A BERLIN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT OPEN FORUM SINCE 1924
The
Red ‘n’ Green
222 Memorial Drive Berlin, WI 54923
VOLUME 48, ISSUE 8
Newsbriefs Students selected for local government trip
Nine seniors learned about local government at Student Government day held at the Green Lake Courthouse on Tuesday, April 19. “We chose students who we thought would want to learn more about the government,” history teacher Jennifer Leahy said. The students were split up and assigned to different departments to learn about them. They also attended a county board meeting, had lunch, listened to a speaker and took a tour of the courthouse. “The students got to learn ways that they can influence their local government,” Leahy said.
Human Spirit class brings out pass project
Every trimester the Human Spirit class has to see what it is like to be second class citizens. Through the passcard system, the students experience what the African people had to deal with during apartheid. The students must carry around a pass with their name and picture on it at all times or they get points deducted from their grade. “I realize how hard it is to carry them around all the time,” junior Paulina Piper said. “I feel for them now.”
-Greenhouse pg. 3
-Juniors try new sports pg. 7
Zero tolerance policy takes effect at Riverside by
Emily Schmidt
Due to the recent concerns and complaints from Riverside residents, students are now subject to a zero tolerance policy throughout Riverside Park. There have been complaints of reckless driving, noise, littering, loud exhaust, squealing tires, speeding, skateboarding, fights, vandalism and drug use. “Two years ago the problems started at the Berlin Locks and have continued into the Riverside Park,” Officer Brad Kurczek said. On the morning of April 1, the students of BHS listened to an announcement from the Berlin Police Department warning the students of the seriousness of the police patrol at Riverside before, during and after school hours. “I don’t think the annoucement did much,” senior Austin Haedt said. “It’s all pointless drama and it is taking time out of the officer’s day, too.” Chief of Police Dennis Plantz has directed a zero tolerance policy meaning that there are no warnings handed out for misbehavior. “I have never gotten a ticket down at Riverside,” junior John Hammond-Featherston said. “Cops have come up to a group of friends and me while we were parked down there to ask what we were up to, but that’s about it.” Kurczek himself has had numerous contacts with individuals at Riverside Park, saying that most have been positive encounters.
Officer Brad Kurczek explains with BHS students and alumni (L-R) John Hammond-Featherston, Joseph Dobyns, Steven Warwick, Jordan Gies and Austin Haedt, the laws and restrictions of behavior down at Riverside Park. Photo: E. Schmidt “I believe if a group of individuals take a stand on this unacceptable behavior by working with law enforcement, we could resolve these issues in a team effort,” Kurczek said. Although tickets have been issued the Berlin Police Department still does not know “who” the main disturbance or problem is at Riverside. “It is not just high school students that are the problem, but we still get blamed,” Haedt said. Kurczek said that it takes one person misbehaving that then draws
Caley Huggins
As the students and teachers were heading to class the morning of Wednesday, April 6, half of the school suddenly went dark. “We did not know the cause right away so we called electrician Al Schmude to see if he knew how to fix it,” tech and engineering teacher Paul O’Kon said. What happened that morning was a large surge of energy hit the main circuit breaker. Though it shut off and the generator came on like it should have, there was too big of a current load which created a short in one of the wall switches. The switch melted immediately. “That is when the bottom half of the school went out. We were able to smell it, and that is how we knew,” custodian Jeremie Schmidt said. The school carries 277 volts throughout the entire building, including every outlet, switch, etc.
Issue
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016
Large power surge hits BHS by
in This
the attention toward individuals that are properly using the park. “The people who park down there do not do anything wrong,” Hammond-Featherston said. “It’s others that drive by obnoxiously that get us called in when we didn’t do anything.” The sooner that the issues are resolved, the less serious the future punishments will become. “I do not want to see changes made to city ordinance in regards to park hours or if minors have to be accompanied by a parent guardian after certain hours,” Kur-
Well-prepared seniors win Trivia Night, break record by
The power surge caused the melted switch which could be smelled from the main hallway downstairs. This is a normal switch (left) compared to the melted switch (right). Photo: C. Huggins By comparison, the average home carries anywhere between 110 to 120 volts. According to Schmidt, even when the power is out, outlets can carry a residual charge. This is not the first time something like this occurred. A power surge like this has happened a
couple times in the area before so Schmude knew to remove the melted switch. “Once we narrowed it down to what actually happened, it was an easy fix,” Schmude said. “It is uncommon to happen and unlikely to happen again any time soon.”
czek said. With this misbehavior constantly worsening for two years, the Berlin Police Department have more squad cars patroling the park before school, after school and during lunch hour. The issue has intensified with articles in the Berlin Journal this past month and with at least one citizen addressing the complaints with the Common Council. “I still go down to Riverside” Hammond-Featherston said. “It doesn’t make me not want to sit down there.”
Emily Beltran
Soda, books, coffee and very little sleep are a few of the things that led the team Periodic Table to be 2016 Trivia Night champions. On April 2, at approximately 8 a.m. it was announced that the senior team consisting of Mattea Arndt, Connor Heinz, Alaina Labbus, Kailee Betler and Alesha Guenther won Trivia Night with 1,860 points. Not only did they win, but they also broke the record of 1,560 points from last year. Periodic Table had a record point total of 12.8 points per question. “Our strategy for Trivia Night was to stay up all night, prepare ahead of time and bring resources,” Labbus said. Other than a few 20-minute cat naps by Labbus and Betler, the team was wide awake and answered every question possible. “We drank a lot of coffee and
soda and ate a lot of sugar to stay awake,” Betler said. Besides snacks for survival, many teammates brought other resources. “Alesha brought a suitcase and a plastic tub of books and 50 sheets of paper with random facts on things like current events, music and entertainment,” Betler said. Periodic Table proved to be stronger than the rest of the teams with a secret weapon no one else had, that weapon being Guenther. “She was the best on our team by far,” Labbus said. “She is like a walking encyclopedia, especially in history and current events.” In the wee hours of the morning, when the sugar and caffeine began to wear off, the team remained tough and endured through the exhaustion beating the Flying Monkey Space Invaders by just 115 points. “I hope Mr. Knoke can continue Trivia Night. It is always a great, fun time,” Labbus said.