Bump, Set, Putt

By Damon Bennett

Since 2001, the Northwest Vikings have qualified for the Nebraska School Activities Association state volleyball tournament 20 times consecutively. This being no average feat, it’s easy to question how NW became a powerhouse in volleyball. The answer lies with business teacher and former head coach Diane Rouzee, who, after starting her coaching career in 1984, built one of the longest lasting dynasties Class B volleyball has ever seen. But after hanging up her whistle, she has continued her success as a coach in a place far from the gym—the golf course.

After starting as an assistant, Rouzee became head coach for Grand Island Northwest in 1988, taking the team to state her first year at the helm. The Vikings qualified for the state tournament 27 times throughout her career, winning the championship in 1994, 2003 and 2012.

Rouzee attributes her success to those around her, saying that the program could not have become what it has without the people at NW.

“It wasn’t just me, it was a lot of people,” Rouzee explains. “Besides the team of girls I coached, I always felt like I needed to coach the people I worked with. I wanted the booster club, the custodians, the administration to be on my team.”

As time went on, Rouzee realized she had created a monster, one that absorbed most of her personal life. Important events, new family members and shorter off-seasons led her to retire from the team in 2017, while continuing to teach business classes at the school. Her career was one for the books, with a final record of 768-183 and having won several awards in her 34 years as head coach, including the Heart of a Coach Legacy Award from a former principal.

“I got Conference Coach of the Year a few times from the Grand Island Independent, [Coach of the Year] a few times for Nebraska, and a really big deal for me was in 2018 when I got National Coach of the Year. It was an accumulation of a lot of good things; a lot of great memories and moments.”

Not long after retiring, Rouzee was approached with a new endeavor: assisting the coach of the girls golf team.

“I was working a basketball game and [former Athletic Director] Mike Sorensen came up to me and said ‘What are you doing next fall? I need an assistant girls golf coach,’” she recounts. “So I sat down with head coach Alex Hull and I discussed [it] with my husband before making the decision.”

Rouzee saw her opportunity as a blessing, still being able to work with kids outside of the classroom. Now, two years later, the team has qualified for the state tournament twice in a row, missing the district championship by only one stroke this past season.

“It’s been a lot of fun,”  Rouzee remarks. “You’d have to ask coach Hull, I’m sure he already had an image in his mind of what I was gonna be like. He’s very knowledgeable, and he runs a great program. What I wanted to offer was to build some culture and some things I knew from working with girls.”

After a legendary career in volleyball, she now faced a much different season and team layout with girls golf, but knew that her experience could be valuable. 

“It’s a lot harder sport than a lot of people understand,” she adds. “It takes a lot of mental toughness to compete. Coach Hull and the girls basically put their arms around me and helped me. I’ve found that some of those things we did in volleyball work just as good on the golf course. You’re still competing, you’re still wanting to be successful and pushing them past where they think they can go.”

Rouzee has always enjoyed golf, playing often as a way to bond (and compete) with family. She explains how lucky she feels now as another opportunity to embrace her love of the game came when a coaching position opened up this year on the boys team.

“I’m really looking forward to that. I know what it’s like to miss a putt, to lose a tournament, and I think that experience will help and bring some of that culture to the boys team as well.”

Rouzee had already impressed a team, a state and even the entire country with her skills mentoring high school athletes, and now she continues to build her legacy as one of the most successful coaches—of any sport—in Viking history.

In the news…

By Emily Krupicka

• The Senate Judiciary Committee continues to review Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s qualifications to fill the vacancy of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If appointed, Barrett would create a 6-3 conserverative majority in the Senate and be President Trump’s third elected justice.

• On October 11, in a 106-93 point game, the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA finals after defeating the Miami Heat. This victory scored LeBron James his fourth championship title in his basketball career.

• On election day, in addition to voting for government, Nebraska voters will have the opportunity to determine whether or not casino gambling will become legal in Nebraska. Nebraskans will vote for or against Initiatives 429, 430 and 431 which will permit casino gambling at horse races, create regulations for casinos and tax casinos.

• Almost three years after the murder of Sydney Loofe, Bailey Boswell, on October 14, was officially charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to committ a murder and improper disposal of human remains. The court is now deciding if she will face life in prison or the death penalty.

• In Hall County, coronavirus cases continue to surge, totalling over 100 in a single week. The Central District Health Department (CDHD) continues to encourage everyone to wear masks and to maintain a minimum six-foot distance between others.

• Allison Meier Madrigal, Sharon Placke and Joan Ruskamp were honored as Northwest’s three “distinguished alumni” on October 9. Each recipient was nominated for achieving their goals and doing good services that involve the community.

Senior Spotlight

By Emelia Richling

Photo Courtesy of Lauren Morrow

Lauren Morrow

What are your favorite binge-worthy shows?
“I really like Grey’s Anatomy, Vampire Diaries, Criminal Minds and The Office.”

What are your plans for after high school?

“Currently, my plan is to go to college, get a biology degree and become a PA (Physician’s Assistant).”

What is a fun fact about yourself?

“I broke the same arm twice.”

What advice do you have for underclassmen?
“Go to as many games and activities as you can. They are really fun.”

Photo Courtesy of Tally Creative

Ethan Hansen

What are your favorite binge-worthy shows?
“I work at a nursing home, so I have memorized The Golden Girls. Any game show like Jeopardy.”

What are your plans for after high school?
“They are very different paths because I am either going to go pre-med or into international affairs.”

What is a fun fact about yourself? “I am trying to teach myself to write with my left hand. It isn’t good. I was comparing it to my old kindergarten journals, and it is the exact same.”

What is your favorite high school memory? “Probably Winter Ball last year.”

What advice do you have for underclassmen? “Get involved because, once you start meeting people, it is so much easier to make friends and be confident and comfortable.”

Photo Courtesy of Allison O’Connell

Allison O’Connell

What are your favorite binge-worthy shows?
“Right now, it is Shameless, but it changes often.”

What are your plans for after high school?
“I am going to go to Hastings College and study elementary education. I am going to be either a third, fourth or fifth grade teacher.”

What is a fun fact about yourself?
“I actually can’t hear out of my left ear.”

What is your favorite high school memory?
“Band. The competitions, the bus rides and getting
to perform are so much fun. It is such a rewarding experience.”

What advice do you have for underclassmen?
“Definitely enjoy it while it lasts. Focus on your grades but also focus on having fun.”

‘Cuties’ Review

By Areya Starke

Young girls around the age of 11, popping and locking in the Netflix original “Cuties”, released on September 9 has caused an uproar in an unexpected way. These reviews about what the movie is really supporting, started to stand out to me as well. Many are saying this film is supporting child predators and sexualizing little girls. Netflix has apologized and even taken down the original poster, which featured the stars in tight and exposing outfits, crop tops and booty shorts.

“We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Cuties. It was not ok…” Netflix wrote. “‘Cuties’ is not pornographic, does not contain underage nudity and does not depict sexual acts, simulated or other wise,” watching the movie I thought differently.

In Senegalese, France, the main character in Cuties, Amy, started out as an almost perfect Muslim girl. She became friends with a group of girls that danced for fun and introduced them to twearking to fit in.

I recommend “Cuties” to only mature audiences. The characters in Cuties laugh at rape victims and sneak pornographic photos of boys in the bathroom, as well as posting inappropriate photos of herself on social media, dancing provocatively infront of older men with disturbing faces. The girls were also lying about their age in order to talk to high school boys and talked to strangers online about explicit topics. They learned how to twerk, and even the camera shots were zooming into things they shouldn’t be. Why would little girls be pondering on subjects of the sort? Sadly, that’s not all, it gets worse but you would have to see for yourselves.

Overall, Netflix’s ‘Cuties’ sexualized young children in a way that could negatively influence our youth. The movie didn’t give me a good feeling, now seeing where these reviews came from. For the children of our generation, it provides a bad outlook on what children of that age should be doing. Everyone of those girls are 11. Netflix deserves the backlash they got for the film, and should do what people are telling them and take it down.

Solving Rathke-isms

By Meghan Pennell

“I’ve always been a big verbiage guy,” Algebra II, Trigonometry/Pre-Calc and College Algebra Teacher Ryan Rathke said. “I’ve found using verbiage really enhances the classroom environment.” Throughout his 36 years of teaching, Rathke has used certain catchphrases throughout his lessons, and although from the outside they may seem totally unrelated to his math courses, many of his students would argue just the opposite.

“They actually really help you remember what to do,” said junior Truett Nelson. “Sometimes I’ll be taking a test and find myself saying them in my head.”

Often referencing anything from songs, to cliches, to late night television sketches older than his students, these “Rathke-isms” can certainly be difficult to decode to someone not in any of his classes.

“Now just shake it out.”
Usually repeated twice in a half-speaking, half-singing voice, this Rathke-ism is in reference to Taylor Swift’s 2014 hit single “Shake It Off” and is used once a problem has been simplified down enough to solve it the way you would any basic algebra problem.

“You’ve got [any number] of cows and [any number] of horses…”
Often, Rathke enjoys subsituting the different terms in an equation to farm animals, helping students understand a math problem outside of just being a math problem. Usually followed by a shockingly good cow impression.

“That right there is a sneaky mom!”
Referencing a 2011 YouTube video of a kid calling his mom sneaky after she pretends to steal his candy, a sneaky mom problem usually is just a little out of the ordinary, something that must be acknowledged and paid attention to.

“You gotta tickle the ivory!”
Just like learning to play the piano, math requires practice and sometimes an extra push in that direction is greatly needed. Simply a much more entertaining and engaging way to say “Get your reps in!”

*Photo Courtesy of Ryan Rathke

Nebraskan takes boneless chicken wings to city council

By Danyka Galvan

Boneless chicken wings can be classified as one of the top finger foods in the United States. The BBC reports that Americans eat 1.35 billion chicken wings during the Super Bowl, but the question arises: are boneless chicken wings actually chicken wings?

On September 2, a local from Lincoln, Nebraska, Ander Christensen, took this question to the city council, stating that, “Nothing about boneless chicken wings actually comes from the wing of a chicken.”

Christensen argued that the counciil needs to change the name of boneless chicken wings, so that Americans are no longer misusing the name, especially for the sake of children learning to be “scared of having bones in their meat.”

Instead of them being called boneless chicken wings, Christensen proposed the name be changed to: “buffalo style chicken tenders” or “saucy nugs”

According to a poll on the Viking Media Instagram page, 35 percent of respondents support changing the name of boneless chicken wings, while the other 65 percent do not.

While many people are debating about whether or not Christensen’s point is correct. What was revealed after the proposal was given is that Christensen is the son of one of the council members. Many subjects of COVID-19 were brought to the council within the past month. Christensen decided to bring enlightenment and laughs to his audience.

Boneless chicken wings are very popular throughout the US because of their simplicity. They are simple, small and easy to eat with less of a mess than eating them off of the bone. Christensen did prove a good point when stating that nothing about boneless chicken wings comes from the actual wing of a chicken. According to a Meat Poultry article, the meat actually comes from the breast of a chicken. But is this a good enough reason for America to change the name of the most popular finger food?

Student Business: Fab Front Door

By Danyka Galvan

The Northwest Music Boosters Craft Show will be November 21 of 2020. Along with many small business owners, junior Rachel Ostdiek will be representing her company “Fab Front Door.”

Every day after school, Rachel is hard at work on her decorative door signs, painting and creating many different designs for different seasons and events.

“I’m not in any sports, so, when I get home I am painting signs,” Rachel said. “It’s less stressful than most jobs because I get to sit in my kitchen and watch Netflix.”

Rachel began her business at just the age of 13. With a boost from her parents Rachel was able to create her business, which continues to grow.

“My parents bought the saw, and the first five signs I made were to go to pay off the saw.” Her parents are still by her side to this day helping her with little details to ensure that her business is successful.

“My dad cuts out the signs, I paint them, my mom does the
hanger,” Rachel said.

“For any signs I need with greenery, she’s like my florist, and she does the finishing touches.”

On a normal basis Rachel sells around 10-15 signs a month, painting five per week. Now that the holiday season is around the corner, Rachel is busy selling on average 100 signs, between November and December with the help of her dad Pat Ostdiek.

“It depends on the season, but I can spend 15 hours a month,[cutting signts]” Pat said. “I usually cut out signs every weekend, so it depends on how many orders Rachel has. Right now, we are preparing for the craft show, so we are trying to cut out about 60 signs this month!”

Rachel states that her bestsellers are usually holiday signs made during November-December, as they are often bought as gifts for others.

Rachel’s signs sell anywhere from $25-$35 each. Her signs can be found on Facebook and Instagram @fabfrontdoor. You can also catch Rachel on November 21st at the 2020 Northwest Music Booster Craft Show.

*Photo Courtesy of Rachel Ostdiek

Amy Coney Barrett: Trump’s nominee

By Gabriel Lorenzo

On September 18, the United States heard the unexpected announcement of the death of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Many people surrounded the Supreme Court building giving their last respects. To fill the vacant seat, President Donald Trump announced on September 26 a new candidate, Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

Barrett received her education at St. Mary’s Dominican High School in Louisiana, Rhodes College in Tennessee and Notre Dame Law School in Indiana. According to the University of Notre Dame, she received a bachelor’s degree in English literature and was awarded with many honors at Rhodes College. She also received a doctoral degree in law and a few awards at Notre Dame. After getting her degrees, she clerked for Laurence H. Silberman, a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals and for the Supreme Court late Justice Antonin Scalia. In 2002, Barrett became a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame.

Today, the world is full of many points of view on every argument. There are many big topics that can affect the future of American lifestyles. Barrett, like Trump, believes that allowing abortion is immoral, which goes against the 1973 case Roe v. Wade.

“[Choosing a nominee] will happen automatically, in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court,” Trump said to NPR.

According to The Atlantic, she gave a lecture supporting pro-life at the University of Notre Dame. After the lecture, she decided to join an anti-abortion-rights faculty group by signing her name to a letter in the South Bend Tribune.

The Supreme Court will soon make a decision over the future of healthcare, reports the New York Times. Barrett will very likely be part of this conversation and is unsure of what she stands on.

Gun rights has been a controversy since the Constitution was adopted. According to the New York Times, Barrett wrote that the Second Amendment has a limit. The people do have the right to “bear arms,” but the government can also take away guns if necessary.

Republicans praised Trump for choosing Barrett as a nominee. Republicans would also agree with nominating Barrett for her values.

“Judge Barrett is just as brilliant and impressive as advertised,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted on October 13. “She is clearly qualified. She’s committed to fairness and impartiality. And she clearly understands the job of a judge under the Constitution is to apply the law and not impose personal policy views.”

Democrats disagree with having Barrett as a nominee or even choosing her before the 2020 presidential elections since there is limited time for voters to decide the next president.

“I clerked for Justice Scalia more than 20 years ago, but the lessons I learned still resonate,” Barrett said in an acceptance speech.

Barrett wants to continue the legacy of Scalia in the Supreme Court.

*Photo Courtesy of South Florida Sun Sentinel

Biden or Trump? It’s up to you.

By Emily Krupicka

As Americans face growing political polarization, candidates continure debating important issues on the campaign trail; however, with the general election rapidly approaching, many first-time voters are unsure who they’re voting for.

Although anticipation has revolved around deciding who the next president will be, voters will also be choosing people to fill vacancies in federal, state, county and municipal offices and will be able to vote on proposed legislation.

“Elections are important, said Senior Damon Bennett. “They ensure that the promise of a government — for the people and by the people — is kept true.”

This year, both sides of the political spectrum have signified 2020 as the most important election year in modern-day history with many important issues at stake.

“Politics and who’s in office greatly affects the lives and livelihood of marginalized groups,” said a Northwest student. “It’s important to think of those whose voices are limited or not taken as seriously in this country.”

Presidential candidates have championed for people to vote in this election and make their voices heard, each one taking different approaches.

“No matter what, voting allows for the voices of the people to create change,” added Bennett. “That’s why it’s important.”

President Donald Trump’s appeal to the white working class voters in the Midwest and perennial swing states guaranteed his victory in the 2016 election. Continuing with this trend, Trump has spent much of his focus campaigning in these areas solidifying his support from Republicans and conserverative-leaning Independents.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, although also campaigning in the swing states, has hoped to defeat the incumbent by encouraging a higher youth turnout at the polls. Over the past few weeks, Biden has released social media posts that conform to the humor of the internet, hoping to draw in younger voters who, historically, have an unreliable record of actually showing up to vote.

In national polls, Biden has held a consistent lead over Trump in a popular vote; however, this alone does not insinuate a Democratic win.

The electoral college, composed of state electors, are in charge of casting electoral votes, which decide the presidency. In all but two states — Nebraska and Maine — a winner-takes-all approach is used. The outliers, however, use the congressional district method, allowing the electoral vote to be split.

This means that the results of the 2020 election are still up to voters. Despite the outcome, however, whoever wins this election will pave the way for the next four years of democracy.

Pence works behind the scenes

By Emelia Richling

Throughout the past four years, it seems that Mike Pence, the vice president (VP) of the United States, has remained in the shadow of our current leader. If you take a closer look, however, his behind-the-scenes work includes procuring a supportive base of voters, making changes within the education system and raising large amounts of campaign donations.

When Pence was first added to the ballot as Trump’s VP, his primary purpose was to draw in Christian voters. According to a U.S. News article published in August, Pence’s ability to net votes from the religious right was one of the primary reasons he was selected to share the ballot with the president.

Before 2016, Pence served in the House of Representatives and was the governor of Indiana, providing him with a firm base of supporters and a well-respected name in the political world.

Staunchly conservative, Pence has helped to defend the beliefs he stands for, including defending religious freedom, opposing same-sex marriage and fighting against abortion.

In addition, he is also vocal about using tax dollars to fund religious schools. His influence over the American education system continued when he confirmed the controversial Betsy DeVos as secretary of education. She remains controversial for her belief in privatizing public schools and taking away protection for vulnerable students by blocking emergency funding from the CARES Act and changing provisions that permit rapists to cross-examine victims.

As Trump’s running mate, Pence has managed to secure large lumps of cash from supporters. According to an Indianapolis Monthly article published in 2019, he managed to amass $4 million in funds for the 2020 presidential campaign.

Although many have claimed Pence stands in the president’s shadow, his ability to exercise his voice and advocate on behalf of his beliefs shows that he works in conjunction with Trump to make progress for the nation.

*Photo Obtained from AP News