1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

Cedar Catholic Jr.-Sr. High School
December, 2014– January, 2015
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL—MR. KATHOL
The Thanksgiving holiday leads us to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. At
Cedar Catholic we too pause and reflect on the many blessings that God has given us.
We recognize that we have been truly blessed during the past year. We have seen such
excitement and growth from our student body during that time that it is truly amazing. We recognize that this only happens through all members of our school community working together to educate our students mind and spirit that allows this to happen.
We have just completed our fall activities with the football team playing in the state
football championship game. Congratulations to the team and coaches for their fantastic season. We recognize the hard work and effort they put into this season and the
contributions of all of our players in making this a successful season. This team also
needs to be congratulated for the sportsmanship and behavior they exemplified on
and off of the field. Having had the experience of traveling with them to the championship game I can say that they represented Cedar Catholic, themselves, and most
importantly, their parents with great character.
It is also fitting that our band, cheerleaders, and dance team are recognized for their
support and efforts over the past month of the football playoffs. It is not an easy
thing to perform a song, cheer, or dance routine in twenty degree weather. These
groups not only did these things, but did an excellent job doing them. Our band
sounded fantastic in Memorial Stadium.
We also want to congratulate the volleyball team on their season. They impressed me
with their determination in every game this year. They finished their season in subdistricts on November 3.
Our One-Act cast and crew is currently preparing for districts. They have many wonderful actors and actresses and have already had performances for the public, our
student body, and at the Mid State Conference One-Act festival where several of our
students were recognized. We wish them the best of luck as they continue their season.
We will quickly move from our fall sports to our winter sports. We look forward to
seeing the hard work and effort that these teams put into their seasons. We continue
to encourage positive sportsmanship by all of our fans as they attend these contests.
Our fans represent Cedar Catholic just as our players and coaches do. We hope that
this representation is positive and that we are true examples of the Catholic faith.
Our Christmas concert is scheduled for Wednesday December 17. The band and choir
have been preparing for quite a while for this concert. It is always a great concert to
begin the holiday season and get one in the mood for Christmas. We hope you can
attend. A reminder that the concert will begin at 7:00.
For the past few years we have used our last day of school prior to Christmas break as
a service day. Due to the fact this is a full day of school, I believe it allows us an opportunity to help those that are less fortunate than us, or simply need a hand getting
something done. We are still looking for a few service projects that can be performed
on this day. If you have something in your community, or know of something in the
area that might work please let us know. The service day is December 23.
This newsletter is our December and January newsletter. We wish all of you a Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year. We thank all of those that support Cedar Catholic
and the work that we do every day. We recognize that it is a Catholic School that
provides the opportunity for a student to not only receive an education where they
will be challenged academically but also an education where they will be filled in their
faith life. Please continue to pray for the students and staff of Cedar Catholic and all
of our Catholic Schools that we may continue to fulfill our work in educating the
whole child.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Dec. 2 .... JH GBB vs Wayne, home, 3 p.m.
Dec. 3 ................. Distr. 1 Act, 2:45, Wisner
Dec. 4 .... GBB vs. Crofton, home, 6:15 p.m.
Wrestling @ Scribner, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 5 ................. Dist. LSE’s, 9 a.m. Pierce
........... G/B BB vs. Boone, home, 4:30 p.m.
Dec. 6 ......... BBB vs. Homer, Home, 4 p.m.
............. Wrestling @ Creighton, 10:15 a.m.
........ 9th G/B BB vs. Crofton, home, 9 a.m.
........... Cedar Catholic Craft Fair, HT Gym
Dec. 8 ............... Wrestling @ Ponca, 4 p.m.
......................9th G/B BB @ Pierce, 6 p.m.
Dec. 9 .......... G/B BB @ Bloomfield, 4 p.m.
Dec. 10 ............... Penance Services, 10 a.m.
Dec. 11 ..................................... State 1 Act
Dec. 12 ....... G/BBB vs. O’Neill, home, 4:30
Dec. 13 ..... Wrestling @ Stanton, 9:30 a.m.
..... 9th G/B BB vs. Creighton, home 9 a.m.
......................... JH GBB @ Wayne, 9 a.m.
Dec. 16 ............. BBB @ Crofton, 6:15 p.m.
Dec. 17 ................ CCHS Christmas Concert
Dec. 18 ................. GBB @ Avon, 6:15 p.m.
Dec. 19 ................................ Semester Tests
Dec. 20 ......... 9th G/B BB @ Laurel, 9 a.m.
................ Wrestling @ Pope John, 10 a.m.
.................................... Conference Bowling
Dec. 22 ................................ Semester Tests
............................................. 2:00 dismissal
Dec. 24-28 ...................... Gym Moratorium
Dec. 29-31 ................. Wayne Holiday Trn.
Jan. 2 ..................... BBB @ Knight Classic
Jan. 3 .................... 9th BBB @ Allen, TBA
Jan. 5 ................................ School Resumes
Jan. 6 ........................ GBB @ Allen, 6 p.m.
Jan. 8 ........ G/B BB vs. Laurel, Home, 4:30
Jan. 9 ..................................... Mass 10 a.m.
Jan. 10 ........................... 9th BBB @ Allen
.................... Wrestling @ Winside, 10 a.m.
............... Math Counts Competition, 9 a.m.
Jan. 12 ......... 9th G/BBB @ Wynot, 6 p.m.
............. National Honor Society Induction
Jan. 15 ............Wresting @ Crofton, 6 p.m.
Jan. 16 .... G/B BB vs. Pierce, home, 5 p.m.
............................................ Mass 8:05 a.m.
Jan. 17 ...... Wrestling @ Battle Creek, 9:30
.......................... GBB @ LHNE, 6:15 p.m.
.. 9th G/B BB vs. Norf. Cath., 9 a.m. Home
...................... JH G/B BB @ Ponca, 9 a.m.
......................................... Speech @ Pierce
Jan. 19 ... 9th G/B BB @ Norf. Pub. 6 p.m.
.................... Financial Aid Meeting, 6 p.m.
Jan. 20 ... Students leave for March for Life
Jan. 22 ... GBB vs. Homer, home, 6:15 p.m.
.......................... JH GBB @ Pierce, 4 p.m.
....... JH BBB vs. Norf. Cath., home, 6 p.m.
Jan. 23 .............. BBB @ Wayne, 6:15 p.m.
............... Wrestling @ Madison, 11:30 a.m.
............................................ Mass 2:40 p.m.
Jan. 24 .............. G/B BB @ WPGA, 4 p.m.
............ JH BBB vs. Wayne, home, 10 a.m.
......................................... District Bowling
Jan. 25 ........... Students return from March
...........Beginning of Catholic Schools Week
Jan. 26 ........ 9th G/B BB @ O’Neill, 6 p.m.
...................... JH G/BBB @ Laurel, 3 p.m.
Jan. 27 ................. Father/Daughter Dance
........... G/B BB vs. Ponca, home, 4:45 p.m.
Jan. 29 ............. BBB @ Wagner, 6:30 p.m.
....................... Distr. Lvst. Judging, 8 a.m.
Jan. 30 ..... Wrestling @ Plainview, 10 a.m.
Jan. 31 .................... Conference BB Begins
........JH G/B BB vs. Randolph, home, 8:30
.......................................... Speech @ home
GUIDANCE NEWS - MR. BENGSTON
Many students in grades 10-12 will be conducting Job Shadows at businesses in the surrounding area during December, January and February. If your business is taking part in a Job Shadow project, thank you
for enabling our students to get a close look at possible career opportunities.
College Credit Classes at CCHS
First semester Cedar Catholic was able to offer American History 1010, English Composition 1020, Introduction to Psychology 1810, Music in Western Culture 1550, Biology 1010, and Public Speaking 1110
through Northeast Community College. Introduction to Ethics 2650 was also offered through Central Community College, and several students are taking Advanced Placement Calculus through the College Board.
Many of our students were able to take advantage of these opportunities to get a head start with college.
Second semester English Composition 1010 and Sociology 1010, will be offered. Please contact Mr.
Bengston for information about tuition and fees, transferability of classes, scholarships, etc.
Students in the 11th grade should be planning college visits for the spring semester. Please see Mr. Bengston and he will assist you in setting up a campus visit. Most colleges request a two week notice prior to
your visit.
January 9th is the registration deadline for the February 7th ACT. See Mr. Bengston for information or you
can register on-line at www.act.org (the Feb. ACT is not offered at Cedar, but can be taken in Yankton,
Norfolk or Wayne).
Senior Calendar
 Attend Financial Aid Meeting January 19th at 6:00 p.m. at Cedar Catholic in the Learning Center.

Continue to search and complete Scholarship Applications (pick up Scholarship Lists in the Guidance
Office).

Complete and mail Financial Aid Forms as soon as possible after the first of the year. Remember to
take advantage of the Electronic FAFSA service through the EducationQuest in Omaha or contact your
college of preference and ask if they will file your information for you.

Gather and begin work on income tax so that financial aid forms can be filled out as soon as possible
after the beginning of the New Year.

Continue campus visits and visiting with college representatives at CCHS.

Submit applications to schools of interest before Christmas. This will allow colleges to begin work on
your Financial Aid packages.
ACT Assessment December 13 – not given at CCHS.
Senior Financial Aid Meeting
A financial aid meeting is scheduled for the seniors and their parents on Monday, January 19th at 6:00 p.m.
at Cedar Catholic. All seniors and their parents are urged to attend. A representative from the EducationQuest Foundation in Omaha will present helpful information regarding college financial forms and procedures.
Those families with students already in college should start watching for the Financial Aid Renewal Forms
in the mail.
College Planning Bulletin
Preparation key to applying for financial aid
It’s time for you and your parents to think about completing tax returns and applying for financial aid. The
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal student Aid) is the application for state, federal and college specific
financial aid.
Apply for a PIN to speed up the process
Before you apply for financial aid, you and your parents should apply for a Personal Identification Number
(PIN), which is used as an electronic signature for the on-line FAFSA.
Simply go to www.pin.ed.gov and click on the “Apply for PIN” graphic, and enter the requested information.
You’ll have your unique PIN within 10 days.
What you need to complete the FAFSA
The FAFSA application process begins in January when you should start gathering required information
and create a file that contains:

Your most recent W-2’s and tax return (so complete your tax returns early!)

Current bank statements

Student’s driver’s license and Social Security number

Records of untaxed income

Value of business and farm (exclude family farm)
Value of investments (exclude retirement plans and home equity)
You should complete the FAFSA by mid-February (no later than March 1) to receive the best types of financial aid.
MATH—MRS. BAILEY
The 7th graders will be starting their Archdiocesan Assessments soon after completing their chapter on percents. It will
be shortly after Christmas. They need to bring some important pieces to complete this assessment from home. They will
need to bring advertisements from magazines or newspapers that have either percentages off of the original price, or the
original price and the sale price. They will be using these to make calculations to show their understanding of percentages. They will also need a menu from a sit-down restaurant. The students are able to print this off of the internet if
they so choose. Menus need to have prices for beverages, appetizers and desserts as well as main entrees.
When the 8th graders finish working with ratios and percentages, they will begin geometry. This should be happening
shortly after Christmas. We work extensively using formulas to find surface area and volume.
The algebra students are finishing up linear equations. We will soon start solving systems of equations.
Mathcounts will have its school competition on Jan. 10, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. in Room 119, weather permitting! This will
determine who will go on to represent the school at the regional competition in Columbus, NE.
THEOLOGY/SCIENCE—SISTER BRIGID
8th grade Theology of the Body—Who 8th graders are according to what they see in magazines and watch on TV and movies is vastly different than who these students are in their home environment. That is due to your family values and the
strength of your faith lives. As this class progresses through the program, the parents have a book informing them of the
content the students will be studying.
7th grade Life Science—The seventh graders will be studying heredity and bacteria these months. They will be making
yogurt and farmer’s cheese with bacteria, examining yeast budding, and experience gram staining to see how some bacteria will accept dye and some will not as a procedure to identify bacteria.
8th grade Earth Science—After finishing the Archdiocesan standards for erosion, an important topic in our farming community, the students will study plate tectonics and the effects of plate tectonics in forming mountains, chasms, volcanoes, and how earthquakes can be caused by plate movement.
9th grade Physical Science—The ninth graders have been setting up circuits and measuring voltage and amperage in parallel and series circuits. Now the students move on to motors, generators, and principles of magnetism. In January they will
be studying wave motion and its relationship to sound and electromagnetic waves.
SCIENCE—MR. STONE
Environmental Sciences—We are finishing the unit on energy. We will be learning about weather and climate in the next
unit. We will start discussing the atmosphere and how certain weather patterns occur. The students will look at a number
of different case studies dealing with weather patterns. After learning about whether we will discuss the earth’s changing
surface.
Physics.—The students are learning about the center of gravity. This will include a lab dealing with the center of gravity
of specific objects. Kinetic and potential energy will be the focus after the center of gravity. The students will be studying
the potential and kinetic energy of objects and learning how these two concepts work together. The students will be working with a marble roller coaster to study these energy laws.
Anatomy—The class will be studying the eye. The students will be dissecting a beef eye in this section. After Christmas
break the students will start learning about the muscles in the human body. This will include the structure and function of
muscles. They will also learn about some of the major muscle groups.
Biology—The students are learning about the cell and its structure. This will include the development of an organism from
a single cell. In the next unit they will be focusing on genetics. The students will look at how traits are passed on and how
DNA is used to make proteins.
MATH/SCIENCE—MRS. WEIER
Seasons Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season and will have a Merry and Blessed Christmas. The first
semester is coming to an end very quickly.
During December, chemistry students will be continuing their study of stoichiometry, which is the study of the quantitative
relationships that exist between the products and reactants in a chemical reaction. Lab work will include predicting the theoretical yield and testing their calculations in the lab. In January, they will be studying The Kinetic Theory and use it to explain the properties of solids, liquids, and gases with emphasis on the gas laws.
Algebra2 students will finish the first semester working with the laws of exponents, the different methods of factoring, and the
operations with complex numbers. This prepares them for the study of quadratic equations and quadratic functions which is
what they will work on in January.
Geometry students will finish their study of triangles in December by learning about the theorems on angle bisectors, perpendicular bisectors, altitudes, medians and midsegments of triangles. They will then be reviewing the operations with square
roots which will prepare them to work with one of the most famous geometric theorems – The Pythagorean Theorem. They
will apply this theorem to special right triangles also. During January, geometry students are going to be studying the properties of quadrilaterals.
SOCIAL SCIENCE/PE/GIRLS BB—MR. KOERTING
Geography—Students will finish up the first semester in Europe…we’ll identify the things that make Europe a unique region
and of course pull out our maps and see where everything is.
American History—Students will be studying one of the most troubling times in our Nation’s history, the Civil War. We’ll
build the country back up during the Reconstruction and then thrust ourselves into the Great War.
Strength Training—Students will continue to be out lifted by me on a daily basis. They are doing great work and it is easy to
tell that many of them are reaping the benefits of lifting weights.
JH PE—Both boys and girls will learn the basics of the game of basketball.
Girls Varsity Basketball—The girls are excited to get the 2014-2015 campaign started. They have been putting in a lot of work
over the summer and have had to endure some long days with both morning and after school practice. They do it all with minimal complaining. The conference will be tough again this year but the girls are up to the challenge. We appreciate all of the
support and hope to see you at our home opener December 4th against Crofton and then the 5th against Boone Central. Go Trojans!
SPANISH—MS. THOENE
Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!
Spanish class is super exciting currently as we are beginning to talk about many new things. In all Classes we will review and
celebrate the Feasts of Juan Diego and the Lady of Guadalupe! We will also talk about Las Posadas in Mexico! In Spanish 1, we
are going to start focusing on Conjugating Present tense verbs and a few irregular verbs! In Spanish 2, we will be finishing up
reflexive Verbs and begin talking about the Preterite past tense and then the imperfect past tense. In Spanish 3-4, we will finish
reading La Llorona and begin reading about the Argentinian Dirty War! I hope you have a blessed Christmas and New Year!
BUSINESS/DANCE TEAM—MRS. NEUHALFEN
INFORMATION APPLICATIONS—Students will finish up the first semester with the database program Microsoft Office Access. Then to begin the third quarter students will continue working through the Microsoft Office programs by creating projects
using Publisher.
MARKETING—Students will wrap up the first semester learning the basics of marketing. Once we return from Christmas break
students will begin Fashion Marketing.
KEYBOARDING—Students will continue to increase their WPM (words per minute) as well as improve on their keying speed
and accuracy.
WEB DESIGN—For December the Web designers will continue their Adobe Photoshop creations. Learning new skills and techniques throughout this program will help them in the 3 rd quarter when students begin to learn the Adobe Dreamweaver web
design program.
DANCE TEAM—A look ahead; the Dance Camp for age’s 3 to 8th grade will be on February 14th. Registration forms will be
given out when students return from Christmas break.
LANGUAGE ARTS/PROM—MRS. LARSON
LANGUAGE ARTS, 7TH GRADE—Just like the craziness of the holiday season, the 7th grade students will
be working on three different projects from now through January. Besides squeezing in a vocabulary unit or
two between projects, the students will be editing and revising their picture prompt creative writing stories.
The goal is for the students to write with great word choice, with descriptive adverbs and adjectives, vivid verb
usage, and including their five senses so that their stories play like a movie in the readers’ minds.
Students will also have a creative writing and art project based on a short Christmas story. (The final Christmas project will be due on December 17th , so that there will be enough time for the projects to be corrected
and returned to the students to take home before Christmas.) The students’ 2nd quarter Book Reviews are also
due before Christmas break. Second quarter Book Reviews are due by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, December 10 th.
After Christmas vacation, students will be introduced to the Poetry Out Loud project. Students will have to
explore the poetryoutloud.org website to find three poems that they like and connect with. They will choose
one to memorize and to perform for the class.
ENGLISH 1—Students just celebrated finishing their historical fiction research story/paper. In December,
students will work through another unit or two of vocabulary, will read and work on their Reading Response
Logs (due December 10th) for their 2nd quarter reading project, and will search the poetryoutloud.org website
to locate a poem to learn and perform for class and/or the Poetry Out Loud Contest.
SPEECH—The juniors are researching, typing an outline, and writing a 6-10 minute persuasive speech. Students must follow the MLA format by following the steps that they have learned and refer to their Research
Paper Procedure style guides. Students will make a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation to use during their persuasive speech presentation. We will then write fun pet peeve speeches to learn and to present before Christmas break.
PROM 2015 FUNDRAISING
Thank you in advance for supporting the junior class and for helping them plan and host an awesome prom banquet,
grand march, and dance.
(1) IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO ORDER MAGAZINES AND/OR GIFT ITEMS—The junior class earned 20%
of their goal with this fundraiser. Our regional representative for Great American Fundraiser said that sales
are down for this year. We believe that it may be due to the economy and due to fewer students in classes
talking to people and making sales.
If you have not been asked by a junior and would like to still support the class and the school or because you
need to renew magazine subscriptions or want to do some Christmas shopping, you can still order online
through December. . The GA School Store has gift accessory items, jewelry, college apparel, in addition to
magazines at great prices. Forty percent of your purchase will come back to our class/school.
Simply go to http://www.gaschoolstore.com/.
Click the “online portal” tab.
On the left-hand column, click “shop now”.
Enter our school ID __2535326__ .
You can choose a junior to give credit for the sale.
Then, shop. Many people are surprised at how many items and magazines that are available. There are a
lot more e-reader subscriptions offered this year – of which you get a paper magazine with each e-subscription.
(2) TRASH BAG SALE—We still have trash bags in all of the sizes still available. These bags will be sold for
$11 per roll. If you weren’t asked and need trash bags or just want to support Cedar/the junior class, please
contact a junior student, stop by the Cedar office, or contact Mrs. Larson or Ms. Thoene.
Again the size and number of bags per roll are as follows:
(white) tall kitchen trash bags ---15 gallons ----65 bags per roll
(yellow) garbage can bags ---35 gallons ---- 25 bags per roll
(blue) yard or commercial size bags ---55 gallons ----16 bags per roll
(3) SCHWAN’S Online fundraiser—Due to the number of fundraisers going on in November, we decided to
move the Schwan’s fundraiser to December or January. We also don’t want to overlap with a Schwan’s fundraiser that Hartington Public is running for their Close Up group. So, please be watching for announcements
for the fundraiser in the near future.
When we start a Schwan’s fundraiser, we can schedule a 45 day campaign in which Cedar will earn 20% on all
sales, then for the next 11 months, Cedar would earn 5%.
MATH/COMPUTER SCIENCE—MR. WEIER
The AP Calculus students are just finishing a unit on implicit differentiation. They will then begin a unit on analyzing
graphs by using the first and second derivative tests. They will finish the first semester working on related rates problems and
then will begin looking at integration methods.
The precalculus classes are finished with a unit on graphing trigonometric functions. They will now work on rational, exponential, logistic, and logarithmic functions.
The trigonometry students will begin a unit on graphing trigonometric functions. They will be graphing functions by hand,
by using the TI-84 graphing calculators, and by using computer software.
The geometry class is learning about congruent triangles and will be spending a very short time working with proofs.
The Visual Basic students will be writing applications which include procedures, functions, value and reference parameters,
and object variables. The main project this unit will be to create a visual basic on-screen calculator.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC—MRS. SEDIVY
We are again fundraising for our Spring 2016 Band trip, so THANKS to all of you who are working once again to raise funds.
At this time, I have am still considering which place to go and will let you know asap.
Students have been selected for the Mid-State Conference Honor Band to be held on March 9 at Wayne State. Representing
Cedar Catholic are: Anna Brodersen, Sydney Christensen, James Kleinschmit, Jessica Kleinschmit, Samantha Kleinschmit,
Jesse Kruse, Bryce Lammers, Sarah Lammers, Zachary Paltz, Miranda Pfund, Robert Reifenrath, Elizabeth Reifenrath,
Blasé Rokusek, Laura Steffen, Lauren Steffen, Mitchel Steffen, Cassidy Ulrich, Emma Wiebelhaus, Michael Wuebben and
Paige Wuebben.
Audition material is available to try out for the NE Class C All-State Band. Band members in grades 9-12 are eligible to make
an audition CD before January 16. If chosen, the honor band will meet in Kearney on March 28 for rehearsal and concert.
Many Blessings during this season and in 2015
***Christmas Concert Wednesday, December 17-7p.m. in the Activity Center-everyone welcome!!!
SENIOR PRAYER FRIENDS
Senior Prayer friends are still needed for the 2015 seniors. Please call Marce to select your prayer friend soon. This will begin on
February 14.
VOCAL MUSIC—MRS. HAMILTON
Congratulations again to Jesse Kruse and Hannah Rembert who participated in the 2014 All State Chorus on Nov. 19 th
through the 21st. They sang in a group of 440 of the best high school students from around Nebraska. The group was under the
direction of Craig Jessop. Mr. Jessop is a worldwide known director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
The High School Choir participated in the Mid-State Conference Choral Clinic on November 10th in Crofton and represented
Cedar Catholic very well. We are now busily preparing for our Christmas concert which is on December 17 th, at 7:00 p.m. at
MCWAC. This concert was originally scheduled for December 3rd.
The students will also be singing at ST. JOHNS in Fordyce on Sunday Dec. 7 th, at 10:30 mass. This will be our first parish we
will be singing at this year.
SWING CHOIR: The swing choir will be performing as well at the Christmas Concert. To help defray costs this year we will
also be helping with the Craft Fair. More information will be coming soon.
7TH AND 8TH GRADE CHOIRS—The 7th and 8th Grade Choirs are busily preparing for the Christmas Concert as well. The 8 th
grade will be singing familiar Christmas Carols to get us ready for the birth of Christ. The 7 th grade will be singing some Christmas Carols with a new twist. They will also be putting on their dancing shoes; so get ready to get in the Holiday spirit.
Just a reminder Concerts are formal occasions. Please have your student dress in their finest clothes. Gentlemen should dress
up with shirt, tie, dress pants. Please no jeans or tennis shoes. Ladies should follow dress code as found in the handbook.
Dresses would be best but nice dress pant are okay.
I would like to take this time to thank all of you for your continued support of the CCHS music department. We hope that you
have a Blessed Christmas and wish you only the best in 2015.
FOOTBALL—MR. CATTAU
As I write this, the football team is in the middle of our preparation for playing David City Aquinas in the state championship game. Words can't describe how much I am going to miss the daily preparation and time spent with these great young
men. The time that is spent with each of these young men is probably the most rewarding part of coaching. They all work
extremely hard each day to get better, but they also are a group that makes it very enjoyable all the time. I have never
been around a team that treats each other as well as this team does. They all have a great relationship with each other, and
it's very obvious that they all truly care about each other. I want to thank everyone for all of their support during the entire season. I really feel as if we have the best support system of anyone in the area. We always have more people at games,
and people will always go above and beyond what is expected. I would just like to personally thank all of you on behalf of
the team for all you do.
LANGUAGE ARTS/SPEECH—MRS. FALLON
As I head out the door to Lincoln this early morning, I am reflecting on what a crazy semester this has been so far, but we forge
ahead with learning experiences in reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing that will serve our students in the years and
their experiences ahead. Congratulations to our Trojan football team (as well as our cheerleaders, our band and our dance team)
as they compete this morning at Memorial Stadium!
The Sophomores have finished To Kill A Mockingbird, and we look forward to reading Romeo and Juliet before Break. Our
third quarter will be devoted to building their Career Portfolios so they should be finishing up with their Job Shadows. They
are due when we return from Christmas!
The Seniors have finished A Tale of Two Cities and Les Miserables and now will be headed into their Live Poet’s projects, which
will lead into our Poetry Out Loud competition during Catholic School’s Week. All of this builds to their writing the Gospel of
their lives during second semester!
The College Credit Classes of Composition II and Speech are working toward their final exams, usually during the second week
of December as they complete their final syllabus assignments.
Our Speech season is just beginning, but after the parent and student information night, we are looking forward to another exciting year. Thanks to everyone who came out, and I am so grateful to Father Keiter and Miss Thoene for helping out this year.
Currently, we have 35 students out from the Senior High (and still recruiting), plan on competing at the National Catholic Forensics League Tournament in Florida during May and will be working with our Junior High students again in the Spring! Go
Trojans!
May all of you have a very blessed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year!
SOCIAL SCIENCE—MRS. FREEMAN
It is hard to believe that we are already looking at a new year and a new semester. Even though the seniors are on the downhill side of their high school careers, they continue to examine the three branches of government and their function. They are
wrapping up their unit on the executive branch and will be moving on to the judicial branch as we start the new semester. Students tend to like this unit as many of the cases we examine directly impact their lives in one way or another.
The juniors successfully wrapped up their college credit class with the end of the Civil War. We are beginning our adventure
into American history by discussing the impact of Reconstruction and the development of lands in the western United
States.
The 8th graders are gearing up to the Revolutionary War as they wrap up their focus on the development of the colonies and
the building animosity towards Britain. Students will become Patriots and Tories as they battle it out in Revolution dodgeball and fight towards (or against) American independence.
The 7th graders are also continuing their studies of the three branches of government. They recently completed a mock Congress and passed a variety of bills through the House and the Senate. Soon they will examine the roles of the presidents and
the power of the executive branch. They are looking forward to Chapter Seven as they will participate in the murder trial of
Roy L. Kingsmen. As you can see even though we are halfway through the school year, students in 118 are maintaining their
focus and keep on trucking through history and government!
LANGUAGE ARTS—MRS. HEGGE
English III—The first semester is quickly coming to a close. The juniors have spent a good deal of time this quarter on
their Archdiocesan Assessment, Art Imitates Life. This multi-step project is a great opportunity to prepare for the multitude of projects assigned to college students. Several juniors presented their research findings and analysis before Thanksgiving, and the remainder will share their presentations after the break.
The juniors are also working on a pronoun usage unit, and they will be identifying and analyzing the techniques of fiction
(irony, foreshadowing, symbolism, flashback, metaphor, personification, epiphany, oxymoron, and dialect) in a series of
short stories.
Language Arts 8—The eighth graders are currently reading the novel The Outsiders, and they love it. S. E. Hinton gives
the street gang of Greasers a voice by delving deeply into the hearts, minds, and stories of the gang’s members. After
Thanksgiving the students will be selecting and memorizing a Robert Frost poem , much like the main character Ponyboy
did in the novel.
THEOLOGY/STUDENT COUNCIL—MRS. CHRISTENSEN
Theology III—In December, we will be finishing up our semester on the Sacraments of the Church. We will be covering
Holy Orders and Matrimony. The students will have a two part semester test – one part multiple choice and then an essay part. Then in January, we will begin our semester on Morality. In the past, we had an entire year to cover all the topics of morality, now we will put that information into one semester. We will start with discussions on character, virtue
and the gift of being human.
Theology I—In December, we will be finishing up our discussion of the New Testament. We just had a test over the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Now we will cover John’s Gospel and the Letters. We will be reading and discussing some of Jesus’ parable and miracles. In January, we will begin our semester of Jesus Christ: His Mission and Ministry.
Student Council—We held a meeting in November to decide our officers. They are the following: President – Alexis
Arens; Vice-President – Monica Arens, and Treasurer – Jesse Kruse
We discussed taking part in the Toys for Tots program. We will choose a name off of the tree in the library, then each
student will donate money to purchase a couple of gifts from the child’s list. There will be dance for grades 7-10 on Friday, January 9 in the Holy Trinity Gym. The student council members will be providing music and decorating the gym
for this dance.
Seniors—We still need some of the formal poses from the seniors for the yearbook. This needs to be a head and shoulder
picture with a shirt and tie for boys and a nice sweater or shirt for girls. If you need to email the picture for now, we can
use it for the yearbook. We will eventually need an actual photo of that same picture for the class composite.
March for Life—We have about 27 students attending the March for Life this year. The pilgrimage will take place January 20-25, 2015. Thank you to those students who helped at the Knights of Columbus chili feed. Your help was greatly
appreciated. We will need to meet as a group in January as the pilgrimage nears.