CNA-SS-3-23-2016

pro ress ress2016 Wednesday, March 23

A SALUTE TO “YOUTH” IN THE CRESTON NEWS ADVERTISER COVERAGE AREA

May Ling Chuong 2A Ashley Boswell 3A Lexie Heckman 4A Hallie Still 6A Chloe Casagrande 8A Miguel Villegas 10A Kanyon Huntington 12A Lew Knapp 13A Savannah Kistler 14A Nick Johnston 16A Taylor Hardy 17A

2A

Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The art of the fold

Creston sophomore and aspiring professional artist May Ling Chuong dazzles with origami creations.

■

By IAN RICHARDSON

CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com

T

he first step, at least, seems fairly simple.

May Ling Chuong begins by folding the square sheet of paper in half. She repeats a similar fold from a few different angles, then begins creasing it into triangles.

Soon, however, the shapes become more complex, their geometry harder to name. The folding becomes dizzying to watch and, at her speed, impossible to memorize.

But as Chuong’s fingers continue gliding across the paper — turning, bending, creasing — there’s no mistaking she’s in her element.

This isn’t the first paper crane the Creston High School sophomore has folded on-demand.

“I do this in school a lot,” she says, looking up but never slowing her fingers.

“If they see me make one specific thing, they’ll be like, ‘Whoa, that’s cool.

Make me that.’”

It’s not hard to see why her classmates do. To the right of our table in the former Upper Crust Culinary Creations building, a string of 100 miniature purple, pink, blue and yellow cranes hangs draped across the window facing North Maple Street. Chuong says she made this when she was in second grade, the same year she began learning the ancient Japanese art of

CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON

Origami cranes made from patterned paper hang from mobiles inside Chuong Garden.

CNA photo by IAN RICHARDSON

Creston High School sophomore May Ling Chuong crafts an origami crane from a square of notebook paper during an interview in January at Upper Crust Culinary Creations in Creston. Chuong said she has folded more than 2,000 cranes since she began learning origami in second grade — and those are just the ones she’s counted.

paper-folding, of which the crane is a classic form.

Above the stairwell of the building’s entryway hangs a mobile of much larger cranes hanging from two crossed sticks near the ceiling. Another mobile hangs near the cash register, this one composed of small cranes arranged in a rainbow-like progression of shades.

These three pieces of her origami artwork are left over from when she displayed her work in the restored Creston Depot as the Creston: Arts featured artist in September 2013, an event resulting in the sale of eight pieces of her work.

Within minutes, Chuong has turned my jaggedly ripped square of reporter’s notebook paper into a crisp miniature bird with triangular wings, a pointed tail and a sharp beak extending from a three-dimensional air-pocket body.

“You can keep crane,” she says.

the

Crane No. 1 Chuong, 16, is a second-generation Chinese American. Her parents, Simon and Jen, have owned Chuong Garden, a Chinese restaurant in Creston, since 1994. May Ling also has two younger sisters and one younger brother.

May Ling was inspired to take up origami when she watched her older cousin Phuc Hong, a waiter at Chuong Garden, folding a paper crane of his own. She was 8 years old and wanted to learn, so he taught her.

“It wasn’t one of those, like, really inspiring stories,” May Ling said. “He kind of just was folding something and I was like, that’s cool.”

It may not have been a dramatic moment, but that first crane whet May Ling’s appetite. She bought a beginner-level origami book and, as years passed, added higher level books, began watching how-to videos on YouTube and surfed Pinterest for ideas. Today, she said, the number of cranes she has folded numbers 2,000.

And those are just the

ones she’s counted.

On display Today, upon walking into Chuong Garden, customers can see a variety of May Ling’s colorful origami mobiles — well over a dozen — hanging from the ceiling.

The cranes range from the size of a grasshopper to the size of an small bird, and their colors run the spectrum of the rainbow.

Simon Chuong said when customers ask him about them, they’re often impressed when they learn the pieces were made by someone of May Ling’s age. Customers can purchase them as well, he said, and some of them hanging in the dining area have already been sold.

“If she likes it, she just puts it up,” he said. “A lot of people like them. They ask, who made them?”

May Ling said constructing larger-scale pieces, like the ones hanging in Upper Crust and Chuong Garden, takes work.

“You have to like think about it first and, you know, you try things out and they don’t always work out very well, with balance and stuff,” May Ling says.

“But when I’m actually do-

ing it, it will probably take a couple hours for some of them. Some of them don’t take that long.”

But it also pays off.

“It’s one of those things that not a lot of people do, but it’s so interesting,” she said. “Everyone can paint and draw, but origami’s way more intense in some ways.”

May Ling said some of her other favorite creations are three-dimensional abstract shapes. While they are harder than cranes, the challenge, she said, is fun. Someday, she said, she would also like to perfect a technique called water origami.

“You have to use water to form the paper correctly,” she said. “It’s complicated.”

Beyond origami In addition to continuing her paper folding, May Ling has also taken several art classes. She said art instructor Bailey Fry-Schnormeier has helped her grow her other artistic abilities, like drawing, shading and sculpting.

Fry-Schnormeier said May Ling’s originality has been a valued presence in her classroom.

“With May Ling, the most exciting thing is that she always thinks outside the box,” Fry-Schnormeier said.

“I know that when I give the

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A string of origami cranes hangs from a mobile inside Chuong Garden, a Chinese restaurant in Creston owned

by May Ling’s parents, Simon and Jen. May Ling has hung several of her projects in the restaurant, and they are available for customers to purchase.

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class an assignment, she’ll probably take it in a different direction than the other students.”

Lately, though, May Ling said she hasn’t had nearly as much free time to spend on her origami projects.

For starters, she’s the sophomore class president at Cres- Fryton High Schnormeier School.

She also participates in speech contests and plays vibraphone and other mallet instruments in the high school band. May Ling is also a youth representative on the Creston: Arts Council.

“I’m in too many things right now,” she said.

Looking to the future, May Ling said she wants to be a fine artist, maybe an illustrator or comic book artist. It’s a tough career choice, she said, but it’s possible through hard work.

Fry-Schnormeier said she believes May Ling has the work ethic to do it.

“She has the drive and the determination and the skills,” she said. “She has limitless creativity, she’s not afraid to try new techniques and learn something new and to fail and to try again.”

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Going vegan

■ Southwest Valley student Ashley Boswell switched her way of living when she stopped eating meat and other animal byproducts.

By BAILEY POOLMAN

“I think a lot of people think that it would just be too infallibly hard to do, like how are you going to get all these nutrients and stuff, but it’s not as hard as you think.”

CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews.com

CORNING — Imagine watching footage of tortured dogs at a big-city puppy mill or the overfeeding of poultry until their organs are inflamed.

These images are what spearheaded Ashley Boswell’s personal journey from meat-eating Southwest Valley High School senior to vegan.

Boswell, 17, grew up on a farm. Her parents, Chris and Tina Boswell, own a farming operation with sheep that Boswell and her sister Aubrey, 13, helped out with.

— Ashley Boswell

SW Valley student

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Local

Vegetarianism In 2014, Boswell dropped meat “cold turkey” after doing research of a different nature.

“I was exploring other religious outlets, and I had been learning about Hinduism, and it kind of brought me to that lifestyle,” Boswell said.

Hinduism is the third-largest religion in the world. Those who follow the Hindu religion follow the practice of ahimsa, which is nonviolence and respect for all life, including plants and non-human animals. Therefore, many Hindus embrace some form of vegetarianism.

“I’d always called myself an animal lover, but I just didn’t really associate that cats and dogs, you know, the cuddly ones, weren’t the only ones who needed that love and care,” Boswell said. “That kind of opened my eyes. After awhile, I started learning more facts and that kind of prompted me to go vegan.”

Veganism As a vegetarian, Boswell cut out meat only; she still ate things like eggs, dairy and honey.

Eventually, Boswell dropped all animal byproducts cold turkey.

“I didn’t think it was too hard. I didn’t really crave too much,” Boswell said.

“I feel like the worst part was just that I really liked cheese when I went vegan.”

To replace any lost pro-

CNA photo by BAILEY POOLMAN

Ashley Boswell poses for a photo at Southwest Valley High School in Corning, where she is a senior. Boswell decided to become a vegetarian, then shortly after became a vegan. She no longer eats, wears or uses foods and products made with animal byproducts.

learned a bit from me,” Boswell said. “My family, they still eat meat and stuff. We live on a farm with sheep, so that barrier is pretty difficult. ... My family’s pretty OK with it though. Usually I make my own meals, but sometimes my mom will make vegan food as a side.”

tein consumption, Boswell switched to eating foods like tofu, tempeh and seitan, as well as more leafy greens.

“I think going vegan was honestly easier than going vegetarian because I’d been learning about it for so long,” Boswell said. “When I was finally able to, I just was really happy and liberated that I went.”

Boswell considers herself a high-carb vegan, which means she eats a lot of foods with high amounts of carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pastas. She has an average consumption of vegetables and fruits. Her favorite foods, though, are hummus and falafel, which are made of chickpeas.

“I really love those foods and the Middle Eastern spices,” Boswell said.

“They’re very simple and packed with protein from the chickpeas.”

While her friends and family are supportive of her decision to not eat animal byproducts, Boswell said there is still a bit of a divide.

“My friends were supportive, but I think they didn’t really know what it was. I actually think they’ve

Commodities To Boswell, the meaning of veganism is more than just about what we put in our bodies. It also includes what we put on our bodies.

“Veganism is not just about eating animal products. It’s also about not using any products that are exploited from animals,” Boswell said.

These viewpoints came around in her research, when she watched documentaries like “Earthlings” and “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret.” These investigative documentaries look at what occurs at large corporations involved in the different animal industries, such as dairy, meat, exotic pet and animal pelt.

Boswell also watched short videos created by animal advocacy group Mercy for Animals, which does investigative pieces into

large animal industries and attempts to bring about cruelty violations.

Her view of non-human animals is not the common belief that they are on the planet “for us to consume,” but that they should be protected like the creatures we call house pets.

One such example is leather, which is a common material used to make clothing. Real leather is softened hide mostly from cows. The softest leather comes from newborn veal calves, and while most hides made into leather come from creatures slaughtered for meat, that’s not always the case.

Facts A food byproduct Boswell advocates for is the dairy industry.

“A lot of people just think, you milk a cow and that’s how you get your milk, but these cows have to be repeatedly and forcefully impregnated to have babies so they have milk,” Boswell said. “Dairy cows suffer very dire fates while they’re in there. And it’s also really unhealthy for you. They milk the cows so much and they pump them with hormones so much that like

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nine out of 10 dairy cows have mastitis (an infection in a cow’s udders). They still milk them, and when they have those machines on them, it actually sucks blood and pus into your milk.”

Another major reason Boswell decided to look into veganism more was because of the environment.

“I looked into it a lot for environmental reasons, too, because the meat industry is one of the leading causes of global warming,” Boswell said. “It’s worse than all transportation combined. I mean, some of that stuff opened my eyes.”

For example, in 2011, 30 million pounds of antibiotics were sold to the meat industry to be consumed by livestock to improve meat output and prevent the animals from getting diseases. But, the increase in antibiotic use has proven to create antibiotic-immune strains of diseases that can affect livestock and humans

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Living in a small town like Corning has also come with its challenges for Boswell. While many have come around to her decision, there are others who don’t understand her decision.

“The hardest part about being vegan is people asking ridiculous questions: ‘Plants have feelings, too, so why not just eat meat?’”

Boswell said. “And, I get this at least once or twice a day it seems like, even in this small school, ‘Oh, I love animals but I couldn’t go vegan because I love whatever.’”

Boswell said she thinks people in a community as rural as Corning don’t realize veganism isn’t just about not eating meat or can’t imagine not eating something like steak and potatoes.

“I think a lot of people think that it would just be too infallibly hard to do, like how are you going to get all these nutrients and stuff, but it’s not as hard as you think,” Boswell said.

“I feel better as a person doing it. Even if maybe I haven’t grown healthy or anything, ... I’ve definitely felt better as a person.”

Boswell plans to attend University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls and eventually teach English as a second language abroad, most likely in Spain or Turkey.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

From her fingers to her toes

Senior Lexie Heckman has excelled at Spotlight School of Dance in Creston, which now enrolls nearly 200 students at its Creston studio. She also taps into her creative side in Bailey FrySchnormeier’s art classes.

■

By KYLE WILSON

CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com

T

he details are fuzzy.

But, Natalie Heckman can still remember the day she decided to register her daughter Lexie for dance classes.

It was Christmastime and 3-year-old Lexie, who received a Mexican-style skirt during the holidays, had choreographed her own Latino dance and song and was performing it in her Grandma Lois Berry’s living room.

“She was showing off this dance for everyone,” Natalie said. “She was graceful even then and everyone agreed she needed signed up.”

So, that’s what Natalie did. Lexie attended Discovery Kids Preschool on Townline Street, which is conveniently located just one door south of the dance studio space that now houses Spotlight School of Dance, which is directed by Adonica Struhar.

By 7 years old, Lexie was at Spotlight two to three nights per week taking jazz, tap, ballet and more. Later that year, she would be named Dancer of the Year at Struhar’s Creston studio that now enrolls about 200 students annually.

“I knew she was special from the minute I met her,”

Struhar said. “She’s always had a quality of movement that’s at a higher caliber than most other (dance) students. She grasped the emotion of dance at an early age. Most don’t get that until they are older.”

Struhar said, in her opinion, Lexie’s breakout moment came around fifth grade when she did a dance solo to Natalie Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky,” musical theater piece.

“It was a high-energy, entertaining piece with challenging chore- Struhar ography that most at that age couldn’t pull off,” Struhar said.

Lexie agreed that was about the time her skill “really took off” and she could control herself better. There were times during middle school Lexie was in 10 to 12 classes at Spotlight. But, her main focuses have been tumbling, jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, hip hop and contemporary.

“My favorites are probably jazz and contemporary,” Lexie said. “I can be sassy in jazz, and with contemporary you have more freedom.

There aren’t as many rules.”

Natalie said her daughter’s passion for dance did come with a price tag,

though.

“I could have had a new car by now with all the money we’ve paid in dance,” Natalie laughed. “But, it’s all been worth it watching her.

When she’s out there, she just shines. I can’t keep my eyes off her. I don’t want to brag, but she’s just so beautiful and I’m proud of her.”

Lexie is one of five seniors at Spotlight’s Creston studio that will be dancing their final solo during a recital scheduled in April. The other four seniors include Shastin Morrison, Jocelyn Kunz, Micah McCutchan and Erin Creveling. Lexie said she’s been trying to spend as much time as possible in the studio this year.

“I pretty much grew up in

ABOVE: Lexie Heckman, senior at Creston High School, is also on the Peppers dance team and has taken nearly every class offered by Bailey Fry-Schnormeier, art teacher at the school. LEFT: Heckman is pictured here with her mother Natalie during freshman year homecoming. Natalie has owned and operated Country Cutters on North Walnut Street in Creston for 19 years.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

5A

CNA photo by KYLE WILSON

This is a charcoal painting completed by Lexie Heckman that will be displayed at upcoming art shows. This drawing took Heckman about six hours to fully complete.

LEXIE: CONT. FROM | 4A

the studio,” Lexie said. “As a kid, I couldn’t wait to grow up. I didn’t realize how fast it would come, though. I love to dance and Adonica has always been a very encouraging and motivating teacher. She’s always seen the potential in me.”

In February, Lexie was just in the beginning stages of planning her senior solo. But, she said it will probably be either a jazz or contemporary dance and won’t be “sappy.”

“My mom is going to cry no matter what,” Lexie said. “I want it to be something that really means something to me and my family. It won’t be sad. I don’t want anyone to be sad it’s over. I want them to be happy it happened.”

Struhar said that decision doesn’t surprise her and said she looks forward to Lexie’s final recital as a student.

“Lexie is a stunning blonde that’s lovely from her fingers

to her toes,” Struhar said.

“Even in a large group, she stands out. She makes you want to watch her.”

Being such a good dancer, many of her friends at Creston High School wanted her to join Peppers. Lexie finally did by her sophomore year.

The Peppers dance team has won seven consecutive light routine championships and are one of the best dance teams in the state of Iowa each year.

“I’m always shy to start things,” Lexie said. “But, Peppers has been a good experience and I have had a chance to help both Meg (Haines) and now Kalian (Smith) with choreography, which is something I really like.”

Lexie said she’s had fun working with different Creston High School “Salts” over the years in the co-ed dance competitions. She’s worked with Adam Baker, Alex Nielsen and Seth Maitlen.

“I picked them all because they were strong,” Lexie said.

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B u t , dancing isn’t the only way she shows Fryher creative Schnormeier side. Bailey Fry-Schnormeier, art teacher at Creston High School, said Lexie has taken nearly every class she offers. Some of those include 2D and 3D design, painting and pottery.

Fry-Schnormeier said Lexie really excels in charcoal drawing and charcoal painting. She said a charcoal painting Lexie did earlier this year really impressed her. It was a portrait of herself and a friend.

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Fry-Schnormeier said. “It was an 8 by 10 with amazing detail and the proportions were right on. She did it without much guidance. She’s just an amazing student with a great attitude who is energized to learn.”

Fry-Schnormeier said she is the type of student who is never satisfied with her artwork and is always finding resources, like YouTube, to learn new techniques.

Fry-Schnormeier said she’s excited to see what the future holds for her senior art student. Lexie said her plan for now is to attend Southwestern Community College in the fall and work toward an associate degree. Lexie also plans to help Struhar in a teaching role at the Spotlight studio.

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Lexie Heckman dances with the Creston High School Peppers during a Christmas-themed performance during halftime of a boys basketball game in December 2015.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Still shines in vice president role

By KYLE WILSON

CNA managing editor kwilson@crestonnews.com

MOUNT AYR — It was early spring and Hallie Still’s fingers were nearly frozen as she and other Mount Ayr middle schoolers painted life back into run-down benches at Tingley city park.

She was a seventh grader at the time and was participating in a community service day organized by Ringgold County’s HELP Pod. Repainting park benches was only one of about 50 projects scheduled that day.

Other students in Ringgold County were picking up sticks, washing fire trucks, painting shelter houses, cleaning headstones at cemeteries or planting flowers.

“This program allows young people to gain a variety of skills,” said Abby Elliott, one of four navigators for HELP Pod. “As a navigator, it’s great seeing students communicate with our county leaders to organize the community service day.

It’s great to see them helping older people in the community, and it’s great to see them gain organization and leadership skills that will help them in the future.”

Still said that community service day had a profound impact on her and she soon inquired about how to become a member of HELP Pod, a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve the people of Ring-

Contributed photo

Hallie Still, left, stands with her father Doug, mother Gina and sister Taylor after church in June 2015. She also has three older brothers including Jordan, Luke and Calob.

gold County by providing recreational activities and educational opportunities in a safe environment.

Still applied and was accepted into HELP Pod her freshman year at Mount Ayr. Still said membership is split evenly each year between Mount Ayr and Diagonal school districts. Generally, there are about 10 members from each school.

This year, Still was elected as vice president of granting for HELP Pod. In that role, she sends grant information forms to teachers, administrators and community

members in Ringgold County. She then organizes all grant application requests that are submitted.

HELP Pod is funded through the Dekko Foundation and money is held

by South Central Iowa Community Foundation (SCICF). The acronym HELP stands for “helping enrich the lives of people.”

There are only five HELP Pods in Iowa. They are in Ringgold, Union (YACC), Lucas, Clarke and Decatur counties.

HELP Pod receives about $25,000 annually and

members decide on which projects in the community should be funded.

Still said there are two granting cycles, one in the fall and another in the spring. The fall cycle is exclusively for school supplies and projects being conducted by teachers in Ringgold County. Still said one of her favorite projects that received grant funding is one being carried out currently

by Shaun Kniep, English instructor at Mount Ayr High School.

Kniep has used grant funding to purchase 30 cop-

ies of the book “If You’re Reading This” by military man Trent Reedy. After reading the book, eighthgrade students will write letters to families that currently have a parent serving in the United States military.

“Those families who have someone overseas make great sacrifices. They are the forgotten few,” Kniep said.

This project was to start in Kniep’s “operation appreciation classroom” in March.

Kniep partnered with Blue Star Families for this project and hopes that students will be able to write back

and forth with the military families until the end of the school year.

“This is a project I plan to do every year moving forward,” Kniep said.

This is just one example of how HELP Pod grant money has been used in the past. A few other examples include a disc golf course at Fogle Lake in Diagonal and book house at Mable Rice Park in Mount Ayr. Still has an important role in helping these high school HELP Pod members make a decision on which projects will receive funding.

She reads through all of the grant requests and creates summaries in a Google document. She lists why they are requesting money and how much the project will cost. Last year there were 15 grant requests in the fall and about 25 in the spring.

The Google document can be viewed by everyone in HELP Pod. She also presents them with a hard copy on “decision day,” which usually is scheduled in November/December for the fall cycle and March for the spring cycle.

“I try to make it as easy as possible for everyone,” Still said.

Each member then receives a red, yellow and green card used during the voting process. Green means full approval for the project. Still logs the result STILL | 11A

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Hanna Ackley reads “If You’re Reading This” by military man Trent Reedy during language arts lab at Mount Ayr High School in March. This book was purchased for the class through a HELP Pod grant.

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Creston boy scout Dylan Anson serves a bowl of potato soup to Tiffany Gale at the Boy Scout Troop 129 soup and pie supper held at the Creston United Methodist Church in February.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Fast-track to medicine

Corning senior Chloe Casagrande will begin pre-medical studies at age 16 and may start medical school by age 18.

By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com

CORNING – At 16 years old, Chloe Casagrande will begin her first semester as a pre-medical student at Creighton University. By the time she’s 18, she’ll be off to medical school – possibly halfway across the country.

A combination of factors led Chloe to this fast-track of pursuing medicine. She skipped eighth grade when middle school became too easy for her. She has completed more than 55 college credits in high school. And, this year, she began shadowing a doctor in Corning.

“I’ve had an interest in medicine for as long as I can remember,” Chloe said.

“It originally manifested with animals. (As a child,) I’d watch Animal Planet at night, and that’s the only way I could go to sleep – watching surgeries on animals. But, I could only watch animal surgeries; they don’t broadcast human surgeries.”

When Chloe’s mother, Taj, went to nursing school, it made Chloe realize human medicine was a possibility for her.

Now, for several years, Chloe’s decision to pursue medicine has been unshakeable.

“By fourth or fifth grade, she pretty much had her life planned out,” said Bob, Chloe’s father. “She’s definitely not your typical student. When she gets interested in something, she just attacks it. She loves to learn, get involved in things, study, debate and be critical.”

Skipping a grade Chloe was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and spent much of her childhood there. When she was in sixth grade, her parents moved Chloe and her brother, Kyle, to Corning. The Casagrandes moved into their longtime weekend home located north of Lake Icaria in Corning.

“For me, I thrived having the opportunities of the larger city, so it was a big difference,” Chloe said. “I had grown accustomed to

Contributed photo

Chloe Casagrande poses with senior king candidate Gunnar McCuen before Southwest Valley High School homecoming in 2014. Casagrande was a junior homecoming attendant.

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the school, the system and everything a larger city has to offer. But, I think we have all adjusted well.”

In middle school in Corning, Chloe found herself flying through her coursework.

“My seventh-grade year, I didn’t feel like I was being challenged whatsoever, and my teachers agreed they weren’t doing much to challenge me,” Chloe said.

“For my parents, I made a PowerPoint with the pros and cons and the research.

They were on board, and the school was on board.”

So, she skipped eighth grade and started her freshman year at Southwest Valley High School at 12 years old.

“I’ve never seen my age as a barrier between myself and others,” Chloe said.

“I’ve been mature for my age for a long time, and if anything, I feel more com-

fortable with adults than I do with kids. I haven’t always felt like I’ve exactly fit in with my peers, but through high school, that has changed. I’ve found groups I really get along with. People bring up my age because it’s a big deal to them, but it was never a big deal to me.”

College credits In Chloe’s sophomore year, she began taking dual-enrollment courses – those that count as college credits.

One semester, Chloe was in at least six advanced placement or dual-enrollment classes simultaneously. Still, she’s never earned lower than an A- in a high school class.

Chloe will graduate in May with about 56 credits for college.

Medical experience

school-to-work program at CHI Health Mercy in Corning, shadowing Dr. Bethel Kopp, M.D., internal medicine. The program gives high school seniors the opportunity to get a feel for the future careers they are envisioning for themselves.

“I started out at the hospital and rounded with specialties,” Chloe said. “One day, I would be with wound care. The next day, I would be with radiology. But then, I switched over, and ... I ended up getting the physician’s consent (to shadow her).”

Chloe goes to the hospital Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon., which has worked well with her block schedule at Southwest Valley.

“I get to shadow Dr. Kopp and work directly with the patients, which is

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an incredible opportunity,” she said. “It’s pretty rare for a high-schooler to get that kind of experience, so I’m very, very lucky. She’s very trusting of me, and she teaches me well, so I appreciate that.”

This program has been a major source of reassurance for Chloe that attending medical school will be the right choice for her.

“Just working in the hospital has enforced that medicine truly is my passion,” she said. “I think the most important thing is that I’m getting all this knowledge.”

Additionally, Chloe was chosen to attend the National Academy of Future Physicians in Boston last year. It’s a three-day seminar, and students from across the globe are selected to attend.

“High school-aged kids who have an interest in medicine and are leaders in their school academically and socially all come together,” Chloe said. “We talked to doctors, and we got to see surgery and hear from patients. It was definitely one of my most memorable experiences.”

Last year, about 1,000 students were chosen. Chloe was caught off guard when she received a letter of acceptance to the seminar, and she still doesn’t know who nominated her.

Extracurriculars

Chloe has led or been in-

“I’ve never seen my age as a barrier between myself and others ... People bring up my age because it’s a big deal to them, but it’s never been a big deal to me.”

— Chloe Casagrande

Corning senior

volved in a nearly exhausting number of extracurricular activities throughout high school. She’s president of student council, vice president of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and four-time FBLA national qualifier, a member of National Honors Society, speech and debate competitor, theatre participant and former member of the school’s band and choir.

“It is just amazing and shows her level of maturity and dedication (that she is) taking a rigorous course load, all while being involved in numerous high school activities and clubs at just 16 years of age,” said Lindsay Wetzel, Southwest Valley teacher and student council director.

“It’s a lot of time management,” Chloe said. “I do not procrastinate; I’d say that’s the biggest thing that helps me. I’ve found if I do things when they’re assigned, and I use my work time properly, it keeps that time down to a minimum.”

As president of student council, Chloe isn’t afraid to take a stand and be a leader, Wetzel said.

“When I am working with Chloe on student council items, I don’t even think of her as being a 16-yearold,” Wetzel said. “She is mature, intelligent and ... is always striving to make Southwest Valley a fun and positive place for students and staff. Chloe is also a very gracious and kind person.

She is always saying ‘hi’ to students in the hallway and has thanked me many times for work done with student council.”

This year, Chloe joined both group and individual speech contests.

“She was an outstanding addition to the program. She received a I from all three judges at the state contest in both of her selections,” said Pete Nett, Southwest Valley teacher and speech coach.

Outside of school, Chloe is also involved with her

Contributed photos

ABOVE: Pictured is Chloe Casagrande after a dinner with Chris McGowan, president of Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, far left; her father, Bob Casagrande, second from left; and her college prep tutor, Manoj Patil, of New Horizons Tutoring. BELOW: Southwest Valley High School students Chloe Casagrande, left, and Jade Peterson take a selfie before performing the musical “Cinderella” at the high school in 2014.

church, First Presbyterian, and spends an hour per week volunteering for Care Initiatives Hospice at Corning Specialty Care.

“I’ll be assigned patients and go visit their rooms, and if they want to do an activity, like play cards, I’ll do that with them,” Chloe said. “If they want to talk, I’ll sit and chat with them.”

With any spare time she has, Chloe enjoys reading, writing poetry, dancing and traveling. Through her father’s insurance business and school, she has traveled accross the United States and to Mexico, several European countries, Grand Cayman and St. Thomas.

“I think my biggest challenge right now is finding time for myself,” Chloe said.

“I think when you get so busy, it’s easy to find time to finish the things you need to finish, but it’s hard to find time to just look at what you need – maybe sleep or reading a book.”

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The future Chloe will start at Creighton University in Omaha in the fall. She is currently planning to major in biological sciences and is considering minors in math, neuroscience and Spanish. After earning her undergraduate degree, she’s debating between the University of Washington and Baylor University. But, none of that is set in stone yet, she said.

“I don’t know what exactly I’ll become, but ... I’ve always loved the neurosystem,” Chloe said. “Otherwise, Dr. Kopp is in internal medicine, and I’m quite interested in that, so just general (medicine). I’d love to be practicing in a hospital, and I’d love for it to be a teaching hospital, so I can teach those new kids coming in who are fresh out of med school.”

So far, about half of

Chloe’s tuition will be paid for through academic scholarships. She may accumulate more scholarships soon, her father said.

“She’s already been in

contact with someone about potentially doing research as a freshman (at Creighton),” Bob said. “I know whatever she decides to do, she’ll accomplish it.”

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Slowing down the tempo

Creston High School senior Miguel Villegas performs partysongs-turnedballads at school, in the community and on his YouTube channel.

“He’s got a unique, pop style to his voice, but it’s very recognizable and beautiful.

He sings a lot of pop songs that are in low female ranges as well as high male ranges, and he does really well with that.”

■

By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com

N

ow that he’s making a little money posting cover songs on YouTube, Miguel Villegas is taking the possibility of a music-related career more seriously.

While he often plays mainstream pop hits, he prefers to slow down the tempo, essentially turning party songs into ballads.

“When you listen to the song ‘Break Free’ by Ariana Grande, it sounds like a song you’d just listen to for fun,” Villegas said. “But when you slow it down, it actually has lyrics that are really sad; it’s about this Villegas girl who’s hurting and trying to break free.

You’d never get that from just listening to the song on the radio.”

The 18-year-old Villegas is a tenor singer and dabbles in several instruments: piano, violin, trumpet, baritone, xylophone and vibraphone.

Musically, Villegas is involved in choir, band and musical theater at Creston

— Jane Warner

Vocal director at Creston High School

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

Senior Miguel Villegas practices “Someone Like You” by Adele in February at Creston High School.

High School and performs on his own when he can, especially for Creston: Arts open mic nights the first Friday of each month.

An interest

In third grade, Villegas began playing violin and then stopped playing music for a couple years. Once in middle school, he started playing the trumpet and since then has been picking up other instruments.

“I think my favorite now is piano because I can sing along with it,” Villegas said.

“But I want to focus on re-teaching myself how to play the violin this year, so I’m going to have to practice a lot for that.”

He didn’t start singing publicly until his freshman year, though.

“I auditioned for a solo here at the high school, and

then everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you can sing.’ So, I started performing in front of larger audiences, like the Fourth of July talent show and open mic nights,” Villegas said. “I use open mic night as a tool to make myself more comfortable.”

Throughout high school, Villegas has performed in a number of band competitions and choir events.

“I think he’s an excellent example of creativity and intelligence in his generation,” said Jane Warner, CHS vocal music teacher and choir director. “(Choir) is a very dynamic, collaborative type of class, and he’s always been instrumental in making things happen there.”

Each year, Villegas performs in the high school pops concert held in May. “He frequently gets solos

in the pops musical, which is a time to shine,” Warner said.

Villegas sang “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel and “Break Free” by Ariana Grande for two of the solos he’s had in past pops events.

“He’s got a unique, pop style to his voice, but it’s very recognizable and Warner beautiful,” Warner said. “He sings a lot of pop songs that are in low female ranges as well as high male ranges, and he does really well with that.”

YouTube

In November, Villegas gained enough confidence

to create his own YouTube channel. He posts cover songs about once a week.

“I started posting videos, and YouTube (administration) asked me if I wanted to be monetized and become a partner,” Villegas said.

“They put ads on my videos, and then when people watch them, I get revenue. I guess they just liked my channel.”

It isn’t much revenue, but he doesn’t mind. Posting videos is a way to get his name out there.

“When I was really young, I always watched YouTubers post their videos, and I tried a couple times, but I’d always forget about it,” Villegas said. “I decided now that I’m becoming an adult, I should actually focus on this and make it a priority. Even if I don’t get paid a lot of money, it’s fun to

have people see my work or have that 10 minutes to kind of interact with me through videos.”

Some of the covers Villegas has on his channel are “Hello” by Adele, “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber and “Say Something” by A Great Big World.

“I have to share my profits with the people who wrote those songs since they’re covers, so I’m really focusing on trying to learn how to write music,” Villegas said.

“Some people, when they keep to it and become really big on YouTube, they make six-digit incomes, which is pretty impressive.”

Right now, Villegas is enjoying a bit of recognition and encouraging others on YouTube who post covers.

In fact, he recently reached out to a female on YouTube whose vocals he was impressed with, asking if she’d like to collaborate sometime. She agreed, and Villegas is hoping they will cover “Here” by Alessia Cara or “Should’ve Been Us” by Tori Kelly.

“I enjoy stories and songs MIGUEL | 11A

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MIGUEL: CONT. FROM | 10A

that mean something,” Villegas said. “Sure, there are fun songs that are just party songs, but if you listen to other songs on an artist’s album that aren’t as popular, they’re a lot more meaningful and have a lot of depth to them. When people discover that and perform more of the meaningful music, it’s a lot richer.”

Villegas is beginning to write his own songs, but it’s a work in progress, he said.

He enjoys creative writing, which is helpful in writing lyrics, but the challenge for him will be writing melodies.

His biggest supporters in his pursuit of music are his grandmother, Shellie Hansen, who has raised him, and other friends and family, including his 16-year-old sister Maria. Villegas said those close to him frequently share his YouTube videos

on social media.

Meet the

Future goals Once Villegas graduates in May, he plans to attend Southwestern Community College for two years. Then, he’s considering going on to University of Northern Iowa.

Right now, he’s interested in choosing majors and minors that will help him achieve a career in music or another area of creativity.

If he doesn’t end up in a music-related career, he’d like to continue playing music and posting YouTube videos for fun – a hobby that could continue making him a bit of money.

His other interests are creative writing, which he hopes will help him in songwriting, and graphic design. He thinks he would enjoy making animation or working for a video game company if he doesn’t become a full-time musician.

“It would be fun if I could make enough money to be this personality and not have to go sit in an office,” Ville-

11A

Staff of

RESTON UTOMOTIVE CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

A crowd listens as Miguel Villegas performs “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” by Elvis Presley during First Friday open mic night March 4 at Adams Street Espresso.

gas said. “I think it’s kind of a far-out dream, but people have done it. You just have to be very persistent with it.

Even if I don’t have 5 million subscribers, I have to start somewhere. I might get there, I might not.”

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from each vote and eventually dollar amounts are decided for each project.

“The process almost takes an entire school day. We take the job seriously,” Still said.

Still said students do follow up to make sure teachers and community members complete the projects they are granted money for.

Still said HELP Pod grants all but about $4,000 each year. That extra money is used to purchase supplies for the annual community project and also helps fund visits to the group home and nursing homes in Ringgold County.

They visit those homes near Halloween and Valentine’s Day. The HELP Pod members paint pumpkins with residents, play bingo or matching games, eat Valentine cupcakes, take pictures together and make homemade cards. Students spend about two hours there.

“They love hugs,” Still laughed.

Still is the youngest daughter of Doug and Gina

Contributed photo

Hallie Still, front right, poses for a group photo with Ringgold County HELP Pod earlier this school year. The group’s motto this year is “Be a Role Model.”

Still of Mount Ayr. Gina is a preschool teacher and Doug is a carpenter in Ringgold County. Along with Hallie, they have four other children including 20-year-old Taylor, 29-year-old Jordan, 31-year-old Luke and 34-year-old Calob.

Still said her parents have taught her the importance being involved in the community.

“I love this community. My dad has always been involved in the community and he’s always telling me to stay local, shop local, be local. That’s been pushed in my brain my entire life.

— Hallie Still

Mount Ayr student

Her father has been on Mount Ayr city council, park board and outdoor alliance boards.

“I love this community,” Still said. “My dad has always been involved in the community and he’s always telling me to stay local, shop

local, be local. That’s been pushed in my brain my entire life. It’s great to see everyone helping Mount Ayr and Ringgold County. It’s great if one person is doing philanthropy, but think about if everyone did? We’d live in a much better world.”

Eric is married to Erin Millslagle, who is the property manager at Sheldon Company who owns Green Valley Apartments in Creston. Together they have three children, Myah Lanteri (14), Gunnar Millslagle (12), and Gavin Millslagle (10). Eric serves his community of Cromwell by serving on the City Council. When he has free time, Eric, enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, boating, and hanging out with family and friends.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Future president?

High-achieving Afton seventh grader halfway through high school, eyeing career in politics.

■

By IAN RICHARDSON

CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com

AFTON — Thirteenyear-old Kanyon Huntington has his sights set on a career in the nation’s capital city. And he’s on pace to get there sooner than you might think.

The East Union seventh-grader has been taking high school classes for the past four semesters. At his rate, he will complete the school’s graduation requirements by his freshman year. By the time he’s a junior, he’ll have enough dual-credit courses to receive his associate degree from Southwestern Community College.

After graduation, he plans to pursue a law degree at Harvard.

“I would like to become a lawyer when I’m older, and from there go into the U.S. government,” Huntington said. “I really find that interesting.”

Huntington is the son of Doug Huntington and Kammie Ballentine of Afton. Kanyon has been sharp since he was a toddler, Ballentine said. She entered him in preschool at age two, and in elementary his teachers had to constantly challenge him.

“I heard from teachers that he was always helping other kids, and he was catching on really fast,” Ballentine said. “He was learning, but there was nothing there for him to really do.

Then, when he got into junior high, it was more noticeable.”

Kanyon’s parents met

Kanyon Huntington poses with older sister Kaeleigh Ballentine. Ballentine currently coaches the SWCC Dazzlers and dances with the Iowa Energy’s High Voltage Dancers. Their mother, Kammie Ballentine, said the two are very supportive of each other’s involvements.

Contributed photos

Kanyon Huntington holds his saxophone at a parade in Chariton. Marching band is one of several extracurricular activities that keeps Huntington busy outside of his studies.

with his principals and guidance counselors, and in fifth grade he began taking middle school science and social studies courses. While Kanyon said he wasn’t too worried about the academic part of accelerating in school, the social part intimidated him at first.

“I was kind of scared in the beginning because I didn’t know if the older kids would accept me,” Kanyon said. “But as I went along, it was fine.”

Acceleration When Kanyon entered sixth grade, he bypassed seventh- and eighth-grade science and enrolled in a high school science class with teacher Adam Triggs.

Seeing he was a sixth grader, Triggs started Kanyon and some other acceler-

ated students in a lower-level physical science class. But he quickly advanced them to physics, a class typically for juniors and seniors.

“I had a sixth grader taking physics, and I didn’t expect him to be able to do it,” Triggs said. “But he’s got a science mind, so he can think through it.”

Since that first physics course, Kanyon has taken high school chemistry, biology, world history and American history. This semester, he’s taking high school algebra, communications, business and world studies.

While East Union has been allowing certain students to accelerate during the past three years, Triggs said Huntington is by far the most advanced. One of the things that most stands out about Kan-

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yon, Triggs said, is his work ethic.

“Kanyon isn’t where he is just because he’s bright or he’s intelligent,” Triggs said.

“He’s where he is because he works harder than everyone else.”

In addition to his core classes, Kanyon plays saxophone in the high school band and was one of the leads in this year’s high school musical.

But he also has no plans to graduate early.

“I really thought about it, and I really want to stay with my friends because I’ve been with them my whole life,” Kanyon said. “I’ve been to school with them, and I don’t want to skip out on that.”

Instead, Ballentine said the family is considering options for Kanyon to soon begin taking dual-credit Southwestern Community College courses, Advanced Placement classes and, possibly in the future, online courses through Harvard.

during his sixth grade year.

“I just kind of had always heard talk of politics and stuff like that, and when I really started to learn about government I thought, ‘Oh this is really cool,’” he said. “So I always wanted to do it from there.”

From there, he set his sights on Harvard because of its reputation.

“When I started to learn government, I started to learn more about that school, and I knew I wanted to go to a prestigious Ivy League school like that,” Kanyon said.

While Kanyon may still need to wait a few more years before he’s eligible to vote, and he needs to be about three times his age to qualify for a presidential campaign, it sounds as if he already has some supporters.

“I’ve actually talked to a few people about that, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I’d probably vote for you,’” he said.

College and beyond

Other interests

Kanyon said he started becoming interested in politics

Beyond academics, Huntington remains very en-

gaged at the middle school level. He’s a member of East Union’s Middle School Action Planners and plays middle school football, cross country, basketball, baseball and track. He’s also an active member of the Sand Creek Pioneers 4-H club and shows sheep in the county fair.

Kanyon has also literally grown up on the dance floor as the son of Ballentine, a longtime Afton dance instructor. While Ballentine never forced him to take dance, he still jumped in early.

“I started dancing for the studio when I was about 3 or 4,” he said. “I just picked it up and started to do it, and I liked it.”

Kanyon now performs clogging, jazz and lyrical dance. His clogging quintet, which includes fellow dancers Danika Schultes, Mikenna Cass, Hannah Wisniewski and Page Hudson, won the Sprout division at last summer’s Bill Riley Talent Show.

That was the first act Ballentine said she’s had win Bill Riley in her 16 years teaching dance at Afton.

“I don’t have words for it.

It was amazing,” Ballentine said. “Being his dance teacher, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, they’ve done this,’ and being his mother it was even moreso.”

This year, Huntington will be competing in Bill Riley with his 20-year-old sister, Kaeleigh Ballentine, who has one more year to compete. Ballentine currently coaches the SWCC Dazzlers and dances with the Iowa Energy’s High Voltage Dancers.

When he’s not dancing, playing sports, raising sheep or studying, Huntington also enjoys reading. Some of his favorite books include the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, and he’s now working his way through the Harry Potter series.

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Fine arts standout

Mount Ayr senior Lew Knapp balances sports and fine arts, eyes career in international relations ■

“He’s going to shine in whatever part he has.

He doesn’t have to have the lead to take the show and be the star.”

By IAN RICHARDSON

CNA staff reporter irichardson@crestonnews.com

MOUNT AYR — You could say Lew Knapp is a jack of all trades. And he’s a master of many of them.

The Mount Ayr senior is a four-year veteran in large group and individual speech, drama, band, choir, football and track. During that time, he’s been invited to Iowa’s All-State Large Group Speech Festival, played offensive and defensive line on the school’s state-qualifying football squad and toured Europe with a 350-member band and choir through Iowa Ambassadors of Music.

Aside from school activities, the 18-year-old also manages to scrape out enough free time to raise chickens, serve as president of the Maloy Shamrocks 4-H club and make stop-motion videos for his personal YouTube channel. He’s not too shabby at speaking Spanish, either, and he’s currently working on picking up Hebrew.

With all that talent, choosing a career path might seem like a hard task.

But Knapp said his love for traveling, foreign languages and public speaking is pointing him toward a career in international relations.

“I want to work for the United Nations as a diplomat and a translator,” Knapp said. “I want to be able to (travel) again, but on my own time. Instead of just doing it for 16 days, I want to do it for 16 years or 26 years.”

Budding performer Knapp, the son of Steve and Tracee Knapp of Redding, has lived on his fam-

— Shaun Kniep

Drama/speech teacher

Contributed photo

Lew Knapp, pictured left, plays Ryan Evans in Mount Ayr’s production of “High School Musical” last year. Also pictured is Shelbie Greene, who played Sharpay Evans, Ryan’s sister and co-villain in the play. Knapp, a senior, has been involved in every drama production since his freshman year.

ily’s farm his entire life.

Steve drives the maintainer for Ringgold County and runs the family’s farm, and Tracee is a counselor with Children and Families of Iowa. Lew has two younger brothers, Reas and Trace, and an older half-sister, Sandra.

Tracee said from early on in elementary school, Lew has been a showman.

“He doesn’t get nervous at all. He’s a natural,” she said. “I think maybe taking an ACT test he gets nervous, but not (performing) in front of people.”

When he entered high school, Lew jumped right into several fine arts clubs and organizations, among them speech and drama.

Speaker, actor Shaun Kniep, Mount Ayr’s drama and speech teacher, has worked with Lew all four years of high school. She said Knapp’s strength comes from his

self-awareness.

“He is really good at figuring what he needs to do and keeping track of everything, knowing what his interests are and what he’s going to be best at,” Kniep said. “He’s a great kid. He’s one that you enjoy having in class.”

Lew has participated in both individual and group speech events for four years and been in all eight theater productions at the school.

Last year, when Mount Ayr performed “High School Musical,” Lew played Ryan, the villain played by Lucas Stephen Grabeel in the original Disney film. Kniep said it was one of Lew’s standout roles.

“He’s very animated, and he’s a great character actor,” Kniep said. “He’s going to shine in whatever part he has. He doesn’t have

to have the lead to take the show and be the star.”

In speech, Lew has been part of four state-qualifying short film groups and three state-qualifying improvisation groups. This year, Lew and four other students were the first group improvisation team from Mount Ayr to be nominated for the Iowa High School Speech Association’s AllState Large Group Speech Festival since Kniep began instructing speech there in 2002. The festival, held Feb. 20 at the Iowa State Center in Ames, recognizes the top high school speech teams in the state.

Europe Lew plays percussion in band, most often the quads during marching season and the timpanis for concert band. He was the marching band’s drum major last fall,

and he also sings tenor in the choir.

In 2014, Lew was one of 350 Iowa choir and band students — among them a handful from Mount Ayr — selected to tour seven different countries for 16 days as part of the Iowa Ambassadors of Music program.

Each student fundraised $7,000 for the trip.

Held every two years, the Ambassadors of Music trip involves students selected by their directors based on their abilities. Stops included London, Paris, Switzerland, Venice, Austria, Germany and Liechtenstein, visiting cathedrals and singing gospel music. Knapp said the trip was a once-ina-lifetime experience.

“The best one was in Venice, Italy, in St. Mark’s Cathedral,” Lew said.

“There’s a little section where choirs sing, and we got to sing in it, and people were videotaping us and they were sitting down and praying, and they were crying because we were singing angelic songs, and you couldn’t help looking up because of all the architecture, it’s just so awesome.”

Foreign languages Along with fueling his love for travel, the Ambassadors of Music trip ignited Lew’s interest in foreign languages. Lew had already

13A

taken Spanish during his freshman and sophomore years, but now, with an idea of the cultural background of the language, he began to take it seriously.

“The first two years, I thought Spanish was stupid.

I’m like, it’s dumb, why am I doing it?” Lew said. “Then, after coming back from Europe, I’m like, OK, I like it.”

Lew’s Spanish teacher, Gilberto Castreje, who grew up in Spain and has been teaching at Mount Ayr for four years.

“He’s a very active person,” Castreje said. “He’s not only interested in Spanish but any other kind of art. He loves music, he loves speech, so it’s very easy for a teacher to teach a student like that. I hope that he is able to learn and make a living out of his passion because that’s the biggest happiness.”

Lew has practiced his Spanish by listening to Spanish music, watching Spanish news and reading Spanish magazines.

“One of the main reasons why Lew is going to succeed is he commits mistakes, which is the most normal thing in the world, and he’s not afraid of it,” Castreje said. “That’s great. That is why he’s learning because he practices, and he is willing to do it.”

Looking ahead, Lew wants to continue to learn foreign languages after college. Following graduation in May, Lew said he’s planning on attending either Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids for the first two years or attending Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. He plans to study Hebrew and travel to Israel, as well as learn other European languages.

“I think maybe I’ll be tired by the time I’m older, but I think it’ll be worth it,” Lew said.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

East Union senior heads art club, considers career in art therapy

By KELSEY HAUGEN CNA staff reporter khaugen@crestonnews.com

AFTON – The position of art club president fell into the hands of Savannah Kistler unexpectedly.

“She was vice president, but our president hadn’t been coming, so she’s basically functioning as president, vice president, secretary and sometimes treasurer,” said Sherresse Buzard, East Union Community School art teacher.

A senior at East Union, Kistler wasn’t sure at first about taking on so much responsibility in the school’s art club. But now, these are roles she embraces wholeheartedly.

“I will probably take art classes in college even if I don’t go into art because my philosophy is, if I don’t take an art class during a semester, I get stressed out. I can’t concentrate. I can’t do anything,” said Kistler, 18, of Thayer. “I have to be in an art class.”

When she was a junior, Kistler first attended the after-school art club. She wasn’t sure about it, so she stopped coming after one meeting.

“But at the beginning of this year, Mrs. Buzard influenced me to come to a meeting again, so I did, and it was a lot more organized and a lot better,” Kistler said. “Last year was the first year of art club, so they didn’t quite have everything figured out.”

When she first began attending regularly, Kistler took on the position of vice president. Shortly after that, she began filling in as pres-

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

East Union senior Savannah Kistler paints a flag of a Spanish-speaking country on a wall in the Spanish classroom at East Union school in February.

ident.

Now, Kistler comes to every Tuesday and Thursday meeting and nearly every fundraiser, helps plan fundraisers, takes care of finances, makes calls and sends e-mails for art club trips and stays after meetings to help clean up and plan the next meeting with Buzard.

“She’s been a real go-getter,” Buzard said. “She stays after school, comes before school and makes sure students are on task when she’s

around.”

Kistler often helps until after 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, making those days at least 12 hours long.

“Sometimes, I’ll come in after school on the regular days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and see if Mrs. Buzard needs any help with anything or if we need to figure anything out for our upcoming fundraiser,” Kistler said.

Her involvement in drill team and cheerleading also

adds to the busyness.

Chicago trip The club is currently fundraising for an upcoming trip to Chicago April 15-17.

Buzard and a group of 18 students, including Kistler, will visit the Art Institute of Chicago, museums and historical buildings.

“I’m really excited to go to the art institute because, a while back, I actually considered going into the art institute in Minnesota,” Kis-

tler said. “So, I’m looking forward to going and getting to see things I’ve never seen before in person. I’ve never been to a museum before, either.”

Kistler also looks forward to the social aspect of visiting Chicago with peers.

“I like the communication because most of these people I would not have been friends with if I didn’t get into art club, and I can share my interests with other people that I never thought I’d

be connected with any other way,” Kistler said.

Projects As president, Kistler has spearheaded some of the major art club projects to date, including the Tree of Remembrance fundraising event in which art club members made angel ornaments for people to purchase and dedicate to lost loved ones last December.

KISTLER | 15A

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KISTLER: CONT. FROM | 14A

Kistler and a few other students also started a project of painting the flags of several Spanish-speaking countries on a wall in the Spanish classroom at East Union, by request of the teacher, Virginia Aguilar.

“We’re using graphite paper for the little symbols in the middle of the flags, but otherwise we’re just using tape to make sure the lines are straight,” Kistler said.

“We started on it a long time ago, but we had a lot of fundraisers going on, so we’re just now getting back to finishing it.”

So far, painting the flags in the Spanish room has been Kistler’s favorite project.

“I think it’s something people are going to look at years past, or if my future kids come here, and I can say, ‘I helped with that,’” she said.

Soon, the art club will paint a mural on the wall above the concession stand at the school.

Art classes So far, Kistler said she has received a well-rounded education in art.

“In classes, we do a lot of critiquing of artists,” she said. “I really like Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ one. I think it’s very interesting to learn about (past) artists and how they did their work.”

At East Union, Kistler has taken every art class offered – and then some.

“I’m in a new art class Mrs. Buzard created for me because I had taken all of them,” Kistler said. “I

just really enjoy art.”

Right now, Kistler is taking a photography class with Buzard.

“It’s mainly on my own,” Kistler said. “I go take pictures, and then we have to edit them in PhotoShop. I really like it. I took the digital design (class) already, and that was the only photography class, so Mrs. Buzard made another class called advanced studies in art, and in it, I’m advancing in photography.”

Still, photography is challenging for Kistler.

“You have to take a lot of pictures to get one good picture,” she said.

Before ever trying photography, Kistler’s favorite art form was drawing and shading with pastels.

Every year, Kistler creates a duck stamp, which entails drawing a duck and then coloring it in using pastels.

“It’s not that easy because blending the pastels can get really bad; it can turn into a big, black mess,” Kistler said. “It’s difficult, but I like the learning process of blending colors.”

In taking all the art classes offered at East Union, Kistler has learned she loves shading, painting and photography.

She has also learned there’s one art form she can’t stand: sculpting clay.

“Clay is something you can’t manipulate very well,” Kistler said. “I get so mad; if it doesn’t go well, I just want to give up. I had trouble with one of my cookie jars I made. It blew up in the kiln, so I had no control over that and had to redo it all.”

Art therapy As Kistler is one of only a few seniors in the art club, she enjoys working with

15A

CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

East Union Community School students work on angel ornaments that were dedicated to lost loved ones and hung on a community Christmas tree in Afton during the club’s first-ever Tree Remembrance event, led by club president Savannah Kistler, in December. Pictured are East Union art club members, from left, freshman Jaxson Welcher and seniors Mackenzie McKinney and McKenize Barnett.

younger students in sixth grade and above.

“I enjoy watching them learn stuff I learned when I was their age,” Kistler said.

“I like helping them and giving my opinions of what they can do if they’re having problems. They usually say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a good idea. I’ll try that.’”

When Kistler graduates in May, her position as president will need to be filled. She and Buzard

are considering selecting freshman art club member T’annh Banda as the next president.

“I’ve always wanted to be an artist – maybe an animator or graphic designer,” Banda said. “But the art club has helped me (try) more things.”

Because Kistler enjoys helping others with art and personally finds art therapeutic, she is curious

about pursuing art therapy in college.

She initially wanted to attend the University of Northern Iowa but decided it may be too far away from home. She’s really close to her family – her parents Dale and Mary and five half-siblings – so a threehour drive away would likely leave her homesick.

“I might go to commu-

nity college first. I kind of want to get my degree in sociology or psychology, but I’m not 100 percent sure,” Kistler said. “I’ve recently thought about art therapy because Mrs. Buzard brought it up to me. With art therapy, you can use art to help people keep their minds off something or help them with their disabilities.”

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CNA photo by KELSEY HAUGEN

East Union ninth-grader Taylor Purdy, left, and sixth-grader Katie Hamilton work on painting yard signs that would eventually say “Eagle Nation” and have a picture of an eagle during an art club meeting in February. Art club president Savannah Kistler helped lead the students in painting yard signs to be sold as a fundraiser for the club.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Johnston shares state, national success with speech competitions.

Speak now

■

By AMY HANSEN

Helpful hints

OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com

OSCEOLA — It pretty much goes without saying Nick Johnston likes to make a point and argue it.

The Clarke Community High School senior has a long and illustrious career competing in speech.

“I’ve been known to force an argument even sometimes, even if it seems like it’s probably not the best idea,” Johnston said while laughing. “I like to argue. I like to debate, use facts or whatever I can to win.”

On the weekend of Feb 12 – 14, at the East Iowa National Speech and Debate Association Districts, he qualified as district champion in domestic extemporaneous and international extemporaneous speech, electing to go to nationals in domestic extemporaneous.

This is Johnston’s third year qualifying for nationals.

Johnston also competed in the American Legion Oratorical contest and won the state level competition advancing on to the national competition later in April.

Johnston has been competing in speech all four years of his high school career. When he first started his freshman year, he went into the speech team not necessarily knowing what he wanted to do. The first contest Johnston went to, he didn’t participate.

Johnston was there to simply watch the others perform.

It just so happened, a recent graduate Johnston knew was in attendance as a judge. The young judge told Johnston he should try extemporaneous speaking.

Johnston has been competing in that category ever since.

What he does During a typical competition, Johnston walks into a room, draws a question and has 30 minutes to prepare with pre-gathered resources.

Then, he has to answer the selected question in a 5- to 7-minute speech.

This is advantageous for Johnston because most of the questions are politically-oriented and he likes how it suits his speaking skills.

“I’ve always had sort of a back in my mind interest in politics,” he said. “I’ve certainly more than once considered a career in law. It would be something I think would transfer a lot better to a job skill.”

Don May, Clarke’s speech coach, has seen Johnston flourish throughout his four years in high school.

“Nick, from the beginning, I think, I knew that he was an

Contributed photo

Clarke’s Nick Johnston shows his state championship award in spontaneous speaking and third place in extemporaneous speaking.

intelligent kid, even in middle school. And, his endeavors lent itself toward this tremendously.”

Qualifying

Johnston has been certified to go to the national speech contest many times.

His freshman year, he was first runner-up.

One year he even qualified in two different areas, but could only chose one for actual competition.

Johnston competes through the organizations National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) and Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA).

National competition for NSDA this year will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Johnston had the chance to learn a lot when he competed at nationals in 2015.

“I’d say, above all else, it’s kind of a cool chance to meet people from all over the country,” he said. “There’s certainly a variety of accents, experiences, cultures, things like that. Just having conversations with people my age who like doing what I do, too, is really awesome. That’s what I think I’d look forward to again.”

Think on your feet

However, challenges can arise at any type of competition.

There have been times where Johnston draws a topic and he has no idea what it’s even remotely referring to.

Then, he has to scramble to educate himself on the topic in 30 minutes and prepare a speech to present.

This would be a difficult situation for anyone.

“Usually when I’m doing a speech, I know what it’s about, I just need to find facts to support it,” Johnston said. “In that case, I have to learn what this is even talking about, then find facts, then prepare a speech on it, all within 30 minutes. It can be a bit hard.”

The most intense competition Johnston has found himself in would be nationals because the rules are more strict, it’s run on a tight schedule, the cuts are even harder and there’s not a lot of room for error if a student wants to advance.

“We work a lot, but a lot of times, the best advice comes from the judges every weekend,” May said. “ … What to expect, what to do, what to change comes from the judges every weekend because they’re the ones we have to please anyway to get the accommodations, awards and qualifications to nationals.”

However, a competitor or

Johnston shared some tips for future speech students about how to do well at competition. They included having a good background, as well as a passion, for politics.

It also helps to have confidence with speaking in front of people, and persistence if that can be hard to do.

“You kind of have to want to learn about these things because, otherwise, it would be very boring,” Johnston said.

“It’s often tons of information other people wouldn’t find interesting.”

May said, with Johnston’s vast experience, it’s gotten to the point where he teaches and coaches himself.

“He’s got more experience in the national circuit of what it’s like in the room that he’s kind of on his own with that a lot,” May said. “ ... I don’t watch enough news that he’s talking about, (and he’s) saying leaders names that I have not heard a lot of. He’s kind of got that on his own.”

Good times Even though Johnston has to compete on his own, some of his fondest memories include talking to his fellow speech teammates between rounds and asking them how they have done during competition. “(It’s) all the crazy stories that always seem to come up with judges and other people in the room,” Johnston said.

“There’s just so many jokes to be told.”

As of now, Johnston’s future plans are to attend Drake University, at least for an undergraduate. He said in-depth analysis of questions and really understanding all aspects of a task asked of him will help in future endeavors. “(It’s) picking up something on the fly and arguing it with the facts, not necessarily how you believe, but what side you think will be strongest,” he said. “And, just in general, thinking on your feet or thinking in a very condensed amount of time.”

Contributed photo

Nick Johnston, center, poses with his speech teammates from Clarke Community High School during an ice skating outing in Iowa City.

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Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Pitch perfect Clarke’s Hardy shines on her French horn.

■

By AMY HANSEN

OST news editor ahansen@osceolaiowa.com

OSCEOLA — As the daughter of an elementary school instrumental music teacher, it seems like Taylor Hardy was destined to play the French horn.

“I didn’t really pick French horn. My mom kind of did,” said Hardy, a senior at Clarke Community High School. “I knew I wanted to play a brass instrument, but I didn’t know French horn was going to be the one itself.

But, it’s worked out pretty well, overall. I wouldn’t change it.”

Hardy has been playing the French horn since fourth grade, and she’s

17A

been around brass instruments since she was a child.

Hardy takes private lessons from Brad Lampe, Clarke’s high school band director, and Mike Peters, Creston’s high school band director.

Lampe said many school bands lack French horn players, and this individual brass instrument allows Hardy more opportunities than other traditional brass instruments.

“Usually people who play French horn have to have a pretty good ear, and she’s got a really good ear,” Lampe said.

That ear for music has paid off for Hardy in a big way.

All-State She has been selected for All-State Music Festival in Ames three years in HARDY | 18A

Taylor Hardy, right, plays her instrument in Clarke Community High School’s marching band.

Contributed photo

Clarke senior Taylor Hardy plays French horn in the All-State Band in Ames. This is a wide shot of the band.

Taylor Hardy, right, plays with Iowa’s All-State Orchestra.

Contributed photo

Contributed photo

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18A

Creston News Advertiser Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Contributed photo

Taylor Hardy stands next to her acceptance sheet for the All-State Band.

HARDY: CONT. FROM | 17A

a row – her sophomore through senior years.

Hardy did try out for All-State her freshman year for the experience.

During her sophomore and junior years, Hardy was even chosen for the All-State Orchestra, which is an elite selection.

“It’s even hard for me to still believe it,” Hardy said.

“As a freshman, I was really scared, and I was hoping to get into it at least once in high school. And then, (to) keep getting into it multiple times in a row is just beyond belief.”

During Hardy’s senior year, she was selected for the All-State Band, and she was grateful for the new experience compared to playing in the orchestra.

Hardy enjoyed hearing the trumpets and other brass instruments being played around her.

Band/Orchestra The All-State Band is about 285 people. The AllState Orchestra is approximately 198 people.

Hardy recalled the instrumental music in the orchestra tends to be more dramatic and have finesse, whereas the sound of band can be more powerful and “in your face.”

“It’s just a different genre,” Lampe said. “It’s just strings and brass versus all the brass and woodwinds and percussion.”

All-State Music Festival can be a long four-day weekend for students and their directors in Ames.

It’s a lot of rehearsals before the big show.

However, some of Hardy’s fondest memories include hanging out with her family and Lampe in Ames, including eating at the popular barbecue restaurant Hickory Park.

Hardy is the only one of Lampe’s instrumental students who has made AllState three years in a row.

It’s quite the honor for the Clarke senior.

“She does a lot of the work on her own. I help her and I make sure she’s doing stuff, but if she doesn’t work on her own and doesn’t have that self-motivation and discipline, then she would never make it,” Lampe said.

He pointed out many students don’t make AllState Music Festival because they don’t realize the amount of time, effort and discipline it takes to be selected.

“You can’t be close.

You’ve got to be on,” Lampe said.

‘Grace under pressure’ One of the keys to Hardy making All-State three years in a row is her “grace under pressure” during the

audition in the fall.

“She doesn’t crack,” Lampe said. “She knows what she needs to do, and she goes in and just does it.

She’s very cool under pressure.”

Although, as Hardy’s director, there are times Lampe has to make sure she isn’t around other people who are nervous because those emotions could rub off.

For Hardy, though, an audition goes by really fast.

Typically, judges give a student seven minutes to audition. When Hardy steps into the room, she

Contributed photo

Taylor Hardy, far right, poses for a photo with the pit band for Clarke’s musical production of “Annie.”

breathes, calms herself down and thinks of all the things her instructors have told her to do.

This also includes her singing the pieces in her head before she plays.

Lots of practice Being a good French horn player takes a lot of work.

The time Hardy spends practicing her instrument varies throughout the time of the year. It’s intense during All-State and solo/ ensemble seasons. During those times, she’s working on her French horn every

day.

During jazz band season, Hardy focuses on her other instruments. She plays trumpet in Clarke’s Jazz II band and piano in Clarke’s Jazz I band.

From Hardy’s freshman to senior year, her instrumental motivation has increased. One award or recognition simply ignites her passion to do better for the next audition because there’s always room for improvement.

Hardy’s future plans do include music. She wants to play in college and study privately. A big dream of hers

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is to one day play in the Des Moines Symphony.

Right now, Hardy’s plan is to major in nursing. She’s also interested in music therapy in a hospital setting.

Personal growth Lampe said throughout Hardy’s time in high school, there have been several upper-level discussions between Hardy and her instructors on what they all think works best.

When Hardy was a freshman, Lampe said she just

wanted them to “feed” her everything on instrumental choices. This has changed as Hardy has become more comfortable with her musicianship.

It goes to show where the next four years could take her.

“I don’t think there’s ever any perfect player,” Hardy said. “I like listening to those people who just have that ‘wow’ sound who I think are better than me. It motivates me to get better as well.”

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