Recently Sackett has begun teaching the skeletal system which included a lengthy process of students building their own skeleton and labeling all the bones and being able to know what they do. With a total of 200 bones to memorize and eventually adding muscles to the skeleton it takes a lot of effort on behalf of the students.

“This is an annual thing, but has changed over the years overall the project is pretty set on what I expect,” said Sackett. “The assessment will be the lab exam that they take next week, we’ll see if the project was a success after the taking of that” added Sackett.

Anatomy and Physiology students have been hard at work trying to complete their skeletons all while studying and remembering what each bone and muscle do. With semester coming to an end, students are anticipating to see how all their hard work has paid off.

            The road to the Rose Bowl game was not easy as the Badgers had to go through a rematch with the Michigan State Spartans in the first ever Big Ten championship. The Spartans handed the Badgers their first loss during the season in a nail biter that ended with a “hail mary” to win the game. With an incredibly played championship game from both teams it also came down to the wire with the Badgers coming out on top.

            Russell Wilson wasn’t the only outstanding player on the 2011 team; with the Junior Heisman Trophy contestant Montee Ball right behind him in every game. Ball tied the NCAA record of 39 touchdowns in a single season. Wisconsin has been known for their offense of  line that is considered just a great wall of red in front of the quarterback every year. Linebackers Mike Taylor and Chris Borland, both in the top five for most tackles this year, led the defense.

When it finally came down to the Rose bowl game between the Wisconsin Badger and Oregon Ducks, no one was disappointed in either team. It was going to be a battle between the offenses as both teams came out showing every strength they had. The strong offense of the Badgers was showing with Montee Ball and Russell Wilson leading the way. Oregon’s speed eventually took over however and ended up tearing the Badger defense apart. “As far as us moving forward, I’m kind of tired of tears of sadness I wanted to come out here and experience tears of joy at some point,” said Badgers Coach Bret Bielama to Sports Illustrated. Turnovers proved to be a game changer for both teams as they each had two.

“So we’ll rebound from this.  I wouldn’t trade in anything, anyplace in the world for that locker room that I have right now and the way that they continue to persevere,” said Bielema. Heisman finalist Montee Ball announced last week that he would come back for one more year and not enter the NFL draft. This is good news for Badger fans and the team as Ball led the team in touchdowns.

The game will go down in history for not only the two teams that played in it, but for the NCAA. It was one of the greatest Rose Bowl games ever played and even with a loss the Wisconsin Badgers deserved to be there. Now all the Badger Football can do is train for the year to come, and improve their game.

On the Monday before break the Spanish I students started work on the annual endeavor of the piñata project and the labor was not easy. Most students spent all their class time given and plenty of time at home paper mache-ing and applying tissue paper. There were many egg shaped piñatas and also some attention grabbing and intricate designs.

“The reason we make piñatas is to provide students with an experience that is both cultural and insightful,” said, Spanish teacher, Helland “students learn about hand-made crafts of Mexico and how much time it takes to create something by hand. They learn an appreciation for the effort involved in how to budget their time and about how incredible many of the crafts of Mexico truly are,” added Helland.

“I believe the Spanish project is a good way to give students a hands-on experience with the Mexican Culture,” said one Spanish I student.

Students were given instructions on how to build their piñata and were then expected to do everything themselves and were given the freedom to choose what their end result would be. The majority of the students put a lot of time and effort into creating some amazing designs.

“My favorite part of this project was having the choice to build whatever I wanted,” said the student.

 “The goal is to learn about one small aspect of Mexican hand crafts, and to learn an appreciation for the time it takes to create these hand crafts,” said Helland.

On Friday the students all got their pictures taken with their piñatas. After the pictures were taken the students were asked if they would like to put candy in their piñatas and break them. Several students agreed and broke their piñatas in the center of the room while blind folded. Many of the students left their Spanish I class with their pockets full of candy.

The students spent a week of time working incredibly hard to finish the projects before break started and their work eventually paid off. There were many different and interesting designs that had some students in awe of their classmates work. The project was a great relief before being let out of school for the 2011 Christmas break, and most students and the project will hopefully go on for years to come.

“Next year’s calendar, 2012-2013, doesn’t have a Spring Break. School starts September 4^th, a little later than normal,” explains Choir Director Amy Hanson. For next year’s schedule at least, having it as this time students will “have the least amount of school missed. The trip will also offer an opportunity for the choir to perform the holiday music learned as a part of their curriculum. The band will get to march in Disney with their fall marching repertoire.”

Another major upside is that fewer athletes will be affected by the scheduling change. For example, in girl’s winter sports there is gymnastics, hockey, basketball, and skiing/snowboarding. These numbers generally add up to a little fewer than 50, where as in the spring there is track and field, soccer, softball, tennis, and golf, which averages 100 or more athletes. Once you add the boys onto these numbers, there is a significant difference between the winter and spring.

“November is less expensive than Spring Break or the winter, which was surprising,” comments Hanson on the financial changes.

The current choir and band students were asked if they were they were planning to go. In past years the trips usually average about 130 students. At the last count, 170 music students were planning on attending. “It [the schedule change] appears to have no major affect,” said Hanson.

“Music Tours have a strong tradition in West Salem schools. As long as the parents are willing and wanting to financially support them…the message is clear to the Board. The parents and students value the opportunity we provide,” explains Hanson, “Even though the time of year for the trip is different, this really is the same opportunity we’ve offered West Salem Music Students for years! We’re also going to Universal Studios, which theatre students and movie lovers are pretty excited about.”

                Gile’s main focus is painting with acrylic paints but he has also worked with oil paints. Along with art he is involved in cross country, mock trial, school board, national honor society, Spanish club, and serves as a student representative on the school board. Gile says he takes inspiration from the things he has seen.

                “When I am thinking of a landscape to paint I picture places I have been and mold them into a painting,” said Gile. “My mood at the time of the painting also has a major influence on the style that the painting follows.”

                Art teacher Quenten Brown describes Gile’s  landscape paintings as “breathtaking”.

                “His work catches the viewer’s eye from far away and rewards the viewer for coming closer by including minute details in each painting,” said Brown.

                Gile “paints with a maturity beyond his years” according to Brown, who also admires his artwork and work ethic.

“For me, being art student of the month means that I am doing my job as an artist to create pieces that catch others’ attention,” said Gile, “It is an honor and it is reassuring that I am doing something right.”

 About fifteen of Gile’s paintings will be on display at the Heider Center throughout the month of January. Gile plans on pursuing physician assistant training after graduation, but says he will probably minor in art or keep it as a life long hobby.

Their 1970s vibe, strange yellow lighting, cracking tiled floors, and a mysterious and unexplainable odor make these bathrooms very “unique” although some might describe them as smelly, disgusting, or scary.   

The conditions of these bathrooms don’t only cause disgusted emotions but also cause problems for classes located on the basement floor. Students who need to use a bathroom during class tend to bypass the basement bathrooms and make their way to one of the bathrooms located on the main floor or second floor. This causes students to miss more class time than they would if the basement bathrooms were in relatively good condition.

This makes us wonder why these bathrooms have not been updated like those on the main and second floors. I mean, this school was built in 1964, so a bathroom update is probably needed after almost a half-century of operation. All I have to say is what up with that?

The school board meets every second and fourth Monday of the month. An average meeting starts off with reciting the pledge, and declaring the mission statement for the day. The board reviews the last meeting and then it’s the student representatives turn to report; after Taylor and Megan report, the school administrators talk about the happenings at the school. The meeting proceeds to go over the agenda and continue on to any votes or discuss plans for that day.  

Both student representatives admit to the challenges of juggling their respective jobs and the duties outside of school; but both have learned from their experiences as reps to the board. “I’ve learned what the school board does and there’s a reason for everything they do,” Tabbert explained. “I’ve learned more about budgets and insurances…learned how the school works and more knowledgeable about the school itself,” Gile said.

Being a student representative means taking time outside of school and being more involved with concerns a regular student wouldn’t know or understand. Both have enjoyed their experience with the job. “I like representing students and helping give the point of view of a student,” said Taylor. Megan agreed.

The results of the votes came in 3 to 2 December 19, 2011. Ultimately the voters showed that they thought the co-op was not needed anymore. “It will be interesting to see how these teams do throughout the next few years, without the co-op agreement”, commented Senior Varsity player from West Salem Eric Burdick.

On December 8, 2011 a “Town Hall Meeting” was held for the hockey players parents, and coaches to give their input and thoughts on what they think should happen. Troy Gunderson, West Salem High School’s Superintendent expressed that when the co-op was made 15 years ago, the schools would split if schools had enough players in the hockey department. Other Administrators such as Bangor’s Principal, Don Addington stated, “I just hope our team has somewhere to play.”

The Meeting was a back and forth between parents, students, coaches, and administrators; trying to figure out what would be the best for the schools. West Salem’s Varsity player (Sophomore) Cole Trautcsh says, “Personally I think that if the team splits, it will be for the best.”  Bonnie Trapp, mother of West Salem’s Taylor Trapp told how if West Salem leaves the co-op, Bangor and Sparta will have nowhere to go and play, and the three teams will be without a conference. The teams will have an independent schedule. The desicion will ultimately come down to the number of players, and if West Salem will make cuts or not, because the team will either have a big varsity and no junior varsity, or they will have two small teams. Considerations also need to be made as to who will do all the work, such as working admissions, concessions, the Zamboni, and several other tasks. West Salem’s Eric Burdick agreed with Trapp, and even stated, “Heck, yeah. I want to keep the co-op”.