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!

Diversity Day

Items from Peru.

Foreign exchange student, Iryna, with her presentation on Ukraine.

Senorita Lahart telling the middle school students about her times in Ecuador.

A guest speaker discussing the variety of information on Ireland.

Roadrunners Face-Off Against Central Decatur

 Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

Freshman, Jaylan White, fights for the ball.

 

 Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

Goering and White protect against the Cardinals

 

 Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

The Lady Roadrunners struggled against a tough Cardinal defense

 

Photo Courtesy of Tess Taylor

Senior, Jordan Williamson, looks for help from her team



Intensity Takes on State

The Intensity dance team took home a division II rating in their hip-hop routine and were .875 points away from the Division I

The Hoopla Routine was able to take a division I rating and fifth place in the state. They recieved a trophy for their efforts. They also were able to take home a distinguished academic achievement award with a combined GPA of 3.61.