The Rampage

Emily Merkle Design Editor                 Southeast Polk students enrolled in the health careers course (A class that prepares students to test for certification to be a nursing assistance) begin clinicals. Clinicals are held at Parkridge Specialty Care in Pleasant Hill, Iowa.                 Once students got back from winter break, they began learning skills that they would use in a nursing home facility. Students learned things from hand hygiene to bed baths.                 “It’s a great way to begin hands on experience in the medical field,” said senior Renee Stohr. She plans on a future in the medical field some day and getting her CNA is preparing her early.                 Not only is this experience to hel...

Kailee Ammons Staff Reporter                 Over the past month, the sophomore English classes have been working on a survival and thriving unit. The students were asked to read two books, one fiction and another non-fiction, and were assigned various projects about them.                 The first assignment was a theme project. The students were supposed to choose one book and figure out a possible theme to that novel. Then this theme was supposed to be supported by direct quotes pulled from the book. There was also supposed to be a visual aid to represent this theme. Some students did a collage of pictures, made posters, and many other ideas.                 The second assignment was to write an extended definition essay. Students were to choose one word and explain how that word relates ...

Brett Blakemore Sports Editor                 The girls’ basketball team defeated Linn-Mar 56-45 last night and punched their ticket to the state tournament. This is the fifth year in a row that the team made it to Wells Fargo Arena, after winning it all, just two years ago. The Rams take on Iowa City West in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 4 at 3:15.                   A lot has changed and a lot is the same about the team since the title run in early 2013.  The cast of leaders that season was studded with players like seniors: Caitlin Ingle, Jessica Gardner, and Megan Bianchi. While that same team had its young talent, such as then freshman Abby Penquite, and then sophomore Jacey Huinker.                 Now as the girls begin to close again on another state run, the ...

Jessica Rish Staff Reporter                 The wrestling season has come to close and the coaches and athletes are receiving recognition for their hard work. The wrestling managers have been left in the shadows.                 “A wrestling manager is a person who helps out with the wrestling team in whatever way possible,” said sophomore Erin Miklus. There are a total of 12 managers that helped with the team this year which is a lot according to Miklus.                 “As wrestling managers we clean the mats, clean up blood, take stats and enter them into the computers, video tape, tag the videos on huddle, get water bottles, we pretty much do anything they ask. We buy the wrestlers stuff sometimes. We basically just get everything ready for the team,”...

Josi Bambrook Columnist              In Biology class students are supposed to complete packets most days and work out of the book. It may be difficult for some students to properly understand the material if all they don’t get very much hands on activities.             There aren’t very many things that students are able to do in Biology but microscopes can be used for some of the things students learn about. All students learn in different ways, but there are many options that are available.             “Have the teachers show us visuals and teach it from there,” said sophomore Natalie Knouf. Working on packets helps students learn but it doesn’t do a lot of good for students who get distracted easily and can’t focus on what the main topic is.             “I don’t learn it we...

Kaelee Keesee Managing Editor It’s time for the annual prom dress giveaway! Project Fresh Start is returning to the high school March 9-14. The dresses will be given away free of charge Monday-Friday 4pm-7pm and Saturday 9am-Noon. Southeast Polk has been a participant in the giveaway for four years after administrative assistant Karole Turner was contacted by Dave Kissinger, the coordinator for Project Fresh Start. According to Turner the goal of the giveaway is to give people who could not otherwise afford it the chance to receive a prom dress. To donate to the giveaway, all that must be done is to take your old prom dress to Turner to the front office by March 6 to give ample time for the dresses to be given to Project Fresh Start. “We put out a broadcast to let people know that we are accepting the dresses and people out in community start bringing in their dresses,” said Turner. If you have any questions regarding the giveaway, contact Karole Turner in the high school ...

Brooklyn Draisey Columnist                 Two teams from the Southeast Polk speech team went to the All-State speech festival on Saturday, February 21. The festival was held at Iowa State University, mainly in Stephen’s Auditorium and the Scheman Building.                 The two teams that qualified for All-State were choral reading and short film. To qualify for All-State, the teams must get ones in both districts and state, then get recommended and selected to perform at All-State. The competition is fierce, and many people don’t make it, even if they get all ones at state. All-State is more of a festival than a competition, and the teams don’t get ratings or scores. They perform and are acknowledged for making it to All-State, and then the best performance in each category is chosen. The winner takes home the banner announcing their category. There’s also a tr...

Emily Merkle Design Editor National Honor Society students of Southeast Polk volunteered their time on Friday, February 13 to help the lunch ladies during lunch times. At the beginning of the day students brought down gifts for the lunch ladies in honor of their hard work throughout the year. "I think I earned more appreciation for the cooks. The whole experience was very fun but I learned how to multitask while doing it," said senior Abby Borg. Roughly 8 students helped out during each of the 5 lunch times by distributing food. Students helped serve chili crispitos, Chinese food, chicken strips, or the Valentine's Day dessert cake. "I handed out cake to whoever wanted it. I thought it was fun but I didn't realize how many people come through the line and I felt like I couldn't keep up," said Borg. Borg, however, didn't even serve the largest lunch and felt overwhelmed by the number of students. The largest lunch is the third lunch of the da...

Brett Blakemore Sports Editor Going to state tournaments has almost become an annual tradition for many students here. Almost every year, there is talk about 'why isn't this ram-planned?”, and most students miss school anyway. There are many students that truly care about the tournament and the games or matches, but are there some students that just use it to get out of school? It's one thing to have school spirit and want to be there, and even when people don't know what's going on, the student section can be reason alone to attend. However with any system, there will be people trying to cheat it. This past weekend many students attended the state wrestling tournament, where the Rams won another pair of State Championships. "You could tell a lot of people cared about it," senior Grant Morse said. "Both the students and the fans were really into it the whole way." But the question still is do people abuse this event for themselves? Do ...

Lexi Burrows Staff Reporter           English I classes are learning about Shakespeare for the next eight weeks. Students are learning old English and will be reading many plays written by Shakespeare. After learning about sonnets, students were assigned to write their own. A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines using any number of formal rhyme schemes, and use ten syllables per line according to Dictionary.com.  Writing a sonnet typically follows the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. For some students sonnets can be very difficult to write. Students from Mrs. Henry’s English I classes will be turning in their sonnets on Tuesday, leading them into reading Shakespeare's plays and acting them out in class. Reading Shakespeare’s writing can feel like one is reading a different language. Old English is a highly inflected language with a largely Germanic vocabulary, which is much different than the modern day English. “There will be many pieces of th...

Kenzie Baldwin Feature Editor             Teacher Academy students present a small lesson plan to a group of the students that they are student teaching. They could pick whatever their teacher and they had talked about for activities in class and the teacher academy teacher (Jenny Crawford) would observe it.             “For my small group I made flash cards with money word problems on them,” said senior Nicole Craig.             Each teacher academy student is assigned a day where they have to present their small lesson plan, it is informal and is just helping them prepare for the large lesson plan that will be later on in the semester.             “I think the experience of being up in front of the kids is what we are aiming for,” said Craig.      ...

Pete Ruden Staff Reporter A  fire experiment done in chemistry classes. Photo Courtesy of Mr. Busch.             Playing with fire is a fun activity for students in school. Right? Last week in chemistry, students made fire expand by putting flour into a funnel and blowing into a hose at a flame.             “It was pretty cool,” said sophomore Sami Craig. “It didn’t work at first, so we were all skeptic, but once it worked really good, it was pretty cool.”             In class, students have been learning about covalent and molecular bonds and the flame was carbon based, so that is how the flour made the flame expand. It was also tried with salt, which made the flame turn yellow, because the salt is ionic. Earlier in the week, chemistry classes tested the electric conductivity of different liquids, including Gatorade, chocolate m...

Ellen Bombela News Editor                  The state wrestling tournament began on Wednesday, and as expected, the Southeast Polk wrestling team dominated the team duals. With the great success of the team this season, it is no surprise that students would call in to school and miss a day of school to go to Wells Fargo Arena to watch the tournament. Between the coaches, wrestlers, and fans, the halls and classrooms have felt a little empty.                 Although there is no school on Friday due to a teacher in-service day, students who are attending the tournament are missing two days of school, which are not Ram planned. While students are having a good time at the tournament, they are still missing classes that could have important things going on in them. While wrestling fans might think that missing the classes is worth it, some others have different opi...

Claire Strickland Opinion Editor              As of February 17, the school board has announced that Dr. Dirk Halupnik will be offered the new Superintendent Job. Previous superintendent, Mr. Craig Menozzi, announced on October 16, that he will be retiring at the end of this school year.             “I think that I’m really going to miss Menozzi. He is a man of integrity, and has always put what’s best for students ahead of himself,” Freshman English teacher, Haley Henry, said. Henry may miss Menozzi, but she knows that Halupnik will do just as great of a job.             “I think he’ll be great. From what I’ve read and heard, he is very knowledgeable and experienced,” Henry said. Halupnik is currently working with Linn-Marr Community School District, but will start at the beginning of the new school year with Southeast Polk.  ...

Demi Muchmore Editor in Chief             Students are raving on and on about how awesome this week is going to be. First we have a 2 hour late start on Wednesday 18 th and on top of that we have no school on Friday 20 th .             As for the teachers they aren’t so happy. They both have to come to school on time on Wednesday and they also have to come to school all day on Friday for an in- service day and sit in meetings all day.             There is still debate on whether this is fair to the teachers or not.  According to Currie, He believes it is fair because the students need a break more than the teachers do.            When asked the question: How do you feel about having a 2 hour late start and no school all in one week? Junior Tate Currie responds with,” It ma...

Kailee Ammons Staff Reporter              With all the news about the next school year not starting until September, some students are curious about when the final tests for the fall semester are going to take place. There are some students who would prefer to have the tests after their winter break. But it seems like most students like having the tests before diving into the holidays and any other winter plans they have.             “It is better to have a break after you take long tests,” said Kelsie Fry, freshman at Southeast Polk.             Some positive reasons to have the semester tests before break is that what the students were taught is fresh in their minds, allowing them to have a better understanding of the material and to have higher confidence while taking the tests. Having the tests before break makes it easier to acces...

Kaelee Kessee Managing Editor                  In social studies Eric Gross’s AP Human Geography class, students have been learning the skill of answering essay questions that will be seen on the AP tests this May.                 The questions are known as Free Response Questions or FRQs for short. The questions are centered on the material learned in the class throughout the semester. The most recent FRQ pertained to the information learned in the second unit of the book over population and migration.                 The students had the opportunity to take their first FRQs home to work on them overnight.                 “I thought that for the first one it would be good to do a take home assignment to gently...

Jessica Rish Staff Reporter              Mrs. Pappan’s creative writing classes are writing their third poem of the 2nd semester. The poem consists of ten or more lines and must include figurative language that the students have learned about so far. “The past poems have had specific guidelines that we had to follow, but this one is different. We just have to write about whatever comes to our brains with the exception of using the literary terms that we have learned about,” said Sophomore Ally Bates. The poem consists of ten or more lines and must include at least one simile, one direct metaphor, one implied metaphor, one example of personification, one example of enjambment, and one example of either assonance, consonance, or alliteration. This course is a fiction and poetry writing seminar in which creativity and imagination take precedence over mechanics. This course is separated into three units: short stories, poetry, and children’s s...

Brooklyn Draisey Columnist                 On Tuesday, February 10, the Southeast Polk girls and boys basketball teams faced off against Ottumwa in their last regular games of the season.                 The girls had a very good start, and had gained a lead of ten points in the beginning of the second quarter. They held their lead and had 35 points at the half. Ottumwa was trailing behind at 22 points. In the beginning of the third quarter, #10 got injured and had to sit out for a while. The difference in points grew as the game went on, and the end score was 62-43 Southeast Polk.                 Tuesday was also Senior Night, so the seniors from the boys and girls basketball teams were recognized, as were the seniors from the cheer squad. They were announced over the speakers, given ...

Drew Brown Staff Reporter            As of last week band and choir students were informed that there will be no more hanging out in the hallways due to disrespect from band kids to their peers. “Some band kid ripped up a girls music and stole $30 from her,” said sophomore C.J. Dobbins.           To the choir students who go down to the hallway during study hall, this is unfair. Choir kids are enraged by the subject because the situation wasn’t their fault. The people who have permanent passes to the choir room and hallway still have to get permission from the choir directors.             “I think it’s dumb that the choir kids are being forced to the same punishment for something going on with the band kids,” said junior Dustin Guillen “I do understand it though, they are making sure that the same thing does not happen in choir but people need to learn how to be mor...

Josi Bambrook Columnist               The students in Belger's P.E. class were playing basketball today. As Mr. Belger sat at a semi-functional desk the students enjoyed a game of knock out as other students shot at the hoop on their own. The class was very independent, doing their own thing without needing the correct basketball technique to have a good time.             The game of knock out looked like a lot of fun. The students jumped and ran around while laughing when they missed a shot. The competitiveness looked like a lot of fun and getting exercise was just a plus.             “Yeah, because I beat everyone,” said Abigail Lane.  Friends laughed with each other and shouted across the gym when the ball went out of reach.  The students who were shooting hoops on their own casually talked to their friends and hoped the c...

Lexi Burrows                      Staff Reporter                 Ms.Khanthongdy’s Spanish 1 classes are learning about the family vocabulary.                 The vocabulary is family specific meaning students are learning the translation of various family titles.                 For example, la abuela means grandma, and el abulo means grandpa.                 The assignment is to create a family tree with them in it. They can use their own family members or they can use celebrity’s.               ...

Kenzie Baldwin Feature Editor              AP composition students are struggling to know the vocabulary words for the terms quiz that will happen today. In each chapter there are terms that are in the text book that students are supposed to be learning and recognizing along with discussing them in class. This chapter the students haven’t had that much time to learn the material and discussion has been limited.             “I think it is a helpful and kind of a waste of time to have vocab tests but it depends, if we actually work on the vocabulary words in class I think it’s helpful but if we learn them right before the quiz it kind of sets you up for failure,” said junior Kassadee Stroud. There is a mixed reaction on if the students are really being taught these terms successfully.             “I don’t think the teacher is helpful ...

Demi Muchmore Editor-In-Chief                 Another semester of school rolls around and as does more P.E. classes. At this point in the school year during individual sports we are starting a new unit on ping pong.                 Ping pong, otherwise known as table tennis also, was first invented in England towards the end of the 19 th century.  There were some people who were bored one day and used their dining table as the ping pong table. It was a great way to pass time and have fun with family and friends as we still play this sport for the same reason. Also ping pong is used competitively  worldwide.                Mr. Starcevich, a P.E. teacher here at Southeast Polk puts his opinion forward about ping pong. “Ping pong is a lifetime sport/game that you can carry on forever with your family and friends. I...

Ellen Bombela News Editor               With a large amount of snowfall and freezing temperatures, you can expect some problems. It all started over Formal weekend when the dance was moved forward an hour in hopes that students would be leaving the dance early enough to avoid the weather, but unfortunately that was not the case. Many students had problems navigating the snow not just over the weekend, but also throughout the week.                 Fortunately for students Southeast Polk decided to have a snow day on Monday, which kept most students off the dangerous roads. However, once the main roads were all cleared off, school was ready to be back in session on Tuesday. University and other main roads were for the most part cleared off, but back roads and residential streets were still snow packed and ice covered, which caused problems for many student drivers through...

Pete Ruden Staff Reporter The boys basketball team dropped a game against Dowling on Feburary 3 by a score of 59-33. That game puts the Rams at a record of 5-10 on the season and 1-4 in conference play. The team has room to get better and they know how to carry out the improvements. “[We have to] knock down our shots, don’t take possessions off, play as a team, keep our composure when the other team makes a run,” said junior Chris Henderson, who moved into the starting lineup after the first game of the season. The Rams are currently on a two game skid and looking to get out of that funk. It can be hard to keep focus after a loss, but they are capable of it. “[I keep focused by] not letting the little things affect me, improving on the negatives and using positives as motivation,” Henderson said. After starting the season, Southeast Polk is now starting to find some of the grooves they had to find in order to win some games. For the Dowling game, senior Fernando Cole move...

Ethan Edvenson Cartoonist              Whenever there is a home game for boys and girls varsity basketball, the Southeast Polk Pep Band is almost always called upon to fill the gym with energetic music and tunes from our culture.      “It is a fun break from all the concert music to play some loud rock and pop music,” said junior trumpet player Jared Harrington. Pep band songs range anywhere from 2009’s “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga to 1981’s “Freeze Frame” by the J. Geils Band and “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. With over a hundred students participating in the group, it’s no surprise their melodies can be clearly heard even outside the gym     “I am sad that we don’t get to play my favorite song….the Horse! But it is pretty fun otherwise!” claimed sophomore trumpet player Nick Pifer.              If you want to join Pep band, all you need to do is be a part of another band class. Ho...

Claire Strickland Opinion Editor Here at Southeast Polk, there is a club called Stand for the Silent. On a weekly basis, the club has now been giving presentations about bullying to elementary aged students. Sophomore, Cassidy Oberbroeckling, is a part of these skits.                 “We present bullying statistics, give definitions of bullying and cyber bullying, and give short skits to a range of third through fifth graders,” Oberbrockling said. Every week, Stand for the Silent kids go and teach younger kids about bullying and how to prevent it or how to help a friend if they are getting bullied. Spring Creek, Junior High and High School students are all involved in these skits. The students give skits on physical, verbal, cyber and social bullying.                 After the skits and other information, students go to the clas...

Shelby Kellis Staff Reporter Seven Southeast Polk speech teams will be competing in the large group state compaction, tomorrow, February 7th at Valley High School from 8:15am to 3:50pm. Valley is asking non-performers to give a donation of three dollars. Senior Emily Waskel will be doing improv and a one act play. Waskel has been in speech for four years and started as a freshman because her brother did it. Waskels advice to her fellow teammates is. “Don’t mess up your lines” she says. To get ready for her performance she gets her head in the game and practices. Speech club is an activity that is governed by the National Forensics League and the Iowa High School Association.  Members can participate in Student Congress Debate, Public Forum Debate, Policy Debate, and Lincoln Douglas Debate.  The advisors are Emma Hantelmann, Julene Pappan, and Rosemarie Waskel. The meetings are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays after school. This is according to www.southeast...

Tori Hennick Arts + Cultures Editor With the snow days that Southeast Polk has been thrown, students are missing out on days not only to  enjoy themselves in the summer, but also days they could be using to work. Studies from NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) show that more than two-thirds of high school students were employed during their senior year. 22.7 percent of those students were working at least 20 hours per week. This study was done in 1992. Although the data is old, it is more than relevant today. If students back then were working 20+ hours a week, they must be working just as much, if not more in 2015. Most students 10-12 th grade have jobs, for example sophomore Joey Hupp. Joey is currently a busser at the Pleasant Hill Market Café. “If the school year is being pushed farther back all the time, I still have to work.”Like most students, Joey pays his phone bill, so every time he has to miss work it makes that objective just a little bit...