Scholar Bowl Begins

By Alex Harvey

11/19/2010

Ready yourselves people! Scholar bowl season is here again for the 2010/2011 school year at Neoga Jr/Sr High School. This year’s JV participants are Joseph Goldstein, Ryan Evans, Jacob Alumbaum, Ethan Lawrence, Megan Schabbing, Megan Moran, Kaleb Henderson, Devin Olmstead, and Paige Osbourne. Representing the varsity team are Becca Warfel, Kyle Ludwig, Daniel Brown, Caleb Long, Candice Auxier, and Stella Modereau.

The first matches kicked off on October 25, with Neoga v. Stew Stras and Beecher City. Neoga experienced both victory and defeat, with our teams winning both Stew-Stras meets, with scores of 143-57 and 64-48, and both teams losing Beecher City tournaments. The current records are 5-1 for JV, and 4-2 for Varsity. However, we’ve still got plenty of matches to come! The next matches coming up are November 15^th and 18^th. If you’re a Scholar Bowl player, remember practices are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays after school, held by Mrs. Ludwig, the coach, in the Library.

Thanksgiving Food Drive

by Kendra Schooley
11/19/2010

Once again the Student Council Thanksgiving Food Drive is underway. The food collected will go to help over fifty local families this year. The specific items needed to make this event a success are: canned corn, boxed potatoes, canned green beans, mixed fruit, and boxed stuffing. Student Council sponsor Kay Endsley notes, “I’m hopeful that we collect enough food to feed all the families.” Neoga Sophomore Andrea Fritcher emphasized the importance of this charitable event: “It’s definitely a worthwhile cause.” The NHS Student Council thanks you for helping local families, so that they too can enjoy a nice meal this Thanksgiving.

NHS Purse Party

By Alex Harvey
11/19/2010


Where were you after school on this past Friday? If you weren’t at the National Honor Society’s Purse Party, you missed out! The Purse Party ran from 4-6 PM after school on November 12th, 2010 in Mrs. Sally Cohorst’s room. The NHS provided refreshments and snacks for all attendees, and of course, displayed purses which could be purchased. Among the selection were purses and billfolds to buy for bargain prices. They ranged from about $10-50 each, and if you didn’t attend, you missed your chance for a great deal on these affordable purses! The club also had door prizes for attendees in which everyone had a chance to win! The prizes were won by Kristen Deters, Brenda Hynes, and Allison Mueller.

The Purse Party was a fundraiser toward the Neoga Community service projects and the NHS end of the year annual banquet. Altogether, the National Honor Society raised $145 for the club. The officers hosting the party were President Tyler Pikowski, Vice President/Student Council Representative Lauren Schumacher, and Secretary Kristie Kastl. If you missed the Purse Party this time, or have any other questions about future NHS events, contact Mrs. Cohorst, the club’s faculty advisor, in room 17.

Booktalk Luncheon

by Becca Warfel
11/19/10

Junior High students at Neoga High School got a chance to earn some extra credit points and enjoy reading at the same time. Twice a quarter, the school’s librarian, Mrs. Ludwig, and the junior high reading teacher, Mrs. Wright host booktalk luncheons covering popular books in young adult literature. The books come from the Rebecca Caudill Award lists, and are books eligible for the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award. 4th through 8th graders in Illinois read the books and then vote on the one they want to win the award. Booktalk luncheons discuss the books and why the students like or dislike them.

The October 28th discussion focused on a book called Schooled by Gordon Korman. The book depicts the tale of a boy named Capricorn who grew up on a commune that had gradually reduced to his grandmother and himself. When his grandmother, Rain, injures herself and is sent to a nursing home, Capricorn must attend school for the first time. Later, as a joke, Cap is named class president and is told that it’s his duty to memorize every student’s name. To go along with this, students and teachers at the luncheon got “Hippie” names and had to try to memorize everyone’s new name. They also ate their lunch and discussed the book and problems faced by Cap in his new school. Because they participated in the luncheon, students not only had a good time, but also earned extra credit points in reading.