The Ride Comes to an End

By Travis Thornburgh

            As postseason basketball began to move to the State Tournaments in Wells Fargo Arena, both Interstate boys and girls basketball squads found themselves watching from the stands.

                February 9, brought an end to the run of the girls team, when Coach Jamie Smith and his squad, led by seniors Nicole Travis and Jordan Williamson, met the North Polk Lady Comets in the first round of regional basketball.  The Lady Comets were ranked in 3A, and came into the game averaging nearly 60 points per game.  The Lady Roadrunners put up a valiant effort, but came up short, dropping a 59-33 decision to the Comets.

                “We exceeded most people’s expectations for the year,” said Coach Smith at the year-end banquet, “We’ve come a long way and I have seen great improvement in this team.”

                The boys saw their run come to an end on February 19, at the hands of conference rivals Nodaway Valley.  It was a close contest, but the Roadrunners came up just short, dropping the game 56-47 in Creston. 

                “It was hard fought and we are looking to push through in the coming years,” stated Coach Nate Rankin at the year-end banquet.

                Both teams have had great years and thank the communities of New Virginia, St. Charles, and Truro for their support.

Playtime is getting a Makeover

By Travis Thornburgh

                As a spring thaw approaches, there is a new addition in the works to the playtime that the elementary children at Interstate 35 enjoy.  Mr. Casey Christensen, elementary principal, along a committee made up of many teachers and a few students have decided that the playground equipment that we have is not adequate for our growing student body. 

                “During recess, we have 120 students out there.  There are only six swings, one piece of equipment, two basketball hoops and two tetherball poles. There are not enough places to play for our numbers,” stated Mr. Christensen, when asked about the motivation for purchasing the new equipment.

                The committee has decided to purchase a Merry-Go-Round, worm tunnel, more swings, a ring race apparatus, and a rock duo climber.  Beyond everything that was planned by the committee, they also opened voting to the student body on the final two pieces of equipment that were going to be purchased.  The results of this vote showed that there was a desire to put in a teeter-totter, as well as a complex monkey bar apparatus.

                “This is a purchase that we feel will satisfy our needs for years to come.”

Energizing the Home Crowd

By Travis Thornburgh

            February 5 brought what many people would qualify as mayhem to the high school gym at Interstate 35.  The fifth brought Senior Night, where both boys and girls basketball both faced off against arch rivals Martensdale-St. Marys, as well as a halftime performance of the highest quality.  The Energizers were in the house, doing their normal, spectacular thing.

                The halftime show at Interstate was just one of many events at which the Energizers performed this year .  This year, the team of 33, the largest in the history of the program, performed at Clarke of Osceola, Martensdale-St.Marys, Winterset, Northwest Missouri State University, and Drake University.  The group ranges from five to seventeen in age and is made of many different school districts.  Among these are Interstate 35, Martensdale-St.Marys, Clarke, Lamoni, Murray, Winterset, and Norwalk.

                “The tumblers were pleased with their performance at I-35.  It is always exciting for the kids to perform in front of their home school crowds,” stated Sue Cornelison, when asked about the performance and the reaction that she got. 

                The Energizers have become a mainstay in the Interstate and surrounding communities, and have made a habit of performing at Interstate, and that doesn’t seem like it is going to change.

A Once in a Lifetime Experience, and Not a Good One

By Travis Thornburgh

            February brings many things to an end.  However, for NASCAR, February brings a beginning to a new season and a tradition that is decades old; Speed Weeks at Daytona International Speedway.  February also brings a bit of relaxation time for Miss Raeann Thomas, a second grade teacher at Interstate.  This year brought a bit more excitement than most years.

                As many of you may have seen, there was massive, last-lap crash during the NASCAR Nationwide Series race, which left debris strewn throughout the grandstand at Daytona and over twenty people hurt.  Miss Thomas was a mere twenty seats from where a flaming engine came through the catch fence and into the grandstand, but in true Miss Thomas fashion, when asked about her first reactions about the wreck, she did not answer with making sure she was okay, she responded with, “my first thoughts were to Dale Jr.’s  safety.”

                When asked about how she reacted to the wreck, Miss Thomas stated, “To me it all seemed to happen in almost slow motion but having seen the replay I realize it was all so fast there was no time to really process it.  There was total mayhem on the track and they immediately announced there would be no victory celebration on track.”

                Nobody was seriously injured in the wreck, either in the stands or in the cars, and racing continued the next day.  Miss Thomas said that she would continue to attend NASCAR events and this wreck would not discourage her from going to future events.

                “On the following day before I climbed back into the stands I made sure I stopped by the ticket office to renew my seats for next year.  Where will I sit, first row behind, the fence coming off of turn four just before the start/finish line, exactly where I sat this year.”

America, Meet Italy

America, Meet Italy

By Brittany Mease

                The sixth and seventh graders have been given the opportunity of a lifetime! Throughout the next couple of weeks they will become pen pals with a class of Italian students. They will be sending word documents electronically and those documents will be printed out then given to the student pen pals in Italy. This is the first time Interstate’s middle school has written to fellow students of Italy, so this is a very exciting time.

                The students they are writing to are the ages of twelve to thirteen and are from Rho, Italy. Rho is a old city with a population of around 51,000. Rho is located in Northern Italy, just eight miles from the famous Italian city, Milan.

                “I believe that the students here will love hearing about the culture of Rho and the city of Milan, due to the fact that it is the ‘fashion capital of the world’.”, states Mrs. Downes, “It will also give them a chance to really get to know what Italy is all about; not that it’s a place where everyone has ‘mafia’ accent. It’s a great opportunity!”

                The sixth and seventh graders are doing this to broaden their horizons. They have been studying the country of Italy; becoming pen pals with Italian students will be a great benefit. They will be taking a lot from this international project: new friends, a grasp of Italian culture, and a new understanding of the world outside the United States. 

The Next Michelangelo

The Next Michelangelo

By Brittany Mease

                The kindergarteners have been letting their creative juices flow in Mrs. Ludwig’s art room recently. They have been studying Michelangelo’s many works, especially the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

                “Most of my students agreed, when talking about how Michelangelo painted the ceiling, ‘that it would hurt their necks’.” mentions Ludwig. Not only do they talk about the pains that being a great painter would be, but they frequently boast about their extensive knowledge of Michelangelo, from The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So, they don’t really know a whole lot about the painter, but that’s exactly why they learned about him before hitting the palettes.

                After learning about the artist’s work, they moved on to create some of their own masterpieces. They are free to replicate the types of work that Michelangelo is known for, as well as produce some of their own. While they paint, they learn that art can be many things: funny, pretty, or even tell a story. They use multiple materials such as watercolors and pencils to create their own art. This gives them a chance to show off their art potential.

                “I like learning about Michelangelo, he makes me want to paint, but only hearts and kittens!” exclaim kindergartener Kayelee Sciarrotta. Be on the lookout for the world’s next group of Michelangelos, these students really shine!