VOLUME 22 n ISSUE 4 n JANUARY 2016Harvard Public School www.harvard.esu9.org

Harvard was named champion of the District C2-2 One-Act competition Dec. 2 at Harvard. The group performed for State at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk on Dec. 10 and placed 5th.

One-Act Wins Again

By Josiah Hiatt“Harvard had an outstanding per-

formance at the TVC competition, taking first place,” Mrs. Deb Polacek said, “even though a fog machine set off the fire alarms during the production. The actors know that if something unexpected happens they should continue as if nothing hap-pened or pretend it’s a part of the show to have a strong performance.”

Harvard became TVC champs and also won districts for the second time in a row, making them eligible for state. The outstanding perform-ers recognized by the three district judges were Morgan Weston, Mad-elyn Anderson, Cory Marshall, Han-nah Fields, Katelynn Piper, Levi Ben-nett, Breonna Julich, Kylie Doupnik,

and Brizeth Medina.State competition was held on

Dec. 10 at the Johnny Carson The-ater in Norfolk. Harvard’s One-Act got 5th place in Class C2-2 division, and the three outstanding perform-ers recognized were Morgan Weston, Cory Marshall, and Katelynn Piper.

One-Act has had a total of five performances this year and the larg-est audience they’ve had to perform for was during their community performance, which was held in early November.

“Our disadvantage in being able to compete is that our stage is small, but our advantage is on our home turf plus the better facilities and LED lights,” Polacek said.

Those involved see the advantag-

es of this extra-curriculum activity.Breonna Julich said, “One-Act

helps and benefits students in their speech skills.”

Morgan Weston said, “One-Act lets students get involved in some-thing if they aren’t into any sports or even music. You’ll also grow into a family with others.”

Polacek said, “One-Act allows the students to learn some non-ver-bal communication.”

“Right before I get on stage I do get nervous, but when I start acting I just forget about it,” Weston said. “What motivates me to act would be the fun I have with the other actors and how we become like a family.”

Polacek also said, “Harvard’s One-Act helps create school spirit along with school pride for the students.”

News ....................................... p. 1-4Features .................................. p. 5-8Sports ...................................... p. 9-11

Inside:

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The cast finishes the One-Act season with a final pose on the Johnny Carson stage.

Pg. 2 The Chirp January 2016

Vicky Segura adds more detail to her choice project, a watercoloring of a dragon. This is Segura’s fourth year in art class.

News

Schwenk: ‘Time to Be Put Out to Pasture’By Maggie Rieckman

December 15, 2015, was the end of an era at Harvard Public School. Judy Schwenk, the bookkeeper/district treasur-er, has decided to retire after 25 ½ years of working here.

Some of the many responsibilities Schwenk had were paying bills, reconcil-ing bank statements, end of the month reports, payroll, going to board meetings and taking minutes.

Schwenk was the secretary from 1990-2001 and the bookkeeper from 2001-2015.

Stephanie Williamson will be taking over for Schwenk; Williamson was trained by Schwenk this semester.

“I can’t imagine coming to school on Dec. 16 and not seeing her,” said secretary Lisa Wilford.

Mr. Neil Riley, high school math teacher, said, “Having Judy in the office makes my life easier.”

“I don’t want to talk about it; I’ll start crying,” said Principal Brent Williamson. “When you go to work with someone for 23 years, they become like family. Judy made me feel better by telling me I can al-ways send her a text,” said Williamson.

“Judy is one of the first people I met coming here 16 years ago. She has been a mentor to me,” said Wilford.

Schwenk said, “The students are my grandchildren. In fact one of them is my grandchild.”

“Judy is an asset to the building, the

Judy Schwenk receives flowers on behalf of the faculty and staff at the high school Christmas concert Dec. 14. After over 25 years, Schwenk retired Dec. 15 from her position as bookkeeper. Schwenk was a familiar face in the school office for students, staff, parents, and visitors.

By Maggie RieckmanVictoria Segura, a senior, was

awarded $100 as a reward for a piece of art she created in art class last year. Mrs. Shari Miller, the Harvard art teacher, encouraged her to enter her work in the 2015 Nebraska’s Best: High School Artists from Southeast Nebraska Art contest.

Miller could only nominate one student to enter their art in the con-test and art show. Segura entered the piece on Oct. 6 this year.

According to Miller, the exhibition consisted of a great selection of art-work and the quality was very high.

“Art gives me the opportunity to be creative and express myself,” Segura said.

Segura has taken art all four years of her high school career. She was not interested in art until 9th grade when she decided to take the class.

Miller said, “She is a very talented artist who strives to do her best on every assignment.”

Segura plans to pursue art as a career.“I plan to go to college, study

animation and attend workshops,” said Segura.

Segura’s art was on display at the Eisentrager-Howard Gallery at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was shown in Richards Hall from Nov. 6 to Nov. 24.

Segura Selected for Art Award

town, and the community,” said Wil-ford. “She is from Harvard, and she knows everything about Harvard. She is a great resource.”

Mr. Williamson said, “She’s very or-ganized, always on time, very seldom makes a mistake (if ever), and she’s here everyday. She missed a day a few years ago after slipping on ice and breaking a wrist. She wanted to come to work, but the doctor said no.”

“One of my favorite memories of Judy is when the office space was remodeled. She used to be in a separate room in the corner. We were excited to see each other; that is when we started to chit chat, sing, and laugh together,” said Wilford.

Schwenk said, “I’ve seen a lot of changes in the last 25 years in education, students, and parenting. I’ve considered the kids over the years to be my grandkids and I want to wish them well to make good choices.”

“I hope Judy enjoys her retirement and I’m sure we’ll see her supporting Harvard. I appreciate all the support she has given to Harvard,” said Riley.

“When I am asked what I’ll do when I retire, I always say, ‘I don’t know, I’ve never been retired before,’” said Schwenk.

Who knows how many lunch num-bers Judy has memorized, kids she saw graduate, and board meetings she’s been to. Good luck to Judy as she starts a new chapter in her life; may she enjoy her retire-ment and take on something new.

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First Grade Visits Aurora’s Edgerton Explorit Center

By Brizeth MedinaThe first grade class took a trip to

the Edgerton Center in Aurora, where they participated in activities that in-volved science.

Mrs. Whitney Kobza and her first graders visited the Explorit Center on Tuesday, Nov. 24.

“We took the trip because we are so focused on reading, writing, and math; it’s hard to squeeze in science,” said Kobza.

“This is our second year taking the trip. There are different types of activ-ities the students can take part in but I chose the same ones from last year.

One called Arctic Blast involved liq-uid nitrogen and dry ice and another one had to do with bubbles. They connected three straws together and asked the kids what shape the bubble would come out. In addition they would make a bigger bubble and kids would get the chance to be in it,” said Kobza.

“My favorite part about the trip was when we played with the bubbles and I learned new things about science,” said first grader Keeh Guinyard.

“It was my second time going and my favorite part was the bubbles,” said MayLeea Boyd.

Tabitha Forney stands inside a giant bubble at the Edgerton Center. The first grade took a field trip there in November to learn more about science.

Conway’s Class Constructs New Shed

By Frederik ValbjørnRight now five students are

working every day last period to make Harvard Public School’s new equipment shed.

“We are building a 14x12 garage with a single door and overhead door to store more equipment for the school,” said Mr. Chuck Conway.

It was an idea from the admin-istration who thought the school needed more room for storage.

Students in Conway’s 8th period class include Jarrett Lewellyn, Jer-ry Reazola, Jose Juan de Dios, Zach Gentes, and Tyler Kennedy. They are all new to construction.

“Sometimes I have to slow down the pace of our work because they are all new, but with that said, they are all doing a very good job,” said Conway, who has been a construc-tion teacher for 24 years.

Gentes said, “It’s a lot of fun. I learn a lot of new stuff and I will encourage those who want to learn more about construction to join.”

Gentes has taken wood shop and automobile classes. He is very ex-cited for the outcome of the shed.

“The biggest challenge is defi-nitely the weather. Sometimes it’s nice out and we can build, but then a snowstorm can give us challenges like having to scoop snow out and I don’t like that,” said Gentes.

The new equipment shed is going to store some of the football equip-ment. It will be completed around spring. It sounds like a long time but Conway said, “It’s a very long process with a lot of faces. There are a lot of things to do.”

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

REMEMBER:Classes resume Tuesday,

January 5th, 2016

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Hansen Visits D.C.

to Learn More About

the United StatesBy Elijah Sadd

Foreign exchange students are here on a rare opportunity, learn-ing abroad to further their educa-tion. Foreign exchange student Mai Hansen recently was able to take this experience even further, jour-neying with eleven other exchange students, all the way to our nation’s capital, Washington D.C.

The company that brought her here, Student American Internation-al, offers to take their foreign ex-change students to various places, such as Las Vegas, Chicago, Myrtle Beach, and even a cruise through the Caribbean.

“I wanted to experience the his-tory and politics of America, and Washington was the best place to do that,” Mai said, reflecting on the trip she took merely two weeks ago.

“Washington was great to see. I always wanted to see D.C.” She viewed key memorials such as the Vietnam Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. The students also at-tended many museums, gathering a great understanding of American culture and history.

Additionally, on Veterans Day, the students went to Arlington. Here they had the privilege of lis-tening to Barack Obama give a speech. Clearly, being a foreign ex-change student holds many oppor-tunities for students from all walks of life.

Seniors Attend County Government Day

Harvard seniors as well as other area upperclassman hear details about land ownership and 4H in a room in the basement of the courthouse. Clay County Government was held Nov. 16.

By Kassia WellsIn small towns like Harvard, Sutton,

and Sandy Creek juniors and seniors have one particular field trip for learn-ing more about government. Judge Mi-chael Burns of Clay County Court said, “The Ladies Auxiliary and Julie Bergen help organize this day.”

“This is one day of the year for three schools to come in to learn about county government and the different branches of the courthouse,” said by Bergen, the clerk magistrate at the Clay County Courthouse.

“As they get older they’re going to need these services, so the purpose is to educate young people about county government day,” said Bergen.

At County Government Day stu-dents are split into groups and mixed with students from the other schools. Usually there are about 8 to 10 students in a group. A mentor takes a group around and students see all the differ-ent rooms and levels of the courthouse, learn about what takes place in each area, and find out who works in each role.

Students learn, just like in any part of court or government environment, people are chosen and elected for the

jobs they have.One new event on that day for stu-

dents is Jeopardy. Questions reflect in-formation shared that day, and all stu-dents participate in the game to show what they learned.

“I learned what every office does,” Mikaela Bushnell, a senior, said. “We now know where to go in for things in the courthouse.”

Whether it’s owning land, buying property, paying a fine, applying for a license, or attending court, County Government Day is there for young adults to see everything that happens at the courthouse to help Clay County keep going.

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CLEF CLUB

ANNUAL Soup SupperFriday, January 9, 2015

from 5:30-8:00 p.m.During the harvard vs

Red Cloud Basketball Games

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TeamMates of the MonthMentor Cindy Becker opens a gift given to her by her TeamMate Elizabeth Rascon. Becker’s gift was simply a thank you for the time she spends with Rascon.

By Allie PortenierMany students assume that all

teachers do is grade papers and make lesson plans. But, not all teachers are that boring. There is one who spends her summers traveling around the Midwest. Ms. Brooke Steinhauer, the second grade teacher, barrel races.

Steinhauer said, ”Not many people around school know that I rodeo. Peo-ple that I’m close to do and my students know that I do.”

Steinhauer has been teaching at HPS for four years and has rodeoed all of her life. Steinhauer said, “ My parents would put me on a horse when I was little just to get me to take a nap. I wouldn’t fall asleep in my bed, but put me on a horse, and I was out like a light.”

Steinhauer travels all across the mid-west taking her horses to futurity barrel races. Steinhauer travels to Oklahoma, South Dakota, and has been to Canada. A futurity barrel race is just for five year old horses that have had their sires se-lected for the race.

“My dad got me into rodeo when I was really young. My dad rodeos and my brothers did in high school,” Steinhauer said.

Steinhauer has won many barrel races. “Some rodeos give monetary awards. Others give belt buckles and tack. I won a belt buckle at one event that was customized and really expen-sive,” said Steinhauer.

Steinhauer grew up in Sutton. “I went to Sutton High School, and then I went to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln for college,” said Steinhauer.

“Ever since I was little I knew I want-ed to work with people. I just didn’t know if I wanted to work with older or younger people. When I saw the job at Harvard, I was excited because it was close to home,” said Steinhauer.

Both Lillian Smith and Lane Shore like having Steinhauer as a teacher.

Shore said,” I love Fun Fridays; she lets us just play games and have fun. She picks out good games for us to play.”

Smith said, “My favorite thing is she lets us watch movies.”

Teacher Feature: Meet Ms. Rodeo

Features

By Andres ComesañaThe featured teammates this month

are Cindy Becker and seventh grader Elizabeth Rascon.

The two first began working to-gether after Christmas of last year, but they met earlier because Becker worked in the school for 34 years as a paraeducator.

What do these two do? They speak. They cook. They paint. They

play some table games. They make crafts. They help each other, and they have fun.

This is the second match for both Becker and Rascon. Becker’s first mentor moved to Hastings and Rascon’s first mentor’s job kept him from continuing.

Rascon said, “I like to work with Mrs. Becker because I can have some-one to talk to.”

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Maizie Boyd and MayLeea Boyd sit in the “Best Seat of the House” at the home game against Ax-tell Dec. 12. TeamMates is holding a raffle for home games this season. For a dollar, participants can put their name in for a chance to win this reserved seating at the next home game. Jeanie Pelotte was the first winner but allowed these two students to enjoy her prize instead.

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Student Clubs Impact Community

Freshmen Allie Portenier and Caleb Gaughen oversee the Student Council’s “Cans for Candy Cane’s” project before school. Any cans or money donations the council collected the first two weeks of Dec. were given to the People’s Project. Those who donated also received a candy cane.

By Cassie RobertsIn our school we have three unique

student clubs. These clubs help our community in many different ways with activities like Trick or Treating for Cans and Feeding the Farmers to Cans for Candy Canes.

FBLA, officially known as Future Business Leaders of America, is led by se-nior President McKenna Schuck. Schuck organizes many activities for FBLA.

“We organize Feed the Farmers, Trick or Treat for Cans, and the Kolor for Kids 5K Run/Mile Run for the com-munity,” said Schuck.

FBLA helps out our local People’s Project with the Feed the Farmers and Trick or Treat for Cans.

“We don’t only help the People’s Project, we help the community as a whole by raising money and getting cans for the food pantry,” said Schuck.

Events that the FBLA has been or-ganizing are a Candy Cane Hunt for elementary students, Popcorn Sales Fundraiser from Dec. 3 to Dec. 10, and FBLA Week activities.

Commonly known as StuCo, Stu-dent Council, is another student club in the works in Harvard’s community. Student Council is led by senior Presi-dent Katelynn Piper.

“We always try to participate in

community service,” said Piper. Student Council helps with Har-

vard’s People Project by collecting cans from the can drive and a new fundraiser Cans for Candy Canes. Cans for Candy Canes is a new fun-draiser that students can exchange four cans or a dollar for a candy cane, which students can keep or give to to another student.

“Some upcoming fundraisers we have planned are the 3 point shot during bas-ketball, Blanket Toss, Penny Wars, and our Project Unify with Maggie Fields and Randy Chrisman,” said Piper.

FDL, Future Diverse Leaders, a stu-dent club led by senior President Jeni-fer Rodriguez is another one of Har-vard’s many student activities.

“We organize projects that help us get involved, show leadership, and promote diversity,” said Rodriguez.

FDL took community action in events with the local Community Club, also provided face painting and games at Trunk-or-Treat. In past years, one may have seen them downtown at the Christ-mas Lighting providing games for kids.

Upcoming FDL activities are a fi-nal fiesta for Judy Schwenk and at-tending more conferences along with more fundraising!

FBLA, Student Council, and FDL are

Students React to Recent News

By Mai HansenHave you ever watched the news

and wondered about tragic events tak-ing place around the world? Things such as the rise of ISIS, the terrorist at-tacks in London and Paris, and the var-ious shootings in the US. All of these things are frightening, but often times they don’t directly affect us.

But what if a tragedy hit Harvard? Do news stories influence our behavior and lifestyle?

Elijah Sadd, a senior at Harvard, said, “A story that has caught my at-tention is the recent developments of ISIS. Even though I am just a student in a small town in Nebraska, stories like this matter to me because of people be-ing in danger.”

“Yes, I think it’s important, but it’s also important to receive the full story. I think often people listen to stories they want to hear and not to the sto-ries that they should hear or that are not biased,” Sadd said.

Madelyn Anderson, a junior, said “I am concerned with ISIS and the possibilities of terrorist attacks in America and wonder how prepared we are for such attacks. The attacks on Paris sadden me, making me won-der more about my safety. These news stories affect Harvard, because it keep the citizens more informed and aware.”

The school nurse, Linda Hansen, said, “The shootings in California are sad and so are the numbers of shoot-ings in America compared to other countries. Innocent lives are lost.”

“Events like shootings tend to put people on edge, often avoiding large groups for their safety. It’s important to stay updated and understand what is go-ing on around the world,” said Hansen.

Clearly, the events that go on around the world affect even a small town like Harvard.

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unique student clubs led by seniors with ambition to lead others and make a differ-ence. These clubs are very involved with not only Harvard’s school but communi-ty as well. These student clubs are trying to make a difference a little bit at a time!

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A Night of Christmas

Kindergarten through fifth grade students sing their opening number together for their concert titled “The Littlest Christmas Tree,” which was the first of a series of three concerts Dec. 14.

Dear Cardinal Whisperer,

I try to do a new year’s resolution every January and I can’t seem to do anything but fail. One year I tried to not have any choco-late for a whole year, but Valentine’s Day came around and I cracked like an egg.

Another year, I wanted to give up Netf-lix, but then the new season of Once Upon a Time was put on the app. My goals keep tumbling each and every year and I want to have a feeling of accomplishment on Dec. 31 of 2016. Help me come up with a decent idea that can lead to success.

-Chocolate Eating Loser

The Cardinal Whisperer

P.S. If you are reading this and need advice pronto, send a letter to the Chirp (drop it off at the office) and your entry could be in the next edition!

Dear Chocolate Eating Loser,

I feel your pain. Everyone strug-gles with keeping a resolution from January to December.

The root of the problem starts at the idea. Everyone who attempts to carry out a year long resolution picks the typical goals that tend to fail. I want to give you advice to try a new, creative, and interesting goal.

It could be as easy as keeping a calendar to try and stay organized all year long. Or maybe you want to spread your wings and try some-thing new; high school is the time to narrow down your interests by ob-taining unique experiences.

Another idea may be to banish your self doubt and be more con-fident. Your new year’s resolution could be something very simple and more fun such as fixing your posture, learning to do something with your non-dominant hand, and opening more doors for people.

Whatever you choose, remember to enjoy yourself and don’t be moti-vated based on guilt or fear.

-The Cardinal Whisperer

Daniel Carpenter, Phoenix Sadd, Ellie Fields, and Morgan Juranek present one of the family scenes that were woven into the middle school concert titled “The Christmas Shoes.”

Morgan Weston and Ray Nierman dance together during the high school’s concert “The True Meaning of Christmas.” Both high school show choirs, Cardinal and Black and Class Act, per-formed three songs together Dec. 14.

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The Chirp Wants to KnowBy Frederik Valbjørn

If you could have coffee with one celebrity, who would it be?

“Martina McBride because she is my favorite music singer”

“Jim Carrey because he is hilarious”

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By Madelyn AndersonWith a New Year, come new goals,

new routines, and fresh starts. There’s no better time for a teacher to change things up in their classroom. With students in their “end of the semester slump,” it’s up to teachers to keep the rest of the year running smoothly.

“I would like to try some new ways of instruction, where the student takes more ownership of his or her learning,” said science teacher Mrs. Jodi Bahr.

“My goal is to provide students with opportunities to explore more how each individual learns best,” said Bahr.

“I would like to use our classroom vocabulary sheets more so we can start writing more and also converse more in Spanish,” said Spanish teacher Mrs. Rochelle Rodriquez.

“As a senior, I’ve noticed through-out the years that some teachers like to change up their classroom expecta-tions after Christmas break. I feel like that keeps our focus high,” said senior Morgan Weston.

“It is always fun when our teach-ers have new ideas of material that we can do after Christmas,” said junior Amanda Godding.

Many teachers are busy scavenging to prepare for the new semester, while students are also hoping to end the year strong.

New Class Ideas for the New Year

Lisa Wilford, Blake Thompson, Brandon Baxter, and Neil Riley perform a series of Christmas carols downtown for Harvard’s Festival of Lights Dec. 5. Food, games, and Santa were other high-lights of the night. Main Street’s Christmas lights were turned on for the first time this season.

Calm Night for Festival of Lights

Zitlaly Morales smashes into the piñata provided by the Future Diversity Leaders club at the downtown festival. Elementary and middle school students lined up for their turn with the bat.

Pg. 9The Chirp January 2016

The Chirp Wants to KnowBy By Frederik Valbjørn

“Kevin Hart because he is so funny”

“Adele because she is an amazing singer”

“Michael Jordan because he is so cool”

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Cardinal Whisperer Sports

By Delani HultThe Harvard boys basketball team

won their first game of the season against Dorchester Dec. 15 with a score of 44-42.

Their season started off playing Gilt-

Celebrating a First WinSophomore Jayden Callahan boxes out a Heartland player. Callahan averages 10 points per game.

ner on Thursday, Dec. 3. The Cards trailed Giltner with a final score of 53-44.

The game against Franklin on Dec. 4 was a close one but ended with a loss, 47-39.

Coach Jermaine Guinyard said, “The promise I can make for the community

is that the players will work seriously hard and the community will be very proud of what they put onto the court.”

Guinyard’s philosophy is a player has to be willing to workout, be in shape, compete, and make sacrifices for the team.

“I take inspiration from my father, wife and children. I also love to com-pete in sports,” said Guinyard.

Freshman Brock Sutton says he is very excited to compete. Sutton is also looking forward to playing on varsity and getting the very first win.

“I have a passion for basketball, and my friends told me I should play,” said Sutton.

“Defense is my favorite part of the game,” said junior Andrew Kalvelage.

Kalvelage has drawn inspiration from watching the Boston Celtics.

“My favorite part about the basket-ball season is that I get to be with the team,” Kalvelage said.

“Teaching the kids the fundamen-tals of the game and making an impact on the team is what I look forward to this season,” said volunteer assistant coach Jose Gabriel. “One person that stands out to me is Tristan Kalvoda since he knows and loves the game.”

Even though the team has a record of 1-4 so far this season, the coaches and players are excited to play ball and set new records.

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Nine girls make up this year’s high school basketball team. They include Giselle Marquez, Jayleesa Wilkerson, Adi Ramirez, McKenna Schuck, Mai Hansen, Kelsey Griess, Cassie Roberts, Breonna Julich, and Brizeth Medina.

“We are all like a family rather than just players on a basketball team. We don’t get down on each other but rather boost one another’s spirits. With a small group there are no separate groups who fight against each other; we each have differ-ent opinions as players but as a team we are never against each other.”

Medina said, “We are like a family because there are less people to con-nect with. It will be fun to play because we all get along so well.”

Marquez said, “ I like it because I get the chance to play. If we had a lot of girls, I would not be able to play as much as I do now.”

Senior Kelsey Griess and sophomore Brizeth Medina chase down a Heartland player with the ball. The Lady Cards are 2-3 this season and earned their first loss against Heartland Dec. 8.

Zimmerman said, “ Depth is a con-cern. It would be nice to have a few more girls, but at the end of the day we have to work with what we have. Ev-eryone has to be ready.”

Medina said, “I think it will be dif-ficult because a lot of us are not experi-enced but we will have a lot of support because people know our team is small and they want to encourage us.”

Although a small team can be a dis-advantage, it also can have benefits.

“I enjoy it because I get to be with the older girls and they teach us how to play without worrying about teach-ing so many of us,” Wilkerson said.

By Casey SaddThe Lady Cardinals basketball team

this year is quite smaller than usual. It consists of only nine girls, which in-cludes three seniors, one junior, two sophomores, three freshmen.

Though small, they began their season with two wins against Giltner and Franklin.

Head Coach Jaren Zimmerman said, “My goal for the team is to play com-petitively at the high level we want to play every game. If we play at a com-petitive level we put ourselves in a po-sition where every game is winnable. Defense is everything for us. We try to come out with our fourth quarter de-fense rather than our first quarter de-fense. Defensive pressure helps set the tone for us to get playing at a high level on both ends.”

Sophomore Brizeth Medina said, “This year will be difficult because we have to have five on the court and two players are seniors, so they won’t play JV. Because of this we might not have a JV team, so most girls will play varsity.”

Freshman Jaylessa Wilkerson said, “If we are to get tired or in foul trou-ble, we don’t have the numbers to fix our mistakes.”

Freshman Giselle Marquez said, “We have to work a lot harder to get to where we want to be.”

Small Team Seeks to Prove ‘Harvard is For Real’

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Junior Kale Fishler wrestles an opponent from Sutton. Fishler finished 2nd in his 120-pound weight class at the Harvard Invite Dec. 5. He has also gone on to earn 2nd place at both the Osceola and Cambridge meets and finished in 1st place at Doniphan/Trumbull.

Seven Wrestlers Hit the Mat this SeasonBy Casey Sadd

Wrestling season is here. The Har-vard Cardinal wrestlers consist of 7 boys. The wrestling team has a meet every Saturday. The wrestlers will have 13 meets if all goes well including districts and state.

The Harvard Cardinal wrestlers hosted the Harvard tournament. As-sistant Coach Cliff Gallant said, “ Kale was the best performer at the tourna-ment. Everyone on the team got a win except one kid, so as a team we are feel-ing victorious.”

The wrestling team has many goals for this season. Gallant said, “We ultimately want to help the kids improve from start to finish, and we want to take the kids to state. The wrestlers’ goals are to ultimately to make it to state.”

Freshman wrestler Caleb Gaughen said, “My goal is to make it to state as a freshman, which would be amazing. It is hard being a freshman wrestler because you are less experienced and new to high school wrestling, but you still need to push and work hard.”

Coach Gallant has been coaching

wrestling for 35 years. Gallant said, “No matter how long you teach some-thing you are going to learn something every year.”

Senior Devin Spike said, “My goal as a wrestler is to make it to state, and to try to maintain my 170 weight class because I am usually over the set limit. This year I am watching coach and the other players a lot more because it is my last shot to make it to state.”

The wrestlers are working hard to reach their high goals and expectations. The team practices for 10 hours every week and has practices over breaks.

Spike said, “During practice I think this is my last shot so I pay closer attention to little and large de-tails. Being in a higher weight class you are faced with mainly just other seniors and juniors, so I really have to step up my game. I also feel like a role model having to watch my every move for the new freshmen wrestlers, and teach them the ropes of high school wrestling.”

Gaughen said, “Being a wrestler helps in other sports too because you become more flexible and stay more fit

in general, but you get bruised.”Gallant said, “I absolutely enjoy

teaching high schoolers more than any other level, because I have taught all levels.”

Spike said, “Honestly I think con-ditioning has helped us the most. It might not be enjoyable but it keeps you fit and constantly improving all your physical and mental abilities.”

Gaughen said, “I work 100 per-cent and give all my effort to reach my goal of going to state as a fresh-man. Practice has helped me learn new moves, improve old skills and hone my abilities and endurance. Practice gives me experience in meets and prepares me for them. When I am in a meet I get a mind-set of ‘I have to win this match.’ I feel I have to win more matches to be seen as a good wrestler and be skilled enough to make it to state.”

Spike said, “Being a wrestler is like being a part of a family. You can be yourself in the matches in the sense that if you mess up it affects you but the other wrestlers still support and help you correct the mistake.”

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Pg. 12 The Chirp January 2016

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