Meet the Staff

Isabella Montez is a senior who is serving as both a writer and editor for the “Pirate Press” for a second year. She is a member of the Soccer team, Scholastic team, and Chess Club. She works at The Lone Buffalo and her hobbies include finishing puzzles, playing games and reading. She plans on attending The Culinary Institute of America.

First-Year Writers

Molly Etscheid is a senior who is a part of the Track team. She currently works at Blain’s Farm and Fleet and AnCare Veterinary Hospital, and her hobies include watching TikTok, watching Netflix and hanging out with her sister and dog. She plans to attend St. Ambrose University and major in Sports Management.

Theo Downey is a senior who is part of Earth Club, Project Snowflake, Fine Arts Club, Band and the Track team. His hobbies include reading, writing and photography. He plans on going to a four-university, most likely University of Michigan or University of California Santa Cruz.

Masen Libby is a senior who works at Dollar Tree. His favorite hobby is thrifing and collecting vintage things. He plans on going to IVCC after graduation and eventually transferring to a four-year university.

Elizabeth Butler is a junior who works at Walmart in Morris. Her hobbies include gaming, driving and listening to music. She plans on doing something business related after graduation.

Emily Sibert is a junior who works at Court Street Pub, and her favorite hobbies all include being outside. She plans on going to a four-year university after graduation and majoring in Interior Design.

Hot or Cold?

Senior Molly Etscheid

Hot or cold? As students walk around the building they may think “Hmm, it is really warm over here” or “Wow, it is so cold in here.” Wherever you go, students are always commenting on the changing temperatures around the building. Students may be wearing a sweatshirt in some areas and a t-shirt in others. But are different parts of the building really that much warmer or colder than one another?

I put thermometers in various places around the school to see what the average temperature was after one school week. The places I used were Kingman Gym, a classroom on 900, a classroom on 500, a locker on 700, and the counselor’s office. Here are the average temperatures I found for each:

Kingman Gym (400 floor)- 68 °F

Classroom on 900 floor- 74 °F

Classroom on 500 floor- 65 °F

Locker (700 floor)- 72 °F

Counselor’s Office (200 floor)- 75 °F

This evidence does prove that the temperature changes students may feel walking around is true. Although it is difficult to keep this large of a building all at the same temperature, students have found a few solutions to the issue.

If students are looking to avoid these ever-changing temperatures and be better prepared for the weather, they may consider layering their clothes. Not only do a lot of people around the school layer their clothes, but it will also make it easier to deal with the changes. Layering can be as simple as wearing a t-shirt under a sweatshirt. Or you could dress it up with a cute cardigan or nice jacket.

Senior Arwen Gay always keeps a jacket with her, so she is always prepared for any area of the school. “You never know what to expect each day,” Gay said. “Sometimes I am sweating in a certain class, and sometimes I am cold.”

Clay Reclaim

Senior

Masen Libby

Reduce, reuse, sculpt. When you’re in art teacher Leah Kuhn’s classroom, you might notice the heaps of clay in the back next to a garbage can labeled with a paper that says “reclaim.” Reclaiming clay is a process that uses old, dried clay scraps and makes it new again.

“We reclaim clay to save money. It means we don’t need to order more clay for next year, and it’s more sustainable,” Kuhn said. In a world more aware of its impact on the environment, recycling clay is one of the many things that people do to reduce their environmental footprint.