A BERLIN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT OPEN FORUM SINCE 1924
in This
Red‘n’Green
The
Issue
VOLUME 44, ISSUE 3
• Boys Basketball • Artist Series • Occupy Wall Street
NOVEMBER 30, 2011
Curtis returns after serious accident by
Amberlee Perry
After two weeks in the hospital and a week and a half recovering at home, senior Matt Curtis returned to school on Nov. 9. On Oct. 12, his car collided head on with another vehicle on Highway 23 at 60 mph both ways. Both vehicles were totaled and both drivers were trapped inside with serious injuries. “My car looked like one of those metal sculptures,” Curtis said. “Except it looked like someone had stomped on it until it was completely crushed.” Both individuals required extraction from their vehicles and helicopter emergency transport. “The firemen had to cut out the metal frame between the passenger and rear passenger door and pull me out of the rear passenger window,” Curtis said. Curtis has no memory of the accident, or of the moments leading up to or after it. “My memory cuts off driving past the Berlin Feed Mill, going up that first hill, and then it picks up after I arrive at the hospital,” Curtis
Photo Submitted
Curtis spent two weeks recovering in the Almost one month later and 15 pounds hospital before he was sent home, where he lighter, Curtis returned to school and life spent another week and a half. started to become normal again. said. “After that, I kept blacking out and I can only remember random times when people were visiting me.” Curtis suffered many major injuries, including a broken jaw, a broken shoulder, a broken wrist, a broken femur, a broken tailless bone (ankle) and a broken tibia. Other minor injuries included bruises and tiny cuts.
Berlin Community Blood Drive one of many,
Key Club to sponsor blood driv e by
Photo: A. Perry
Anna Gravunder
The Berlin Community Blood Drive was on Nov. 22 at Grace Lutheran Church from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Community Blood Center holds nearly 125 blood drives each month, partnering with local schools, churches and businesses. According to Communityblood.org, the Community Blood Center has worked with blood donors since 1955 to provide a steady blood supply for 18 hospitals in Wisconsin and Michigan. This includes the local hospitals in Berlin, Ripon, Oshkosh, Neenah and Appleton. To keep the blood supply consistent, the Community Blood Center requires a full range of blood components such as red blood cells, platelets and plasma. Last year, volunteer donors gave more than 50,000 blood donations with the Community Blood Center Communityblood.org stated. Junior Emma Hargrave was a first time donor last year. “I was nervous about the needles, but I got over it,” Hargrave said. “I donated blood because of the high demand.”
Curtis underwent multiple surgeries during his hospitalization. The surgeons cut open Curtis’ knee and moved his kneecap to the side so a metal pole could be placed in his leg for support. They also put a metal rod in his ankle to hold it in position. In the end, Curtis’ skin was stapled together at the ankle, knee and thigh. The final surgery was wiring his jaw shut.
Students who give blood do not go unnoticed. There is a program called the Student “Gallon Grad” Program. Through this program, the Community Blood Center recognizes the students who have donated blood eight times before graduation. The students are given a graduation cord, a certificate and special recognition as a graduating high school senior. The Key Club will host their annual blood drive on Dec. 16. “I have been the advisor for six years and we have sponsored a blood drive every year,” Key Club Advisor Sarah Gietzel said. “I am sure it has been going on even longer than that.” The Key Club organizes the blood drive before the holidays for a special reason. “The Key Club hosts the blood drive before the holidays so people can give the gift of life,” Gietzel said. The blood drive was very successful last year, andKey Club members are hoping for a similar turnout this year. “At the blood drive last year, 38 good units of blood were collected and there were 30 first time donors,” Gietzel said. The Key Club blood drive is also through the Community Blood Center. To prepare for the blood drive, the Key Club will hold an informational meeting on Dec. 1 during Primetime in the LMC. Ruth Welhouse, the Blood Drive Recruitment Specialist, will lead the meeting. The meeting is for first time donors or others who need information on the blood drive. Students who attend this meeting will be the first to sign the appointment sheet, and permission forms will also be handed out. “The informational meeting is a great way for students to learn about giving blood, and to ask questions such as what to eat and drink beforehand and how it may affect sports,” Gietzel said. The Student Council will sponsor a blood drive in the spring.
All of his injuries will heal, but Curtis will never regain full motion of his left ankle. “The doctors have to fuse my ankle because the tailless bone was destroyed,” Curtis said. “They will put screws in my ankle and weld it together, so I’ll never be able to rotate it again.” After nearly a month at home, Curtis was relieved to finally return
to school. “Coming back to school was really nice. It was good to get out of the house; being at home all the time with my parents got a little interesting after a while,” Curtis said. “Being able to come back and do something normal again was awesome.” The one thing that Curtis has struggled with most is not being able to eat real food. “All of my food has to be put in a blender, so food doesn’t even taste like food anymore,” Curtis said. “I’ve lost 15 pounds since the accident.” Curtis’ recovery is going smoothly and more quickly than expected. “Everything is going really well, actually,” Curtis said. “My injuries are healing faster than most of the doctors expected.” The accident also left Curtis with some legal issues. He was given a ticket for operating left of center. The amount is to be determined at an unset court date. He is also liable for the injuries of the driver and the damages of the vehicle he collided with, and for the damages to a third vehicle that drove through debris from the crash.
Newsbriefs
Student Council sponsors Turkey Trot
The Turkey Trot run/walk was held on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24. The race began and ended at Nathan Strong Park. It was sponsored by the Berlin High School Student Council. The first 100 people that registered received a free hat. There was also a bake sale and free hot apple cider. “The race started at 9 a.m., but registration began at 8:30 a.m.,” Student Council advisor Ann Ragus said. “There was also no fee to race.”
Benefit helps Hostak family
Another benefit was held for Isaiah Hostak and family on Nov. 5 at City Inn. The benefit included kids’ games, live auctions, raffle prizes and live music. In the past few months, they have raised $101,000. “The benefit went amazingly well,” Public Relations coordinator Tod Huggins said. “We had Boogie and the YoYoz play in front of about 300 or 400 people and the games were busy all day.”
Theater class performs self-written show
The Intro to Theater class, taught by Angela Femali, performed in “M-M-Murder”, a murder mystery, on Nov. 21. “The Intro to Theater class is required to do a show and put what they have learned into action,” Femali said. “They chose to perform a murder mystery play, which they wrote.”
Effort to recall governor started
The recall effort for WI Governor Scott Walker began on Nov. 15. “Organizers have to gather 540,208 valid signatures in 60 days to force a recall election against Walker,” Recallscottwalker.com stated.
Mascot Update The community group has taken legal action against the mascot ruling, which they thought to be an unfair decision based on legal process and procedure. As of now, the papers are sit-
ting on Judge Slate’s desk in Green Lake County. The school’s mascot selection committee is working on a survey process to select a new mascot.