Online ATRIUM

By Katie Jacobson

This year the library has a great new update that will make browsing through the bookshelves possible to do from a home computer. Not only will students be able to check out books, but parents and teachers will be able to see what materials are available for them and their students.

This new system has been put together by head Librarian Mr. Dannon, and it allows you to search for a book by titles, authors, series, and even subjects. After you find your book, you can see a summery, a reading level, and if the book is available in the high school or middle school library.

To search books on this new ATRIUM system, you can simply go to http://i35k12ia.booksys.net, and type your desired book into the search bar.

“Investing” In Your Future

By Bailey Dixon

            As kids transition through high school and get closer and closer to graduation, they are closer and closer to becoming adults.  Along with this comes a heaping pile of stress about financial decisions and their futures.  How am I going to pay for college?  How am I going to buy my first car?  How should I invest my money?  Well, this year students have the opportunity to take a class that may help them through these decisions.

                Mrs. Zuercher, the business teacher in the High School, is offering a new class this semester: Investing.  The idea for this class came up last year during Mrs. Zuercher’s Microsoft Office classes.  The classes were smaller than they had been in the past, so she decided that she could combine those classes into one, and offer a new course each semester.

                The Investing class covers many topics centralized around planning for your future.  They cover investing in the stock market, the different kinds of investments, exactly how to invest, etc.  One project that Mrs. Zuercher has planned later on in the semester is to have the kids pick out different stocks and follow them and pretend to make their own investment decisions.

                “I’m really excited to teach this class, because instead of us just telling kids to save their money and invest, we’re actually going to show them how.  We’ve had a lot of interest in this class already, which is great because it’s going to help them get a much better understanding of the economy and how to be smart with your money than we were taught as kids,” said Mrs. Zuercher.

                “I like this class because I’m learning something that’s going to be really useful to my future, and I like looking at the stock market and actually being able to relate information at school to what’s going on in the real world,” said Jake Peters, a senior in the Investing class.

                With the economy in the condition that it’s in today, Mrs. Zuercher expects that this class will hopefully help to teach students how they can make better decisions when it comes to their financial situation.  This class is sure to be a success, and help kids know how to invest not only in the stocks, but in their future as well.

Blast from the Past

By Jakela White

The eighth graders of the 2007-2008 school year land surveyors started exploring and reached a successful spot. The land surveyor team consisted of a total of 12 people Jessica Deuel, Ellen Lupkes, DeLayne Hebert, Rachael Wiggins, Nicole Travis, Jakela White, Danielle Heilman, Morgan Lehman, Tiffany Brown, Alexis Nelson, Amber Robison, and Samantha Carter   all of which were intelligent young ladies that are all seniors this year.

The main study focused on the limited ability of current waste water treatment to fully remove chemical from the effluent leading to contamination of water supplies; green alternatives to household chemicals medicine use to lower waste water chemical concentration, and effects of chemicals contamination on the ecosystem. The land surveyors entered a contest called eCYBERMISSION and submitted all information like a write up of what we researched and things we demonstrated. The Land Surveyors won second place, and the winners received a 12,000 scholarship divided between all 12 girls and the land surveyors will receive the money after 2013 graduation. When asked how Mrs. Meggers felt about working with us she said, “It was a very energized and rewarding experience which allowed us to rise to the challenge so successfully, also the opportunity to develop deeper relationships led to the success”.

To this day land surveyors continue with a new group of people, but focus more on interacting with the natural world outside of the school setting.

What’s on Your Agenda?

By Bailey Dixon

Along with the new 2012-2013 school year has come a brand new organizational tool for the Secondary School at Interstate.  This new item is called an Agenda, which is like a personal planner, and every student received one at the beginning of the year.

The idea of the Agendas first came up in January of 2012.  It originated as an idea to give students a better way to organize themselves and keep all of their activities and assignments in one convenient place.  After talking with school board members, teachers, students, and Interstate graduates, the idea became solidified for the upcoming year.

The Agenda contains multiple items; it has spots to write down the assignment for each class every day, has the school handbook, lists daily sports activities at the bottom of the page, and even has a periodic table and nutritional chart in the back.  It is also serves as the student hall pass, allowing the students to leave class six times per week.

According to students and staff, the Agendas are thought to be very helpful and organizational. “They’re easy for the teachers to use as a consistent hall passing method, but it’s also a good way for the students to keep their homework and activities scheduled in one place, and it really helps to keep them on track,” said Mrs. Zuercher. 

                While being useful, the Agendas are also smaller than an average notebook and three hole punched, which makes it easy for kids to carry them snapped in the rings of their binder.  If an Agenda is lost, they can be replaced in the office for a small fee.  The Agendas are a great new way to keep students organized and on task, and they are sure to be a continuing feature at Interstate.

If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of the School

 By Megan Ellis

            The heat makes all sorts of things function more difficultly; it turns out the students have learned their brain is included on this list.  The students didn’t need a thermometer the temperature high, the huddle of bodies fighting for the coveted seat in from of the stationary fan or the way everyone stuck to their desk seats was enough of an indicator.  On Tuesday, August 28, the student body was released from school two hours earlier than usual at 1:20 because the school had taken on many the characteristics of a brick oven.  The same early release was then set into place over the next two days, Wednesday the 29 and Thursday the 30, as the heat continued to oppress the students.  The huddle of bodies sitting in front of the stationary fans in every classroom is an easy indication the heat.

                Due to the heat the blood, sweat, and tears Roadrunners have put into the athletics has included a disproportionately higher amount of sweat (while the tear count has stayed down because all the students must conserve any hydration).  There isn’t a sporting event that has escaped the high temperatures.  Due to the Sahara-like conditions of the school, the volleyball game against Winterset that was scheduled to be played at home in Truro was instead moved over to Winterset.  The high temperatures had such an impact that they actually shorten the cross country race at Dallas Center-Grimes.  Instead of running two and a half miles the girls ran a stumped two miles while boys three miles were sliced to two and a half miles.

Besides athletic competitions, practices for sports have been reorganized.  Many of the after school practices have been rescheduled for later hours in the day or cancelled all together.  For middle school cross country and football, there have even been early morning practices to compensate for not being able to practice is the unforgiving sun.

We Have to Play Where?

By Travis Thornburgh

            Each school year brings changes.  From new students, to new teachers, to the classes we take, things have changed here at Interstate 35.  An additional change that high school students have to cope with this year is the realignment of the football districts in the State of Iowa. 

                This season, the schedule includes past opponents such as Clarke, Bondurant-Farrar, and Prairie City-Monroe, but also features some never before seen opponents.  The Roadrunners now have to prepare for roadtrips to North Polk in Alleman and Davis County in Bloomfield.  Interstate will also prepare for home contests against Collins-Maxwell-Baxter and Albia.

                Although it would seem that a change of scene would be a welcome sight for the football team, the reaction has been much different.  When asked his reactions, Coach Randy Calvert said that it is good to branch out opponents, but there are many downfalls.  For one, the travel has become much more demanding for the Roadrunners this fall, considering they have already logged a 2 ½ hour trek to Bloomfield.  Calvert further cited issues by saying, “When we went to district football, we lost many of the natural rivalries that we used to play.”

                Players are reacting in much the same way.  Tommy Bregar, starting quarterback for the Roadrunners stated, when asked about his feelings on the football district, that, “I just hate how spread out the district is and how much bigger the schools are than us.”  Ethan Jones, a starting lineman this fall, went on to second Bregar’s thoughts.

New Gym Floor

By Jessica Deuel 

 “It is gorgeous.” commented Brittany Mease when asked how she felt about the new gym floor. Rather than having a coffee stain colored floor, we now own a beautiful lightened floor. The floor was refinished and redesigned by Stalker Flooring, so now it looks better than ever. There is also a new roadrunner logo in the center of the gym as well as “Interstate Roadrunners” on either side of the floor. The atmosphere is noticeably different when you walk into the gym whether it’s for P.E. or a sporting event.

“Everything is just more upbeat and you can’t help but stare at it for a few seconds,” said Nicole Travis. 

Everyone who has seen the new gym floors are very pleased with the job. Even before they saw it, pictures flooded social networking sites. It is clear that the Interstate 35 community greatly appreciates this new edition.

A note from the administration: In order to protect out $25,000 investment in the redesigned and refinished gym floor, there will be no food allowed in the high school gym beginning immediately. Drinks will be allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.