The Student's Press

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Movie Review

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever starts out with an amazing tribute to Chadwick Boseman who was the Black Panther in the first film (Black Panther) of this series. This movie is the continuation of the Black Panther legend of this Ancient American tribe that has been hiding their technologically advanced society from the rest of the world because of all of the world's conflicts with each other. In this movie Wakanda has been exposed to the world by T’challa (Chadwick Boseman) in the last movie. This movie follows the sister of T’challa, Shuri who is the soon to be next leader of the nation. As the movie goes on Wakanda is threatened by another advanced hidden nation, because they are scared of being discovered because of the resources they are surrounded by. The leader of the new nation wants Wakanda to find the scientist that is helping the outside world find their resources and kill them, But Shuri refuses and therefore causes the two advanced nations to go to war.

The film comes to a close after the two nations finish the war and Shuri is crowned the new queen after her mothers death in the start of the war. She also redesigns the magical flower that gives anyone that consumes it the powers of the Black Panther, along with the help of the American scientist.

I think that this movie was a good continuation of Marvel’s Black Panther after Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing after the first film. They did a great job in giving Chadwick a tribute throughout the movie. I loved the ending of the movie and especially the after credits sneak peak at the next movie. The movie also had a lot of fighting scenes which were really intense and really pulled me in. I also loved the attention to detail in the diversity of the different African tribes that were represented in the movie. The music that was played in the background also felt really accurate to the feel of the movie, it really added depth to it.

There were a few things that I did not like about the movie. I didn’t like the new tribe and villain that was introduced in the movie. I thought it didn’t match the feel of everything else in the movie. It felt like the villain was supposed to be in a different movie almost.

I loved the majority of the characters that were in the movie and their actors played them very well. Shuri had the perfect actor for the role and was my favorite character In the movie because of the ups and downs of her character throughout the movie. Okoye was also a really great character that had in my opinion the perfect actor for the part. Namor was by far my least favorite character, not because he was the villain but because it felt like he wasn’t the right villain for the movie but the actor who played him played the role very well.

Overall I'd say this movie was great but could be better in my opinion but that may be because of the major hype that surrounded the first Black Panther. I thought the movie had great pacing even though it was nearly three hours long, but I promise you it is worth watching.

Anytime Fitness Center of Huron South Dakota

Anytime Fitness located in Huron South Dakota is one of many locations of their fitness centers from all around the world. With very friendly, and from personal experience very flexible, staff members, this is one of my best workout experiences yet. Setting up a membership was extremely simple, and the prices were very reasonable and the staff was flexible. The fitness center is located on Dakota Ave S, Huron South Dakota and is even open for 24 hours a day!

The center has an extremely wide selection of workout equipment, fitting everybody's workout preferences and styles. The facility located in Huron contains a main workout floor, consisting of machines such as treadmills, equipment like barbells and benches, and a very wide selection of free weights. There is a studio room, consisting of free weights, mats for activities, yoga balls, and much more for more body-weight focused workouts. They also have bands for stretching and jump ropes in the studio room. As far as workout machines go, there is a machine for every muscle group on the main floor, making your workout targets and goals more than possible to achieve.

With an upgraded membership, you can have access to things such as a tanning bed, massage chairs, and a massage bed in the back rooms of the center. The staff offer a free short survey, conversation, and movement assessment to get you on the correct workout path. They also offer fitness coaches, assisting in group activities and one-on-one training sessions.

As far as prices go, students are looking at $21.99 biweekly with a 1-year plan and $20.99 biweekly for a 2-year plan. Regular members are looking at a $22.99 biweekly payment for a 1 year plan and $21.99 biweekly payment for a 2 year plan. The first payment involves a downpayment, ensuring their equipment if anything you use gets damaged. My first payment rounded to about $70, including the first initial payment and the downpayment. After a month of use, you have the convenience of using your pass at any other Anytime Fitness locations if you are ever traveling or on vacation.

I personally think that this is a great investment, as fitness has many great benefits. Working out is a very great way to increase your self esteem, and physical, as well as mental, wellness.

Lexi Burma’s Perspective

My first question was “What was the biggest change in your opinion in the school since you were a freshman, and what was your favorite part about that change?” Lexi Burma says that “When I was a freshman I didn’t realize how important it was to work hard and do my best in all my classes.” Since then she has really emphasized that working hard is very important, and how it would help her get further in life. She says that she loves how this change showed her that as long as she does her best and works hard everything will work out for her.

The next topic was what would you say needs to be improved upon in the school. Lexi said that she thinks we should spend less time on our computers. She states that she learns better with hands-on activities and she feels that a lot of people in the school can relate to that. She said that “being on our computers is great for researching but when we spend 99% of our time on them,” she thinks that we don’t learn the same as we should be.

Lexi thinks that the idea of A and B days could be beneficial. She says that this would make homework and studying much easier. Giving students more time to do homework for separate classes or studying for multiple tests because sometimes those things can overlap each other. She also thinks that this would bring in more professionals to expose us to more career paths. It may also benefit the teachers as well, because it would give them more time to come up with lessons or grading for different classes because having every class every day not only is stressful for kids, but also the teachers.

Lexi say that Iroquois is good at giving upperclassman the opportunity to work with the little kids in elementary school, which she states is good for her, because that is apart of her career choice, also stating that everyone feels like a family and knows everyone by name, because our school is a really close community.

This shows the amount of dedication Lexi has to this school and her future plans for her career showing that she has real passion for what she is doing and what she plans to do in the future. She is doing a great job showing that she loves what she plans on pursuing for her career and has real dedication in what she does.

Iroquois-Lake Preston Fall/Winter Sports Season

As winter approaches so do the winter sports, which include basketball, both girls and guys, sideline cheerleading for both, wrestling, and later in the year closer to spring, track. Everyone who does sports is getting ready since it's already on its way. Wrestling practice has already begun, Monday, November 14 being one of the first if not the first. Sideline tryouts are coming up this week, and official practices will start next week on Monday, November 21. Basketball for 5th and 6th graders has already started, with numerous games already done, and another one Monday, November 14, along with another one, just the girls, Tuesday, November 15. Leading off the 5-6th grade basketball season was a tournament the girls had won 3-0 at! Middle and high school basketball is about to begin as well starting off the first basketball season for the Iroquois-Lake Preston Sharks.

There will be numerous games, meets, and tournaments throughout the next months till the end of the year, with a couple of games during the Christmas break. Speaking of which, the Christmas break starts December 21st with the dismissal time of one pm, and we’ll be returning January 3rd.

This week, Tuesday, November 15 we have the fall sports meeting, which will give more information on basketball, cheerleading, wrestling, and practice schedules.

Going back to cheerleading, the girl's basketball sideline team has been chosen. Congrats to Madi, Zoei, Airabella, Shelby, Jozalyn, Isabella, Sarah, and Chloe, along with our coach, Sheri Kogel! Boys basketball sideline tryouts have yet to happen but it is being worked on, along with the schedules for practice. Good luck to everyone trying out.

Outside of sports we also have the Christmas season, which means the Christmas concerts for band and choir. Having the entire school from the little preschoolers to the seniors performing for the choir. The Choir Christmas concert will be on December 1, 2022, at 6:30 p.m in the school gymnasium. The high school selected ensemble and the little chefs will be going to Pierre on December 12. The band performance will include the 5-6 grade band, the middle school band, and the 8th-12th grade band. This concert will be on December 5, 2022. This won't be the final concert we perform, as we’ll have a spring concert the date is undetermined as of right now.

Tokyo Delight

My experience at Tokyo was quite amazing. It is the perfect restaurant for foreign delicious foods. If you are looking forward to trying out some japanese food then you should try Tokyo. Here is why I would recommend Tokyo.

First off let me tell you about the menu. Tokyo has a menu filled with a variety of traditional Japanese foods. One of the most popular dishes that they serve there is sushi. Sushi is a tasty bite size roll that originated in Japan. Sushi usually contains all sources of meat, and vegetables that are usually wrapped in cooked white rice, and seaweed wrap. My personal favorite sushi there is the Godzilla Roll. The roll consists of crab, avocado, cooked rice, and seaweed wrap. The whole roll is deep fried too. They also have a buy two get one roll free deal from Monday to Thursday. Also you can get all you can eat sushi on Mondays for 30 dollars per person.

Even though sushi is really good, that is not all they have on the menu. They also have all sorts of hibachi, bento, boxes and many more traditional dishes. The bento boxes are really cool. They are like boxes that are divided into different sections filled with many different types of food. The ones that are served there are usually a type of meat with rice, three pieces of sushi, and vegetables. With a sweet sauce.

They also have hibachi food as well. Hibachi is a type of food that is stir fried. There are Hibachi Loi Mein, which are noodles, and Hibachi Fried Rice. Personally, I would choose the rice over the noodles, because the rice comes with beef that is covered in a sweet sauce that kind of tastes like barbeque sauce. It also comes with steamed vegetables. The vegetables consist of carrots, broccoli, cabbage, and zucchini.

As you can see from my biased opinion I really enjoyed my time at Tokyo. It has never disappointed me. If I could rate their food from one being horrible to ten being the best, I would rate it a nine. I am very satisfied with Tokyo, and I would definitely recommend it to food lovers

Halloween Ends - Movie Review

Halloween Ends hit the theaters on October 14th, 2022. This movie is very possibly the end of the Halloween movie franchise, as mentioned in the name. The description of the movie reads “This is Laurie Strode’s last stand. After 45 years, the most acclaimed, revered horror franchise in film history reaches its epic, yet terrifying conclusion, as Laurie Strode faces off for the last time against the embodiment of evil, Michael Myers, in a final confrontation unlike any other captured on screen before. Only one of them will survive.” The franchise has kept Jamie Lee Curtis, Laurie Strode, in the films since the 1978 original, Halloween.

I personally thought the film was very entertaining, but it also felt like a series of punches that suddenly got pulled back. I believe that this film is no competition for the originals, as it kind of feels like the producers are just trying to rush the end of the franchise. The film contains many action packed scenes and some really good scares throughout, but I wish the producers had spent more time putting together a story that made sense and connected a little bit more with the originals. Critics do not think very highly of this movie, commenting things such as “Disappointing, given the most recent films have had a grounding in a very modern context… There’s nothing more disappointing than a sequel that’s just there for the sake of it, and that’s what this is for me,” and “This deeply weird movie manages to close out David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy on a high note.”

All in all, the movie is good for a few scares, and a few action packed scenes. Other than those few things, this film strays very far away from the original movies. The only factor that stayed the same in the series was Laurie Strode’s actor, Jamie Lee Curtis. If you would like to see the end of the Halloween franchise, I would not advise you to pay for this in theaters but wait for it to come out on another movie platform.

New Student

Iroquois has had a handful of new students. This year Iroquois High School is honored to have new students. One of the new Iroquois students is Taylor Harp, Junior. Iroquois has welcomed her with open arms as we hear responses from her.

Taylor moved to Iroquois because she did not like going to her old school. She says,” I do not like the teachers or students, and her previous school is not a good school.” When asked how her feelings were towards Iroquois she said,” It’s a great school, and I’m so glad I transferred and I really like the staff here too.”

From Taylor’s experience it is easier here than her previous school. She thinks it’s a great place to learn for all students. A difference she notices about being in a big school compared to being in a smaller school is that she can connect with people more. When asked about the staff here she responded with,” I like the staff here, since it’s a smaller school there are more one on ones, and I like the idea of having more one on ones.” She noticed that unlike her old school there is less bullying here, and that it gets taken care of right away. Taylor enjoys being here and she would not change anything here. She would rather be here than being in her former school. There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages in being in a small school. When Taylor was asked a question about the advantages and disadvantages in a small school she responded with,” an good thing is that there is more one-on-one with the teachers, and less bullying.” She also said,” a disadvantage would be that there are less school activities, but it is understandable because there are less students.”

From Taylor’s experience this school has really improved her overall as a student. There have been a lot more exercises and assemblies. Therefore those activities have really brought the school together. She has never been to a school that has really focused on each and everyone of its students.

From Taylor’s point of view, she really likes it here. She is happy that she transferred to Iroquois High School. Iroquois is growing, and even though it is a small school, it is filled with great staff, and great students. Iroquois will continue to grow and continue to send off amazing students into the world. We are Iroquois!

The Story of Sara Heffner

This story is about the Iroquois High School Fourth Grade Teacher Sara Heffner. Mrs. Heffner has been teaching in Iroquois for ten years and has taught fourth and fifth grade as well. Mrs. Heffner was asked what the hardest part of being an elementary teacher was, and her response was "The hardest thing about being an elementary teacher is not being able to help them when they have issues outside of school. I love the kids that come into my room and when they come and tell me they are sad about something, I can’t always fix it. Wish I could. The expectations of the kids get increased all the time and it's tough to manage that sometimes when a student really struggles."

Mrs. Heffner has taught fifth grade also, she taught the current senior class in fifth grade after teaching them in fourth grade. After being asked if she has ever wanted to teach any other grades, she replied "I looped with the current senior class and taught them fifth grade as well. It was such a rewarding experience to have the same kids for multiple years. It made the transition into a new year a lot easier than any other year. They knew what to expect, so day 1 of 5th grade was like every other day in 4th grade. When I began college to become a teacher I had my heart set on kindergarten but through the experiences in college and teaching one year of preschool in Huron, plus my first classroom as a fourth grade teacher, I knew this was my place."

Mrs. Heffner really enjoys being a teacher, she was asked what her favorite part of being a teacher was and she replied "I love that the kids are old enough to engage in more high-level/ more difficult activities and projects but young enough to still love school and be motivated by extra recess, making mom and dad proud, gumballs, and fun free time activities."

Not many people get out of bed in the morning and say to themselves that they want to be a teacher. Mrs. Heffner was asked why she became a teacher and she replied "I became a teacher after spending time in my children’s preschool and kindergarten classrooms. I spent years volunteering and I found such joy in it. I decided after being encouraged by my daughter’s teacher Mrs. Melody, I would go to college and fulfill my “calling” to become a teacher. I was and am so thankful and blessed to have been able to spend the time in the classroom."

Iroquois School District’s Fifth-grade Teacher, Mrs. Hunt-Larson

Mrs. Bobbi Hunt-Larson is the Iroquois School District’s fifth grade teacher and the Iroquois-Lake Preston football cheer sideline coach. She graduated high school from De Smet in 2008. At first, in 2014 she was teaching second grade, five years ago in 2017 she started teaching fifth grade. She first wanted to start teaching because of her third and fourth-grade teacher. Her teacher was someone who made her feel like she had importance every single day, she made that difference. She was the one person who Mrs. Hunt-Larson knew she could go to, that you could know what to expect every day in her classroom. She inspired her to become a teacher like that, to be there for kids and be a positive role model, and as someone who was in her class, I can confirm that she did succeed with that.

Compared to teaching second grade and teaching fifth grade she says that they are further along than second graders, they have the reasoning ability, they can do things without very detailed instructions and they have more self-awareness and ownership over mistakes and achievements.

Mrs. Hunt-Larson quotes “5th grade is some of the most formable years of a student's career, where you leave learning the most foundational skills, and learn to apply them in middle school.”

She says she does enjoy being both a fifth-grade teacher and the football sideline cheerleading coach. Her highlight of this year as the football cheer coach was seeing how both schools came together, and all the collaborations and contributions from both sides.

Outside of cheer and being a teacher Mrs. Hunt-Larson enjoys spending time with her children, and her family, cooking, and spending time outdoors. Especially on the family farm when she can. She quotes “I love working with animals & contributing to the cattle & sheep industry, as part of my family's legacy.”

She also loves to read, her favorite book of all time is "Harris & Me: A Summer Remembered" by Gary Paulsen. She says “it hits really close to home because it is full of relatable, but also funny things, of what life was like sometimes growing up on the farm as a kid! It is a great read for anyone!”

On top of that Mrs. Hunt-Larson has two dogs, both german shepherds named Rooster, and Chewy, and a one-eyed cat, named Luna.

New Member of Iroquois School

Ms. Ally Johnson, Iroquois School Teacher, is one of this year's new staff. This is also her first year teaching. She is teaching many classes in the school such as Agriculture Leadership, Intro to Agriculture, Plant Science, etc.

Ms. Johnson went to college for four years. She graduated from South Dakota State University, and received her bachelor’s degree. In college she majored in Agricultural Sciences with a concentration in Agriculture Education. Ms. Johnson also minor in Agricultural Businesses and Horticulture.

When Ms. Johnson was asked how she ended up working here, she responded with,” I heard through word of mouth that Iroquois was looking for an agricultural education teacher, so I applied.” She also said,” I like working here because it is a similar small school environment that I am used to. I enjoy making personal connections with my students while also learning through hands-on activities within the agricultural education classroom.”

Ms. Johnson has confronted and overcome struggles such as FFA organization. Working around other clubs and organizations within the school has been a challenge due to students not being able to have adequate practice time to prepare for certain events. Ms. Johnson also overcomes these challenges by consistently asking the students if they have spare time to study, she also checks up on students to remind them to keep up with their practice schedules.

Ms. Johnson is there for her students. She said,” I would not be a teacher if I didn’t enjoy working with my students. I enjoy every second I get to either make someone laugh or teach someone something new about agriculture.” When asked if she enjoyed working with her students she responded with,” yes, from the random topics we get into the middle of Plant Science from ribboning soil trying to determine its texture, I can truly tell that I am on the correct path in my life as an educator.” She has always helped students with completing tasks, and offering help to everyone who needs it.

She is trying to master teaching lessons. She is working on knowing what she wants to teach and mastering its content, and maintaining the classroom’s environment. When she was asked, what is something you can do to improve teaching lessons? She said,” putting more time into it would help me improve my lessons. Also making them more hands-on in any way I can help everyone learn as well.”

When asked who inspired her she replied with,” some of my previous teachers I admired and enjoyed being in their classes. I wasn’t always sure I wanted to go into teaching but enjoyed all the classes I could take within the agricultural education realm. So, I continued the education path and realized I enjoyed teaching and the FFA organization more than I realized. After going through all the student teaching hours and how many fun memories I made, that is why I am a teacher.”

Ms. Johnson has learned a lot already from just this first year. We are honored to have her in Iroquois High School. She is a valuable asset to Iroquois High School, and she will continue to help improve the school. We are glad to have her here this year and many more years to come.

Interview of Iroquois High School Volleyball Coach

This story is about the Iroquois High School Volleyball coach Heidi Stroud. Heidi has been a coach for nine years and has boosted the volleyball team to new heights. Recently, Iroquois High School has joined a co-op with Lake Preston High School for sports. When Mrs. Stroud was asked if anything has changed since this co-op, she replied, "The Iroquois volleyball team is still the same team since co-oping with Lake Preston. The only thing that has changed is the people on the team. They still have to do the same concepts throughout the season as before. They have to come together and play a game that requires teamwork and communication."

Lake Preston and Iroquois have done co-ops with other schools in the past, and different schools tend to do things differently than others. Mrs. Heidi Stroud was asked if there was a new curriculum that needed to be followed since the co-op, she responded to this question with, "As I did not coach the Lake Preston players last season, I do not know what exactly they were required to do or what their practices were like. I continue to do the same as I have in previous seasons with the volleyball girls." Coach Stroud continues to use drills and practices that work while continuing to research and try other things.

Iroquois and Lake Preston have very loud and encouraging student sections. For nearly every home volleyball game during the season, the whole student section was sitting in the stands cheering them on and doing things to promote the team. When Mrs. Stroud was asked about some ways that the school encourages its team, she mentioned the student section and said, "One of the great things about how the school encourages the volleyball team is by showing up to the games. The student section is amazing and helps the girls get pumped up!"

The Humanity Launch

On Thursday, October 27th, Iroquois High School was honored to host guest speakers, and co-founders of The Humanity Launch, Gregg Talcott and Kim Bartling, accompanied by Jam, musical producer and DJ. The students of Iroquois will never forget the lesson portrayed by these individuals.
According to www.thehumanitylaunch.com, Gregg has 37 years of experience as a teacher, coach, and administrator in South Dakota schools. His father was his inspiration, following in his footsteps of becoming an educator. Dr. Talcott has achieved multiple degrees from Northern State University, and the University of South Dakota. “From 2000-2019 Dr. Talcott was the lead principal at Brandon Valley High School.” Gregg has passion for students and their education. He believes that all adults in a learning environment play a crucial role in creating a good school culture and environment.

When Kim asked Gregg what his plans were post retirement. He told her that he wanted to keep on making an impact on a new generation of students around South Dakota. After that, Kim supported Gregg’s idea, later creating the program. Kim was by Gregg’s side throughout the entirety of the program. She herself has around 34 years of teaching experience. She has taught in the public and private sector, primary, secondary and higher education. She has also taught in other countries. For 14 years, Kim has chaired the Speech Communication and Theatre Department at the University of Sioux Falls. She owns Ephemeral Productions, a theater company dedicated to social change and women empowerment. She also owns Plains Speaking People, a storytelling company with a midwest connection.

The Musical side of the presentation was brought to Iroquois by SieffStyle Entertainment, “bringing a whole new level of energy to engage their audience.” SieffStyle Entertainment has been voted the local best by the Sioux Falls community, withholding some of the best DJ’s and musical entertainers around.

The mission of The Humanity Launch is to take people on a journey. They want them to discover a dynamic culture that fosters excellence in their environment and the development of a better world. They want to empower individuals to live their personal and professional community by celebrating and engaging the “human” in “humanity.” They do this to provide a tangible working platform igniting individuals passons and organizational pride. They understand that a successful culture requires action and interaction.

The Humanity Launch specializes in presentations promoting the exploration and creation of dynamic classroom culture. They design presentations that celebrate the audiences and send messages that empower them.

Gregg was individually interviewed; When asked the question, “What is this program about?” He responded, “Creating positive culture in schools and helping students and staff to realize how awesome they are and to tune out the negative messages around them.” Another question he was asked was “Who founded this program?” He simply responded, “The Humanity Launch was founded by Gregg Talcott and Kim Bartling in 2019.” He stated that The Humanity Launch was created to support staff and students as well as build student confidence and school culture, create positivity!

The main message that students and staff can take away from the presentation is that it is ok to be vulnerable, and they strongly encourage you to show others vulnerability.

Interview of Mr. McKee

This story is about our new Student-teacher/Football Coach, Mr. Nathan Mckee. Mr. Mckee has been teaching 4th Grade at Iroquois Elementary School for one year so far. Mr. Mckee has previously taught at Lake Preston School and has coached football for them as well. Mr. Mckee switched to Iroquois and has done well teaching. When asked what it was like to student teach for Iroquois, Mckee replied, "I really enjoy teaching and I enjoy the small-town community. I really enjoy how close everyone is and how things are not as separated as bigger schools are."

Mr. Mckee has done a good job teaching here at Iroquois. He helps with the 4th Grade and teaches the class when the primary teacher isn't in the classroom. Previous to teaching at Iroquois, Mr. Mckee taught at Lake Preston. When asked how he found Iroquois, he said "I had no idea where Iroquois was until I got a teaching job in Lake Preston. And then I moved to Iroquois."

While Mr. Mckee teaches elementary, he also coaches High School football. Doing both things can be quite challenging. After being asked if it is difficult to teach and coach at the same time, he replied "It would definitely be easier to do one or the other, It was definitely time-consuming at first. I've never had to prioritize one or the other and I'm thankful for that."

Not many people just jump up and say that they are going to coach football and teach 4th Graders for a living. Mr. Mckee was asked what brought him to coach and teach, he replied "I coached my little brother for a few summers and I really found my love for teaching after that. My care for teaching and coaching stems from doing sports as a little kid."

The final question Mr. Mckee was asked was what motivated him to do these things. He replied "The connections you make with High Schoolers are different than younger people, but it's the relationship that you build with the kids. It is definitely different with elementary school kids but it is nice being a safe place for them."

The First Season of the Iroquois Lake Preston Sharks’ Competitive Cheer Team

This is the first season of the Iroquois Lake Preston Sharks’ competitive cheer team and most of the girls’ first season of competitive cheer, if not the first year of overall cheerleading. This means that most of the girls had to learn everything, from facials, and jumps to stunts and tumbling. This proved a challenge, compared to teams like Sioux Valley where most girls go into their team knowing everything or teams that have been together for longer.

We started out with 18 girls on our team, three being alternates and 15 girls who are on the floor. This later turned into 17 girls, two alternates, and 15 girls on the floor. This resulted in being able to have three stunt groups, two of which had one or more girls who were never in cheer. Neither of these groups had girls who were in a competitive cheer prior.

Our first meet was in Dells Rapid Saint Mary High School, where we placed last. Our next meet was at Dells Rapids high school, where we placed ⅞, which to a lot of the girls was a big deal, an improvement. Our third meet was at Sioux Valley, where we placed third, which to us meant major improvement and gave us hope. Our fourth, in Wolsey, we placed third again, which made us realize it was a consistent improvement. Our next meet was at the Mitchell Corn Palace, this was the first meet where there were AA and A teams, which meant we went against bigger teams such as Huron, and Aberdeen Central. There we got 11/16, roughly 4/8 in the A teams with an overall score of 193.5, the highest team being at 235.5. Our next meet was our home meet, here we got another third place. Our last state meet was in Watertown. We didn't get as high as we wished but we still performed our best and were still proud of ourselves.

This to us, us being all the girls on our team, and our coaches, is still a good season, a big improvement considering our unlucky situations, plus unfortunate travel time, trying to work with other sports, and most of the team being new to all of it.

We’re confident next year we’ll only do better, and we’re all excited to see what we can do next year.

The Difficulties of Online Schooling

The difficulties of online schooling shared by students Logan Peskey and Logan Pekron. Both Peskey and Pekron were freshmen in high school when covid-19 hit. At first when we heard of schools closing down because of students being exposed we thought that we never would because we live in South Dakota and that people never travel here so the virus wouldn’t affect us.That was the furthest thing from the truth of the situation.

Once Iroquois School had shut down we were all forced to go through virtual schooling. Both Pekron and Peskey said it was an easy task to complete, saying that they never had to leave the comfort of their own homes. They also claimed that online schooling was easier than in person schooling. They also had their fair share of difficulties throughout their experiences. Peksey said that the worst part of being online was that he couldn’t leave his house and go see other people besides close family. Even though never leaving his room was at first his favorite part it eventually became a never ending loop of sitting in his room being alone. Pekron said that he didn’t mind staying at home alone, and not seeing anyone because people can be difficult. He grew tired of only seeing his parents, and sister all day instead of his school friends.

This seems to be a trend with most students saying that at the start of the pandemic that being home and alone in their room was their favorite thing, but as time went on they grew to miss socializing with others. They both had their own favorite thing about online schooling though. Peskey said that his favorite part of online schooling was that all he needed to do was complete his homework and not need to sit through any lectures because some teachers couldn’t figure out how to work the zoom meetings so some of them just assigned electronic worksheets and called it good, and if he had all of his work done he would just play video games or go outside and play basketball. Pekron had a different yet still similar answer being that he liked not having to sit through lectures and could complete the homework anytime he wanted to as long as it was in before the due date and that he could get up whenever he wanted throughout the day, and that he would be able to play video games for the majority of the day.

When school was allowed to be taught in person again they both felt very relieved that they could now leave their houses and see their friends in school again. Even though they had to be separated by glass and had to wear masks to protect themselves. They felt as though everything was beginning to go back to normal.

Mrs. Decker Shares Her Personal Experiences on Teaching and Coaching

Mrs. Teresa Decker is Iroquois High School’s Chorus teacher and Track coach. Mrs.Decker started her teaching career in 1991 as a history teacher at James Valley Christian and taught there for four years. Then she decided to be a stay home mom with her two kids. She then took up piano lessons and substitute teaching every now and then when her youngest child was in first grade. She began teaching at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Huron, teaching P.E. and Music for the next eleven years. In 2015 she was offered a teaching position at Iroquois High School where she has now been teaching for the past seven years.

Mrs.Decker had decided to become the track coach because she loves the sport of running and motivating students to push themselves to become better athletes. She also stated “track is a sport that helps and feeds into other sports and helps you become a better and stronger overall athlete and human being.”

Mrs.Decker enjoys coaching and says that there’s days of frustration, as is with most aspects of life, but the rewards of making valuable relationships with the athletes as a coach is very rewarding. But with most enjoyable things in life there must be some difficulties as well. Teresa says that the hardest part about coaching is “lack of commitment and dedication in practices. It’s so important to have good leaders on the team to encourage those that struggle with self discipline and motivation.”

With the new co-op between Iroquois and Lake Preston and the upcoming Track season. She thinks that we can “make some noise” on the track this year, saying she sees potential in both schools and she anticipates that this is going to be an exciting season.

Mrs. Sheri Kogel and her roles in Iroquois high school.

Mrs. Sheri Kogel graduated from Iroquois in 1998. Mrs. Kogel came here because she and her three children all graduated from here. Some of her personal favorite things about Iroquois school are the small school atmosphere, and that she gets to know the kids on a more personal level. Mrs. Kogel said, “I think that the small school atmosphere gives more opportunities to work one on one with the students when they need the extra help.”

She started working at Iroquois school in 2018 as special education para mainly in elementary. Last year, Mr. Jeff Nolte implemented a credit recovery program for which she was and still is the supervisor. She enjoys this job. She says “the best part of teaching is knowing you have helped students and they will (hopefully) remember what you have taught them for many years.”

This year with the co-op between Iroquois and Lake Preston she was hired as the cheerleading coach for the girl's basketball sideline. She says “I’m excited. I cheered in high school and I’m excited to get back into it.” As of right now, she is excited to hold tryouts and start practicing once the season starts.

Mrs. Kogel plans to teach in the Iroquois school district. She is currently working on getting her secondary English teaching degree to achieve this.
Outside of school she likes to camp, spend time with her family, and do things with her two grandsons. She also likes to read, she doesn’t really have a favorite book but she likes to read anything by James Petterson. She has three dogs, a lab named Koda, a Mini Aussie named Phoebe, and a Catahoula named Chevy.

The Superintendent of Iroquois High School

Mike Ruth has been the Iroquois High School Superintendent for nine years, and loves what he does for a living. He plays a major role in school safety, and making sure students stay safe as well as playing a major role in the financial stability of the school. Staffing is another role that Mr. Ruth covers, making sure that the school hires and maintains good staff members. Mr. Ruth played a significant role in the co-op with Iroquois and Lake Preston. He has played a major role in improving instruction in the elementary since he first got to the school. There are also minor roles that Mr. Ruth has a role to play when it comes to school improvements, such as structural changes to the school building like roofing, gym floors, and bleachers.

He believes that Iroquois is a good school for a number of reasons. A few of these reasons include good staff that are willing to work thoroughly with the students, and wide student diversity, making the school unique.

Mr. Ruth has worked in a few other schools before coming to Iroquois. He has taught in Hoven, South Dakota for nine years, commenting, “I’ve had some really good experiences there, especially in coaching.” He also worked as a principal in Doland, South Dakota, this being his first administrative job. A few other schools he mentioned were Highmore, Miller, and Midland, South Dakota.

Mr. Ruth likes the day to day challenges of his job. He likes to deal with the kids, and claims that his job never gets boring. He also said, “Every day is like a new adventure, you never know what is going to happen.”

His favorite inspirational and motivational quote comes from the Bible verse of Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good.” He also looks up to people such as John Gordon, who runs podcasts, and John Wooden, who is an American Basketball coach and player, who he claims “inspires me very much.” And, although he has coached basketball and football, his favorite sport is baseball.

Iroquois School District’s IT Specialist

Mr. Steffen Hirschkorn, Tech Coordinator, fulfilled the vacant role within the school district when needed. It would be stressful without him because teachers wouldn’t know how to fix technology. Then it would also be difficult to access technology. Thanks to Mr. Hirschkorn we have been more up to date with technology.

Mr. Hirschkorn went to college at Central Washington University, in Washington State. He double majored in Network Administration and Cyber Security. After college his first job was a computer technician at a school district in Washington.

When Mr. Hirschkorn was asked, “How did you get here today?,” he responded with, “I worked at a couple different schools in Washington, so when I moved to South Dakota I just started looking around the local schools and got lucky because Iroquois was looking for a tech coordinator.” Due to the size of Iroquois, Mr. Hirschkorn does a lot of the administration, and account management. He manages the servers, all of our file shares, and keeps the wireless network running.

This is Mr. Hirschkorn’s second year in Iroquois. When asked if he enjoyed working here. He responded, “Yeah, a lot of new challenges everyday with both the systems and other things the school wants to get accomplished.” A common issue that he often has to solve is blocking or unblocking websites. He keeps technology up to date and running properly so both teachers and students can do their jobs. One of Mr. Hirschkorn’s major accomplishments at the school is getting all the network, physically and software-based, updated. It took a while for him to get the new things implemented and running properly. Eventually the school technology was updated.

Without Mr. Hirschkorn, the school would not be as advanced as it is today. He even spent his time in the ceiling of the building this summer just to install wires. He installs the tv’s and pinpoints the wireless network. Overall Mr. Hirschkorn is a major asset to the school and we are very honored to have him here in Iroquois.

Is School Safer At Iroquois?

When asked the question, “Do you think Iroquois School is a safe place overall for students and staff?”, office staff member of Iroquois School District, Mrs. Marlys Peskey replied, “Safety is an ongoing thing, I think that every year there is something new so we have to re-evaluate, and I think we’re doing the best we can to keep the school safe. I never personally feel threatened at the school, because every time somebody comes to the school they have to buzz the office and then I ask, “Who are you here to see, are they expecting you?” She also stated that “There are so many creepy people out there that are going to try so many different things, but we have had staff training on what to do in case somebody forces their way into a school and things for different scenarios. We will have a speaker come in and show us how to keep the kids safe.”

On the topic of whether or not the students are prioritized over the staff, Pesky stated, “I would say the students are our first priority. When we have our classes that is what we are taught that the kids come first. Iroquois, South Dakota isn’t a hot spot, I don’t think but you never know. I can say that if that day arrives, I hope we can keep our bearings and do what we were taught to do.” She also stated “the safety of Iroquois has never been threatened. We haven’t even received any threatening phone calls before. On the topic of environmental threats, Marlys stated, “I think weatherwise, we do the best we can. Weather is unpredictable, something you take your chances with is mother nature. I feel like everybody knows where to go in case of an environmental emergency”. Mrs. Peskey further discussed the topic and said, “The students are usually comfortable coming to staff members if they have any concerns regarding other students, and we do the best we can.” Mrs. Peskey ended with, “We can only do the best we can to keep ahead of the crime nowadays. I feel we’re taking every precaution we can and analyzing every possibility to be prepared for the safety of the school.”

Comparing Leadership Styles Between Two Principals

Principal Jeff Nolte is in his second year as the Iroquois MS/HS School’s administration principal. Before he was principal he was the math teacher for the grades 6-12. He held that position for four years.

Mr. Richard Soma was the principal at Iroquois School for 19 years. Before becoming principal, he worked as a teacher, teaching numerous subjects for 23 years. He worked at Iroquois School for a total of 42 years. He retired from education in 2021 and Mr. Nolte was hired to fill the position in the 21-22 school year. At first, Mr. Nolte was both the middle school and high school principal and the consumer math and pre-calculus teacher in his first year. This year he is focused solely on the duties of principal.

Mrs. Marlys Peskey stated “I think we are progressing towards the future. Many things this year are making this happen, including our new tech person and our new counselor. I also believe that our screens in the hallway will keep the students and staff up to date and proud of their accomplishments as well as our new sports co-op will bring some positive attitudes to our school.”

Mrs. Peskey said that Mr. Nolte is more accessible to students and staff because he is currently not teaching, while Mr. Soma had been teaching three. She also said that students register for classes in the fall before the next school year instead of registering in the summer of that year. Which she said makes it easier for her and the other staff. She also brought up how Mr. Soma was more old-school, he liked paper trail more than technology while Mr. Nolte is more technologically advanced.

Principal Nolte stated that all the rules are still here, the priority just has changed. There are additional rules as a focus compared to the rules that Mr. Soma focused on. The rules that Mr. Nolte feels are more enforced are dress code, vaping, and bullying reports. He also added a couple of things such as more technology, online credit recovery, and the student handbook that were areas of concern but are areas of clarity. Policy changes to policies would include semester testing, the grade policy, and weekly eligibility. Mr. Nolte’s main priorities, in order, are student safety, student performance, and staff needs. He stated that “It's not that one is more important than the other, but we (the staff) are here for the students.” He also implemented the behavior plan using a need assessment. Using the results from this study, certain staff made a plan presented to Mr. Nolte and then he presented to the school board. The idea is that students get to correct their behavior before more offenses are acquired and possible tougher consequences.

Cross Country Coaching Perspective

This week I Say Htoo a member of the student press, have interviewed Mr. Scott Beehler. I have interviewed him to know more about the perspective of a cross country coach. I also wanted to show appreciation to him for not only coaching one school but also coaching students from other schools in the same team.

Mr. Scott Beehler has been coaching for four years. When he was asked how his first year coaching was he responded with, “I was very excited to do it but I didn't really know a whole lot about cross country. At my first meet I wasn’t really sure how this thing works. I had never been to one of these. Then coaching it too, coming up with practice plans. It's like I don’t know anything about this. I have to learn. I have to go and find a program. I want to find what kind of drills you have to do. It’s not just running but you can do so much more to work on different aspects of it and also I feel like strength training and stuff like that are an important part of it too.” He also said, “I added in some strength training we added in some cardio workout things like that was just different from running. That was kind of one of the things I remember most was just being new to it, not having to be in the sport at all and then having to come up with this stuff to do the research and put up the programs that I thought would benefit the runners.”

As you can see Mr. Scott Beehler has been a major impact on the sport and here is what he said when asked how his experience was with the runners on the team. He said,”It was interesting right away because when I first started coaching that was when we first cooped with Dolan. That happened after I had already been appointed or been hired to do the job and then it was like oh I have to figure out not only I have to deal with the kids here at that point i’ve been here long enough, I knew everybody. It wasn’t a big deal on those lines, but with Dolan it was how am I going to plan practice. How am I going to do this where I have a town fifteen minutes away where I have some kids running too?”

I think it help alot with the fact that it’s a small sport, and I am the only coach from here and now since we are with Lake Preston, it’s different as well because we are able to practice with those kids on a daily basis, but with Dolan we were never able to have group practices it was always split I had to send them group practices. I’ll pick on Tobi, Tobi was a freshman when I started coaching and now he’s a senior and I got to through that experience of him becoming more successful through his years and sophomore year qualifying for state and junior you being there again and senior you hoping for being in the place where he can medal in the state. It is a small number of kids. I have to drive them around places a decent amount of time with them so you kind of get to know them a little bit. It’s mostly an individual sport. There is a team but there’s no one to be upset with but yourself if you didn’t do well.”

Mr. Scott Beehler has been a very exceptional coach. He has confronted and conquered many tasks with his runners. Even with having runners from a different school he has made practice and meets workout.

Iroquois HOSA Organizes 2nd Annual Hunter’s Breakfast

The hunter’s breakfast, which is being held on Sunday October 16, is going to be an early morning breakfast for all who come. The time it will be held is 8AM to 1PM. This breakfast is going to be a large compliment to all of the hunters that will be attending. This event is going to be hosted by the Iroquois HOSA and it is their 2nd annual breakfast that they are hosting. This breakfast is going to benefit the HOSA and help their cause. The HOSA will be serving pancakes, sausage, eggs, fruit, and some different beverages. The breakfast is a free will donation and many people will be attending. "We had hunters there from many different states. Each and every one of them enjoyed it. Hunters from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Arkansas and Oklahoma attended and also many from south dakota as well." - Daphne Moeller

National Bullying Prevention Month

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. The National Bullying Prevention campaign is a time in which we bring attention to the education of the different aspects of bullying in schools. This is a month-long event to prevent childhood bullying and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Bullying is taking place everywhere around the world. Bullying comes in all different forms such as; physical, verbal, social, and cyberbullying. Physical bullying involves physical contact with a victim. Verbal bullying involves people saying hurtful things in remarks to make someone feel bad about themselves. Social bullying involves people saying hurtful things about someone to other people causing rumors to be spread or excluding others to participate in social settings or events. Cyberbullying involves posting or sending hurtful things to or about someone, making online threats.

This year's Iroquois Journalism students have interviewed Mrs. Judy Frandsen, school counselor, about her perspective on bullying. When asked if she thinks bullying has increased over the years she said, “I think that bullying has increased pretty dramatically over the years I have been in education. I think there are two reasons for this. The first is that there are many more ways to bully people now with all the social media, texting ect. The second reason is that I would say it has slowly become socially acceptable to become a bully.” Frandsen also said, “We have talked about bullying in staff meetings and the need for teachers to be aware that it is happening. We have discussed how we can help prevent bullying. Mr. Jeff Nolte has addressed students that have been involved in bullying. As a staff, we have discussed having some sort of assembly to address the issues we have here. Using Bullying Prevention Month to have students design posters around the hallway was another idea to create awareness.”

As a new counselor Frandsen is trying to make students aware of their actions and how they affect other students. She says, “I would love to see bullying end. That could only be possible if bystanders step in and help stop the bullying. Teachers can’t be everywhere and see everything.” Frandsen believes that the social climate in the country is contributing to bullying. “The country seems more divided than I have seen it. There is less middle ground that people agree on and more extreme views on both sides of the political spectrum. This is what kids are exposed to on a daily basis.”

To commemorate National Bullying Prevention Month Iroquois High School students designed posters to remind others that bullying is not acceptable and to promote kindness everywhere.

Iroquois School District’s Tenured Staff

How long have you been here and do you remember your first year? What do you recall from your first year working here?

Twenty One years, I remember the first day like it was yesterday, everyday is different. I remember being overwhelmed in my first year, there was so much that had to be done in an office, time flew by and the days went fast. Never had a job I don't like, I love the people I work with, I love to come to work.

Do you think the school has improved, and if so, what has improved?

What do you think could be improved? Every year there is improvement, you learn from mistakes. You just get used to it so it just gets better and better. It has improved because you get more familiar with what you're doing. I can't believe how much my job alone has changed. The books that we had done attendance on we had to mark an ex in the book, it was overwhelming. It has gotten so much easier over the years but there's a lot more work. I think the internet has opened up so much more to do. There have been a lot of great improvements to the school.

What were your initial thoughts, as a staff member, during the pandemic?

It was scary, intimidating, and everything was so different. I remember when we decided to close and everybody had to come and get their computers and books, everything was very sterilized, plexiglass all over the place, it felt like a lot got taken away from you, the work changed a lot. Everything was upside down, everything was just a mess even at home. The new norm was weird… you couldn’t associate with people…you had to do it from a distance. People were freaked and they didn’t know what to do. You zoomed to church and didn’t go anywhere.

Any Hobbies outside of school?

I love to read, I read a lot and I like to walk, family, not into quilting, sewing, I love yard work, love the outdoors. I like a good book. I always talk to other people about reading.

How long have you been here and do you remember your first year? What do you recall from your first year working here?

This is my 28th year in the Iroquois School District. I started by working in the elementary when the elementary students were in Cavour. I believe I worked there for four years before coming over to Iroquois. My first two years in Iroquois I worked in the SPED room. I have worked in the library since then. I love to read, so this is the perfect job for me.

My job was overwhelming in the beginning as there was so much to learn! I didn’t think I would ever be able to remember who wrote a certain book when a student asked, but it didn’t take long to acquire that knowledge. I love being able to help a student find just the right book, and it is so rewarding when they tell me how much they loved a certain book, and if there were any more written by that author.

Do you think the school has improved, and if so, what has improved? What do you think could be improved?

There have been many changes since I first started working in the school district. All students being in the same town in the same building was the first major change that I can remember. Open enrollment and co-oping with other schools for sports have been two changes that have had a positive impact on our school and community. There have been many physical changes made in the school as well. Many positive changes have taken place over the years as we have learned and grown together as a school and a community. As would be expected, there have been changes in staff members over the years as well. I work with many amazing people, and I have worked with many wonderful people that are no longer here, that I will always remember, and who I do miss.

What were your initial thoughts, as a teacher, during the pandemic?

I didn't like the way that everybody was afraid. I didn’t like the way we all had to keep our distance from one another and I couldn’t give a student a hug if they wanted it because of the fear of making each other sick. Having to keep kids away from their friends was heartbreaking. I feel that student’s social skills suffered greatly during the pandemic. We are meant to interact with others and I feel students and adults suffered due to the social distancing that we had to practice. One of my biggest fears was losing one of our students or staff members to COVID. We were very fortunate, because although many did get it, everyone survived.

Any hobbies outside of school?

I love to spend time with my three girls, my grandchildren and all of my family. I enjoy traveling and love to go visit my daughters in Colorado and Texas. I enjoy gardening, reading, camping, putting together puzzles and watching movies. My favorite movie is, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” with Jimmy Stewart. I graduated from Iroquois as did my grandma, my mother, and my fourteen siblings. I have lived in South Dakota most of my life.

Anything you would have done differently?

I have a degree in office work, which I earned in 1977, from a community college that is no longer there! I wish I would have joined the Peace Corp after graduating from high school like I had planned to do.

Hopes and aspirations of all students?

I hope they all live up to their potential and live their best lives. I want them all to be happy and kind and contributing members to our society.

Have staff rules changed since the end of the pandemic?

Everything has changed since the pandemic. Staff and students alike have had to adjust to many new changes that have now become our normal way of life.

How long have you been here and do you remember your first year? What do you recall from your first year working here?

This is year 18, and yes I remember my first year. It was eventful because my degree is early childhood education, I went from working with big people to little people.

I love it here, I love the small school atmosphere. It's fun to say that the majority of kids since kindergarten have graduated. And being able to know most of the kids' names.

Do you think the school has improved, and if so, what has improved? What do you think could be improved? I think we improve every year. As a school we reflect on what worked and what did not. I think we as teachers work hard to see what could be better. What changes we could make. Change is hard but change is good.

What were your initial thoughts, as a teacher, during the pandemic? Got up, made videos to push out to the families. Made a private facebook to post the videos to the families. Did a lot of zooms with the kids individually, and as a class. Sometimes the zooms were later at night, to better fit their schedules.

Any Hobbies outside of school? I live on a farm with my husband. I go help outside and do what I can. I attend my daughter's things when I can.