You may have noticed that the school lunches are different this year, and it’s because the school switched over to wheat foods and whole grains.           

   This year our school switched over to wheat food because of the “Healthy Hunger Food Act” that Michelle Obama is pushing to encourage school to make students healthy.           

    “…We don’t always like the new changes, but we have to abide by them,” said Cheryl Wolk, Food Services Director. Mrs. Wolk said she didn’t like the changes because the school numbers have dropped dramatically.           

   On the flip side, the students had opinions about the changes as well. Senior Corey Bollinger said, “This school year’s lunch is not any better than previous years.” Most students don’t like the new changes in the school food because they aren’t a fan of wheat products.           

   Even if students don’t like the food, the school with continue to serve wheat products because that’s the new rule in Missouri. 

                This school year, you might have noticed certain teachers or administration taking away drinks not purchased at school. The staff is cracking down this year, because of certain actions that occurred last year.

                “Issues have arisen, that’s why we are enforcing the ‘No Open Container’ rule this year,” Mr. Hoehne said. This year many students are getting upset because of the enforcement of this rule.

                This ‘‘No Open Container” rule has been in the handbook for years, but it hasn’t been strongly enforced. Last year, students brought inappropriate drinks to school, which is why the staff is cracking down this year.

                When asked, “Why punish the entire school for a few kids’ actions?” Hoehne said, “It was more than a few students.”

                The students also had a voice that needed to be heard. Senior Teresa Pyles said, “This rule is very stupid, and the school is doing this because they want more money. This rule affected everyone, but certain people get away with it, and certain ones don’t; that’s just not fair.”

                “With the economy the way it is, why should students pay $1.25 for a bottle of water, when you could buy a bottle of water for $0.39 somewhere else?” said Teresa Pyles.

                This debate could go on and on, but ultimately the administration has the final say-so.

            There are only four seniors: Paige Johnson, Raven Abt, Britney Gotshall, and Jessica Schmidt on the team this year. Even though they will be leaving at the end of the season, Coach Kreitler thinks they will succeed greatly next year in their post-high school pursuits. Junior Erica Burney said, “I will miss the personality the seniors give to the team.”

            “[This is the] first time Ste. Gen softball has ever won a tourney. No big deal,” said senior Paige Johnson. She was implying that the tournament was a huge ordeal, and she’s wants the school to remember that long after she’s gone.

            When interviewed, Jessica Schmidt, Paige Johnson, and Erica Burney all mentioned the Potosi Tournament. They were all very proud of the effort and the dedication of the players.

            The players said the “Spirit Crowd” spiked their confidence and motivation this year. This really played an important role in the overall season. All the girls wish the best for next season as well.

            After the success of this year, one has to wonder what will happen with softball next year after losing the seniors. This year, the team was very successful – will it be that way next year? Stay tuned to find out!

“Teaching is not what I went to school for. This is all totally new to me,” said Mrs. Kingery when asked about the challenges of being a new teacher.

   She also said that she never realized how much extra work is put in to teaching. On average, she works eleven hours at school and two hours at home per day.

   Mrs. Kingery enjoys working with the students. She loves being able to share her passion for writing with them.

   SGHS, surprisingly, is much bigger than the high school she attended. Flora High School, in Flora, IL, only had about 450 students. At Flora, she said, there were not as many electives to choose from. SGHS offers more hands-on classes and has many more options.

   In early high school, Mrs. Kingery strived to be an aeronautical engineer. By the middle of high school, she toyed with the idea of becoming a lawyer. It was not until her senior year, when she finally had to pick a major for college, that she decided on journalism.

   Teaching a journalism class can be very difficult, but even more so if the class only has eight students. Mrs. Kingery has addressed this issue by letting her students know that they must work very hard to produce a good paper.

   Mrs. Kingery said that the supportive staff makes things easier on her, and that the spirit our school shows is awesome.

   Mrs. Kingery teaches a journalism class, publications class, English I, and a play production class.

   While in high school, she performed in musicals, giving her a leg-up in the drama curriculum that she teaches in play production. Also, she majored in journalism in college, giving her an advantage in the other classes that she teaches.

   Mrs. Kingery’s husband is also a teacher, as were both of his parents. Coming from a family of teachers, she has a great support system at home.

   Along with her great support system, Mrs. Kingery has her dog Rosie at home. While she doesn’t have any children, Rosie is like her baby.  

   “So far, I have loved my time here at SGHS,” said Mrs. Kingery.