Sghs sheepherder 32 1 12 19 14

The

Sheepherder

Serving Sweet Grass County High School

December 19, 2014

Volume 32, Issue 1

Welcome to The Sheepherder By: Erin Dringman, Staff Writer

G

reetings, readers! For those of you who remember the Sheepherder from years past, it’s good to be back with you.

To my schoolmates, hey guys, you’re welcome for the first edition release party complete with cookies, that we threw you today. To business owners and the Big Timber community, hello. And to all: welcome to a new generation of the Sweet Grass County High School Sheepherder Newspaper.

For the first time in five years, SGHS has a Journalism class.

We the Journalism students, along with our advisers, have spent the last four months learning far more about formatting, Serif and Sans Serif fonts, and article layout than we even knew was possible.

Today, we are ecstatic to release our first issue of our new and (hopefully) improved Sheepherder.

While I dread coming into class after Christmas and tearing apart this first edition with that hateful red pen, I am proud of what we have accomplished in producing this paper.

More than that, I am

proud of what this paper stands for; and I hope that all of you will appreciate our content and purpose as well.

The Sweet Grass County High School Sheepherder is a public forum that serves to showcase the zany and unique imaginations, ideals, and ingenuities of SGHS. It is a production highlighting the events that take place in

our school and our community.

Reading print is often considered a bygone activity in our modern era, especially among my generation.

I would like to change that. The beauty of print is its tangibility, the fact that you can smell the fresh-fromthe presses ink, and stick this paper in your scrapbook and someday look back on that big football game

from the fall of ‘14, or remember the year that Big Timber made it into the Guiness Book of World Records (see inside for more details). I thank you for reading print, today and always. I hope you are pleased with and informed by this paper. Please contact us at journalism@sgchs. com if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions.

Streak Snapped By: Brent Finn, Staff Writer

This year’s Sweet Grass County High School football season was filled with its ups and downs. The more notable memory from the season according to many students is the 21-13 Herder win at homecoming over longtime rival, Columbus Cougars. The win snapped a 24 year losing streak against the Cougars that dates back to the 1990 football season.

Ironically enough, the game back in 1990 was also Sweet Grass County High School’s Homecoming; where the Herders notched a demanding 28-0 victory. Darren Fike, a junior running back for that football team had this to say when asked if the game was a top memory from high school, “It was a highlight, no doubt.

They were our rivalry and we expected to win.”

The entire community was aware of the importance of the game and how overdue this win was. And when the Herders went out that Friday night, they made it a game to be remembered. It was especially a game to be remembered by the athletes on the field.

When asked how important the win was, senior running back and middle linebacker Kalvin Kunda had this to say, “It was one of

Photo Courtesy of Jeni Lannen The Journalism class in the halls, ever-ready to report. From left: 1st Row: Brent Finn, Sports Editor; Weston Lavoy, Copy Editor; Caitlyn Corso, Opinions Editor; Makalee Klein, Marketing Editor. From left bottom row: Jade Fredericks, Photo Editor; Erin Dringman, Editor-in-Chief; Greta Sanders, Features Editor; Reed Moore, Website Editor; Riley Horigan, Design Editor.

Projects to Last a Lifetime

It’s football season at Sweet Grass County High School, and the bleachers are packed. There are people from all walks of life, whether they are current students, parents of players, past alumni of Sweet Grass, or citizens of Big Timber looking to support the football team on a Friday night. Besides being there to support the Herders, they all have Photo Courtesy of Cindy Glavin one thing in common: Herder fans storm the field after Homecoming to celebrate they are sitting in the with players the win that finally broke a twenty-four year bleachers. Bleachers may seem a mundane losing streak to the Columbus cougars. topic for an article, but think about it. When our top goals and I hate losing so yes it was you sat down on the very important. Homecoming made the night wooden planks to enjoy even greater.” The student body wasted no time a game, have you given in showing their excitement by storming the any further thought to field immediately after the two teams shook hands. The excitement from the win did not end how these bleachers came to be? The with the players walking off the field though. answer is: volunteers.

Throughout the next couple of weeks you could In the October 25th feel a sense of excitement in the air throughout Sheepherder paper the community because of this win. from 1995, the main The reaction from the community was story was all about much like the reaction they had in 1990, the newly finished according to Darren Fike, “The community was bleachers. The article buzzing that year because we were ranked in the top 5 all year and had a real shot at winning state. listed the plethora of organizations So shutting out a good quality team like we did and individuals who amped it up a little more.” donated time, money Getting the win against the Columbus and materials to For Streak Snapped, see page 6

By Greta Sanders, Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Greta Sanders The Graham Field bleachers that the Big Timber community built in 1995.

complete the stands for the Big Timber crowd.

Almost twenty years later, these bleachers stand, welcoming the home crowd each fall. However, this undertaking is not the only volunteer project in years past that has benefitted Sweet Grass County High School.

Not all donations come in the form of time. Businesses in the community choose to let the high school use their buildings for free, which enables the high school to hold events for less money. From prom to football dinners, our local legion supplies the For Projects, see page 6

Page 2 News

STUDENT COUNCIL DECISIONS NEW BANNERS?

By Reed Moore, Staff Writer

Student Council has done some cool things for the school. The latest addition is the water bottle filling station they added by the front office. What is significant about this fountain? The really handy water bottle refill feature; you put your water bottle right next to a sensor then it drops almost ice cold water into your bottle. This is convenient for all people plus it cuts down on plastic bottle waste.

This year Student Council continues to work very hard at their meetings to keep making improvements for this school.Their next focus is to somehow acquire a large banner with all the school records in all sports for Sweet Grass County High School.

The Council is looking to put the record banner in the gym although they are not

FFA Fall Happenings

By Riley Horigan, Staff Writer

The FFA Chapter members have already been practicing and competing since September. Many chapter members have been successful in bringing home awards and placing within top ten. They have traveled and competed at the Ruby Valley Invitational in Sheridan, Montana; Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky; and at the John Deere Ag Expo in Bozeman, Montana.

The Chapter is looking forward to more district

competitions before they make their way to state in March. Right now they are setting up for their winter fun day and preparing for their annual Christmas Camp they host at the Civic Center.

This year the Christmas Camp is scheduled to be on December 29. They also are looking at hosting a donkey basketball tournament in the spring. The Chapter has many more exciting plans for this upcoming year.

World AIDS Day

By Makalee Klein, Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Reed Moore Vice President Mack Coyne left, President Walker Lavoy middle, and Secretary Brycen Lehamn right.

exactly sure where in the gym. Student Council president Walker LaVoy, said that “We are all working hard to get the banner in the gym”. The sports they will post records for are basketball, football, volleyball, golf, track, and cross country. Unfortunately they will have to get the banner made in another town, “we do not have someone in Big Timber that we know of to make one of these big banners” says Kari Blaylock the organizer of Student Council. The Council is on track to getting this banner before this school year ends.

A Look Behind The Scenes

Another exciting season of Speech and Drama is upon us at SGCHS and with the first few meets behind them the team cannot wait to continue with this great season. Speech and Drama is a fantastic extra curricular to become involved with and it helps students come out of their boxes, express themselves, and become more confident. “It is an amazing activity that teaches life skills, and resilience.

Everyone should try it!” said fifteen year coach Kari Blaylock about Speech and Drama. The team members must have a minimum of two, thirty minute practices each week. The more they practice the more confident they become with their

By Caitlyn Corso, Staff Writer

event.

At each meet the members perform in three preliminary rounds. Their scores from this round will hopefully place them among the eight who advance to a final round in their event. This years team includes Rachel Glavin, Jakob Ronneberg, Moriah Brandon, Greta Sanders, Erin Dringman, Avery Connor, Ethan Peterson, Kacin Perret, Kirsten Gano, Megan Gerard, Lauryn Yuzeitis, Honey Cranston, Wyatt MacKubbin, Ashton O’Connor, Emily Wagner, Mariah Wood, Taylor Ronneberg, Caitlyn Corso as manager, Kari Blaylock as head coach, and Gabryelle PerkinsRowland as assistant coach. “Amazing,

Hey ALL YOU HERDER FANS! sghs international club is selling herder ornaments that make a perfect gift or stocking stuffer. stop by cole drug and purchase yours today.

talented, driven to do well, competitive and willing to work hard for the reward of finals” said Blaylock about this years team. With this much enthusiasm and drive the team will not be shocking anyone by advancing many of its members to state on January 30th.

Every 9 ½ minutes someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with HIV. Sometimes forgotten and not often talked about HIV/AID is something that needs to be talked about to teenagers. It will never happen to me is the state of mind that most teenagers find themselves in, but no matter who you are or what you think you aren’t invisible and anything can happen to you. STD’s are set on the back burner leaving high school students uniformed on one of the more important issues of their generation.

There are 35 million people that are infected with HIV and more than 35 million people have died. World Aids Day was introduced in the year of 1988 on December 1st.

Mrs. McCullough started teaching world Aids Day to high school students 15 years ago. “I find that students learn and listen better being taught by their peers,” Mrs. McCullough said. She was inspired by one of her college instructors who really emphasized the importance of teaching youth about HIV and STD.

Photo Courtesy of Caitlyn Corso Senior Rachel Glavin practices her MPA for Ms. Blaylock Photo Courtesy of Google Images Last year’s Speech & Drama Team at Divisionals

Sweet 16

By Jade Fredricks, Staff Writer

Don’t Miss Out On Your Morning Caffeine!

Come enjoy coffee with SGHS International Club every morning in the library.

The SGHS the Family Living class taught

by Mrs. McCullough went around on December 1st teaching students more about STD’s. A video was played showing the dangers of spreading AIDS, and showing that you can get AIDS not only by having sex but by blood exchange and needles as well. The video was put together by Jessica Johnston who went though, looked at videos and picked out parts of it to put in their video and helped choose the music in the video, Mollee Stenberg put together a power point that was included in the video, and Alex Bowles did all of the technical stuff and put the video all together. All three students were asked what they found most important from the day’s activities. Jessica and Mollee gave similar answers referring to how easy and common it is to be infected with HIV and Aids. “I learned how important it is to be educated about HIV and Aids,” Alex said.

The students weren’t just set free to teach about this subject, they had 2 weeks of training along with tests.

The class made red ribbons to give all students to wear for the day as the symbol of World Aids day. Mrs. McCullough helped the class by giving each student an activity to present and with their knowledge about their activity they were to answer any questions that were asked. Her hope was to guide them, but have them present. When asked what her goal was behind doing this day she said, “To educate youth on making healthy choices about being sexually active.”

As the holidays come into full swing, the Sweet 16 at Sweet Grass County High School are bringing cheer to the community. When asked how long it had been since there were actually 16 students in sweet 16, Jaclyn Terland said,“ I think we would have to go to Mr. Bratvold to find out the answer to that question! Since I’ve been here (I started in the fall of 2010, so this is my 5th year here) I think the most I’ve had until now is 12 or 13 students in Sweet 16.”

Sixteen students now gather every Monday night to better their vocal skills and practice for upcoming events. There are three sections of vocals being Soprano, Alto, and Baritone. Colton Bice, Ian Garcia, Ryan Morgan, Ethan Peterson, Lauryn Yuzeitis, Leichelle Wood, Elle Terland, Marissa Morgan, Brigit Flanagan, Holly Emter, Greta Sanders, Kacin Perret, Megan Garrard, Madelyn Foulk, Tanna Campbell, and Alex Bowles make up the talented Sweet 16 group. Throughout the year there are plenty of events that the group will be involved with including Christmas events, Singing Valentines, District Music Festival, and Pops Concert. District Music Festival is an important time of year for the group since they are evaluated as both a group and as individuals. “I’m hoping we can put together a men’s quartet or something like that. This year will also be a little bit different since I will be gone on maternity leave during festival time, but I intend to leave my students with a competent sub for that time period,” said Mrs. Terland.

Hard work and dedication are required of each and every one of the students because Sweet 16 is not the only thing they have to attend to. A lot of the students are involved in other school activities so there is a lot of juggling and goofy schedules. “Sometimes going in to rehearsal at 7:00 pm after a long day feels hard, but I almost always leave feeling energized because of working with these students.”

16 students have not been a part of Sweet 16 for a long, long time so as the holiday cheer is being spread check out our talented Sweet 16 group do their thing.

Sports & News Page 3

Score! Boys Basketball is Back

Lady Herders Are Back At It

By Brent Finn, Staff Writer

Ending with a 10-12

overall record last year, the Lady Herders basketball team started off the new season hiring Kim Finn as an assistant coach to join Mr. Ryan as the group’s head coach this year.

When you walk into a Lady Herders basketball practice you see an average number of girls for a varsity team, however, the thirteen girls that you see at this practice are all of the girls that went out this year. The group includes Elle Terland, Madilyn Emter, Kelsey Sargent, Tanna Campbell, Kate Indreland, Emily Hughes, Mesa King, TediJo Todd, Brigit Flanagan, Kelli Mack, Kaylyn Bodily, Holly Emter, and Sidney Arant. Arant, Todd, Emter, and King are the returning varsity members from last year, with King earning 2nd Team All-Conference honors.

These small numbers have allowed the girls to only have a junior varsity and varsity team. When asked

Girls Basketball players try on their uniforms.

how he felt about this group of girls, Mr. Ryan had this to say, “We have 13 girls who seem to have great attitudes and are very willing to work hard at practice.” Coach Ryan and his group of girls this year don’t intend on making great leaps and bounds right away, but instead are looking to take the season one week at a time and try to continually improve to get ready for the tournament, “We want to be competitive at tournament time,” said Ryan. Coach Ryan believes that every game for them this year will be very tough so it is important to keep things in perspective and

A Teacher, A Man, A Legend

By Brent Finn, Staff Writer

If you ever have to go into the math room that is right next to the office, then you have had some encounters with the one and only Mr. Hall. Mr. Hall is one of the newer teachers to Sweet Grass County High School, starting during the 20132014 school year, making this his second year as a math teacher in Big Timber. The courses that Mr. Hall teaches include Integrated Math III, Integrated Math II, Integrated Math I, Geometry, and Precalculus.

Some interesting facts about Mr. Hall that may not be known to some are: he is originally from the Baltimore Area, his plans after teaching are retirement, then death,

Photo Courtesy of Kip Ryan

shoot for being competitive, once again stating the importance of being at their best during tournament time.

What Coach Ryan looks forward to the most with this years’ season is, “seeing how much these girls can improve from week to week.”

November 20th, a crowd of boys spilled out of the locker room and onto the paint, anxiously licking their fingers and touching them to new, squeaky shoes as they bounced around the court. Three grueling days of practice later, the boys fell into their teams and the real work began.

With just under a month of practice under their belts now, the boys feel confident and ready.

“I’m excited; we have a really good team this year that has had a lot of quality time on varsity the last two years. We want to go far in the season and finish with a State Championship,” said All-state point guard, Brent Finn.

Thus far, a solid foundation is being laid to achieve that goal. The boys put in a lot of time during the offseason and have been in the gym every day all year, getting ready for the season. The Imery’s tournament on December 12th and 13th will be a great pre-season warm up.

The regular season kicks off December 18th, with an opener against Three Forks. Every fan’s yell is one more step on the road to that championship, so please keep the support coming! Check on our website for more updates about this promising season.

New Beats

By Makalee Klein, Staff Writer

With the new school year at SGHS, we have welcomed new students along with some new staff members. This year one is Ms. Prouty, the new band teacher. Despite this being her first year as a teacher at SGHS she has done a great job with her teaching position.

Ms. Prouty was inspired to become a band teacher by her band teacher at Dawson Community College, and she was also inspired by her band teacher at MSUB. From these experiences she now enjoys being able to inspire her students. Ms. Prouty states about her student teaching experience: “It’s a wakeup call when you actually become a teacher because they are your kids and you get to choose what to do rather than having to follow the rules of the actual teacher.” Her reason for coming to Big Timber to teach is the fact that it is a small town.

Jazz band is also taught by Ms. Prouty this year. She plans on playing at band competitions as well as concerts. Their first concert they will be playing at The Holiday Concert December 16th.

and he considers himself to be an intermediate chess player.

With chess being brought up, you should knoe that Mr. Hall has also brought “chess club” to SGCHS. For those of you wondering what exactly chess club is, here is how founder Mr. Hall describes it, “It’s just a casual club for students to learn/play chess. No commitment, just come when you can. All skill levels welcome.” The reason is because other extracurriculars get in the way of having regular meetings, but they will try to have some tournaments or occasional Photo Courtesy of Jade Fredricks meetings. After reading this, Martje Jane Plaggemeyer flies down many of you may want to consider joining. Mr. Hall also the home stretch. has an input on this, “Just Do It.”

Turn & Burn

By Erin Dringman, Staff Writer

Big Timber Barrel Racing Series

By Jade Fredricks, Staff Writer

International Club

By Weston LaVoy, Staff Writer

Have you ever had the burning desire to see what different parts of the world are like? Meet people from different countries? See what different types of cultures there are? If you want to go out and explore the world with other students, then you may want to consider joining International Club. If you read this and want to join the club, then talk to Mrs. Lannen or Mrs. Gardner. You can sign up any time for a trip. The only requirement is that you must raise enough money to pay for your trip. The trips happen in the summer and if there are six students interested in going some place Mrs. Lannen and Mrs. Gardner are happy to travel with them.

International club provides many varieties of fundraisers; everything from selling coffee, earphones and gum in the library before school, to 3 on 3 basketball tournaments.

You could also get a part time job to help pay for the trip.

International club will take you to all sorts of places in the past kids have gone to Costa Rica, Greece, Italy, Australia and Spain. This summer a group is heading to Dublin, Ireland and Paris with Mrs. Lannen.

Mrs. Gardner, English Teacher and International Club Advisor, says, “ The best thing about International Club is taking the trips. They are so much fun. It is a fun way to see the world.” If you have any questions about International Club, you should talk to Mrs. Gardner and Mrs. Lannen, or students who have been a part of the club or are currently involved.

Turn and burn… That’s exactly what cowgirls from all over Montana were doing throughout the months of June through September. Every Wednesday night barrel racers from all across the state gathered at the Sweet Grass County Fairgrounds to do what they all love- barrel race.

The split second before you give your sweating, dancing horse their head to do their job is one of the most terrifying, yet thrilling experiences of a barrel racers life. Barrel racing is an art all in itself. Being able to handle that 1,000 pound animal as they run full speed is a skill that comes with many years of practice. You’re committed to your horse because they depend on you just as much as you depend upon them. Barrel racing is a timed rodeo event that involves running your horse as fast as possible and turning three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern. Flying around a barrel and then launching out of the turn is what the common phrase “turn and burn” originated from.

The Sweet Grass County Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Director, Kelli Brewer, says that the fairgrounds are a beautiful addition to Sweet Grass County, however they’re not utilized very often. “The arena gets better with use as we farm it more often and maintain the consistency in the makeup of the soil,” explained Brewer.

Along with maintenance of the fairgrounds and arena, many countless hours were spent preparing for the summer series. Researching other events in the region, getting a set of rules, setting the times, finding an electric eye, getting insurance, getting the approval of the fair board, and getting the advertising set up are just a few of the many things that had to be accomplished before the series could be up and running. Just like all new events there were a few bumps along the road that set things back, but overall the events came together very well. “We expected 15-25 open riders and we had 2-22 depending on the night,” said Brewer when asked about the expected outcome of the series. The whole series began because of local interest and because of the availability of the fairgrounds. Brewer states, “One of my jobs as the Photo Courtesy of Jade Fredricks Executive Director of the chamber is to encourage more activities that will bring people in.”

They used a local barrel racing Facebook page, Facebook group, and statewide website to get the A young girl urges her pony onward to win the race. information out and attempt to draw in newcomers and locals alike. All three of the advertising pages will be used again for the next barrel racing series which is expected to come back even bigger and better next summer. “We are revising the rules and and possibly adding a new class called novice in addition to the 1D, 2D, and 3D categories.” A major reason for this new event being created was to not only draw people to Big Timber, but to also create an event that locals would otherwise have to travel great distances to attend.

The sport of barrel racing is not just to run around three barrels. Bonding, learning about one another, and becoming one with your horse is one of the greatest rewards one could ask for. Not only do you have the Crazy Mountains as a stunning background, but you’re in the company of those who realize just how special the sport is to you. Whether you’re a pro or just Photos Courtesy of Jade Fredricks a beginner, everyone is there to have fun and help one another. So stop down at the Sweet Grass Left: Annie Hansen and her dark horse turn. Right: Jade and her man, County Fairgrounds during the summer of 2015 and join in on the fun!

Chex, burn towards the finish.

Page 4 Sports December 19, 2014

The Race to Success

By Caitlyn Corso, Staff Writer

The Sweet Grass County High School cross country team ended their season on a great note for the 2014 year.

The mighty five runners did a fantastic job throughout the season while continuously improving their times. Tanna Campbell, Jordan Chulyak, Clayton Gano, Dylan Laverell, and Brandon Schwers ran their hardest at every meet taking them all the way to state. Tanna improved her time by 1 minute Photo Courtesy of Sheri Campbell and 38 seconds from her first Cross Country Team from left to right Tanna Campbell, Jordan meet to state, Jordan by 54 Chulyak, Brandon Schwers, Dylan Laverell, and Clayton Gano. seconds, Clayton by 1 minute their teammates. and 46 seconds, Dylan by 58 coach, Christina Bowden, extremely proud. “This year “Cross country keeps you seconds, and Brandon by 1 went by the fastest yet, they fit. You meet a lot of really minute and 5 seconds. were a great group of kids. cool people and you really The team works hard all bond with the people on season to improve these times They were all brand new to cross country but worked your team. It is a lot of fun with very rigorous practices hard” said Bowden regarding and keeps you active,” said beginning with their warm Tanna Campbell about cross up which consists of dynamic the team. At their meets the country. Along with staying stretching and a quick easy run. team anxiously waits for active cross country is a After their warm up the team the race just before theirs lifelong sport and is a great goes for a longer run that gets to begin before they begin longer as the season progresses. their warm up, then they run way to stay in shape. With They end their practices with their hardest to improve their an astonishing 157.5 miles ran this season the team will weights. All of this hard work time and finish each race strong. Once each runner has come back next year stronger prepares the team for what finished their race they are than ever with yet another really matters, their meets.

At their meets the entire team highly anticipated to watch and enthusiastically cheer on impressive season. works hard to make their

Cheering on the Herders

This year’s fall cheer season was once again packed with 18 students who decided to cheer. The cheerleaders attend every home volleyball and football game and playoffs to cheer on their Sweet Grass County Herders. Seven seniors took part in the first season of cheer this year including Taylor Johnson, Moriah Brandon, Riley Horigan, Kaitlyn Yuzeitis, Mollee Stenberg, Jade Fredricks, and Krisha Worl. Things have been a little different for the team with their new coach Jen Wood. The Booster Club has provided the cheerleaders with new uniforms this year.

The cheerleaders have great plans for the basketball season. In an interview with Caitlyn Corso, a junior on the cheer team said that “we plan to get ready for a

By Reed Moore, Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy Sheepherder Staff The Cheer Squad leading the student body in class calls.

competition if we choose to attend and we also really want to continue to get better as the season progresses to cheer on our herders.”

The seniors for basketball season will be Kaitlyn Yuzeitis, Moriah Brandon, Faith Demasters, Mollee Stenberg, and Taylor Johnson. The Cheerleaders in the past have taught some cheers to children ages 6-8 this past

summer, these little herders will be returning to cheer with SGCHS cheerleaders in a Christmas performance coming up. The cheer squad will also lead a memorable pep assembly pertaining to pink night and Connie Kunda, their assistant cheer coach. It should be an action packed basketball season for The Sweet Grass County Herder cheer team.

Your Boys of Fall

Photo Courtesy of Trish Lehman Helmets up to a celebratory win for the Herders.

By Erin Dringman, Staff Writer

August 30th, the world is a blur of screaming fans but starting quarterback Walker LaVoy’s world has narrowed: it is just him and his boys, center line, breathing heavily, waiting…

“Set, hut!” he cries, and the game, and season has just snapped into action.

The Herders faced many tough opponents and roadblocks during the season. Starting center, Jess Moody, was injured during the opening play of the season, but Cole McKenney stepped up and performed throughout the year. Perhaps the greatest challenge was overcome when a seemingly impossible feat was accomplished: the breaking of a twenty-four year losing streak to rivals, the Columbus Cougars. The Varsity team ended with a 4-4 record, 2-2 in the 4B conference.

Senior defensive tackle and running back, Ian Garcia, spoke about his last season: “Talent alone doesn’t win games, heart does.” LaVoy reiterated Garcia, saying “I thought our key strengths were the team chemistry, work ethic, and heart.” The boys’ hearts were invested one-hundred percent in their team this year, and that heart carried them to great places. “We made huge improvements physically and mentally. Our offense was also improved, It was the most fun I’ve had in high school football,” said LaVoy. There was no shortage of talent on this years’ team, either. Walker LaVoy was

honored as a Class B AllState player. Ryan Morgan (2nd team Defense), Brent Finn (2nd team Offense, 2nd Kicker, 2nd Returner), Walker LaVoy (1st team Defense, 2nd Team Offense), Brycen Lehman (2nd team Offense, 2nd Team Defense), Ian Garcia (1st Team Offense, 2nd team Defense), Luke Rech (2nd team Offense) and Kalvin Kunda (2nd ream Defense) were named as All-Conference players.

Though the boys narrowly missed advancing to the playoffs, they did something that will stay with them forever. “We created a brotherhood,” said Finn.

“They’ll have a great senior class next, so leadership will be good,” LaVoy said as he handed his team over to the next class.

2015’s quarterback, Ryan Morgan, looks forward to his next, and final, season as a Herder: “We’re going to be smaller than we were this [2014] year, but everybody loves everybody and we’ve got good leadership. As long as we get in the weight room, we’re going to be okay.”

Photo Courtesy of Riley Horigan Seniors LaVoy 10, and Kunda 36.

Herders Bump, Set, & Spike

By Weston LaVoy, Staff Writer

The Herder Volleyball team finished with a 7-9 record overall, and a 6-4 record for the conference. After losing their first two games against Red Lodge and Columbus, the Herders bounced back winning their next two games against Three Forks and Jefferson. After a tough loss to Joliet, the herders went on a three game winning streak, defeating Manhattan, Townsend, and Whitehall. The streak ended after the Herders faced Manhattan and Red

Lodge for the second time in the season. After defeating Columbus in their eleventh game of the regular season, the Herders fell short in their next two games against Three Forks and Jefferson.

With only three games left in the season, the Herder volleyball teams lost the last two games against Joliet and Townsend, but were able to come up with a win against Whitehall on Senior Honor Night. Although, the Herders possess a losing record

overall, they have been able to win six of ten conference games, which allowed them a second place spot and a first round by entering the district tournament.

Leichelle Wood, Junior volleyball player says “The team this year has really come together both on and off the court.” Despite a rough start, the Herder volleyball team quickly bounced back and continued to do so throughout the season.

The District Tournament

took place in Belgrade and started on the 31st of October.

The Herders had a first round by and played the Manhattan Tigers on Friday, the 31. After a tough battle, the Herders came up short, losing in four games. This meant they would then play at eight p.m. against Townsend. The Herders would then go on to win the match in three games. This meant that they would face the Jefferson Panthers the next day at two thirty in the afternoon.

This game would determine

who would lose out and who would grab the third place spot, sending them to the divisional tournament.

After a tough loss, and what would be the last game of the season, the Herders were defeated by the Panthers in five games.

Page 5 News

December 19, 2014

Wanted: More School Spirit

By Riley Horigan, Staff Writer

With the winter season for sports right around the corner some students are gearing up with new basketball shoes, while others are learning new dance moves to partake in cheerleading. Along with a new season comes a different group of students that will be joining our student section. But some students may be questioning what exactly is the student section, because there have been times when only five or six kids have attended to games to cheer on their classmates in extracurricular activities.

Some students might be able to recall a group of six boys who appeared at all of the home basketball games with matching shirts. They call themselves the “Six-Pack”.

This group was “willed” down from graduating seniors to an upcoming group of boys to continue the tradition for the next year. Brent Beley, Mack Coyne, Ian Garcia, Kalvin Kunda, Brycen Lehman, and Jess Moody are making up the Six-Pack for the 2014-2015 basketball season.

Back in 1988 Sweet Grass County High School had a hard time getting students to attend games. Around this time girls were usually the ones to cheer on the school’s sports teams. During this year they were given the privilege of participating in more sports, such as basketball, so they would be attending games to improve on techniques

instead of cheering. Some students had the idea to create a group called the “Bleacher Creatures”, which is similar to today’s SixPack. The lack of school spirit seems to be a reoccuring theme; so what can be done to bring Herder Pride to our stands?

You will always find the same fifteen kids at the pep club meetings. And when it comes to school spirit week you typically will only see about ten kids dressed up for the spirit weeks days. And even when students attend games they don’t wear their school colors. Do we just show up at games because there’s nothing better to do?

This year senior Brycen Lehman wants to bring more school spirit to cheer on the teams as he says, “The basketball players really thrive off of the energy that the crowds brings and produces; but not only that, we also want to have the best student section.” The Six-Pack is wanting to see more students attending the games wearing their school colors to show that they are proud to represent the Sweet Grass Herders.

The first home game is December 18, so come wearing your blue and white and cheer on your Herders as they play the Three Forks Wolves.

Without Further Ado....Montana Shakespeare in the School

Photo Courtesy of Caitlyn Corso The performing cast for A Midsummer’s Night Dream.

By Caitlyn Corso StaffWriter

Photo Courtesy of SGHS Yearbook

Winter Formal

Student section during volleyball season 2014.

Throughout Montana the talented and riveting group of Samuel Ashdown, Patrick Budde, Sean Driscoll, Ty Fanning, Ky le G eissler, Kristin Hammargren, Cassandra Quinn, and Danielle Wineman perform beloved Shakespeare plays in hopes to open students up to the wonderful world of theater. This year the y performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream for many schools throughout the state, including SGCHS. In their rendition of the play they visualize the story for their audience in a captivating and f u n w a y. A f t e r t h e y performed, the group held workshops for all of the students. In these workshops students had the opportunity to learn about Shakespeare

literature, acting, and various other activities. Montana Shakespeare in the Parks made their first educational outreach in 1993, with a two actor tour acting out small scenes with limited costumes later transforming into an eight member professional tour that perform a complete play with outstanding props and costumes. The Montana Shakespeare in the School program is a great opportunity for all schools and students to become involved with, it will help students understand the difficult language of Shakespeare and see the beauty in his literature. They will be returning to SGCHS next year to once again offer even more great opportunities.

Castles for Auction

Photo Courtesy of Mary Hathaway

SGHS Snow Ball Candidates pose for a shot.

By The Sheepherder Staff

Saturday, the 6 of December, the SGHS cafeteria was brimming with high school students adorned in their finest clothing for Winter Formal. Many traditional formal dresses were worn, ranging in style from long and elegant, to short and sassy. A few new styles of dresses were also spotted. Two young ladies wore two-piece combinations of a cropped, sparkly halter top and high wasted bedazzled skirt. Open backs and neckline cutouts were also in vogue this season. Sparkles, jewels, and rhinestones were in abundance. The ladies’ counterparts were seen dressed largely in formal pants and shirts, some with the traditional long ties, and a few sporting the more flashy bow tie trend. A few boys wore jeans with their western shirts, and several even arrived in their everyday attire of jeans and a t-shirt.

The doors to the cafeteria opened at 9:00, and in flowed a long stream of students: from nervous freshmen checking their reflections in the trophy cases to relaxed seniors cracking jokes. Pictures, courtesy of Mary Hathaway began at 8:30, and lasted until 10:00. The dancing shenanigans carried on through the night, until 12:30. Country songs took up a large chunk of that time. The FFA had conveniently put on jitterbug workshops th

the previous Tuesday and Thursday, so there were some pro jitterbuggers in attendance Saturday evening. Several girls, anchored to earth only by their date’s strong hands, were seen fantastically flipping through the air. Perhaps the most widely played genre was pop music that had everybody shaking their groove things. One song, The Macarena, was even played twice, so that Luke Rech and his undershirt clad posse could showcase their “dancing skills”.

The dance and decorations were put together by Student Council. Student Council also purchased DJ equipment last year, and Ms. Blaylock acted as the dance’s DJ, so no money was lost on either of those elements. The money earned by the Student Council at this function will be put into their savings to help with improving SGHS. A Royal Court was assembled at the dance, consisting of princes and princesses from each class. Elected from the Freshman class were Kenny Conner and Elle Terland; the Sophomore candidates were Mark Gunslav and Charli Moore; the Junior candidates were Kyle Smith, Leif Holman, Holly Emter, and Erin Dringman; and the senior candidates were Dale Gilbert, Destan Miller, Jade Fredricks, and Krisha Worl. Dale Gilbert and Jade Fredricks were crowned King and Queen.

Photo Courtesy of Riley Horigan Leather and Wood students with the castles they created for the auction.

By Riley Horigan, Staff Writer

It’s that time of year to start thinking about what to get your kids for Christmas. If you take a trip down to McLeod St. to do some holiday shopping make a stop at Ace Hardware.

This year Ace will be featuring castles that the Leather and Woodworking class created. For the past two weeks students have been working on three different castles in class. The castles were constructed using wood kit cut outs, cardboard, lots of hot glue and spray paint. Painted wood figurines have been added to the original castle constructions. Each castle is adorned with special features from the students. The students unanimously decided that they wanted to sell them to raise money for their class to purchase independent wood kits at Sweet Grass High School.

Here is how it works: Stop in at Ace Hardware to take a look at the three castles. Place your bid for the castle you would like, and the highest bidder will be contacted midDecember.

Page 6 Features

December 19, 2014

iLearning “iPod, iPhone, iPad,” have all become common vernacular in the last decade. Everywhere one goes, advertisements are seen proclaiming the absolute necessity of the latest gadget, the most recent smart-phone, the fastest search engine. Our world seems to be centered around that infinite black hole filled with knowledge, games, and the ability to suck away the hours without our noticing: The Internet. Internet based phones, databases, research facilities, and now internet based learning are all on the rise.

Click-clack, clickclack, fingers drumming on the keys of a Chromebook is a noise you are far more likely to hear in an SGHS classroom today than the rustle of pencil on paper.

In July of 2014, Sweet Grass County High School purchased three sets of thirty Chromebooks.

A Chromebook is a thin, primarily internet based miniature laptop owned

by Google and run by the Chrome OS operating system. This purchase

By: Erin Dringman, Staff Writer

cost the school $24,813.

The Chromebooks have been used primarily in the English classrooms, but in others as well, in an attempt to use time more efficiently and keep pace with the ever-advancing world of technology in education.

Previously, teachers had to check out the Computer Lab or a cart of netbytes when their whole class needed to use the computer for writing a paper or doing online research.

The Computer Lab, though a valuable resource, was often crowded and the relocation of a class to the Lab from their classroom was often a waste of time.

Nonetheless, the purchase of the Chromebooks has not made the Computer Lab an obsolete tool.

English teacher Mrs. Lannen said, “You can’t use a lot of programs on the Chromebooks. We still need the computer lab for specialized programs.”

The netbytes, in their

check-out cart, were similar to the Chromebooks in size and function. They were, however, far more ancient and far fewer. The netbytes generally were very slow to load and were, thus, an inefficent use of a class’s time.

SGHS’s purchase of the Chromebooks ushered in an era of newfound speed and easy access for computer use in the classrooms.

The English teachers, having used the Chromebooks the most, reflected on their effectiveness for the first four months of the school year. “I think, so far, my outlook is positive” said Mrs. Gardner.

“I think that they have been a beneficial tool,” Ms. Perkins said, reiterating Mrs. Gardner’s positive feelings.

Many students agree with the English teachers and are amazed by the efficiency of the Chromebooks, enthusiastically supporting them. Sophomore Shadow Satre observed that Chromebooks are

“convenient,” and classmate Kailie Beaupre elaborated, saying “I like that we can do a lot of our assignments on them so that we’re not swamped by paper.”

However, some people have a certain wariness about the growing prevalence of technology in schools, claiming that students have become overdependent on technology and not as self-sufficient.

“They’re a good idea, but I personally also like textbooks and having real, physical things,” said senior, Mollee Stenberg. Junior Caitlyn Corso said, “I feel like they make it more difficult to learn and keep yourself organized.”

Other people have expressed concern about the fact that, as students’ work becomes primarily stored and based on the internet, they could potentially lose their work. Mrs. Lannen explained that the reliance on the internet is frustrating.

She has had days in her

Photos Courtesy of Erin Dringman Fingers bent around a pencil evolve to fingers poised over keys, as Chromebooks gain prevalence in the school system.

Projects, Continued:

school with a place for students to congregate, free of charge. This takes away a huge part of the cost to hold events. Imagine trying to host prom in the cafeteria!

The legion gives us a large space to dance, eat, laugh, and enjoy some of the experiences high school has to offer.

While our town gives us the means to enjoy events out of the classroom, just as much support is shown in the classroom. One of the first things you might notice when you walk into Mrs. Novotny’s math room would be her enormous smart board. Whether she be solving equations for her Algebra class or writing notes for her history class, the Smart board is a helpful tool for learning.

Unfortunately, Smart Boards are not cheap. However, Mrs. Novotny applied for a grant through the SGHS Partners in Education Fund, and was able to purchase the board. The SGHS Partners in Education Fund is a community organization that supplies funding for projects, equipment and physical improvements not

otherwise available through the annual legislative budget.

Support for the Fund comes from private donations, but is also largely financed by the annual Sweet Grass Community Foundation Raw Deal Run. Through the help of this Fund, Mrs. Novotny was able to enhance her teaching experience. Her new board is bigger and is easier for students to see.

Mrs. Novotny also added that it is energy efficient!

“Imagine what could be accomplished if this was an everyday effort.”

While all these donations help current students of SGHS, what does our community do for students who are headed off to college? Each year, tens of thousands of dollars are donated from the community in forms of scholarships for graduating seniors. From $100 to $1,000, businesses and organizations in the community offer monetary support students saying

goodbye to Sweet Grass.

Some scholarships are given by private individuals who start a scholarship to honor a loved one who passed away. Other scholarships are donated by the SGHS Education Association, the Big Timber Grade School, the American Legion, and the Masonic Lodge, among many others. Through the community’s generosity, SGHS students are able to make a dent in the mass of college expenses.

Sweet Grass County High School receives a tremendous amount of support from the local community. This allows our school to expand, grow, learn and support our peers.

The willingness of others to donate their time, money, talent, and expertise is a reminder that great things can happen when people come together. With that in mind, a final quote from a 1995 issue of the Sheepherder: “....imagine what could be accomplished if this was an everyday effort.”

Streak Snapped, Continued:

Cougars was a huge mental boost for the Herder’s football program. Now we can only wait to get a second win in a row at home against the Cougars next season.

Photo Courtesy of Cindy Glavin Herder linebacker, Sam Curry, eyes down the quarterback for the Cougars (Kade Osborne).

classes where there have been technical difficulties and glitches. “It is scary.

What if the server goes down for a day and we have all of our textbooks online?” she wondered.

“I’m reserving judgement,” said Science teacher Dan Campbell. “I used them for an online lab and they worked really well for that, but I have to use them more before I can tell.” Many people harbor this viewpoint, happy to see how the Chromebooks work throughout this year before deciding whether or not they are in favor of, or opposed to, this latest step in the technological direction.

Chromebooks are also being analyzed for their potential utility if they were to exist on a larger scale in the school. There is talk of going to a one-to-one ratio with the Chromebooks next year, meaning that each student would receive their own Chromebook for the year, one that they could take home, store textbooks on, and use in each class.

“Going to a one to one ratio is the logical next

step,” said Mrs. Gardner.

“They’re not a very durable machine, and students are going to have to realize that, but students that don’t have access to the internet now would be able to store assignments on their Chromebooks. It is one more step in the road to being close to paperless.”

Many are concerned that students would not be able to fulfill these responsibilities and that their education, or their pocketbooks, would suffer as a result. Sophomore Billy Stevens remarked, “They’d probably get trashed if we all had our own. But you could just make students pay for it if they ruin it.”

Though the future of Chromebooks remains murky, there is one certain thing: For students: Chromebooks are here, in your school, now. For parents: Chromebooks are here, in your children’s school, each day. They are one of many steps down a road to technological advancement; they are one window into a new aspect of education. How do you feel about Chromebooks? Are they a great resource or a tool of dependency? Your choices can define their future.

Photo Courtesy of Caitlyn Corso Left: Senior captains, Walker LaVoy (10), Brycen Lehman (50), Mack Coyne (24), and Kalvin Kunda (36) shake hands with their opponents before a game.

December 19, 2014

In Case of Emergency “DING DING DING DING DING!” A sigh of annoyance at the loud alarm that has gone off for the fourth time this volleyball game can be heard throughout the student section. The new system has only been on the gym doors for a week, and people often forget that they cannot walk out the double doors to the parking lot without their ear dr ums b eing ass au lte d.

Many question why we need these seemingly useless alarms. However, in a day a n d a g e w h e re s c h o o l shootings are all too common, no security measure seems too small to prevent such a tragedy.

Nonetheless, is Sweet Grass County High School using its res ources ef fectively to ensure the safety of its students?

“Those doors [the gym doors] were always being propped by people who come in the morning and lift weights.” Mr. Al Buerkle, Superintendent of Sweet Grass County High School, explained to me where the problem with the g ym doors began. “We continually found the door was still propped during first period. We felt for a while some of the issues we had with our locker room was due to the fact that people could walk into the locker room, see what’s there, take it, and leave, and no one upstairs would know because t he y were lif t ing .” In response to this issue, it was decided that the gym doors would become what they were originally intended to be: an emergency exit.

Wh i l e t h i s m ay b e an inconvenience, Mr. Buerkle added, it is for the student’s benefit. Unfortunately, these alarms could not protect the school from a rash of recent break-in attempts.

In the early morning hours of October 7th, a break-in to the high school was reported. Upon further investigation, damage to a cl ass ro om w i nd ow w as found. In addition, a tool

By Greta Sanders, Staff Writer

fashioned from a file folder h ange r w a s d i s c ove re d outside the window. In another incident, a door in the shop was damaged as someone tried to break the glass on the small window in the door. Fortunately, in both of these incidents, the intruder was unable to gain access to the school. As to why they wanted in is up for speculation. “It is our guess that the Chromebooks were the intended target.” Buerkle said. While it remains unclear what the motive behind the break-ins is, Mr. Buerkle is positive about one thing: “Those were two very serious attempts...So we do need to step up our security measures a little bit.” In a quick answer to the problem, motion sensor lights were placed along the outside back wall. Looking at the long time security of the school, a contract for surveillance cameras has been signed, and installation of these cameras has begun. Efforts to protect Sweet Grass High School’s resources are under way.

However, what is being done to protect the school’s top priority: its students?

“I have to be honest, I always have a concern about relationships and how kids get along and how people w i l l r e s p o n d t o t h at .”

Buerkle said when asked if he felt the school was a safe place. Buerkle added “I’d like to say we’re immune to that, I think if you say that, you don’t prepare. You have to look around at what’s going on.” While Sweet Grass has yet to have any serious incidents involving firearms and intruders, there’s no way to say it will never happen.

Between December 2012 and June 2013, there have been seventy-four school shootings in the United States, according to CNN. com. Thes e sho ot ings occurred in big cities and small towns, middle schools and h i g h s cho ols . T he shooters were adults and students. No one is immune from tragedy. Is there any way to prevent or to prepare

for these situations? “I think you always have to keep that [the possibility of a school shooter] in the back of your mind, and we need to work with kids, and if there are kids that are emotionally upset... we need to work with them and do the best we can for them.” Buerkle stated that the best resource the school has in preventing these kinds of incidents is students themselves.

Students hear and see things that are going on in the school that adults can easily miss. “Kids need to trust their adults. Students are one more level of knowledge.”

Along with new equipment, a new phenomenon called “Run Hide Fight” is sweeping our nation’s schools. This is a hu g e c h an g e f rom t h e common lock-down procedure. Rather than encouraging teachers to have students huddle in a corner with the door locked and lights off waiting to be evacuated, Run Hide Fight gives you three options. Run: get out of the building if you can in a safe and timely manner. Hide: Get under desks, in closets, behind bookcases. And lastly, Fight: Have students and teachers ready to fight back when the attacker enters the room.

Examples of Fight include throwing desks or hitting the attacker with a textbook.

This new procedure gives students and staff more of a chance against an armed assailant.

As our world is constantly evolving, our school safety measures need to evolve with it. New safety equipment and procedures are allowing Sweet Grass County High School to take a step forward in its mission to keep the school’s investments and students safe. However, the fact remains that students will always be the best resources in keeping our school safe. Communication between staff and students is key in keeping Sweet Grass a safe place to receive an education.

SAVY Food Drive

staff donated over 300 items to the local community. Ms. Perkins’s advisory brought in 74 items, winning them an ice cream sundae party for donating the largest amount of items.

Controversial Clothing

By Caitlyn Corso, Staff Writer

Does a student’s clothing affect their education or that of other students? Many people are wondering and recently there have been many questions regarding gender inequality issues. Well, here’s another one: The school dress code. Many people don’t see it as an issue of gender equality, but some do. To the students at Sweet Grass County High School, the dress code seems a tad sexist and biased.

Why do students feel this way? One reason is because if a girl walks into school in a tank top that shows her shoulder more than the school would like when it is 88 degrees outside she will be told to change because her shirt is too provocative for school and will distract classmates. In some cases, this is completely understandable. However, if a boy sees the shoulder of the girl sitting in front of him, is it really going to hinder his ability to learn? This issue pertains specifically to not being able to wear T-backs in school.

This may not seem like that big of a deal, but it has been brought to attention as a gender inequality issue, rather than a school dress code issue.

The gender inequality specifically comes into play

Photos Courtesy of Caitlyn Corso and Google Images, respectively Models showcase male and female tanktops.

regarding T-backs when boys start wearing “bro-tanks” to school. When boys wear these, their shoulders are visible and there is a low arm hole, but that is not expected to cause anyone to be distracted from learning. The next question is why? Why can boys wear “bro-tanks” when girls cannot wear T-backs? This is the question students are asking that leads this rule to be controversial and borderline sexist. The rule was initially put into the school dress code for girls, but should it not then apply to boys? The answer from our principal’s point of view is simple: no. If you were to look at the T-back rule that way, you have to look at every rule that way. For example, girls can wear leggings to school, so technically there are no rules that boys can’t wear leggings, but if they did they would get asked to change because it would be inappropriate. That is understandable enough, but what is inappropriate about a girls shoulder?

Mr. Ryan said the dress code may seem sexist, but all rules just depend on the situation, but maybe the situation needs to be reevaluated. Junior Erin Dringman said “I feel like you have the right to wear what you want” which sounds like a common consensus throughout SGHS. The student voice that is listened to regarding issues with the dress code is our Student Councils. Perhaps our Student Council can discuss this issue and bring it up to the school board.

Something New?

By Riley Horigan, Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Greta Sanders From left: Madilyn Emter, Madelyn Foulk, TediJo Todd, Holly Emter and Caitlyn Corso

By Greta Sanders, Staff Writer

Thanks to a schoolwide food drive, SAVY members were able to take six full boxes of needed items to the local food bank. The drive ended on November 25th, and in a two week span, SGHS students and

Page 7 Features

Photos Courtesy of Riley Horigan Examples of how the Uber system works via smart phone.

Means for transportation in a small town aren’t always convenient as a high s c h o o l s tu d e nt or a s someone without a license or car. But going to a big city doesn’t make them any better. For some people, having your own car isn’t always ideal. You have to pay for your own gas, insurance, and take it in for maintenance when needed.

And most stereotypical college students are broke.

But, along with college in a big city you get a free bus pass. Public transportation is great and it’s cheap.

Except for when it’s 23 degrees out and you missed your bus or you read the wrong route and got on the green line instead of the blue one... And now you’re stuck waiting 38 minutes for the next bus, don’t forget it’s still 23 degrees out and only getting colder and you have to finish a paper by midnight. The clock is ticking and you just want to get back to campus now. You could just call a cab, but cabs have an

expensive starting rate Looks like you’ll wait for another bus because there are no other options that fit into your cheap life style.

But in March of 2014 a private company started Uber. Uber is an app you can download on your smart phone for a cheap ride to anywhere. With downloading the app you enter your card information for payment; because it’s all electronically charged you don’t have to have cash on you let alone your card. Just open the app and request a car and they will come to you within four minutes and drop you off where you request. But what’s the difference between this and a taxi?

With Uber you can earn free rides. Share the app with friends and earn up to a $30 free ride when they use their Uber app. Rate your driver with five stars and they can rate you back and you can get free rides for being a five star passenger. Sounds like the For Uber, see page 8

Page 8 December 19, 2014

Uber continued

ideal way to save money and get to the places you need to be.

Being an Uber driver is simple. You fill out some forms and the company does a background check on the potential driver so it’s all safe.

If their ratings fall below a 4.3 the company will suspend their Uber account for the time being, so this is a way to make sure your drivers aren’t creepy. Along with being an Uber driver they describe you as a “private driver”.

Which means you just drive your passengers around; you are not supposed to make conversation with them unless they talk with you.

Photo Courtesy of Rory Lannen Cheerleaders singing in the Lighted Parade December 6.

While using this system of transportation last week my friend and I talked to some drivers about why they do it.

While some said it was just a way to bring in a little extra cash on days off others said they solely do it to for the social benefit of meeting p e opl e for a br i e f te n minutes. While using a free ride, we wanted to take advantage of the whole $30, so we made a few stops along the way to our final destination and our driver was very happy to spend 45 minutes taking us around the wonderful city of Nashville.

Needless to say he got five stars.

But Uber isn’t the only application that gives you the

chance to earn free rides.

There are a few apps out there that are very similar to U b e r. Ly f t i s a n o t h e r common app similar to Uber except they offer up to a $10 free ride. And when you act as a Lyft driver you have to put a fuzzy pink mustache on your car so it’s easy for your customers to identify you.

Maybe something like this would be beneficial to the town of Big a Timber in the future for that person who is looking to make some extra cash. But until then, don’t forget to layer up before you walk out the door to your destination, even if it is just to your car.

A Photo Look-Back on Fall 2014 Photos Courtesy of the Sheepherder Staff

Ho-Ho-Ho Herders Go SGHS Students Involved in Holiday Happenings

By Erin Dringman, Staff Writer

The Holiday season is upon us, and our students are busy spreading the cheer and goodwill associated with this jolly time of year.

On December 5th the guitar, Jazz Band, and Sweet 16 students traveled to the American and Citizen Banks’ Open Houses, and the Carnegie Library Christmas Tea, performing for many members of the community.

For many years, SAVY has been responsible for making and delivering Christmas stockings to the residents at the Pioneer Medical Center Nursing Home and the Beartooth Assisted Living. This year, students were encouraged to bring in a wide variety of items for the gift-giving.

SAVY put together thirtynine stockings, filled with

Tuesday, December 9th, the Sweet 16 performed at the Lion Club’s luncheon at the Grand Hotel. On the 11th, the group sang for a Christmas Tea at the Big Timber Lutheran Church.

December 16th, the SGHS Christmas Concert was held in the gym, which was stuffed with community members there to enjoy the melodious voices and tunes of the hardworking music students.

The SGHS Cheer Squad will bring back the little girls from their summer camp program over Christmas break and will teach them a dance to perform at a basketball game.

rubber-soled socks, lotion, handkerchiefs, sugarfree candy, word puzzles, and stuffed animals. The stockings were delivered Wednesday, the 17th, to the joy of the residents.

The senior class and their parents went on a Christmas tree hunting escapade on November 23rd.

Nearly two-hundred trees met their match that day and were transported to the Thirsty Turtle, where they are being sold. Several trees are still left, so if you’re doing any last minute decorating, head on down to the Turtle and support the rad-grad.

Merry Christmas from everyone at SGHS!

Students dressed up for Halloween show their spirit at the Volleyball pep assembly.

Leichelle Wood hits a massive serve.

Jazz Band students perform on December 9th.

Juniors & Seniors at Heart Mountain

Lehman and Coyne chest bump while Finn watches in awe.

Photo Courtesy of Sweet 16 students harmonize at American Bank on December 9th.

Senior students learn about AIDS from their classmates.

JV Boys get in some hard hits.