News - Boone TV

The Theatrical Experience at Simpson College

11/25/2015

By: Elizabeth Pfannes @lilliz121

On Monday, October 24, 11 of Boone High School’s excel students went to Simpson College for a day full of theater workshops and speakers. Students had a chance to learn from experienced actors, and were able to enhance their own skills by learning from the best. They also had a chance to visit with alums of Boone who now attend Simpson College; Emily Carey and Bill Hitt. Emily Carey is now attending Simpson for theater and students were able to learn from someone they knew.

Excel teacher Peggy Watkins took her students to this event in the hopes for it to help the skills of her students who are talented in theater. She says, “ I felt it was of benefit, to give these students who are very involved and talented in theater the opportunity to enhance their skills.”

There was an assortment of workshops held. These ranged from tech, to operatic workshops, and improve seasons. The operatic workshops specifically interested senior Kassy Foltz who had been looking forward to them. “The visit lived up to expectations gloriously,” says sophomore Jade Wilber, “The most beneficial part for me personally is they provided a template for me to design character makeup and gave information about products used to help other makeup crew members understand,” she states.'

There was also a performance of the show Noises off. Noises off was a three part play from the view of the cast, what happens during directing of the play, behind the scenes, then the final disaster of the last night when all of the drama gets to be too much. Wilber says this is what she was most looking forward to, and she enjoyed it a lot.

The Wait for Printing is Over

11/24/2015

By: Dresden Wilson @dreswilson22

Boone High School has recently been lacking a printer for student chromebooks. But recently all this has changed, the Tech Team has brought printer privileges to all students. The middle school has something similar as well.

Boone High has had the printer for about a week and a half, but due to problems with the printer, and not having Cloud Print on the Chromebooks, students have only recently been able to print.

“This will be good for students so they are able to print off pictures for projects and and be able to just print in general,” said freshman Bryce Patterson.

In order to print from a student chromebook, go to FILE, PRINT, then where it says Destination, select CHANGE. Move your mouse over “HS CCI - Room 6220” and click so it’s your primary printing destination, and finally, print.

Pros and Cons of Starting School Later

11/23/2015

By: Taleah Newman @TaleahNewman

What time do you think school should start? Are you an early bird or are you a sleep in slug? I pose these questions due to the discussion among students at BHS, about whether it would be beneficial for school to start later in the day, or keep the schedule the way it is. Some students at Boone High would agree that school should start later in the day and end later, while others would disagree.
There are many pros and cons as to why school should start later. In the pros, many students are stressed out in the morning and tired from not getting enough sleep, and starting later could be the solution. Many students have work, sports, and club activities after school which doesn’t give them much time to do homework. With activities after school and then coming home to supper, students do not have a chance to do their homework early in the evening, hence, they must stay up late to study.
Students have trouble staying awake and concentrating in the morning classes because school starts so early. With more time to sleep, students won’t be late for school and would have more time to get ready. Students also need time to sit and have breakfast in the mornings. 3/5 students do not eat breakfast in the mornings because they either don’t have an appetite early in the morning or they don’t have time. After asking sophomore Maggie Spurgeon what she thinks of having school start at 9 a.m. or 8 a.m. she says, “9 a.m., because I wouldn’t have to wake up as early, and I’ll be more awake for school.” 4/5 students said that if they woke up later they would have time and an appetite to eat breakfast.
Now, even though there are many pros, there are also just as many cons to school starting later. If school started later, some students would take advantage of the time and just stay up later, leaving them more tired in the morning. 1/5 students said that if school started later they would stay up later than usual. Not all students even do homework every night, allowing them to be tired in the mornings because they must get up and do the homework they chose not to do. If we look at this from the real world perspective, It’s not only us students who have to get up early in the mornings. Our parents and teachers get up everyday just like us and go to work early. We need to be prepared for when we get older and have a job. The problem with students is not the lack of brain function, but the lack of initiative and responsibility. Right now is easy, but there will be bigger consequences later in life.
Starting school later in the morning and ending later in the day will mess up schedules, and only encourage students to be lazy. After asking sophomore Cody Becker what he thinks of having school start at 9 a.m. or 8 a.m., he says, “8 a.m., because If school started later it would get out later, and I work after school. I’m a morning person so it doesn’t bother me to wake up early.” Students have sports, work, and family obligations to do after school. Just because some students complain about being tired in the mornings, doesn’t mean every student’s routine should be disrupted because of choices a few make for themselves. If you’re tired in the mornings you need to change your schedule and go to bed earlier.
There are many reasons as to why school should start early, as well as reasons why it should not. I am among those who disagree with a late start schedule. After listing all of the pros and cons, I would have to say it’s clear to see that those who disagree with the later start schedule agree that school shouldn’t get out later. 4/5 students say that school should start at 9 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. just so they have more time to sleep, and those who selected 8 a.m. chose that time so school wouldn’t have to go on longer.

Boone Technology Student Association Start to the Season

11/23/2015

By: Tessah Boggess

The Technology Student Association (TSA) is a program at Boone High that introduces students to the world of technology and other topics in the category. The leader of the association is Boone High School’s science teacher, Shelly Vanyo. On November 23rd and 24th at 3:20 p.m. the TSA students are voting for officers and signing up for competitions the group wants to participate in. They plan to learn more about events offered and choose the ones they most want to do. The meetings are held in Vanyo’s room and the deadline for joining has not passed.

TSA is an organization for students who have a strong interest in technology. This organization is involved in many team building exercises as well as challenging competitions, leadership, community service opportunities, STEM, and much more. There are activities for a wide variety of interests for any student to participate in, and Vanyo encourages students to join. She says, “I’m brand new, I’ve never done TSA”, but she’s excited to see where the program leads.

Vanyo estimates that she will have 30 to 60 students involved in TSA this year, but all are welcome and she’s hopeful that the number of participants will exceed her expectations. Vanyo also says that the program plans to fundraise and raise money so any TSA student can go to state competitions instead of just a select few.

Vanyo wishes to keep the program going because she thinks it’s a good way for students to show their talents in an alternative way. Her favorite part of the program is that there is such a variety of activities for anyone who wants to participate.

For more information on what the Technology Student Association is all about and possible events that are offered, visit www.iowatsa.org.

Uses of Converge

11/23/2015

By: Madison Neely @madineely99

On a daily basis, most Boone High students incorporate Converge into their academic routine. Whether it’s looking up page numbers from last night’s homework or opening links for today’s homework, Converge is a universal tool that holds all your material in one place. However, there is one certain question floating around the school hallways: is Converge really beneficial?

The answer is: yes, for the most part. Converge is the place to go when you forget the page numbers to that book assignment you need to read for class, or when you forget your worksheet at school, or just forgot what your assignment was all together. The only downside of this set up is you can check the website for information, unless your teachers have updated their class pages , you won’t find anything of use. Beyond that, Converge helps students to be regulated with their studies and to stay on top of all their assignments. There are also announcements that can be sent through Converge, keeping the students involved in activities up to date.

Along with the announcement tool, students also have access to a calendar, a course list, a to-do list, a message inbox, a recent activities list, and more. Again, all these tools are used to keep the students up to date on all their assignments and activities, as well as cementing a pathway for students and teachers to communicate. When asked his opinion on Converge, Junior Lantz Reed said, “I like it because that’s where all the assignments get posted so you know what you’re doing.” However, for every good side, there’s a downside.

When asked if he thinks Converge is beneficial, Senior Harrison Smith said, “No, because it weakens the student-teacher relationship.” This statement goes hand-in-hand with another statement from Reed, saying, “I think Converge is somewhat beneficial, because all the assignments are in one place and you can see them at home, but it weakens the student-teacher relationship.” Students here at Boone High generally think that Converge is beneficial, but only if it is used right. For instance, teachers must update on a set basis in order for students to keep on track, otherwise converge is made useless. However, when Mrs. Grotzke was asked if she felt that Converge was beneficial, she said, “Yes, but it would be more beneficial if the students took more advantage of it.” In order for Converge to be helpful, both teachers and students have to see eye-to-eye on how to use the source.

Converge soulfully exists on helping to advance students and keeping them on track during the school year. However, students and teachers both have to agree on how to use Converge in order for the source to be successful. This is the first year that Boone High is using Converge, and hopefully we’ll find a happy medium. Maybe sometime, later in the future, Boone High will find a way to make Converge as successful as we want it to be.

Pros and Cons of Toreador Time

11/23/2015

By Emma Toms @tomse98

The amount of time that we have spent in Toreador Time has decreased since I have been a student at Boone High. When I was a freshman, we had Toreador Time every single Wednesday. Now, we have it the second and fourth Wednesday of every month. Toreador Time used to be a time for fun and getting a break in your regular schedule, and now it is a time to provide information and updates on school activities and events. There are a lot of different pros and cons to Toreador Time.
Mr. Wells, an english teacher here at Boone High, sees the benefit in having Toreador Time. ¨I really enjoy Toreador Time. My advisees are juniors, so we have been together for three years.¨ One big pro of Toreador Time is that students get to interact with other kids who they may not have classes with. Mrs. Grotzke, also an english teacher at Boone High, commented on this pro. ¨I think it’s great that students have time together with other students who they may not hang out with as much, and as a teacher, I like being able to get to know a group of students pretty well.¨ Another pro would be the lessons that Toreador Time is teaching us as students. Emily Headley, a junior, gave a student point of view by saying, ¨I really enjoy the break it gives during the school day. It lets me get my mind off of school for awhile.¨
However, putting the pros aside, a lot of students think Toreador Time is pointless. Kylie Behm, also a junior, comments, ¨Being stuck in the same homeroom where the kids don't get along is really boring.¨I believe one of the main issues with Toreador Time is the student's attitude towards it. Mrs. Grotzke has a way to fix Toreador Time so the students will actually enjoy it. She believes that if the students are the ones who come up with ideas for what they should do/learn in Toreador Time, it would be way more fun and interactive Another con is the fact that we have it at most twice a month, and sometimes, not even that. Mr. Wells also commented about it being a good thing, ¨… if it is worthwhile, than we need to be meeting regularly.¨
Toreador Time is a beneficial part of our schedule, for it gives us plenty of opportunities. When you are a junior or senior, they are giving you college information in Toreador Time. If you are a freshmen or sophomore, they help you figure out what you want to do when you grow up. It is also a great time to hand out forms that need to be handed out to everyone in the school, for example, picture forms, test results, and more. Even though it has some issues that can be fixed, a lot of them are just little problems.

Orchestra’s Annual Fall Concert

11/18/2015

By: Jason Mui @JasonMui17

On Thursday November 5th, Boone High School hosted its annual orchestra fall concert in the schools own auditorium. The concert began at 7:30 with the senior and junior group playing three arrangements: “Prelude and Courante”, “The Young Prince and Princess” , and the “Three Bagatelles”.

After the senior and junior group finished playing their three arrangements, orchestra director David Swenson introduced the evening's special performance. Boone High senior Troy Downey was introduced onto the stage to perform a song he wrote personally on the guitar. Downey has been taking Swenson’s advanced musical theory class and with the help of Swenson, Downey was able to take the opportunity to write and perform his own song in front of a viewing audience. Downey’s original song earned him a huge applause from both the audience and orchestra as he exited the stage.

Shortly after Downey’s performance the freshman and sophomore class joined the rest of the orchestra to proceed on with the second half of the concert.

Once all the strings joined the stage the orchestra began to play their first song “Concerto in D Minor” followed by the “Zelda Suite”. The “Zelda Suite” consisted of five songs from the Zelda Ocarina of Time soundtrack that the orchestra played uninterrupted by the audience. The five songs in order were: “Zelda Main Theme”, “Lost Woods”, “Kakariko Village”, “Hyrule Castle Courtyard”, and the “Zelda Finale”. Finally, the orchestra ended with its final song “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns and Roses.

The next concert that the orchestra will be apart of will be on December 20th when the orchestra, band, and choir all perform to create Boone High School’s annual winter concert.

Boone High Speech Team

11/12/2015

By: Mitchell Moore @MitchMooreFOE

Winter season is right around the corner and many new sports start soon, but Boone High School looks to have another successful year in speech team. With great numbers and coaches Leisha Anderson, Jeff Wells, and Jill Thieben, speech team has been very successful in the past years.

Basketball, wrestling, and swimming are many events students are involved in during the winter season, speech team is a underlooked extra curricular event. After record numbers last year speech team is rising in popularity.

With over 100 speech team participants in the previous season, this years team has the bar set high in expectations. Wells says, “I’m excited for this year’s team and very excited to see what this year has to bring to the table!”

Anderson also said she’s putting a new twist on the category readers theater. Instead of doing a scene from a play, this time it is more like a choral reading. Along with a successful choral reading, last year Boone’s improv team went to the competition and had a great showing, scoring a one; the highest score you can get in such category.

Freshman are looking for good numbers as well. Wells is in charge of the freshman choral reading and is expecting many to come out and at least try it out. Speech team organizational meeting is on Monday, November 16th at 3:30pm in the auditorium.

Does Drama Always Remain At School?

11/11/2015

By: Seth Thomas @sethapthomas

On November 13 and 14, over hundreds of high school Thespians bring their passion for acting to state Thesfest, known as the Thespian Festival. This is organized by the International Thespian Society, making a weekend long involvement in experiencing dancing, singing, designing, acting, directing, writing, creating, and making memories of a lifetime.

Festival features include workshops presented by the theater's most experienced people. This gives an opportunity for individual and group performances, as well as programs for technical theatre students to audition for college admissions and scholarships. So whether it be a freshman in high school just starting out or a senior with an impressive talent, everyone can participate. With over 100 workshops, opportunities and adventures await at State Thesfest.

Performing at State Thesfest, Boone High School will be putting on their latest play The Hobbit, exhibiting excerpts from both Act One and Act Two. BHS’s director, Mary Neumayer stated, ”Even though we all have some things to work on, including scene changes, I still believe that this performance can still be as good as it was on opening night. I’m very impressed with all my actors. They’re all very talented, and with that they brought an amazing crowd. I’m nervous, I’ll admit that. But we’re a theater family, and that is the reason I love doing what I do.”

State Thesfest isn’t just an experience for students, but for teachers as well. In order to attend one must be in the company of either a teacher or adult. All chaperones must register for the whole weekend, and it’s recommended that a chaperone has no more than ten kids in a group. Female students must be chaperoned be a female, and the males must be chaperoned by a male.

Hopefully, they break their legs.

Boone High Blood Drive

11/9/2015

By: Mitchell Moore @MitchMooreFOE

Donating one pint of blood can save the lives of three people. This coming week Boone High is hosting a blood drive for students and staff. Last year’s blood drive had a great turnout and is expected to rise this year even more.

Donations are very vital and useful as every two seconds somebody in the United States needs blood. Therefore, Student Council members are recruiting students to donate and give their time to help others. The goal is 51 donations. Sophomore Dresden Wilson is donating blood for the first time and says, “ I’m a little nervous because it’s my first time, but it’s for a good cause so that eases me down.”

This year’s blood drive will be held in the chorus room, student council members will be volunteering their time to help set up the drive. National Honor Society members will also be helping with everything throughout the day, Life Blood Center is the company that is holding this event.

The blood drive is a big event at Boone High School, Megan Mcintyre, the staff advisor of Student Council, says, “Student Council feels that blood donation is extremely important, as one in seven people entering a hospital need blood and one pint of whole blood-the most common form of donation-can save up to three lives. Student Council also feels it is important to provide students with a convenient opportunity to donate”

This event is very beneficial and helps save lives for those in need, the blood drive will start at 8:00 am and go on to 2:00 pm in the chorus room on Tuesday, November 10th.