” One thing Kyleigh believes she needs to work on is her throws for Softball. “The Jamboree game went well; all good things went good in all three games, so it was a success,” adds Coach H. The highlights of the game were that there were girls who got to pitch that haven’t pitched in a while, and Coach H. moved people around in different positions, which she hasn’t been able to do. Senior Kelsey Chatman said, “It went well; I think our energy was pretty high.” One thing the teammates for Softball team need to work on is letting things go and moving on to the next plate. This week, they had a game on Tuesday against North Platte, a home game against Maysville on Wednesday, and on Thursday, they played against Gower and won 10-4. On Tuesday, Sep. 8, the Lady Tigers will play a home game against Stewartsville-Osborn.
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Sep. 4, 2026
2026's Summer Anthems By: Lauraly Lane These are These are some of some of the the biggest biggest albums, songs albums, songs and EPs and EPs of of the the summer! summer!
CONFESSIONS II - Madonna
Petal - Ariana Grande
WILD - KATSEYE
CHUCK TIMELY & THE HOURGLASS - ROLE MODEL
Lost Weekend - Pheobe Bridges
You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love Olivia Rodrigo
MORNKING DEW (DONK) - Beyonce
Dandelion - Ella Langly
Photo Credits: All from Pinterest
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Sep. 4, 2026
Video Games Of Summer 2026 By: Ivan Bowen
DeKalb students played a mix of old and new video games this summer as they enjoyed their break. Eighth-grader Andrew Giddins stuck with mostly competitive games, including Rocket League, Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft. When asked why these games intrigued him so much, Andrew stated, “Because it's fun.” Senior Cole Kovac played a variety of games, including story games and indie games. He stuck with mainly story games, including Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War: Ragnarok. When asked why these games caught his attention, Cole stated, “They were crafted so beautifully.” He also appreciated “the time that was put into making them.” I played a mix of video games, including story games and competitive games. I mainly played competitive games over the summer, including Marvel Rivals, Dead by Daylight, and Fortnite. My favorite game I played over the summer was Dark Souls 2, and I think it's underrated and should be played more. Dark Souls 2 is about a cursed undead traveler exploring the ruined fantasy kingdom to find a cure for their affliction. The story of Dark Souls 2 is really good and entertaining, and I feel as though more people should take the time to experience this top-tier game.
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Sep. 4, 2026
Top Reads of Summer By: Amy Miller
Photo Credit: PlayStation 5 Pictured: LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight video game cover
TEXT HERE
Sep 4, 2026
Summer Movies By: Bella Beems
Obsession Backrooms
Spiderman: Brand New Day
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Page 8
Sep. 4, 2026
Tigers Face Albany in 1st Game of Season By: Kiera Kuse
Photo Credit: Kiera Kuse Pictured: Easton Mathews
On Friday, Aug. 28, DeKalb had its first home game of the season against Albany. “The game went positively well; at the start we were really close and did really well for about a quarter and a half. Some fatigue, conditions, and injuries set in, so we started rotating, trying to keep people healthy,” says assistant coach Jonathan Wildhaber. The end score was 0-60 with a DeKalb loss. “Our best moment for the game was us not giving up even though we were down,” says Senior Cooper Wachtel. Overall, the team did best with their defense and positivity in the first quarter, but what ultimately led to the downfall was personal mental errors. During their next practice, they will be working on their ability to think through being tired and not make mental mistakes to prepare for their next game. This Friday, Sep. 4, the team will travel to play against King City. The game will start at 7 p.m. Please go support our team.
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Sep. 4, 2026
Summer Trends and Memes By: Gunner Delp
Photo Credit: PlayStation 5 Pictured: LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight video game cover
Over the amazing summer of 2026, many trends emerged, including dances, memes, and even many dangerous trends. While many of these trends took place or started on TikTok, they seemed to find their way to many different audiences. Three of the many trends that I saw the most myself over the summer were Quiet on the Creek by Saucy Santana, The Obsession Dance, and Meta Glasses. Seeing as adults don’t typically see eye to eye with the trends our youth seems to love so dearly, I was quite surprised to see many teenagers, adults, and even our older generations partaking in these trends. My favorite out of these trends is definitely the Meta Glasses. These glasses allow for recording via a small camera built into said glasses. I take a liking to this trend over the others because the range of videos that can be made with these glasses is endless. I, myself, have seen mukbangs, racing, gaming, and so much more all with the power of these glasses.
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Sep. 4, 2026
Don’t Miss This! 08
MS Football @ Rock Port Softball vs OSHS (V) st
09 10 11 12
Trap shoot practice-1 time shooters Softball vs Platte Valley (V, JV) School Pictures Area | Trap Shoot Falls City Maysville Softball Tournament
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Sep. 4, 2026
Cross-Country Races Against Heat to Prepare for Season By: Alyssa Rogers
Photo Credit: Mrs. Taylor Pictured: Cross Country Team finds a cat on there run.
The DeKalb Cross Country team started the year off with practices over summer break. They spent their practices going on field trips and having water balloon fights. They have been practicing in Atchison and Platte City, as well as running around the DeKalb cemetery. They were ready for their first meet on Sept. 1, with Zylar Helton running the 2-miler, but it got canceled due to the heat index being too high and will not be rescheduled. Their next meet will be on Sept. 15. At Tarkio, Zylar Helton, AJ Larabee, Thaddeus Giddens, and Ruby Farrel will all be running that day. Coach Taylor says, “Come out and watch us run; we could really use the support.”
Cross Country runners are getting practices in before school due to the heat, so watch out on the back roads. Look for the pacer car and runners in orange reflective vests.
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Sep. 4, 2026
Tigers Summer Travelogue By: Layla Griffin
p in g C am “RV er! all ov l ra Seve ivers ts, R r o s Re s .” Lake r and Bake M rs
led vel n a r o et “W ond L n m fro aris o d P an to ain gh r t the throu ." l nt nne we u h C ler the s. Mil Mr
“Got t activ o work o e d in n an osa d ig a nd fo ur bone und d in o new saur b ones M is s !” Cagl e
“The v of th iew fro m th e Gr e an of th e be d Cany outside st v o eve ni iew rh s yo s one pho ave in u you will to o r li n just ice t the inte fetime. o rnet No Cole how be d auti oes Kov ac ful i t is.”
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Sep. 4, 2026
Tigers Summer Travelogue - Continued By: Layla Griffin
Ms. Cagle
Mrs. Miller Mrs. Miller
Ms. Cagle
Mrs. Baker Mrs. Baker
Delaney Frakes
Mrs. King
Mrs. King
Delaney Frakes
Mrs. Horr
Mrs. Horr
Week in the Life