VOLUME 20 n ISSUE 3 n DECEMBER 2013
Harvard Public School
www.harvard.esu9.org
caption
Kindergarten through sixth grade students sing to their grandparents at the Grandparents Day program.
Elementary Students Celebrate Grandparents Day
By Katie Bell
Memories last a life time, which
is why Grandparents Day is a special day for the grandchildren and
grandparents. All the hearts in the
gym were warmed, and all the souls
in the gym were prideful as these
grandparents watched their grandchildren celebrate them.
On November 15, Harvard Public
Schools held its annual Grandparents Day. This year was different
from past years, instead of only hosting grandparents from the kindergarten class, Harvard hosted grandparents from the entire elementary,
kindergarten through sixth grade,
to celebrate this day of honor and
thanks to their grandparents. On this
day Harvard Public school hosted an
estimated 150 grandparents.
The grandparents sat with their
grandchildren, in the multipurpose
room or their grandchild’s classroom,
while they waited for the Grandparents program to start, which took place
at 12:15 p.m, in the gym. The program
started with an “A Song for Grandparents Day” sang by all the elementary
students. Following was a heartwarming solo from 6th grader Ryan Harms
who sang “You Are So Beautiful’ while
all the grandmas stood up to be recognized. As I watched from the side,
I saw Ryan’s grandma’s eyes fill with
salty tears as she watched her grand-
son sing the song. Then 5th grader
Paisley Longoria and 5th grader Morgan Parrish sang “For he’s a Jolly Good
Fellow” to recognize all the grandpas
attending the program.
Next the first graders entertained
the audience with a “Grandparents
Day Rap.” After the rap, the kindergarten class came in the gym dressed
up in costumes that perceived the way
grandparents would dress back in the
olden days so to speak. For grandparents day they sang three songs. They
sang “Grandmas Glasses,” “Turkey on
the Farm,” and “Grandparents Day” all
directed by Mrs. Stone. The program
then ended with the song “A Song for
See Grandparents continued on page 4
UNL Math Bowl Champions
© Harvard Public School - Mr. Thompson
Harvard Mathletes Go Undefeated in Double Elimination Bracket
Back Row (L - R): Daniel Hernandez, Allen Brand, Elijah Sadd, Douglas Johnson, Kelsey Griess,
and Mr. Riley. Front Row: Alyssa Novak, Mikayla Novak, Paden Derr, Sam Kamm, and Julio
Marquez.
By Neil Riley
“The hardest part of winning the
UNL Math Bowl was the uncertainty.
Going into each round, we didn’t know
what concepts in math we needed to
use. We also didn’t know how good the
other teams were. There was always
that fear of not knowing how to answer something when your opponent
does,”said senior Paden Derr.
The Harvard Math Club students
competed in Division 5 at UNL Math
Day on November 21. Students used
to compete in each of the different
class, A, B, C, and D. However, this
year the competition was split into division based on school size. Division
5 was made up of schools with a 9-12
school enrollment of 75 – 125 students.
There were 21 other schools competing in this division.
The math students placed third on
the individual exam, falling short of
second place by a mirror thirty-three
hundredths of a point. Placing first
Pg. 2
was Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran
and in second place was East Butler.
Harvard finished the day on a high
note taking the double elimination
math bracket by storm and claiming
the championship. East Butler finished in second place with both of
their losses coming at the hands of
The Chirp December 2013
the Cardinals and in third place was
Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran.
The math bowl team was comprised of the three senior members of
the Harvard Math Club, Derr, Mikayla
Novak, and Douglas Johnson. Harvard
began the bracket facing off against
Cedar Bluffs. This match proved to be
the closest of the day as Cedar Bluffs
tied up the match on the last question
requiring a tie breaker question. Harvard was faster on the buzzer and advanced to the next round 7 – 6. Next
up for the Cardinals was annual powerhouse Fremont Archbishop Bergan.
The Cardinals have not fared well traditionally against Bergan with a previous record of 0 – 2. This year was different as the Cardinals handled Bergan
easily by a score of 5 – 1. Harvard then
defeated Oakland Craig 9 – 0 thus advancing to the semi-finals. In the semifinals Harvard faced East Butler in a
tightly contested match, but Harvard
advanced 4 – 3. This sent East Butler
into the consolation bracket where
they had to face Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran before returning to face
Harvard in the championship. With
Harvard having no loses East Butler
would have to defeat Harvard twice
to claim the championship. Harvard
won the first match 5 - 3 and claimed
the Division 5 Bowl Championship.
Derr said, “The most intense moment of the competition was during
the final match. We went in undefeated
See Math Club continued on page 3
The Harvard FBLA sold several designs much like this one. The Yuda Bands are handmade in
Guatemala then shipped to America to be sold.
Making a Change One Band at a Time
By Madelyn Anderson
Harvard Public School’s Future Business Leaders of America group participated in a nationwide fundraiser
known as Yuda Bands. This fundraiser
sponsors under privileged children in
developing nations to attend school for
an entire year. For every one-hundred
and seventy five bands sold an underprivileged student in other countries
is sent to school for a whole year. The
FBLA sold 165 bands, making about
$1,555 dollars.
FBLA sponsor Mr. Trimble signed up
for the program and was then mailed
everything the organization needed to
sell bands for two weeks. Each band
had its own elaborate design and cost
seven dollars each.
“We not only wanted to make
a difference for children in other
countries, but we wanted to show
Sophomore Class Attends Career Day
Dallas Doupnik Jr.
On October 16 the Harvard sophomore Careers class took a trip to the
National Guard base in Kearney, Nebraska. While there they explored
many different college booths, job
booths, and sessions where they
learned how to do a job interview,
learned tips on writing resumes, and
went to different career panels where
they could ask a variety of people
about their jobs and colleges.
At the interview session the students
learned how to dress for an interview.
They also learned a variety of tips for
what to do and what not to do. Another
tip they learned was to always be prepared. Students also learned was what
potential employers look for.
The second session taught about
how to write a resume. They learned to
make sure everything is filled out completely and correctly, and to always
have the resume while at an interview.
Another tip was to have reliable references. The biggest thing that they
learned was that employers only spend
about nine seconds on average looking
at resumes.
The third session was career panels. At the career panels there were
many different college booths they
could look at. There was one room
dedicated specifically for Central
Community College. Another job was
the National Guard and the ROTC
program from the National Guard.
One booth was for aviation which
had a flight simulator. This session
also had a booth for the fast food
restaurant Sonic. A cosmology booth
was demonstrating how to curl and
style hair.
For Sophomore Levi Bennett, he
said, “My favorite part was that we got
to wonder around looking at the different booths and not get in trouble.”
When asked if he found any colleges
he was interested in. Bennett said, “I
found one college interesting, it was
the Creative Arts Academy.”
Sophomore Mikaela Bushnell was
asked what part of the career day was
her favorite. She replied, “My favorite
part was getting to talk and meet with
the representatives from each college, I
found Bryan Health Science College as
one that I might like to go to.
The Chirp December 2013
students here in Harvard the importance of an education,” said FBLA
member Samantha Kamm.
Harvard’s FBLA not only hoped to
help a child go to school, but anticipated that the project would raise awareness that there are children in other
parts of the world dreaming of an education which some American students
take for granted.
“The funds are all sent to the program and then a portion goes to other
countries’ children school funds,” said
Mr. Scott Trimble.
“I love being able to help someone
in the world get a good education, because by buying Yuda bands we are
assisting their future” said freshman
Amanda Godding.
“Nothing is better than the feeling of
helping people in need; I can’t wait until
we do it again next year, “said Kamm.
“The Yuda Band project definitely
showed me the importance of my education,” said Godding.
“I am definitely proud of the members for all of their dedication and interest in the organization,” said Trimble, “I
think we did a great job raising money.”
Math Club
Continued from page 2
and were definitely scared of losing
that advantage and having to play another round. When it came to the final
questions in that match, we were ahead
by enough that we couldn’t have lost.
That was a relief.”
Math Club Sponsor Neil Riley said,
“The seniors were very impressive. I
expected the first match against Cedar Bluffs to be easier than it was,
I’m glad that the seniors didn’t let
that rattle them and affect their performance against Archbishop Bergan.
These are a special group of students
that continue to perform up to their
potential. It will be critical that the
underclassmen prepare to take a bigger role in the competitions to prepare for next year.”
Freshman Julio Marquez said, “I feel
more like I can contribute more as I learn
more of the necessary math concepts.”
Harvard has had success at UNL in
the past but has never earned the title
of champion. Harvard placed third in
Class C in 2012, second in Class D in
2011, fourth in Class D in 2010, and
third in Class D in 2009.
Pg. 3
Amanda Godding and Madelyn Anderson listen as layout ideas for the yearbook were discussed
in Mass Media.
New Journalism Team Learning at UNL
By Chiara Strohl
On October 21, the Mass Media students from Harvard Public School went
to the Nebraska High School Press Association (NHSPA) at the University
of Nebraska Lincoln. For the past four
years Harvard Public School has sent
a few newspapers and the yearbook
to the committee of NHSPA to critique
its publications. At this conference the
Harvard staff was awarded a Golden
Kernel in caption writing for the yearbook, a Golden Kernel in photography
and coverage, and an Award of Merit
for the newspaper.
“These awards mean a lot to me and
it feels good to be awarded,” said senior
Paden Derr, “Even though we were
grumpy when the sponsors pushed
us and let us do things over and over
again, it shows we get better.”
Seniors Leslie Ramirez, Paden Derr,
and Chiara Strohl, juniors Katie Bell,
Dallas Doupnik Jr., and Kelsey Andrews, and freshmen Amanda Godding
and Maddie Anderson attended. Mrs.
Deb Polacek, Miss Bevin Carroll, Mrs.
Kelly Schelkopf, and Miss Shea Hylden
are the advisors for Mass Media. Each
student’s job is to write the articles for
the monthly newspaper “The Chirp”
and create the yearbook. With the exception of Paden Derr every student is
taking this class for the first time.
The assembly started with a welPg. 4
come speech and presentations. Anna
Reed, CoJMC award-winning student
photographer, presented her photojournaling experiences on different
trips in other countries. After that the
NHSPA Awards were introduced.
“It is nice for students and teachers to get recognized for the hard
work they put in the whole year,”
said Carroll.
Polacek said, “It is a good way
to look at efforts in this class and to
see improvements.”
After the opening assembly students had three different sessions
where they could pick from different
topics. The teachers could attend different meetings, too.
At 10:15 the first session started. Harvard students attended “Column Writing.” For the second session students
went to “Sports Broadcasting.”
“The two meetings were really interesting and the instructors gave great
ideas,” said Anderson.
“I enjoyed it and appreciated the
presenters taking their time to talk to
high school students,” said Andrews.
Lunch was from noon to 1:15. After that Harvard students went to one
more meeting. Some went to the session “News Writing,” and some to
“Sparkling Entertainment Writing.”
“I went to ‘News Writing’ and I liked
how she explained not to be afraid of
The Chirp December 2013
criticism,” said Doupnik Jr.
“I went to ‘Sparkling Entertainment
Writing’ and it helped me to think
about how I want to write. Also the instructor had good tips,” said Anderson.
The teachers had their own meeting
during the first session where they received the awards and grabbed the submitted yearbooks and newspapers from
last year. They talked about the journalism summer camp which is organized
by the NHSPA and about a change in
class sizes for the awards.
“That wouldn’t be good for us because we would have to compete with
bigger schools and they have better
possibilities than we do,” said Carroll. Schelkopf went to the new adviser
meeting. “A panel of seasoned teachers gave their ideas on how to handle
things and gave suggestions on what
worked best for them,” said Schelkopf.
Carroll went to Creating Designs for
the second session, which was about
yearbook design. The presenter was
Keith McCoy. He also comes to Harvard Public School to help Mass Media
students with the yearbook design.
“McCoy gave me notes and a copy of
his presentation,” said Carroll, “It was
very helpful and interesting. It gave me
lots of ideas to pass on to the students.”
Polacek attended Photojournalism. “Bruce Thorson, UNL journalism
professor, gave good tips on how to
take good pictures. My favorite tip I
learned was to turn a picture upside
down and if there is one main point
that you focus on, then it is not a good
photo,” said Polacek.
“I went to the session ‘Readable
Sports Coverage’ and it provided the
basic information on how to write an
article,” said Schelkopf.
Grandparents
Continued from page 1
Grandparents Day” sang by the whole
elementary which is the same song
that began the whole program.
As the grandparents watched their
grandchildren, tears ran down their
faces, happiness filled their hearts,
and pride filled their souls. This day
will be memorable to all those grandma’s and grandpa’s, and of course
their granddaughter’s and grandson’s. Too bad grandparent’s day only
comes once a year.
K-3 Students
Entertain Rest
Haven Residents
By Kelsey Andrews
One of the many activities sponsored by the Future Diversity Leaders is the annual Halloween
carnival. Several children wore costumes to the carnival.
A Myriad of Conferences for the FDL Club
By Leslie Ramirez
October 30th, was a time to reopen
closed doors for the FDL club by attending Multicultural Leaders Day, a
seniors only conference that the club
had not been a part of for a few years.
The conference consisted of many
current college students speaking
about what to expect when attending
college, the perks of being in college,
and a comparison to high school;
along with tips about dorms, classes,
and eating out.
On November 8, the Future Diversity Leaders club attended the
Grand Island Central Community
College Leadership Conference.
This conference was meant to teach
attendees ways to enhance their
education after high school, and
to install the belief that they can
achieve their dreams if they have
the right mind set and necessary
tools. The workshops also informed
students that no matter what one’s
ethnicity, everyone can reach his/
her goals.
FDL freshman member Samantha
Martell said, “Never settle for less,
pursue the things that challenge you,
no matter how impossible they seem.”
“I realized, to not be a product of
your environment. Often times, Hispanic youth succumb to stereotypes,”
said Daniel Hernandez, junior.
Key note speaker, Ernesto Mejia,
spoke to Harvard students in grades
5-12 on Tuesday, November 12. Mejia spoke about his life story and how
he overcame being a follower who
stooped down to negative influences
of his Latin American childhood to
become a successful public speaker
and owner of a company
“My favorite part was when Ernesto
Mejia shared about his personal life with
us like he’s known us his whole life,”
said sophomore Estefania Rodriguez.
Being part of the Future Diversity Leaders club involves a lot of
commitment and time management.
Not only do the members get out of
school to attend a myriad of conferences, but they also need to have
their homework finished for either
when they return or before they go,
or otherwise, face the consequences
of ASAP.
The Chirp December 2013
On Halloween, the residents of
the Harvard Rest Haven were given
a treat! That morning the K-3 students in their costumes walked over
with their classes, classroom teachers, and music teachers Mr. Blake
Thompson and Mrs. Shelly Reed
to perform for the residents at 9:15
am. Each group greeted residents
and sang a few Halloween songs.
The students went into the dining room and lined up with the
Kindergarten in front, first grade
next, then the second grade, and
third graders in the back. When one
group was performing the others
sat down on the floor and waited
for their turn to sing. Many people
gathered in the dining area, including parents, teachers and of course
the residents.
The Kindergarten and third
graders sang three songs together: “Pumpkin Pumpkin,” “Up the
Creaky Stairs,” and “Something
Went Bump.”
Kindergarten student Ty Heath
said, “I liked going over to the
nursing home and singing. My favorite part was singing ‘Pumpkin
Pumpkin’. The favorite song that I
heard while I was sitting down was
‘The Haunted Piano’. I would want
to do it again.”
The second and third graders
sang four songs together: “Haunted Piano,” “Having a Bad Scare
Day,” “Ten Big Pumpkins,” and “A
Spooky Night.”
Third grader Aimee WhetstineJones said, “I liked singing to them.
My favorite part was getting to sing
in my costume, and my favorite
song was “A Spooky Night’. I would
go and do it again. When I went
over and sang to them, I saw a girl
that I got to read to last year when I
was in second grade; I thought that
was cool!”
“I think the residents enjoyed
it. They were all smiles and they
clapped quite a bit,” Mrs. Reed said.
Pg. 5
The Papel Picado is a decorative craft made out of paper and cut in elaborate designs. It is considered a traditional Mexican folk Art.
Students Get a Taste of Spanish Culture
By Madelyn Anderson
On Wednesday October 30, the
Harvard Public school’s Spanish
Club took a trip to El Museo Latino,
the first Latin American museum in
Omaha. The Spanish Club members
spent the whole morning at El Museo
Latino learning many things about
Spanish culture.
While at El Museo Latino, the Spanish Club observed a variety of exhibits including: Art of Puebla, Graphics
of Latin America, Dia de los Muertos,
Traditional Textiles, History of Latinos
in Omaha, and many more.
Because Dia de los Muertos or
Day of the Dead started on November first, the Spanish club was able
to see all of the glorious decorations
and alters throughout the museum
and Guacamya.
After several hours of history and
entertainment the Spanish Club went
to Guacamya, an authentic Mexican
Restaurant which the Spanish Club has
visited on other trips.
“I really wanted the kids to see how
important history is to the people of
Spanish descent,” said Spanish Club
sponsor Mrs. Rodriquez.
In honor of Day of the Dead the museum had a special craft center set up
for the Spanish club to enjoy. Each student was able to chisel Paper Picados.
“I think the museum really showed
Pg. 6
us the importance of history and tradition,” said member Katelyn Piper.
The Chirp December 2013
“In my opinion, the group really
loved the Day of the Dead ofrendas because it showed us how important Day
of the Dead really is,” said member
Douglas Johnson.
“The whole restaurant was covered with streamers and traditional Mexican decorations; It really made our learning experience
even better, since we were able to
see how seriously everyone in the
Spanish culture takes Day of the
Dead,” said Kamm.
“I couldn’t believe how hard the
Picados were to make; if you make one
mistake it’s all ruined,” said Piper.
“Ours were simple designs; I
couldn’t imagine making the bigger
ones,” said Kamm.
I really loved the food, especially the
enchiladas at Guacamya,” said Piper.
“The trip was a blast, the kids made
the experience something unforgettable,” said Rodriquez.
I can’t wait until next year so we can
take another amazing trip to Omaha,”
said Piper.
General Wu (Dallas Doupnik Jr.) is ready to defend Emperor Tso-Tso (Joshua McDowell) and
Princess Su-Tse (Katie Bell) in a scene from “The Wonderful Tang.”
Harvard One-Act Places 2nd at TVC Competition
By Chiara Strohl
Harvard hosted TVC One Act on
Tuesday November 21. Participating
schools were Blue Hill with “Voices from Chernobyl,” Deshler with
“Law And Order: Fairy Tale Unit,”
Franklin with “Epic Fail,” Shelton
with “Santa Man,” Silver Lake with
“The Women of Troy,” Kenesaw
with “The Ransom of Red Chief,”
Lawrence/Nelson with “Attention
Detention,” Red Cloud with “Shakespeare Unbound,” and Harvard with
“The Wonderful Tang.”
All judges agreed to give Blue Hill
first place and Harvard’s show runner-up. Out of 180 points Blue Hill
got 175 and Harvard 172.
Honorable mention was awarded
to Seniors Joshua McDowell, Douglas Johnson, Quinten Roberts, Caylyn
Mardian, Sedayne Bennett, and Chiara Strohl, Juniors Dallas Doupnik
Jr., Elsa Knight, Alexis Schuck, Katie
Bell, Megan Fishler, Callie Brown,
and Paige Gosser, Sophomores Morgan Weston, and Felchia Kamm, and
Freshmen Madelyn Anderson, Tiya
Morgan, and Sam Kamm.
Elsa Knight was awarded the best
supporting actress award.
Polacek wanted the students to be
in the top 3. “Rank two shows me that
we Coaches understand the dynamic
and students put hard work in it,”
said Polacek.
“The students worked hard to
host the event and performed well,”
said Thompson.
Every school got their own homeroom and there was a dressing room
for males and females. There was a
hospitality room for judges, directors
and bus drivers and food was provided through the concession stands to
the students.
After every school performed its
show the directors received an oral
cast critique from each of the three
judges about what they liked and
what they didn’t like.
At the end of the day the judges
ranked every participating school and
first and second place were awarded.
Also there was an award for the outstanding actor and actress, the best
supporting actor and actress, and
honorable mention acting awards.
The judges can award as many honorable mention awards as they liked
but only name one for other awards.
“You never know what the judges
prefer and how they like our show,
but I think we should make it in the
top 3,” said Polacek before TVC.
Thompson said, “I want the kids
to be strong and to perform to their
highest ability. Also I want them to
get good comments from the judges.”
Senior Colton Ives agrees, “I can’t
wait to beat Blue Hill at districts.”
“I am a little disappointed not to get
first place but I am happy with the energy and work everybody puts in the
The Chirp December 2013
play,” said senior Douglas Johnson.
“It is not too much work for us to
host TVC One Act because we hosted
District competition last year. We just
had to change and add some things to
the paper work from the last time we
hosted,” said Polacek.
“The Wonderful Tang” is the current One Act show from Harvard
Public School. The comedy is built
around the fantastic tale of three suitors who come to prove their prowess in order to win the hand of the
emperor Tso-Tso’s, played by senior
Joshua McDowell, daughter, Fu-Tse,
played by sophomore Katie Harms.
But the winner of the contest, Tang,
played by senior Quinten Roberts,
runs away with Fu-Tse’s sister, SuTse, played by junior Katie Bell. Tang
is pursued by the emperor’s army
because both daughters are stolen.
Fu-Tse is welcomed back when Tang
is able to subdue the fierce dragon of
the Khan of Tartary, played by senior
Douglas Johnson.
“We knew that the students would
enjoy a comedy, so we chose The
Wonderful Tang,” said Mrs. Debra
Polacek, co-director.
“The Wonderful Tang has strong
characters and a large cast,” said Mr.
Blake Thompson, co-director. “Besides that it is a lot different than last
year’s show ‘The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet’.”
“I love the show and my costume
because I get to wear a sumo suit,”
said senior Colton Ives.
“It seemed like the students
learned lines and blocking quickly,”
said Polacek. “We also have been able
to practice with props and costumes
for a longer time than most seasons.
That helped students get used to the
blocking very early.”
“The students are doing a good
job, and they are becoming very solid, but the show has room to grow,”
said Thompson.
The One Act show has to be 30
minutes for competition.
“That is one thing we have to work
on to prepare for conference and district competitions. Our show is too
long and we have to cut some parts
before TVC Conference,” said Polacek.
Polacek and Thompson thank all
Harvard stuff, faculty, administration, and students for their help.
Pg. 7
Members of the Cardinal and Black Show Choir perform at the Fall Extravaganza on Oct. 22.
Music Department Hosts Extravaganza
By Amanda Godding
The 5-12 Music department performed its Fall Music Extravaganza
on October 22nd at 7:00 pm. The
Extravaganza was held outside on
a chilly night on the football field.
Many people took part in helping
to make it all happen. The Fall Music Extravaganza’s purpose was to
showcase the music department’s
goals for the year and kick off a great
music season. The students had been
preparing since school started by rehearsing in band, pep band, marching band, show choir, and choir.
Students performed in various
groups: The 7-12 band, 9-12 show choir,
7-8 show choir, 5-6 show choir, 9-12
choir, 7-8 choir, 5 choir, and 6 choir.
Clef Club, students, music instructors, parental support, and
community members helped in
making the extravaganza possible
this year. Clef Club took part by
preparing food, speaking, and by
funding the event. Clef Club served
over 600 people, which was a great
response. Mr. Jim Piper provided
all the stereo equipment. Community Members bundled up to come
support the music program.
Mr. Thompson, Mr. Piper, administration, and staff members helped
to plan the event. Mr. Thompson
picked the songs for the flash mob
and cup song because they were recent pop hits. Seniors Dacey Hampton and Quinten Roberts choreographed the dance for the flash mob.
Guidance counselor Mrs. Polacek
said, “It’s pretty exciting to see so
many people together; parents, students, community members. It’s a
great way to showcase what one will
see from the music department for
the year. The atmosphere shows a lot
of energy.”
“In my opinion the Extravaganza
went very well. It was cool to see
all the different talents throughout the school. It’s a great feeling
to know that we’re being leaders to
the younger kids and helping them
grow their leadership in the music
department. I am very proud of us
and the younger kids. They’re doing
very well,” said sophomore Katelynn Piper.
Junior Zach Faltys said, “I think
the extravaganza went well despite
the weather. I got to see how far the
younger students have come and I
was very impressed.”
“The Attendance at the extravaganza was good. Everybody seemed
to enjoy it again; the only bad part
was the cold, but people seemed to
weather that,” Thompson said.
The Chirp Wants to Know
By Leslie Ramirez
“World Peace.”
Pg. 8
The Chirp December 2013
Eighth Grade
Adi Ramirez
Mr. Mumm
Science Teacher
What do you wish for at Christmas?
“A lot of snow and less school.”
Archery and Firearm Safety Tips
Dallas Doupnik Jr.
America is home to many pastimes.
Among those pastimes are the arts of
hunting and shooting sports; these activities are often considered dangerous. They aren’t, as long as one is safe
with his or her bow or firearm. Safety
is the most important thing while handling a bow or firearm.
When using a firearm, the number
one rule is to always keep the gun
pointed in a safe direction. Keeping
the barrel pointed away from harm is
important so that if the gun were to
accidentally go off, it wouldn’t cause
any damage to anyone or anything.
Second, never put a finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot. Third,
always keep the gun unloaded until
it’s time to use it. While you are shooting you should always take notice of
where the target is and what is behind
it. Bullets can go through objects and
land hundreds of feet behind your target. Always be sure the gun you are
using is safe to operate. This means
checking for loose parts or rust. Finally, know how to use the gun safely.
If you are new to firearms and aren’t
quite sure how to use them, take a
hunter safety course or find someone
who knows about guns. They will be
willing to help.
The rules that apply for a firearm are
similar to the safety rules for a bow. It
is always important to check the con-
dition of the bow and be sure it is in
working order. If the bow string is
frayed, the string can snap causing injuries. Be sure to check the condition of
the arrows you are shooting. A wooden arrow can warp and cause its flight
pattern to go in a direction the archer
doesn’t want it to Never load or aim a
bow with anyone in front of you. Always make sure to know what you are
firing at, whether an animal or a target.
A safety precaution that is different
from firearms is wearing proper clothing. Wearing baggy or loose clothing
can cause the arrow or the bow string
can catch on your clothes causing injury to you or someone else. Archers
should never wear bracelets or necklaces. Jewelry can get tangled in a fired
arrow and cause serious injuries.
Shooting sports are fun and exciting.
They need to be taken seriously and
responsibly. Safety is the number one
thing to keep mind.
Junior High Quiz Bowl Members stand proudly with the first place trophy they earned at the
Twin Valley Conference Junior High Competition held in Roseland on Nov. 21.
The Chirp Wants to Know
“Less homework from
Mr. Mumm.”
Cassie Roberts
“Lots and lots of books.”
The Chirp December 2013
Freshman
Freshman
Elsa Knight
Junior
Yulisa Beltran
By Leslie Ramirez
“No school and lots of food.”
Pg. 9
Juniors Alyssa Novak and Katie Bell go up for the double block against Red Cloud’s Samantha Jackson in their sub-district match at Adams Central on Nov. 4, as Tiana Barnes and Alexis
Schuck cover in defense. This was the Lady Cardinals’ final match of the season, losing in 3 sets,
10-25, 9-25 and 14-25.
Another Volleyball Season Flies By
By Katie Bell
On November 4th the Harvard lady
cardinals played their final game at
Adam central for sub districts. Harvard’s class was D16, and they played
against Red cloud. Red cloud took all
three sets 25-10, 25-9, and 25-14, leaving
Harvard with a 2-27 record on the year.
The Lady Cardinals lost 4 seniors at
the conclusion of the 2013 season.
“This season went too fast. It may
not have been the season that we wanted, but we grew as a team and individuals. We always put in the effort and
came up short a couple of times. For my
senior year I couldn’t have asked for a
better team to play with,” stated senior
Tiana Barnes.
Senior Dacey Hampton said, “The
season didn’t turn out how we wanted,
but it was still a big improvement from
past years. I wish the best to the underclassmen! I am really going to miss
playing with these girls. Continue to
work hard and keep trying girls. In time
your hard work will pay off!”
“We had a great season even though
our numbers don’t really show it. Some
things just didn’t go as planned. It’s sad
that I won’t be playing with the girls
next year. I am hoping for the best for
Pg. 10
them, and thank them for giving me a
good season going out.” senior Shelby
Smith said.
Assistant Coach Jodi Bahr said, “We
showed great growth in our volleyball
IQ. We actually looked like a team. I
know that we will continue to learn and
grow as teammates; we will learn how
to play with one another. I am proud to
say that I am coaching the Harvard Vol-
L0-2
Tiana Barnes
Alyssa Novak
McKenna Schuck
L0-2
1
Kills
2
3
6
1
1
8
2
5
Katie Bell
Jennifer Callahan
3
2
1
Shelby Smith
Tiana Barnes
Digs
Blocks
Assists
6
Jennifer Callahan
Megan Fishler
3
7
4
1
6
7
Alyssa Novak
L0-3
vs. Red Cloud
vs. Heart. Lutheran
vs. Silver Lake
Ace Serves
Volleyball Stats
2
McKenna Schuck
Tiana Barnes
1
Katie Bell
1
4
2
1
3
2
4
1
leyball team.”
“I think we improved a lot since
last year. Even though we didn’t
reach our goal of 5 wins, I know that
we always gave it our all in every
game. The only thing left is to continue to work hard and get better for
next season. We will miss the seniors,
they did a lot for us, but now we must
focus on getting better for next year,”
stated junior Megan Fishler.
The team attempted to show passion
for the game while playing. During the
season, a spectator from another school
sent a coach an email saying that they
enjoyed watching the Harvard girls
play because they actually had fun
when they were out on the floor, and
were always fun to watch.
FBLA members Dacey Hampton, Joshua McDowell, and Paden Derr received 16th out of 276
teams in the Nebraska Finance Challenge. On November 15 they each took the same computerized exam. The results were tabulated through the Nebraska Council on Economic Education and
were averaged for the final score.
The Chirp December 2013
Junior defensive end Allen Brand sets the edge while looking to make a tackle during the Cardinals’ final home game of the season against the Franklin Flyers on Oct. 18. The Cardinals won
15-12.
Cardinals End Season With 3-5 Record
By Paden Derr
On Friday, October 25, the Harvard
Cardinals 2013 football season ended
at Shickley with a loss to Bruning-Davenport/Shickley. The final score of the
game was 44-19.
The Cardinals ended the season
with a record of 3-5. Harvard narrowly
missed the playoffs, missing a spot by
less half of a point.
“I was proud of the way our guys
competed this year,” said head coach
Sam Boshart. “We turned the corner in
our program and laid the foundation
for our future kids to have success.”
“The Loup City game came back to
haunt us,” said assistant coach Scott
Trimble. “If we would have won a few
of the winnable games, we would have
put ourselves in the playoffs. Then, we
would’ve started reaching some of our
higher goals.”
The Harvard Cardinals had three
players make the Class D-1 District 5
Football First team and three make the
Second Team. Those who made the
first team are Derrick Ives at defensive line, Rafael Guerrero at defensive
back, and Christian Martell as a specialist kick and punt returner. Those
who were on the second team are Allen Brand as defensive line, Colton
Ives as defensive back, and Ben Rieckman as defensive back.
“This is the first time since I’ve
been here that we have had anybody make the District First Team,”
said Boshart. “It is a really big deal
to make this team when you have as
tough of a district as ours.”
The Cardinals, who’ve played their
last game, and will be sideline cheerers next year are seniors Ben Rieckman, Chirstian Martel, Colton Ives,
Joshua McDowell, Salvador Ledesma,
Tristan Lucas, Raphael Guerrero, and
Paden Derr.
“I am really proud of our seniors for
all the hard work they put in this year
and the last four years,” said Boshart.
“We showed improvement, large
strides in not giving up,” said Ives. “We
fought it out until the end no matter the
score. We scared a lot of top 10 teams.”
“Football is half mental,” said Ives.
“The quicker we can get it out of our
heads that we can’t be a team because
of their record the better.”
“I thought the season was successful
in a few differtent ways,” said Trimble.
“As defensive coordinator, I thought
we adjusted well to the new defense
we were running. People bought into it
and executed well.”
Several Cardinals received injuries
this season and were out for at least one
game. Ledesma dislocated his shoulder
during the Heartland game and was
out for the rest of the season. Ives and
McDowell both received a concussion.
Daniel Hernandez injured his lower
leg. Guerrero had a shin contusion.
Rieckman pinched a nerve in his shoulder. Derr was out the entire season due
to a back injury.
“Overall, it was a fun season. It
was a good season,” said Trimble.
“The injuries once again hurt us and
limited us.”
“I was disappointed with this year
because I was out most of the season,”
said Ledesma. “I think the season went
pretty decent overall. We grew up towards the end. Our effort was there,
though sometimes we would overthink and that killed us.”
Dale Wittrock, past commander of the Nebraska VFW, was the main speaker at Harvard Public
School for the Veterans Day Program held on November 11 in the school gymnasium. Wittrock
stressed the importance of recognizing all past and present service men and women for their
contributions to America.
The Chirp December 2013
Pg. 11
The Chirp
PO Box 100
Harvard, NE 68944
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Harvard, Nebraska
Permit #5
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
High School Choir Attends TVC Clinic
By Amanda Godding
On November 12, the 9-12 Harvard
Harmony choir Went to Kenesaw High
School to participate in TVC choir, a
vocal clinic. Music director Mr. Blake
Thompson’s expectations of the group
were to perform well and learn great
singing techniques.
All 9 schools Class C-D, in the conference participated in this event. These
groups were Franklin, Deshler, Blue
Hill, Kenesaw, Silver Lake, Red Cloud,
Lawrence Nelson, Shelton, and us.
Junior Cassy Graf said, “I think TVC
was fun, and we learned a lot despite
it being a long day, it was cool to meet
new people and see the different techniques they’ve been taught to sing better. It was a good experience.”
The clinician David Sackschewsky,
from Grand Island Northwest, separated all the participants into four main
groups, Soprano, Alto, Tenners, and
Bases. Afterwards he started working
with the groups teaching four different
songs, Like a trumpet resounding, Elijah rock, seasons love, and El la da Musica. At 7 that night the students performed a concert for the public. Also
individual groups performed one song
of their choice.
“I’m proud of their performance.
They were very strong and performed
well. I also think the day was enjoyable for the kids, they listened well
and learned great choral techniques,”
Thompson said.
Junior Zach Faltys said, “ I loved it. I
had a great time and saw a lot of people
I don’t get to see very often. When I got
Pg. 12
the solo I was pleasantly surprised and
happy I could represent our school.
Junior Zach Faltys was selected as a Tenor II
for Nebraska Music Educators Association 440
voice All State Chorus held in Lincoln on Nov.
23. Over two thousand students auditioned
across the state to be a part of the ensemble.
Harvard Downtown
Christmas Lighting
Saturday, Nov. 30
6-8:00 pm
Pinata
Cookie Decorating
Hot Chocolate
Live Music
Food
Drawings
Something fun
for EVERYONE!
The Chirp December 2013