The Newtonian, Issue 2 - Winter 2022

THE NEWTONIAN NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MAGAZINE Series 99 | Issue 2 | Winter 2021

PAGE 6-7 Local dancers participate in Nutcracker performance Photo by Ann Pomeroy

TABLE OF CONTENTS Elly Green Pages 4-5

News Newton community gathers for annual event

4-5

Local dancers participate in nutcracker

6-7

Community event gives back to kids

8

Final touches put on NHS event space

9

Opinions

Annika Yoder

when can you put up christmas decorations? 10-11 Parent separation effects holiday

12

Reaction to christmas presents

13

Features

Students volunteer at local animal shelter 14-15 exchange students celebrate holidays Pages 6-7

Caileane Thurston Pages 14-15

Wink turns christmas gift into lifelong hobby

18

editors bring yearbook to life

19

Arts & Culture

students share celebration culture

20-21

students share 2022 new years resolutions

22-23

Eris Rindt

STAFF top 20 christmas hits

24

students write, submit winter poetry

25

student section prepares for winter sports

26

Bowling team’s season on the line

27

Spirit squads excel at state competitions

28

Student athletes bond after school hours

29

Sports

Photo Essay Page 19

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16-17

Quarter in review

30-31

NEWTONIAN STAFF Ann Pomeroy Editor-in-Chief Senior

Elly Green Print Production Manager Senior

Daniel Gonzalez-Arevalo Sports Manager Senior

Simon Hodge Reporter Senior

Eris Rindt Reporter Junior

Caileane Thurston Reporter Junior

Mateya McCord Social Media Chair Sophomore

Lucy Buller Social Media Chair Sophomore

Addie Clayton Reporter Sophomore

Annika Yoder Reporter Sophomore

STAFF

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P A R

Newton Community gathers for annual event Elly Green Print Production Manager @EllyGreen16

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eing in a smaller city like Newton, community events are happening all the time. These events include; The Sand Creek Summer Daze, Taste of Newton, The Newton Car Show, food truck rallies and many more. The Parade of Lights put on by the Newton Lions Club is just one of many attempts throughout the year to bring the Newton community together.

The 2021 Parade of Lights was hosted on Dec. 2, during the night time when all of the glowing lights could be visible. Organizations such as the Newton High School band participated, marching proudly as they played a tune.

“For the Parade of Lights we learn a piece of music starting in the first quarter of the school year and it’s a sequence of three tunes that are Christmas themed and we practice that here and there,” senior Savannah Hunsucker said. “We march at the parade, we wear uniforms but we [also] get to dress up and have lights and decorations so it’s pretty fun.”

In addition to the treat of music, community members enjoyed local businesses such as Prairy Market and Deli and

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Anderson’s Bookstore staying open late to serve shoppers as the parade lingered on.

“In addition to the parade, we have photos with Santa for the kids, and many of the downtown businesses stay open late for shopping and to offer hot chocolate and cookies,” Newton Lions Club marketing and communications chair Erin McDaniel said.

The Parade of Lights makes an emphasis on the holidays approaching, with the twinkling lights and the Christmas music luring community members to join the parade and celebrate being together for the holidays.

“The parade is such a feel-good, positive community event to kick off the holiday season,” McDaniel said. “In our awesome downtown, you really get that Hallmark movie, hometown Christmas vibe.”

The holidays mean something different to everyone, whether it be getting with the community to enjoy treats, reuniting with family members, or getting a break from work and school, and the Parade of Lights helps administer that feel-good holiday positivity.

“The holidays are really important to me because it means I get to give back to my community and give back to my family and friends and it’s just a time to be together

E A ofDlights with all of the people that I care about and take some time to relax and focus on my mental health,” Hunsucker said.

The Newton Lions Club is dedicated to meet the community’s needs through service and philanthropy, including providing exams and eyeglasses to those in need, cleaning up trash along Sand Creek, providing a scholarship at the high school level, leading food drives and other charitable givings, said McDaniel. They also host major community events including the Parade of Lights.

“Lions club hosts major community events like the downtown Halloween walk and the Parade of Lights,” McDaniel said. “Civic clubs like the Lions offer people a chance to be involved in community efforts to give back and serve their neighbors outside their usual social circles like work, school or church.”

While the Parade of Lights might be seen as a get-together for holiday enthusiasts, the parade and other community events hold deep ties into creating a bonded community, according to McDaniel.

“Events like the Christmas parade bring people from all walks of life together under one umbrella of community. It can help foster a sense of belonging that ultimately makes Newton a more appealing place to live and raise a family,” McDaniel said. “When you have long-standing events like this, it becomes a tradition, which also creates bonds between people.”

Junior Spencer Olson works late on Dec. 2 to serve warm coffee, milk and cookies to customers. Olson has been working at Prariry Market and Deli for over six months.

Photo by Elly Green.

NEWS

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A Holiday T radition Local dancers participate in nutcracker performance

Annika Yoder Reporter @YoderAnnika

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very other year, Newton Dance Connections puts on their version of the famous ballet, The Nutcracker. Dancers from two local dance studios unite to put on the classic show that first began back in 1892. This version is unique from the other productions of the show to better fit the dancers and the audience that comes to watch.

“I love participating in the Nutcracker because it is so fun to be able to work with BCAPA every other year and it is always great to see some familiar faces every time we do it,” senior Tabitha Buffalo said.

Newton Dance Connections consists of two local dance studios, Newton Performing Arts Center and the Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts. Dancers and teachers at each of the studios come together to put on the performance.

People look forward to performing, teaching and watching the Nutcracker every time it comes around.

“I am looking forward to performing and being able to put the whole show together,” junior Eliza Epp said. “I love being able to watch the whole performance after it is all over when the video is released.”

Photo by Caleb Smith

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Photo by Caleb Smith

This year the Nutcracker took place in the auditorium at Valley Center Middle School on Dec. 3 and 4. Tickets were available for purchase at $15 for an adult and $10 for a child to come watch any of the three performances. The Nutcracker is known to be appealing for audience members due to its familiar storyline. The Newton production does its best to include a variety of styles of dance, so that everyone will have the opportunity to find one they like to watch.

“I like that the Newton production incorporates other styles than just ballet because I feel like it suits our particular audience best,” Buffalo said.

The version of the Nutcracker put on by Newton Dance Connections includes a variety of styles of dance that go beyond just the traditional ballet. This year’s production in particular included ballet and pointe, tap, Irish, modern and acrobatics.

“My favorite style of dance to do in the Nutcracker is ballet and pointe,” Epp said. “I especially love the part I have in the Nutcracker right now as one of the Arch Angels. It is my

Photo by Caleb Smith

like to participate. Most of the dancers who have done Nutcracker in the past encourage anyone who is thinking about participating to do it for the next show.

“I definitely encourage other dancers to audition for the Nutcracker because it is such a great experience. Everyone that participates is super supportive and truly like a family,” Buffalo said. “It is also a great way to celebrate the popular holiday tradition as well.”

The dancers say they have had great memories from doing the Nutcracker throughout the years. The older dancers have a lot of great experiences with dancing with the other area studio dancers and getting to know people better through participating. The dancers also have really enjoyed getting to dance in the show and continuing to further their dancing.

“One of my favorite memories from Nutcracker would be my 8th grade year. It was my first year doing nutcracker on pointe and during dress rehearsal we were all sitting in a circle just talking when someone had to run back to the dressing room to tell us that they had been waiting for us to go on,” Buffalo said.

Photo by Caleb Smith

favorite part I have ever had in the Nutcracker.”

The Nutcracker includes parts for kids of all ages.

You will likely see teenage dancers dancing as one of the featured parts, like the Sugar Plum Fairy or the Snow Queen while the younger kids might get a part as one of the Gingerbread Cookies or as one of the children in the party scene. One of Newton Dance Connections main goals is making an environment where everyone gets the chance to dance in the Nutcracker.

“I loved dancing in the Nutcracker when I was little,” Epp said. “I loved watching the older girls get the main parts and seeing how well they danced and now I am old enough to get to do the parts [in the Nutcracker] I have always wanted to do.”

Although many dancers at NPAC and BCAPA participate in the Nutcracker, the choreographers and studio owners are always happy to welcome any new dancers who would

Photo by Caleb Smith

NEWS

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Toy Run Community event gives back to kids

Mateya McCord Social Media Chair @mateyamcc06

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very year around the holidays many motorcyclists and other vehicles join together to help kids in need. The annual toy run event was held on Nov. 14, and motorcyclists met at Chisholm Trail Shopping Center to start riding throughout town. The lineup of all of the motorcycles started at noon, and the ride began officially at 1 p.m. All proceeds from the toy run benefit children in need in Harvey County through the Salvation Army.

All motor cyclists go through the same routes in town and end at the American Legion. Families were encouraged to come watch the parade and visit with Santa and the event proved to be engaging for all ages. At the end of the parade, in the Legion building there were buttons and chili for families and participants. A purchase of a button was an automatic entry to the $100 raffle.

According to Harvey County Coordinator of the Salvation Army Wendy Basye, each year approximately 25 volunteers help her to host the toy run. Basye says she enjoys working the toy run and seeing smiles on families and kids faces throughout the event.

“I am one of the coordinators of the toy run and work alongside Bill Ryan [who] is the one that heads it up. I have been working side by side with Bill for nine years now when it comes to the toy run. I enjoy seeing all the bikers and how the community comes together to help bring Christmas to those families in our community

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that are in need,” Basye said. “Each year my dad dresses up as Santa and it brings him joy to bring smiles to the bikers and kids faces. This year my father in law drove Santa on his antique fire truck, so it is kind of like a family event.”

While COVID affected many events in 2020, the pandemic did not affect the toy run as much. Bayse says that since the toy run is outside and most of the time everyone is separated, COVID did not affect it.

“Last year was the same as this year, because the toy run is always outside. The biggest difference was last year and this year we did not have shirts to sell or have an auction like we have in the past,” Basye said.

The toy run is always successful and this year there were 260 riders and over 300 gifts collected for the kids. Basye says that everyone that participated in the toy run did so for the kids in the Newton community in order to make a memorable holiday season for the less fortunate.

“We couldn’t do it all on our own without the help of all of our volunteers and Rent-a-Center for the use of their truck to transport the toys back to the church to get ready to hand out for Christmas,” Basye said.

New and Improved Final touches put on NHS event space

Lucy Buller Social Media Chair @lucybuller

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n early April, the process of renovating the NHS auditorium began. The rows of chairs, which most needed replacing, were removed from the room and the walls were stripped of their carpeting.

Eight months after renovations started, the refurbished auditorium is in sight. According to Chris Schaeffer, the USD 373 district maintenance director, replacing the auditorium chairs was part of the District Capital Outlay five year plan while the ceiling and wall renovations were simply more convenient without the chairs in the way.

“Many of them [the chairs] are broken and we can no longer get parts for them and they are unsafe,” Schaeffer said. “The room will also get repainted, the wood on the stage front and some parts of the stage floor will be replaced. We have some spots that need maintenance and while the room is out of commission is the best time to do these repairs. Stairs to the stage and pit will be replaced with new stationary ones that are safer and meet modern code.”

To save money on energy in the future, the lights above the auditorium seats were also replaced with LED lights. Everything in the auditorium besides a few minor changes backstage was original from 1973, so renovations were very necessary to keep the space hazard free and safe to perform in. According to principal Caleb Smith, the seats and new sound panels have taken many months to arrive, part of the reason why the auditorium took so long to be finished.

“The COVID supplies delays and shortages were the single reason it took so long,” Smith said. “We have a new curtain, rebuilt stage and pit, new paint job, new seats, new carpet, new sound/lights booth and they ran wiring through the concrete from the stage to the light booth. We will also be getting a new projector next summer.”

NEWS

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Christmas Light Controversy When is it socially acceptable to put up Christmas decorations?

Simon Hodge Reporter @Hodge_Simon

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s Halloween passes and November starts you’ll notice large inflatable Santas and Christmas lights popping up everywhere as you drive around. Some Christmas fanatics may spend hundreds of dollars to decorate their front yards and show their Christmas spirit. As November starts however, I believe people get too caught up in the Christmas spirit and forget about what November is all about, Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is the time to be thankful for everything you have. Thanksgiving is also one of the lesser commercialized major holidays in American society and seeing Christmas decorations up before you celebrate feels apathetic toward the meaning of the holiday. Commercialization drives the Christmas season and it is no help that Black Friday is just one day after Thanksgiving so some people may think of Thanksgiving as just a gateway into their holiday shopping.

If you do choose to wait and put decorations up after Thanksgiving it can give you something to look forward to after the holiday. You also bypass getting rid of the excitement of putting decorations up, if you do it too early. In my opinion, it does not feel like you are decorating at all for the Christmas season when you put up your decorations before Thanksgiving.

According to Confused two thirds of people say that the Christmas season officially starts in December so when many people see Christmas lights up before Thanksgiving it is bound to cause some people to get annoyed. This can be even worse when you end up seeing or even living next to one of

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the homes that gets just a little too into decorating and ends up lighting the entire block up at night.

Lighting the entire block up does not just refer to luminescence, it can also be literal. According to nfpa on average there are 160 Christmas tree related fires per year.

According to USA Today having trees inside homes earlier just prolongs the risk of something happening, mainly a higher chance of the tree drying out just a few weeks into December.

Putting up Christmas decorations early also comes with a risk for bad luck. According to Metro Lifestyle, traditionally Christmas trees were put up on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and if put up any sooner you would be deemed unlucky.

At the end of the day it is your call when you put up decorations and as holiday excitement rolls around in November you will probably feel the urge to begin decorating.

However, in future years you may take into consideration whether or not you are actually fully experiencing the Thanksgiving holiday prior to moving on to the Christmas season.

Ann Pomeroy Editor-in-Chief @PomeroyAnn

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s the season progresses and the holidays come nearer, the primary topic on many people’s minds is how best to celebrate. While many families have traditions such as eating brunch together on Christmas morning or making cookies for Santa, a widely known tradition is the decorating aspect of the holidays. This long reigning tradition dating back to as early as 1605 brings joy to thousands throughout the holiday season. However, the one fault surrounding decorating for the holidays is the debate on when is it socially acceptable to officially begin decorating.

According to the TinyPrints most families who celebrate for the Christmas holiday begin decorating after Thanksgiving while others may decide to wait as late as Dec. 1 as the decorations are only specific to the month. Personally, I think that there should be no limitation as to when families can begin decorating as the main importance is the togetherness of the event.

In the late summer of 2020, after a whim trip to Hobby Lobby my family brought home a new Christmas tree for the holidays. Although it took some convincing, I was able

to successfully talk my parents into letting us put up and decorate the tree prior to even Halloween. The one stipulation was that instead of being decorated for the Christmas holiday, it was for the fall season. This act, in my opinion, extended our joy that accompanies the holiday season and provided for even more family time getting to decorate for fall and redecorate for Christmas.

Housebeautiful states that putting up Christmas decorations early in the year actually extends the excitement of the festive season. Bridging time from your own childhood memories, it is expected to even make you happier. All the more reason to begin to put up decorations earlier than expected.

Overall, I feel that the decision of whether or not to put up Christmas and holiday decorations early is left to the family to decide. Let’s say you have siblings or other extended family members that are typically not present in the home but help decorate for Christmas. This, then may prevent someone from decorating early because they are waiting until the whole family is home and able to decorate together.

As long as you are happy about when you begin decorating and are able to withstand possible criticism then I believe that you are free to begin whenever you wish. However, I would suggest that you try something different in regards to decorating this season, maybe with the addition of a new ornament, inflatable or wreath. It can be exciting to look forward to a ‘new’ aspect of decorating each year.

All in all, decorate when you wish, but make decorating a memorable event by spending quality time with family and friends and truly allow the decorating experience to prompt your holiday cheer and excitement.

OPINIONS

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The Split Parent’s separation effects holiday Eris Rindt Reporter

@Rindt_Eris

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ealing with divorced parents throughout the holiday season is not hardly as crazy or dramatic as the movies make it out to be. When dealing with my separated family, it’s always been pretty easy, but that said, each family is different.

For me, dramatics have not ever been a major issue during the holidays. Movies like Parent Trap or Mrs. Doubtfire show a more dramatic version of a family divorce dynamic than what it is actually like, in my opinion. These movies are not accurate to the actual lives of divorced parents, my family definitely has times where they are dramatic but it has never escalated to the level portrayed in movies.

Throughout the seven years of my parents divorce, they have been splitting holidays evenly.

I have never felt like there was a need to stress over scheduling around holidays. If my mom has me during Christmas then my dad will have me on Christmas eve, the next year it will be the reverse. They try to split holidays evenly to allow equal time with each parent.

There are many positives with split parents but the negatives are something that rise up during

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every holiday season. This Christmas Eve, I am planning to be with my dad, while on Christmas I am planning to spend time at my mom’s house.

Being expected to split that time, can be hard when I have other priorities such as work or homework.

One of the major problems that usually comes up is bringing all my belongings from one house then the other, just the fast back and forth. During holidays I get many clothes, money and other necessities that I need to bring from my dad’s house to my mom’s house. Just the complications of splitting time with the inclusion of having that gas being spent is one of the hard parts of the holidays with my kind of family. Even with all these challenges, my family still continues to spend the holidays happily as a separate family.

Christmas is one of the most exciting times for me. I love that I am able to share the experience of Christmas with more than one side of the family. I get double the presents, double the food and double the family time. Being able to share that experience of Christmas with all my family, non-relational and related is something I treasure. People that have this new start with a split family, typically understand that it can be very difficult at times but often overlook the bright side of the situation that promotes new life experiences.

Faking Thanks

reaction to christmas presents Addie Clayton Reporter @adelync7

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hen it comes to opening Christmas presents on Christmas morning there is often an audience whether it is family or friends. Often when opening a gift and someone realizes it is not what they expected it to be, they could then give a bad reaction. Some of the bad reactions can be them saying how much they like it in a sarcastic tone or not even saying anything at all. You can also give a bad reaction to a present that you really like.

Most times when giving a bad reaction to a present it could be because it could feel awkward at times when everyone is staring and the gift-giver is asking whether you like the gift or not. Some gift-givers might even say something like, “If you do not like the gift, tell me so I can get you something you like.” It is almost like they are waiting for your response and it can become stressful and can be a lot of pressure.

I know that when I receive a gift I do not like, I often feel bad just because the gift-giver spent their time and money buying the gift. The gifts that I receive that I do not particularly like are mainly clothes because the gift-giver most times

does not know my style. When I receive a gift I like, sometimes I give a bad reaction simply because I either do not know how to react simply because I love it so much or because there are so many eyes on me.

I try my best to not give a bad reaction to gifts so I do not make the gift-giver feel bad but sometimes it is hard not to. Whenever I give a bad reaction it mainly consists of a fake smile and an awkward laugh. At times when I first open the gift my initial reaction can go from a smile to a blank face.

There are different ways to prevent yourself from giving a bad gift reaction. One of the things you can do is just ‘fake it till you make it.’ It is also good to make sure you always say thank you since they spent their time and money on getting you that gift. Lastly, you should always smile. I think it is best to do anything you can to not hurt the gift-giver’s feelings because they are most likely very excited to see your reaction to the gift they got you.

Although you may get a gift you do not like this Christmas it is still very important to show your appreciation to anyone who gives you a gift because most times they did it out of the kindness in their hearts.

OPINIONS

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THE GREATER GOOD

Students volunteer at local animal shelter Caileane Thurston Reporter @_cailey7

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olunteers continue to spend their time caring for animals at the Caring Hands Humane Society. Students who volunteer take care of the animals, and it gives them something to do during their free time. Students volunteer any day of the week. Students do this because they enjoy watching the animals, and taking care of them before they are adopted and taken into a new home.

Sophomore Raegan Boaldin says she typically sees an increase in adoption throughout the winter months. In many cases, animals are purchased for loved ones as presents throughout the holiday season, however the pressures of being a pet owner are too great and the owner makes the choice to surrender that said animal. According to ASPA, Reports have shown that an increase of shelter surrenders occurs after the holiday season. Many people return their pets as they can not take care of them.

“People return the pets given to [Caring Hands]because they either don’t want the pet, can’t take care of them, or the place they live doesn’t allow pets. It is very sad seeing an animal that got adopted out, come back within a matter of weeks or days,” Boaldin said.

Junior Chloe Compton volunteers at the Caring Hands Humane Society every Thursday. During her time volunteering, she has the responsibility of cleaning dog kennels, making dog and cat treats, walking dogs and handing out cat toys.

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“You have to clean kennels and dog poop and it’s fun because you get to hangout with the animals,” Compton said.

Junior Benjamin Stovall says there are many pros and cons of volunteering. Some of the pros for him are getting to walk and interact with the dogs as well as getting to bond and play with the cats. Volunteers are sometimes given the responsibility to train the animals, overall getting them more used to people in preparation for future adoptions. Stovall says that the hardest aspect of the job is that it is very hard to see animals that have been neglected or abandoned at the shelter.

“People [often] get puppies or kittens that are cute and cuddly but then they realize they are a lot of work and the cost can be a problem [as it adds up] with vet appointments, food and toys,” Stovall said. “If [an owner] has to go out of town they have to find someone to care for the animals, [which can be an additional unforeseen pressure to the new owner.]”

As a volunteer at Caring Hands, there are colors you have to earn, for example when students first volunteer, their volunteer badge starts out a color pink. Pink is the easy animal to go on the walk with, and they are less likely to bite you or attack you. The yellow color is hyper active, it pulls a lot and are typically door darters. The orange color is the more aggressive dogs, who are hard to handle. Stovall is the color yellow so far. “[We] get to work with animals and care for them and help them during a hard time in their lives,” Stovall said. “It is very rewarding to see them go to a forever home.”

40 dogs currently at the Humane Society

93 cats

5 Other Animals FEATURES

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Thanksgiving Abroad

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Spanish exchange students celebrate the holidays Daniel Gonzalez-Arevalo Sports Manager @danny_g679

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he United States is full of qualities that make it an outlier when compared to other countries around the world. From things such as sports, education, traditions and Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a holiday unique to the United States as it celebrates the dinner and interaction that the Pilgrims and Native Americans shared when they first arrived. While many debate on whether or not the American population should celebrate the holiday due to how the Native Americans were later treated, according to familyhandyman Thanksgiving continues to be celebrated by 90% of the American population and is the second most popular holiday behind Christmas.

Senior exchange students Bruna Bolado and Mathias Lama were able to celebrate Thanksgiving away from their homes in Spain. As with any new holiday, Bolado and Lama looked forward to the celebration with their host families.

“I was with my host family and we all ate food together,” Bolado said. “We ate turkey, mashed potatoes, and mac n cheese.”

Turkey is an animal that is native to North America, so it is unlikely that someone outside of the continent would have the bird on a yearly basis. Even with domesticated turkeys existing across the world, many do not have access to the animal or simply do not show any interest.

“I mean, we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving at all, and I have never had turkey,” Lama said. “So yeah, it was awesome.”

Aside from the mere food differences between Spain and the United States, Bolado claims that Thanksgiving is not all that different from get-togethers in Spain.

“It’s kind of the same,” Bolado said. “Just eating and just hanging out with family is not that different.”

From an outside perspective, non-American visitors may feel as though Thanksgiving is just a filler holiday until Christmas rolls around. However, Lama believes that the holiday does hold some importance.

“I do believe that it’s something that makes sense to celebrate,” Lama said. “Just because of everything that happened with the Native Americans.”

Following the Thanksgiving dinners and celebrations the attention has begun to switch to Christmas and New Years celebrations. For Lama and his host family, the celebration will include the 12 days of Christmas and a trip out of the state.

“They’re doing the 12 days of Christmas,” Lama said. “But I just changed host families so I don’t know a lot about them. I believe we’re going down to Texas for Christmas.”

For Bolado, Christmas celebrated in Spain is the closest parallel to Thanksgiving here in the United States. The similarities in the gathering remind her of Christmas back home.

“In Spain, Christmas is so big. It’s like a big family reunion,” Bolado said. “It’s similar to Thanksgiving but I just don’t know how to explain it.”

For Lama a major difference between Christmas in the U.S. and in Spain would be the date that the presents are opened.

While in the U.S. it is customary to open presents on Dec. 25, in Spain they open the presents on Jan. 6.

“Usually in Spain, we don’t get presents on Dec. 25,” Lama said. “We get them on Jan. 6. The Three Kings Day, let’s say. So to me, that’s the biggest difference.”

Despite all of the anticipation for presents in a new country and celebrating with new people, Lama continues to look forward to the new year and how people in the U.S. celebrate.

“I’m looking forward to New Year’s Eve,” Lama said. “I don’t know how people celebrate here so that’ll be cool to see.

FEATURES

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BUILDING PASSION

Wink turns popular Christmas gift into lifelong hobby Ann Pomeroy Editor-in-Chief @PomeroyAnn

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hinking back to your earliest Christmas memories, I am sure you can recall the use of Legos or other building block adjacent type of presents. These types of presents are a great way to keep kids busy and engaged throughout the holiday break by giving them something to focus their energy on. According to logically, in comparison to the typical 7 sets sold per second on an average day, throughout the holiday season, this number is quadrupled to approximately 28 lego sets sold every second.

While many of us can recall Legos as a key part of our childhoods, the fun of expression through this art form is not limited to any age range. According to Lego’s own advertisements and packaging, these toys are intended for anyone from age four to 99. Senior Bryson Wink has taken advantage of this age range and has prolonged his interest in Legos into his teenage years, often creating his own projects as a form of self expression.

“My interest in Legos stemmed from a few different places, one of which was Kindergarten,” Wink said.

“Before Kindergarten, I used to be obsessed with trains and how the wheels turned until Christmas 2009, when my grandma bought me a little helicopter set.”

According to gameofbricks the productive nature of Legos often encourages one’s brain to release serotonin which is a hormone that is closely related to the feeling of happiness. Additionally, through the creative process associated with them, you can improve your fine motor skills, problem solving, resilience and perseverance.

“Legos have impacted my life to the point where they’ve practically become my other half of my personality and I don’t know what I would do without them being in my life in some way or another,” Wink said. “I look at Legos as a form of art and a form of expression since I am not a very social person and I tend to be very reserved around people.”

Legos can be sold in both set form and by individual pieces. There are also many different brands who sell very similar items to those of Lego. When Wink creates, he tends to prefer building his own creations rather than following a set of rules. This has produced some of his favorite pieces to date such as a Marvel inspired New York City skyline and a six-foot tall robot.

“Something I’ve typically done with Legos that I’ve found to be my

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‘rhythm’ for the past three years is whenever I watch a movie, typically a Marvel movie, Star Wars, or any other movie involving something cool like Giant Robots or Monsters, and I enjoy it enough to feel the need to have something from the movie to display or ‘marvel’ at,” Wink said.

Wink begins his building process by formulating in his mind the pieces required and the time needed to complete the project, then he shuts his door and gets to work. He says that generally his projects take a couple of hours to complete, however, in extreme circumstances even weeks. Once he has concluded, he makes sure to display his hard work throughout his room on various shelves and platforms.

“After I’ve finished [my project], I put it on a shelf to display and the process continues,” Wink said. “I don’t ever destroy any of the models I have made, since I typically spend anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks on one model.”

In total, approximately 560 billion Lego parts have been produced globally, meaning each person on the planet could have 86 pieces, according to kidskonnect.

Since 1978, approximately 4 billion Lego minifigures have been produced thus making Lego minifigures the world’s largest population group if they were alive. This being said, Lego sales are still expected to skyrocket throughout the holiday season.

“I feel like Legos are a good Christmas/holiday gift for the creative freedom they give you,” Wink said. “No matter which set you decide to purchase, you will always have the pieces to do almost anything you want with them. You could build the Lego set as intended, you could modify it with however many of your own pieces to improve the set, you could even not build the set and use it for pieces.”

While Wink says he has experienced some criticism for his interest, especially in his early years of high school, he would not give up this creative outlet for the world. He describes the experience as an escape from the hustle and bustle of high school life, providing time for much needed relaxation.

“Never be afraid of what other people think of your interests, not just Legos but anything in general,” Wink said. “Remember that you are your own person and to never fear what people say about your interests, as karma will get to them eventually and they are likely insecure about something of their own. As long as it makes you happy and is ‘constructive,’ no pun intended, or beneficial to your well being as well as potentially other people’s well being, keep on doing what makes you happy, not what your peer wants you to feel happy by.”

Behind The Scenes Editors bring yearbook to life Eris Rindt Reporter

@Rindt_Eris

W

orking long nights, completing hard tasks and cooperating with a staff of nine people is a typical agenda for the three editors of the yearbook team. Each editor on the staff has a different job to help with the end goal of putting out their best work for everyone in the student body to have a book to look back on their high school experience.

Senior Olivia Adams’ job on staff is Editor of Photography. The main job of a photography editor is to make sure the page layout and photos are publishable before a deadline. Before big deadlines editors typically hold a work night to allow other staff members to get pages done. Pages are corrected by the editors to make sure that there are no mistakes before the book is published.

“We do a page every week so the week [a staff member is assigned they] cover everything that happens that week, get current photos, interviews and quotes,” Adams said. “The next two weeks we finalize it, by adding captions [and then submitting for proof by our publisher].

We always work on finding those little errors like spelling but we try to make it a fun interaction so we’ll bring pizza and snacks. We want to make it an enjoyable experience because it’s a lot of pressure, it’s a lot of work, so we try to make it more fun.”

Yearbook occurs during sixth hour on gold days. Differing from Adams, senior Kamryn Archibald has the job of managing editor. The group partakes in daily discussions before breaking apart to work their assignment for the upcoming deadline. Club pictures are additionally undertaken by the Yearbook staff, so a portion of their time is used to plan, prep and schedule for this event.

“When the bell rings we have a team meeting which usually lasts up to 10-20 minutes, it just varies,” Archibald said.

“Then from there everyone goes on to what they have to work on. Most of the

time us editors will walk around and check on everyone’s pages. Lately in each class we’ve been printing the pages just so we can work on proofs and revisions.”

The last editor of the three is senior Linda Shine and she has the role of Layout Editor, ensuring the publication is revised and edited to the best of her ability. The three editors met once over the summer before the start of the school year to prepare for the 2021-2022 issue and year ahead. Despite facing COVID-19 challenges over the span of the two years previous, the staff has continued to publish a physical copy of their yearbook, unlike many surrounding area schools.

This year the staff has been working on getting more student involvement and overall coverage of the student body.

“Overall it’s been a great experience, I love the whole staff and enjoy being part of this [atmosphere],” Shine said.

“But it’s still hard with all the constant pressure that is on us. We were never taught how to be an editor and we’ve had to figure all of it out on our own.

We are still just high school students and learning how to do everything by ourselves has been hard. But it has helped a lot with having three editors this year.”

While typically the role of Editor-in-Chief is left upon one person, for the past several years the NHS yearbook staff has altered this expectation in order to meet their needs. Splitting the role into multiple parts allows for multiple perspectives and overall a more in-depth publication. At the end of a school year, the current editors have the power to name their successor(s). “[Being an editor is] hard, it’s different than every other year [we’ve been on staff], obviously because your full responsibility is put into the publication and you really have to dedicate yourself to the whole book,” Adams said. “We’ve had lots of late nights and worked hours on the book, having three editors has helped us tremendously because there is so much to do in one book.”

FEATURES

| WINTER 2021 | 19

Christmas Traditions

20 | ARTS & CULTURE | WINTER 2021

Students share culture Through celebrations Mateya McCord Social Media Chair @mateyamcc06

M

ost students have varying Christmas or holiday traditions specific to their own family. Celebrating Christmas can be very cheerful and exciting. The large number of people who celebrate Christmas typically have a great time exchanging gifts, decorating a tree and just spending time with family and friends. At NHS, students receive a two week winter break starting from Dec. 20 to Jan. 3.

On Christmas Eve, freshman Regan Hirsh’s family enjoys watching online or going to an in-person church service.

On Christmas, Hirsh’s family opens gifts in the morning and spends time together by looking at each other’s presents and later having brunch.

“Usually we decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. Throughout the month of December I always get an advent calendar with chocolate in it. On Christmas Eve we either watch a church service or go to one and after church we eat a lot of food. On Christmas we wake up and open presents and then we all kind of check them out and try to use or fidget with our presents whatever they may be, after that we have brunch and spend the rest of the day as a family,” Hirsh said.

There are so many other different Christmas traditions for different cultures including Hannikuh, Dia De Reyes, and more. Dia de Reyes is Three Kings’ Day celebrated on January 6th, and this is when children in Mexico receive gifts to

symbolize those brought by the Three Wise Men. Another popular celebration is Hanukkah. Teacher Amanda Gillespie celebrates Hannikuh with her dad and celebrates Christmas with her mom.

“My favorite part about Hannikuh is coming together as a family and celebrating the history of my father’s family. Each night we light candles on the menorah and celebrate being together,” Gillespie said.

Numerous young people believe in Santa Claus which is a very big part of Christmas. According to Inverse, an estimated 85% of American kids believe in Santa Claus.

Family is a very important part of Christmas and people will travel all over the world to meet up with their family or close friends. Gathering together is a big Christmas tradition and senior Andrew Barron does exactly that with his family. On Christmas Eve, Barron’s cousins, aunts and uncles, ect. go to his house to wear pajamas and be together as a family.

Barron spends time with his family by first eating a fulfilling breakfast and second by opening presents all together.

“Sometimes my extended family comes over on Christmas Eve to have a pajama party,” Barron said. “Every Christmas my dad makes hash browns and french toast for breakfast.”

Over the whole winter break students have a lot of time to relax, celebrate their holiday traditions and spend time with the people they love. Hirsh will be using this break wisely and overall enjoying her time celebrating Christmas.

“I am going to sleep a lot and hang out with friends. Me and my best friend usually do something for Christmas like get each other gifts and bake stuff. I am also going to watch movies with my mom,” Hirsh said.

ARTS & CULTURE

| WINTER 2021 | 21

I want to st every da retch y before bed. (I w an increase t to m flexibilty y ) - Anahi San (Sophom chez ore)

here ck to w o, a b t e G ng n duoli I was o master all en and th pics so far to of the continue.

I e befor an immerm Z a m - Em man) (Fresh

To not f ocu negativit s on the y of myself a nd other s and spre ad more positivit y - Natalie Jo (Sophom nes ore)

New Year’s Resolutions A

t the beginning of every year, it is a common tradition to make a goal for yourself to follow, which is known as a New Year’s Resolution. 60 students at Newton High School responded to a survey sent out asking if they had made their New Year’s Resolution for 2022. This page includes some of the student resolutions submitted in the survey.

Take eve ry opportu nity that is thrown a t you ev en if it’s so me think is c thing you razy

g p movin To kee d forwar iter h Ross - Aliya ore) m (Sopho

- Jadyn E ck (Sophom ert ore)

’s w year My ne n is to io resolut o look at t le b er be a be sup d n a lf I’ve myse f what o d u o pr e. becom ntana nce Sa e d a C man) (Fresh

22 | ARTS & CULTURE | WINTER 2021

Beat my sleep apnea - Isaac Y od (Sophom er ore)

Get abo ve a 200 pound s quat ma x - Lezlly Ac (Senior) evedo

Learn

Korean

g t gettin an r a t s o T th grades better now ell Blackw a t is r T man) (Fresh

rk ond Cla

-Raym ) (Junior

Talk to a dministr ation to come up w stop bull ith a club to yin those wh g and help o being bu are llied and to give them a s afe environm ent - Payton Smith (Freshm an)

I would like to h elp my frien ds with their pro blems - Kyleigh H (Sophom inz ore)

’s

my dad Finish ng Musta

er

m n Wim - Jayde ore) m (Sopho

To be nic er to oth er people - Gabrie lla Maye s (Senior)

l

lly coo

ea To be r

oontz - Ani K n) ma (Fresh

ARTS & CULTURE

| WINTER 2021 | 23

Our Top 20 Christmas Hits Addie Clayton Reporter @adelync7

These playlists are the staff ’s favorite tunes to listen to around the holidays. To listen you can either look up “Railer News” on Spotify or scan the barcodes. To scan the barcodes you open Spotify, click the search tab, then use the camera in the upper right corner to scan the barcode.

Ann Pomeroy Editor-in-Chief Senior

Elly Green Print Production Manager Senior

“Hit me up for the next HOCO playlist.”

“Not necessarily Christmas music but music that will make you cry.”

Daniel Gonzalez-Arevalo Sports Manager Senior

Simon Hodge Reporter Senior

“Big old jingle balls.”

“Alternative and wack Christmas music is what I would call this playlist.”

Eris Rindt Reporter Junior

Caileane Thurston Reporter Junior

“I tried to keep it classy”

“I tried not to be basic but as you can see I failed.”

Mateya McCord Social Media Chair Sophomore

Lucy Buller Social Media Chair Sophomore

“Anything sung by Pentatonix will most likely be on this playlist.”

“Don’t worry, only five of the songs are by Taylor Swift.”

Addie Clayton Reporter Sophomore

Annika Yoder Reporter Sophomore

“All that you need to know is that ‘The Chipmunk Song’ is on this playlist.”

“I threw this playlist together in 10 minutes.”

ARTS&&CULTURE CULTURE || WINTER WINTER2021 2021 24 || ARTS

Poetry of the winter Students write, submit winter themed poetry for the season ert ale Stein ig b b A , n Freshma the grass n o p u ll a softly, ss es falling ok like solid gla k a fl w o n S lo g ll a in f e en in aves hav lakes, sh le ll a y t to tallen emp ls begin a t trees are s y r c lain of snow ill comp mounds ill play, adults w ill thaw w ugh it w in children o n e n o o though s itation will be ra cip e r p all

Junior, K aitlynn B iele Winter Mornin r g The blea k oak flo or felt g The crac ood und k li n g er m fi r Hot cho colate w e admitted its w y feet, ith mars armth, h my taste mallows, sooth Outside ed buds, my wind ow, the snow wa s gliding The win angels falling, like t e r air, just The cloc u n d er my n k ticking ose, , synchr o n ized wit c reaks of Smoke o h the the flo ft The feeli he fire, kept the or, n c The sme g of snow, evap hocolate warm , orated o ll of the n chocola te was to my skin, o good t This win true. o be ter was delightf ul, bette r than la st.

Senior, Lezlly

Acevedo

As the leaves begin to fall Many things hit the groun d For in this tim e of year We feel so lon e and cold As the sun go es by Time goes by Shorter are th e days Longer are th e nights But in the end Everything co mes back As the leaves go green

Sophomore, R aegan Boaldin Winter Time: Oh How I love Winter Oh How I love th e Cinder Oh how I pra y that I’m not a sinner Because Santa won’t give me presents My sister in h er adolescents Oh how I wis h for her prese nce On this Christ m as Our family w ill come to But oh the wea gether ther Might stop us from being al together But Oh how I still love The Winter Time

a Zimmerman Freshman, Emm e d comes from th A soft, sweet soun m to his mother lays hi as , th ou m ’s ild ch sleep. voice of loving father, his A lullaby from a comfort deep. ey from up above, th The angels watch light. shine a brilliant ess a land nearby witn om fr s rd he ep As sh t. the calming sigh think to weep, when I ns gi be t ar he y m O, of the holy time. , and of and heaven’s song The feel of calm, the Son sublime.

ARTS & CULTURE

| WINTER 2021 | 25

Return of the crowd Student Section prepares for winter sports Daniel Gonzalez-Arevalo Sports Manager @danny_g679

I

n the past two years, COVID-19 has had a great impact on everything that people do. From going to work, going to school and even participating in sports. A great number of people have been unable to attend events due to spectator limitations placed on large-scale events. These limitations had a great impact on school sports and the student section who frequently travels to support sports events and their classmates. With restrictions on spectator numbers being lifted for the 2021-2022 school year, the student section has once again begun to look full and colorful like previous years.

For Do-Crew leader and senior Owen Mick the beginning of basketball season means more support and energy for the boys and girls basketball teams. Mick looks forward to getting involved with his peers and preparing them for an exciting night.

“I’m really looking forward to everyone going out there and supporting the teams every Tuesday and Friday night,” Mick said. “I love just getting everybody involved with the game all night.”

Along with the transition of sports from football to basketball, the setting also looks a lot different for the student section.

The energetic students will move from an outdoor environment at Fischer Field to an indoor one in Ravenscroft Gym. For Mick, this is the biggest difference between basketball and football games.

“Since we’re in a gym, it’s so much more closed and small,” Mick said. “So the energy is just way different compared to a regular football game which is outside.”

The basketball teams will have an almost guaranteed group of support with the student section alone. However, along with support also comes expectations. Mick hopes that basketball teams are able to win games and work their way to a positive record this season.

“I definitely want the team to have a winning record,” Mick said.” Everyone works really hard and I know how badly they want to win this year. It’s going to be fun to support them this year.”

With more students venturing out to support their classmates as their season progresses, Mick reflects on the ticket system that was employed last year. The first-come-first-serve system meant that not everyone got the opportunity to support their classmates last year with all of the restrictions.

“It was really unfortunate that not everyone was able to attend sporting events because of the limits on spectators,” Mick said. “It was first-come-first-serve, and if you were one of the unlucky ones that didn’t get a ticket, you had to see if you could talk someone into giving you theirs. I’m just glad everything has gone back to normal and everyone can go to whatever sporting event they want.”

For newcomers who have never been a part of the student section, Mick encourages everyone to participate in the theme and the chants.

“Always just dress as the theme and come ready to support,” Mick said. “Just be really energetic the whole time really [because] we got to be loud to support our players.”

26 | SPORTS | WINTER 2021

Bowling Alley Strikes Out

Bowling Team’s Season On the line Elly Green Print Production Manager @EllyGreen16

The bowling team faces opposition this 2021-2022

season due to both bowling alleys in the Newton area closing

down. While both the girls and boys bowling teams are working to find a close practice area, the team faces the reality of the teams having to forfeit the season.

The usual practice space for the bowling team at Play Mor Lanes which has recently gone up for sale by the owners. Although the bowling team and the school administration is working to find a practice space, nothing has come of the search yet.

“Sadly we haven’t been helped with finding a practice space but I know that East Gate Lanes has gotten a call about asking them to use their facility,” senior Emma Brockman said.

Brockman has been on the bowling team since her freshman year so this would have been her fourth year on the team. Brockman said that she has been bowling since her adolescence and hoped to continue her personal tradition of bowling into her senior year.

“Personally I’m very sad about bowling not having a location because this year I would’ve lettered four years,” Brockman said. “I have been bowling since I was three so it would

be horrible to see it go away.”

Senior Christopher Mick has also been on the bowling team since he was a freshman.

Mick said that bowling is special to him because it’s a sport that is constantly fun and you can always practice bowling, even when it is not competition season. Mick hopes to help the team find a place to practice in Newton or the surrounding areas, other than doing that he suggests the bowling team members to stay positive.

“I feel sad about the reality that the bowling team might not get a season also mixed with the thought of being bored,” Mick said. “Honestly we can’t really do much except have a

good attitude about the whole situation.”

Brockman said that her love and passion for bowling stems from creating many memories with her high school team. Brockman also describes bowling as a healthy way

to get out frustration. Mick’s reasons for liking bowling are similar to Brockman’s.

“My favorite part of bowling is just the people you get to be around and

being able to bowl,” Mick said.

SPORTS

| WINTER 2021 | 27

NHS

State

Worthy Spirit

Spirit Squads excel at cheer and dance state competition Elly Green Print Production Manager @EllyGreen16

A

spirit squads main duty is to keep the players and school community engaged in whatever event is happening that day, to keep school spirit at an all time high. However, what most people do not know is that spirit squads,both dance and cheer teams, have an entirely different competitive season outside of gameday events.

For years cheerleading in Kansas has been an athletic activity allowed to participate in both state held by the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHAA). At the high school, the Newton Railers cheer team made their way to the state competition two years ago before the implementation of new head coach, Krystyna Botterweck. Again this year, the cheer team headed to the Stormont Vail Event Center in Topeka, Kansas for the state competition hosted on Nov.20.

“State is a good experience for the team to get out and perform for someone else other than their normal crowd. It gives them an opportunity to find out what is working and what we can do better at,” Botterweck said. “Everyone has the misconception of cheer not being a sport but I’d like to see the

28 | SPORTS | WINTER 2021

majority of those people come do what my team does.

There’s a lot more to it then cute outfits and waving pom poms. So just like every other sport, cheer has the opportunity to compete at a state level against other teams so I would never dream of taking that opportunity away from my team.”

As for the Railiner dance team, a KSHAA dance state competition only was awarded to teams starting the 2020-2021 season. However, due to its requirement of being completely online, the Railiner dance team decided to wait until the 2021-2022 season, where they would be able to compete in person. Therefore, this year the dance team made their way to Topeka on Nov. 19, for their first state competition process.

“I think that the whole team is a little nervous but mostly excited to see how we can do and what we’re capable of,” sophomore Mckinley Mueller said.

Both cheer and dance are judged on a variation of elements that make the routine look interesting and clean. However unlike dance, cheer is judged on game day material such as pom poms and megaphones. Both teams are judged on technical elements, but cheer is judged on kicks and jumps as technique and dance is judged on turns,toes, legs, etc.

“We are judged on elements such as; crowd effectiveness [such as]our energy and ability to connect with/lead the crowd, visual appeal, are we fun to watch - not boring; do we have levels and line changes opposed to just sending in one spot the entire time, motion technique [specifically] sharpness, placement, technique; synchronization and overall impression,” Botterweck said. “We are also judged on whether we stay within our time limit and stay within bounds.”

A state competition requires a certain level of attention and practice that regular game day routines do not always consist of, says Mueller. Extra practices and nit-picking dances to make them as clean as possible are all examples of the extra effort being put into these state routines by both cheer and dance. Specifically, the cheerleaders are working extra hours at home and are active in retaining information at practice. The dance team along with having longer practice times has their team members taking extra classes.

“While it’s not specific to state, all of us go to different dance studios where we do competitions and classes and we just work really hard to [get] to where we are,” Mueller said.

Both teams express that winning is not everything to them, rather that they want to use this opportunity to grow a team and get the chance to take judge corrections and apply them to their game day routines. The dance team ended up with a sixth place win at state out of 21 teams.

“I think state is a good experience just for learning how to perform but also so we get the experience of going to something of such importance and using that as motivation to work harder rather than make us nervous,” Mueller said.

Back to Bonding STUDENTS BOND AFTER SCHOOL HOURS Simon Hodge Reporter @Hodge_Simon

T

eam bonding is an important part of high school and collegiate team sports alike and it can bring benefits to almost every team. Many teams conduct team bonding in different ways though much of it consists of teammates planning an activity outside of practice such as a team dinner.

A long team history comes with traditions, such as chants or small things you can do before a game or match for good luck. Traditions are usually carried out by the whole team together which can make it a fun bonding experience. “[We have] team meals before every game, before a game we [also] go through a scouting report and walk through the plays the other team is going to run. We hang out outside of practice too but those are the only basketball related activities we do,” sophomore Justin Zerger said.

Team dinners are a very common way for teams to get together and have a team bonding experience. Team dinners are typically held before a game or meet to boost the morale before the event so the team will be in higher spirits during the event.

“We have team dinners regularly before every meet. [At team dinners] we might play board games, and usually we’ll eat good food. We’ll crack funny jokes and generally we’ll just have a lot of fun,” junior Jacob Antle said.

Team dinners are always a fun experience for students, however, the same thing before a game or meet every week can get old. Some students may prefer more variation in what their team does outside of school to bond with one another.

“If we went to a [Wichita State University] game with all the fundraising money we made this year that would be fun,” Zerger said.

Team bonding may additionally have psychological benefits for a team. According to Forbes team bonding can build trust, stop conflict among players and increase collaboration. These effects are most evident among team sports, such as basketball, but also has benefits to individual sports, such as swimming.

“The races that I was at freshman and junior year when we had team dinners I felt better. I could hear the cheering more which is difficult to do underwater compared to swimming during sophomore year where I could hardly hear any if there was,” Antle said.

Team bonding experiences outside of school might be expected to be run by a coach though in many cases it can either be run by a parent, during events like a team dinner where it is hosted at somebody’s house, or a student who is part of that team.

“All of the involvement [outside of school] is entirely by the students, primarily the team captains or the [parent] hosting the dinner,” Antle said.

Though some teams may not have team bonding experiences often, the event is a helpful time that a student athlete can spend with the people they will be spending a whole sports season with.

Additionally, these bonding activities are able to help with encouragement and participation among individual athletes.

“Even though swim is not a team sport, I feel connected to the team when I’m racing and I know I have to swim well for my team,” Antle said.

SPORTS

| WINTER 2021 | 29

1.

Quarter in Review

2.

3.

1.) Cate Nembhard proudly plays a tune on her trumpet at the first home basketball game hosted on Dec. 4. Photo by Caleb Smith.

2.) While watching the boys varsity basketball game against Dodge City, junior Megan Rice and senior Cade Valdez pose for a picture. Photo by Caleb Smith.

3.) In order to promote holiday spirit, Principal Caleb Smith is assisted by senior Kaden Anderson in playing the drums at the Dec. 4 basketball games against Dodge City. Photo Courtesy.

4.) Juniors Eliza Epp and Eva Dungan focus on their project in friendship bracelet club hosted on Nov. 5. Photo

by Kamryn Archibald.

9.

12.

9.) While performing the Nutcracker hosted by Newton Dance Connection, freshman Iris Whitlock smiles for her part. Photo by Caleb Smith.

10.) Senior Linda Shine smiles at the audience while performing the Railiners State Routine at the 2021 State dance competition hosted in Topeka, KS. Photo by Caleb Smith.

11.) Students smile and laugh while performing the Roller Coaster cheer during the winter sports pep assembly. Photo by Myla Negrete.

10.

4.

11.

12.) With intense concentration, senior Joe Slechta prepares to take his shot. Photo by kamryn Archibald.

30 | PHOTO ESSAY | WINTER 2021

8.

5.

6.

5.) Junior Otis Musser takes a quick breath while competing in his swimming event. Photo by Caleb Smith.

6.) The annual musical chairs competition hosted by the NHS cheer squad turns rowdy as freshman Wyatt Mayes and Principal Caleb Smith battle for the last chair in the round. Photo by Derek Bristol.

7.) The NHS girls basketball team pauses for a quick huddle during their practice. Photo by Kamryn Archibald.

8.) Freshman Nate Barron looks towards the audience after successfully winning his wrestling match. Photo by Caleb Smith.

7.

14.

13.

13.) Senior Jonah Remsberg prepares to spike the ball at his opponent during the 2021 Peach Fuzz volleyball competition. Photo by Sofie Lindenmeyer.

14.) With big smiles on their faces, seniors Rylie Pierce, Jacey Yager and Georgia Garcia perform the Alma Mater during the winter sports pep assembly. Photo by Caleb Smith.

15.) Senior Hayley Loewen smiles while performing her handshake prior to the girls varsity basketball game hosted at home against Dodge City on Dec. 4. Photo by Caleb Smith.

16.) In order to swim in his event, senior Ben Friesen Guhr dives into the water.

Photo by Caleb Smith.

16.

PHOTO ESSAY

15.

| WINTER 2021 | 31

“I THOUGHT [POWDERPUFF] WAS REALLY FUN, GETTING TO PLAY WITH A DIFFERENT GROUP OF PEOPLE I WOULDN’T NORMALLY PLAY WITH,” JUNIOR OLIVIA ANTONOWICH SAID.

THE NEWTONIAN NEWTON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MAGAZINE Series 99 | Issue 2 | Winter 2021

Photo by Caleb Smith