A Week to Remember
Meagan Canfield Trojan Tribune staff September 20, 2017 This is the week we’ve all been waiting for since last year. That’s right, it’s HOMECOMING, and it’s time to show some spirit, some holiday spirit. The lineup is as follows: Monday-- St. Patrick's Day, Tuesday-- Fourth of July, Wednesday-- Halloween, Thursday-- Christmas, and Friday-- School Spirit Day! Whether you’re trying to be Santa Claus or St. Patrick himself, you still have to show your face. Class wars also has it’s own new twist this year. They’ve kept all the classics like, musical chairs and chubby bunny, but they’ve also added some new games such as, Happy Camper (buy it now on iTunes), guys only volleyball, hungry hippo,and pterodactyl. They have even capped the amount of people per grade for tug-of-war to 20. And the final, most important part of Homecoming, to some, Post Hoco. They’ve gotten more creative with the activities and have added a few new things to help the night along. Spike ball, Snakes, and WII GAMES are just a few you can expect to play after the big game. Because this is going to be the party of the century for West Central, you do have to pay to get in so don’t forget your chain wallets or wadded up cash at home. Defending State Champs By Alexus Foster Trojan Tribune staff September 20, 2017 Trying to defend a title is never easy. Everybody is gunning after the title. They all want to be that team who gets all the glory. The Lady Trojans season opener was August 15 as they hosted Tea at home, Yankton Trails Soccer Complex. Tea was coming out hard as they were wanting the win because they got beat by WC in state soccer last year. At the end of their opener they toughed out a win of two-zero After they hosted Tea, they had a six-zero run against the teams they played. They didn’t let anyone score during that run. The last six games were shutouts. August 25-26 the soccer team made their way down to Rapid City to play Belle Fourche and St. Thomas More. They took the win against Belle Fourche Friday. On Saturday they had a very rough game against St. Thomas More. It was a very long, rough game. The Trojans won the game one to zero. Sophomore Kaylee Loof said, “ St. Thomas More was very rough, but we handled them pretty well. Just had to keep working together, which payed off in the end.” The Trojans took home two wins from Rapid City. When they got home from Rapid City they played Dakota Valley on August 29 at Yankton Trails. They ended the game short with a score of ten to zero. The girls were on a scoreless run and haven’t lost any of the six games they played. When they went down to Vermillion to play it was a different story. The girls played very hard against Vermillion but they couldn’t pull out a win. They ended up losing the game one to zero. When they played Garretson on September 5 at Yankton Trails, they let one score in. They beat Garretson and moved on to beat the next team on Friday. On Friday September 8 they went to Groton. They ended the game winning three to one. There is only four games till playoffs start. The first game for playoffs is September 26 and that is still to be determined. State soccer will be on October 7 in Aberdeen. The West Central soccer team would love to see you all come out and support. The more people there to support the better the outcome. Don’t be afraid to come out if the rules are confusing, it’s fun to watch a team win. WCXC Competes at Augie Twilight & Nike Preview By Braden Peters Trojan Tribune Staff September 20, 2017 On the date of September 1, 2017, the West Central Cross Country team competed in the Augustana Twilight Meet at the Yankton Trails Soccer Complex. The West Central varsity boys ended up getting 5th out of 23 teams. Derick Peters (12) finished 1st with a time of 15:08, Braden Peters (11) got 6th, Cater Ulrich (12) got 35th, Caden Ideker (11) got 52nd, Chase Otheim (12) got 167th, and Joseph Michaels (12) got 184th. When asked about the meet, Senior Sydney Holloway explained “the Augie Twilight meet was awesome and everyone had a good time and good race. The course ended up being 200 meters long, but everyone still ran amazing.” Sadly, no girls ran in the varsity race, but they did very well in the JV race. The first finisher for the girls was Shelby Sherard (9) with a place of 26th, Abbie Cain (9) got 31st, Kayli Blue (11) got 48th, Liz Johnson (7) got 49th, Sayda Rolfson (9) got 50th, Cosette Ulrich (10) got 57th, Abby Witt (11) got 118th, and finally, Ashley Hohn (12) got 158th. Last Saturday, the West Central Cross Country team competed and the Nike Heartland Preview Meet, once again at the Yankton Trails Soccer Complex. Unfortunately, the varsity boys do not have a team score due to a lost timing chip. Beside the unfortunate event, the varsity boys still ran really well. Senior Derick Peters discussed how he felt about the race, “I felt like crap, I didn't feel the most energetic going into the race and felt queasy. For the circumstances I was in, it was a positive result.” Senior Derick Peters got 1st, Junior Braden Peters got 3rd, Junior Caden Ideker got 32nd, Freshman Caleb Schulte ran his first varsity meet, but his timing chip was lost during the race, and Senior Joseph Michaels got 104th. Senior Carter Ulrich was taking the ACT and Senior Chase Otheim was at Air Guard drill, so they were unable to enjoy this amazing race. There was a quick rain shower during the race, but that didn’t stop the boys from finishing strong. Volleyball Approaches Middle of Season By Kinzie Meister Trojan Tribune staff' September 20, 2017 Volleyball has a 5-3 record so far this school year. Winning against the Elk-Point Jefferson Huskies on Tuesday the 5th, the girls won in five matches, most of them being very close scores, and losing to the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers on Thursday the 7th, a tournament on Saturday the 9th, and a game tonight at Garretson High School. The scores for Saturdays tournaments are 1-2. Let’s hope we do better at our next on on Saturday the 23rd. In the tournament, the girls played the Lennox Orioles, the Tea Titans, and the Aberdeen Cavaliers, winning against the Orioles, and losing against the Titans and Cavaliers. The girls had fun and were always full of energy and spirit all throughout the day, keeping their heads held high. Head coach Emily Bunkers shares how she thinks the girls are playing this season stating “I believe the girls are playing alright so far. We have showcased bits and part of the great team we can be, but we need more consistency.” I totally agree with you coach. Next, coach stated some things that she thinks the girls could work on this year so far, “I believe the team could improve on a number of things. One main thing being the consistency of play with each other. If we can get that done, the rest of the mechanical things will fall into place.” Coach also stated, “I strongly believe that we can make another appearance at State this year if we come together and start all playing to our potential game after game.” Volleyball is doing great so far this season. So far, we’ve played Dells, Tea, BonHomme, Elk-Point Jefferson, and Sioux Falls Christian. We won against Dells in 4 matches, Tea in 5 matches, BonHomme in 3 matches, and Elk-Point Jefferson in 5 matches, and lost against Sioux Falls Christian in 3 matches.The girls also won against Lennox in the Saturday tournament in 2 matches, and lost against Aberdeen in 3 matches, and lost against Tea in 2 matches, but the girls have been playing their hardest, and that’s what we like to see here at West Central. Devastations Follow Hurricanes Taryn Cawley Trojan Tribune staff October 4, 2017 Following all of the Hurricanes, Irma, Harvey, and Maria, came devastation. Each of the Hurricanes left the destinations in ruins as it flooded streets, ruined homes and buildings, kill people and animals. It has also impacted many lives for the worse. Harvey was the first to hit the U.S. this season and the eighth named storm. Harvey left Texas with 40 inches of rain over a four day period, this left southern texas flooded. This been the first a major hurricane to make landfall since Wilma, in 2005. Harvey has displaced over 30,00 people, induced more than 17,000 rescues, and flooded around 100,000 homes in texas alone. Hurricane Irma was next to hit the United States, after it had hit the Caribbean Islands. Mrs. Marcell’s husband was gone for two weeks helping with Harvey clean up. Hurricane Ima hit Florida, and caused catastrophic damage, where it hit as a category 5 hurricane, Barbuda, Saint Barthelemy, Anguilla, Saint Martin, and the Virgin Islands. Irma has caused 204 deaths in the islands and Florida; one in Haiti, one in Anguilla, one in Barbados, three in Puerto Rico, three in Barbuda, Four on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten, four in the U.S. virgin Islands, four in British Virgin Islands, 10 in Cuba, 11 in French West Indies, 88 in the contiguous United States, and two unknown locations. The latest hurricane to hit the U.S. and U.S. territory was Hurricane Maria. When Maria hit Puerto Rico it was the strongest hurricane to hit since 1928. Maria caused many deaths. As of October 1st Hurricane Maria has caused 78 deaths; 2 in Guadalupe, 3 in Haiti, 5 in Dominican Republic, 30 in Dominica, 34 in Puerto Rico, 1 in the United States Virgin Islands, 3 contiguous United States. Insured losses are around $91 billion dollars. Maria has left many of the islands in ruins and cities demolished. The Red Cross has been taking donations for the hurricane’s damages. Hurricane relief uses donors money to provide food, shelter, comfort, and american families and individuals affected by the hurricanes. Donations help people recover in the challenge months and weeks ahead. If you would like to help the hurricane victims please donate at the Red Cross or a shelter. News Media Student Feature: Abbey Nielsen By Morgan LeBeau Trojan Tribune staff October 4, 2017 Sophomore Abbey Nielsen is a News Media I student at West Central High School this year. While speaking with sophomore Abbey Nielsen, she explained to me that she “joined News Media to learn what goes on behind the scenes and to get better in front of the camera.” This year, Abbey is looking forward to going to the Destination Imagination (DI) State Tournament. She is currently starting her ninth year of DI. Drama is another extracurricular activity that Abbey is involved in, this year she is a Joy of Life Singer in the Fall Play, "Dearly Departed" directed by Mrs. Marcell. Abbey is also involved in dance at Ballerina Dance Studio. This winter Ballerina Dance Studio is presenting "The Wizard Of Oz" where Abbey plays multiple characters. She takes four different dance classes which include two ballet classes, one lyrical class, and one pointe class. When asked about what advice sophomore Abbey would give to the freshman, she stated, "Join a club." She continued to elaborate on that whatever club you decide to join, you need to find your group of friends. Another piece of advice she offered was to continue to do your homework and to stay on top of things. Abbey shared with me that her biggest role model is her life is her entire family. She explained to me that her her family has always been a huge support in her life. One quote that Abbey shared with me that has inspired her was spoken by Albert Einstein, "Logic gets you from A to Z. Imagination gets you everywhere.” A fun fact about Abbey is that she has chiroptophobia, the fear of bats. She explained that due to several experiences which she did not want to expand on. Abbey made sure to make it clear that she is afraid of bats, the animal. She explained that many times people think she means a baseball bat. Abbey is the oldest child in her family. She has two younger brothers, Wyatt, seventh grade, and Zachary, third grade. She has two pets a miniature schnauzer, Princess, and a cat, Boo Boo. Some of Abbey's hobbies include reading and dancing. A Week to Remember
Meagan Canfield Trojan Tribune staff September 20, 2017 This is the week we’ve all been waiting for since last year. That’s right, it’s HOMECOMING, and it’s time to show some spirit, some holiday spirit. The lineup is as follows: Monday-- St. Patrick's Day, Tuesday-- Fourth of July, Wednesday-- Halloween, Thursday-- Christmas, and Friday-- School Spirit Day! Whether you’re trying to be Santa Claus or St. Patrick himself, you still have to show your face. Class wars also has it’s own new twist this year. They’ve kept all the classics like, musical chairs and chubby bunny, but they’ve also added some new games such as, Happy Camper (buy it now on iTunes), guys only volleyball, hungry hippo,and pterodactyl. They have even capped the amount of people per grade for tug-of-war to 20. And the final, most important part of Homecoming, to some, Post Hoco. They’ve gotten more creative with the activities and have added a few new things to help the night along. Spike ball, Snakes, and WII GAMES are just a few you can expect to play after the big game. Because this is going to be the party of the century for West Central, you do have to pay to get in so don’t forget your chain wallets or wadded up cash at home. Defending State Champs By Alexus Foster Trojan Tribune staff September 20, 2017 Trying to defend a title is never easy. Everybody is gunning after the title. They all want to be that team who gets all the glory. The Lady Trojans season opener was August 15 as they hosted Tea at home, Yankton Trails Soccer Complex. Tea was coming out hard as they were wanting the win because they got beat by WC in state soccer last year. At the end of their opener they toughed out a win of two-zero After they hosted Tea, they had a six-zero run against the teams they played. They didn’t let anyone score during that run. The last six games were shutouts. August 25-26 the soccer team made their way down to Rapid City to play Belle Fourche and St. Thomas More. They took the win against Belle Fourche Friday. On Saturday they had a very rough game against St. Thomas More. It was a very long, rough game. The Trojans won the game one to zero. Sophomore Kaylee Loof said, “ St. Thomas More was very rough, but we handled them pretty well. Just had to keep working together, which payed off in the end.” The Trojans took home two wins from Rapid City. When they got home from Rapid City they played Dakota Valley on August 29 at Yankton Trails. They ended the game short with a score of ten to zero. The girls were on a scoreless run and haven’t lost any of the six games they played. When they went down to Vermillion to play it was a different story. The girls played very hard against Vermillion but they couldn’t pull out a win. They ended up losing the game one to zero. When they played Garretson on September 5 at Yankton Trails, they let one score in. They beat Garretson and moved on to beat the next team on Friday. On Friday September 8 they went to Groton. They ended the game winning three to one. There is only four games till playoffs start. The first game for playoffs is September 26 and that is still to be determined. State soccer will be on October 7 in Aberdeen. The West Central soccer team would love to see you all come out and support. The more people there to support the better the outcome. Don’t be afraid to come out if the rules are confusing, it’s fun to watch a team win. WCXC Competes at Augie Twilight & Nike Preview By Braden Peters Trojan Tribune Staff September 20, 2017 On the date of September 1, 2017, the West Central Cross Country team competed in the Augustana Twilight Meet at the Yankton Trails Soccer Complex. The West Central varsity boys ended up getting 5th out of 23 teams. Derick Peters (12) finished 1st with a time of 15:08, Braden Peters (11) got 6th, Cater Ulrich (12) got 35th, Caden Ideker (11) got 52nd, Chase Otheim (12) got 167th, and Joseph Michaels (12) got 184th. When asked about the meet, Senior Sydney Holloway explained “the Augie Twilight meet was awesome and everyone had a good time and good race. The course ended up being 200 meters long, but everyone still ran amazing.” Sadly, no girls ran in the varsity race, but they did very well in the JV race. The first finisher for the girls was Shelby Sherard (9) with a place of 26th, Abbie Cain (9) got 31st, Kayli Blue (11) got 48th, Liz Johnson (7) got 49th, Sayda Rolfson (9) got 50th, Cosette Ulrich (10) got 57th, Abby Witt (11) got 118th, and finally, Ashley Hohn (12) got 158th. Last Saturday, the West Central Cross Country team competed and the Nike Heartland Preview Meet, once again at the Yankton Trails Soccer Complex. Unfortunately, the varsity boys do not have a team score due to a lost timing chip. Beside the unfortunate event, the varsity boys still ran really well. Senior Derick Peters discussed how he felt about the race, “I felt like crap, I didn't feel the most energetic going into the race and felt queasy. For the circumstances I was in, it was a positive result.” Senior Derick Peters got 1st, Junior Braden Peters got 3rd, Junior Caden Ideker got 32nd, Freshman Caleb Schulte ran his first varsity meet, but his timing chip was lost during the race, and Senior Joseph Michaels got 104th. Senior Carter Ulrich was taking the ACT and Senior Chase Otheim was at Air Guard drill, so they were unable to enjoy this amazing race. There was a quick rain shower during the race, but that didn’t stop the boys from finishing strong. Volleyball Approaches Middle of Season By Kinzie Meister Trojan Tribune staff' September 20, 2017 Volleyball has a 5-3 record so far this school year. Winning against the Elk-Point Jefferson Huskies on Tuesday the 5th, the girls won in five matches, most of them being very close scores, and losing to the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers on Thursday the 7th, a tournament on Saturday the 9th, and a game tonight at Garretson High School. The scores for Saturdays tournaments are 1-2. Let’s hope we do better at our next on on Saturday the 23rd. In the tournament, the girls played the Lennox Orioles, the Tea Titans, and the Aberdeen Cavaliers, winning against the Orioles, and losing against the Titans and Cavaliers. The girls had fun and were always full of energy and spirit all throughout the day, keeping their heads held high. Head coach Emily Bunkers shares how she thinks the girls are playing this season stating “I believe the girls are playing alright so far. We have showcased bits and part of the great team we can be, but we need more consistency.” I totally agree with you coach. Next, coach stated some things that she thinks the girls could work on this year so far, “I believe the team could improve on a number of things. One main thing being the consistency of play with each other. If we can get that done, the rest of the mechanical things will fall into place.” Coach also stated, “I strongly believe that we can make another appearance at State this year if we come together and start all playing to our potential game after game.” Volleyball is doing great so far this season. So far, we’ve played Dells, Tea, BonHomme, Elk-Point Jefferson, and Sioux Falls Christian. We won against Dells in 4 matches, Tea in 5 matches, BonHomme in 3 matches, and Elk-Point Jefferson in 5 matches, and lost against Sioux Falls Christian in 3 matches.The girls also won against Lennox in the Saturday tournament in 2 matches, and lost against Aberdeen in 3 matches, and lost against Tea in 2 matches, but the girls have been playing their hardest, and that’s what we like to see here at West Central. Devastations Follow Hurricanes Taryn Cawley Trojan Tribune staff October 4, 2017 Following all of the Hurricanes, Irma, Harvey, and Maria, came devastation. Each of the Hurricanes left the destinations in ruins as it flooded streets, ruined homes and buildings, kill people and animals. It has also impacted many lives for the worse. Harvey was the first to hit the U.S. this season and the eighth named storm. Harvey left Texas with 40 inches of rain over a four day period, this left southern texas flooded. This been the first a major hurricane to make landfall since Wilma, in 2005. Harvey has displaced over 30,00 people, induced more than 17,000 rescues, and flooded around 100,000 homes in texas alone. Hurricane Irma was next to hit the United States, after it had hit the Caribbean Islands. Mrs. Marcell’s husband was gone for two weeks helping with Harvey clean up. Hurricane Ima hit Florida, and caused catastrophic damage, where it hit as a category 5 hurricane, Barbuda, Saint Barthelemy, Anguilla, Saint Martin, and the Virgin Islands. Irma has caused 204 deaths in the islands and Florida; one in Haiti, one in Anguilla, one in Barbados, three in Puerto Rico, three in Barbuda, Four on the Dutch side of Sint Maarten, four in the U.S. virgin Islands, four in British Virgin Islands, 10 in Cuba, 11 in French West Indies, 88 in the contiguous United States, and two unknown locations. The latest hurricane to hit the U.S. and U.S. territory was Hurricane Maria. When Maria hit Puerto Rico it was the strongest hurricane to hit since 1928. Maria caused many deaths. As of October 1st Hurricane Maria has caused 78 deaths; 2 in Guadalupe, 3 in Haiti, 5 in Dominican Republic, 30 in Dominica, 34 in Puerto Rico, 1 in the United States Virgin Islands, 3 contiguous United States. Insured losses are around $91 billion dollars. Maria has left many of the islands in ruins and cities demolished. The Red Cross has been taking donations for the hurricane’s damages. Hurricane relief uses donors money to provide food, shelter, comfort, and american families and individuals affected by the hurricanes. Donations help people recover in the challenge months and weeks ahead. If you would like to help the hurricane victims please donate at the Red Cross or a shelter. News Media Student Feature: Abbey Nielsen By Morgan LeBeau Trojan Tribune staff October 4, 2017 Sophomore Abbey Nielsen is a News Media I student at West Central High School this year. While speaking with sophomore Abbey Nielsen, she explained to me that she “joined News Media to learn what goes on behind the scenes and to get better in front of the camera.” This year, Abbey is looking forward to going to the Destination Imagination (DI) State Tournament. She is currently starting her ninth year of DI. Drama is another extracurricular activity that Abbey is involved in, this year she is a Joy of Life Singer in the Fall Play, "Dearly Departed" directed by Mrs. Marcell. Abbey is also involved in dance at Ballerina Dance Studio. This winter Ballerina Dance Studio is presenting "The Wizard Of Oz" where Abbey plays multiple characters. She takes four different dance classes which include two ballet classes, one lyrical class, and one pointe class. When asked about what advice sophomore Abbey would give to the freshman, she stated, "Join a club." She continued to elaborate on that whatever club you decide to join, you need to find your group of friends. Another piece of advice she offered was to continue to do your homework and to stay on top of things. Abbey shared with me that her biggest role model is her life is her entire family. She explained to me that her her family has always been a huge support in her life. One quote that Abbey shared with me that has inspired her was spoken by Albert Einstein, "Logic gets you from A to Z. Imagination gets you everywhere.” A fun fact about Abbey is that she has chiroptophobia, the fear of bats. She explained that due to several experiences which she did not want to expand on. Abbey made sure to make it clear that she is afraid of bats, the animal. She explained that many times people think she means a baseball bat. Abbey is the oldest child in her family. She has two younger brothers, Wyatt, seventh grade, and Zachary, third grade. She has two pets a miniature schnauzer, Princess, and a cat, Boo Boo. Some of Abbey's hobbies include reading and dancing. |
West Central’s Latest Science Department Addition
By Morgan LeBeau Trojan Tribune staff September 20, 2017 Mrs. Burwitz is the latest addition to the science department at West Central. This is her first year teaching her own class, but she substituted in the Sioux Falls district for two years and last year she was a student teacher at Roosevelt. When I asked Mrs. Burwitz why she became a teacher, she explained to me that when she was at Purdue University she taught some organic chemistry labs. She was mainly at Purdue to do research on what causes Alzheimer's. She enjoyed both the research and teaching organic chemistry labs but realized that teaching was what she loved the most. Mrs. Burwitz told me that teaching gives her the opportunity to show kids how cool science truly is. Mrs. Burwitz is extremely excited for Quiz Bowl as she was on the Quiz Bowl team when she was in high school. Mrs. Burwitz wanted to come to West Central because she wanted to have the opportunity to teach at a smaller school district. She stated, “I like the idea that I can know an entire class.” Some major scientific role models that Mrs. Burwitz had as she was growing up include her father who was a high school chemistry teacher. She explained how her dad would test the experiments on their family first before he did them in the classroom. Another role model was Ms. Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus.” As well as, Bill Nye the Science Guy was in his prime when Mrs. Burwitz was growing up, so that was another major person that caused her to love science so much. And lastly, Marie Curie was a huge inspiration for Mrs. Burwitz, one of the many reasons is that Curie went to college when at that time most women were not. A few fun facts about Mrs. Burwitz is that she grew up in Vermillion, SD. She lived there from three months old to 22 years old. She majored in Chemistry at USD. Hiking and cross stitching are a few of her hobbies. Mrs. Burwitz has a gray, fluffy cat named Marie which is named after Marie Curie. We are excited to welcome Mrs. Burwitz to West Central. Broadway, Here I Come! By Taryn Cawley Trojan Tribune staff September 20, 2017 This year West Central students have been allowed to attend three Broadway musicals being performed at the Washington Pavilion. These three shows are “Motown,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” and “Chicago.” Each show has wonderfully choreographed dances and funny comedic scripts and lyrics. “Motown” is a musical based on the autobiography “To Be Loved” by Berry Gordy, about the Motown records, who stated many musical careers for colored people, all put into an exhilarating show. This musical features artist such as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson. It received four nominations at the 67th Tony Awards. “A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder” is a story that changes every telling. The audience gets to choose who dies. A man who wants the inheritance goes on a mission to kill everyone in line before him so he can get the money. They won four Tony’s at the 69th Tony Awards. “Chicago” the #1 longest-running American musical in broadway history. “Chicago” is taken place is the mid-twenties in Chicago. This musical focuses on the lives of six women who committed murderous crimes, named the six “Merry Murderesses.” When asked about how she thinks how fun the broadway shows will be Mrs. Marcel stated, “ I am really excited that all of the shows this year are so diverse, “‘Motown,’ being a historical in the civil rights era, ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,’ being more of a comedic murder mystery, and ‘Chicago’ a Fosse dance show and a somewhat scandalous American classic.” To attend any of these shows please contact Mrs. Marcel. Please contact her at - ( [email protected] ) or stop by her room. Currently the theater program is working on the fall play, Dearly Departed, a comedic play about a redneck family coming together after the death of their father, Daddy Bud. This years cast and crew has 37 people. We practice mostly every day from 3:45 to 5:30 or 5:00. If you are interested in coming to the “Dearly Departed” the performances are November 2, 3, and 4 at 7PM. Hurricanes Hit Hard Griffin Smith Trojan Tribune staff Septemer 20, 2017 Recently, hurricanes have been terrorizing South-East Texas, and soon to be hitting Southern Florida and almost all of the Caribbean Islands. The hurricanes names of the hurricanes are Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Jose. The last hurricane to hit the United States over a category three was Hurricane Wilma that hit in 2005. Both Hurricane Harvey and Irma were category four, they hit only 15 days apart. So far the death total of the two hurricanes is reaching above 70 and is still rising. Hurricanes are the worst storms on planet earth, category fives reaching over 160 mph. Hurricane waters rise over 15 feet within hours, making flash floods an impending doom. Flood waters can sweep a car of the ground only if the water is six inches deep, a foot of water can easily take a human away. Flood waters are more dangerous when they start to recede, since there is little to no current going to the water, it can easily grow bacteria and can cause mold and other diseases to spread extremely easily. Floods in Texas due to Harvey rose over 12 feet high, and people were told to stay out of the waters completely because alligators and sharks have been spotted swimming on freeways, and fire ant colonies are floating around like life savers. Hurricanes bring out the best and worst from people. Groups like the Red Cross have been donating money to the recovery of the two storms, and celebrities and millionaires have been donating and raising money as well. JJ Watt, a defensive end for the Houston Texans has raised over 10 millions dollars so far and wants to raise up to 17 million to help rebuild Texas and Florida. Sadly, people have been caught breaking into houses and retails stores looting TV’s and other items of value. People are the best when we unite, and get past our differences to help others in need. If you want to donate to the American Red Cross to help the survivors of the hurricanes, call 1-(800)-733-2767. Please pray for everyone to stay safe. Destination Imagination is the Activity for Everyone By Abbey Nielsen Trojan Tribune staff September 20, 2017 Destination Imagination or DI is a team activity that uses creativity and thought to solve a challenge. Students can start DI in second grade and do it throughout college. In West Central, DI is a school year-long activity. Sign up sheets are in the office throughout September, and teams will be formed based on grade level in the beginning of October. New members are put on a team of two to seven people. That person, and their team members, will choose everything from their name to what challenge they will be doing. In regional competition, the team will present their main challenge, team choice elements, and take part in an instant challenge. The team’s score on each part will affect their final score and rank. The team choice elements have the smallest effect on the overall score. A team choice element is two things that the team choose to add to the main challenge that show off their skills. The team’s elements can be a costume, a dance, or anything else the team feels add to the challenge. Next is the instant challenge in effecting the challenge score. An instant challenge is when a team goes into a room without having any idea what they will be doing beforehand. In the room, the team will be given a challenge that needs to be solved. They normally have six minutes to solve the challenge and two minutes to present the solution to the judges. These instant challenges can be anything from presenting a story about a dream, to building a tower as tall as possible using only note cards. Lastly the most important part of the teams score is the main challenge. This challenge the team has months to prepare, and the team gets to choose which genre they would like to do. There are six challenges for the team to choose from. These challenges are Scientific, Fine Arts, Technical, Structural, Improve, and Service Learning. An example would be the Fine Arts challenge. The team has to write a skit using details provided and perform it in eight minutes. Another challenge is Structural. Structural is where the team has to build a structure out of specific materials, and then drop weights on it. This year teams will compete in Regionals in March, then if they get placed in first or second they will advance to State. If a team gets first at State, they will then advance to Globals. West Central DI hopes to see many new faces this school year and encourages everyone to join. Freshman Reflect on their Transition By Abbey Nielsen Trojan Tribune staff October 4, 2017 Midterm has come and gone and West Central students have been in school for 31 days. Every year the high school says goodbye to a group of students and hello to a new group. That means that every year a group of student must make the transition from middle school to high school. The transition from being kings of middle school to the bottom of the totem pole in high school can be hard for some students. Freshman have all kinds of difficulties from harder classes to, a new schedule, and dealing with upperclassmen. Students might feel overwhelmed or lost their first few weeks of high school. They need to adjust to teachers wanting assignments done a certain way and teaches that don’t believe in giving A’s. They must learn a new lunch schedule and special day like Tuesday and Fridays. We have all been there and had to deal with the difficulties of this transition. West Central students have the luck of already having been in the building for three years. That and the fact that our building is only one story can help with student not getting too lost. These things may help with the transition, but they do not get rid of the difficulties students have. Everyone adjusts at different speeds and has different ways of dealing with the change. One thing students can do to help adjust to the change is by joining a club or sport. Being part of a group of people that have the same interest as you can help a lot in high school. Being in a club or sport can help a student to meet new people and make new friends. It can also help the new freshmen to feel like they are part of the high school instead of them feeling like they are new or don't have a place. A club or sport can help students from all grades work together and support one another. When asked what is some advice students could give to help the Freshmen out on their first couple weeks of school most responded with “Be sure to keep up with your work.” The first few weeks of school can seem really easy so once lessons get passed the introductory sections and get harder it might catch some students off guard. It is supper important to take notes and do homework. Once you get behind, it can be hard to catch back up and your freshman grades can really affect your GPA. The first weeks of high school might be difficult, but once you figure out the schedule and what each of your teachers want freshman year is going to fly by. The Return to State By Alexus Foster Trojan Tribune staff October 4, 2017 The West Central girls soccer team is currently ranked number one. The first playoff game was Tuesday, September 26. The soccer team had a bye on that Tuesday game, meaning they were ranked higher so they didn't have to play. On Tuesday, September 26 the Vermillion Tanagers and the Sioux Falls Christian Chargers played the first playoff game. The winner of that game would play the West Central Trojans. The Tanagers pulled out a win and played the Trojans on Saturday, September 30. The Tanagers weren’t ready for the West Central Trojans. The Trojans toughed out a two-zero win. Senior Hailee Fischer has some input on the game, “Overall, we played very well as a team and overcame the windy and rainy conditions. We controlled what we could control and the results were in our favor because everybody fulfilled their role perfectly. Now we have to prepare for a big test versus St. Thomas More.” The West Central soccer team will play St. Thomas More in Aberdeen on Saturday, October 7 at 11 a.m. Come support the West Central soccer team as they try to earn another state title. They would really appreciate the support. |