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“Academics before athletics,” this statement is the creed of the Fairbury Public School System. This means that athletics should never come before academics. However, some students in the high school have decided to put their athletic career before their academic one. This needs to stop.

In order to play sports, a student must not be failing a class. Simple enough, as it may seem, but should this really be the bare minimum? The reward for passing a class is being able to pass a ball on the court. However, how far will passing that ball down the court get a person in life?

Throwing a ball around or running around a track may keep a person fit and healthy and teach them the value of sportsmanship and other social ideals, but will it benefit anyone in any other ways? The simple answer is a blatant “No.” These sports in very few ways nourish our minds.

While reporting on Education reform on Morning Joe, Columnist Mike Barnicle was quoted as saying, “If we could get as much media coverage on education as the Yankees and the Red Sox, our educational system would be running much differently.” Barnicle has a point, his point is our nation is much too focused on sports.

This great focus on sporting events has led to a decline in our educational system. This is present in our own community as well. Very few people could recall the valedictorians from the previous years or even who has made honor roll. However, they can very easily recall the dedication of the new athletic complex or even the events of a football game from two years ago.

With all this focus on sports, it seems as though athletics are coming before academics. It is high time this changes. Sports should be able to be participated in, but only if a student has high grades in the classroom. This would not only prepare the student athlete for social events, but also the real world. Therein lies the reward, an educated athlete. School is a place to learn, we should use it as such. –Shaun Friedrichsen

At the end of the season of an organization or sport, the teams have banquets to celebrate their accomplishments throughout the year.

“What I like about banquets is the food and getting rewards,” said Sophomore Ashton Feldkamp, “I have fun at banquets because all my friends are there.”

“What we do at banquets is, eat a lot of food, give out letters, and the coaches talk,” said Feldkamp. “The banquets are not worth going to, they’re kind of pointless.”

It is up to the athletes to attend the banquets, waste of time, or not, it may be a good idea for them to spend a little more time with teammates, because they may never be on the same team again. –Jamie Sullivan

Students headed to Europe are counting down the days until their first flight leaves the runway in Omaha, NE. The set date to take off in the sky is June 7^th and students are excited and nervous for the adventure they have ahead of them. There will be a variety of means of travel throughout the trip. Obviously the students will take a plane from Omaha to Chicago and from Chicago to London. They will also experience a ferry ride, the tube (subway), and a night train in which the travelers will have to sleep in bunks on a train during an overnight ride.

With the last payments being made, spending money is what is on the students mind. “I want to buy something in every place we visit so I can remember the trip,” said Junior Sydney Schroeder.

A “What to Bring” list was handed out to students and the last meeting going over the essential items travelers shouldn’t forget like, passports, adapters, calling cards, ATM card, batteries, and many other things. All of these items plus clothes have to be squished into a carry on, a purse, and 50 pound limit suitcase.

“The best way to remember the events is by taking pictures. But make sure you capture the people and not just the monuments because people make the trip just as much as the scenery,” said Jacki Papstien, event advisor.

The students will even be in the audience at The Globe Theatre for the play Macbeth. All students chose to purchase standing tickets during the performance so they can have cheap tickets and a close view. “Standing for 3 hours will be worth it, we might even get to be in on the play,” said Schroeder. –Nicki Vernon

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Four years of hard work and dedication as a member of the Future Business Leaders of America paid off for Senior Allison Skidmore on April 11 at the Future Business Leaders of America State Conference in Omaha when she won the organization’s most prestigious honor, the Future Business Leader Award.

Skidmore said it came as a surprise. “It’s the biggest award they give out! When I looked at [Sponsor] Mrs. [Teresa] Hansmire, I started bawling.”

Over 200 seniors contended for the Future Business Leader Award in a competition that was half-job interview and half-testing over business-related topics.

“I scored well on my test,” Skidmore said. “My experience as an officer helped.”

Along with the honor of being the first student from Fairbury Jr.-Sr. High to win the Future Business Leader Award, Skidmore will receive a $750 scholarship and have the chance to represent Nebraska at nationals in July. Other honors Skidmore received were a 7^th place Nebraska Who’s-Who award due to her involvement in her chapter’s American Enterprise project, as well as honorable mentions in Business Communications, Business Procedures, and Job Interview.

Of her success, all Skidmore had to say was, “I won with the support of my advisor and my chapter, and because of all the hard work and time I put in.” –Hannah Bauer

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Nine seeded Northern Iowa. 14 seeded Ohio. 12 seeded Cornell. What these three teams have in common is that they are tearing up March madness. These teams have destroyed millions of brackets and are proud of it. They certainly destroyed my bracket, that’s for sure. Granted, I didn’t have Kansas winning anyway, but still these “Cinderella” teams are making noise.

As I said, Kansas was knocked out by the nine seed Northern Iowa, 69-67. One of the gutsiest moves I have ever seen, senior Ali Farokhmanesh, standing at the three point line, no one around, 30 seconds left, throws up a three and is nothing but net. I was shocked, one that it went in, and two that it solidified an upset over the powerhouse Kansas. I loved it because I can’t stand Kansas. Northern Iowa now moves to the sweet 16, where they faced Michigan State, but was defeated.

Another major upset team that will play in the sweet 16 is the 12 seeded Cornell from the Ivy League. They defeated Temple in their first round game and Wisconsin in the second round. What I like about Cornell is that they are a veteran team with a lot of senior leadership and experience.

Another major upset I watched was 14 seeded Ohio. They took down the three seed Georgetown, which I just so happened to have them deep in my bracket, along with Kansas. Georgetown had done this all year. At times they looked like a national championship team. Other times they looked like they shouldn’t even be in the NCAA tournament. Ohio just bombed Georgetown. Ohio went 13-23 beyond the three point line and was 20-26 from the free throw line.

I think these lower seeded teams took offense to people just writing them off. They came out with a lot of fire and did what many thought was impossible. There are two number five seeds in the final four, Butler and Michigan State, which hasn’t been done in almost 10 years. I congratulate them, even though they really messed up my bracket. –Richard Rhoden

Throughout high school, a variety of books are required reading. Some obvious ones come to mind—Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, and others. Students may enjoy the readings for a variety of reasons—Senior Janessa Kobza’s favorite book to read was In Cold Blood because “Truman Capote was kind of a freak.”

There is a definite emphasis on classics in high school literature classes. Throughout high school here at Fairbury, students are required to read things like The Taming of the Shrew, In Cold Blood, and To Kill A Mockingbird. While all of these books are important, there is very little emphasis put on contemporary literature. “The system is based off classic writing. It definitely needs improvement. Adding newer books—even things like The Lovely Bones would be good,” Kobza ’10 said.

However, there may be a good reason for students to be reading classics in class, instead of reading newer books as a part of the curriculum. These higher-level, more difficult classic literary pieces aren’t something the average student will pick up and read for pleasure. “We’ll read the new books on our own anyway…We wouldn’t read Truman Capote or Shakespeare if we didn’t have to,” said Kobza ’10.—Cassi Tucker

The Agriculture classes this year had many projects on their hands, but the one that exceeds the work of all the others was working on the construction site of the Fairbury Athletic Complex.

“I had a lot of fun working on the athletic complex and it was a real experience I will never forget,” Greg Bauer ‘10.

The students in Mr. Kenning’s Ag classes and Mr. McAllister’s construction class spend a great deal of their personal, in-class time helping out with the project of the Athletic Complex. “Our class time was used different each day, I looked forward to the times we worked on the Athletic complex, but still enjoyed the moments we did actual class work,” said Scott Moody ‘10. “The work on the complex was the best, it was a way to get out of class work, but still learn a lot and have fun during the process,” said Cody Welsch ‘12. –Trevor Schlake

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As the weather gets warmer, students and athletes alike begin getting out to enjoy the conditions. Track and field is one of the sports which gives you the freedom of choice. Some people like the sport. “Track is pretty cool. The running’s alright I guess. I just like spending time with all my friends who are in track with me,” said Amanda Osborne ’11.

Track and field is definitely a sport with many decisions. The choice of which events to participate in may be hard for athletes to make. Sophomore Ashton Feldkamp knows exactly which event she enjoys. “Pole vault is my favorite event, it’s really fun to go up in the air,” she said.

Josh Johnson ’12 also has a favorite event. “I like 4x1 because if we do bad, it’s not all my fault,” he said.

How hard to push yourself can also be a difficult choice for many athletes to make. Feldkamp has made her decision early on in the season. “I’m working toward beating the pole vault record, and right now I’m only 7 inches away,” she said. “I want to make it to state too, because that’d be pretty sweet.”

Although track is not his favorite sport, Johnson also wants to succeed. “Even though it’s track, it’s still state. It’d still be cool,” he said. –Meg Ehle

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Forming opinions is a fundamental part of today’s society. If new opinions weren’t formed, our society would not advance. “It is important for people to form their own opinions, otherwise things wouldn’t change,” said social science teacher Miranda Luke. “There would be no new theories if everyone thought the same way. However, people tend to conform to the majority,” said Luke.

Normally, people tend to start forming major opinions on issues in their teens. This does not include every teenager though. Some people, in this modern age, tend to blindly follow one another. “It is part of human nature to conform and follow a leader,” said Jake Bell ‘10. Everyone is their own individual and they need to have their own viewpoints. It is important to have your own opinion on issues that concern you.”

It’s not difficult to find people who agree. “People follow whatever is cool. It’s a bad thing because people need to go their own way and find what they like,” said Clayton Raatz ’10.

Varied opinions also keep things interesting.“If we all had the same opinion it would be boring,” said Trent McCown ’11. “People should think how they want, but people who are insecure with themselves will be more likely to follow.”

Taylor Biehl, guidance counselor, stated. “I don’t think people blindly follow in this world, there is much more diversity than back in the day. I feel people are more willing to try new things,” she said.

The media has played a major role in helping people form their own opinions. The media can play a positive or negative role depending on how broadcasters see the issue. “It goes both ways,” said Biehl, “there are positive and negative influences, but there are more stereotypes than there used to be because of the media.”

The media contributes to a major part in political views as well. “There are biases, liberal and conservative,” said Luke. “They should cut out the biases because it is hard to determine, without analysis, the true news. Most of the stuff they deliver is negative because negativity sells.” “These stations need to cut the BS and deliver the actual news,” said Raatz.

Whether teens have influence or not, young adults all need to form opinions on issues that affect their lives. “If everything is left the same, things won’t get done. Following blindly isn’t the right way to do things with society,” said Biehl. –Shaun Friedrichsen

It was a game that the city of New Orleans and the Saints had waited 43 years for. A chance to play in a Super Bowl. The Saints have the number one offense in the NFL. The only problem was that the Saints had to stop Peyton Manning and the high-powered offense of the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints rallied from a 10-0 deficit to defeat the favored Colts 31-17.

“We just believed in ourselves and we knew that we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us,” said Saints Quarterback Drew Brees. “What can I say? I tried to imagine what this moment would be like for a long time and it’s better than I expected,” Brees said in the Lincoln Journal Star.

A shocking onside kick at the beginning of the second half sparked the Saints’comeback. Their 25^th ranked defense made many key stops, none bigger than the 74-yard pick-six by Tracy Porter, which put the game out of reach.

Manning tried to make a heroic comeback, but New Orleans was just too strong. The four-time NFL MVP walked back to the locker room dejected as the Big Easy began to celebrate.

Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees completed 82.1 percent of his passes against the Colts, which is the second-highest percentage in Super Bowl history. Brees was 32-39 passing for 288 yards. This was not a surprise because Brees had a 70.1 completion percentage in the regular season.

An NFL embarrassment for most of their 43 years, the Saints have found a great combination of players and coaches to lead New Orleans to the promise land.

The Saints won three postseason games this season after only winning two in their previous 42 years. They defeated Arizona, Minnesota, and Indy to claim their first Lombardi Trophy.

No longer will the Saints be referred to as the ‘aints. The Saints have removed their name from the group of NFL teams never to win a Super Bowl. New Orleans can put those paper bags away forever. They can now be referred to as Super Bowl XLIV champs. –Richard Rhoden

When bad things happen there always seems like someone to blame. It seems like one of the first phrases children learn is, “She did it” Throughout our lives this blame game never seems to go away. For example, when students talk in class there is usually one person that gets yelled at. Sometimes the cause of blaming is because we fear the consequences of not getting stuff done. Other times it’s to get someone else in trouble.

“I blame people when I’m in a bad situation where I could get in big trouble, and to get someone I don’t like in trouble, said Junior Jamie Sullivan.

But when people lie and put all the slack on someone else it can become a habit. It’s hard to admit when someone does something wrong, people don’t want to get yelled at for forgetting. At school, home, and work people feel pressured to get things done right, and on time. When this doesn’t happen people feel like they let others down.

“I blame my sisters at home for stuff I don’t get done,” said Freshman Morgan Schroeder.

Responsibility is an important characteristic that people have to practice in order to use it. In high school there are a lot of different things to remember: Homework, Turning in class dues, registration forms, and many more. “I don’t blame people because it makes me feel irresponsible and I’ll have to deal with the consequences,” said Junior Sami Meyn. –Nicki Vernon

Mark these dates on your calendars, March 8 and 9. The Junior High students of Fairbury High School will perform the Disney musical, “Beauty and The Beast Jr.”

“I did a junior high musical when I did student teaching,” said Vocal Teacher Emily Rademacker, on her decision to put on a junior high show.

The entire junior high choir is involved; the 7^th graders are cast as the castle people, and 8^th graders as villagers.

Matt Henske ‘14 will be playing the role of the Beast, and Christine Welsch ‘14 was cast as Belle.

“I like that I got the part I did, but there are a lot of lines though,” said Welsch.

Performance times are at 7 p.m. in the Burkely Fine Arts Center at Fairbury High School. –Thomas Horky

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Love is all around this year and computer matches are on the way! Students are anticipating the upcoming tests that could reveal the person of their dreams. The junior high students this year are extremely excited for their results. “Computer Matches are a good way to meet people and you might even find your special someone,” CJ Scolari ‘15.

Those interested in purchasing their results will be able to do so Valentine’s Day week when they will be sold during A, B, and C lunches. The computer matches, if bought separately, will be two dollars each, but if bought together they will be three dollars for both. High school students, though many have done it for years, still find the test results useful to fulfill their basic needs. “Computer matches are a fun way to see who you are compatible with in the school and a great way to waste class time,” Morgan Schroeder ’13.

No matter what the reason may be, do not miss out; Valentine’s Day only comes around once a year.—Trevor Schlake

“I’m a GLEEK!” These words are becoming famous across the country ever since “Glee’s” FOX premiere in the fall of 2009. The “Glee” hum has been buzzed in the halls and the majority of students have fallen in love with the story of underdog singers from William McKinley High School. There is a variety of characters including jocks, nerds, and cheerleaders that join up with the singing group. Teacher Will Schuester inspires the Glee Club named “New Directions!” to reach great heights.

Antagonist Sue Silvester, the cheerleading coach, throws daily attempts to ruin Mr. ‘Shoe’ and his Glee Club, but “New Directions!” always prevails. “Sue Silvester is an evil genius!” said Shelby Cervantes-Sheard ’10, “but my favorite character is Artie. He’s so cute, plus he’s genuinely nice.”

Even though the bulk of the student body enjoys the Golden Globe Award winning show, some students like senior Allie Skidmore, abhor it. “I don’t get the jokes and the lighting and camera angles are weird.” said Skidmore. “They’re good singers, but I just don’t think it’s realistic.”Band Director Ted Luebbe disagrees with Skidmore. “I think it’s a great opportunity to promote music into society,” said Luebbe.

Whether “Glee” provides a glimpse of the sensation of music, or is just a show with bad camera angles and lighting, many students and teachers have been discussing and gushing over the new television series, “Glee”. – Kenzie Helmink

College visits are one of the first ways to get started on student’s plans. Many people start taking these visits late their junior year or at the beginning of their senior year. “I encourage everyone to go on at least two visits,” said Taylor Biehl guidance counselor. “I also encourage people to have many questions ready before that you would like answered.” Taking college visits are beneficial in many ways. The visits allow you to become familiar with the school. “I took a college visit to see what the college had to offer,” said Brandon Krause ‘10.

These visits also permits incoming college freshmen to learn more about the program of study that interests them, and gives students options that are useful when choosing the college for that they want to attend. “Taking College visits helped me in deciding which college I wanted to attend for the next four years,” said Kayla Specht 10.

College visits are highly recommended by counselors and your peers. It allows you to become confident in what you want from a college and what you don’t like about colleges. “I definitely encourage upcoming seniors to go on at least one visit, because you want to know where you are going to be living the next four years of your life,” said Specht. –Traci Bohlmeyer

I was only seven years old when the new millennium struck. Now I’m 17 years old and am writing this column about the past ten years in sports. Even though I was only seven and counting, I still remember many things that happened in the wide world of sports.

One of the first moments of the decade that really hit me personally was the death of Dale Earnhardt in the last turn of the 2001 Daytona 500. If my memory serves me right, at 5:15 p.m. Earnhardt was pronounced dead. I was absolutely crushed. I immediately went and took a bath and cried my eyes out. The next day at school, I didn’t talk to anyone and I think they knew why. They didn’t understand what the big deal was.

One of the more patriotic moments of the decade was when the New York Yankees played their first home game after 9/11. They came so close to winning the World Series that year, only to be stopped by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Baseball was destroyed this decade by steroids. The alleged usages by Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, and Alex Rodriguez have put baseball in a hole that it is still trying to claw its way back out.

In my mind the greatest athlete of this decade was Tiger Woods. I know he ran into some trouble in his marriage, but that has nothing to do with playing golf. He has won over 70 PGA tour events in this decade, including 14 Majors. He now is supposedly getting help at a sex addiction clinic in Mississippi. Good for him, I want to see him out on the course.

The greatest sports feat of this decade was Jimmie Johnson winning his fourth straight Sprint Cup Championship (2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009). This is unprecedented and will probably never be topped again. As a word of warning, he is not done yet. He will be looking for his fifth straight title in the 2010 season. Maybe after a fifth straight title, people will give Johnson the respect he deserves.

Some other remarkable moments of this decade would have to be Michael Phelps and his record eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics. Lance Armstrong winning his seventh Tour de France in 2005. Usain Bolt breaking world records in the 100m, 200m, and the 4 by 100m relay.

This is the only person I can think of that has played professional sports in three decades, Brett Favre. The future Hall-of-Famer holds the record in almost every passing category in the NFL and has lived his life in the NFL on a thin line between brilliance and catastrophe. And after a defeat in the NFC Championship game against the Saints, who knows? Is there a 2010 season for the 40 year old? It will probably be August before we really know for sure.

This decade was filled with many memorable events, and hopefully the next will have just as many. With any luck, the next time I write a column about the decade in sports, I will be 27 and writing it for a big-time newspaper.—Richard Rhoden

Taking classes is difficult enough just taking them normally with other students, but imagine being the lone student in a classroom opposite the teacher. Some students this semester have decided to take classes this way. Whether it is their choice or just having scheduling issues, several students are taking classes independently and all alone.

For some, it is easier to take a class this way, but for others, it is more difficult due to the one-on-one style of learning. “You have to have a sense of responsibility,” said Chris Schroeder ‘11. “You won’t always have a teacher to help you; you just get your assignment and do it.” Schroeder is currently taking an art class independently.

Another student taking an art class independently is Trent McCown ‘11. “If a person is responsible enough,” said McCown, “it’s not hard to keep up with everything.”

Having responsibility and a good work ethic is almost a requirement in taking a class independently. “It is more difficult because if you don’t understand the material then it takes a while to study it and learn it,” said Landon Schmidt ’10, who is currently taking Computer Applications 2. “You have to be motivated to get things done and you work by yourself. It’s not like someone’s telling you what to do.”

Taking a class independently can put a strain on teachers as well as students. In some cases, it can take away a planning period for a teacher, therein taking time away to do valuable things for other classes. Also, by taking a class independently, it may force a teacher to plan ahead more for a student, if he or she is ahead of the normal class.

Taking a class independently can allow students to get more accomplished. “I think I am ahead of the regular class,” said Schmidt. “I am able to get more things done because I don’t have the others holding me back.”

Independent classes are readily offered by our school, and responsibility is a major factor in the decision to take an independent course. “It isn’t a struggle if you work hard and get stuff done,” Schroeder said.—Shaun Friedrichsen

Senioritis is in full swing this time of year. Seniors are making their final decisions on colleges, finishing up their high school classes and saying goodbye to their hometown.

Seeing most of my friends prepare to leave, and—as they say—never come back is bittersweet. On the one hand, I know that next year I’ll be doing and saying the same thing. On the other hand, there’s something sad about watching a group of people get ready to totally forget about the place they come from.

(Even sadder, of course, is watching a group of people struggling with what to do with themselves for the rest of their lives, since they are just now realizing that they hit their peak at age 17.)

It’s easy for me to pontificate now, with my own graduation more than a year away. But I guess the point I’m trying to make is that, when I’m getting ready to receive my own diploma, I’ll remember that for better or worse, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today if I hadn’t been raised in this “hell-hole” “hick town”.

We all think we know what we’re going to do after we “get out of Fairbury”, but the truth is, we don’t. In each graduating class, there will be some who decide that Fairbury was a lot better than they thought, some that can’t seem to break their small town ties and some that really do leave and never come back.

At the end of the day, I don’t think there really is a road less travelled. I think there’s just a bunch of different roads, and sometimes the one you end up on may not be the one you expected to find yourself going down. And even though the road that brought you to your current road may have sucked, you still have to be thankful that it at least got you there.

One of the more challenging courses offered at Fairbury High School is presenting students with freedom and opportunity. Tami Mans, instructor of the class, had 6 students enrolled in first semester Multimedia 1. The beginning of the second semester brought Multimedia 2, which now has only 2 students. “I would love to have other students take the class,” Mans said.

In Multimedia 1, students go over multiple programs, including how to use digital photography and editing programs, movie making, web design, and work with the HTML codes on web pages. Multimedia 2 is an extension on Multimedia 1, delving deeper into the programs than before.

The course is can be challenging, according to Mans. “The challenge is whatever the students make of it. They can get as in depth as they want,” she said. She believes students favorite part of the class is the freedom. “Once we have covered the basics, I allow them to choose what program they’d like to explore further.”

The multimedia class is now in charge of putting together the senior slide show which will play at graduation. –Meg Ehle

For many students, the battle between priority and time is a never-ending struggle. Finding even a minute window of time to complete the smallest of tasks such as homework can appear to be an impossible undertaking. But perhaps that is all the students need. What could students possibly do with fifteen minutes that would be even slightly beneficial? Brian Tracy, a self-help author and notable public speaker, shines some light on the issue with this quote. “There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing,” he said. The most important thing for high school faculty is making sure all students are in good standing to pass their classes and graduate from Fairbury High School, diploma in hand. To ensure that this will occur, a new Individual Access Period has been introduced to students and faculty.

The Individual Access Period that is put in action during block 1-2 is designed to help struggling students and also aids in making sure that students are turning their work in complete and on time. The program runs for fifteen minutes every Monday and Wednesday from 9:55-10:11 a.m. During that time, students could talk about any existing problems or potential problems whether they be academic or nonacademic.

A recurring question that has been asked in regards to the program is how it started. “It’s something that various schools have done with programs similar to this one,” stated Jeff Vetter, principal. The list of participating schools include Central 10 Conference members, Norris, Aurora, and Crete to name a few. “There are many other schools in our conference that participate in the program, but theirs are more lengthy and are typically a full period,” Vetter said.

“The students’ reaction to the IAP program will be like any other program. Some will think that it’s a bunch of bologna while others will think that it is really worthwhile,” replied Vetter, regarding the overall reaction to the concept. He continued by saying, “But it is our goal to make it basically impossible for students to fail.”

Until the program is in full swing it will be hard to determine its capacity for success and how the students and faculty will respond over the duration of the semester. Zach Mansell ’10 expressed his opinion of the program by stating, “I think that it’s good if you have extra time to study and you need to make use of it.” However, some students have dissimilar views on the matter. “I understand what’s going on, but don’t see how 15 minutes will help. It seems more like a waste of time,” Jenna Hughes ’10 said.

IAP might be compared to the rookie on a baseball team. It can only have its worth and importance to any system determined after it has passed the test of time. And with IAP, time for students’ academic growth and development is the issue. “Like anything, there is always going to be goods and bads. You just have to take some time to figure out what’s working and what isn’t,” said Mark Reimers. ---- Kellan Garber

When the snow starts falling, flake by unique flake, there is no stopping it. Even Fairbury Public Schools can’t stop it. Children wish and look up to the sky for more snow. Their eyes become glued to the scrolling list of schools posted on the bottom of their televisions. Finally, the moment of truth - Fairbury Public Schools: Closed. The sound of celebration can be found in a variety of places; social networking sites, text messages, and phone calls alert others about the good news. The surprise vacations can be full of sleeping, watching movies, or for the brave souls, playing outside. “I don’t like snow days, I love snow days,” said Shelby Cervantes-Sheard ‘10. But what some students don’t realize is that school isn’t magically called off.

Superintendent Fred Helmink makes the executive decision to call off school. He also works with Karen Junker, First Student Transportation director, and the county roads department. The morning of a snowfall, Helmink goes out and drives on the roads so he himself can determine the condition they are in. If getting to school is too risky, Helmink then informs the media about the cancellation.

Superintendents have a special code to enter their school closing updates to media web sites. But the numbers of snow days are not unlimited. The school system is allowed only four snow days a year. That number is determined by the Department of Education and Rule Ten.

“We don’t want to cheat anyone’s education; we need to meet the requirements,” said Helmink.

And by requirements, there are several. Students need a certain number of hours for the school year to be considered a successful and informative one. When too many days and hours are missed, like they recently have been, something has to be done about it. “There are certain calendar days added in case of snow days,” said Helmink. “The first make-up day is April 5, which is the Monday after Easter. The next days are in May.” “I’ve asked the principals to add up the number of hours missed,” said Helmink. That way, make up days can be scheduled. Seniors are exempt from the make-up days in May, however. “After graduation, the seniors are finished.”

The decisions to close school because of inclement weather stay pretty simple for Helmink. “I don’t really feel a lot of pressure to call off school. It just takes common sense. Safety is the number one issue. I feel the most pressure when other schools call off school and we don’t,” said Helmink. Helmink chats with other school districts about their plans for the day of a large snow. Helmink commented that it is difficult to always make everyone happy. Angry phone calls are not uncommon.

“I get some parents calling, no matter how much snow we get. I get a lot of questions.”

When it looks like there is no way to get to school and that snow is a sure thing, the administration prefers to cancel school that night. “I prefer school to be cancelled the night before so I don’t have to wake up,” said Krause. “I like to sleep, read, and play in the snow on snow days,” said Sheard.

Enjoy the snowball fights and sledding, but safety is the number one issue for the administration when it comes to snow. “It’s not all about having fun,” said Helmink, “It’s about student’s lives.” -Emmy Pishny

Imagine fighting in a modern war, the technology has improved since each of the World Wars. Since technology has greatly improved, we have been able to create top of the line war games, like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is based on a fictional, near-future five years after COD (Call of Duty): Modern Warfare, and involves protecting the United States from a Russian invasion.

“I play every day,” said Senior John Mach, “I like it because it has awesome graphics and too legit to quit game play”. “It was all worth $60,” said Mach. War games are the now thing, having a similar feeling to a real war, it’s about as close as most people want to get. --Jamie Sullivan

The end of 2009 is quickly approaching, which means a brand new year is almost here and people will be setting their new year’s resolutions. Many of these goals are set to bring a healthy diet, kick a habit, or to start fresh.

“My new years’ resolution is to start over and keep our house cleaner this next year so it stays organized,” said junior Chelsee Criner.

Although people tend to fail their high set objectives it can be very helpful for those who stick with it and strive to reach their goals.

Good ways to keep resolutions include telling many people about the goal so they can support the person who set it, or even joining a support group. Some people know they can’t follow through so they don’t even set a resolution. But those who strive to meet their goal end up with a fulfilling sensation.

“Setting a resolution is helpful because even if you don’t keep up with it you’ll have it in the back of your mind,” said Criner.

Some experts suspect it’s the result or texting or social networking and others believe it’s the negative effects of encouraging self-esteem, but the cause of rudeness is pretty insignificant in the face of the symptoms. Can you think of the last time someone texted while you were trying to talk face to face with them? What about the last time someone leaned in and told you a secret, but didn’t tell the other five people who were with you?

Society in general has become rude and disrespectful. While teenagers are most guilty of this, there are plenty of adults and elderly people who seem to think that tact and common courtesy are optional.

While it may be easy to just assume the guy going 15 in a 45 is only doing it to vex you, there may actual be a reason that he can’t floor it that you didn’t consider. The fact is, we live in a world where we think everything has to be about us: If we get a bad grade, it’s the teacher’s fault for not teaching us better; if we lose a game, it’s our teammates’ faults for not playing harder; if we overeat and end up obese, it’s the restaurant’s fault for not having healthier food.

Not only do we need to start taking responsibility for our own actions, we need to start showing a little basic human compassion towards everyone we meet. There’s really no reason to assume that everyone is out to ruin your life, so why go out of your way to mess up theirs? -- Hannah Bauer

Nintendo Wii game systems have changed the video game world. Wii games allows one to get up off the couch and makes them move to make their game character move, unlike other game systems in which one just has to push buttons while sitting on a couch all day. These games allow time for exercise while having some serious virtual fun, and also can help heal or even possibly cure diseases. What? There is a new study that is showing that Nintendo Wii systems are helping patients going through physical therapy and also may be aiding in curing Parkinson’s disease. This is called Wii habilitation, AKA Wii-hab.

Many studies show those who have suffered or are suffering from stroke, spinal cord/brain injury, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and even Autism are benefitting from the therapeutic exercise from Wii-hab. Patients that take part in Wii hablilitation use the unique, motion-sensitive game controller to play games to build arm strength and enhance their reflexes and hand-eye coordination. Because of the controller’s motion sensor, all of these games require the player to use the actual movements required in the actual sport. That is to say, the gamer must perform an actual tennis serve or golf swing for the game to work properly. These games are especially helpful for stroke patients who have regained use of only one arm. “When people can refocus their attention from the tediousness of the physical task, they oftentimes do better,” said James Osborn of the Southern Illinois Healthcare center. The Wii-hab approach to rehabilitation is being used with patients of all ages. Wakemed in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been using Wii games as a physical therapy tool with patients as young as 9 to those in their 80’s. “They think it’s entertainment, but we know it’s for therapy,” said Lt. Col. Stephanie Daugherty, chief of occupational therapy at Water Reed Army Medical Center. The Wii is useful in occupational therapy for people of all ages because it helps them redevelop the coordination to relearn daily living skills such as brushing teeth and combing hair.

Though many find many benefits from Wii-hab, some experts say that there are downfalls to using the theory of Wii-hab. Dr. Julio Bonis of Madrid said he has proof that playing Wii games can have physical effects of another kind. Bonis calls it acute "Wii-itis" - a condition he said he developed last year after spending several hours playing the Wii tennis game. Bonis complained in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine ‘intense pain in his right shoulder that a colleague diagnosed as acute tendonitis, a not uncommon affliction among players of real-life tennis.’ Bonis said he recovered after a week of ibuprofen and no Wii, and urged doctors to be aware of Wii overuse. Still, as a Wii fan, he said in an e-mail that he could imagine more moderate use would be helpful in physical therapy "because of the motivation that the game can provide to the patient."

As for Nintendo and their stance on Wii-hab, they don’t market Wii’s potential use in physical therapy but according to a spokesperson, the company is “happy to see that people are finding added benefit in rehabilitation.” --Kelsey Hill

Some students have taken it upon themselves to help make a change in the world, and in our community as well. Whether it is by repainting playgrounds or even visiting the elderly in the nursing home, these students are ready and willing to make a difference.

Many people are making a difference through community service. These people encourage others to take a stance and help out. “I feel community service makes a difference in the world,” said Allie Skidmore ’10. “I like doing it to get more people involved, that way more stuff gets done for the community.”

“Doing community service makes a difference at least in youth development,” said Jordan Scott ’10. “Helping with youth development helps the kids grow and understand more about the world. It prepares them for the future.” Doing things for the benefit of the community helps make a good change in the world. “It makes a change because if people did not do stuff for the community, it might not ever get done,” said Allison Nance ‘10

There are many things that can be done for the community. A person wanting to make a change does not have to have a large service to tackle like cleaning up a littered highway or volunteering at a hospital, even though those are good options. A person can do something as simple as reading books to children at the library, or tutoring kids who have trouble in a subject. Even going door to door collecting food for the food pantry can make a true difference in the community.

Helping to make a difference can be enjoyable. Many people, who help the community, continue doing it throughout their lives. “I will continue doing community service; it is something I feel strongly about. I will even help kids start doing community service,” said Skidmore. – Shaun Friedrichsen

Having a senior class of approximately 90 students means losing 14 mid-term graduates won’t have too big of an effect. Yet for those 14 early graduates’ friends it’s a different story. Senior Shawntay Martin said “I’ve got a lot of upset friends, some cried.” As for Claire Shada ‘10 she said “My friends have tried to change my mind but never really gave me any other input.” Having a way to graduate mid-term is really nice for some students because they are able to start a full-time job to save for college if they need to or even start college classes early.

A lot of people who are involved in sports or other school activities don’t understand the point of leaving school five months early because in order for them to stay involved in those things they have to graduate in May. Maddie Busing ‘10 said “Why stay because I have all of my credits now, I would just be taking classes to fill time.” --Hayley Michael

When it comes to Christmas, many people think of presents, families coming together, and Santa Claus. Other people base their Christmas on another factor: Jesus.

From what the Bible says, Jesus was born on the day that we now call Christmas. He was born to a virgin, Mary, in a stable with animals. Shepherds came, angels sang, and wise men came forth bringing gifts of myrrh, frankincense, and gold.

Some people though don’t believe in the Bible but yet celebrate Christmas with a religious attitude. “I don’t believe everything the Bible says. It all seems a bit exaggerated,” said Will Ebke, sophomore. “But I still celebrate Christmas.”

Other s ignore Christmas all together. Chris Schroeder, junior, said, “I don’t believe in everything the Bible tells me I should believe in. It’s personal reasons why I don’t celebrate Christmas though.”

But there are the few that believe in God and celebrate it the way the Bible intended us too. “I believe in God, I just don’t go to church regularly,” said junior Adam D’Angelo. --Kayla Lufkin

The smell of popcorn lingering in the air, people shoving their ways in to find a seat, and the excitement rolling off everyone’s body as they wait for New Moon to start. Students were filled with anticipation weeks before it came out and now their time had come to see if their excitement was worth it.

Karen Hinkle, owner of Bonham Cinemas, said, “I was afraid I would have to turn people away, but they were coming in so fast I didn’t even know who I would say no to.”

Although students had school the next day, many were afraid that they would fall asleep while waiting for the movie. “I was a little afraid that I would fall asleep because I knew I had basketball the next day so I went and bought some pop so I could stay awake,” said, Emily Steele, senior. “While I was waiting in the theatre though, I closed my eyes for a bit but I knew I had to stay awake.”

The theatre, for the first time, allowed people to buy their tickets before the movie started. For many students this was a good idea. “If it weren’t for the weather, I probably wouldn’t have let them because for Harry Potter I didn’t just because it was much nicer outside then,” said Hinkle.

Once the lights went off the crowd started to settle down. Not wanting to miss anything in the movie, the theatre was almost silent. The crowd laughed and cried at the right moments.

The ending of the movie may have disappointed some students. Edward’s question leaves the movie goers hanging. At the same time it draws them to the next movie, Eclipse, which comes out June 30, 2010. –Kayla Lufkin

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The holiday season is one of the most joyous times of year. Celebrating with family, gathering around the table to give thanks for all of the good things that have happened during the year, and, of course, eat lots of food. But there is one thing that almost all Americans forget during the holidays; eating healthily. Nutrition during the holiday season is something most people over look. This is why students who attended the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) huddle meeting on Nov. 15 took interest in the topic.

Students Scott Moody ’10, Kenzie Helmink ’10, and Kelsey Hill ’10, and FCA sponsor Julie Stalling learned from Kathy Helmink about the new food pyramid, how to keep portions over the holidays to stay healthy, and helped the students choose some healthier habits for everyday eating styles.”There are easier ways to eat healthier during the day, even if it’s just eating four of five carrots with your meal. Even just limiting your sweets during the day instead of banning them all together,” said Helmink. Some tips for staying healthy during the seasons are: 1) Try only drinking one pop a day, or none at all. 2) Limit yourself. Only eat until you feel full and don’t try to eat anymore. 3) Make your plate colorful. Put a fruit or vegetable on your plate so your plate will look more like a rainbow. Green beans and corn are some ideas to make it better rounded.

Next morning FCA huddle meeting is Dec. 3, starting at 8 a.m. and Senior Kenzie Helmink will be leading the discussion and the next Sunday evening will be Dec. 20 starting at 7 p.m. Time and place is yet to be planned. –Kelsey Hill

In good health? Weigh at least 110 pounds? At least 17 years old? Saying yes to these three questions may begin to qualify someone to make a blood donation. Many people are quiet nervous their first time donating blood but if they get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast or lunch, and drink plenty of fluids before their donation they should have no problems. Often people donate blood without knowing much about it or why they are doing it. For example, a blood donation equals approximately one pint of blood. The average person has 10-12 pints. Their body will replace the lost fluid within approximately 24 hours. The whole process takes about an hour. It starts with registration, a health history and a mini-physical. Then will be the actual donation, which usually takes less than 10-12 minutes. Afterward, they offer fluids such as grape, orange, or apple juice with cookies. Some people will experience a warm or cold feeling after or during their blood donation. Few will feel lightheaded or dizzy, which can be potentially prevented by following the tips given to them. This lifesaving process is put on twice a year by the National Honor Society in order to be eligible for the Making a Difference Educational Scholarship Program.

	You will get free juice and cookies.
	You will weigh less — one pint less when you leave than when you came in.
	It's easy and convenient — it only takes about an hour and you can make the donation at a donor center, or at one of the many Red Cross mobile blood drives.
	It's something you can spare — most people have blood to spare... yet, there is still not enough to go around.
	Nobody can ask you to do any heavy lifting as long as you have the bandage on. You can wear it for as long as you like. It's your badge of honor.
	You will walk a little taller afterwards — you will feel good about yourself.
	You will be helping to ensure that blood is there when you or someone close to you may need it. Most people don't think they'll ever need blood, but many do.
	It's something you can do on equal footing with the rich and famous — blood is something money can't buy. Only something one person can give to another.
	You will be someone's hero — you may give a newborn, a child, a mother or a father, a brother, or a sister another chance at life. In fact, you may help save up to three lives with just one donation.
	It's the right thing to do.

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Jimmie Johnson has done something that no other NASCAR driver in history has done. He has won his unprecedented fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. He has done something that hasn’t been accomplished by Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip or David Pearson.

The only person who came close to Johnson’s record was Cale Yarborough. He won three straight titles. But are the two drivers really comparable? Whose record was harder to accomplish? As I tried to figure this out, I decided to weigh the two drivers.

Yarborough won the championship 1976 through 1978. Yarborough had to drive against arguably the greatest drivers of all time, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.

Johnson won the championship from 2006 to 2009, and could add another next season. Competition Johnson has do deal with is Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch.

In Yarborough’s first championship season, there were 30 races in the season. Johnson, however, had a 36 race season. Checkmark for Johnson. The way the points were set up was different as well. Back in Yarborough’s day, there was no “Chase for the Cup” playoff mode. This means for Yarborough, it would have been a little harder to win because the points didn’t reset with 10 races to go. Checkmark for Yarborough.

Back in the 70s, the car that Yarborough could drive was much more manipulative, meaning that you could change just about anything that you wanted on it and it would make it faster, and it was all legal. For Johnson, he had to drive the Car of Tomorrow, which you can’t make any changes to. The Car of Tomorrow was made to get the competition on an equal playing field. Well, that sounds like a check for Johnson.

So after analyzing all this information, I came to a conclusion. The way I look at it is that Jimmie Johnson has probably set the greatest sporting record of all time with his fourth straight championship. The only sports team that has done anything like this is the UCLA Bruins basketball teams with John Wooden at the helm.

The last point that needs to be made here is that the NASCAR garage respects what Johnson has done; the fans however, do not. Everyone bashes Johnson, saying that he has the best equipment and the best people, so how can he not win? I’m here to tell you that you can’t win four straight titles and not have a lot of driving talent. All of the fans are witnessing history that probably will never happen again, and instead of appreciating it they ignore it. Come on fans, accept it and appreciate it, who knows if it will happen again. My hat’s off to you Jimmie, way to go. Up next, Johnson’s drive for five.

For those of you that know what car I drive, you know where I am coming from. It has four wheels, four doors, an engine and sometimes a rear view mirror. When I first bought my car, it only came with an AM radio. Excuse me! Can you say, “Dinosaur?” “Dinosaur,” there, I said it. Well after listening to talk radio and “the classics” for oh, too long, my parents bought me a CD radio with FM. FM! Who would have thought that nice stereo could take away my negatives about my car.

All was going well until the fateful week in Beatrice. I had visited my grandparents for a week and I left my car sit outside for a week. I took my stuff in and never thought twice about my car. If only I knew. After my visit ended, I hopped into my boiling hot car (it was the summer), started it up, and noticed that I had a huge gaping whole in my dash. Can you say, “Panic?” “Panic,” there I said it. Apparently there was a streak of burglaries one of the nights I was there. Just my luck. So the best part of my car is gone. G-O-N-E.

I drove home in silence. The loudest sound of the unheard was deafening. My grandparents felt extremely bad that I had something stolen on their property and they mailed me some money to buy a new stereo. My spirits instantly lifted. If I only knew that the hardest part was yet to come. I couldn’t find a stereo that fit my liking. So I did the most logical thing, I put the money in my savings account so that when I found my soul mate stereo, I could buy it.

I currently have no stereo, but I do have some pretty redneck accessories to fit my musical needs. I hook my iPod up to portable speakers and just drive. So until my speakers get stolen, I’m doing good. –Emmy Pishny

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The first snowfall of the winter season laid around 5 feet of white, fluffy snow over Fairbury on Monday, November 16^th. Many students had a hard time driving to school which resulted in late arrivals. Only ¼ of the parking lot was full of snow covered cars at 8:20. Some students didn’t even risk the drive, “I didn’t come to school because the roads were really bad and I didn’t think after 3 buses went in a ditch that it was really worth risking my life,” said senior Ashley Broxterman. Those that did try driving to school had many complications such as bad vision and slick roads.

“It took 35 minutes to drive 15 miles and I couldn’t see 4 feet in front of my face,” said senior Traci Knobel.

None of the students could focus after the computers shut down, heater kicked off and lights started to flicker. Mr. Vetter came over the announcements to let everyone know we’d be let out early if the heater didn’t come back on. Soon after, all the lights shut off and the clocks froze.

Everyone was notified about an 11:15 dismissal and had to wait an hour. The classes that had no windows sat in the commons or in the hallways to have more light.

“It was mass chaos, everyone was running around with cell phones for light, there were basically no rules,” said Knobel.

Everyone can agree they didn’t expect the day to end up the way it did, but we all needed a snow day.

While some of the cast and crew may have had their doubts, the school’s production of The Three Musketeers: All Swash and No Buckle was a success. Ticket sales amounted to $1,700, despite an unforeseen change in the show’s start time.

Opening night went so well many students and community members returned for the Saturday showing. “The audience was more responsive opening night,” said Co-Director Jacki Papstein. “The cast had more energy and the audience could feel it.”

“The first night we had a bigger audience, but the second night we kind of made our own show,” Senior Kellan Garber said.

After the curtain closed on Saturday, Papstein and her co-director Barb Bedlan were presented with flowers from the cast for their hard work. “All things considered, if they want me to come back next year, I absolutely would,” Papstein said.

Also on Saturday night, the Black Candle, a candle that is given to an upcoming senior who excels in fine arts and on this night was actually red, was awarded to Naomi Lutze ‘11.

“I felt very happy when I was awarded the candle,” said Lutze. “And excited. I hope next year will be just as good as this year.”

While only three juniors participated in the play this year, Lutze feels that the arts will remain one of Fairbury’s strong suits. “Some of the main characters this year were sophomores,” she said. --Hannah Bauer

Thanksgiving is here yet again. It is a long standing American tradition complete with an unending feast and family gatherings, and football. Many families have their own take on the way to celebrate this holiday. Family tradition is important this time of year.

“Eating and getting birthday gifts is my favorite part,” said Jordan Scott ‘10. “Also playing cards; it gets intense! One time we played cards until 12 in the morning!” This is Scott’s favorite tradition for Thanksgiving. There are other traditions followed by other families. “We set up Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving. We also have family coming down to celebrate,” said J.D. Moody ’13.

The biggest tradition of all is the dinner. Whether it is formal or informal, it all counts just the same. “My favorite part of Thanksgiving is going to my grandma’s and eating turkey that my grandma and aunt made,” said Elizabeth Polson ’13. For many people the meal consists of turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, and of course stuffing. Pumpkin pie is another favorite for dessert on this famed holiday, only celebrated in America.

Thanksgiving is a great holiday to celebrate all the things we are thankful for. –Shaun Frederickson

Every year on the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month we as Americans take time to honor our veterans. “We do this to honor those men and women who have sacrificed so much for us,” said Social Studies teacher Mick Suey. Fairbury Jr.-Sr. High took part in this nationwide celebration by holding convocation in the morning at 10 a.m.

“The convocation was interesting,” said Shalyse Ahl ‘12. “I thought it was better than the year past. When they played Proud to be an American people really paid attention.” It is important to honor Veterans Day because of the sacrifices those who have served in the Armed Forces have made for us to be free.

“It is a good deal to let the kids have an opportunity to bring patriotism back into school,” said Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Kevin Simmerman. –Thomas Horky

The leaves have stopped falling and both football and volleyball seasons have come to an end, which means it’s now time for basketball, swimming, and wrestling seasons. Students and faculty both agree that it is the favorite season of most.

Ashlee Siebe and Clay Medina, both sophomores, agree that basketball is the best sport, therefore the winter sports season is the best. “Plus, you get to watch the boys and the girls because they don’t play at the same times. You don’t miss out on anything,” said Siebe.

Administration enjoy the winter sports season. “It’s a lot easier to support all the teams because they don’t play at the same time,” said Amy Engle.

“The winter sports season brings the state basketball tournament, which is a chance to watch the best athletes compete,” said Wade Miller.

Some students can’t make a decision on which season is their favorite. “I like both sports seasons, they’re tied,” said Jessica Sand ‘13.

Other students enjoy it, but it’s not the favorite. “It’s the most challenging for sure, and it’s the longest,” said Kellan Garber ‘10.

“It’s fun, but the stuff you do sucks. It definitely keeps you in shape though,” said Ian Shada ‘12.

Both athletes and faculty enjoy the winter sports season. Fans can now watch the girls and boys teams compete without missing either. All of the sports seasons are enjoyed by athletes and students alike, but one thing is for sure—it’s definitely the coldest. --Meg Ehle

School, work, activities, homework, and sleep. Many things take up a teen’s time and worry all of them. “How do I manage my time” is a question that many people ask in their lifetime. Many different ways to manage time exist, but picking the right one may be hard.

Traci Bohlmeyer, senior, has school, FCA, a part-time job at Schroeder’s Family Foods, softball in the fall, and track in the spring. “I manage my time wisely. I make a timeslot calendar at the beginning of each week and I only work on Sundays,” she said. “I usually do my homework at school.”

Brandon Krause, senior, has school, FFA, FBLA, FCA, and a part-time job at Orschelns. Krause does his homework at school during his open block so that he doesn’t have to do it at home. “I usually work 25 to 30 hours a week and I work after school and on the weekends,” he said.

Allison Skidmore, senior, has school, FBLA, FCCLA, NHS, Cheerleading, Speech, dance, the school play, Flags, band and vocal, church youth group, F-Club, and a part-time job at Subway. “I take it day by day,” she said. “I used to have a calendar, but I realized it was easier to just remember everything. I haven’t confused my stuff with anything.” She said she doesn’t feel like she has enough time to write stuff down.

Whether time is occupied by jobs, activities, or free time, it’s good to be able to know how to manage it. On the other hand, it may be a bad thing by not managing time.

Adam D’Angelo, junior, doesn’t have a lot on his slate, but he doesn’t do anything to keep it clean either. “I never get involved in anything and I usually just lay around. On Fridays, I go home and throw my book bag in the closet for the weekend, and then when I get to school I realize that I didn’t get any of my homework done and I just take the late grades for it,” he said.

Positive and negative things can come from time management. Using it is up to the person. “I always wait until the last minute to do my work. If I had better time management I would get my work done ahead of time and not be so lazy,” said Sierra Vculek ‘11. –Stormie Surrell

After what many experts have called a “Gem” of a postseason, there are two teams remaining: The New York Yankees and The Philadelphia Phillies. The two roads to the World Series have been quite similar. The Phillies destroyed the Rockies 3-1, and the Dodgers 4-1, while the Yankees obliterated the Twins 3-0, and survived an upset of the Angels 4-2. I have to wonder how the Phillies have been able to reach the World Series two years in a row. They are the only team to do so, ironically, since the New York Yankees in 2000-01 seasons.

The Phillies and the Yankees have been able to reach the Series on the backs of their respective power bats. Ryan Howard for the Phillies, and Alex Rodriguez for the Yankees. Also, the two teams have their shutdown closers Brad Lidge and Mariano Rivera. These two teams definitely have the makeup of a championship team.

The headline for game one is the starting pitchers. Two best friends, the last two Cy Young Award winners, and both traded out of Cleveland in the last two consecutive seasons, CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. These two pitchers can’t be any more even. Sabathia has pitched three games this postseason, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.19 ERA and 20 strikeouts. Lee pitched three games in the postseason as well, posting a 2-0 record with a 0.74 ERA and 20 strikeouts. I’m leaning towards Lee, because of his effectiveness with his pitches. I do though; think it could go either way.

The other key matchup is between Howard and Rodriguez. Which player is going to come up big on the biggest stage? I have to say that it is going to be Rodriguez. He has absolutely exploded in the postseason, hitting .438 with five homers and 12 RBI’s. Howard has been no slouch either, hitting .355 with two homers and 14 RBI’s. I do give the edge to Rodriguez, because of the ballpark. He knows the new Yankee Stadium better and will be able to pick his spots, if the Phillies even pitch to him.

What everyone is waiting for is my prediction. After careful analyzing, I feel that I cannot go wrong with picking the Yankees in six games. I feel that the Yankees have too much firepower in the end against the Phillies. The pitching staff for the Yankees is far superior to that of the Phillies. There is one person that I haven’t talked about yet that may be the difference maker. Derek Jeter. He has been here before, and has what it takes to deliver in the World Series. Don’t get me wrong, I think the Phillies are a great team, and deserve to be here, but the Yankees are just better. Yankees win their 27World Series Championship. Yankees win it all in six games. –Richard Rhoden

On Oct. 18, FCA held its 4^th huddle meeting of the year. Seniors Traci Bohlmeyer, Kenzie Helmink, Allison Nance, Kelsey Hill, and out-of-town guest Brent Ghyra ’10 all participated in the activity “Serving it up” for God. During the activity, the students played a 3-on-3 game with Sponsor Julie Stalling and English teacher Jacki Papstein. Though the game was a non-competitive, no score game, the students had one thing in mind; play for God. The students learned about “improving your serve and we also talked about how you serve others,” said Stalling, while enjoying caramel apples, followed by more volleyball playing time. “We got to play around. We got to learn different ways people serve God. It was fun,” said Nance.

The next FCA huddle meeting will be on November 15 at 7 p.m. The group will be discussing nutrition and how to keep healthy over the holidays.

Five contestants. One goal. To raise the most money for Relay for Life. Five lucky senior “ladies” -- Trevor “Tina” Brunow, Colton “Sophia” Stone, Gunner “Sugar” Tracy, Kellan “Tiffany” Garber, and Shaun “Helga” Friedrichsen competed in the second Miss Fairbury Jeff contest during Homecoming. To reach this goal, from Sept. 14 to Sept. 18, the high school Relay team distributed jars to businesses around town with the ladies’ pictures on them, giving the community the chance to vote. Jars were also placed at the high school and local schools. Whoever earned the highest amount of money won the title of Miss Fairbury Jeff.

A pep rally on Monday, Sept. 14 in the BFAC pumped up students about donating money. After introducing all of the ladies, they performed a dance routine to “Thriller” on the stage. “My favorite part was learning the “Thriller” dance and performing it,” said Garber. After the gals got the students excited, they went out into the audience to collect money in their purses.

By the last day of the contest, all the money was collected and counted. The “ladies” raised $830, which was double the amount made last year. “I think it is a good idea because the money that the community raises goes to a good cause,” said Kevin Simmerman, athletic director.

The moment that everyone was waiting for finally came at the down town pep rally on Friday afternoon. Each one of the ladies interviewed anticipated that Miss Tina would win and their predictions were correct. “I thought that Trevor would win because he looked like a chick,” said Stone. When the big moment came, Miss Trevor “Tina” Brunow was crowned Miss Fairbury Jeff 2009.

“I feel like I represented my school well because I raised the most money,” said Brunow. The “ladies” had a lot of fun through this experience. “It was good and really fun. It’s my senior year and people will remember me for this,” Tracy said.

Most of the contestants felt a little uncomfortable though. “I was way out of my comfort zone,” said Friedrichsen. “I was out my comfort zone because I was wearing a short dress with boxers,” Brunow said.—Stormie Surrell

On Sept. 26, 2009, Nebraska football did something no other NCAA school has done before: have a 300 consecutive sellout streak. To put this record in perspective, Nebraska football has sold out every home game since 1962, so it has only been 47 years since sellout number one.

Over the course of the sellout streak, Nebraska has had five coaches: Bob Devaney, Tom Osborne, Frank Solich, Bill Callahan, and current coach Bo Pelini. Nebraska has also had many memorable players such as their three Heisman winners, Johnny Rogers, Mike Rozier, and Eric Crouch. Nebraska has won five national championships in this period (‘70, ‘71, ‘94, ‘95, and ‘97).

The numbers speak for themselves. Over the last 47 years of sellouts, Nebraska is 261-39 at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska is also 39-24 vs. ranked opponents at home. Nebraska has played 75 different teams from 35 different states. The closest team to 300 sellouts is Notre Dame with 206. Nebraska’s seating capacity in 1962 was 31,080. The seating capacity now is over 85,000. Over 22 million fans have attended a game at Memorial Stadium since the streak started.

Even though Nebraska has had its ups and downs, the fans continue to show up. I believe that we have reached this milestone for several reasons. One cause is that the Huskers are the only Division I school in Nebraska. Another is that Nebraska has no professional teams in the state. There is no other team to root for in the state, so we have to throw all our support behind the Huskers. Because of Nebraska’s success since Bob Devaney took over in 1962, it has built a great tradition that residents can’t help, but root for. Also, the invention of the Blackshirts gave the defense a swagger and something that appealed to the fans. It helped quite a bit that Nebraska had the stingiest defense in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s.

It hasn’t all been championships and victories for the Huskers. Nebraska hit a road block after its loss in the National Championship to Miami in 2001. The departure of Eric Crouch and other key players sent the program into a hole. Coach Bo Pelini has been bringing Nebraska out of the hole and now is in the top 25 once again.

If you have not figured it out already, I am a huge Husker fan. I wear a Nebraska shirt and hat almost every day. So, I could not be more excited for this event than if I was actually a player experiencing all of it. I have attended many Husker games over my lifetime and it is always an adventure. If you can get bored at a Nebraska Cornhusker game, there is something wrong with you. You can feel the excitement, and you can’t hold back. This is why I believe Nebraska has reached this milestone, because of the atmosphere at the game. If I could, I would attend every single game. I think Nebraska has the greatest tradition of any Division I school. I also believe that next year is the year. The Huskers will be 12-0, win the Big 12 Championship, and will be the National Champions for the sixth time. GO BIG RED! --Richard Rhoden.

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This year’s Homecoming brought new traditions and a blast from the past. To start off the week, students participated in spirit week, with days such as Class Color Day, Tinfoil/Robot Day, Dead Celebrity/Favorite Character Day, Ninja vs. Pirate Day, and of course, Spirit Day.

Bringing back an old tradition, the bonfire, was a huge success on Thursday night. Students gathered for a tug of war tournament and paid $1 to take two swings at an old, beat-up car. Cheerleaders lead cheers and music was played as Thomas Horky ‘10 threw the Central City “dummy” into the raging flames.

On Friday, FCCLA held the annual pancake feed and made over $495 serving pancakes, sausage, and juice to all high school students and staff throughout the morning. All students were let out at 2:00 p.m. for the downtown parade at the square. Many floats were entered in the parade, and the winning float was Skills USA with their “Cage the Bison” theme. “It’s a good way to get spirit flowing before the Homecoming football game,” said Junior Sydney Schroeder. Before royalty was announced the second annual Miss Fairbury Jeff pageant was held as Senior Trevor “Tina” Brunow took the crown and title. After cheers and an inspirational talk from Horky, the king and queen were announced. He and fellow Senior Allie Skidmore were crowned king and queen.

The new field brought a lot of excitement to the town of Fairbury. Over 1,000 home and visiting fans filled the shiny new bleachers to cheer on their teams. At half time, donors of both time and money to the complex stood on the field to be congratulated. Fireworks were shot off as the players ran back onto the field to get ready for the second half. Fairbury trampled the Bisons with a 37-13 victory.

The dance’s theme was “Thriller” and was held at a new location, the 4-H Building. “The building was too roomy. There was too much space for people to sit,” said Schroeder. There was a good turn out of students as the dance lasted from 8 to 12.

All in all, Homecoming was a huge success for both the community and the student body.--Nicki Vernon

“Tree!” was a word heard throughout McNish Park on September 20. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) huddle group was playing a round of Frisbee golf. Though only three members, Jarrod Shinn ’12, Allison Nance ’10 and Kelsey Hill ’10, showed up to play, many members are looking forward to the future activities that FCA is putting on. In the month of October alone, there are two huddle meetings to look out for. On Oct. 1, there is a meeting at 8 a.m. in sponsor Mrs. Stalling’s room, being led by Traci Bohlmeyer ’10. On Oct. 18, there will be a huddle meeting at the high school starting at 7 p.m.; the lesson plan is “Serving it up.” This lesson will incorporate volleyball and other sports to serving our community and God.

Though more huddle activities are yet to take place, a group member considered some new ideas. “Laser ideas or a trip to Worlds of Fun would be great,” said Senior Traci Bohlmeyer. The group is always on the look out for new ways to have fun and do many different activities to grab the interest of others throughout the student body.

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The next step in education lays in students test taking skills. The ACT is one of the required admission tests you have to take to get into college, and it’s not a cake walk for most students. Studying is something everyone should do if they want to improve their scores. The ACT test prep helps students study and do better on their ACT, “we watch educational videos done by John Baylor, we apply what he teaches us to improve our scores,” said Kellan Garber ‘10.

If students are really serious about their ACT scores, it is recommended students take the ACT test prep; Senior Scoot Moody has done it numerous times in attempt to improve his scores.

Football. Decorations. Dancing. Creating a mood for the perfect high school memory is something these three things do. As soon as the fall air starts rolling in and football season begins, the student body starts to anticipate with growing excitement for Homecoming week. Demonstrating a high school tradition, Homecoming pumps up the teenage spirit to an all time high.

However, for some high school adolescents, Homecoming is nothing exciting. “I like seeing all the crazy people running around in their ridiculous outfits, although I would never be one of those people,” senior Logan Ahl stated.” Janessa Kobza ’10 agreed with Ahl. “I hate Homecoming, I like when it’s all over with,” she said.

Homecoming is more than just the game and dance. It almost reads as a play-list set on repeat because it is the same tradition year after year. We all begin the search for the perfect date, outfit, and homecoming week attire weeks before it’s even here. Senior Brianna Lee feels strongly about this saying “The shopping and knowing it’s my last year and getting to spend it with my friends and a date I actually want to go with.” It seems with every girl shopping is a top favorite. Alexa Swartz ‘10 said, “I love to go dress shopping and try on a bunch of dresses for my date, Jared.”

When Kellan Garber ‘10 was approached with the question “How do you feel about pre-homecoming as a football player” his reply was “I feel the more people get involved it shows how they support all the sports that are going on that week, and it really helps pump the athletes up.” --Hayley Michaels

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Standing in the crowd, seeing your favorite band play your favorite song has to be one of the greatest things you will experience. Whether you sing or dance along, you’re sharing a bond with the people around you.

Music connects people who may not even know each other. Josh Johnson ‘12 said, “It’s the experience of being sweaty and with other sweaty people, but not caring ‘cause the only thing to care about is the music.”

Concerts aren’t just a fun time; they give those in attendance stories to tell for the rest of their lives. Gunner Tracy ‘10 went to a concert at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on August 16. He was seeing Blink-182, a band that had not toured for years. The concert generated a good memory “When me, Jordan Davis and Jamie Sullivan [‘11] got squished in the front and had to have the security guards pull us out. And Sullivan lost his flip flops,” said Tracy.

Being at a concert can sometimes turn dangerous. Even crowd surfing can go bad. “Moshing and punching people in the face is my favorite thing to do at a concert,” said Jared Fritch ’11. It may not be the best thing to do, but its entertainment. Hopefully you enjoyed the music too, and didn’t just pay to watch musicians play and go home, since that would be a waste of money. There are tons of concerts and tours going on, especially at this time of year. The Warped Tour is one of the biggest tours of the year, and if you’re a Blink-182 fan, you still have a chance to see them on their summer reunion tour.

Everyone should get to have the experience of a concert. “The feeling is unexplainable, you’re so tired but your adrenaline is making you insane. You can’t feel if someone touches you, but you can feel every tick of the bass and strum of the guitar. It basically feels like your falling out of an airplane naked,” said Tim Larson’11. --Jamie Sullivan

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Summer: Time for fun, relaxation, and friends. Come mid August, the free time that was once enjoyed turns back into learning and other various activities that follow after the school day ends. But many of these other activities that go on also were held during the summer to prepare students for the upcoming school year and sport seasons. Teams like the volleyball, softball, and wrestling went to team camps to get a jump start on their competition.

In June, our wrestlers attended the UNK team wrestling camp. “We saw some of the best competition from a 3 state area,” Said Coach PJ Smith. “Anytime you go against better school you are only bettering yourself.” During this tournament-style camp, the team faced wrestlers from many different places; Papillion LaVista, Amhurst, Medicin Vally/Sutherland, Ogallala, Oberlin (KS), Burwell/Sorgent, St. Fransis (KS), Marino (CO) and other schools. The team finished 2^nd out of 21 teams in the tournament and there were some team members who really stood out. “Scott Moody had a really good tournament. He was voted by UNK “Most Outstanding.” Many had good matches and did really well,” said Smith. With two state qualifiers (Scott Moody and Trevor Schroeder) returning, and with Justin Cook and Adam Buchli close to being the first wrestlers in school history to win 100 matches, there are many things to watch fro this upcoming season.

A month later, more camps helped prepare athletes for their seasons. Softball went to UNL on July 7 for a one day team camp. They were the only team that attended this particular camp. “it was good for them to come together and really work on fundamentals,” said coach Taylor Beihl. During camp, the team went through drills and work outs that gave them a jump start ahead. “They worked on techniques that they really didn’t know well until they broke it down,” said Beihl.

Another camp held at UNL was the volleyball team camp. New social science teacher and coach Miranda Luke took the team to a pool play camp on July 25 and 26, that was directed by head Husker volleyball coach John Cook and refereed by the Husker team. This was some of the first real competition against the team. “I was able to gain expectations, able to see our strengths and weaknesses and where to improve,” said Luke. The new head of the team noticed a lot about the team and this camp helped show what they could handle. “I saw two major things about the team. First, it helped to see our dynamics (how they react to each other), and the different friendships. Second, how mentally tough we are, even when we were faced with harder teams,” said Luke.

One camp that was held wasn’t your everyday-ordinary sports camp. It was the FCA MaxOut sports camp. On July 16-18, FCA leader and Math teacher Julie Stalling took four students to Kearney to take part in many fun group activities with other school and really learn to max out in their sport and give the glory to God. Truly maxing out, students Traci Bohlmeyer, Josh Johnson, John Mach and Kelsey Hill endured through a lot of hard conditioning and intense drills, learned to never quit and keep their focus looking up. “It helped me lean to focus on God when I’m playing softball,” said Traci Bohlmeyer, who worked in the General Athletic group. Both Bohlmeyer and Stalling took something away from this camp and were glad to have taken on the challenges. “The best part was getting to meet Christians that are as strong in their faith as I am,” said Bohlmeyer. “I really enjoyed the conversations on the way home, but what I really hope the students took away from the camp is how to truly max out on the field or court,” said Stalling.

With all these summer training camps and fun that was had, FHS can expect great things to come out of the teams that put in the extra mile and worked hard to improve.--Kelsey Hill

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As I sat down to eat lunch with my friends, I glanced over at the television to see breaking news on Sports Center I thought I would never see: “Brett Favre signs with Vikings.” The first thing I said was, “Are you kidding me?!” Favre has become a major nuisance for himself, the Packers and Vikings Associations, and the NFL. I don’t think he will be able to withstand the hard, grueling, and long NFL season. He wants another Super Bowl, but I don’t think he has the stamina to make it to February.

On Aug. 18, 2009, Favre signed a two-year, $25 million deal. The thing I don’t get is that two weeks prior, Favre said he would stay retired. He said his shoulder would keep him from being 100 percent for a 16-game season. So what changed in a two-week period?

Two things: One, Brett Favre is 39 going on 40 and he just didn’t want to go through training camp because he knew if he wanted to come back, the Vikings would roll out the red carpet for him. And two, revenge. He knows as well as anyone else that the Vikings play the Packers twice. Now I’m not a Green Bay Packer fan, but I don’t see how Brett Favre can go down as the “All-Time Packer” now that he is suited up in comeback purple. You think that Bart Starr (Hall-of-Fame quarterback for the Green Bay Packers) would play for a rival just to get one more run at the Super Bowl? Would he do it out of spite, the way Favre seems to be doing? That has to hurt the Packer fans more.

Anybody remember Jackie Robinson? When arguably the “All-time Brooklyn Dodger” faced retirement or a trade to the New York Giants, he chose retirement, saying he couldn’t bear to ever put on a Giants uniform.

Brett Favre has completely tarnished his legacy. I do give him props, however. In his 17-year career, he is the all-time leader in career passing attempts (9,280), career completions (5,720), career touchdown passes (464), career wins as a starting quarterback (169), career passing yards (65,127), and consecutive starts as a quarterback (291). All of his statistics will be added to this season.

Come on Brett. Give it up. You own the record in almost everything, and you even have a Super Bowl victory. What else do you need? It’s time to hang up your cleats and pack it in. My suggestion, if you don’t want to give up football, is become a head coach. Then you don’t have to take any hits...on the field that is. --Richard Rhoden

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Despite the rumors of changing the academic period to include students who have D’s, Principal Jeff Vetter confirmed that the Friday academic period will only be for students who are on the down list or have been asked by their teachers to stay.

It’s not unreasonable to think there might be changes to motivate students who have lower GPAs, since the program has worked well in keeping students off the down list. By the end of last year, the number of students on the down list had dropped from 60 to 20. “Of course, as we got closer to the end of the year the numbers started to climb back up again, but that’s to be expected,” Vetter said.

As of the second week of school, 17 students are on the down list, 10 of which are in junior high. However, Vetter said that generally the down list is a mix of junior and senior high. “The list is sometimes skewed,” said Vetter, due to students being listed for each class they are down in.

For now, there will be no changes in the academic period. “All the programs we have are pro-active in keeping students’ grades up,” Vetter said. Students seem to agree.

“I like it [the academic period] because it allows us to get out early if we’re all doing good in school,” Zach Schacht ’14 said.

It’s not just junior high students that feel this way. “I like it because it gives people a chance to catch up in school,” said Freshman Toni Davis. -- Hannah Bauer.

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The end of summer marks the end of a lot of opportunities for fundraising, but the students who are going to Europe this upcoming summer are continuing with their efforts.

Two students, Nicki Vernon ’11 and Sydney Schroeder ’11 have organized and are selling eye-black strips to the school, and soon will be selling Fairbury Jeff lanyards. Still others are running concession stands at sporting events, or painting curbs for a profit. “I think the curb painting is going really good, and we’re not done yet,” said senior, Kayla Specht, one of the students going to Europe. She is most excited about the traveling experience, and seeing all the different countries. Patrick Backer ’11 is also going on the Europe trip, and is one of the only boys going. “It’s surprising, really, that no other guys are going,” he said. He also said that he’s most excited about visiting Scotland.

The trip across the ocean is not cheap, and anything the students can do for more funds, they’re doing. Some of the upcoming fundraisers to look for are PTA babysitting, a book fair, and Casey’s pizza and doughnut sales. Whatever the public can do to help out the group, they appreciate greatly. --Meg Ehle