The Black and Gold Volume 3: Issue 12 March 1 2024

Editorial Staff

Abigail Miller Managing Editor

Helaina

Marshall Jones Digital Media Editor

R.M. Mudland Assistant Editor-In-Chief

Reporters

Boston Burdette

Maggie Hall

Emma Pitts

Shaylynn Coffelt

Ashlee Derry

Kaylee Grable

A Last in Skating

By: Abigail Miller

Over this past weekend, I skated for the last time in one of the most important competitions for the St. Joseph Figure Skating Club

Out of all the smaller competitions, Winterfest is probably the most important. Winterfest is the competition that the Omaha club puts together every year on the last weekend in February In this competition, some girls can score points high enough to qualify for Nationals, possibly earn scholarships, and even catch the eye of a college skating team.

I have been skating since 5th grade Over the years, I have been working on my skills, and I have been given the opportunity to experience a multitude of competitions as well as make some of the best friendships I will have forever.

Digital Media Team

Nat Griffin

Shelby Pinaire

Brayden Bowen Assistant

Nathan Lance

Sadly, due to my plans and career aspirations, continuing skating at a competitive level isn't the best option for me, so this was sadly my last time skating in the Omaha Winterfest. I have one last big event coming up in May The club is doing Beauty and the Beast for our Spring show, and we seniors will have our Senior Night on May 4th.

I strongly encourage all of the younger students to make the most out of activities/sports that they choose to participate in during school It doesn't seem like it now, but these activities make a major impact on who you are as a person, and in the long run, they end up teaching you so much. Even when it gets hard, remember that if you truly put in the effort and try to enjoy it, it will be one of the best things you do in your life

Pictured: Abigail Miller

Photo Credit: Dan Hedden

Meet Your Courtwarming Queen and King

By: Maggie Hall

Allison Bramble

How do you feel bout winning?

I didn’t know I was going to win, but winning Queen makes me feel very happy and loved by everyone at school!

What were you thinking when you heard your name?

I was very surprised and excited.

Did you think you were going to win?

I didn’t know I was going to win, but I knew whoever won deserved it.

What was your favorite memory from school?

Getting to know the underclassmen and making new friends.

Carl Ranada

How do you feel bout winning? Good, I knew it was coming.

What were you thinking when you heard your name?

I already knew.

Did you think you were going to win? Yes, It’s too easy.

What was your favorite memory from school?

Playing basketball!

Cheer Clinic What to Play

By: Maggie Hall

This year's cheer clinic was run by Cheer Sponsor Mrs. Black and the high school Cheer team. The cheer clinic participants practiced for 3 hours on Sunday, February 4th, and they performed on Tuesday, February 6th, during halftime of the Varsity Boys Basketball Game.

Mrs. Black says that 33 kids participated in the cheer clinic this year. Her favorite part of it was “seeing the kids’ excitement and being able to teach them things they had never done before.”

Black says the hardest part was the time frame because they had to teach the kids the performance dance, while also teaching them how to stunt, cheer, and jump. Mrs. Black says things have to move quickly so that the kids are engaged throughout the clinic.

Mrs Black also says “I want to thank my high school cheerleaders, who put their time and energy into this event and clinic.”

By: Boston Burdette

Helldivers crushes Grand Theft

Auto by a mile. It's my new No. 1 PS4 game because you can have multiple people playing with you and travel to infinite unknown planets to face dangerous and strong threats.

It’s so fun, and it rivals GTA because you fight for democracy rather than organized crime. It can be rage-inducing on the harder levels where you have to fight alien robots and giant space bugs.

A lot of people, including me, give the game five stars and remember “For Democracy.”

Photo Credit: Reddit

Pictured: Cheer Clinic

Photo Credit: Mrs Black

The Boys’ Last Ride

By: R.M. Mydland

Last week, the boys played the last game of the ‘23-’24 season, playing North Andrew in a hard-fought game The game started strong, but the boys were too exhausted, and soon fell to a large deficit With a large deficit looming, the boys still scored some near the end of the game, but they were unable to prevail, losing in the end

For some, it was just another District game, but for the Senior boys and their parents, it was the end of the road. After years of playing basketball at De Kalb, the boys walked off the court in a De Kalb uniform for the last time, with many tears shed, and many memories.

Senior Rawley Mydland, had this to say about his last basketball game as a De Kalb Tiger: “I didn’t walk into basketball thinking I was going to be the best, but through the help of my coaches and teammates through the years, I can leave the game knowing that I gave it my all, and I can’t wait to watch the younger guys progress throughout the years ”

Junior Gavin Moore, said “While the game could’ve gone better, it was kind of sad knowing it was my last time playing with some of the Seniors I’m gonna miss guys like Rawley and Carl, whom I’ve grown close to over the years. As for me, I hope I can help the team more next year and improve myself to be a better leader.”

While it may be the last Districts of some players' careers, others are just getting started, and remember: It’s never goodbye, it’s until next time.

Pictured: Boys Basketball Seniors

Photo Credit: Shannin Lynn Mydland

A Road Comes to an End

By: Ashlee Derry

The Lady Tigers went off to Districts on Monday, February 19th, to face the very tough North Andrew Lady Cardinals team. The Tigers fought hard against the Cardinals and it was a very close game, most of the time. They fought for every possible bucket that they could get in the paint, but sadly fell short to the Lady Cardinals. Despite falling short, the Tigers kept their heads held high and cherished every last moment of the season together.

This season did not end how the Tigers wanted it to, but they have enjoyed every moment that they have had with each other throughout the season “I'm going to miss it because we all had a good bond this year, and we were all super close,” said Senior Allison Bramble.

Despite not having the end to the season they all wanted, the Tigers have had an extraordinary season and have fought hard against any team that they have played “I thought we did well and got better, especially with having a new coach and new roles this year I hope we build off this year for next year and improve every day and do better in Districts,” said Coach Rumpf.

With all of the Seniors leaving this year, the younger girls are going to have to step up and play to their full potential. Rumpf stated, “We are going to be younger next year since we had no Juniors, so the next few years are going to be fun ”

Track Team Prepares for Season

By: Kaylee Jo

Baseball Season Has Officially Started

By: Maggie Hall

Baseball season is officially here. This year, 15 boys are going out, which is a pretty big step up from last year.

Track has had a great kick-off to its 2024 season. Practice has already begun and these runners and throwers are off to a great start. Their first meet will be on March 21st at Mid Buchanan.

With some talented runners graduating last year, there are many new people that are having to step up “I am excited to see people step into new roles,” said Senior Harlie Hall. Hall can't wait to see what the season might bring and to improve as the season kicks off. She hopes to run the 4x2 and the 400m. We wish her luck during her competitions.

Coach Roberts and Coach Rumpf both have high hopes for a great season Roberts had one final message for his team: “GO Tigers”!

Coach Aaron Matthews is the says he has noticed that “attitudes have been high so far, and the energy is there ” He added that “the goal is to get better every day and to compete in every game we can and, hopefully, by the end of the year, we are a better team than what we started ”

Players are looking forward to a strong season. Freshman Cooper Wachtel says that he’s most excited about winning this year and that he hopes to pitch or play 3rd base.

Sophomore Kyle Funk says that his goal is to hit the ball far and make this a better season.

Senior Rawley Mydland says that “practices are good. There are a lot of younger guys who have a lot of potential, and it will be exciting to watch how they progress throughout the year.”

Pictured: Harlie Hall

Photo Credit: Kaylee Jo

Pictured: Rawley Mydland and Kyle Funk

Photo Credit: Abigail Miller

NHS Aids Community A Familiar Face Returns

By: Shay Coffelt

NHS is the National Honor Society. The NHS Sponsor is Mrs. Punzo, and this year’s members include Juniors Shyann Novack and Gavin Moore, and Seniors Rachel Reagan and Kalyn Hartman.

NHS members stay busy helping out in the community. They have been to a thrift store in Atchison and helped sort inventory and clean. They also went to Pivotal Point in St. Joseph, another thrift store that helps those in need, where they helped sort items.

NHS also went to Rushville Elementary School and tutored students who needed help there. On another mission, they went to the Pregnancy Resource Center and helped get items for moms who didn't have a lot for their newborns.

NHS next plans to tutor more students at a private school in St. Joseph in March.

By: Boston Burdette

After two of our Newspaper staff moved away, we finally gained another staff member. Freshman Kaylee Grable came back to De Kalb last week. At the end of last year, Kaylee transferred to Benton High School.

Kaylee’s favorite thing about Dekalb is Officer Jo because “She’s easy to talk to.” Kaylee’s favorite class is Newspaper because “I can be creative in my work and do things in my own way.” Kaylee also enjoys softball.

We're glad Kaylee is back, and we are super excited to have her finish out the year with us as a reporter on our staff.

Photo Credit: Kaylee Grable

Photo Credit: Cali Punzo

High School Scholar Bowl Season Begins

By: Shay Coffelt

On Thursday, February 29th the High school Scholar Bowl team had their first meet here at home. They went up against Jefferson and Fairfax, losing 100-110 to Fairfax and winning 230-160 to Jefferson.

This year's High School Scholar Bowl Coach is high school English teacher, Mrs. Miller. “I’m very excited to be the Scholar Bowl coach for high school and excited to see how the team does It has been difficult to get practices in since there's was so much going on with weather and Courtwarming,” says Mrs. Miller.

The team includes Seniors Jayden Schneider and Rawley Mydland; Juniors Gavin Moore, Helaina Geoffroy, and Mekayla Boydston; and Sophomores Grayson Moore and Miley Phillips. “I'm going to try my hardest this year. I'm going to try to help the younger kids out,” says Senior Rawley Mydland

The Scholar Bowl team’s next meet is on Tuesday, March 5th, at Nodaway Holt, where they will face-off against the home team as well as Tarkio and Rock Port.

Pictured: The High School ScholarBowl Team

Photo Credit: Grace Downing

FFA Celebrates Ag Week

By: Emma Pitts

National FFA Week started February 20th through 23rd. On Wednesday, they did donuts at the Ag building in the morning before school. Thursday they went to the Ag building during lunch and they had a cookout. On Friday, the whole FFA kids went to the Shatto Dairy Farm in Osborn, Missouri. For students to be able to attend this field trip, students had to bring 10 cans of food for the blessing boxes located by the post office in Rushville and by the town square of DeKalb.

Each year Mr. Medsker tries to do something good for the community. Each school does something different. Freshman Maggie Hall said, “The dog there was cute and the field trip was fun.” Schools have celebrated National FFA Week for a long time. Schools try to do something different every year for their FFA students Chapters all across the United States celebrate FFA week. It's also on Washington's birthday.

FFA Contests are Coming Up Soon!

By: Emma Pitts

FFA Knowledge teams do contests each year. and right now, they are preparing for upcoming contest, some of which start next week.

The 5 contest knowledge teams include Meats, Floriculture, Nursery/Landscape, FFA Knowledge, Entomology, and Contest Speakers They are preparing for these contests by reviewing everything they have learned so far

The contests are technically career development events The first contest is on March 1st at Brunswick for the Nursery/Landscape team They learn about a career in that field, and it's an event where you can compete with your friends Freshman Michael Pitts says, “I think we are going to do good because we have been studying a lot.”

The teams started practicing in January and they practice during class time and then start going to contests in March. In April, they go to District competition and potentially on to State.

What

to Watch

By: Ashlee Derry

Recently, I came across a TV show called The 100. In this show, the Earth has not been livable for about a century because of a nuclear apocalypse.

The Ark, a spaceship that holds what is known to be what is left of the human species, is running out of oxygen, so they decided to send 100 juvenile delinquents down to the Earth to find out if it is livable again

After landing and finally knowing that the Earth is finally liveable the group is ecstatic and starts to set up camp and realize their communication to the ark is cut off because it was damaged from the impact of the landing.

Things start to take a major turn with a group out on a hunt getting attacked by a group of people. Who are these people? Will all of the 100 survive? Can they get in contact with the ark?

I guess you'll just have to watch it and find out.

Photo Credit: Entertainmentweekly com

Pictured: Camry Hanshaw, Michael Pitts, and Kelsey Chatman

Photo Credit: Shelby Pinaire

What to Read

By: Shelby Pinaire

“50 years later and the book still touches your heart.” - Mrs. T

If you had Mrs. Taylor for your middle school English class, you had the privilege of reading The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. Even though it's not a long novel, it still has a lot of heart. The story has impacted a lot of people and even now, I will always say the story takes you on an emotional, breathtaking journey with amazing characters. The best parts are the characters, and the author leaves you rooting for their happiness. S.E. Hinton started writing her story at 15 years old and finished it around the age of 16. When she published it, she went under her initials because she was afraid of gender bias.

The story takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the 1960s and centers around three older brothers who recently lost their parents. The oldest brother Daryl “Darry” Curtis has taken on the responsibility of his two younger brothers, Sodapop and Ponyboy Curtis (yes, those are their real names). The story shows them going through their struggles with living on their own.

What is also important to note is that Ponyboy and his friends are “Greasers,” and the antagonists are called “Socs.” In the novel the main characters are all Greasers, they are less fortunate and they are seen as scum by the Rich kids who are known as the Socs. The story shows how the two groups of people treat each other, it's sad and leaves you hating the Socs. It makes the Rumble at the end of the book so much more satisfying.

One of the strongest elements of the story is the characters and one of my favorite parts in the story is how Hinton describes and writes the Greasers; she makes you care about them. Johnny Cade and Dallas “Dally” Winston are strong examples when it comes to the characters. Even though Dally isn’t exactly the best person, you still can't help but care about him. Johnny is another one; he has it bad in the story. I think one of the greatest things about this character is no matter how badly the world hurts him, he's still a kind and gentle person.

Then there are the characters that make you laugh. Keith “Two-bit” Mathews and Steve Randel aren't in the book as much as the others, but they are important and you can't help but love them. The novel takes you through an emotional roller coaster even though it's a fast read. The story keeps you intrigued till its very tragic ending. This was the first book I read when I entered Dekalb and to this day it's still my favorite book.

Photo Credits: Pinterest com

Cagle Publishes New Novel

By: Brayden Bowen

What to Listen To

By: Marshall Jones

Lone Soul is set in a dystopian urban fantasy world where people are born with elemental powers and are placed in society based on their power and skill level

Our main character, Talihah Mefor is given a low number and assigned to be a science teacher When children begin to go missing and are found murdered, our other main character, Daniel Rosson, a police officer, must refocus his search from finding his parents to finding a murderer

Lone Soul explores themes of mental health, societal labeling, and the fears of acceptance or rejection. “I wanted my book to show that despite your upbringing and how society labels you, you can succeed and be more than others make you to be.”

Now the only question is, when is her next book coming out, and how many of you will be reading it?

For this edition of What to Listen To, I'm focusing on a music genre instead of a specific song. The music genre I’m recommending is called Alternative Metal, so called because it takes influences from other genres and incorporates them into the music

Alternative metal began around the 1980s as a reaction to Hair Metal. There is a very wide range of artists in this category, which includes bands like Korn, Slipknot, Three Days Grace, Avenged Sevenfold, Bring Me the Horizon, and many more

The reason I like this genre is because of its unique incorporation of different genres. I also enjoy the different messages people can relate to and the stories some of the music tells. I enjoy this genre ,and I hope you will, too.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Cristen Cagle, our Communication Arts teacher and Yearbook supervisor has a new book, Lone Soul, hitting shelves on March 5th

Photo Credit: Mrs Cagle

Feb. 21 2024