Volume 20, Issue 2

Comet Courier

December 2016

Tis the Season! It is hard to believe, but the holidays are upon us once again and I would like to wish all of you a very happy holiday season. Remember all of the great times you have had with family and friends, and make sure you create as many new memories as possible. It is at times like this that we especially need to slow down and enjoy all of the good in our busy lives, and learn to live each day to the fullest. I would like to thank all of our staff for the many wonderful things that you provide to our students and our district. It is not always easy, but you go above and beyond on a daily basis to create a safe and successful learning environment, and we are fortunate to have such dedicated and caring individuals throughout our building. You are appreciated more than you know!

school. Another thank you to all of the coaches, organizations, and workers who make all of these events a success! Also, I’d like to remind you that our doors are always open here at CHS. Our hallways and weight room are great resources for exercising during these cold months, so please contact Cindy Ritter or myself if you would like to use our wonderful facilities. Wishing you all a very happy, healthy holiday season~safe travels to all! --Chad Infield Dean of Students/Activities Director

This is a busy time of year for all of our sports teams, so please make some time to support our student athletes. Anyone who has performed for people, whether it’s a sporting event, musical, concert, etc., knows that it’s a lot more engaging and fun to participate in front of a large crowd. Let’s do our part as a community, and create a positive environment to show these young men and women that we’re proud of the time and effort that they commit to our

From the Office of our Superintendent: Welcome to the beginning of winter and as we head towards the end of the first semester, winter brings cold weather and snow, and also indoor sports, music concerts, and speech (forensics). One of our strengths as a small school is the many activities each student can participate in. In larger schools, a student usually specializes in one or two areas whereas our students can be an athlete, and also participate in organizations like F.F.A., the fall musical, or other fine arts. That is what makes a well-rounded education for each individual student.

providing the needed curriculum/content for student success. This is a team effort and the sum of all parts will produce the desired goal. We are a great school and do great things, but we need to be sure that hard work and best efforts are daily practices in all classes. The year is going quickly. Even if the weather is cold and cloudy, the future can be clear and sunny for our district by the choices and actions we take individually and as a school. Enjoy the changing of the seasons, the upcoming holidays, and all of the great things happening here in Cassville! Go Comets!

The focus this year has been and will be to achieve better state testing results for all students in Cassville. Our staff and students continue to work hard and are showing good strides in some early testing results and academic competitions. The key will be to keep personal goals the focus each day and in every class for students. Students need to take ownership in their learning just as much as our staff focuses on Comet Courier 1

--Mr. John Luster Superintendent/Principal

High School News

Chemistry The chemistry students have been working hard so far. They have learned all about how the periodic table was developed, including how and why the elements are arranged the way they are. Students have learned how to represent the electrons using orbital diagrams, complete electron configurations, and noble gas configurations. Next, they will learn how the valence electrons can be used to show how elements combine to form compounds. Ms. Mason said she is so proud of all of them for working so hard and helping each other. Food Science The Food Science students are teaming up with Ms. Aves’ Animal Science students to learn about the meats humans eat, from Farm to Table. Students have already learned about meat yields, why some cuts are more expensive than others, and how the USDA regulates the meat industry. Ms. Mason received a grant from the Wisconsin Beef Council, so the class will be able to purchase and compare a variety of beef cuts once the unit is over. 8th Grade Science The eighth graders will finish their chemistry unit before Christmas. They have also learned about the periodic table, valence electrons, and the formation of compounds. Students finished the unit by learning about organic compounds. They used gumdrops to represent carbon and hydrogen to create models of the hydrocarbons: methane, propane and ethane. Next, they analyzed food packages by looking at the nutrition labels, decoding ingredients, and looking for sugars, proteins, lipids, and other carbohydrates. Students used the website choosemyplate.gov to determine their individual nutritional needs. 7th & 8th Grade Math The seventh and eighth grade math students are learning to solve equations in a variety of forms. Fractions and word problems are still a bit intimidating, but we are working on that. Both classes are supplementing their lessons with Khan Academy, which provides extra practice and video tutorials to help them master difficult concepts.

7th Grade Science This quarter the 7th graders started with a unit on genetics where they learned how traits are passed on. They are currently working on a unit where they look to understand changes in species over time. The students recently completed the adaptation lab to learn why beak size in finches determines what the bird will eat. Ask a 7th grader what they learned about sharp, narrow beaks versus strong, wide beaks in finches. 9th Grade Earth Science Have you noticed the moon is larger? To celebrate the three supermoons of October, November, and December, the 9th graders completed a unit on the moon. Students kept moon journals, learned about how the moon was formed, determined moon phases, and studied the moon landing. Ask a 9th grader about perigee syzygy!

Time Lapse Photography of the Super Moon by Skyler Bartels 10th Grade Biology Students in biology started the quarter learning about why a basic understanding of chemistry is important to biology. They are currently working on the basic function of organelles in cells which will lead to our greater understanding of organisms as a whole. Dissections are coming next semester! Ask a 10th grader why there are no large, unicellular organisms walking around. Environmental Science The Environmental Science students have spent the semester learning about land, water, and atmospheric issues in our environment. They are currently tying that all together by writing a research paper on how climate change is going to affect them in the future. They are looking at adaptation versus mitigation approaches for combating climate change. They will finish the semester by tackling alternative energy strategies. Anatomy & Physiology The anatomy students are currently studying the axial skeleton. Do you know how many bones are in the skull? There are 8 cranial and 14 facial. Add that to the 33 bones of the spinal column and you now have an idea of how many different names they have to learn. Next up is the rest of the skeleton for a total of 206 bones!

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Band The 5th Grade, Junior High, and High School bands have spent many hours, not only here at school, but also at home practicing their individual parts to better the band as a whole. After the holiday season is wrapped up, interested students in grades 6-12 will be preparing for the annual Solo & Ensemble Festival held this year in Potosi on Saturday, April 1st. The next upcoming concert held here in Cassville will be our Pops Concert on Monday, March 6th at 7 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. A big thank you to all for your continued support of the arts in our schools and communities! K-12th Grade Physical Education Mr. Reising’s 5th-12th grade Physical Education classes have had a student teacher, Ms. Runde, since the beginning of the year. The students have participated in many units such as volleyball, eclipse ball, disc golf, soccer, football, speedball, and hockey. The students will be starting a basketball unit in which they will participate in 3 on 3 competitions. The last unit with Ms. Runde will be team handball during the first week of January. 9th Grade Health The 9th grade Health students have completed their CPR and AED training. Their certification will be valid for two years. While groups of students were getting certified by Mr. Reising, the other students were with Ms. Runde in the IMC learning about hygiene, wellness, physical activity, nutrition, and stress. The students in the IMC created small posters to illustrate what they learned about hygiene and a hygiene related condition. Their work can be seen on the bulletin board in the health room. Currently, the students are researching a chosen topic in order to create a presentation to share that topic’s information with the rest of the class. Personal Fitness The Personal Fitness classes work hard in class in order to enhance their athletic performance. The 9th hour class has been recorded while demonstrating how to perform the main lifts and auxiliary lifts to put on a powerpoint. This powerpoint will be used to educate upcoming students on what lifts to perform within the class and how to perform the lifts safely and properly.

Musical - The Little Mermaid After two months of hard work, on November 4th, 5th, and 6th the Cassville Music Department performed The Little Mermaid in the High School gym. The director of the musical Mr. McNett said “This year’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid was a resounding success for the Cassville Music Department in many different ways. Not only did it feature one of the largest casts in recent memory, but it featured students from grade levels 3-12, as well as including students from St. Charles Catholic School. Additionally, the musical proved to be one of the most well-attended and profitable productions of the past several years--shattering the records set by last year’s production of “The Addams Family.” The Cassville Music Department could not be prouder of the hard work and dedication that went into this year’s production, and we look forward to continuing this legacy of commitment to the arts in the years to come.” Thanks to Mr. McNett, Mr. Gile and the musical cast and crew for the time and effort dedicated to the musical. You did an awesome job! Also Thanks to Ms. Mai & the Spanish Club for the delicious Soup Supper served before the first show.

Middle School Honors Band “This year’s Middle School Honors Band Festival took place on November 1st in Shullsburg. Students from Cassville, Highland, Potosi, River Ridge, Shullsburg, Wauzeka-Steuben, Belmont, and Benton were all in attendance. Those from Cassville included: AJ Butler, Samantha Bartels, Laura Walker, Jade McDonald, Kyle Klein, and Levi Hampton. The students left early in the morning and practiced all day under the direction of world-renowned composer, Michael Sweeney. They were able to showcase their talents at their 7 p.m. concert that night for all of the parents to enjoy. The students did a great job and are already looking forward to next year!” - - Mr. Gile

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Business Club News

On Wednesday, November 9, 2016, eight business students as well as Mrs. Oswald & Mr. Beer attended the Junior Achievement Titan Competition at NICC in Peosta, Iowa. The students made up two 4-person teams for a "virtual" company online and made critical decisions about the business in order to make a profit in a very competitive industry. The teams went through approximately 15 quarters with the business determining price of the product, how much to produce, how much to spend on marketing, whether to expand or not, and how much to spend on research and development. Mr. Beer agreed to mentor the two teams two weeks prior to this competition and was the only one that could have contact with the students during the competitive event.

The winning logo team and their gift cards!

Within the main competition, there was also a logo contest in which one of the Cassville Comet teams won! Students were provided pizza for lunch at the competition.

Students who attended JA Titan Competition: Front Skyler Bartels, Christal Bean, Kierstin Adams, Kennedy McMillan, Mentor Mr. Beer. Back - Melody Hampton, Amber Iffert, MacKenzie Reints, Dalton Pojar.

The winning logo!

A quick selfie outside NICC.

Amber working hard on her team’s logo.

Desktop Publishing Positions Yearbook Editor Christal Bean

Comet Courier Editor Kennedy McMillan

Assistant Yearbook Editor Amber Iffert

Student of the Month Coordinators Christal Bean & Lorenzo Lontani

Business Manager Paige Johll Comet Courier 4

Students of the Month November

December

English A.J. Butler

Good Citizen Ty Bausch

Social Studies Aaron Roe & Jordan Dressler

7th Grade Science Kyle Klein

Fine Arts Kyran Brinkman

Earth Science Skyler Bartels

Science Skylar Otte & Rick Lenz

Ag/FFA Wade Okey & A.J. Butler

Grant County Herald Independent Teen of the Week Kyran Brinkman

Social Studies Melody Hampton

2017 Yearbook Theme has been chosen!

Band Ashley Williams

Math Ezra Okey

l l a sm

TOWN... big DREAMS

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Desktop Publishing Lorenzo Lontani Keyboarding Alex Reynolds & Cody Klein Senior Communications Whitney Churchill Grant County Herald Independent Teen of the Week Whitney Churchill

Fall Spor ts Wrap Up Volleyball

Mahcoy Mumm - Captain & All Conf. Honorable Mention Maddie Nix - Captain, All Conf. 2nd Team & MVP Paige Johll - Captain

Trap Shooting Congratulations to the Fall Trap Shooting team on receiving 2nd place in Conference 3!

Top Males in Conference: 4th Jack Jensen - 21.4 avg., 6th Sam Ihm - 21 avg., 11th Levi Hampton - 20.6 avg., 14th Will Baliff - 19.9 avg., and Luke Baliff - 19.2 avg. Top Females in Conference: 2nd Whitney Churchill 17.7 avg. Top 100 Overall in State: 23rd Jack Jensen, 38th Sam Ihm, 48th Levi Hampton, 67th Will Baliff, and 82nd Luke Baliff. Captains: Luke & Will Baliff Little All-Stars This year’s A Team and B Team Junior High boys basketball teams are coached by both Isaac and Elijah Okey. The B Team consists of Kieran Bean, Noah Vaughn, Xander Hauk, Taylor Rouse, Braden Fishnick, Aiden Thoma, Erasmus Okey, Eli Adams, and Heath Rauch. The B Team has had a steady season so far with a record of 4-4. The A Team includes Robby Roe, Jonah Vogt, Noah Vaughn, Xander Hauk, Dylan Zuccara, Erasmus Okey, Cody Klein, Cameron Schmitz, and Austin Rauch. Unfortunately, the A Team boys are still searching for their first win of their season with a record of 0-7. Coach Elijah said, “Both teams are working hard in practice and are getting better every day.”

2016-2017 Boys Basketball The 2016-2017 JV boys team is coached by Travis Beer. The Comets consist of Seniors Manuel Opitz and Wyatt Ley; Juniors Wade Okey and Parker Johll; Sophomores Dalton Pojar, Colin Esser, and Brennan Mellem; and Freshmen Sam Ihm, Cater Matousek, Christian Fure, Ezra Okey, and Brandon Klein. The record so far for the boys this season is 1-8. The four straight losses were against Fennimore, Wauzeka-Stuben, Lancaster, and Southwestern. Their first win of the season was against Benton Friday, December 9th. Coach Beer is happy with the improvement from all the boys. This year’s Varsity boys are still searching for their first win, with an overall record of 0-7. The Comet’s played a non-conference game at home Monday, December 6th against Southwestern. This game has been the Comet’s best game of the season. With a score of 51-51 the Comet’s and Wildcats entered their first overtime. The Comets and Wildcats then entered a second overtime with a score of 59-59. Unfortunately, the Wildcats scored, winning with a buzzer beater. The final score was 64-62, leaving the Comets at a season overall record of 0-4. The Comets then played at Benton the following Friday. Unable to come out on top, their overall record became 0-5. This year is Coach Jacob Bernetzke’s third season with the Varsity boys. This year’s team includes Senior Wyatt Ley; Juniors Wade Okey, Matt Reynolds, Jack Jensen, Parker Johll, and Brandon Kinyon; and Sophomores Ty Bausch, Dalton Pojar, Mason Infield, Kaleb Hauk, and Colin Esser. Coach Bernetzke feels that there is a lot of talent on his team and he is happy with the improvement that all the guys are showing through the beginning of the season. Best of luck on the rest of the season!

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Page by: Christal Bean

Court is in Session The Lady Comets are being coached by fourth-year coach Martin Kirschbaum. He is helped by managers Christal Bean, Grace Vogt, and Skylar Otte. This team consists of Freshman Lydia Reynolds; Sophomore Kasha Vogt; Juniors Jordan Dressler, Madelyn Nix, and Paige Johll; and Seniors Kennedy McMillan and Amber Iffert. The Lady Comets current overall record is 5-5. They are looking to win their next game on Thursday, December 22 at home against Highland to put them over .500. The highlight of the season so far was when the Lady Comets played the Potosi Chieftans at home. The game stayed close up until the last few minutes in the second half where they pulled ahead with free throws. Senior Kennedy McMillan sealed the game finishing with an amazing 32 points and 18 rebounds. Keep up the good work ladies and good luck on the rest of the season!! Comets Still Looking for a Win The A team junior high girls basketball team is being coached by Tony Leibfried. This team consists of Seventh graders Jaiden Fure, Ally Ihm, Hailey Hines, Makenzie Wiest, and Skylar Otte; and Eighth graders Jade McDonald, Anna Kartman, Laura Walker, Sami Bartels, and Kaitlyn Vaughn. Despite having a record with one win and four loses, the season is still young and there is still time to keep working hard. The ladies started out the season with a win, but then picked up four consecutive losses. Tony Leibfried said, “It has been really nice to have ten girls out for basketball. Kaitlyn Vaughn is a newcomer and has really done well this season, learning the concepts about basketball. Laura, Jade, Sami, and Anna have been great leaders so far this season. Jaiden, Hailey, Skylar, Ally, and Makenzie all played last year and are continuing to improve learning a different offense and working really hard to play at a faster pace. The girls are fun to coach and hopefully they continue to work hard on their game to improve their overall skills.”

Own the Mat The Cassville boys combine with River Ridge to create the Cassville-River Ridge Wrestling Team. The main coaches for the team are Kyle and Rob Johnstone. The team consists of 14 members, two of them being from Cassville. These two members are Sophomore Colten Whipkey and Junior Benjamin Wheeler. Colten Whipkey is currently holding a record of zero wins and three loses. Benjamin Wheeler, a promising wrestler who made it to sectionals in the 2015-2016 season, has a record of nine wins and one loss. On December 22nd, the boys are at Boscobel wrestling at 8:00 p.m. Keep up the good work!

Band & Chorus Unite for Community Christmas Caroling on December 22nd

The B team junior high girls basketball team is being coached by Audrie Rundie. This team consists of Fifth graders Hannah Infield, Arianna Taylor, Irelyn Brinkman, and Kenzi Mergen; and Sixth graders Abby Tasker, Abby Douglas, and Mattie Meier. The ladies have a record of zero wins and four losses. Since they only have seven players, practicing against defense can be very difficult, they usually have the seventh and eigth graders play against them, which helps them become a great defensive team. They will keep improving on their offensive skills as the season goes on in order to score more points. Audrie Runde said, “The girls are great and have positive attitudes. They continue to improve from week to week.” Good luck on the rest of the season and keep working!! Comet Courier 7

Page by: Paige Johll

Rapping for 7th Grade Social Studies On December 7, students Melody Hampton and AJ Butler performed the Cabinet Battle #2 for the 7th Grade Social Studies class. It comes from the smash-hit Hamilton, a Broadway musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The performance was a debate between the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson, the first Secretary of State. The performance was enjoyed by everyone.

Penny Wars Throughout the week of November of 14-18th grades 7-12 competed against each other in “Penny Wars”. The goal was to gather as many pennies as possible for their class while AJ Butler kept the students motivated during this very competitive contest. The winners of the competition was the 8th Grade with an unusual positive score. The $525.02 that were raised will go to the Stappert family in order to support them. Thank you to everyone who participated! The Giving Tree Project Mrs. Bernhardt’s “Honor” multi-age group sponsored the Giving Tree project on Nov. 28-Dec. 2. Together, with her students, which included Skyla KemerlingHyer, Brooke Ploessl, Lydia Reynolds, Colin Johll, Lindsey Hudson, Cameron Schmitz, and Robby Roe, the group worked two concessions and sold ornaments to raise money for local families in need. The group would like to especially thank the Business Club, Cassville FFA, and Student Council for their significant donations towards exceeding last year’s goal of $400. This year the project raised more than $550. Thanks to all who supported this very worthy cause. We also want to recognize the Cassville Lioness Club for being our partners in the project. Between the two organizations, over $1350 was donated to local families to provide groceries in this upcoming holiday season.

3rd Hour World History - Remembering Pearl Harbor On the 75th anniversary of the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which took place on December 7th, 1941, the National WWII Museum and New Orleans PBS member station WYES hosted a student program. It focused on the events of that momentous day. Remember Pearl Harbor— How Students Like YOU Experienced the Day of Infamy gave students from all over the country the opportunity to watch two student reporters deliver live updates from Hawaii and New Orleans. The students in 3rd hour World History were able to view the segments of this program on Wednesday, December 7 in Ms. Paulson’s classroom. Spelling Bee The annual Junior High spelling Bee was held on Friday December 9th, in Mr. McNett’s room. First place went to the 8th grader Jade McDonald. She was followed by the 7th graders Robby Roe and Cody Klein who won 2nd and 3rd place. 6th grader Cody Klein and 8th grader Laura Walker are both alternates in this conTest. All the winners will move on to the next round in UW Platteville which takes place on January 19th. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all the students that participated!

Page by: Amber Iffert Comet Courier 8

Veterans Day On November 11th, at 10:30 a.m. in the elementary gym, the Cassville School District honored all veterans who served for our country. Principal/Superintendent John Luster gave the welcome followed by the Posting of Colors. The High School Choir performed the Star Spangled Banner and Pastor Jim McMahon gave the invocation. President of the National Honor society, Madelyn Nix, led the Pledge of Allegiance and Vietnam Veteran Scott Zenz gave a presentation on what it is really like to be in a war. After a Moment of Silence, Gun Salute, Benediction and the Retiring of Colors, the High School Band ended the program with a postlude. The gym was full of people who came to honor our veterans. Thank you, veterans, for serving our country and protecting our freedoms!

Winners of the Halloween Costume Contest Sponsored by Student Council

1st Place - Aaron Roe $15

2nd Place - Ashley Williams $10

Top Ten State Ranking for Cassville High School Students from Cassville High School ranked in the TOP TEN in the state of Wisconsin for both the month of October and November in the Vocabulary Bowl. Teachers assign the students lists to study. Students earn points for mastering words at the Vocabulary. com website. Cassville High School students placed 5th in October and November. Of the top five schools in the state, Cassville was definitely the smallest. (See breakdown below.) Congratulations, students, on working hard to improve your vocabulary. Ranking based on performance in the month of November: Cedar Grove - Belgium Schools (338 students) mastered 6,881 words, North Lake Elementary (392 students) mastered 3,427, Prairie River Middle School (552 students) mastered 3,002, Veritas High School in Milwaukee (246 students) mastered 2,100 words, and Cassville (105 students) mastered 1,734 words.

Note to Readers Starting this school year, the Comet Courier and Comet Tales are combining to be one publication, four times per school year. This is much more cost effective, better use of time, and avoids repetition. Articles are submitted by teachers regarding what is happening in their departments or grade levels. Mrs. Oswald’s Desktop Publishing students then write the sport articles or anything not covered by teachers. Kennedy McMillan is the Comet Courier Editor. The Desktop Publishing Class consists of students Christal Bean, Lorenzo Lontani, Ashley Miller, Manuel Opitz, Amber Iffert, Paige Johll, and Kennedy McMillan.

3rd Place - Felicia Hampton $5 Comet Courier 9

Page by: Lorenzo Lontani

S.T.A.R.S. On November 16th, 8:30 a.m - 3:00 p.m, Cassville High School students, Kyran Brinkman, Jordan Dressler, Felisa SchleicherHampton, Makayla Bennett Ashley Miller, Gavin Thoma, Ben Wheeler, Christal Bean, Melody Hampton, Jack Jensen, Ezra Okey, Lorenzo Lontani, and Dylan Duvall went with Mrs. Marty and Ms. Cheri Larson to The River Valley Community Church Fellowship Center. There they practiced skits for S.T.A.R.S. which is a drama troupe that makes use of three to ten minute vignettes that teach or promote thoughtful discussion regarding many topics relating to teens. S.T.A.R.S stands for Students Teaching About Real Situations. We look forward to future performances from this group!

Court Dedicated to Dennis Uppena During the Alumni Tournament over Thanksgiving Break, retired Cassville basketball coach Dennis Uppena was surrounded by friends, family, fans and former players, as the basketball court in our school was dedicated in his honor. Clint Nemitz and the approval of the Cassville School Board made this happen. The Dennis Uppena Court is officially dedicated in honor of the longtime basketball coach. Dennis Uppena has influenced this school greatly and proves to be a great role model, friend, and coach.

SWTC On November 4th, 9:00 a.m - 11:00a.m, Cassville High School students Ashley Miller, Felisa SchleicherHampton, Paige Johll, Abigal Borcherding, Brooke Ploessl, Christal Bean, Makayla Bennett, Jordan Dressler, Parker Johll, Jack Jensen, Amber Iffert, Skyla Hyer, and Lorenzo Lontani went to Southwest Wisconsin Technical College for a tour. This tour gave students a chance to meet with instructors and current students. They also got a chance to tour the campus. Ideas on financial aid, housing, and campus services were presented to the students. They were also able to get info on their interests in post-secondary schooling.

Mock Election On Tuesday, November 8th, Cassville High School held a mock election for the U.S. Presidency sponsored by Ms. Paulson’s Government class. The election was open to grades 7-12 as well as staff. Everyone who voted was to bring their photo ID and they voted during their lunch period. Trump won the mock election with 32 votes versus Clinton’s 28.

Page by: Ashley Miller Comet Courier 10

FFA Cassville FFA & Agriculture Education has had a very busy school year already! We started this year by attending the River Ridge Judging Contest, World Dairy Expo, and the Southwest Technical College Agriculture Day. Five students have since attended the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Throughout our journey, we made multiple stops at many educational tours. Those included FONA International-Geneva, Illinois, Chicago Board of Options Exchange, Cooks Bison Farm, Cornerstone Stock Farm, and toured historical Shipshewana, Indiana. At the convention, the students had the opportunity to engage in learning activities through the following: •The convention sessions were highlighted with keynote speakers, retiring addresses from National FFA officers, FFA degree ceremonies, member and chapter awards, and honors. •The expo at the National FFA Convention & Expo offered students more than 450 industry-leading exhibitors with career and educational opportunities. Cassville FFA also has completed our yearly FFA Fruit Sales selling over 450 boxes of fruit. Wade Okey was the highest seller selling over $1,000 and close behind him was AJ Butler with $960. Plants will be arriving into the greenhouse shortly. Please stay tuned for updates, and sale dates on the FFA Greenhouse and Plant Sale on Comet Nation.

The tower garden purchased by FFA up and running in Ms. Aves room.

The Agriculture Education and FFA Program received a FFA Week Living to Serve Grant. The goal of the FFA Week Living to Serve grant is to support FFA chapters across the country in hosting meaningful service projects that make a difference in their community. In addition, service projects are a great way to spread awareness of FFA within the school and community during the week. The FFA is planning a Cassville Agriculture Advocacy Event to be held during the week of Feb 18-15, 2016. Agriculture class received a new member to the family. The program received a Tower Garden Family. Tower Garden, a vertical, aeroponic growing system, allows you to grow up to 20 vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers in less than three square feet—indoors or out. The students are growing lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes. Our hope is to grow enough produce to be able to provide some fresh produce for the school cafeteria. The tower is pictured to the right. The FFA and Agriculture Education program would like to wish everyone a Happy Holidays and great 2017!! --Mrs. Aves

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Students preparing the tower garden. Page by: Manuel Opitz

Injection Lab The High School Agriculture Dairy Science & Vet Technology classes have been learning about injections, vaccinations, and antibiotics. On December 6th they were able to do an injection lab as part of the class. The students objective was: 1. Students will be able to describe the two main types of injections. 2. Students will know how to properly and safely treat an animal with Intramuscular and subcutaneous injections. 3. Students will describe the implications of unsafe injections on food safety.

Art Show at UW-P On December 7th, Art students Kennedy McMillan, Madison Kirschbaum, Brianna Ploessl, and Kierstin Adams traveled with Mr. Beer to look at art submitted by high school students in the surrounding area, including Kennedy McMillan, that was displayed at the Harry and Laura Nohr Gallery located at UWP. Afterwards, they were able to walk through the Art Building, look in on an art class, and talk with the professor.

Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day On December 7th, Ms. Mai’s United States History class (comprised of sophomores and foreign exchange students) had a unique and exciting opportunity to virtually take part in a town hall conversation with two World War II veterans from Wisconsin. Cassville, one of only four schools that participated, was able to ask a lot of questions of these two brave men. The man pictured above is Joe Demler, who was captured during the Battle of the Bulge and nearly starved to death in a POW camp. He became the subject of an iconic photograph and was known as the “Human Skeleton”. When he was liberated, he only weighed 70 pounds and he speculates that he was days away from death. Coincidentally, that day was Joe’s 91st birthday! Our other veteran is Julian Plaster, who served with the Navy in the Pacific. He had the gruesome task of burying bodies. In his later years he wrote a beautiful poem titled “The Old Man Remembers”. Julian gave the kids some excellent advice about staying positive and learning all that you can. Feel free to view the video on Comet Nation, which recorded our awesome experience! Thank you to all veterans for their service, everyday.

To the Cassville Community: Thank you so much for your overwhelming support for our Mexico-bound Spanish Club students. Due to your generosity and support for our program, we have exceeded all expectations for our fundraising. We thank you for helping us make this amazing opportunity more reachable for our students. Stay tuned for more opportunities closer to Spring! --Mrs. Mai & tudents Page by: Manuel Opitz Comet Courier 12

Portraits

Due: April 1, 2017 !!!

Requirements

Senior Photos Note: If we do not receive an acceptable Wallet Size photo by the due date, we will use a picture taken by Yearbook Staff.

Head & shoulders shot preferred Portrait orientation, not landscape 2x3 inches (wallet size) Must be a high resolution, 300 DPI digital Submitting your photo file • NO scanned or printed photos will be Option 1: accepted Email. Email a digital photo in JPEG format • Digital file should be named in this 300 dpi resolution to: format: [email protected] Last name First name.jpeg Please include the senior’s name with the Example: Smith Joe.jpeg words “senior photo” in the subject line. • • • •

Remember:

Option 2:

Digital CD. Digital pictures may also be delivered in JPEG format 300 dpi resolution on a CD. These will NOT be returned. Mrs. Oswald, Yearbook Advisor Cassville High School 715 E. Amelia Cassville, WI 53806

Baby Pictures Please also email a baby picture to use for the graduation ceremony slideshow by April 1, 2017 Email to: [email protected] Make sure you include your senior’s name in the email. (Tip: take a picture of the photo and send it as an email atttachment)

• Portraits are due by April 1st and must meet the above requirements • The yearbook is time sensitive, meaning we strongly suggest that you call for an appointment NOW to ensure that your portrait will be in the 2016 Comet Yearbook. • Also keep in mind that Grad Ads are available to publish in the back of the yearbook for $40. Use this space to tell your child how proud you are of their accomplishments, give words of wisdom for the future, and place a picture of your choice. These are due in April.

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Elementary News

5K students enjoy using their problem solving skills to play math games and do puzzles. Second Grade Prepares For The Holidays! The second graders have been very busy over the past few weeks! They are learning about winter holidays in other lands. These countries include Italy, Sweden, and Holland. They have made many different projects, read articles, and even baked some treats. The biggest project they have been working on is the play Santa’s Salty Soup. The students are very excited and have been putting in a lot of work!

Fourth Grade Fourth grade students have been busy with their Wisconsin animal research projects. They began by choosing an animal that lives or lived in Wisconsin. Then students worked with Mr. Leibfried in the library to find internet and book sources. After researching and taking notes, students again worked with Mr. Leibfried to create a slideshow using Google slides. Students have enjoyed putting all the information they gathered into slideshows and finding pictures to go with each slide. Students also enjoyed learning about all the features available in Google slides to personalize their slideshows. Students can’t wait to present their slideshows to other classes! The fourth graders have also worked hard on learning the writing process to complete personal narratives. Students began by brainstorming life events that could become their personal narrative stories. After narrowing the ideas to one event, students did a freewrite about all the details of the event they could remember. Next, students worked on putting the events into the correct time order on a time line. Then the actually drafting took place and was followed by content editing and proofreading. The final draft was typed with the help of Mrs. Kasten during keyboarding. Third Grade Third Grade is beginning to read some incredible stories. They are enjoying Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey. The students are in the process of typing a final copy of a trickster story. Moreover, the students are studying the early history of explorers and colonists who came to America. Also, they are enjoying measurements in math and discussing matter in science.

Second Graders make holiday treats.

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First and Second Graders Re-enact the First Thanksgiving First and second grade classrooms studied about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native Americans this quarter. They learned how the Pilgrims crossed an ocean looking for freedom. They studied the clothes they wore, the homes they built, and the difficulties they had in adjusting to this new land. They learned how the Wampanoag people helped them to survive in the new world. As a great finish to the unit, first and second graders shared a small Thanksgiving feast of muffins, popcorn, dried fruit, and pumpkin pie.

School will resume on Tuesday, January 3 rd. Enjoy your winter break!

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