1. food and drink
2. desserts and baking

IN THIS ISSUE:
Musical set for April
p. 8
Fifth Disease on the rise
p. 6
Seasons come to an end
p. 10
Storm Tracker
THE United High School Newspaper
Volume 11, Issue 6
STORM ALERTS
Calendar Notes
There will be no
school on Friday, March
20, as teachers will be
involved in a county-wide
institute.
Spring break is scheduled for Thursday, April
2, through Monday, April
6.
Scholarship
available
The Alfred L. Freeburg Scholarship Fund is
accepting applications for
the Fall 2015 school term.
Alfred L. Freeburg, a
former resident of Kirkwood, died October 2,
1981, leaving a substantial bequest to the United
Methodist Foundation
for the purpose of establishing the “Freeburg
Scholarship Fund.”
These scholarships are
to be awarded to high
school graduates who are
residents of the Village of
Kirkwood who are attending college.
Students who have
submitted applications in
prior years and students
who are applying for the
first time may contact the
United School District’s
Superintendent’s Office
to obtain an applications
which must be filled out
and returned by May 1.
All applicants must send
of bring updated first and
second semester transcripts from their high
school of college. First
preference will be given
to current high school
seniors
Teachers drilled on active shooters
By Jacob Dunn
Friday the 13th is
known for being a scary
day, which is exactly the
feeling given during a
police demonstration in
front of the district’s entire
faculty and staff.
“This procedure is to see
what could be done differently if an intruder came
into the school,” said principal Mrs. Amy Schmitz.
“We’re looking for the best
possible things to do without becoming victims.”
Schmitz, along with
teachers from every campus, were presented with
instructions on defending
against an intruder, courtesy of the Illinois State
Police.
The new procedure,
implemented throughout
several schools in the country, began about five years
One of the definitions in
Wesbster’s Dictionary for
the word cryptic is “having
or seeming to have a hidden or ambiguous meaning.”
For United sixth grader
Thomas Trout-Young, the
hidden meaning is a trip to
Peoria to compete in the
state spelling bee of March
20.
Trout-Young won the regional spelling bee, besting
other students from Henderson, Mercer and Warren
Counties, on February 10,
by correctly spelling cryptic to capture the regional
crown.
Only the winner of each
regional advances to the
state competition, while
the winner of state will go
on to compete in the prestigious Scripps-Howard
Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
ago and states that “if anyone can end the violence,
High school teacher Tony Kozelichki (right)
prepares to club State Trooper Neal Merry
with a “baseball bat” as part of the district’s
active shooter training on February 13.
do so.”
“I think most teachers are more receptive to
school shootings and have
become more concerned,”
driver’s education instructor Tim Engebretson said.
State Trooper Dan
Leezer (pictured left), who
has been in law enforcement for 25 years, has been
teaching this new method
to schools and businesses,
empowering teachers and
workers to take control of a
situation.
“I believe that the new
defense procedure is much
more effective than hiding
kids in a corner and becoming a target, and if it comes
down to it, will one day
make the difference in saving lives,” Leezer said.
Nothing cryptic about this
As a sixth grader, TroutYoung is expected to be
one of the younger competitors. Competition is
open to junior high students
throiugh the eighth grade.
The Scripps-Howard
National Spelling Bee is
the nation’s largest and
longest-running educational
promotion, administered
on a not-for-profit basis by
The E.W. Scripps Company
and local spelling bee spon-
sors in the United States,
American Samoa, Guam,
Puerto Rico, the U.S.
Virgin Islands, and Department of Defense Schools
in Europe, the Bahamas,
Canada, China, Ghana,
Jamaica, Japan and South
Korea.
The National Spelling
Bee will take place the
week of May 24–May 29.
The State of Illinois owes the United School District...
$201,241.10!
Source:
Illinois State Board of Education (02/27/2015)
STORM TRACKER
1905 100th Street
Monmouth, IL 61462
(309) 734-9411
The Storm Tracker is published
monthly, wth additional issues as warranted, by the journalism students of
United High School, and is distributed
online via the World Wide Web. The
material published does not necessarily
reflect the viewpoint of the administration
of United School District #304.
While every attempt is made to
determine the validity of advertising
contained herein, the advertising in the
Storm Tracker is not to be construed
as endorsement of a specific product or
service. The Storm Tracker assumes no
responsibility of liability resulting from
the content of paid advertisements.
The Storm Tracker does not knowingly accept advertsements that discriminate
on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion,
color, handicapped status, veteran or
sexual orientation, nor does it knowingly
print ads that violate any local, state, or
federal laws.
Parties interested in advertising in
the Storm Tracker should contact Mr.
Kozelichki at the address and/or phone
number listed above.
Letters to the editor must be mailed
to the address above and cannot be more
than 350 words. The author’s name and
phone number must be included for verification purposes. The Storm Tracker
only edits letters in cases of timeliness
and obscenity and does not guarantee
publication of all letters.
STORM TRACKER
Cass Singleton, Editor
Reporters:
Carena Choate, Taydem
Devlin, Jacob Dunn, Arleen
Michael, Bridgit Perkins,
Becca Rutledge,
Maggie Simkins,
Chelsea Stombaugh,
Antonyio Villarreal
“Some material courtesy
of American Society of
Newspaper Editors/MCT
Campus High School
Newspaper Service.”
WEBPAGE ADDRESS
www.united.k12.il.us
The webpage contains
links to each district building and office, as well as
access to the online grading
system and calendar.
UNITED CUSD #304
contact numbers
page 2
Board raises lunch, tech fees for ’15-16
By Chelsea Stombaugh
Education is a big
investment in the future of
our children, state and the
nation.
Vision 20/20 has the
responsibility as educators
to reflect upon education in
Illinois, to create an education system that will meet
the needs for all students
and to improve schools.
The Vision believes that
blaming teacher and education leaders is not a solution to the challenges that
education deals within our
state.
There are four areas
listed in the Vision 20/20
process:
1.) Highly Effective
Educators
Student learning can
have an impact when educators are attracted, developed and retained.
2.) 21st Century Learning
Students need to learn
more than reading and math
for success in life. Linking schools with more 21st
Century learning tools will
teach them more.
ity
3.) Shared Accountabil-
For a quality education
a creation of a shared accountability model, more
local district flexibility and
the expansion of educators
responsibilities in the legislative process is necessary.
4.) Equitable and Adequate Funding
Every student in Illinois
has the right to a quality
education. Students should
have access to all necessary
resources.
On February 12, the
Board of Education at United states that they support
the Vision 20/20 process.
“I am a supporter of
Vision 20/20. While every
part of the proposal may
not be perfect or get completed, it offers a direction
for education in our state
that we haven’t had in a
very long time,” superintendent Jeff Whitsitt said.
The Board came to
an agreement that school
lunches will be increased
by 10 cents making pre-K
through 5th grade $2.40
and 6th through 12th $2.65.
They also increased the
technology fee of $5.00 to
$25.00.
The Board gave Whitsitt
the permission to prepare
next year’s budget.
High school cheerleading coach Amanda Grace
and junior high football
and basketball coach Ryan
Westart are both resigning.
Westart cited as his reason for resigning his family’s growth and the need
to be able to attend family
functions.
With junior high football
discontinued, the Board
came to an agreement on a
baseball season to replace
football in the fall.
Games and most of the
practices will be held in
Alexis.
Uniforms will consist of
T-shirts due to cost considerations.
Superintendent’s Office
734-9413
FAX 734-0223
Follow the
Storm Tracker
on Facebook
United High School
734-9411
FAX 734-6090
Type Storm Tracker
in Search Box
United Junior High
734-8511
FAX 734-6094
United Elementary North
482-3332
FAX 482-3341
United Elementary West
734-8513
FAX 734-8515
Field equipment will
cost up to $1200.00 and the
umpires will cost $35-$40
per game.
The next meeting of the
Board of Education is set
for Thursday, March 12, at
the unit office at the high
school.
Typically, the March
board meeting is one of the
most important of the year
as expenditures of the next
fiscal year are considered,
staffing requirements for
the 2015-2016 school year
are set and this year the
board will have teacher
contract negotiations to
consider.
Those talks are set to begin March 20.
Three seats on the
United Board of Education
will be up for grabs in the
April election.
Returning to the ballot
will be incumbent president
Dana Poole along with
Matt Fredrickson.
Newcomers to the ballot
are Aaron Leary, Craig Allaman and Jared Kunkle.
Current board member
Lisa Gavin is not seeking
re-election.
The election will be held
Tuesday, April 14.
Board ballot set
Blessings fundraiser set
Rhinestone Junkie
Boutique is hosting a “Red
Carpet Affair” Fashion
show on Sunday, March
15, 2015.
It is an afternoon of
Women’s Health, Beauty
and Empowering Women!
There will be a champagne & hors d’ouevres
brunch and a guest appearance by Miss Illinois,
Marisa Bucheit.
The proceeds are being
donated to our Blessings
in a Backpack program
and Monmouth Roseville’s
Operation Backpack.
Tickets are $25 each and
are available by contacting
Kris Repp in the superintendant’s office by calling
734-9411..
March college visits
The following colleges will be making recruiting stops
at United High School:
March 5
U of I--Springfield
March 5
Eastern Illinois University
March 10 Capri College Of Cosmetology
March 24 Southeastern Community College
Students should see Mrs. Shaver if interested.
210 N. Main Monmouth
734-5100
page 3
Warren graduate back to promote first published novel
By Cass Singleton
Editor-in-Chief
On February 4 Warren High School graduate
Tonya Kuper came back
home to her roots to promote and discuss Anomaly,
her first novel, which was
released on November 4.
“This is home to me. I
have so many memories
here and coming from here
emphasizes that no matter
where you live or where
you get your start, you can
decide what you want to do
with your life and I want
people who are growing up
here to know that someone
grew up where I am and
they were able to achieve
their dreams, “ Kuper said.
Anomaly is the first book
released in the Schrodinger’s Consortium Trilogy.
The second book planned
to be out in October.
Anomaly is duel point
of view and follows Josie,
a physics genius who is
actually a part of a secret
race among humans who
can tell whether people are
good or evil, and Reid, her
dark, guarded and protective love interest.
“I recommend this book
to people because it is
funny and romantic. Teenagers can relate to what
is going on in their lives
now and adults can relate
to what they went through
when they were teens,”
Speech team concludes season at sectionals
By Maggie Simkins
No participant from the
United High School speech
team broke into the state
finals, but Alex Davis and
Bella Ewalt advanced to
sectional.
Davis finished sixth in
radio speaking, while the
top three advanced to state.
Ewalt did not break into
finals at sectional.
“I think this season went
fantastic. Last year I didn’t
expect to get to sectionals at all, none of us really
did. We weren’t shooting
that big, but this year was
different. This year we
got a taste for victory and
have finally realized that
we have a lot of potential,”
said Davi.
“The last meet was an
emotional time, it was
goodbyes for a long time to
a lot of good people. Looking at it all though, I’d say
it was a fantastic experience and a successful meet.
I should have gone to state,
but one judge just didn’t
like the way I did my radio
voice. All my other finalist
judges gave me rank ones.
He gave me a six.
“Bella and I did our best
at sectionals and the rest of
the team went above and
beyond the call of duty the
rest of the season. I can’t
wait to see how they do
next year,” he said.
“This has been the
most successful season
for speech in my coaching career. We have had
more people compete at an
extremely high level than
in year’s past. Cass Singleton and Kristin Ainsworth
advanced to sectionals in
Dramatic Duet Acting,
Bella Ewalt advanced to
sectionals for Poetry, and
Alex Davis advanced in
Impromptu and Radio,”
speech coach Madeline
Wood said.
Student teacher gains valuable experience
By Carena Choate
“Hello, my name is
Miss Kimmey. Yes, that is
my last name. I get that a
lot. A fun fact about me is I
love puzzles,” Mrs. Jennifer Stoneking’s student
teacher told the second
hour Algebra II class.
Majoring in math
education at Monmouth
College, Kimmey has
been student teaching for
Stoneking the last month
and a half.
“I think she is adjusting
well,” Stoneking said.
“When I graduate in
May, I will receive my
certification as a math
3317 Agency St
Burlington, IA
(319) 754-7975
teacher, as long as I pass
my last project” said Kimmey.
“I have to show I can
plan a lesson and show a
growth (in the students’
knowledge of the material). The pre-test you took
shows what everyone knew
before we started the chapter and then the chapter test
at the end will show how
much everyone learned”
Kimmey said.
ALEXIS
Public Library
102 N. Broadway
(309) 482-6109
M-W-Th-F
2:00-5:00 p.m.
Saturday
9:00 a.m.-Noon
(closed Tue & Sun)
Large Print Books, Interlibrary
Loan, Children’s Stories, Programs,
Copy Machine, Magazines,
Monmouth Review Atlas,
Computer Use
“I will also be recording the fourth hour algebra
class to show that I can
conduct a class.”
“I chose to use fourth
hour because that is
the period I first started
teaching,(by herself). All of
the names on the tests will
be whited out before they
go to my professor, so the
students will remain anonymous,” Kimmey. said.
sophomore Samantha Mason said.
The story is science
fiction and is based on
Quantum’s Theory of if you
place a cat in a box with
poison, you don’t know
whether it died until you
open the lid.
“I tried to put in just
enough science to where it
was halfway believable but
to where everyone could
understand it,” Kuper said.
After Kuper was done
discussing the novel, she
talked with students about
her writing process and
about how much determination is needed if they
want to become authors.
“I was just a stay-athome mom who read a lot
and decided I was bored so
I wanted to write a novel. I
didn’t even have an agent
and it wasn’t until Christmas of 2012 when I was offered representation. I had
to make lots of revisions
and people would say they
loved my voice but not the
premise. Then this project
came up and I had to spend
12 hours studying physics,”
Kuper said.
Kuper ended her visit by
telling the students about
the importance of education.
“As trivial as some of
your classes may seem
now you have to take it all
seriously. It is up to you to
make anything you want
happen,” Kuper said.
page 4
SCENES FROM THE SOUTH SIDE
Art Club brings some life and color to the hallways
By Bridget Perkins
This month the Art Club
and the art classes were
allowed to paint murals on
the walls in the sophomore
hallway.
“The purpose of the murals was to brighten up the
hallways and make the kids
who did it feel like they are
a part of the school,” art
teacher Hannah Baker said.
There were at least 40
students who worked on
the murals.
The subjects of the
murals were art, music,
homework/study, charac-
Art students work on the superheroes mural outside Mrs. Reed’s classroom.
United commemorates National FFA Week
By Bridget Perkins
For National FFA week,
the school participated by
having dress up days and
activities during activity
period.
This past Monday, the
dress up theme was cowboy
and the afternoon activity
was Kick ‘em Off the Cow.
On Tuesday, the dress up
theme was blue and gold or
chapter t-shirt, and the afternoon activity was a food
relay, On Wednesday, the
dress up theme was camouflage and the afternoon
activity was a farmer relay.
Thursday’s activities
were victims of the snow,
as school was cancelled due
to hazardous road conditions.
Activities earlier today
Friday the 27th, included
dressing up as a favorite
farm animal and the afternoon activity was the
famous Jello slide.
On the 19th, FFA officers competed in Parliamentary Procedure and
placed third in the competition.
If the officers would
have placed first or second,
they would have been able
to move further on in the
competition.
“Parli Pro was an amazing opportunity for me. It
taught me valuable speaking skills and how to think
on my feet. I’m glad I had
the chance to be on such a
competitive team. With this
year being our first year,
we did a great job and I’m
proud of our team,” senior
Kelsie Lucas said.
“I had a great time being on the Parli Pro team.
We advanced to districts
and were able to get third
place, 2.8 points away from
advancing to state. I’m very
happy with our achievement and success,” senior
Maddie Ballard said.
Will Kane, Grace Fredrickson and Jackson Lee show off their best camo outfits.
ter building and physical
education.
Summer Cole was the
only one who designed her
own mural.
Logan McCutcheon,
Collin Melton, Clay Burton, Tiffany Vancil, Elizabeth Pleshko and Alissa
Lee all worked on the
superheroes mural.
Richard Ferguson,
Storm Moede and Billy
Monroe worked on the
musical mural, which was a
painting of the rapper Riff
Raff.
Ady Martin, Kyle Dew
and Lauren Hippen painted
the optical illusion mural.
The art club also produced reproductions of
works by Keith Herring
and Grant Wood.
Xander Esp, Ellissa
Dunton, Mason Love and
Cassandra Clark painted
the Wood reproduction,
while Cylie Gordon, Kara
Haase, Arleen Michael and
Hayley Corbin painted the
Herring.
Job Runge, Adrian Gillette, Nathan Studer and
Joseph Hanley all worked
on the sports mural.
Kaitlyn Pleshko and Samantha Mason painted the
mural of the storm trooper.
“I like the murals because the walls don’t look
so plain anymore,” Lee
said.
The art club and the art
class hope to be able to
paint other hallways and
maybe the new gym in the
next couple of years.
PIERCE TRUCKING
FOR
ALL
YOUR
GRAIN
AND
ROCK
HAULING
NEEDS
WAYNE PIERCE
and
DENNIS HIGGINS
2076 U.S. Hwy 67
Monmouth, IL
Phone
309-734-2218
Cell
309-221-6171
page 5
CSC Presents THE COLLEGIATE CONNECTION
Stories, clues and hints to help you prepare for life after high school
Bishop advances to WYSE sectional
GALESBURG — Three
Galesburg High School students tied for the individual
championship and Monmouth-Roseville won its
fourth straight combineddivision title at the 34th
annual Worldwide Youth in
Science and Engineering
(WYSE) Academic Challenge regional competition
on February 12 at Carl
Sandburg College.
United senior Caitlen
Bishop placed third in the
biology competition to
qualify for the sectional
WYSE competition to be held March
16 at Knox College.
More than 175 students from
Abingdon-Avon, AlWood, BushnellPrairie City, East Moline United
Township, Galesburg, Farmington,
Knoxville, Monmouth-Roseville,
Rockridge, ROWVA, Sherrard, Spoon
River Valley and United high schools
were tested in biology, chemistry,
computer science, engineering graphics, English, mathematics and physics.
In the team standings, ROWVA
took first place in Division 300, while
Monmouth-Roseville was first in
Division 700 and won the overall title
among Division 300 and 700 teams
for the fourth straight year.
Abingdon-Avon, AlWood, Bushnell-Prairie City, ROWVA and Spoon
River Valley competed in Division
300. Farmington, Knoxville, Monmouth-Roseville, Rockridge, Sherrard and United competed in Division
700. Galesburg competed in Division
1,500, and United Township was in
the unlimited division.
The WYSE Academic Challenge
is offered by more than 50 community colleges and universities in
Illinois and Missouri. Material for the
multiple-choice tests is drawn from
senior high school and freshman level
college curricula.
CSC lands grant to provide study abroad opportunities
Brazil, Morocco and
Taiwan set as first
three grant funded
three-week trips
GALESBURG — Carl
Sandburg College, Parkland College and Joliet
Junior College recently
received a joint three-year
grant from the Department
of Education’s Title VI Undergraduate International
Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) Education
program.
Totaling $374,096, the
grant was one of 31 awarded to community colleges
and universities during the
2014-15 academic year.
The grant allows faculty to
participate in 10-day site
visits and students to participate in three-week study
abroad opportunities.
For 2015, the focus will
be on Portuguese, culminating with a trip to Brazil.
In 2016, two semesters of
Arabic will be offered in
advance of a trip to Morocco, and two semesters of
Chinese will be offered for
2017 in advance of a trip to
Taiwan.
As part of the grant,
participating faculty will
internationalize general
education courses including
international studies, biology, earth science, music,
history, political science,
criminal justice, computer
information systems and
computer information technology.
“Life in the 21st century
means adapting to the most
hyper-connected, interdependent world we’ve ever
seen,” U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan
said in a statement about
the grants.
“To help keep America
safe, partner effectively
with our allies and collaborate with other nations in
solving global challenges,
we need professionals with
solid cultural knowledge
and language skills that
cover all parts of the globe.
“These grants will enable more students and educators to gain global com-
petencies that equip them
with an understanding and
openness to cultures and
languages around the globe,
as well as the 21st century
skills needed to preserve a
rich, multicultural society
and thriving democracy
right here at home.”
For more information
about the grant, contact
Shanon Dickerson, foreign
language instructor and
co-director of the grant,
at 309-341-5307 or email
sdickerson@sandburg.edu.
WIU to cut 24 programs this fall
17 other programs
now under review
MACOMB, Ill. (AP) —
The provost at Western
Illinois University has
presented a plan that would
eliminate 24 university
programs and review 17
others.
The McDonough County Voice reports Provost
Ken Hawkinson said last
Friday that the belt-tightening is needed due to chal-
lenging financial times.
The announcement
comes just days after Governor Bruce Rauner’s call
for cutting the state’s high
education appropriation by
more than $387 billion this
coming fiscal year.
The proposed changes
would take effect in the
fall.
Approval from the WIU
Board of Trustees isn’t
required.
A review of WIU pro-
grams started in August.
Eight of the programs to be
eliminated have no students
currently enrolled.
The programs that will
be under review must have
a plan to increase enrollment. Other programs, like
journalism and broadcasting, will be merged.
Most of the programs
being eliminated are for
students seeking academic
minors, not majors.
CSC CALENDAR REMINDERS
Registration for summer classes is underway through May 17
Registration for fall 2015 classes begins April 6
Summer Tuition is due May 4
page 6
NORTH CAMPUS MENU
WEST CAMPUS MENU
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
2
Taco Stack
Lettuce/Tomato
Red Beans/Rice
Fruit Cocktail
3
French Toast
Sausage Link
Tator Triangle
Peach
4
BBQ Rib Sand.
French Fries
Cinnamon Apple
Cookie
5
Chicken Noodles
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
Tropical Fruit
6
Grilled Cheese
Baked Beans
Pear
Teddy Grahams
2
Corn Dog
French Fries
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Pears
3
Super Nachos
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Mexican Corn
Applesauce
4
Chicken Nuggets
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
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5
Turkey Sandwich
Fritos
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6
Quesadilla
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Donut/Sausage
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9
Chili
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Cheese Stick
Applesauce
10
Hot Dog
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Tator Triangle
Peach
11
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Spanish Rice
Fruit Cocktail
12
Hot Turkey Sand
French Fries
Mand. Oranges
Cookie
13
Fish Sandwich
Coleslaw
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Pumpkin Bar
9
Cereal Variety
10
Fajita
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Refried Beans
Mand. Oranges
11
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Grapes
12
Tenderloin
Fritos
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13
Pizza
Romaine Salad
Green Peppers
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Bagel & Cheese
Cereal/Toast
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French Toast
Biscuit & Gravy
PopTart/Bacon
Cereal Variety
16
Chicken Strips
AuGratin Potato
Strawberries
Poke Cake
17
Italian Chicken
Pasta Salad
Sliced Carrots
Pineapple
18
Sausage Pizza
Lettuce Salad
Peas
Tropical Fruit
19
Cheeseburger
Chips & Salsa
Corn
Pear
20
NO SCHOOL
Teachers’ Inst.
17
Crispito
Refried Beans
Strawberries
Pudding Cloud
18
Chicken Steak
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Biscuit
Mand. Oranges
19
Meatball Sub
Sun Chips
Green Beans
Grapes
20
NO SCHOOL
Teachers’ Inst.
Cinn. Biscuit
Cereal/Yogurt
Donut/Sausage
Cereal/Toast
Waffle/Pears
Storm Bread
Blueberry Muffin
23
Tomato Soup
Grilled Cheese
Veggies & Dip
Fruit Cocktail
24
BBQ Pork Sand.
Coleslaw
Sliced Carrots
Pear
25
Hot Dog
Tator Tots
Peach Crisp
Ice Cream
26
Chicken Fajita
Lettuce/Tomato
Beans & Rice
Applesauce
27
Shrimp Shapes
Mac & Cheese
Green Beans
Mand. Oranges
23
Hamburger
Fritos
Baked Beans
Pears
24
Taco in a Bag
Lettuce/Tomato
Steamed Carrots
Strawberries
25
Turkey
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Grapes
26
BBQ Rib Sand
AuGratin Potato
Corn
Banana
27
Grilled Chicken
Romaine Salad
Bosco Stick
Pineapple
Muffin/Yogurt
Cereal/PopTart
Long John/Bacon
Cereal/Muffin
Pancake/Sausage
Cereal Variety
Donut/Bacon
Cereal Bar
Break. Scramble
Cereal Variety
30
Chicken Nuggets
Baked Beans
Cherry Cake
Pears
31
Tenderloin
French Fries
Peach
Cookie
30
Hot Dog
French Fries
Peas
Fruit Cocktail
31
Taco
Lettuce/Tomato
Refried Beans
Orange
Donut/Bacon
Cereal/Toast
Cereal Variety
Cinnamon Roll
16
Cereal Variety
Health alert: A relatively unknown disease making its way throughout area
By Jenna Roberts
District #304 Nurse
This is the time of year
we are going to see more
cases of Fifth Disease so I
thought some information
would be beneficial.
Fifth Disease is a mild
illness caused by a Parvovirus B19. Some children
may have no symptoms,
while most have nasal
congestion and a low-grade
fever for a few days before
a rash appears.
Fifth Disease is most
contagious from the time
the nasal congestion and
fever appears but before the
rash develops.
The rash first appears
on the cheeks, looking
much as if the cheek were
“slapped.”
The rash
then
spreads to
the trunk
and limbs,
frequently
in a lacy
pattern.
The rash
can vary in
intensity
and come
and go for several weeks.
It is spread through
infected respiratory secretions by coughing or sneezing, and by hand-to-hand
contact.
Children with Fifth
Disease do not need to be
excluded from school once
the rash appears because
it is not contagious at that
Seven Hills Alpacas
point. Exclusion is necessary for fever 100 degrees
or higher as per student
handbook policy.
Treatment involves
relieving symptoms
such as fever, and itching.
There is
no vaccine
or medication that
can prevent
Parvovirus
B19. The
disease is
usually
mild and
will go
away on its
own. Children and adults who are
otherwise healthy usually
recover completely.
Once recovered from
the disease you develop
immunity that generally
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@UHSStormTracker
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734-1992
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protects from Parvovirus
B19 in the future. That is
why it is more common
in children because adults
have immunity already.
Prevention tips are the
same as with most viruses:
Hand washing, covering
coughs and sneezes, not
touching eyes/nose/mouth,
and staying home when
sick.
When you see those
little red cheeks coming
down the hall, don’t panic.
You and everyone else
has already been exposed
to it.
1134 N. Main Monmouth
734-6701
March High School Lunch Menu & District Calendar
page 7
2
Corn Dog
French Fries
Baby Carrots
Pears
3
Super Nachos
Refried Beans
Mexican Corn
Applesauce Sweetie
4
Chicken Nuggets
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Grapes
5
Turkey Sandwich
Fritos
Broccoli & Cheese
Watermelon
6
Quesadilla
Romaine Salad
Peaches
Ice Cream
9
Chicken Sandwich
Lettuce/Tomato
Baked Beans
Pineapple
10
Fajita
Lettuce/Tomato
Spanish Rice
Mandarin Oranges
11
Chicken Strips
Mashed Potatoes
Celery
Grapes
12
Tenderloin
Fritos
Steamed Carrots
Banana
13
Pizza
Romaine Salad
Green Pepper
Peaches
16
Storm Burger
Baked Beans
Tator Tots
Fruit Cocktail
17
Crispito
Refried Beans
Spanish Rice
Pudding in a Cloud
18
Chicken Fried Steak
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Biscuit
Mandarin Oranges
19
Meatball Sub
Sun Chips
Green Beans
Grapes
20
NO SCHOOL
Teachers’ Institute
23
Hamburger
Fritos
Baked Beans
Pears
24
Taco in a Bag
Lettuce/Tomato
Steamed Carrots
Strawberries
25
Turkey
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Grapes
26
BBQ Rib Sandwich
Au Gratin Potatoes
Corn
Banana
27
Grilled Chicken Strips
Romaine Salad
Bosco Stick
Pineapple
30
Hot Dog
French Fries
Peas
Fruit Cocktail
31
Taco
Lettuce/Tomato
Refried Beans
Orange
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Visit our website at www.fsbwil.comd
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
1
2
FS BBB @ Elmwood
Tourney
JH Schol Bowl @
Alwood
JHGBB @ Alwood
9
HS Schol Bowl
Regional TBA
3
ACT test date
JH Schol Bowl vs.
A-town
HS Winter Sports
Awards @ HS
10
JH Schol Bowl @
Annawan
4
5
FFA Ag Bus Mgt
6-12 Choir Concert
CDE @ Williamsfield @ the High School
6
7
FFA BHE Livestock
CDE @ BlackHawk
East
11
Band/Choir @ West
Side Story
JHGBB @ Stark Co
12
JH Schol Bowl vs
Wethersfield
School Board Mtg
13
G&B Track @ LTC
Exhibition @ Knox
College
JH Spring Dance
14
FFA Livestock CDE
@ Bushnell
15
16
WYSE @ Knox
HS Band @ LTC
Honor Festival at
Augustana
17
FS BB @ Unity
Christian in Fulton
18
BB vs Orion
SB vs Orion
Freshman Orienta
tion @ High School
19
JH Schol Bowl
Conference Tourney
End of 3rd Quarter
20
No School - Teacher
Institute
BB @ Havana
SB @ Sherrard
22
23
PARCC Testing
Week
SB vs Macomb
24
FS BB @ Kewanee
FS SB @ Kewanee
V BB vs Kewanee
V SB vs Kewanee
25
FS BB @ Mercer Co
26
JH Schol Bowl vs
West Central
SB vs BPC-WP
V BB @ RI Alleman
27
FFA Star Award
Night @ Univ of Ill
Soph Career Fair
@ CSC
21
FS SB @ Tri-City
Tourney in Buffalo
G&B Track @ Mon
mouth College
BB vs Sherrard
28
FFA State Awards
Day @ Univ of Ill
V SB @ Payson
V BB @ Peoria High
29
30
G&B Track @ BPC
BB @ A-Town
SB @ A-Town
31
HS Softball & Track
pictures
JH Schol Bowl
vs Mercer Co.
8
JHGBB vs Galva
page 8
High school juniors prepare for big month of testing
By Cass Singleton
On March 3 United
high school juniors will be
taking their annual mandatory state testing of their
American College Test
(Act) which comes several
weeks earlier than students
took it last year.
“The date has been
moved up due to the
PARCC testing taking
place in March and April.
The ACT, though, is still
very important and the
standard for college admission,” high school guidance counselor Kay Shaver
said.
The ACT is a measure
on high school students’
general education development and how capable they
are to complete college
level work.
A new test that Algebra
II and English III students
will be taking later this
spring is the Partnership
for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test.
PARCC measures
whether students are on
track to be successful in
college and their careers
and is based on the core
belief that assessment
should work as a tool for
enhancing teaching and
learning.
“The PARCC is going
to be a challenge. The for-
mat is so new with it being
on the computer and all of
the questions are fill in the
blank,” Shaver said.
Earlier this month to
prepare for the test, students completed practice
trials online to try out the
technology and software.
“The technology worked
fine but we learned as a
math department that we
need to teach our students
more about how to use the
technology,” math teacher
Jennifer Stoneking said.
Students who must
take both the ACT and the
Overseas adventure
By Arleen Michael
A student of United
High School went on a
mission trip to Cambodia
earlier this year.
Senior Christy Johnson
helped children at risk of
human trafficking and coming out of it.
She played games and
made crafts with the children.
Johnson also created a
presentation to show children life in America.
“I went to varied cities
like Phnom Penn, Battomband, Seim Reap, to smallar communities, then to
the really poor side of the
country.
There are people living
in a canoe, I also saw eight
people in a hut that was
only 5’ x 8’,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s favorite part
was going to the Kid’s Club
(VBS).
She visited different
groups of children and
helped out wherever needed. She also heard many
neat stories from different
people.
“The kids were insanely
sweet and they loved my
white skin. They liked my
skin because it was white
with ‘nothing on it,” said
Johnson.
Cambodians have very
tan skin, so they see white
skin as beautiful.
“Culture shock impacted
my life the most. In America, we’re blessed with so
much and yet a lot of the
time we are ungrateful.
Cambodians have next
to nothing (compared to us)
but their constant smiles,
willingness to give, and
caring nature could literally
change our world,” said
Johnson.
PARCC tests are feeling
excited but some are also
feeling the pressure to do
well on both.
“It’s going to be a lot to
handle and a lot to worry
about since many of us
have to complete both,”
junior Randi Shimmin said.
The PARCC testing will
spread among many days
and starts on March 23 and
concludes on March 30.
Musical practice underway
By Becca Rutledge
United High School’s
Drama Club has been
preparing for the spring
musical.
This years production is
Meet Me In St. Louis.
There are 23 high school
students, five junior high
students and one elementary student in the cast.
The cast is led by seniors Chase Carnes, Alex
Davis, Ashleigh Brown,
Marissa Northrup, and
Antonyio Villarreal along
with juniors Brody Frieden,
Kaitlin Grace and McKenzie Campell.
Alex King an eighth
grader, and Elly Hinton a
first grader, both have major roles in this production.
“I thought that it was
going to be tough teaching
the younger kids their parts
but they are doing such
a great job,” Grace said.
“They know all their lines
and I haven’t learned all
mine yet. I’m very proud of
how well they have done.”
The drama club presents
Meet Me In St. Louis on
April 11 and 12.
They meet four nights a
week for a couple hours to
practice.
Last year’s spring musical was SHOUT!
“This year’s cast is
extremely talented and has
been working very hard.
This is is a production you
wont want to miss,” Miss.
Katie Hall, director for this
production, said
Sophomore Zach Zingleton addresses 1st grader Elly Hinton during practice for Meet Me in
St. Louis, the spring musical production that
will be presented on Saturday, Aporil 11, and
Sunday, April 12, at United High School.
Steven Armstrong, Mgr.
Box 185 Cameron, IL 309-563-9612
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page 9
Scholastic team places 2nd at Masonic Bowl
By Carena Choate
Finishing with a 5-2
record, the varsity scholastic bowl team placed
second out of nine competing schools at the Illinois
Masonic Sectional on
Saturday, February 21, in
Bushnell.
The team consisting
of Brody Frieden, Jeremy
Olson, Alayna CostnerWithee, Caitlen Bishop,
Cole Froelich and Marshall
McDorman (pictured right)
also brought home $300.
“The money will go to
scholarships for the seniors,
most likely” said ccholastic
bowl coach Mr. Joel Zink.
The varsity season
stands at 9-2, while the
junior varsity team’s record
is 2-6.
“It wasn’t too bad,”
McDorman said. “In the
first match against Elmwood, they crushed us. The
second game was closer.
We could have won that
one.”
“There was a 30 point
difference between us and
Elmwood, so it was pretty
close,” Bishop said.
“We (junior varsity) had
a rough season,” sophomore Sara Purlee said.
“There were several close
games and we only got annialated once or twice”.
“We were ‘competitive’
as Mr. Zink likes to put
it,” junior varsity captain
Maddy Gavin said.
The varsity team will
compete at regionals on
Monday, March 9.
“Alice” gets top billing at prom
By Maggie Simkins
The Prom Committee
consists of advisor Mrs
Madeline Wood and a
group of juniors who meet
every Thursday.
The decide what the
invitations look like, what
decorations will be put up,
the food to be served, the
ticket price, and what gifts
will be handed out
The have chosen Alice in Wonderland as this
year’s theme.
Guests will choose
between roast beef and
chicken for their entree.
“So far, this is the best
prom planning has gone. I
think it will be spectacular,” said Mrs. Wood.
More conference shuffling as LTC adds one
The seemingly annual, if
not endless, realignment of
athletic conferences is once
again underway.
This time it involves
Abingdon-Avon High
School, otherwise known
as A-Town.
The school board there
recently voted unanimously
to drop affiliation with the
Prarieland Conference for
the Lincoln Trail, for all
sports, beginning in the
2016-2017 school year.
That will leave the
LTC with an odd number
of schools with various
scenarios being considered, including bringing
in comparatively distant
schools such as Fulton or
Bureau Valley to counterbalance the southernmost
A-Town.
It is possible both
of the aforementioned
districts could be added
along with a third unnamed district to achieve
geographic, as well as
numeric, parity.
It is also possible adding such distant schools
could signal the departure
of other LTC members who
don’t like the prospect of
two-hour bus trips to places
such as Fulton or Manlius,
the host city for Bureau
Valley High School.
Much of the most recent
discussion regarding conference realignment stems
from a vote in December
that shot down a proposal
to do away from confer-
ence affiliations in regard
to football playoff scheduling.
The proposal would
have shifted football scheduling based on enrollments
and geography entirely to
the Illinois High School
Association.
While generally well
received by coaches and
administrators in western
Illinois, the proposal was
easily defeated throughout
the state by a two-to-one
margin.
Adding one, two or
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even three schools to the
LTC will have an impact on
more than just football.
Scheduling of all sports
will be altered and with
more conference games
added to a sport’s schedule
a corresponding number of
non-conference games will
have to be dropped in order
to stay within IHSA mandates.
Another unknown is
how 2016-2017 realignment will affect the agreement between Prarieland
and LTC schools for football crossover games.
page 10
Both UHS basketball teams go one-and-done at regionals
By Jake Dunn
This season’s boys’
basketball record tied the
school’s all time win record
at 14­-15, giving the team
a positive outlook for the
most part.
“Our boys performed
Senior Jack Whitsitt gets caught up in traffic during
the game against the visiting Stark County Rebels.
well this season and we
have a great group of
young men with loads
of potential. I think next
year we’ll be able to look
back and improve even
further on what we’ve accomplished,” varsity head
coach Jim Noonan said.
The boys came out 7­-5
in the Lincoln Trail Conference this year, improving greatly from previous
years.
Seniors Gary Wynne, Job
Runge, Jack Whitsitt and
Dalton Frieden, who have
been playing together since
the second grade, enjoyed
every moment of their last
high school season and
never took it for granted.
Runge made 75 out of
126 shots for 59.52 percent,
making him one of the top
shooters on the team.
“I think we’ve improved
greatly since the last few
seasons, and it’s been great
playing with these guys for
so long,” Runge said.
The boys played Farmington on Wednesday,
February 25 in the regional
semi-finals, where their
season ended abruptly.
Despite being seeded
second in the Knoxville
Regional behind Monmouth-Roseville and facing
a Farmington team that had
to win a play-in game to
reach the semis, the Farmers whipped United, 6434, in Wednesday night’s
game.
Noah Runge led all Red
Storm scorers with seven.
Girls finish year at 3-25
By Becca Rutledge
United High School’s
girls’ basketball team’s
season ended on February
9, as they dropped a 52-34
decision to Kewanee in
regional play.
United ended its season
with 3 wins and 25 loses.
“It wasn’t exactly the result we were all hoping for,
and we weren’t able to convert as many opportunities
as we would have liked, but
I’m looking forward to next
year,” Addy Mckee said
Although the team
didn’t have a winning
record, they played with the
intensity of a winning team.
“Even though the outcome was not in our favor
this season with this group
of girls was a memorable
experience. The team made
the season very enjoyable.
The seniors and I will always be thankful for that,”
senior Ashleigh Brown
said.
The junior varsity ended
its season with a record of
11 wins and 11 loses.
They were also very
successful at their last
tournament, taking second
place at the Stark County
tournament.
“Coach always told us
before each game to “set
the pace.” In the games that
we set the pace from
the beginning, we
usually won,” soph
Claire Wynne said.
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Head coach Fred Lucas and wife Jenny accompany
daughter Kelsie at senior night activities ahead of the
final home game.
page 11
Tumbling group to hold event at UHS
By Taydem Devlin
The Maple City Tumblers will host their second
tumbling competition, “Under the Big Top,” at United
High School on Sunday,
March 8.
There are 12 teams coming from Illinois, and three
from Iowa, bringing a total
of 281 athletes to compete.
Maple City has 22
athletes competing, with 10
girls from all four United
campuses.
“Hosting a meet takes a
lot of work and volunteers.
Without a lot of help from
team parents and their family, it would not happen,”
head coach Ken Hamm
said.
Monmouth College
students are some of the
volunteers this year who
are helping with the meet.
“It is all worth it. This
will bring a lot parents and
Goodbye to a senior
Emma Austin practices for the March meet at UHS
under the watchful eye of coach Kenny Bowling.
athletes to the school and
town. Also, all the girls
can show their family and
friends what they do when
they tumble and show off,”
Hamm said.
Teams will begin to
show up around 8 a.m.,
with competition usually
starting at 9 and lasting all
day.
With a smooth running
meet last year, with only
a few glitches, the Maple
City Tumblers are looking
forward to another successful competition.
United track preps for indoor meets
Senior night isn’t only for players. Lone senior
cheerleader Tanya Klein was also recognized.
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COLE’S PHOTOGRAPHY
By Antonyio Villarreal
United’s track team gets
two new coaches this year
with head coach Donald
Smith (pictured right)
and assistant coach Dennis Mann, the longtime
Warren/United head track
coach.
These two are accompanied by returning coach
Carrie Boone.
The team starts practice
Monday, March 2, to get
ready for their first meet on
Friday, March 13.
Their first meet is an indoor meet at Knox College
verses many teams around
the area.
This years team looks
like it could be one of the
biggest teams United Track
has seen in a very long
time.
“I expect my team to
be ready to work hard,
be competitive and work
hard,” Coach Smith said.
Everyone who lettered
last yeer is returning to the
team and ready to bring
some new things to the
table.
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“I’m excited to see what
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said returning letterman
Marshall McDorman.
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