Newspaper
Editor-in-Chief
Helaina Geoffroy
Assistant
STUCO Candidates Campaign For 25-26 Officer Positions
By: Ashlynn Bowen
Editor-in-Chief
Lauren Marriott
Designer
Ashlynn Bowen
Photographers
Michaela Copeland
On Monday, May 12, aspiring Student Council officers gave speeches to the student body. This year, four sophomores ran uncontested for the top positions:
Joslynne Bailey
Reporters
Mekayla Bodyston
Boston Burdette
Carlo Gonzalez
Miley Phillips
Bella Beems
Samuel Geoffroy
Grayson Moore
Cole Kovac for President
Kyleigh Black for Vice President
Josie Long for Treasurer
Bella Beems for Secretary
The election was open from May 12th to May 15th, and these officers are ready to represent the student body next year.
Pictured: Top - Bella Beems Bottom - Kyleigh Black Pictured: Top - Josie Long Bottom - Cole Kovac
Photo Credit: Joslynne Bailey
Hayden Black
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Operator
What are you going to do now? Mechanic
Favorite Childhood Movie: Transformers
Senior Will: I leave the knowledge that Senior year is the easiest to the school
Boston Burdette
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Military Engineer
What are you going to do now? Work at Menards
Favorite Childhood Movie: Fury
Senior Will: I want to leave my obnoxious personality to Nate Bowen
Brooklyn Frakes
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? A Teacher
What are you going to do now? Still have no idea
Favorite Childhood Movie: Toy Story
Senior Will: I leave my Frakes temper to Grace and Delaney
SeniorSendoff
Helaina Geoffroy
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Doctor
What are you going to do now? Become a paramedic
Favorite Childhood Movie: Racing Stripes or Bridge to Terabithia
Senior Will: I leave my Newspaper editing skills and my laugh to Michaela Copeland
Lexi Gore
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Firefighter
What are you going to do now? Undecided
Favorite Childhood Movie: Shrek
Senior Will: I leave my ability to stay positive to the school
Tori Hawk
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Astronaut
What are you going to do now? Lawyer
Favorite Childhood Movie: Lemonade Mouth
Senior Will: I leave my ability, like no other, but always get the work done on time to Ryder
Lauren Marriott
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Veterinarian
What are you going to do now? Radiology Tech
Favorite Childhood Movie: The Princess and the Frog
Senior Will: I leave my art and writing abilities.
Samara Martin
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Cop
What are you going to do now? Hair Stylist
Favorite Childhood Movie: Bolt
Senior Will: I leave my happiness and kindness to the school.
Luke Miller
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? The Easter Bunny
What are you going to do now? Electrician
Favorite Childhood Movie: Cars
Senior Will: I leave my super fast speed to Blake and anyone else that wants some (I have plenty)
Gavin
Moore
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Actor
What are you going to do now? Engineer
Favorite Childhood Movie: Avengers
SeniorSendoff
Senior Will: I leave my brain and brawn to the school
Shyann Nowak
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? A Teacher
What are you going to do now? Ultrasound tech and Radiologist
Favorite Childhood Movie: Rapunzel
Senior Will: I leave all of our best memories, last cries, best talks, and my uttermost support to the locker room Also, I leave my heart to Josie Long
Riley Pyles
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Farmer
What are you going to do now? Electrician
Favorite Childhood Movie: Lion King
Senior Will: I leave my trapshooting skills to Landon.
Kamilyah Reardon
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Fairy
What are you going to do now? Become a teacher
Favorite Childhood Movie: Curious George
Senior Will: I leave my ability to keep a relationship with someone from the same school to Camry and Kyle
Jacob Vogan
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Dog Food Taster
What are you going to do now? Be an electrician
Favorite Childhood Movie: Cars
Senior Will:
Anna Sampson
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Doctor
What are you going to do now? Ultrasound tech
Favorite Childhood Movie: Hop
Senior Will: I want to leave the ability that anything is possible
Tricia Simpson
What did you want to be in Kindergarten? Dancer
What are you going to do now? Pediatric Nurse
Favorite Childhood Movie: Beauty and the Beast
Senior Will: To Ms Cagle, I leave the memory of our everyday “Did you see this?” conversations.
SeniorSendoff
What to Read
By: Carlo Gonzalez
What to Play
By: Boston Burdette
These days have been really warm, don’t you think? They got me to think that the summer is almost here, so I thought, what if I read a book about summer adventures, and I found this incredible book
Paper Towns by John Green follows Quentin, a teenager who, after a thrilling night of pranks with his mysterious neighbor, Margo, wakes up to find she’s disappeared.. Determined to find her, he follows a series of cryptic clues, embarking on a road trip that challenges his perceptions of love, friendship, and identity.
It’s a mix of emotions and mystery. This book was published by Dutton Books on October 16, 2008. There is a movie about the book directed by Jake Schreier, which was released on July 24, 2015.
Have you ever wanted to be more, to prove yourself on the battlefield? Now is your time to join your teammates
Take control of six different giant robots and defend your team to the point that your robots break Don’t like how your robot looks?
Customize it to your liking and show them who you are while you break them down to their wires and frame. Then unleash the Titan and lay waste to the enemy team, steal their health, fire missiles, and orbital lasers.
On November 24, 2022, War Robots was released on Steam, then became an exclusive on PlayStation, and has over 300 million players and is rated 5 stars.
Photo Credit: Books of Wonder
Photo Credit: Steam com
High School Track Students Advance To Sectionals
By: Joslynne Bailey
High School Track had their Districts competition on Saturday, May 10th at Higginsville. Seven athletes are moving on to Sectionals on Saturday, May 17th, at Mound City.
The girls who will be going are Junior Ava Donaldson in the 100m dash, Junior Ceci Sherlock in the 300-meter hurdles, Freshman Alivia Hall in the 800-meter run, Junior Grace Downing in Javelin, and the Girls Relay Teams for 4 by 1 and 4 by 2 with Senior Anna Sampson, Juniors Kenzie Pflugradt and Ava Donaldson, and Freshman Alivia Hall. “I hope to get top 4 to go to State and have fun,” says Alivia.
For the guys, it’s Junior Blake Norton, and he is going for the 400 and 800-meter runs. Blake hopes “ I that I can go to state for the 400 and 800 and get a good time at sectionals.”
Pictured: Junior Blake Norton
Pictured: Junior Ceci Sherlock
Pictured: Freshman Alivia Hall
Pictured: Junior Ava Donaldson
Pictured: Kenzie Plfugradt, Anna Sampson, Alivia Hall and Ava Donaldson
Pictured: Junior Grace Downing
Baseball Boys Ready for Districts
By: Miley Phillips
The High School Baseball Team traveled to King City on Friday, May 9, and to North Andrew on May 12. They lost both after playing hardfought games. The score of the first game was 1-13, while the second game was 5-9.
The boys have worked very hard this season, starting practices in March and playing through May. Junior Carlo Ganzalez said his favorite part of Baseball this year was “The team spirit, that we won against Stewartsville, and the energy of the team.”
Lady Tigers Try Out for 2025-2026 Cheer Season
By: Miley Phillips
They are going into the first round of Districts on Friday, May 16, where they will face off against Stewartsville.
This week, DeKalb held the annual try-outs for the 2025-2026 middle and high school Cheer squads. There were 11 high school and 9 middle school girls that wanted to try-out this year.
Ten were selected for the high school team, including Miley Phillips, Presli Punzo, Ava Donaldson, Klhoe Pflugradt, Faith Williams, Josie Long, Shaylee Phillips, Syra Servaes, Lilly Wagner, and Brinkley Frakes.
The middle school team selected eight girls, including Ashtynn, Elliott, Khloe, Zoie, Khloee, Makenna, Emmie, and Avalee.
This week they had practices three days early in the morning before school. They are excited to start a new season with positive and cheerful attitudes All the girls that participated in the try-outs this year put in a lot of effort and all did great.
These girls are ready to take on the responsibility of being good role models, great leaders, and uplifting spirits during sports events.
Photo Credit: Tiger Booster Club
Photo Credit: Miley Phillips
Seniors Inspired to Decorate Caps
By: Lauren Marriott
Inspired by “Pinterest and the thought of my passed loved ones.”
HelainaGeoffroy
Inspired by “Teaching.”
Inspired by “Taylor Swift lyrics because she is my favorite artist But, I chose lyrics from a song that I love, so it means a lot to me ”
Inspired by “The reminder of all the times it was tough.”
SamaraMartin KamReardon
LaurenMarriott
Faculty Wins Annual Volleyball Face-Off Against Seniors
By: Grayson Moore
Photo Credits: Bella Beems
On Friday, May 9th, the whole school had a volleyball tournament. The first game was the Juniors against the Freshmen and was won by the Juniors. The second game was between the Sophomores and the Seniors, and was won by the Seniors. The third game was between the Juniors and the Seniors, and was won by the seniors.
The fourth and final game, always the most-awaited, was between the Seniors and the staff, and the staff won by one point. However, that point was won in overtime, and all of the Baseball boys had ot leave prior to that final play
Senior Gavin Moore says “It should have been a tie, the game was literally over when they scored their last point.” Spanish teacher Mrs. Scharff has a more positive outlook: “I was very proud of the staff because I knew we were going to win the whole time, and I had to prove to the Seniors that we were better than them.”
Dekalb Seniors Attend Annual Baccalaureate Ceremony
By: Samuel Geoffroy
On Wednesday, May 14, the annual Baccalaureate ceremony took place at Sugar Creek Christian Church. Baccalaureate is a formal service in which Seniors and their families attend church, and area pastors speak about the Seniors and express their belief that everyone will go far in life. Then, they show some pictures of the Senior class. After that, everyone enjoys cake and converses with one another
The pastor of the church, Keith Hoover, was happy to let us come and celebrate the graduation of theSsenior class Keith enjoyed the Baccalaureate and thought it went great; most of the Seniors and their parents were there He added, “I hope the seniors will take this service to heart and get to know God”
Senior Samara Martin enjoyed the Baccalaureate: “I enjoyed all the seniors receiving our own Bibles, with our names engraved These traditions like th and to push us to be great adults”
Photo Credit: Samuel Geoffroy
On Tuesday, May 13th, the Senior class went on their annualSenior trip, knowing that once everyone graduates, this exact group of young adults will never be in the same space as high schoolers again
They decided to pick fun things to do for their Senior trip, including Top Golf, Jaegers, and lunch at Raising Cane’s
Mrs. Hansbrough, the Senior class sponsor and High School Math teacher, says, “It was a great time. we played golf, which I think is boring, but the kids loved it. We played laser tag and went to Bass Pro, then we went to Jaegers to paintball. It was nice going out with the Senior class on a trip that wasn’t Math-related.”
Senior Helaina Geoffroy says, “Though I don’t like golfing, I enjoyed spending time with everyone outside of the classroom. I know we all had fun and liked acting like kids again while playing laser tag and shooting paintballs at each other. Also, paintballs really do hurt, they don't feel like a towel whip.”
Congrats to the Senior Class of 2025!
What to Watch
By: Bella Beems
Do you know what the happiest animal is? A goldfish. Do you know why? Because goldfish have a 3-second memory. “Be a goldfish, Sam. Be a goldfish.” -Ted Lasso. This is a myth, of course, goldfish have a long memory, lasting up to months on end, but it has a good meaning, and it was one of the first lessons I learned from Ted Lasso
This Apple original TV show follows one of the world’s most optimistic people ever, an American football coach named Ted Lasso, when he is hired in England to coach a soccer team, AFC Richmond. Ted is hired by the recently divorced owner of AFC Richmond, planning to destroy her ex-husband’s famed and precious soccer team reputation.
What to Listen to
By: Ashlynn Bowen
If you’re looking for something to listen to that also comes with something to watch, then I recommend the songs from the movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Even though Ted Lasso is a football coach, he faces this challenge with a bright smile on his face and nothing but positivity to spread. I think that this show can teach a lot about positivity and its effects it can have on the people around you.
Ted Lasso has 3 seasons so far, available on Apple TV and Prime Video, and has a 4th season on the way, coming out sometime in 2026. This show has made an impact on me and I hope, if you listen to my advice when I say to watch this show, it will have an impact on you too.
This movie came out on November 17, 2023, as a prequel to the rest of The Hunger Games movies. One of the main actors, Rachel Zegler, sings many songs in her role.
She has a very good voice and sings the songs herself. Some of my favorite songs of hers are “The Old Therebefore,” “Can’t Catch Me Now,” and “The Hanging Tree.”
I like these songs specifically because of how catchy the lyrics are and how emotional her voice is. You can watch it on Hulu with a premium subscription.
Photo Credit: ABC News
Photo Credit: Wikipedia com
Tiger Look-Alike:
Miles Funk V.S. Linguini from Ratatouille
Dear DeKalb,
Four years ago, I took newspaper because it seemed interesting and I needed another class to complete my schedule. Now, I’ m a senior, and I'm days away from graduation. I spent the last 4 years staying after school or working on the newspaper in my other classes, just to make sure the paper got published.
One of my greatest accomplishments has been watching this paper grow. In my freshman year, we started with 4 students, then in 2nd semester we gained 1 more. Since the class was just starting up, we had no idea what we were doing. But, we ended up with 18 Issues for the 2021 to 2022 school year
In my Sophomore year, the class remained at 5. But we were able to publish 18 issues for the 2022 to 2023 school year. During my junior year, 2023 to 2024, we published 23 Issues, and the class grew to have 14 people. And of course, this year, my senior year, we are going to be able to publish 35 issues, and only 12 students made that happen.
I like that you can see that the paper has grown and accomplished a lot Though many people have come and gone through the newspaper, I was the only senior to stick with it all four years of high school. I’ m happy to know that the next editor-in-chief will keep it up and running and in good hands
Not only have I worked on the paper for 4 years, but I’ ve also built friendships with people. I will miss my daily gossip time with Mrs. Miller, or us bonding over Taylor Swift. I’ll miss the chaotic publishing days when Bella and MC are acting crazy. I’ll miss when the classroom was silent, and all you could hear was typing. I’ m just joking, that never happened.
It makes me sad to say this, but thank you for taking the time to enjoy our newspaper Thanks to everyone who shared it on Facebook and let other people know what was going on in our school. Thank you to everyone who has taken Newspaper and helped it grow. Please continue to share your feedback and help make the paper grow Next year's new Editor-In-Chief will be Michaela Copeland. Good Luck, Michaela!
But, most of all, thank you to Mrs. Miller for pushing us along. And showing us that we can do anything, well, with the occasional help. I will miss staying after school, a majority of Fridays, just to make sure the paper was done and ready to be published.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
by Mrs. Powell
S E N I O R S ’ L A S T S C H O O L W E E K I N T H E L I F E 5 / 1 2 / 2 55 / 1 6 / 2 5
