Storm TrackerTHE United High School NewsLine

STORM ALERTS

The State of Illinois owes the United School District...

$276,134.22!

Volume 14, Issue 9

IN THIS ISSUE:

Source: Illinois State Board of Education (5/31/18)

United Pride Night p. 3

Current fiscal year only

Sports finales for all p. 11High & Junior High honor rolls p. 9

By Baylee McKeown Going to state can be a big deal, especially since this year’s seniors on ICTM have made it to state all four years of their high school career. This year was a great year for the United Il-linois Council of Teachers of Mathmatics Team! First off, they won Re-gionals at Western Illinois University and that was a big deal. “Going to regionals and winning was a great experience,” senior Vada Gregory said. Then the team went onto state which was at University of Illinois Champaign. Although the team did not win state, a few indi-viduals placed very well. Seniors Zac Frieden and Vada Gregory placed 10th out of 22 in the Oral Competition. “It felt really good to place in the upper half of the competition,” Friedensaid. “Even though the team never does very well dur-ing the state competition, it is always fun to go and compete against really good schools and smart students,” Gregory said. ICTM is a math com-petition and only a few certain people get to be on the team. The United ICTM Team ended their season exceptionally well and should be back for more next year!

Class of ’18 totals 69 students

The Galesburg Area Vocational is pleased to announce this year’s Student of the Year award goes to Kenny Bergren of United High School. Kenny is an excep-tional young man that is respected by both his classmates and teachers. We are particularly proud of this student be-cause the character and honesty he displays.

ICTM wraps up season at state

Senior Bergren namedStudent of the Year

He has proven to be successful both in and out of the classroom.

By Joey Jones United High School went through its gradua-tion ceremony on May 20 with 69 graduates. The ceremony began with Vada Gregory, one of the speakers for the day, giving the opening speech. Gregory began by instilling in every observer’s mind the class motto, and quote by Mark Twain, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow-lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Ex-plore. Dream. Discover.” This quotation, accord-ing to Gregory, will not af-fect the class of ’18 due to everything they spend their days doing, from sports to academics. The next two speak-ers, sharing the title of

Co-Valedictorian, were Claire Gregory and Sara Simonson. Claire Gregory, be-ing the second speaker, began her speech with a quotation saying, “I’m not alone when I say the future scares me.” A quo-tation that outlined the remainder of her speech, and circled around her closing, which was a series of poems relating to the future and, in her words, inspiring to not only herself, but an en-tire class full of people. The other Co-Valedic-torian, ,Sara Simonson, also spoke at graduation and during her speech she talked about the American Dream. “Just like not every rectangle is a square, success does not mean you’re happy,” Simon-son said. The next speaker was

Darrin Ross, giving the Senior Address, in which he spoke of seasons coming to a close and concluded with wise words from himself. After he had finished, he individually thanked all of

the retirees and depart-ing teachers at the end of the school year. Next, the senior choir sang “Good Old Days”

See “Grads” on pg. 10

STORM TRACKER

1905 100th Street Monmouth, IL 61462 (309) 734-9411

The Storm Tracker is published monthly, wth additional issues as war-ranted, by the journalism students of

United High School, and is distributed online via the World Wide Web. The

material published does not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the administration

of United School District #304.

While every attempt is made to determine the validity of advertising

contained herein, the advertising in the Storm Tracker is not to be construed

as endorsement of a specific product or service. The Storm Tracker assumes no responsibility of liability resulting from

the content of paid advertisements.

The Storm Tracker does not knowing-ly accept advertsements that discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion,

color, handicapped status, veteran or sexual orientation, nor does it knowingly print ads that violate any local, state, or

federal laws.

Parties interested in advertising in the Storm Tracker should contact Mr. Kozelichki at the address and/or phone

number listed above.

Letters to the editor must be mailed to the address above and cannot be more than 350 words. The author’s name and phone number must be included for veri-

fication purposes. The Storm Tracker only edits letters in cases of timeliness and obscenity and does not guarantee

publication of all letters.

STORM TRACKERHanafin Miller, Editor

Reporters:Alison Barrington, Kenny

Bergren, Alex Brady, Ethan Chenault, Grace Gulden-zopf, Joey Jones, Baylee

McKeown, Robert Michael, Kenzie Rutledge, Jenna Tippett, Alyssa Vicker

UNITED CUSD #304 contact numbers

Superintendent’s Office 734-9413 FAX 734-0223

United High School 734-9411 FAX 734-6090

United Junior High 734-8511 FAX 734-6094

United Elementary North 482-3332 FAX 482-3341

United Elementary West 734-8513 FAX 734-8515

“Some material courtesy of American Society of

Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.”

WEBPAGE ADDRESS

The webpage contains links to each district build-ing and office, as well as

access to the online grading system and calendar.

www.u304.org

page 2

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The Board of Education of the United Com-munity Unit School District #304 is accepting applications for the following positions:

2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR POSITIONS: Licensed Positions: HS Math - Anticipated Pre-Kindergarten Teacher - HS Social Studies Teacher Anticipated HS Cross Categorical Teacher Anticipated 2nd Grade Teacher - West Elem

School Support Personnel: Custodian/Maintenance - UJHS Bus Driver(s) - Paraprofessionals - various buildings

Stipend Positions: JH Girls Basketball Coach HS Speech Coach HS Scholastic Bowl Coach HS Golf Coach

All letters of application inquires and creden-tials are to be sent to:

Jeff Whitsitt, Superintendent United Community School District #304 1905 100th St. Monmouth, IL 61462

The Superintendent of Schools will screen all ap-plications. The administrative staff will conduct interviews. Applicants are not to contact board members.

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENTS

Family Owned& Operated

206 S. MainMonmouth

734-1992We Deliver!

District prioritizes Life Safety lists

Continued from page 2

at United for 21 years and has been able to see manystudents come and go from her computer lab, although the first year she worked here, she was a kindergar-ten teacher’s aide.

Teachers prepare for life outside United

It was Mrs. Judy Eyler who got her the job as the school’s tech aide. She has had the help of Mr. Roger Shurtz the past two years making her job a little less hectic. After retiring Mrs.

By Kenzie Rutledge Despite the week delay, the United school board still convened this month on May 17. Compared to last month, this meeting was relatively short lasting less than an hour A life safety survey priority list was set. The priority list consists of high to low priorities. High priorities at the

high school alone would cost up to $564,800. One thing on the high priority list is getting new lights all the way around the football field. The current lights are in horrible shape and poten-tially dangerous. On the recommended list for the high school is the repaving of the park-ing lot. The total cost of the recommended list is

$2.3 million dollars and $1.7 million dollars of this would be used to complete the repavement. Nothing on either list will be approved until there is further consulting is done in June. A three-year contract was signed with Pepsi to pay for scoreboards. United High School will be a total

Pepsi school and no Coke products will be sold any-where on campus. The idea of student athletes to be able to par-ticipate in two sports per season was talked about; however, nothing was of-ficially decided. There are many things to discuss and

See “Board” on page 5

Macek plans to work in her garden, sew and knit and also laughingly said she will not be cleaning. She will also take a trip out to Colorado and visit her daughter. When asked what she’ll take away from this place and her work, she said, “How hard the teachers here really work. They are here day and night, some even come in on weekends to get things done.” One thing she said she will remember and take with her are the students always having to show her how to work her phone. “We all discover there are many more rules to follow after graduation. It is our obligation to prepare students for what they will face when they leave here,” Macek said. “Insisting the school’s rules are followed, we are only trying to help students to be prepared for life.”

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Steven Armstrong, Mgr.Box 185 Cameron, IL 309-563-9612

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Building Fire Trucks Since 1947

Two retirements, a move and a wedding leave big shoes to fillBy Robert Michael For most freshmen go-ing down the senior hall-way, they might be forced to go either to drivers’ ed or health, classes both taught by Tim Engebretson. Most freshmen pass by the display case at the four corners every day, but they don’t notice the achieve-ment Coach Engebretson left back in 2004.

Back in 2004, Engebret-son led the football team as the head coach, with Ben McIntosh as the offense coach and Job Linboom as the defense coach, to a state championship. “I’ve grown to know and respect Tim for the ability to work with young men, get them to believe in him, and play very hard for him,” McIntosh said. Engebretson left foot-ball behind as he became a family man of three children, one girl and two boys. His secondary family, the ones out for the football season, however, are now absent in his life due to his transition to remain a teacher. “I don’t get to know the kids as well anymore, I don’t see them in practice everyday, or the summers we would spend together,” Engebretson said. Out of the 25 years Engebretson has worked at Warren/United, he said his

varsity boys’ basketball coach. “It’s always hard to say goodbye to people you’ve created meaningful rela-tionships with, so I will miss the many students, coworkers and community members who I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the most. Over the last three years at UHS, I’ve learned the value of educational on a personal level. Even though I was assigned to teach history, I learned that by connect-ing with my students I was able to cultivate a culture of trust in my classroom that allowed students to succeed. Through this, I’ve seen many students grow and mature into people of which the community could be proud,” Mastin said.

By Jenna Tippett When this year ends, it will not only be the class of 2018 leaving; it is also the last year for Mrs. Rachel Macek. Mrs Macek has worked

See “Teachers” on page 2

favorite memory were the 25 years he had to blossom friendships with his faculty, and it’s also what he’s the most proud of. However, his most infamous memory was the best team he ever coached, the 1993 football team; they lost the first round. When asked what his plans are after he retires, he noted he would work in other fields, as he doesn’t really have a hobby to dedi-cate his life to.

By Alyssa Vicker United High School prepares for a difficult goodbye to history teacher, coach and leader Kane Mastin.

After being a coach and history teacher at United for three years, Mastin has decided to take up a job that will allow him to be closer to his future wife. “ I will always have positive feelings towards my experience at United but an opportunity present-ed itself for me to be closer to my future wife and to be a head coach again. While I will miss United, I had to make a tough decision that offered both personal and professional benefits,” Mastin said. He was a coach for United’s girls’ basketball team for two years before continuing his coaching at Carl Sandburg College. Mastin will be teaching and coaching in the Mid-west Central School Dis-trict, having been approved as the new middle school social studies teacher and

By Hanafin MillerEditor-in-Chief The news has recently been exposed that another teacher is leaving United High School. Kay Hedrick is going to continue her teaching career but not here at United. “I have accepted a posi-tion at Mercer County High School as a special educa-tion teacher, similar to what I do here,” Mrs. Hedrick said. She will miss this school and the people so much but the 35 minute drive is what

is standing between her and teaching in this district.

Also retiring, albeit sud-denly, is 30-year veteran Judith Ross, who simply says, “I’m old. I wasn’t going to retire for a few more years, at least 2020, but I just felt like it was time to go.”

Ross has taught history, geography, civics, politi-cal science, and economics during her career. She says she plans, “on getting away, doing some travelling, and staying planted in my garden.”

Her decision didn’t come easy considering how much she loves being a part of this family. Since she lives in Aledo, it will be easier for her to be a teacher at Mercer County High School instead. “I will cherish all the memories I have made while teaching here at United High School and will never forget my time here. I would like to thank everyone for all you have done to make my time working here at United special,” Mrs Hedrick said.

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SCENES FROM THE SOUTH SIDE

120 S. “A”Monmouth, IL

734-0374

Best wings in the

By Alison Barrington Juniors and seniors along with parents, grand-parents and many other supporters filled the new gym on Wednesday, May 2. The annual United Pride Night is the one night of the year where students come together and anxiously waited to see if their name was called for scholarships or any awards. The night started with Anthony Law presenting the A. Lewis Long Memo-rial Endowment through the Carl Sandburg College Foundation. This award was given to two students with the highest GPA who will be attending Carl Sandburg College in the fall. Those who received the award was Olivia Bishop and Allie Smith. Wayne McCarron pre-sented the Western Illinois University Scholarships for $2000 and those recipients were Kenny Bergren, Tyler Bitar, Tylar Gosney, Sam Olson, Alyssa Schneider, Mary Smith, Jenna Tippett and Darrin Ross. Linda McKeown award-ed Vada Gregory with a $1500 Farmer’s State Bank Scholarship. Kris and Pat Repp presented the Matt Repp Memorial Scholarship to four seniors for $750 each. Those were Alison Bar-rington, Olivia Bishop (pic-tured right), Jordian Cook and Toby Whitsitt. The Julia E. Thomas Scholarship was presented by Kris Repp to Janelle King for $500. Kelley Whitsitt present-ed the $250 Alexis P.E.O Chapter G Scholarship to

Pride Night honors the best and brightest from 2017-2018 school yearAlison Barrington and Vada Gregory. Sandy Brown repre-sented the Alexis Women’s Club awarding a $500 Scholarship to Alison Bar-rington. Tiffany Springer from the Galesburg Commu-nity Foundation presented the $1500 Steve McBride Scholarship to Claire Gregory and Vada Gregory, the John E. Bohan Scholar-ship to Zac Frieden, Noah Northrup and Toby Whit-sitt, and the Lyle Pierce Scholarship was presented to Baylee McKeown.

Becky Carlson her scholarship to Cassie Clark and Noah Northrup. Mrs. Kelly Menge, WYSE Academic Chal-lenge Coach presented Olivia Bishop with the WYSE Scholarship to Carl Sandburg College. The United Education Association award was giv-en to Darrin Ross, present-ed by Mrs. Katie Pedigo. This award was given to a student furthering his or her education and must be studying to obtain a degree in education. Student Council awards

were also given out to those who were on the executive board this year and petitioners by advisors Mrs. Brooke Anderson and Mrs. Jenn Stoneking.Music wards were given out by Choral teacher Mrs. Katie Pedigo and band director Mrs. Madeline Wood. The Louis Armstrong Award was given to Darrin Ross, the Director Ser-vice Award to Cheyenne Brownlee, the John Philip Sousa Award was presented to Mary Smith, National School Choral Award to Emma and Nicole Poole and Senior scholarship and the Arion Outstanding Award both went to Darrin Ross and Alyssa Schneider. The IHSA All-State Academic Team Award went to Zac Frieden and Vada Gregory.

Illinois State Scholar awards were handed out to Olivia Bishop, Zac Frie-den, Claire Gregory, Vada Gregory, Janelle King and Sara Simonson. National Honor Society Inductees were inducted with seniors Vada Gregory and Zach Marshall joining 20 juniors: Savannah Bal-lard, Alena Buckley, Erin Bushong, Nathan Clark, Makayla Crain, Sydney Elswick, Erin Glison, Kelsey Hart, Ayla John-ston, Eryka Keeney, Alex King, Brannock McVey, Adriana Nunez, Emma Parkins, Kenzie Rutledge, Bailey Shimmin, Carly Thompson, Ben Watson, Sadie Wells and Avery Yung. Current National Honor Society members were also recognized at the awards night.

Illinois State Scholars (left to right) Janelle King, Claire Gregory, Zac Frieden, Olivia Bishop and Vada Gregory

CSC Presents THE COLLEGIATE CONNECTIONStories, clues and hints to help you prepare for life after high school

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CSC CALENDAR REMINDERSSUMMER 2018 8 WEEK SESSION Monday, June 11 - Friday, August 3

SUMMER 2018 “First 4-Week Session” Monday, June 11 – Friday, July 6

SUMMER 2018 “Second 4-Week Session” Monday, July 9 – Friday, August 3

Industrial Tech offers shed The United High School Industrial Technology program has a storage shed available for purchase. The shed measures 8’x12’ outside and is 8’ tall at the peak. It has 3-4x4 runners underneath as a base and a 3/4” thick floor material on top of treated floor joists. Cost is $1100 and the buyer must arranges their own delivery. We have had several hauled by Berg’s Towing in the past for somewhere around $100 depending on the

distance. Interested persons can

Carl Sandburg Col-lege has expanded its Dual Credit Scholarship to include classes offered during the 2018 summer session, giving high school students a great opportu-nity to get a jump-start on college at a price that can’t be beat. The scholarship, avail-able to high school students who have yet to graduate, covers 50 percent of tuition for the first six credit hours enrolled. The scholarship is automatically applied when a student registers for classes, so there’s no paperwork or forms that need to be filled out. The scholarship is applicable to

transfer degree classes as well as courses that are part of Sandburg’s career and technical programs. “Our summer classes at Sandburg are a great way to get a head start on earning your degree — and doing so at a low cost,” Sandburg Dean of Student Success Misty Lyon said. “Taking a dual credit class at Sandburg will cost less than a similar course at an in-state college or uni-versity. Plus, many of our classes can be taken online, so students can still have plenty of time to enjoy their summer break while studying at a pace they prefer.” Dual credit students

receive the same on-campus benefits as other Sandburg students such as free tutor-ing (in-person as well as online), Sandburg Library access and free admission to campus events.

The Dual Credit Ex-perimental Pell program at Sandburg also continues to be available to qualified students. Summer classes at Sandburg are filling up

quickly and begin June 11. For more information or to sign up, contact the Sandburg Welcome Center at 309-345-3500 or wel-comecenter@sandburg.edu.

Sandburg Offering 50% Discount on Summer Dual Credit Classes

By Grace Guldenzopf United’s senior art show! On May 2, United’s se-niors had their last art show in the commons at the high school. Displays were made by Bethel Amouzouvikponge, Caitlin Bennett, Joseph Bevenour, Tyler Bitar, Alexandria Brady, Ashton Chandler, Cassandra Clark, Sarah Colbrese, Hayley Corbin, Tara Cornell, Grace Fredrickson, Tylar Gosney, Grace Guldenzopf, Jackson Lee, Marlaina Lair, Mada-lyn McKee, Hanafin Miller, Noah Northrup, Claire Oet-ting, Karissa Pierce, Kiahn-ee Prince, Nolan Raymond, Jordan Shelton, and Elias Van Norman. Their displays consisted of three or more of their

best projects and an artist statement. In their artist statement, they had to write about what inspires them to do art, their favorite medium to use, and how they have grown as artists in their last year of highschool. “The turnout was great! I’m so proud of all of my seniors and I hope that they continue with art because all of them are talented in their own ways,” art teacher Mrs. Hannah Baker said. The art two and three students had their last art show of the year on May 9. It was also in the commons at the high school. They also had to have three or more projects and an artist statement to complete their displays.

Senior show caps art class’ year contact Mr. Fred Lucas at

734-9411 for more details.

Continued from page 2

work out before making a set-in-stone decision. The junior high school handbook will be getting a dress code alteration. The handbook will now say, “students must be fully covered.” Enforcement of this rule will be very strict

and students must change if told to by any faculty or staff member. Fuel bids were awarded to Halcomb Oil in the amounts of $2.18 for regu-lar and $2.49 for Diesel. Following closed ses-sion, the board regretfully accepted the resignations of teachers Kane Mastin,

Judith Ross, Sydney Sot-tos, Kay Hedrick and para-professional Kelli Koch. Also approved was Jeff Hannam as JH Boys bas-ketball coach. Also approved was the summer employment of Sherry McDonald, Annette Sperry, Brenda Cornell, and Stewart Svob.

Board meeting includes handbook changes

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Class of ’18 lists future plansBethel Amouzouvikpongbe Carl Sandburg College Emergency Med. TechAlison Barrington Monmouth College Elementary EducationChandler Battenburg Carl Sandburg College Secondary Ed. (English)Caitlin Bennett Carl Sandburg College UndecidedKenneth Bergren Monmouth College Law EnforcementJoseph Bevenour Morrison Institute of Tech. Design and DraftingOlivia Bishop Carl Sandburg College CommunicationsTyler Bitar Western Illinois University Computer ProgrammingAlexandra Brady Carl Sandburg College Dental HygieneCheyenne Brownlee Carl Sandburg College Social Work/PsychologyAshton Chandler John Wood Comm College AgricultureEthan Chenault Work KS EnergyCassandra Clark Carl Sandburg College Early Childhood EducationSarah Colbrese Carl Sandburg College Construction ManagementJordian Cook University of Iowa Pre-PharmacyHayley Corbin Carl Sandburg College Health CareTara Cornell Carl Sandburg College Radiology Tech.Adam Crain Southeastern Comm Coll Fire ScienceCarolina Cruz Ramirez Monmouth College BiologyAnthony Essex US Army MechanicAllison Feltmeyer Carl Sandburg College Child DevelopmentGrace Fredrickson Carl Sandburg College Elementary EducationZachary Frieden Indiana Univ/Purdue Univ Sports ManagementTanner Gorden Carl Sandburg College UndecidedTylar Gosney Western Illinois University Law EnforcementClaire Gregory Augustana College UndecidedVada Gregory Univ. Of Illinois Business ManagementGrace Guldenzopf Carl Sandburg College NursingJessica Hall Carl Sandburg College NursingPhillippe Harlan Morrison Tech Network AdministratorLaura Hart Carl Sandburg College NursingBryland Hoffman US Army Logan Keller Carl Sandburg College Automotive TechJanelle King Viterbo University NursingSteven Kirkman Work Kirkman Composites

Marlaina Lair Carl Sandburg College WeldingHunter Lantz Morrison Tech Network AdministrationJackson Lee Carl Sandburg College WeldingBlain Lundeen Work Semi-driverZachary Marshall Work Carpentry ApprenticeshipMeghan McCutcheon Carl Sandburg College UndecidedMadalyn McKee Scott Community College BusinessBaylee McKeown Bradley University Early Childhood EducationDakota Mettler Work FarmlandRobert Michael SanDiego Mesa College Electrical EngineeringHanafin Miller Western Illinois University UndecidedBrock Noles Undecided Law EnforcementNoah Northrup Carl Sandburg College Physical TherapyClaire Oetting Simpson College Sports AdministrationSamuel Olson Western Illinois University Engineering Bergen Perry US Air ForceKarissa Pierce Carl Sandburg College UndecidedEmma Poole Monmouth College UndecidedNicole Poole Monmouth College UndecidedKiahnee Prince Capri College CosmetologyNolan Raymond Carl Sandburg College JournalismDarrin Ross Western Illinois University Secondary Ed. (English)Alyssa Schneider Western Illinois University Music EducationJordan Shelton Carl Sandburg College Elementary EducationMatthew Simonson Monmouth College Biopsychology/SpanishSara Simonson Monmouth College BiologyAllie Smith Carl Sandburg College UndecidedMary Smith Bradley University Elementary EducationZebulon Stein Carl Sandburg College UndecidedMargaret Studer Tricoci Univ. of Beauty CosmetologyJenna Tippett Western Illinois University Psychology/ForensicsElias Van Norman Carl Sandburg College Mechanical EngineeringAlyssa Vicker Carl Sandburg College PsychologyAlejandra Villarreal Carl Sandburg College NursingToby Whitsitt Butler University Marketing

Muffins and Donuts help say hello to pre-K parents

Moms and dads, even grandmas and grand-pas, all participated in the end of the year “Muffins for Moms” and “Donuts for Dads” days at the high school as the pre-K brought their caregivers together for breakfast.

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UHS & UJHS Honor Rolls for 2nd Semester & 4th Quarter United High School is pleased to announce the follow-ing students have attained honor roll status for the fourth quarter of the 2017-2018 school year:

HIGH HONORS: 3.67 and higher

SENIORS: Caitlin Bennett, Joseph Bevenour, Olivia Bishop, Alexandria Brady, Cheyenne Brownlee, Ashton Chandler, Cassandra Clark, Sarah Col-brese, Jordian Cook, Hayley Corbin, Allison Feltmeyer, Zachary Frieden, Tylar Gosney, Claire Gregory, Vada Gregory, Jessica Hall, Laura Hart, Janelle King, Zachary Marshall, Ma-dalyn McKee, Hanafin Miller, Noah Northrup, Claire Oetting, Emma Poole, Nicole Poole, Darrin Ross, Alyssa Schneider, Matthew Simonson, Sara Simon-son, Allie Smith, Jenna Tippett, Alyssa Vicker, Toby Whitsitt.

JUNIORS: Savannah Ballard, Alena Buckley, Erin Bushong, Makayla Crain, Sydney Elswick, Erin Glisan, Abbigail Greenlief, Kelsey Hart, Adam Johnson, Ayla Johnston, Joseph Jones, Eryka Keeney, Lora Livingston, Jace Mann, Brannock McVey, Adriana Nunez, Caitlyn Olson, Emma Parkins, Melissa Poole, Brock Powers, Makenzie Rut-ledge, Payton Salsman, Breanna Shea, Bailey Shimmin, Carly Thompson, Cheyenne Trout, Khloe Trulson, Benjamin Wat-son, Mercedes Wells.

SOPHOMORES: Nicole Baker, Jacob Bentz, Nicholas Brown, Carson Clayton, David Dutton, Andrew Fuller, Anne Gregory, Courtney Hinton, Natalie King, Madisyn Lee, Shalyn Lucas, Quinton McVey, Samuel Mono, William Ornduff, Alec Thomp-son, Cassiday Tierney, Cade Whitsitt, Evan Wynne.

FRESHMAN: Tyler Barrington, Alyssa Beltran, Jackson Ber-gren, Danielle Bowling, Bridget Brokaw,Emma Colbrese, Cath-erine Fuller, Makaila Hootman, Riley Horner, Haley Marshall, Morgaine Olson, Sullivan

Ross, Jennifer Shimmin, Kay-lan Sperry, Laney Tabb, Aubrey Thompson, Trace Titus.

HONORS: 3.34 - 3.66SENIORS: Alison Barrington, Kenneth Bergren, Adam Crain, Tanner Gorden, Baylee McKe-own, Bergen Perry, Karissa Pierce, Mary Smith, Zebulon Stein.

JUNIORS: Blakelyn Arendt, Alassandra Arteaga, Nathaniel Clark, Wesley Eckert, Emily Flynn, Skyler Hoke, Alejandro Martin.

SOPHOMORES: Dylan Che-line, Jalyn Curtis, Austin Davis, Dylan Diaz, Natalie Gillette, Emily Grodjesk, Jerzi Johnson, Isabella Kilgore, Kalyn Lee, Olivia Mitchell, Hanna Payne, Stewart Svob, Avery Winking.

FRESHMEN: Drew Brown, Mallorie Brunswig, Gage Chenault, Mallory Cooper, Jordan Lantz, Paige McKeown, Rebecca Merry, Noah Olson, Coleman Orth, Paige Smysor, Toby Turnqquist.

United High School is pleased to announce the fol-lowing students have attained honor roll status for the second semester of the 2017-2018 school year”:

HIGH HONORS: 3.67 and higher

SENIORS: Caitlin Bennett, Kenneth Bergren, Joseph Bev-enour, Olivia Bishop, Cheyenne Brownlee, Ashton Chandler, Cassandra Clark, Sarah Col-brese, Jordian Cook, Hayley Corbin, Carolina Cruz Ramirez, Allison Feltmeyer, Zachary Frieden, Claire Gregory, Vada Gregory, Jessica Hall, Janelle King, Zachary Marshall, Ma-dalyn McKee, Hanafin Miller, Noah Northrup, Claire Oetting, Samuel Olson, Karissa Pierce, Emma Poole, Nicole Poole, Nolan Raymond, Darrin Ross, Alyssa Schneider, Matthew Simonson, Sara Simonson, Allie

Smith, Jenna Tippett, Alyssa Vicker, Toby Whitsitt.

JUNIORS: Savannah Ballard, Alena Buckley, Erin Bushong, Makayla Crain, Sydney Elswick, Erin Glisan, Kelsey Hart, Adam Johnson, Ayla Johnston, Joseph Jones, Eryka Keeney, Lora Liv-ingston, Jace Mann, Brannock McVey, Adriana Nunez, Caitlyn Olson, Emma Parkins, Melissa Poole, Brock Powers, Maken-zie Rutledge, Payton Salsman, Breanna Shea, Bailey Shimmin, Carly Thompson, Cheyenne Trout, Khloe Trulson, Benjamin Watson, Mercedes Wells.

SOPHOMORES: Nicole Bak-er, Jacob Bentz, Carson Clayton, Kaylee Cornell, David Dutton, Andrew Fuller, Natalie Gillette, Anne Gregory, Courtney Hinton, Jerzi Johnson, Keirstyn Johnson, Natalie King, Madisyn Lee, Shalyn Lucas, Quinton McVey, Samuel Mono, William Ornduff, Alec Thompson, Cassiday Tier-ney, Cade Whitsitt, Evan Wynne.

FRESHMAN: Jackson Ber-gren, Danielle Bowling, Bridget Brokaw, Drew Brown, Emma Colbrese, Catherine Fuller, Makaila Hootman, Riley Horner, Haley Marshall, Morgaine Olson, Sul-livan Ross, Jennifer Shimmin, Kaylan Sperry, Laney Tabb, Aubrey Thompson, Trace Titus.

HONORS: 3.34 - 3.66

SENIORS: Alexandria Brady, Adam Crain, Tanner Gorden, Laura Hart, Bergen Perry, Mary Smith, Zebulon Stein.

JUNIORS: Blakelyn Arendt, Wesley Eckert, Emily Flynn, Abbigail Greenlief, Skyler Hoke, Alejandro Martin, Blake Ryner.

SOPHOMORES: Nicholas Brown, Cameron Brownlee, Dylan Cheline, Jalyn Curtis, Austin Davis, Dylan Diaz, Emily Grodjesk, Dyhlan Hepner, Owen Jenks, Isabella Kilgore, Aaron Lee, Kalyn Lee, Olivia Mitchell,

United Junior High School is pleased to announce the follow-ing students have attained honor roll status for the fourth quarter of the 2017-2018 school year:

6th Grade High Honors (3.75 - 4.00 GPA) Amber Brunswig, Mc-Kelvey Bugner, Landon Burns, Kiera Campbell, Skylar Deakin, Colton Gosney, Tanner Hinton, Carson Horner, Luke Jungmann, Hannah Lair, Ava Laws, Keira Laws, Rachel Leary, Callie Mason, Jacob McElwee, Derrick Sargeant, McKenzie Stevens, Kayelee Stockdale & Leah Wilson Honors (3.0 - 3.74 GPA) Makenzie Aguirre, Emilia Brentise, Rozalynn Courtney, Lillian Cozadd, Edgar Cubillo, Chris Gillette, Sloan Guild, Hunter Hall, Madisyn Hepner, Luke Kinneer, Drew Loveridge, Bridgette Marston, Owen McMillen, Gracie Oma, Madi-son Peel, Honesty Perez, Molly Pleshko, Carter Rothzen, Keaton Simpson, Nick Tyrrell & Tori VanDyke

Hanna Payne, Stewart Svob, El-eanor Van Fleet, Avery Winking.

FRESHMEN: Tyler Bar-rington, Mallorie Brunswig, Mallory Cooper, Declan Flynn, Jordan Lantz, Paige McKeown, Rebecca Merry, Noah Olson, Paige Smysor, Toby Turnquist, Riley Tyrrell.

7th Grade High Honors (3.75 -4.00 GPA) Natalie Brakeville, Isabella Colbrese, Payton Crain, Jon Grodjesk, Alycia Haun, AJ Jenks, Jack Jungmann, Seirra Larson, Hunter Lewis, Carlie Peel, Ralph Peel, Ashlyn Trulson, Aiden Wells, Caydence Wilson & Oscar Young Honors (3.0 - 3.74 GPA) Addison Anderson, Chase Bry-ant, Deven Bushong, Danny Cox, Ethan Elswick, Kaylyn Hager, Riley Hartzell, Lauren Jamison, Addison Murray, Caden Murray, Addison Olmsted, Andrew Ol-son, Ayden Penn, Kamryn Penn, Sam Perry, Carolynn Pippenger, Naomi Purlee, Jacob Sproston, Xavier VanDyke, Zair Velazquez, Abel Wilson & Keegan Winking 8th Grade High Honors (3.75 - 4.00 GPA) Elaina Allaman, Amelia Bennett, Ben Bennett, Laney Butler, Park-er Cassidy, Katie Douglas, Jacob Dutton, Paige Hall, Abby Hinton, Luci Kane, Danny Kimball, Ben LeGate, Josie McElwee, Madi-son Penn & Savanna Seidl Honors (3.0 - 3.74 GPA) Alexis Blake, Cole Boock, Chris-tina Brown, Cadence Brownlee, Claire Carnes, Caleb Copeland, Nick Defenbaugh, Grant Gillen, Hollis Gooch, Eva Green, Jaylee Hasten, Kim Hays, Kaylynn Hennenfent, Madelynn Higbee, Mason Hootman, Colin Jenks, Alexia Lee, Nolan Leffler, Jacob Preston, Makaela Robinson, An-gel Sargeant, Mackenzie Smock, Karragan Sperry, Austin Thomspon & Addyson Trego

page 10

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By Alex Brady One last time! Every year the choir and band have the last spring con-cert. This spring concert, on May 9 was even more special than the rest. The senior class of 2018 have been with the musical teachers Madeline Wood and Katie Pedigo since their first year and the se-niors 6th grade year. It was a very emotional evening for the ones involved. Before the concert began, all of the seniors walked out with their par-ents and were congratulat-ed for the accomplishments they have made. The concert choir per-formed first. This group performed four songs. One of the selections grabbed the audience’s attention, “The Orchestra Song.” The reason is it was so enter-taining to most is because throughout the song the singers sounded like classi-cal instruments. After their great perfor-mance, some of the band members composed their own pieces of music, such as senior Mary Smith, who composed a piece for se-nior Darrin Ross and junior Joey Jones to play together called “LWU.” “It took me about a month or so to get the piece the way I wanted it, but I was really happy with the

way it turned out,” Smith said. After the composi-tions were played, rewards were handed out. Junior Erin Glisan and senior Alex King were awarded the annual Music Boost-ers Lesson Stipend. This is something that granted them money for music les-sons over the summer. The juniors in both choir and band got their varsity letters. The sophomores got their music notes to put on their letterman jackets. Tri-M members were also recognized for more than 40 hours of commit-ment to the program. Before the concert band performed, the chamber choir performed. The chamber choir had two songs out of the ordinary. The first odd song was called “Sicut Cervus” in Latin. The other odd song was called “Desh,” This consisting of students sounding like Indian Instru-ments. This drew a lot of attention, as well. Then it was time for the concert band to perform. Out of the five songs, one of the songs focused on odd percussion instru-ments, called “Cave You Fear.” For example the lion’s roar was a bass drum with a string being pulled through it. This piece was more upbeat than the rest. This spring concert

was a bittersweet moment for the seniors and for

both Mrs. Wood and Mrs. Pedigo, given their past

Musicians conclude year with annual spring concerts

By Kenny Bergren As the school year begins to wind down and the district has only a few remaining weeks left until they can tally up another school year gone by, the planning for the upcoming year has already been in the works for longer than you may think. Starting in the 2018-2019 school year the high school will offer a total of five new classes for stu-dents to enroll in. Many of the new classes cover areas that aren’t the norm when it comes to a majority of high schools in our area. The new classes will be taught by a newly hired teacher to the district.

Ms. Stephanie Adams will be responsible for instructing a course titled Food Science. The sec-ond course is Horticulture which will help students gain more knowledge in the field of gardening and cultivation along with plant identification. The final course Adams will be instructing is “Vet Tech.” This course could prove to be very popular for stu-dents that are interested in the idea of becoming a vet someday. The course will generally help further instruct students in the area

of veterinary science. The final two new class-es will be taught by a face that is already seen quite frequently around the high school campus, Miss Lisa Gartelos who is known to many as “Coach G.” Gartelos will be in-structing a leadership class in hopes of improving leadership in our school, but also in the surrounding commmunity. Gartelos will also be teaching a Pyschlo-gy course that will expand students knowledge on the human mind and the func-tions it is responsible for.

New courses added to curriculum

history with that partticular group of students.

Continued from page 1

by Ben Haggerty, then “May it Be” by Eithne Ni Bhraonain was sung by the concert choir, and finally the senior band concluded the musical portion with a rendition of “Clocks” by Coldplay as some per-formed with their instru-ments for the last time.

After taking their seats and their diplomas, and Nolan “Broken Arms” Raymond “dabbed” exiting the stage, the final speaker, Olivia Bishop, gave the closing speech. “It would be fun they said,” Bishop began, and went on to speak about missing the people of her class, the memories, a

thank you to class and staff members, and finally a quote from Jackson Brown relating to Bishop’s passion of dance. As the seniors, now graduates, walked out of the gym, the United band’s juniors played “Pomp and Circumstance” for the last time in their high school careers

Grads celebrate their day in the sun

page 11

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It was one-and-done for United’s baseball team as they dropped an 8-2 deci-

By Joey Jones The good feelings of a 10-0 win over Monmouth-Roseville in the open-ing round of the regional quickly evaporated as the softball team was pasted 17-2 by number-one seed Rockridge in round two. Freshman Riley Tyrell pitched against Monmouth-Roseville at the regional opener on May 14. The United softball team had an interesting season with 15 wins and 15 losses creating a “500” season. “Well, this season went pretty well. We had a .500 season and had a lot of fun in the dugouts along the way,” junior Erin Bushong said. During the season the team hosted multiple dou-ble header games against teams like Stark County and more. The United Softball team had many ups and downs throughout the sea-son, but came together in the end as a family. “We finished the sea-son pretty strong, so I was happy about that. I will miss these girls,” graduat-

sion to Sherrard in the first game of the IHSA regional. Of the ten teams in the conference, United was seeded eighth heading into the regional. Highlighting the regular season was the first game played at the still unfin-ished home ballpark, a 10-0 win over Bushnell-West Prairie, highlighted by the

By Kenzie Rutledge Track season has came to end. The boys’ track team sectionals were held on May 18 in Knoxville, while girls’ track sectionals were held May 10 at Farm-ington High School. No one from either United track team quali-fied for state; however this

Early end to sports seasons as no one advancesing senior Claire Oetting said. The Simpson College bound first baseman was named first team all-confer-ence. Second team honors went to Kaylee Cornell and Janelle King.

was one of the best seasons yet. Many personal records were set and many people improved. One boys relay (4x400)got first in their heat, and sixth place overall with a time of 3:46.51. embers of the relay were Toby Whit-sitt, Jacob Bentz, Blake Ryner, and Cade Whitsitt. “Looking back on the season, both boys and girls really improved when it came to pushing each other to get better times and working as a team to make each other better,” Bentz said.

combined no-hitter by starter Avery Leffler and Ethan Chenault. Brannock McVey hit the first home run in the park’s history in that game. The diamond still lacks dugouts and seating for fans, which are expected to be completed later in the summer or early fall, along with a sprinkler system and a scoreboard which is being provided by Pepsi as part of a three-year deal (see school board story on page 2). No players made the all-conference first team; however, Adam Crain, Toby Turnquist and Drew Brown were named to the second team and Dylan Cheline was honorable mention.

PE sought Taking everyone by surprise was the May 31 resignation of high school PE teacher Robb Rich-ardson, who is headed to Springfield, MO. Richardson’s wife has accepted a position as head of the kineseology depart-ment at Evangel Univer-sity. Richardson’s alma mater, necessitating the change. Richardson is pursuing teaching opportunities near Springfield.