School Changes Don't Affect Teachers

By Jon Kraft and Matt Schneider

Newman Catholic High School has undergone numerous changes in the last school year after the incorporation of the middle school staff and students into the high school building.  Yet, do these radical changes have as much effect on the teaching staff as one would think? According to teachers Mr. Robert Tourdot and Mrs. Joy Orozco, they have felt little change in their daily routines.

Mr. Tourdot has now taken on the role of both middle and high school teacher. According to him,” It’s different working with the ability levels of middle school and high school, but I enjoy the challenge.” He also states that “I like the fact that the middle schoolers bring energy to the art room and the variety of lessons I can teach them. I wish that I could spend more time in the class with them.” When he was asked his views on the middle schoolers no one could doubt the sincerity in his eyes.

According to Mrs. Orozco, there was a feeling of great sadness losing her long beloved Spanish class. As a teacher of French and freshman Religion, her room is shared with another favorite in the religious teaching community, Mrs. Kathy Stella. According to Mrs. Orozco, the changes with the middle school do not affect her in all that many ways, since she teaches both 7th and 8th as well.

She added, “Thank you to all middle school students for all the energy brought to class. And to all language students, continue your studies, because knowing 2 or 3 or more languages will expand your horizons tremendously.”

Though there are many undeniable changes in the Newman Catholic Schools System, the teachers are working to make the est of a few early organizational issues that arise as the school adapts to these profound changes.

Variety of Clubs Influence Students and School Community

By Bailey Dillon and Gaunou Lo

         

Newman has numerous clubs that give students opportunities to be involved in community and leadership services, and advance service work both in the Newman community and beyond its walls.  Newman students have expressed how they improved as individuals by helping other people in the community through the clubs at Newman.

         

Two of our Key Club members are an International Trustee, Nick Cornell, and a Lieutenant Governor, Emma Felty.  Nicole Cornell joined Key Club to learn more about what she can do to serve the community and help others through service.  The club has given her the chance to get to know others who care about service as well as an opportunity to serve others and teach her to view the world differently.   Key club has helped the Wausau and Newman communities through various events, such as the Elephant Ear stand at the Wisconsin Valley Fair and Men Who Cook.

         

Pep Club is a group of students that attend sporting events to cheer on their Newman sports teams.  They also plan Peppermint, which is a dance in December.  Erin Gassner, who is a current member, said “I joined Pep Club because I think that it is important to support the school, and Pep Club has affected me positively by making me more appreciative of the talented people at Newman”.

         

Student Ambassadors is a club that chooses specific and qualified Newman students to represent Newman in a positive way.  Student Ambassadors do volunteer work from helping at the Winter Wonderland Auction (selling raffle tickets) to helping at the Senior Night Awards (handing out awards).  Their duties are to give a positive expression of Newman and help improve the Newman community throughout the school year wherever they go by representing Newman the best way they can.  Emma Felty, a current member, joined Newman Student Ambassadors because she wanted to help out our school and the Newman Community in a deeper way.

         

Maggie Ward is in the National Honor Society, and she said that the purpose of the club is to get ahold of students with high academic achievements and volunteering experience and recognize them for their work and high motivation.  The members in the National Honor Society get to plan activities for the school and volunteer for the activities.  She is one of the most responsible members because she completes what is asked of her and is a good representation of the school.

New Tennis Coach Brings Positive Attitude

By Hannah Reeves

With over 25 years of experience, Coach Deb Rupar brings a new perspective as the new girl’s varsity tennis coach.  Starting her tennis career in high school herself, Coach Rupar said, “the game of tennis will stick with the girls for the rest of their lives.  Once you pick up the racket, the racket is with you for life.”

Coach Rupar brings her knowledge, skills, and passion to every practice and game.  She shows the girls the techniques to make a winner, but also the love everyone should have for the game of tennis.

Coach Rupar has many goals for the 2010 girl’s varsity tennis team.  The biggest goal is to get the girls to state.  She also enjoys seeing them win, and knowing they had the time of their lives doing it.  Along with the goal of winning, she also wants to show the younger generation the techniques of being a winner and how enjoyable each stroke of their racket can be.

Her love for tennis makes practices and games worth going to, and each girl always has a smiling coach behind her cheering her on.

Soccer Team Off to Perfect Start

By Marshall De Lonay

After a hard fought win on Monday against McDonald, the Newman Catholic boys soccer team continues to dominate their opponents.  The Cardinals, now 14-0-1, have continued their undefeated season as they did last year.  In an interview with head coach, Mike Switalski, he stated, “The difference between this year and last is that there is no difference.  Rather we are still playing with the same concept, built on strong soccer tradition.” 

With the loss of 12 seniors from last soccer season, the hopes for the Cardinals’ run for state seemed doubtful.  However, the team’s seamless play and how they work together have become the basis for their winning streak.  When asked who leads the team, Coach Switalski replied, “It’s not just one player, but the entire team.  The seniors have brought great morale to the program and along with that the other teammates have caught the fever and become key players.” 

The captains, along with the rest of the team, believe a state title is within reach.  Now, more than halfway through the season and undefeated, their chances for state have ignited their drive for perfection.  “There are upcoming games that will be tough,” said Coach Switalski, “but as long as we continue our energy, teamwork and enthusiasm, there is no reason why we can’t win.  The key to success is team soccer.”  Be sure to check up-and-coming articles for more news on the soccer team.  Go Cards!    

Volleyball Team Sets High Goals

By Logan Gajewski

The Newman Catholic girl’s volleyball team is off to another great season this year.  The team, led by Coach Betty Lange, has begun the new season with four solid wins.  They are also coming off a great previous year. The girl’s team made it all the way to the state championship game, only to fall just short, so the team has a lot to prove still this year.

The Team lost only three starting seniors from last year, meaning that most current varsity players on the team have had varsity experience from the previous year.  “All the girls have really stepped up to fill the positions that are key to our success,” says senior Andrea Michalski.  She also spoke about the great work ethic shown by each player in the off season to prepare, as well as to get better as the season progresses. 

The obvious goal for the team now is to win in the state championship game.  The team still realizes however, that there is still much more work to be done to even have the opportunity to compete for the title.  Considering their success this year so far, it looks as though they have a very good chance.  It will be interesting to see if the team will be able to take that next step and reach their ultimate goal of a state championship.

Homecoming is Here: Get Excited!

By Tawni Ruesch and Brianna Bratland

School spirit, pride and excitement are all key themes that students display at the Newman Catholic High School homecoming.

Decorating hallways, dressing up as cowboys, and an adrenaline stirring pep rally are just a few ways the students here at NCHS celebrate homecoming week.  A lot of time and effort goes into the coordinating of the excitement that is the NCHS homecoming.

Not only do teachers and staff work on making homecoming possible, but the students, especially the seniors, play the most important role.  Seniors pick the dress-up days and plan the games and all the events that take place during homecoming. 

Every year the seniors have a special ambition to be number one.  This year’s seniors are planning on taking home the gold, and coming out on top.  Meetings are being held almost every day during the high school lunch just to plan things like hall decorations and the homecoming dance. 

Every year pep club likes to bring out the spirit of homecoming with the help of the pep club advisor Mrs. Kronberger.  Mrs. Kronberger is excited to see students take ownership of making homecoming a success.  She is most looking forward to the motorcade, because everyone is honking and cheering, and she feels it is part of the homecoming that gets everyone most motivated. 

Mr. Fry: One of Many New Faces at Newman Catholic

By Makayla Heisler

Newman Catholic High School has a new teacher this year.

Jason Fry, 26, is the new English teacher at NCHS who was hired just a week before school started.

This is Mr. Fry’s second full time teaching job. He teaches English I, II, and Publications. Although he is a younger teacher, he feels very welcomed by the other teachers, staff, and students here at the High School.

Mr. Fry feels he can count on anyone here at NCHS to help him out when needed and to show him the ropes. He feels very comfortable in the catholic environment the school has to offer. This help was needed, especially since it was so busy for him the week before school.

Mr. Fry has been teaching for two years in the catholic school system. Before Newman, he taught at a middle school. He feels that both schools have a very similar atmosphere but the students and material are at different levels.

When he isn’t teaching school, Mr. Fry likes to travel. He goes anywhere from visiting his family in Richland Center to going on longer vacations.  During the summer vacation or other longer vacations he likes to visit other countries.

Mr. Fry is a soccer enthusiast. He loves the game and he played it all throughout high school and at his college, Viterbo University, where he earned a degree in English Education. He also coaches the Newman Catholic Middle School soccer team.

In his free time Mr. Fry likes to collect world soccer jerseys. He also likes to walk his hound-beagle-pug mix, Dempsey. Dempsey is named after Clint Dempsey the soccer player. He got her soon after the United States played England in the World Cup.

Newman Catholic Football has High Expectations

By Adam Rutz and Mike Pueschner

Success is a word that Newman Catholic football has been used to lately, and a lot of that is credited to the hard work put in by Paul Michlig, his coaching staff, and most importantly his players.  Michlig, a proud graduate of Newman in 1996, came back to his Alma-mater to coach. He has turned the program around and the outlook for the future is promising. Led by a very strong running game, the Cardinals are expecting to contend for a conference title again this season.

Leadership is very important with this year's team, and having 14 seniors is a big help to that. The entire team, freshman through seniors, is very close. The team chemistry is what builds momentum going into each week. Though the team lost the first week to the #1 ranked team in the state, Gilman, they rebounded in week two against Abbotsford with a 17-0 win. They had a tough loss to Owen-Withee last week; however they are still hoping to get to the postseason.

“We want to play competitively every game, make the playoffs, and try to get the first playoff win in school history.” Michlig said, when asked about his goals for this year’s team. The Cardinals have a good chance of getting that win with this year's team because they have so much experience from the previous two seasons. Though they had a tough time in the past, we're hoping the third times the charm.

Senior quarterback Andrew Wilke says that this year the team has more chemistry than he has seen in the past. "We have a more consistent passing game than last year, as well as more running backs that will get to see more time," said Wilke. The offense lost six starters and the core of their offensive line from last year, but is rebuilding and very explosive again. They have a very fast backfield, to go along with a deep staff of wide receivers, so it gives the team plenty of options going into each week.

On the defensive side, the Cards lost quite a few starters as well from last year's 7-3 team, but the new starters are playing well and making the Newman squad tough on both sides of the ball. Senior linebacker Adam Heis, however, is one of the returning defensive players and he says they have big expectations going for the remainder of the season. “We have a lot of experience back on this year’s team. Our main goal right now is to play hard, win games, and get to the playoffs,” said Heis.

The Cardinals have to go at least 5-4 to qualify for the playoffs, and with a record of 1-2 after week 3, they still have a very realistic shot of getting to the postseason. In 2008, they clinched the first playoff berth in school history since joining the WIAA in 2000. Now that getting to the postseason has been accomplished, getting the first playoff victory is next on the list. With all of the talent on this year's team, there is no question this could be the year the Cards get the job done in the playoffs.

Right now, they are taking things one game at a time, and focusing on what they need to do as a team and not getting ahead of themselves. They played at Loyal last week, winning 55-12.Next they are back at home for the Homecoming game against Greenwood, September 25th at Thom Field. Both games are crucial for the Cards as they look to stay in the playoff hunt, and get that first victory in school history.

Welcome to Your Student Newspaper

Dear students, staff, alumni and parents:

Welcome to the 2010-11 Newman Catholic High School Red Hat, a student newspaper written, edited and published by the students of the NCHS Publications class.  I am very excited about the opportunities we have with our publications class this year.  This blog is the first in what we hope to be several steps and various formats that will allow you, the readers, to easily and regularly obtain news and information about your school, your peers, and the great things that are happening at Newman Catholic HS every day.

The students in publications are working hard to bring you interesting articles about a wide variety of organizations, activities and events going on in, or related to our school.  They will constantly be looking for new angles and ideas to write about.  If you have an idea for a story, please share it with the publications students, then keep your eyes peeled for the article posted here.  This page will be updated almost every day with new articles and information, so please check back often to keep up to date. 

We appreciate you visiting our site.  Without our readers, we lack purpose and motivation to create and distribute the best newspaper articles we can turn out.  Thank you for visiting our page and supporting our project.  We hope to see you back here often!

Sincerely,
Mr. Fry
NCHS Publications Teacher