Senior Forensics Stand Out

by Sara Vesel

Forensics, or the art or study of augmentation and debate, is a club offered at Newman Catholic High School with Mr. Fry, the freshman and sophomore English teacher and assistant soccer coach, as the advisor.  It is a fun, positive, independent club where each member or team of people picks a topic from poetry reading to radio speaking and performs at sub district, district, and potentially, state level competitions. 

This year, the only forensics member to make it to state was Erin Gassner, a senior.  She performed in the comedic solo acting category with a piece from “A…My Name is Still Alice” by Kate Shein.  The selection is about a girl having a “forensic nightmare”.  She freaks out at a forensics meet and forgets her lines.  “I chose this piece because it is really funny, and I have always done some sort of solo acting piece whether it was comedic or serious,” said Erin Gassner. 

As a participant in numerous plays and shows through DDH Dance Academy and Central Wisconsin Children’s Theatre, or CWCT, she is a natural when it comes to performing in front of audiences.  She also participated in forensics both sophomore and junior year.  In her sophomore year she received a silver medal at state and junior year she earned a bronze.  This year, when she took her piece to the state competition, she received a gold, the highest rating.

"To do well in forensics, you have to practice.  You also have to pick a piece you really like, and don't pick a piece just because you think it'll please the judges.  It's supposed to be fun, so you shouldn't be nervous," Erin Gassner advises, "and if you do get nervous, remember that everyone else is probably nervous too.  Just picture everyone in their underwear."

Forensics is a club that allows people to use and develop their speaking skills in a fun, competitive way.  "You should join forensics because it looks great on applications.  You also develop good public speaking, memorization, and creative skills.  My favorite part about forensics is being able to explore different aspects of performance and watching others perform,” Erin Gassner said.

Erin Gassner has described her time in forensics as "an awesome experience", and she should be very proud of herself for doing so well.  Forensics can help strengthen you academically and socially through the things you learn and people you meet.  Altogether, forensics is a great way to meet different people, develop educationally, and have a good time.  If you are interested in joining forensics, the 2012-2013 season will begin in November.  This is an open club for all students at Newman Catholic Schools, and you should consider joining.

Girls Basketball Makes Unexpected Return to State

By Maria Legenza

The Newman Fighting Cardinals is a name that definitely applies to the girl’s basketball team this 2011-2012 season. They continue to bring the heat in every game with their strong defense, aggressive offense, and great team dynamics. Their modesty in pride is recognized through their abilities to have great success and accept the win and learn to continue that drive.

The mission statement for the Newman Catholic athletics is this: “Newman Catholic Schools’ athletic programs are dedicated to fostering a competitive sports program which emphasizes the need for teamwork, dedication, discipline, school and team pride, and respect for self, teammates, coaches, opponents and officials.” As with all athletic teams that exemplify this motto, this certainly applies to the Newman Catholic Girls Basketball team. The way they flow as one on the court, intern grants them the success that they work so hard to achieve.

Brianna Jehn, a starting senior states, “Each year we continue to grow, improve, and fight. Losing many talented players this past year put a lot of pressure on me and my teammates to continue the success of girls basketball.” There was a definite pressure on the senior class of 2012 to take the reigns for the graduated seniors from 2011. With their obvious success in all there games, and a record of 16-1, they are bringing the fire from last year and applied it with the new players.

Jehn says, “We stay focused in the gym, work on our plays, and condition our bodies and minds. I am proud of the accomplishments we have attained this year.”  This year, and many other years in the past, this on going success of the Newman Catholic Girls Basketball continues to flourish.

The Benefits of Guidance

by Morgan Lukes

Through my four years of high school, we have gone through many different faculty members.  One of the faculty positions that has changed over the years is our guidance counselor position.  Over my four years of high school, as a senior, I have seen three different guidance counselors: Mrs. LeVeque, Mr. Thoreson, and now Mr. Kelter. 

Mrs. LeVeque was here when we were freshman and sophomores.  We could go to her about anything or any problem and she was willing to help us out.  She was a great lady and a great counselor.  I’m sure if you ask any senior or junior, they will tell you that they loved going to talk to Mrs. LeVeque because she was fun to talk to and everyone loved playing with the toys on her desk.

Mr. Kelter

For our junior year, we had Mr. Thoreson.  Mr. Thoreson was a good guidance counselor.  He was always on the seniors, telling them to get this and that done for their future if they wanted to succeed.  He was also helpful to underclassmen whether they needed to talk about something or change their schedule in some way.  Mr. Thoreson was a good guidance counselor for this school; he always kept people moving.  Mr. Thoreson is now our assistant principal, dean of students, and athletic director.

Now we have Mr. Kelter as our new guidance counselor at Newman Catholic.  He is constantly on the run getting everyone’s attention.  He is always keeping the students on track and motivated.  He is always on us, as seniors, to get our college applications in, and to do many other things concerning our senior year.  Mr. Kelter is definitely the man to fill this position effectively for the foreseeable future at Newman Catholic.

Newman's Got A New Club

By Thayeng Lee

Newman’s Got Talent is a club where students can exhibit their talents and show them off. During half-time of the basketball games, students in Newman’s Got Talent can show off their different talents to the crowd. There is a meeting every week during lunch where students can come and discuss their ideas of what they want to do. Ideas  could include acting out a play, singing, playing an instrument, dancing, or other things. There can be many other options that will be considered.

Erin Gassner, the vice president of Newman’s Got Talent, says that the students can decide what to do during half-time of basketball games. Also, Gassner says that there will be a Variety or Talent Show later this year. She thinks that this is a really good club and she hopes that it will continue.

The advisor for this club is Mr. Thoreson; he was the one who started Newman’s Got Talent. He started this club so that Newman can show off their many gifts and talents to other people.

Boys Soccer Returns to State

by Thayeng Lee

The Newman Catholic boys soccer team returned to the state tournament in Milwaukee this year after staying undefeated in conference and winning both regionals and sectionals. It was a hard fought battle against The Prairie School, but in the end Newman lost 6-0 in the semi-finals. Even though they didn’t win state, the team is proud to have gone to state twice in a row.

Coach Switalski said that this year was a fantastic season in terms of wins and losses. “Not very many people thought Newman could go to state this year,” said Coach Switalski. He also believed that all the soccer players grew from this year’s season, and that they all strived to do their very best.

Switalski added that he is very encouraged that everyone picked up their game, but he is a little concerned about the number of soccer players for next year. Switalski said that next year it is always a possibility to go to state again, and everyone is going to have to work hard and build from realistic goals.    

Big Changes at Newman Catholic

by Maria Legenza

The current school year at Newman Catholic has seen many changes. Some examples of the changes include new office members, new teachers, and a new principal. These are some of the biggest changes Newman Catholic has ever experienced. The new members to the Newman family have created a driven environment, which has pushed the students further then they ever have been pushed before.

On Wednesday, October 26^th, the office saw a drastic change when Mrs. Lambrecht retired from Newman Catholic Schools. She was working in the office as the heart of the school for over thirty years. This was a major occurrence for Newman to handle because whenever you needed help, guidance, a hall pass, or any information, she always knew exactly how to help with each individual issue or problem. The staff has now filled in her position with multiple facility members working together to run the office smoothly. Although the changes with her leaving have been difficult to adapt to, the school has been doing a great job of remaining strong and running efficiently.

Miss McRoberts and Mrs. Taggetz are the new teachers in the high school wing. These teachers have been selected wisely because they had large positions to fill. Miss McRoberts is teaching all the junior and senior English classes, including the AP courses, and Mrs. Taggetz is teaching the freshman religion classes. Miss McRoberts’ intelligence in English has provided the students with a challenge and will continue to influence a brighter future with students being more prepared for college. Mrs. Taggetz’s position is vital because it is giving the freshman the base of their foundation in religion and knowledge of the subject. Together they have provided Newman Catholic with challenging but rewarding teaching that will continue to push the students toward success.

Mr. Delikowski

In 2010 we lost a great principal, Mr. Theiss, which caused Newman Catholic to be on the search to fill this important position. God has blessed the system with an amazing man named James Delikowski. Upon meeting him, everyone could tell from his enthusiasm and determination that he was the perfect fit for Newman Catholic as principal of both the middle and high schools. These were big shoes to fill, and Mr. Delikowski has done an amazing job so far this year in providing the best experience for the students. The positivity he portrays through his personality and willingness to listen to each student has created at Newman Catholic an environment of success and excitement. He has adapted to the Newman family, and has shown great love of his position and the students attending this school.

Newman Catholic Clubs In High Gear

by Maria Legenza

The 2011-12 school year of is off to a great start with the Newman Catholic High School clubs having new students in leadership positions. In Key Club, Maria Legenza is President and Anne Zieglemeier is Vice President. This dynamic duo has been working hard to turn this year’s Key Club into a fun, inviting club offering many volunteer opportunities. Recently the club traveled to Wisconsin Dells for the Fall Rally which gave them new ideas for the club and more options for improving. The big events coming up for Key Club include The Festival of Trees, new matching club t-shirts, Make a Difference Day, raking leaves, and various Kiwanis activities or projects.

There is also exciting news for the Key Club this year! They have conjoined with Wausau West’s Key Club, and together they have been working on getting to know each other socially, and they have been creating more volunteer opportunities between them. They are welcome to participate in our service projects, and we are welcome to join theirs. It is a great way to get to know the greater Wausau community and other high school students willing to make a difference in their community.

The Pep Club, with newly elected President Leslie Bychinski and Vice President Daley Rupar, is working hard together this year to bring more school spirit and enthusiasm to Newman Catholic High School. They did a great job organizing the motorcade for homecoming this year, with the many signs made for the game, and car paint and balloons for every single car. They are now bringing Halloween back to Newman Catholic! They have organized fun Halloween activities to do and dress-up days to participate in. Pep Club continues to bring energy and enthusiasm to Newman Catholic High School.

This year, National Honor Society is determined to accomplish many more tasks in our community than ever before.  In 2011-12, the club is going to be supporting the local Humane Society.  Most recently, these students have been making dog chew toys out of old t-shirts to donate to the Humane Society. Determination, organization, and precision are the three main goals for this club; they wish to continue this idea of success for the future.

Foreign Exchange Frenzy

by Erin Gassner

                                                        

Newman Catholic High School has always had a history of providing foreign exchange students with a new and exciting experience. This year, we are fortunate to host two foreign exchange students: Zsnaett Peter and Donato D’Onghia.

Zsanett Peter is 17 years old and is from the mid-European country of Hungary. She became interested in being a foreign exchange student when she saw a presentation of the Global Outreach program, which is dedicated to providing quality experiences for foreign exchange students.

Zsanett enjoys dancing, playing piano in Newman Catholic’s own jazz band, singing, and playing tennis. She played junior varsity tennis this fall and even got a spread in the Wausau Daily Herald. She enjoys how Americans are more calm and don’t take things too seriously and how different the education system is.

Donato D'Onghia

Donato D’Onghia, age 17, is from Italy. He made a bet with his family: he wanted to prove that he could, basically, live without them for a year. He wanted to come to America to prove himself to his family and to try new experiences. At first it was difficult to get in the swing of things, but now Donato is having a great time in America with his new friends.

Outside of school, Donato enjoys Facebook and watching television and also takes dance classes. Since coming to America, he has tried and loved many different types of new food. He also loves the fact that he gets to have his own locker to put his books and other materials inside, versus carrying all of them around with him.

Both Donato and Zsanett have been enjoying their foreign exchange experience. We hope that the rest of the year will as enjoyable as the first two months have been!

Conservation Club Goes Camping

by Erin Gassner

Though a native Wisconsinite, I am ashamed to admit that before this weekend, I had never been camping. The idea of spending time in the woods is always appealing, but sleeping on the cold, hard ground? No, thank you. However, this weekend, I decided to join my fellow members of the Conservation Club in a trip to our very own Rudolph Environmental Center (more commonly known as the REC).

Our primary goal was to pull buckthorn from various areas throughout the REC. Buckthorn is an invasive species native to Europe. The problem with buckthorn is that once it is one area, it will take root and compete with native plants for sunlight and soil. Buckthorn literally looks just like a small twig coming out of the ground with a few leaves sticking out the top. One plant looks harmless, but unfortunately it grows in large groups and can take over large areas at a time – they can even grow as large as a regular tree.

Saturday afternoon, we were able to clear from the REC many large buckthorn plants, as well as small seedlings. That night, we gleefully used dried-out buckthorn twigs to start a campfire, as well as to roast marshmallows – it seemed a fitting way to dispose of the troublesome plants.

Advice for New Freshmen

By Morgan Lukes

Many of the new freshmen this year are excited to finally be in high school.  They are excited to be at the top of the food chain, but they aren’t quite there yet.  They still have three more years to go before they are seniors.



Senior Carolina Larrain takes some Freshmen under her
wing during homecoming week



A few of the freshmen are nervous because they have new teachers, new classes, and a new way of school to get used to, compared to middle school.  Alex Heisler is one of the freshmen students who is nervous yet ambitious about high school this year.

High school is a lot different than middle school in so many ways.  There is no recess, little free time to run around, and lots of work to get done.

Many freshmen are actually enjoying their freshmen year so far, and are looking forward to the rest of their high school year.  Remind everyone, including the freshmen that the high school years of life are the best ones and the most memorable ones.

Remember these years and do what you can to make the high school years fun.  Freshmen may be nervous or excited or ambitious now, but we recommend they always be open to new things and ideas while in high school; they will get so many opportunities to do all kinds of fun things like dances, clubs, rallies, and so many other things.  While they are in high school now, they should take chances and opportunities to enjoy these years to the fullest.