Front row: Avery Bahrenfuss and Riley Gibson; Back row: Anna Thompson, Emme Hardisty and Taylin Woolheater
INDIVIDUAL SPEECH: ON TO STATE
By Holliday Mertens, freshman, staff writer
Congratulations to the 2024 Panorama Individual Speech team for making it to State. Everyone who competed in District Speech made it to State. That is a huge accomplishment. The students going to State are Riley Gibson (Poetry and Acting), Anna Thompson (After Dinner and Storytelling), Taylin Woolheater (Solo Musical Theatre and Poetry), Emme Hardisty (Solo Musical Theatre), and Avery Bahrenfuss (Storytelling). Congratulations to all of these students.
Every single one of these students got a score of 1, which qualifies them for State. The State Speech competition will be held at ADM High School in Adel on Saturday, March 9. Make sure to go and cheer on our students. Once again, congratulations to everyone who made it to State. Go, Panthers!
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PANORAMA PEP BUS
By Maddy Carstens, junior, staff writer
The Panorama girls basketball team qualified for the state tournament for the third consecutive year. By beating Denver High School, the girls advanced to play on Wednesday, Feb. 28 against Grundy Center High School. Our Lady Panthers beat Grundy Center, 59-49, and advanced to play Westwood on Friday March 1. Once again, they won, 39-36, and advanced to the Class 2A Championship on Saturday, March 2 where they took on Dike-New Hartford.
One great thing about basketball games is the fans coming out to support the players. Sometimes, though, since Wells Fargo Arena is so far away, people, especially younger kids, might not be able to go to support. However, this has now been made possible.
Panorama Community Schools provided a “Pep Bus” to allow students to ride to the game and support the players as a community. Sponsored by the Panorama Booster Club, students were able to ride the bus and attend the game for free. The bus was allowed for students in sixth through 12th grade. The Pep Bus brought a lot of supporters to the game. The student section was packed with kids ready to cheer on the Panthers. Many thanks to all those who made the pep bus accessible to many students.
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PEN PALS
By Marlee Herring, eighth grader, staff writer
This year, seventh and eighth grade students had the opportunity to have pen pals from Denmark. They first received letters in November. They sent replies back in December and just received more this week. We are taking the time to do this during Mrs. Dorhout’s language arts class, and they are being sent to Rikke Thunberg Perdersen’s class in a suburb of Copenhagen Denmark. These letters are a great way to learn more about people from another country and get to know cultures outside of our own.
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100 YEARS OF AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
By Miyah Small, eighth grader, staff writer
The American Heart Association was founded in 1924 by six cardiologists. Since then, it has grown into the nation’s largest voluntary organization devoted to fighting heart disease and stroke. More than 35 million people volunteer and support this program along with nearly 3,000 staff members. The AHA has invested approximately $5 billion in research, which is more than any other organization other than the federal government. AHA is the largest not-for-profit funding source for heart health.
Recently, Panorama Student Council hosted a district wide fundraiser celebrating the 100th year of the American Heart Association. Students who registered to fundraise had opportunities to do more than just raise money. They could learn hands-only CPR and stroke warning signs. The district raised 75% of the goal that was set. Great job to everyone who fundraised and thank you to everyone who donated. If you missed a chance to donate and would like to, go to https://www.heart.org/en/ to learn more about how to donate.
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SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: RYAN COGIL
By Miranda Laabs, sophomore, staff writer
Senior, Ryan Cogil, grew up on a farm near Jamaica. The activities he has been involved in are football, basketball, soccer, track and field, NHS, FFA, FCA, TSA and Boy Scouts. Out of all of the accomplishments Ryan has earned, he says becoming an Eagle Scout is the greatest. Throughout high school, the biggest challenge for Ryan was being involved in so many activities.
Mr. Dahlhauser was Ryan’s favorite teacher and coach who had impacted him the most. In 10 years, he sees himself working on farm equipment. Ryan plans to attend Northeast Iowa Community College in the John Deere Ag Tech Program. Good luck in your future endeavors, Ryan.
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SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: DONOVIN DELP
By Maggie McCarthy, sophomore, staff writer
Donovin Delp is a senior at Panorama High School. Donovin has been involved in All-Iowa Honor Dance Team, Dance Team Studio Dance, and “The Nutcracker” for one year. His most challenging task as a senior is trying to figure out what he wants to do after high school. He plans to attend the University of Iowa and major in nursing. If he could describe his last four years in three words, it would be bittersweet, ever-changing and fast.
Donovin’s favorite teacher was Mrs. Perez because she asked her students about their accomplishments, and they would try to say them in Spanish. They would bond by talking about her life in Spain and how different the cultures are compared to each other. If he could go back and tell his younger self anything, it would be to not care so much about the little things because they don’t matter in the long run. Donovin would like to be remembered as someone who is not afraid to go after his dreams. Lastly, his advice for the underclassmen is to not take things for granted because time flies by.
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END OF TERM 3 APPROACHING
By Marlee Herring, eighth grader, staff writer
On March 14, term 3 will be ending. This means that any missing assignments or late work need to be turned in. Even if you think you turned everything in, you might have missing work. Make sure you check Infinite Campus and Google Classroom. It is also important to study for any upcoming end-of-term tests.
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WEIRD IOWA WEATHER
By Maddy Carstens, junior, staff writer
Iowa is a state with strange weather patterns. One day, it could be 50 degrees with sunshine, while the next day is 20 degrees with a chance of snow. February is a month that usually consists of snow and cold weather. However, this was not the case in Guthrie County. With strange temps and weather patterns, Iowans don’t know what to expect.
Feb. 25 through March 2 was an interesting week of weather. Sunday and Monday had temperatures up to the mid-50s and 60s, and even low 70s. Monday, however, consisted of strong winds to blow the temperature back down. Tuesday through Saturday was sunny, with temps ranging between 50s to 30s, and even 20s. This crazy weather has thrown most everyone for a loop. What a weird-weather state we live in.