Neoga School Spirit Award

By Alex Harvey

12/20/2011

It’s that time of year again! It’s time for the faculty to choose the winner of Neoga High School’s Spirit Award! However, not just anyone can win this award. To start, you must be a senior this year. Next, of course, is how you show your school spirit, and go beyond the “call of duty” in your life. You should be well rounded -- not just in academics -- but in sports programs and the community involvement, as well.

Furthermore, the winner should show kindness, unselfishness, and should illustrate a positive attitude. The winner should be involved in the community, and active in clubs. With all of these factors considered, our faculty members have chosen three seniors that they feel best fits this award, and would like to thank and congratulate the one that they feel stands out above the rest with his or her achievements.

The votes are in, and congratulations to Heather Baker and Mikaela Walk! For upcoming seniors, just remember, this is not an award based solely on a single achievement -- there are numerous factors involved. So, good luck to our upcoming seniors who will be eligible for this award during the spring semester.

Pic caption (L-R): Ben Johnson, Alan Baker, Linda Baker, Heather Baker, Mikaela Walk, Lori Walk, Phil Walk, Renee Roy-Duey

NHS “Kid Day”

by Jessie Taylor

December 15, 2011

On Thursday, December 1, 2011 Mrs. Sheri Shafer's child development class hosted "Kid Day." Mrs. Shafer and her class has hosted this event for thirteen years. The purpose of "Kid Day" is to encourage her students to take what they are taught, and use these lessons in real “hands-on” activities. "They see our theories in action." she said. "They also plan activities for the children." Kid Day went well, but it was more of a challenge having so many younger kids this year. Most of the children were twenty-four months and younger."They were a very active group of kids with a short attention span." The highlight of the event occurred when NHS Senior Nick Wernsing donned a Winnie the Pooh costume and conducted "Story Time." When all of the activities were finished, the guests were required to fill out a survey about their feelings on Kid Day. About 90% of the guests found it valuable and had the opportunity to experience the children’s interactions one-on-one with each other. A student expressed that “the kids were running around like hyenas!” "Kid Day" was a fun experience, but most students agreed on one thing- kids are a handful.

Book Club Students Present at Conference

by Becca Warfel

12/1/2011

The Hunger Games are coming! Are you ready? Students and teachers from Neoga High School brought the Hunger Games to the ISLMA conference in Springfield this year. The Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA) held their annual conference on October 27^th through the 29^th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The conference showcased exhibits from book vendors as well as many presentations from librarians and teachers. Neoga teachers Mrs. Ludwig and Mrs. Wright traveled with students Stella Moderau, Alex Harvey, and Becca Warfel to give a presentation on last year’s Hunger Games competitions with the junior high students. Together the group gave their talk on what was done at the event and how the other teachers and librarians could replicate it at their own schools. “I thought it went really well,” said Mrs. Ludwig about the presentation. “Our session was well attended and several people at the conference complimented us on having students at the presentation.”

In addition to attending the conference, the group also made a trip to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. There they viewed the Ghosts of the Library and Lincoln’s Eyes presentations as well as artifacts from Lincoln’s life and presidency.

American Education Week

by Kendra Schooley

11/22/2011

American Education Week was observed at Neoga High School during the third week of November. Throughout the week, inspirational quotes were announced in the morning, and various activities were held throughout the week to celebrate American Education Week. On Tuesday, teachers were encouraged to wear collegiate apparel, in order to stress the importance of attaining a higher education. Also, a red, white, and blue day was observed to stress the patriotic aspects of the school environment. This event was first observed in 1921, and was created in order to highlight the importance of public education in this country. Teachers, as well as students, are celebrated during this week as both are integral elements of any school. Although it is sometimes easy to take school for granted, this week reminds all Americans that education is the foundation of this nation.

Skype Speaker

by Paige Osborn

11-17-11

For the First time in Neoga Jr.-Sr. High School’s history, the high school media class had the fortune to observe an interview via Skype. Skype is an online website that enables users to communicate through voice and video on the computer, through the use of webcams and microphones. Scott Licina spoke to the Media class at Neoga High School from his home in Chicago, Illinois. Scott is the previous owner of Fangoria magazine and multiple comic book publishing companies. He has also recorded musical selections for movie soundtracks, including the 30^th anniversary edition of the horror classic, Night of the Living Dead. Overall, the reception from the Media class was very positive and they all seemed to thoroughly enjoy the whole experience. When asked how he felt about the process, Media teacher Mr. Gibson commented, “Technology allows professionals from all over the world to come into the classroom, and that is pretty cool.” It is a remarkable development that now at Neoga High School we can talk to people all over the world for the sake of enhancing education for the students.