LAUREN'S HOMECOMING TOP TEN LIST - Xavier High School

lFEATURESWILL YOU GO TO HOMECOMING WITH ME?3Suit? Check. Tie? Check.Dinner reservations? Check. Tickets?Check. Corsage? Check. Dateto Homecoming? Not so much. Theoverwhelming festivities of HomecomingWeek may make you jumpfor joy, but the idea of asking thatcute girl in your chemistry class toHomecoming probably makes youwant to curl up in the fetal position.So you’re probably wondering howall those lucky guys that did havedates to Homecoming mustered upthe courage to ask. We asked threejunior boys to give us the insidescoop on how to ingeniously reelin that cutie you’ve been thinkingabout.Junior John Drescher discoveredthe element of surprise canprove very effect when he askedJulia Revord to Homecoming. Johnarranged to have Julia’s friend bringher to Paradise Island for some icecream. When the two girls sat down,sitting on the table was a note: “Willyou go to Homecoming with…” andthen John appeared from nowherewith a bouquet of fl owers. John’splan worked fl awlessly with the helpof his stealth comrades. Julia saidyes and retold the story with excitement,noting her favorite part, “…John jumping out from behind afake palm tree.”Granted, some of us can’tbe as sneaky as John, but maybeBy Aurora GrosskopfJoe Flaherty’s speedy proposal cangive you some pointers. Joe used histalent of running to aid him as heasked Anne Gregory to Homecoming.During a cross country race anexasperated Joe ran by Anne andexclaimed: “Anne! Homecoming?!”Anne responded by shouting yes asJoe ran away, continuing the race.Happy but confused, Anne laterlaughed about how the questionsounded more like a command, butreassured us that she was still veryexcited about the whole situation.Although Joe was much more nervousfor the race than asking Anneto the dance, he was very excitedshe said yes and the two looked forwardto the event.If jumping out of fake palmtrees and running a great distanceare not your cup of tea, maybe JaredPeroutky’s poetry skills can offersome inspiration. Using a variationof the age old, ‘roses are red violetsare blue’ theme, Jared craftily set upa riddle for Morgan Krause to solve.He sent her various fruits throughoutthe day with lines to the poem attachedto keep Morgan guessing.At the end of the day when shehad found all but the last line, Jaredsent her gallivanting around Xavierto fi nd her mystery date. Ending inMr. Mauthe’s room, Morgan was surprisedas Jared came from behindthe desk with a bouquet of fl owersand the last line of the poem. “Iwas a little nervous but more worriedit might not go as planned,” explaineda relieved Jared. Luckily, hisplan worked out perfectly and Morgansaid yes.Securing a date for Homecomingwas defi nitely nerve-wreckingfor these three guys, but usingthe element of surprise, God-giventalents and some Shakespeareanpointers gave them an edge. If youweren’t fortunate enough to fi ndyourself a date for Homecoming,maybe these stories can providefor inspiration to ask that cute girl inchemistry to prom.The Happy CouplesTop: Julia Revord and JohnDrescherMiddle: Anne Gregory and JoeFlahertyLeft: Morgan Krause and JaredPeroutkyBACK TO REALITYBy Stephany CabralThe smell of a crisp,freshly baked pumpkin pie, abike ride through the newlypainted trees of orange andyellow, and a waft of newnotebook paper are all indicationsthat summer has beenput on pause. All good thingscome to an end, primarily becausethere are better situationsheaded in our direction.Although this may seem hardto believe, the carefree daysand warmth of summer mustend--it’s the cycle of the seasons,it’s the cycle of life. Thisinevitable transition from theeasy days summer to the pressure-packeddays of school isaccomplished more smoothlyby following these guidelines .1. Readjust your sleep scheduleStaying up until midnight and sleepingin until the next noon may work inthe summer, but it obviously doesn’twork during the school week. Startchanging your sleep cycle a coupleof weeks before school actuallybegins to be at your peak performanceright away. Recent studieshave shown that many teens havetrouble going to sleep so early notbecause we want to rebel againstbedtime, but because our brainsnaturally work on later schedulesand aren’t ready for bed. Lack ofsleep can lead to various problems:depression, sleeping in class, andeven acne.2.Refresh and repeatinformationIt may be hard to review materialthat you have not yet received, so tryto refresh the concepts of numbers,grammar, and other basics learnedin previous years to get ready for thenew information.3.Buy school supplies earlyDon’t wait till the last second to buyschool supplies. Odds are, the suppliesyou wanted will be gone. Buyingschool supplies earlier makesyour transition more organized.4.Set limits on electronic useFrom Twitter to Facebook to cellphones, our world has becomeexceedingly technologically advancedand constantly changing.Knowing that we would rather focuson our fun texts, we should set limits.Limits are different for each student.Experts recommend from a half hourto an hour of screen time daily.5.Find a quiet place toconcentrate on your studiesPick an area in your home thatbest fi ts to your needs. Some canconcentrate with loud music, whileothers cannot. The common placethat seems to function well for mostcontains silence, a table and chair,pencils and paper, and sometimes acomputer.6.Keep a calendar or agendaTo maintain organization and limitchaotic occurrences, it is best tokeep some type of calendar athand. Some options range from aPDA, iPod, cell phone, and agenda;all contain calendars and are portable.7. Breakfast is the most importantmeal of the dayEating a well balanced diet is alsoimportant. Although you may fi ndthe school mornings far too chaoticfor a fi ne breakfast, you should atleast have something in your systemas your fi rst hour of class approaches.Experts suggest proteins such aseggs, peanut butter, and lean meatsas important starters. Other healthychoices include fresh fruit and highfi ber breads or cereals, rather thanthat sugar-laden muffi n or bowl ofFruit Loops.

4 SPOTLIGHTMRS. ENGLAND: A WOMAN OF MANY TALENTSBy Megan StumpfMrs. Lori EnglandHometown: New London, WIMrs. England has lived in multipleplaces throughout the country includingColorado, where she attendedhigh school, and Kansas,where she attended college.Job Titles at Xavier HighSchool:1-International Student Coordinator2-Assistant Athletic Director3-Varsity Girls’ Softball coachWhen did she start at Xavier?This is Mrs. England’s fourth year atXavier as the girls’ varsity softballcoach, and her fi rst school year asthe international student coordinatorand assistant athletic director.What does it mean to be theInternational Student Coordinator?The job was created this year inorder to assist Mrs. Fahrenkrug withXavier’s international student population.Mrs. England is able to betterfocus on the 27 international studentswhom Xavier is hosting duringthis school year. This position playsa helpful role in our ever-expandingworld of globalization because it iscrucial that international studentshave positive experiences in ourschool community.What are her job duties as InternationalStudent Coordinator?Although her job duties vary throughoutthe year, Mrs. England followsup on each international student’sgrades to make sure that they aregetting the most out of their experienceat Xavier. For example, if a studentis struggling, she provides themwith helpful resources or a tutor. Mrs.England is also responsible for lookingfor host families for internationalstudents during the summer.Where does her work takeplace?The majority of Mrs. England’s worktakes place in her main offi ce,which is right next to the guidancesuite on the top fl oor at Xavier.What does she contribute tothe Xavier staff?Mrs. England is a burst of energy!She acts as a wonderful resourcefor teachers, who are easily able tocome to her if an international studentis struggling in their class.Favorites SectionFavorite school lunch? Hamsandwich from a la carte.Favorite sport? Softball (nobrainer!).Favorite October activity?Trick or treating with my youngestdaughter.Favorite place to travel? Anywherewith a beach!INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVESON MRS. ENGLAND“Mrs. England helps international students pick universitiesin the United States.”--So Ra Kim“She helps some students find host families andhelps us choose extracurricular activities.”--Kyu Lee“Mrs. England is very kind, and she is trying to getinternational students involved at Xavier.”--Hannah LeeInternational students So Ra Kim, Kyu Lee and Hannah Lee voicetheir appreciation of the enthusiastic help they receive from Mrs.England.

SPOTLIGHT5This fall Chris Kessenich waschosen for one of the biggestroles on the football team, thequarterback, and as the quarterbackhe must be the leaderof the team. A better personcould not have been chosen,as Kessenich is viewed asa great leader by the entireXavier community. Not onlyis he a great leader and footballplayer, but he loves to singand act, too. He participatesin choir and last year he wasin the spring play. Kessenichloves to do all different typesof activities and he always hasfun doing them.How many siblings do youhave?I have two brothers and twosisters, Eric, Nicole, Mike, Kate,and then me. I am the babyof the family.Do you have any pets?Yes, I have two cats, Walterand Jerry. Walter likes to actlike a human by using the toileton a regular basis.Which sport do you like more:football or basketball?Whichever one is currently inseason, so right now I like footballmore.CHRIS KESSENICH:THE SINGER, THE ATHLETE, THE LEADERWhat do you like more sportsor singing/acting?I love both of them a lot. Icouldn’t choose one over theother.How did you get into singing?I have sung as long as I canremember, and I have alwaysreally enjoyed it.What is the team’s goal for thisyear?To get to state and win it.What is your personal goal forthe football season?To do whatever it takes to helpour team win state. It’s notabout the stats; it’s all aboutwinning games.How much pressure is therebeing the starting quarterback?There isn’t too much pressure.I am very confi dent becausewe have such a great team,especially our defense. Also, Ihave Will Otto as one of my offensivelinemen, and he is oneof the best on our great offensiveline.FAVORITESNFL Player?It was William Henderson, but now that he is retied, it is Brett Favre.By: Andrew FarrWhat is your favorite sport other than basketball and football?Hockey. I used to play when I was younger, and I wish I never had quit.Class at Xavier?APUSH.Teacher at Xavier?Mrs. Jones.Musical Artist?Dave Matthews Band.What do you like to play more:offense or defense?Offense because I am terribleat tackling on defense.Would you rather run for atouchdown or throw for atouchdown?Throw for a touchdown becauseI am not that good atpassing, so it is more specialfor me when I throw for one.What is most difficult about finishinga game-winning drive?It is our team’s last chance towin the game and if we screwup then it’s over, and we usuallyhave our great defense torely on, but with a game-winningdrive that’s not the case.What is your favorite pregamemeal?Spaghetti and a lot of bread.Would you rather make a lastsecond shot to win a basketballgame or throw a touchdownon the final play to win?Throw a touchdown on thefi nal play, but once again itdepends on which season weare in, football or basketball.Throwing a touchdown onthe fi nal play doesn’t happennearly as often as making alast second shot.What do you do as an executiveofficer?We run the student governmentmeetings, plan someevents, such as Homecoming,and if there is anything that astudent has a problem with orwants changed they wouldcome talk to one of us.You are a leader in football,basketball, Link Crew, and youare an executive officer. Obviouslythe school looks at youas a leader and role model--how does that feel?It is very cool. I just try to be thebest example and infl uenceon everyone, especially thefreshman. I try to help themwhenever they ask for help.Do you have any collegeplans, such as what you wouldlike to major in?I am going to major in engineeringor architecture.Which one do you prefer: Chris,Tatum, or Kez?Just not Chris. My mom doesn’tlike Chris because she thinks itis a girl’s name, and I agreewith whatever my mom says.Vacation Spot?Mexico.Video Game?Halo.Restaurant?The Melting Pot. I haven’t eaten there many times, but I love it.Food?Little Caesar’s Pizza.Chris Kessenich is a bornleader who loves to havefun in everything he does,whether it is on the stage orin the field. Xavier is in goodhands with Kessenich at quarterback,and he definitelygives them an advantage toachieving their goal of winninga state championship.

6 REVIEWSA TALE OF TWO VAMPIRESBy Stephany Cabrallar pupil at school. Elena andStefan have lost many similarthings in their lives and soonfi nd that together, they cangain more in return.Hollywood seems to beblood thirsty for vampire entertainmentsthis year, rangingfrom Twilight to The VampireDiaries. In a recent TeenVogueinterview conducted by LindsayTalbot, Wesley discloses,“The minute I was cast, I plowedthrough all L.J Smith’s books.”However, he made a solidpoint of not reading or watchingTwilight. “I didn’t want to beinfl uenced by it at all,” he says.While many critics have beenquick to call The Vampire Diariesa Twilight clone, to set therecord straight, Smith’s booksLet us play a never endinggame; the game where Iplay the mysterious boy andyou, my confused princess. StefanSalvatore, of the new CWdrama, The Vampire Diaries,based on L.J. Smith’s bestsellingbooks plays just this game.Stefan, played by Paul Wesley,the mysterious new comer tothe small town of Fell’s Church,has a blood-sucking secret,but it won’t be long before hisElena fi nds out this mystery.Nina Dobrev plays the role ofElena Gilbert, Stefan’s suddenlover. She is torn between thetwo immortal vampire brothers,Stefan and Damon Salvatore.Although Elena was tragicallyhit with the loss of her twoparents, she remains a popuwereactually written beforeStephanie Meyer’s. The commonfactors between the twoare the concept of vampiresand high school romance.In addition, there are afew differences between bothcult successes. V. D.’s cast is lessknown and lacks experience.Also, the series possesses avast amount of history regardingthe Italian Renaissance,which I fi nd very interesting.In episode six of this season,Stefan explains to Elena histragic accident, the precursorto his vampire life. As Stefan’smemory reels, the scenes takea turn into a beautiful set. Theset consists of old vintage architectureand clothing. Thebuildings all appear as man-sions. The dresses the girls worewere distinct, but beautiful.When viewing The VampireDiaries for the fi rst time Ithought the show was silly. Forinstance, no one writes in a diaryanymore. Once the interestingfactors on the character’slives were made known, Islowly became more interested.In my opinion, the series isoff to an intriguing start. Let’sjust hope it doesn’t becomecliché or boring because theproducers have no clue as tohow to end the show. However,if you’re looking for aTwilight miniseries every week,rather once every year, sinkyour teeth into TV’s The VampireDiaries on The CW, Thursdaysat 8/7c.While critics have been quick to callthe show a Twilight spin-off (though, forthe record, Smith’s books were writtenbefore Stephenie Meyer’s), Paul, whorecently relocated to Atlanta, Georgia,to continue filming, disagrees: “Theyhave vampires and high school romancein common, but that’s about it.”--LINDSAY TALBOTThe young stars of TheVampire Diaries: IanSomerhalder, Nina Dobrevand Paul WesleyDRIVE IN TO SONIC FOR A BLASTBy Maggie Le MereAre your taste budsready for an adventure? Doyou enjoy delicious food,great prices, and friendlyservice? Then Sonic is theplace for you! With tworecently opened locationsin Appleton, there is noexcuse not to try out this newsensational restaurant!When you pull intoSonic’s parking lot, you arewhisked into bygone erasevoking memories of HappyDays, discos, and diners.Only good thoughts fi ll yourhead as you get ready toorder.Sonic’s most uniquefeature is that it is a driveinof the old-fashionedsense. You park your car,and when ready to order,press a button and tell theSonic staff what you wouldlike. The menu varies in bothprice and food, includingfavorites such as dairy treatsand burgers. A popular itemis the Sonic Blast. Similar to aDairy Queen Blizzard, a SonicBlast includes creamy softserveice cream blendedtogether with a variety ofcandy toppings. If you like aDairy Queen Blizzard, you willdefi nitely love the Sonic Blastbecause the Sonic Blast offersmore toppings per servingthan the Blizzard. Sonic alsooffers food such as burgers,sandwiches, and appetizers.The Sonic cheeseburger is byfar the best of these offerings.Although a cheeseburger isa simple food to order, it iscooked to perfection andcomes with just the rightamount of cheese.The food is roller-skatedto your car by some of thefriendliest people in town. Thewaiters at Sonic deserve somuch credit because rollerskating while carrying a trayof food is a lot harder thanit appears. A fact that is notknown to most people is thatyou are supposed to tip thewaiters at Sonic. Make sureyou tip them at least 10%.Out of 5 stars, Sonicdeserves 4.5 stars for havingexceptional value, amazingfood, and a friendly staff.Sonic is a family friendlyrestaurant that everyone willenjoy. The next time you wantto try a new restaurant, driveover to Sonic and you willexperience a super sonic day!Maggie LeMere gives the newdrive-in Sonic the “thumbs-up!”

VIEWPOINT7Hi, I’m Matt Dupont. Ifyou ask a lot of people, theywould probably tell you thatI’m the last person they wouldexpect giving a personalrefl ection. But I’m here, and Iwas asked to give a refl ectionon my experience with Rockfor Life club, and the Marchfor Life in particular, so here’swhat happened to me.Before the March began,I really wasn’t with itmuch. I had just gotten overbeing really messed up anddepressed, again, and wasrather lost with where to go. Ihad lost a lot of friends in anattempt to make more friendsand be a more fun person tobe around, and I wasn’t feelingtoo good about myself...I was feeling sorry for myselfreally.I was partially in theRock for Life Club before this,and had kind of wanted togo on the March, but then Ilost track of all the paperworkand missed the deadline.I didn’t have much hopeof going, but the weekendbefore the trip a spot openedup and I got signed up for thebus ride. Whether this was justa fl uke, or part of God’s plan,I won’t ever know.When I got on the bus, Iwas a bit out of it; I was gettingto go on the trip, butafter a driver’s lesson withonly about fi ve minutes tofi nish packing; life was goingfast, and I just got on thebus, put my stuff down, andwent to Mass. I saw everyonethere, and didn’t know manypeople, so I resigned myselfto spending most of my timefi nishing chemistry and worldhistory homework.I got on the bus andwas quiet and kept my headdown as usual. However, Iwas soon dragged out of mycomfortable “I’m Matt, youdon’t want to talk to me, letme stew in my self-pity” bubbleby the outgoing attitudeof Cassian, my bus buddy,and the two girls in front of us.Despite my decidedly nonconversationalmood, theselively compatriots were quitepersistent in dragging me intotalking, many times succeeding.I was startled by their suddeninterest in who I was as aperson. These people reallydid help to change who I wasROCK FOR LIFE: A MONUMENTAL TRIPand what I wanted to live for.I’m extremely glad that I metthem, and thankful for whatthey did for me.As the night grew later,our bus needed to get somerepairs. We decided to praythe Liturgy of the Hours duringthis period. This idea peevedme; I was tired and reallydidn’t care about prayer. Thiswould change by the end ofthe trip. However, we weresoon off again, and as moreand more people slipped offinto dreamland, a small determinedgroup settled nearme to talk about faith andsuch things. I was amazed atthe level of faith these peoplehad; I had some book smarts,sure, but these people hada very close connection withGod, which no level of booksmarts can give you. I wouldhave thought it superfi cial,but I could tell that theyweren’t bragging or lying atall. They were saying the honesttruth about their beliefs.We arrived in D.C. the nextevening, went to Mass, andgot to bonding time. We didall sorts of random fun things:icebreakers, building lunches,the inevitable peanut butterfi ghts that arise when peanutbutter and excited peopleare in the same area, playingmonkey in the middle,listening to the song groupplaying music. It was fun,even though at this point I stillhadn’t really talked to anybodymuch.The March itself wasamazing; there was a hugeBy Matt Dupontamount of people there, andduring the march everybodywas yelling different cheersback and forth. Some of thefavorites were “Hey, Obama,your mama was prolife!” andvolleying, “We love babies,yes we do, we love babies,how bout you?” from highschool to church group backto another high school. At theend of the day, we settled ourhyped up emotions with Adorationand Confession. I decidedto take a risk and takethings seriously--full confessionand serious meditation. I feltmuch better afterwards, andwent to bed more contentthan I had felt in a long while.The rest of the trip wasspent running from monumentto monument, visiting theNational Basilica, and in generaldoing crazy things--onegroup sneaking off and makinga Braveheart style chargeat the rest of the group members,riding the metro, talkingto different people, a nightmonument visiting trip, and ingeneral having a great time.I still didn’t talk much; I spenttime just thinking about lifeand prayer and other weightyissues. It was everybody elsecoming up to me to talk thatreally made me feel betterabout myself.The bus group departedfrom the plane groupfor another 24 hour bus rideon the last day. It felt surrealto return to society, worries,social problems, homework.I could have spent my entirelife just running around thecountry doing crazy thingswith the group, and I wouldhave stayed happy the entiretime. But all good things mustcome to an end, and it waswith sadness that the groupdeparted into the real worldagain. We tried to keep ourties, but the distance brokethings apart. The spark fromthe trip faded, and I’m hereagain, some quiet kid giving apersonal refl ection to an audiencethat for the most partwould probably rather besleeping at home. But I still seethat trip as one of the bestthings that happened to me,and I learned many importantthings from it.Everybody was reallynice, but two of the mostawesome people I’ve evermet would have to be Frankand Juraj. Despite the languagebarrier they had toovercome, being exchangestudents from Slovakia, theyoften were in the center ofattention. They were just sobubbly and outgoing, alwaysmaking great jokes, and ingeneral extremely fun to bearound. It almost made mea bit embarrassed being anAmerican. Exchange studentsare some of the best peopleout there; you just have to getto know them.Over the period of theretreat, I grew much moreself-confi dent; I could actuallysee some good thingsabout myself, which was abig change.I started out with lukewarmfaith. But after seeingthe zeal of so many people,and how much fun they hadjust praising God, when Iworked on my faith, I realizedjust how much fun it was tobe praising God and knowingHe was there for me.Once I fi xed things up withGod, He really started to helpme with my life.Anybody who is at allinterested in the trip, try it out.It’s fun, and fairly inexpensive,and a good break from therigors of school. Put your allinto it, and I’m sure you’ll getsomething great in return.

8 SPORTSA crowd of screaming fansmay intimidate many people, butthat’s exactly what the sixteen girlson the Xavier varsity cheer squadcrave. This year’s exceptionally largesquad has made for an exciting seasonwith new achievements, memoriesand goals. A few of the membersof the squad give the inside scoopinto Xavier cheerleading.Cheering for this year’s conferencechampion football team isdefi nitely easy, but cheering on theteam when they’re losing isn’t sucha piece of cake. The season hascontained many moments of nailbitingsuspense, but the cheerleadersknow that it is when the team isLOUD AND PROUDlosing that they’re needed most. “Itmay be easier to stay positive whilethe score is up, but it’s much moreimportant to stay positive while thescore is down,” noted Captain KassiaGrosskopf.Apart from rooting on thefootball team every Friday night,the cheerleaders cheered on runnersduring the Fox Cities MarathonSpirit Challenge. Adapting cheerssuch as: “M-O-V-E, Move that ball!To: M-O-V-E, Move your feet!” motivatedthe exhausted runners as theypassed the 17 mile marker where thegirls were stationed.When asked about their favoritememory from the season theBy Aurora Grosskopfunanimous answer was: the Homecomingroutine. Choreographing,teaching and practicing a wholedance with the senior football playersis not an easy task, but the girlsagreed it was a blast. Senior EmmaShremp commented, “I loved dancingwith the fellas every Saturdaymorning when they’re at their best!”It took the squad and football playersfour weekends to perfect theroutine, but their hard work paid off.“We did a great job and had lots funperforming it,” remarked Senior MegBlanford.Obviously the squad is quiteproud of their achievements, butthey still see room for improvement.“The squad needs to learn thegame of football!” both Junior ToriFisher and Shremp agreed on thematter. Throughout the season theteam realized their knowledge ofthe rules of football was not up topar. The team hopes by the end ofthe year, each girl will know at leasta little more about football than atthe beginning.The cheerleaders are lookingforward post-season games asXavier’s successful football teamadvances to the playoffs. Stickingto their mantra, loud and proud,the cheerleaders will be cheeringtheir hearts out every Friday nightfor the Hawks.VOLLEYBALL SETS FOR SUCCESSBy Lauren PlamannXavier girl’s volleyball teamis bumping, setting and spikingtheir way to a strong season yetagain this year. Undefeated inconference and ranked fourth inthe state for Division 2, much ofthe success comes from the stronggroup of returning players fromlast year’s squad. This year’s varsityteam includes seniors Erin Downey,Emily Downey, Ally Gresel, ViktoriaO’Leary, Emily Verbeten andCarlye Schuh, who are joined byjuniors Lauren DeShaney, Lexi Thien,Megan Garvey, Brooke Schowalter,Laura Iglar, Kristin Goeser, and SamZlevor. Not only does experiencehelp this team succeed, but thegreat team chemistry on and offthe volleyball court is also a key.Tri-captain Emily Downey explains,“We all get along really well andhave fun together all the time.”These girls are not only teammates,but also friends, which helps themwin games.Spending time togetheroutside of practice strengthens theirteam connection. The volleyballgirls went to Coach DeShaney’shouse and made sweat towels nearthe beginning of the season forsome team bonding. Also, the daybefore every game the girls have ateam dinner at school. Working togetheron and off the court makesa strong bond few opponents canbreak.Don’t think that just experienceand chemistry are what madethis team conference champions.The girls exert themselves at theirtwo-hour practice every day afterschool to prepare for upcomingopponents. “Our biggest competitionthis year is Little Chute, Waupun,and Seymour,” Erin Downeyinforms. Last year, the girls sadly lostto Waupun in the Regionals. Afterall the hard work the team has putin this season, they are hoping toadvance deep into he playoffs thisyear and win state. Now fi rst in conference,the girls recently defeatedLittle Chute, another rival.To get pumped up for thebig games the girls perform severalpre-game rituals. First, the girls sing,dance, and cheer in the teamroom. Then a senior member of theteam leads prayer with intentionsand they say a Hail Mary, screamingthe end of the prayer. The girlsare soon ready to go, giving eachplayer a back massage in the linewhile waiting to emerge onto thecourt. Routine and ritual help thesegirls to play their best every match.Keeping this intensity is sometimestough in a sport with many stopsand starts. Megan Garvey, a juniormember, wishes, “It would be niceif we had student section at thegames.” The girls wish that moreof the student body would attendthe games to help them play to thebest of their abilities. A team thatplays together wins together.Top: The cheerleaders inspireboth fans and playerswith their positive attitudes.Bottom: Members of the statetournament-bound volleyballteam are always ready for action.

SPORTS9A TEAM THAT PLAYS TOGEHER, WINS TOGETHERBy Kyle AshauerSome coaches say that thebest defense is a good offense.Others say a suffocating defensehelps a team win. Instead, for theXavier football team, it’s aboutheart and family. As of October9, the Hawks are 9-0, leading theEastern Valley Conference. However,their remaining schedule is nocakewalk: FVL (Apple Bowl) andWaupaca still need to be played.The Hawks are playoff-bound, andthe fi rst half of the season was memorable.Senior running back ConnorO’Brien describes his favoritememory of the season, “As fun asthe Ripon game was, nothing wasbetter than coming back againstLittle Chute. That was game was juststraight up awesome. When Kess[Senior QB Chris Kessenich] scoredthat touchdown, it was crazy. Theyare such a big rival and we wantedto beat them so bad, and in thatfourth quarter we dug down deepand got an exciting win. “On the other side of theball, senior defensive lineman NickDungar’s memory occurred whenthe Hawks beat Ripon to go 5-0. Asa senior, he loved seeing the crowdcheer when they came back to winon their last Homecoming.For those who stay forCoach Dave Hinkens’ post-gamehuddle, they know that he endeda tradition this year. In the past, hewould always name a couple of individualswho played an outstandinggame and helped their team,win or lose. Instead, now CoachHinkens simply congratulates thewhole team on a job well done.This may not seem that important,but it re-emphasizes the team’sfocus on teamwork.Senior Dan Asmuth, co-presidentof the Spirit Think Tank, likesthe switch. He said, “There is no “I”in team. There are 11 young menon the fi eld. An interception couldnot happen without the D-line attackingthe quarterback. Everyoneplays an equal role.”Dungar adds, “I think it’scool that he puts so much emphasison the team as a whole becauseit truly is a team effort that wins thegames.”Just saying they play like ateam doesn’t mean they do. However,the Hawks are different in thatthey walk the walk.O’Brien said, “On the Xavierfootball team, there are so manydifferent reasons we have success.Whether it’s Kess throwing a pass orrunning the ball or Ben [Johnson]running for a touchdown or ChrisLittle getting a sack or the O-lineblocking or anyone else, everyoneworks together to get somethingdone. Our team is able to utilizeour skill sets to achieve maximumperformance from each individualplayer, which therefore gives ourteam a better chance for success.”Asmuth agrees, saying,“Xavier plays like a team becausethey show three things; character,loyalty to each other, and self-discipline.”If a picture is worth a thousandwords and the Hawks were apicture, there are thousands uponthousands of words to describethem. However, what if someoneonly had three to use?Dungar tried to accomplishthat, and he said family, talent andamazing described his team. Onthe other hand, O’Brien did it in two:Golden Rule. There isn’t a day thatgoes by that the Hawks forget that.“...there are so many differentreasons we havesuccess...Our team isable to utilize our skillssets to achieve maximumperformance from eachindividual player, whichtherefore gives our teama better chance for success.”--SeniorRunningbackConnor O’ BrienTEEING OFF IN STYLEBy Marissa HehliTop: The football team prepares for battle.Bottom: The girls’ golf team celebrates one of their many strong showings.The unseasonal Octoberweather provided little intimidationfor the girls’ golf team, as theybraced the cold to place an awesomefourth place at the Division 2State Tournament in Verona. Thisfourth place fi nish on October 12and 13 highlighted a season of successfulperformances by the team.The team scored a 766 overallat the tourney, placing behindrunner-up Edgerton, who scored a738 and state champions, MadisonEdgewood with a 628. Libby Funkled Xavier with a two day score of180, placing fi fteenth among individualgolfers.Other highlights of the seasoninclude winning the conferencetitle at the Little Chute meet andbeing crowned regional championsat the Denmark course whereLibby Funk and Carly Reidl earnedtop team scores. The team as awhole also performed well, shootinga 360 team score and beatingFreedom by fi ve strokes. In fact, theteam lost only one match this year,being defeated by just one stroke inthe FVL match.At sectionals, the girls hadanother outstanding performance,fi nishing only three strokes behindthe winner, Denmark. Due to theirstrong performances during theseason, Reidl, Funk, Jenna Ziemer,Heather Duesing and Sarah Pappasadvanced to the state competition.Refl ecting on the positivemoments of this season, senior varsitymember Sarah Pappas states,“My favorite meet of the year wouldbe the one at Golden Sands in Cecil,WI. I shot three over par 38 to tieGrace Abitz, the fi rst player for FVL,to win!”The team is bigger than everthis year, with a foreign exchangestudent, one freshman, and threenew members completing the nineteenmember roster. Since only tengirls are allowed to play at any onetime, (fi ve varsity and fi ve junior varsity)many girls participated in onlyone tournament. Even with manydifferent personalities, the team stillworks well together. JV player KatiePlank notes, “The chemistry onthe team is really great; we all getalong really well and have a lot offun together.”The girls were under theguidance of a new coach thisseason, Xavier Sandoval. Pappasadds, “We are extremely lucky tohave him with us this year. He reallytakes the necessary time with all ofthe players, and wants us to do ourbest.”A car salesman in his past,Sandoval became an assistantboys’ golf coach in the seventies.His techniques emphasize living forthe moment and carrying a positiveattitude.Next season looks to be justas promising with the Hawks losingjust two seniors, Pappas and Ziemer.Pappas mentions, “I know I’mleaving the team in good hands.”

10 SPORTSSOCCER FINDS ITS GROOVE AFTER SLOW STARTBy Connor ChelskyAbove: Members of the Boys’ Soccer team pose for an impromptuphoto opportunity.Below: Several runners enjoy the warm autumn weather on race day.Always a perennialpowerhouse in soccer, theXavier boys got off to anunusually slow start for thisseason. However the Xavierboys managed to rally, andfi nish second in the highlycompetitive Eastern ValleyConference. Highlightingthe season were victoriesover Division 1 Neenah, whois always a contender forthe State Championship,and Madison Edgewood,another highly ranked teamin Division 2.“We played well asa team and didn’t let themintimidate us, we stuck to ourgame plan and executedperfectly,” senior defenderAndrew Moran said aboutthe win over Neenah. GrantBrueggeman, senior captainand the Hawks leading goalscorer netted the “GoldenGoal” in overtime to defeatthe Rockets, who wereranked third in the State forDivision soccer at one point.With fi ve freshmenon the team, the Hawksstruggled in the beginningof season, getting off to a0-1-5 record. Senior CaptainBen Tache pointed out theMadison Edgewood win asa key turning point saying,“That’s the point where wereally started to gel.” Whilethe victory may have bondedthe Hawks on the fi eld, therewas plenty of bonding off thepitch as well.“We really startedto bond with the youngerplayers at the hoteltournament in Waunakee,”Moran said. “The hawk hollarby Ben Tache got us goingtoo.”Either way, the teamgot rolling, and fi nishedsecond in conference, tyingconference champ FVL 0-0 ina hard fought heated match.As the Hawks fi nished with a12-7-3 record, they carried ontheir success into the Regionalplayoffs. A 3-0 victory overOmro secured yet anotherRegional Championship forthe Hawks. Unfortunately, theride came to end Thursdaynight with a 2-1 loss againstFVL. Though the early exit fora team that had aspirationsof state was disappointing,the team learned a lotthroughout the season, andhas even higher hopes fornext year.CROSS COUNTRY: IT IS NOT ALL ABOUT RUNNINGBy Andrew FarrWhen people think aboutcross country, they immediatelythink running, but that is only partof the equation for the Xavier team.This year’s Xavier cross countryteam especially proved this to betrue, as they had a great seasonsocially and on the course.Xavier Coach Scott Doeringknew this year would be a promisingseason for the Hawks on the firstday of practice, when over sixtypeople came to practice. Everyonecame highly energized andhad a positive attitude for the season,which made the coach evenhappier.“Even though the bus wasmuch more crowed with so manymore people, everyone on theteam has contributed in some wayand there was a lot of talent onthe team. Everyone had their ownunique personality and because ofthis there was never a dull momentduring the year,” said junior SarahFerree.The team found ways tobond with one another early in theseason, such as a sleep over withmost of the team during the summerafter practices had started. Mostof the team also went to Homecomingtogether, and had many creative cally, emotionally, and mentally,always become very close physi-ways of asking each other to Homecomingduring the season. The team we were always hanging out withand this year was no exception aseven performed a dance for the first one another,” said senior Ty Willenbrink.year at the pep rally for HomecomingWeek. Each of the four teams, girlsEven though the talentedand boys varsity and JV, had a differentway of coming together before when to be serious, too. Both theteam had lots of fun, they kneweach race in a huddle, too. . girls’ and boys’ varsity teams were“I didn’t have a favorite part highly ranked in state, but due to injurytheir seasons didn’t end whereof the season, there were so many.Some of the great parts of our season they them wanted to.were the team sleep over at Ferree’s, The girls’ varsity team hadthe girls’ conversation before Pulaski, their season end early as they finishedfifth at sectionals and none ofand the boys’ varsity race at West DePere,” said junior Anne Gregory. the girls qualified individually for theEven Coach Doering had his state meet.favorite moments of the year. “I loved The boys’ varsity teambeing able to watch Ty (Willenbrink), finished a disappointing fourth atAndrew (Heinritz), and Joe (Flaherty) sectionals because of injuries to keylead the varsity race at Big Bertha runners, including junior Joe Flahertywho was normally a top fivetogether, but unfortunately due toinjury that didn’t happen often after finisher all year. Even with an injurythat meet,” said Coach Doering. during the year, Willenbrink was stillThe team has even made able to qualify for state individuallyplans to keep getting together now by placing third at sectionals; fellowthat the season is over. The team is senior Andrew Heinritz joined him atdoing a yoga class together, will start state due to a second place finishtraining for track, and hopes to plan at sectionals.many more activities and parties.“Unfortunately, injuries did“The cross country teams not allow me to run to the bestof my ability for most of the year,which greatly hurt our chances ofgoing to state as a team. I hope tobe ready to go when track seasonrolls around,” said Flaherty.Heinritz and Willenbrink bothwent into state confidently with highexpectations. They also had helpfulsupport from their teammates, asover twenty cross country memberstook a bus to watch the two of themrun.At the state meet, Willenbrinkfinished 27th with at time of17:06, and could have performedbetter, but had cramps during therace.“Ty just wasn’t able to turn itover and take over the race like heusually does,” said Coach Doering.Heinritz finished 20th withat time of 17:00, and he started outrunning the first mile faster than normal,which changed his entire race.“I obviously started out way too fastas I ran my fastest mile ever, whichaffected the rest of my race. I amstill proud of our entire team forwhat we accomplished this season,and it was very exciting for Tyand me to run at state together asseniors,” said Heinritz.

SPORTS11FRESHMAN SHANNON ETTEN NETS STATE TITLEBy Alethia SchellXavier will have twomore trophies to add to thetrophy case this year as thetennis season comes to aclose. Shannon Etten tookthe state singles title anddoubles Andrea Jumes andLeah Powley placed fourth.These are just two highlights toan already impressive season.Some of these highlightsinclude going undefeated inconference to become theWisconsin Combined TennisConference Champions. Theteam then went on to placefi rst at sub-sectionals by winningfi rst place in every fl ight,which qualifi ed the wholestarting line-up to advance tothe sectional meet.At the sectional tournament,the squad placedthird behind Green Bay NotreDame and Manitowoc Roncalli,but upset the highlyranked Wausau Newmansquad. Coach Mauthe describesthe team’s achievements,“We knew that theseason was going to be successful.We just didn’t knowexactly how we would getthere. Looking back, I’d saythe journey made the successall the more meaningful,” saidCoach Mauthe.Freshman Shannon Etten, shown with teammate Christina Ellis, capturedthe Division 2 State Championship in Number One singles.Even though the girlsdid not qualify for team state,the following did qualify forindividual state: number onesingles– Shannon Etten (25-1),number two singles– MariaGeorgen (21-5), and numberone doubles– Leah Powleyand Andrea Jumes (14-2).The other members of theteam consist of Sarah Semanek,Shannon Stilp, AlethiaSchell, Rebecca Walsh, LizDickhut, Jessica Dickhut, ErinWalters, Christina Ellis, GraceFlaherty, Leah Sanders, andElizabeth Van Sistine.Though the athleteswork hard to succeed intheir tennis positions, theteam also has many bondingactivities outside of theregular tennis schedule, suchas dance parties and slee-povers. “Every daily practiceand the bus rides to and frommatches are always fi lledwith laughter and memories,”said senior Leah Sanders.“We are a family; onand off the court.” RebeccaWalsh adds “When a teamis lucky enough to have agreat coach like Mr. Mauthe,it goes beyond the game oftennis. He makes us look forwardto the next tennis event,and now, the next season!”“If there is one definingword about the tennisseason, it is perspective.The team plays forthe love of the gameand the enjoyment ofthe occasion. Winningwas nice, but I am mostproud of the realizationthat they would bethe same incredible 15young women even ifwe hadn’t won a matchall year.”Coach Mike MautheFALL SPORTS PHOTO GALLERY

12 HAWK SPIRITFUN FACTSby Lauren Plamann• Every second, Americans collectively eat 100 pounds of chocolate.• Hummingbirds can’t walk.• Licking Stamps leads to consumption of 1/10 of a calorie.• There are 10 human body parts that are only 3 letters long(eye hip arm leg ear toe jaw rib lip gum).• Children grow faster in the springtime.• “Goodbye” came from “God bye” which came from “God be with you.”• Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.• Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer thanleft-handed people.• You share a birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world.• A person is more likely to get killed by a donkey than to die in a plane crash.• There are more chickens in the world than humans.• Some worms will eat themselves if they can’t fi nd food.• 96% of people put the peanut butter on fi rst when making a PB & J sandwich.• The day with the most phone calls is Father’s Day.• The Bible is the most stolen book.HAWK SODOKUSudoku is easy to play and the rulesare simple. Fill in the blanks so thateach row, each column, and eachof the nine 3x3 grids contain oneinstance of each of the numbers1 through 9.YOU TOO CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROSPECTOR!The staff of The Prospector is accepting your contributions in the areas ofwriting, cartooning, and photography for the next issue. We are looking forstories covering sports, news, clubs, editorials, and more. You may receiveextra-credit from some of the English teachers for these submissions! Pleasesee Mrs. Steinlage in the library for more information.