MANAGING SCHOOL STRESS WITH JOURNALING 

By Ruanne Brinker-Owens, senior, staff writer

I am not the first to say it, nor am I the last: School is stressful. Most every high school student knows the feeling of staying up late to cram in a project due at midnight, dreading waking up in the morning and repeating the process again. Anxiety is abundant and an all too familiar feeling for many teenagers. Between deadlines, grades, GPA, colleges, acceptance rates, jobs, navigating relationships, and so much more, we find ourselves as students having many different things to worry about.

How do you stop worrying about these trying topics? Do you lay in bed at night, feeling as if you’re a soda can that’s been shaken, fizzling on the inside, the pressure building up? Do you project these demanding emotions onto others — your friends and family caught in the crossfire of the internal conflict you find yourself facing? Maybe you bury these stressors deep down inside of you, distracting yourself with electronics such as social media, video games, or TV.

I’ve found myself in all three of these situations, choosing to either sulk, avoid or be controlled by the feeling of being overwhelmed. What else are you supposed to do?

There are many methods of coping with anxiety and stress, but I’ll be focusing on one today: journaling.

We feel such complex and intense emotions as humans, and it can be incredibly difficult to communicate exactly what we’re feeling to others. It can be ambitious to even try to understand the tangled mess of emotions we find ourselves experiencing. To overcome the feeling of stress, we must unravel these intricate feelings and communicate them, either to ourselves or others. I like to view journaling as a way to have a conversation with yourself. It presents one with the opportunity to ask questions to oneself, respond to oneself, and learn about oneself, and, in this case, inquire about, learn about and respond to what is stressing us out in school.

I’ve been feeling very overwhelmed with school starting. I feel like there are so many moving parts in my life right now, and I have no control over any of them. Without recognizing what is causing me to feel overwhelmed, how am I supposed to overcome it? A good way to point out these stressors is by journaling. You could journal about how your day was, processing any stressful or unexpected moments that went awry. You can write down what is making you feel stressed and what control you have over limiting them. The less weight you have on your shoulders, the taller you can stand and continue to make this school year a successful one. There are so many different intentions you can have when journaling that can allow you to process what is currently happening in your life. There is no wrong answer as to what to journal about.

Did you have an awesome time hanging out with a friend? Write it down. Are you stressed about what grade you got on a math test today? Write it down. Write down whatever you feel like you need to share, good or bad.

Guiding a pen across a piece of paper as you allow your inner thoughts to come pouring out is such a cathartic feeling that I encourage everyone to try. I challenge you to just sit down for five minutes and fill a page of paper with your feelings about today. It can be as surface-level or as deep as you desire. The point is that you are establishing a healthy line of communication with yourself and promoting the idea that we must recognize our own struggles in order to combat them, including all the obstacles we encounter in school. As we move further into the school year, it is so incredibly important that students deal with their stress appropriately and, despite all the obstacles, learn to thrive within their academic environment.

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NEW TEACHER FEATURE: MRS. KATIE BOLDY 

By Leah Kastner, freshman, staff writer

Mrs. Katie Boldy is the new middle school math teacher. She has been teaching for two years, although her former job was at Green State Credit Union. Mrs. Boldy choose to come to Panorama because her husband graduated from here, and she had also recently moved here. Mrs. Boldy has one child named Tyson; he is 6 months old, and she is currently pregnant and due in November. Mrs. Boldy’s favorite part of teaching is getting to know the students and having fun with them. She was asked how her first day of teaching at Panorama went, and she replied, “So good. All the kids and the rest of the district were so welcoming.” Lately, she was asked if she had any goals for the 2024-2025 school year. She answered, “Yes, to have a real fun-filled school year.”

We are glad to have you here, Mrs. Boldy.

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TRANSFER TEACHER FEATURE: MRS. CARLA CHURCH 

By Savannah Matthias, junior, staff writer

The high school’s new special ed teacher’s first day of the 2024-2025 school year was great. Mrs. Church retired last year after teaching TAG students. She has come back to teach special education after realizing that if she taught for three more years she would be able to retire with better IPERS benefits. Mrs. Church is excited to learn something different and to build relationships with high school students. She went to Simpson College and earned a bachelor of arts degree in international management and French. She also received an MAE in elementary education. Mrs. Church has taught for 17 years including positions at Diagonal, Fairfield, Wisconsin, and Panorama. She was a stay-at-home mom before she became a teacher. She has three children and five siblings.

Mrs. Church says her main goal this year is to enrich the lives of others around her. She also advises the National Honor Society. Mrs. Church no longer has any pets. Her favorite part of her job is seeing students excited to learn new things.

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EARLY OUT FRIDAYS 

By Nerea Gimeno-Perez, sophomore, staff writer

We expect teachers to accomplish so much in so little time. In addition to teaching, they communicate with parents, organize class events and build relationships with their students. Students must engage in high-quality, hands-on lessons for multiple hours each day. This means that teachers need enough time to plan for those lessons. That’s why the early dismissals on Fridays are helpful for teachers.

Teachers and staff have the opportunity to have dedicated working time to themselves to get their work done. This collaboration can help teachers improve their skills and provide better support for students. Additionally, early release days allow teachers to attend professional development workshops and training sessions, helping them to stay up to date on the latest teaching practices and improve their ability to provide quality education to their students.

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THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

By Henry Kalloff, sophomore, staff writer

For most people, high school is essentially their make or break in terms of meeting the criteria for credits to graduate high school. For someone like me, it’s been far from easy, but I’m willing to keep at it. It hasn’t been a bad start to 10th grade by any means, more so just trying to acclimate to a new sleep schedule and to the new eight-period schedule rather than the traditional six periods. While, yes, it does help that there isn’t that much homework, it requires a person to move around a lot, and it is sometimes difficult to switch from one subject to another in the span of about 40 minutes.

The classes I consider to be easy include world history, biology, study hall, journalism and P.E. World history has been easy so far, mostly just learning about types of ideologies in countries, which is definitely a great tool for learning about the history of Earth. As long as I’m able to focus on what I need to do, it’ll be very easy, for sure. Biology is my third class of the day following geometry, to which biology has been quite fun because it’s mostly studying about the characteristics of life. The atmosphere of the class is very similar to the physical science class from last year, with the rooms being identical but also a quiet environment and everyone just doing their work. Finally, journalism is similar to last year’s class, except I’m not in the class every day because it is alternative to P.E. for seventh period. Not too big of a deal, but it does make things more difficult to get accomplished in a short time. When the class helps out with NewsFlash, in particular, it makes the process quicker.

On the flip side of the so called easy classes are those that I am somewhat struggling in so far. The second class I go to is geometry. In terms of that class, it’s probably the weirdest of all seven that I’m in so far. I was told that it would be more different from algebra, but it does seem in a sense that geometry is basically a carbon copy of algebra but with shapes, although I think I’m starting to figure it out, but we’ll see. Both the fourth and fifth period classes for me are carpentry. It hasn’t been that easy but not too complex either. We’re going to be working on making a  4-inch by 40-inch cube made out of wood. I think it will decide whether I really want to go to trade school or not when I graduate from high school in a couple years. I do enjoy working on projects that involve machinery, but sometimes I do overthink it when reading all the safety information and thinking about what may happen if I’m not careful. The final class I will touch on is English. It’s not as difficult as geometry and carpentry, but it’s not as easy as world history, biology and journalism. The only reason I consider English to be difficult is some of the stories we read about, mainly those written by authors hundreds of years ago where the language is completely different from now. Some of the wording definitely throws me for a loop, but we are reading a story that seems more modern, which makes it easy for someone like me to understand.

It is early into the year still, and things can definitely change for better or for worse. I’m looking forward to continuing these classes for the year and hoping for great grades and a better chance to graduate from high school.

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FALL ACTIVITIES 

By Holliday Mertens, sophomore, staff writer

When school starts, so do school activities. They are usually split into fall activities, winter activities, and spring/summer activities. Fall activities start at or around the beginning of the year, as that’s when fall starts. Because these sports start at the beginning of the year, you need to sign up the previous year or in the summer to compete. There are three main fall activities to be in.

Football is the one of the main sports that is played in fall. Although the game is played in fall, practice/weight lifting and conditioning start just after school ends and continue until the season is over. Cross country is another sport that happens in fall. Unlike track and field, which happens in the spring, cross country is running on natural land on a golf-course-like field. Many of our runners ran throughout the summer. Finally, volleyball is played in the fall. Volleyball is the only main fall sport that is played indoors on a court.

We have a good number of student-athletes involved in fall activities. Good luck to all our Panthers this season.

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TRANSFER TEACHER FEATURE: MR. CHARLIE LAKE 

By Nerea Gimeno-Perez

Mr. Charlie Lake is the new high school P.E. teacher and head high school football coach. Not only was he an elementary school P.E. teacher, but he was also the health teacher at the high school. He graduated from Iowa State University with a major in kinesiology. His clear passion for making a positive impact on students’ lives is inspiring, and he wants to connect with all his students. It’s also interesting to note that Mr. Lake has an older brother and a dog named Bean, and he had a variety of work experiences before pursuing his career as a teacher. His dedication to his role is obvious as he hops on his second year at Panorama Schools. Overall, we wish Mr. Lake a great year and a wonderful football season.

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WHY GRADES ARE SO IMPORTANT 

By Berkley Schwartz, freshman, staff writer

Grades are important for many reasons. First of all, grades are thought to capture both a students’ academic performance and effective factors that play a role in academic achievement. Another reason why grades are so important is because they help hold students accountable for their academic performances.

Third, grades are key because they could help you earn scholarships to get into good colleges. Lastly, good grades can help you get into colleges to help you get the job you so desire for your future. Keep your grades up, Panthers.

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NEW TEACHER FEATURE: MR. BRYCE OLIVE 

By Emma Walker, freshman, staff writer

This week we interview Mr. Bryce Olive as one of the new teachers at Panorama High School. Mr. Olive is a father of two girls and has two dogs named Ollie and Mona. He has one sibling and is from Texas. Mr. Olive decided to work at Panorama High School to be closer to home. He went to Arlington Baptist College and majored in Bible theology and student ministry. Before coming to Panora, he taught in Dallas, Texas, and in Des Moines at Hiatt Middle school, where he was an eighth grade American history teacher. Mr. Olive was also a student pastor before becoming a teacher. He is a teacher in the special needs department and an assistant football coach. His favorite part of his job is seeing the students and helping them actually learn and understand what they are being taught. Mr. Olive’s first day at his new school went very well, and he’s excited for the year.

Rasmussen to continue work with disabled

By BRYAN BEER | Black and Gold Staff Writer

While some students plan from their freshman year to be on a college track, others choose to join the workforce straight out of high school. This is the case for Hunter Rasmussen.

“I’ve thought about college, but there’s a lot of good and bad things about it,” Hunter said.

Hunter decided to stray away from college to find work straight out of high school, though he plans to take online college courses.

“The online college would be for fashion and clothing design, something I’ve always been passionate about,” Hunter said when describing the courses he plans to take.

Hunter currently works in Adel at Advantages in Life where he helps the mentally disabled.

“That’s kind of from my family background, my mom does the same work, and my dad has been a police officer and also used to help people with disabilities,” Hunter said. He plans to work there for a year or two before he starts his online college courses.

“Outside of school, I play a lot of basketball and I do a lot of weight lifting,” Hunter said.

Hunter lifts weights and plays basketball almost every day, staying consistent with his schedule.

“I had an injury over the summer, and I had to work out to help it heal,” Hunter said.

After his injury healed, he stuck with his workout schedule and continues to lift six days a week.

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Arrasmith plans future as conservation officer

By JESLYN ORTEGA | Black & Gold Staff Writer

When looking outside, you may find Bo Arrasmith working as a conservation officer studying fish, game and parks.

“I would be a fishery biologist, forestry biologist or a wildlife biologist, ”Arrasmith said.

He had several thoughts about his high school career at ACGC.

“I have learned quite a bit throughout my high school career. It may not have been fun, and I would rather be working, but it is almost over and I know I will miss it,” he said. “I think the teachers have impacted me the most throughout high school because no matter if I needed help or wanted to learn more, they were always there to assist me.”

Throughout his high school years, Arrasmith participated in track, golf, cross country, baseball and speech.

“I would encourage everyone to try speech at least for a year because it has a contest for everyone,” he said.

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Solorzano plans to attend Simpson, Iowa State

By CAYDENCE BOALS | Black & Gold Editor

Anthony Solorzano is an ACGC class of 2024 senior. He has been involved in football, basketball and track throughout his highs school career and lettered in each sport all four years.

When asked what his favorite memory from high school was, he said, “My favorite high school memory would be experiencing the Bosnian War.”

Anthony’s future plans are to attend Simpson to play football and then transfer to Iowa State to finish his college education.

When asked what advice Anthony could give to underclassmen students, he stated, “If I were to give advice to a underclassman, I would tell them to take every opportunity they have to do something different and experience something new because that’s all what high school is about. It’s about finding out who you really are.”

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Schafer plans career in marketing

By JESLYN ORETGA | Black & Gold Staff Writer

Katelyn’s Schafer personality is outgoing and kind. She is involved in a lot of extracurriculars such as track, Leo’s Club, FCCLA, National Honors Society, DECA, soccer and cross country.

When asked for any advice, she states, “All of the team sports that I have been a part of, they teach you the value of hard work for self-improvement as well as how to put others before yourself for the benefit of your team.”

Schafer is planning on attending Iowa State University, majoring in marketing. Marketing is a career that promotes selling products and services.

Schafer’s favorite memory from her childhood was when her dad taught her how to ride a bike.

Throughout her high school career, her friends have had a big impact.

“I would say my friends have impacted me the most throughout high school because they have shaped me into who I am today and influence me to strive to be a better person.”

Schafer’s final thoughts on high school are: “It has been a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow and has adequately prepared me for my future.”

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Mahaffey plans future in music

By LAURIN DAVIS and ERIC COOP | The Black & Gold

Andrew Mahaffey, son of Karla and Alan Mahaffey, is planning to change the world, one music note at a time.

Mahaffey plans to attend Central College in Pella, majoring in music with a focus in composing and conducting music. 

“It’s always been such a large part of my life,” he said. “This year, I was lucky enough to do an independent study with Mrs. Dinkla and Mrs. Babcock. With that, I was doing many projects through the year of writing music and being able to perform it and teach it to students, and I found that to be very rewarding, so I want to continue that and make it my life.”

Mahaffey will also run for the Dutch Cross Country and Track teams. 

While at ACGC, he participated in marching band, serving as the drum major, concert band, vocal music, the school musical, ran cross country and track, and played baseball. He also helped complete the 2023-24 yearbook.

“I think everybody should do as much as they can right now,” he said. “One, we’re young so we have the freedom to do that. You won’t be able to play football, baseball or those other sports when you’re 40, 50 years old down the line. And, also, that’s the blessing we have with a small school. You get to be involved with so many different things and see success. You go talk to kids at Waukee or Johnston, and they’re focused on one thing and it’s an all-year-around thing, whereas we specialize in literally everything.”

Mahaffey said he would tell underclassmen that while they need to prioritize their academics, they still need to have fun. 

MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-UPS

By Addie Astley, Miranda Laabs and Peyton Walker, sophomores, staff writers

Mental health is one of the most important things in our lives. Keeping our mental health well is something everybody should be worried about. From childhood to adulthood, mental health should be important through every stage. Mental health affects how we act, feel and think. Having a healthy mental state is a part of having a happy life. Having a low mental health can affect you, the people around you, and your relationships without even meaning to. Everybody should be having monthly to weekly personal checkups to make sure their mental selves are good.

Having a low mental health is unhealthy for a person. It has many negative side effects like tiredness, low energy, paranoia, delusions, problems, coping with problems or stress and depression. There are ways to improve your mental health better like taking a mental health day, talking to someone, eating a brain-healthy diet, relaxing and staying active. These can all improve your mental state and help it become better. Giving yourself a mental break is an important step when growing as a person and an adult.

Throughout every stage of life, mental health is important. Our mental health affects how we think, act and feel. More than one in five U.S. adults are affected with a mental illness. And along with that, one in five children between the ages 13-18 live with some type of debilitating mental illness. Many different factors can contribute to someone’s mental state. Some factors may include adverse childhood experiences, trauma or medical conditions, as well as use of drugs or alcohol. Someone’s mental state can change over time, and no days are exactly the same. Demands that are placed on someone can be too much at some times, and this could impact someone’s mental health.

School can be stressful, and a student’s mental health can be hurt with too much stress. Adequate sleep, nutrition and exercise are crucial to maintaining mental health. Some schools and colleges have programs and services to help aid mental health. 

This can affect people in many ways. For example, it can cause kids to act out. Mental health problems are common and need to be addressed in schools. Only 40% of students with emotional behavior graduate from high school. One of the problems families run into is the teachers not recognizing the behaviors. All kids’ behaviors are different, so not all schools can take the same action.

Kids with mental disorders need different kinds of help from the school system to function properly. Kids with anxiety should be treated differently than kids with physical or different mental disorders. Kids with problems at home could struggle because they’re worried about what might happen when they get home. As a parent, you could take action and get them into the right schools to help them get treated correctly. It would also be helpful to talk with the teachers before school starts so they know what would happen. These are just some of the steps and reasons people could take.

Information for this article was taken from- https://www.acmh-mi.org/get-help/navigating/problems-at-school/

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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE?

By Maggie McCarthy and Addie Astley, sophomores, staff writers

Exercise improves your life in more ways than you might think. First, exercise strengthens your bones and muscles and helps you manage weight. Having a healthy weight is important so you can do everyday activities and reduce the risk of diseases. Second, the more you exercise, the better you will sleep. Good sleep helps you manage your mood including your self-esteem.

Furthermore, exercise not only helps you physically but also mentally. Studies show that the more you move, the more your brain releases “feel-good chemicals.” These chemicals include endorphins and serotonin. Additionally, exercise boosts self-esteem, which is also your confidence and how you handle stress. In conclusion, everyone should be exercising for at least 30 minutes every day.

There are many benefits of exercising at least 30 minutes a day regularly. What daily exercise can do for your body is help maintain or lose weight, as well as strengthen your bones and muscles, help your ability to stay active and do everyday tasks, and boost your metabolism. It can also help with your appearance and how you look.

Daily exercise cannot only help your body but improve your mental health, too. Exercise can improve your brain health and reduce risks of diseases and health problems. It can also improve your mood, boosts your energy and promotes better sleep. In addition, exercise doesn’t have to be dreadful. Find something that you like doing and enjoy it, have friends join in and socialize.

Information for this article was gathered from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/physical-activity/benefits.

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GREENFIELD CLEANUP PROJECT

By Miranda Laabs, sophomore, staff writer

On May 28, Panorama students who are members of National Honor Society, Student Council, and the Service Program went to Greenfield to provide assistance with cleanup. Students took a bus to Greenfield and spent their day helping to pick up debris that had been scattered around due to the tornado that had gone through days before.

Students who participated in this were Gabe Wagner, Cole Carstens, Brayden Meinecke, Nate Geckler, Miranda Laabs, Gracie Recker, Ava Thompson, Aryilan Steenblock, Tyme Boettcher, Jaidyn Sellers, Jessica Randol, Zoey Hambleton, Elizabeth Snyder, Madelyn Carstens, Kelsey Laabs, Alexis Wasson, Faith Recker, Joel Cooper, Eli Cooper, Baylyn Herring, Karleen Ploeger and Natasha Inaty.

All of their work was appreciated. Thank you to all who came and volunteered. More help is needed for the Greenfield community. Supplies and donations of water, clothes, first aid, etc. can be donated as well.

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FRIENDSHIPS

By Holliday Mertens, freshman, staff writer

In school, you might meet new people you otherwise would have never known. You can connect with this person and like each other to the point you become friends. Friends can make someone excited to go to school, where they otherwise might be bored. Especially in high school, it is important to have friends to get you through the day. Here are some things to keep in mind when making friends in high school.

Only become friends with someone you want to become friends with. If you become friends with people because they or someone else forced you to, it will not be a good friendship. Don’t make too many friends either. Once you walk across the stage to graduate, you will never see a lot of your classmates ever again, including friends. Of course, you can stay in touch with the people you like the most but don’t get too attached to someone. One final piece of advice is to not worry about romantic relationships. Most likely, these relationships will not last past high school, so, once again, don’t get too attached to someone you will likely never see again after you graduate.

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END-OF-THE-SCHOOL-YEAR FESTIVITIES

By Marlee Herring, eighth grader, staff writer

May 29 was the last day of school. Students in grades 6-11 started the day with a year-end assembly. Students were honored for being on both the middle school and high school softball and baseball teams and wished good luck for their seasons. Other students were acknowledged for being on the honor roll terms 1, 2 or 3, being TEAMS competition participants, and receiving PBIS awards. Both middle school and high school student councils for next year were announced as well.

To celebrate the last day of school, students had a luau. The students had lunch and were allowed to sit outside, play games and socialize. Some of the games included corn hole, spike ball and a dunk tank. There was also a food truck that sold doughnuts. Students had the chance to have a fun last day full of activities. This tradition will hopefully continue for years to come so students can have a fun end of the year.

END OF THE YEAR 

By Maddy Carstens, junior, and Miranda Laabs, sophomore, staff writers

Students at Panorama are finishing up their last week at school. As we were supposed to get out of school originally on May 22nd, things changed on this date. With snow days, winter problems, and altogether bad weather, the school has had to miss a couple of days. So, the school needed to push back the end-of-the-year date. The new date that students are getting out of school is May 29th. As we wrap up the year, students will be completed their final tests on May 23-24. 

Last week, students were trying their best to focus and get their studying done. Since the school had a break on Memorial Day, they returned to school on May 28th and May 29th, their final week of school. On the 29th, students will be getting out early at 1pm, with the High School Student Council hosting a luau. 

With classes finishing tests and assignments, students could start to relax and feel summer approaching faster and faster. Summer break is upon us, congrats to everyone getting through the year.

During the summer Panorama will be competing in softball and baseball games. Athletes in football and volleyball will be starting open gyms as well. There will be various camps for youth sports during the summer. Including volleyball, basketball, and football. The summer is a good way to spend time with family and friends, and to get outside. Towards the end of summer, Panora will be hosting the annual Panorama Days. There will be plenty of activities for your families to participate in. Hoping everyone has a good summer.

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TEACHER FEATURE: MRS. GINGER LINDSTROM 

By Peyton Walker, sophomore, staff writer

Mr. Mac, Mrs. Lindstrom’s middle school art teacher, inspired her to get into art, he inspired her to draw (because he could draw anything), and he’d do many other things like yell out the most random things to draw, and Mrs. Lindstrom would draw them. Her high school art teacher Ms. Anderson was just an amazing person, and she made her students think outside the box. Mrs. Lindstrom went to ADM K-12 and she went to college at the University of Northern Iowa for her B.A. in Art Education, and then she attended Boston University for her master’s in art education. She chose to be an art teacher because her friend had asked if she would have been interested in teaching art to elementary students her junior year in college. She loves it so much she started teaching every Sunday at the Hearst Center for the Arts, after that she decided to change her major to art education. If someone told her they wanted to teach she would tell them that there is no job more important than guiding our youth to be successful. She enjoys teaching painting and ceramics the most, but she enjoys the classes in visual arts. 

Some of her favorite things about teaching are to inspire the students and to help them see their talents and their strengths. She loves getting to know her students and having conversations with them, the laughter her students and coworkers share is very uplifting. She first started working at Panorama School in 1997, she taught at the elementary for 18 years and she taught at the secondary school for 7 years. She took three years off of teaching to work in her own art, but during that time she subbed at Panorama and ACGC. 

She loves working in the Panorama District because she loves the town and the community, she loves the staff and she feels as though our community supports the art program. One of the biggest things she has learned is that technology has changed so the way she has to teach will have to change as well. Her biggest challenge is time management, she feels as though she never has enough time to do what she needs. Her favorite part about her classroom is the 2-D art and a side for Ceramics or 3-D art, she feels that it is a spectacular art studio for students. 

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TEACHER FEATURE: MRS. KATE OLIVE

By Miranda Laabs, sophomore, staff writer

Mrs. Olive, one of Panorama High School’s special education teachers, has been teaching for nine years. She started out in Texas, teaching for seven years. This is now her second year at Panorama, teaching in the special education program. Ever since she was in kindergarten, she wanted to become a teacher. She had phases where she would think about other career choices, but teaching was her goal. 

When asked what her greatest accomplishment was, Mrs. Olive stated she doesn’t feel as if she can give credit to herself alone for her accomplishments, because it has been God who has allowed her to do the things she has done. She was named teacher of the year at the district she had previously taught at. After moving from Texas to Guthrie Center, Mrs. Olive and her family had many obstacles in their way. Knowing her children are being raised in a safe place and surrounded by people who love them has been a great accomplishment for her. Trying to balance teaching, being a mom and coaching is a challenge that Mrs. Olive has faced. She is taking classes to finish her master’s degree in special education.

There are no perfect days, but when asked what an “ideal” day would look like, Mrs. Olive described it as: sleeping in and making breakfast with her husband and two daughters; playing UNO; going to garage sales; and going to lunch at Chick-fil-A, ending the day at her parents’ house, riding four-wheelers and sitting at the campfire. 

Next school year, Mrs. Olive is looking forward to teaching in the same district as her husband. The two of them have made a great team in ministry, so working together at school will also be amazing. She is looking forward to building their youth group as well (The Swamp). ________________________________________________________________

HEADING TO THE BIG APPLE 

By Marlee Herring, eighth grader, staff writer

This June, a group of students and Ms. Wooldridge will be traveling to visit New York City. They will be leaving on June 6 and will return June 10. While there, they will visit many fun and astonishing places. They will see shows on Broadway and will go to many famous places in New York like Times Square and Central Park. They will only be there for a short while, but their schedules are packed and full of fun. Safe travels and good luck.

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FUN THINGS TO DO THIS SUMMER WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY 

By Bjoërg Skovgaard, sophomore, staff writer

This summer will not be boring with these fun activities to do with friends and family. Enjoy a nice picnic outside or at a park. Make a good lunch and play games. Just grab a blanket or two and have fun. This summer is also a time when we can try new things like flying a kite, golfing or fishing. It’s not a real summer without ice cream. How about making your own sweet-frozen treat to cool you down?

This is the summer for outdoor activities, so why not go camping or on a hiking trip? The best part of camping is that you don’t have to go into a forest. You can set up a tent in your backyard and have an amazing time with family grilling and making s’mores. We all know it gets hot outside, which means swimming and water balloon fights. Have a great summer with lots of fun.

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IMPACTFULNESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA 

By Lillie Greenlee, freshman, staff writer

Social media impacts everyone more than we probably think. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can be. Most everyone is using social media today. Some of the things people post are good but some are also bad. It also depends on how people see the post. It’s definitely fun and can be used in many different ways. It’s really fun to have different ways to connect with people, and you can be creative and innovative. However, it’s easy to spend too much time on it. 

Social media is impactful for users in both good and bad ways. It’s definitely the most impactful for teens. Teens are easily influenced, and both good and bad things that they see can impact them. Some good things about social media would be the people who try to spread positivity and helpfulness to others. Social media is also entertaining and is a great way for people to interact, connect and be creative. 

On the other hand, social media can be destructive. Since teens are easily influenced, they could see something bad and they’re more likely to be influenced. They could also see someone and get jealous, which can be mentally harsh for some teens. A lot of things on social media are fake or edited, but a lot of immature teens don’t think about that. So, social media can be a good thing, but it’s good to be mindful while using it. 

Special to the Times Vedette

On May 24, a total of 10 players participated. Dan Webb produced a 16 right away, Kal Phippen wiggled in an 18, and Deb Kiefer had a 16, but Robert Klever came up with a 17 and a 20.

The Guthrie Center cribbage players meet at Guthrie Center Library on Mondays at 8 a.m., at the assisted living rec room at 8 a.m. on Wednesdays, and at the Guthrie Center Activity Center at 1 p.m. on Fridays. Organizers say there is always room for more, and they will be glad to teach you how to play. They play for quarters on Wednesday and Friday. For more information, email 58chevy@netins.net.

AC/GC Leo’s Club member Payton Policky carries a case of water while Becca Littler places another case of water on an ATV. The water and supplies were donated by the AC/GC community for the Greenfield community after a devastating tornado struck the city on May 21.

NHS collects donations for Greenfield

By Max Sills | Black and Gold Staff Writer

ACGC’s National Honors Society has collected donations for Greenfield to help the people in need after an EF-4 tornado flattened more than half the town.

The NHS collected water bottles, Gatorade, baby items, food, personal hygiene products and other supplies to give to Greenfield after this tragedy.

People can help by continuing to donate and spread information about this tragedy.

“We understand that these people have lost more than we could imagine, so helping out in any way possible would be great,” Charger NHS member Jathan South said.

ACGC and Nodaway Valley are rival sports teams, but that doesn’t matter in this case.

“We might be rivals in sports, but when it comes to people needing help, we are not rivals at all,” South said. “We would do anything to help people in need because that is much more important than any sports game.”

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Tornado hits Greenfield

By Jeslyn Ortega | Black & Gold Staff Writer

Many lives were upended May 21 when a tornado struck Greenfield, but students at ACGC High School are lending a helping hand to our Highway 25 rivals.

The community has come together and is doing a donation drive for those in need. The football team, volleyball team, DECA Leo’s Club and FFA are involved.

“We are coming together as a community, and it’s what you do for those in need. We are putting aside our differences and coming together because that is what they would do if it was the other way around,” DECA advisor Jennifer Betterton said.

Betterton said they are making sure they bring in enough items and goods that would help out the community and are helping with labor with tasks like taking trees down.