It is the first year that a baseball team has ever gone on a trip like this. It is common that a team plays on a local college fields but never a professional field. The team will be playing on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. against Osseo-Fairchild.

“The idea actually came from a parent, I thought it was a good idea. It’s not everyday you get the opportunity to play inside a stadium, so I thought it would be a memorable experience,”  said varsity baseball coach Jake Dahlke.

The trip is being funded by the athletic boosters club. The boosters club has donated a lot to the baseball team and this trip was a huge surprise to the players. The varsity and JV teams will both be playing.

“I think it will be fun to get to play on a former MLB field,” said junior catcher Tommy Torkelson.

It takes a lot to excite a high school student enough to make them get up and be on the bus at 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday.

“The opportunity to step onto a former Major League Baseball Field filled with years of history, a chance to feel like a MLB player for the day, and hopefully a day that they will remember and talk about the rest of their lives,” said Dahlke.The Metrodome is not a normal field it has turf instead of grass. “I think the ball will take a different hop of the the turf, but it will be more predictable than playing on grass and dirt,” said junior third baseman Dalton Shaw.

Getting the money to rent the metrodome was the easy part of the planning. It took about two weeks of planning just to get everything set. “It took me the first week to get ahold of the lady in charge of renting the Metrodome. Then I finally got ahold of her, and it took another week for me to find a date available that matched up with ours and Osseo-Fairchild’s schedule,” said Dahlke.

The game that we will be playing does not count for conference it is just a game that we get to play. The game is just getting more games in and experience for the athletes.

“I think that this will give us confidence from playing on a professional field and we will get the feeling of being professional baseball players. Hopefully the confidence transfers onto the field when we are playing conference games,” said Shaw.

Over the last few weeks, sports teams have been limited to very little practice. Track has been the only sport that has had a competition while the other sports wait on until they can finally get out there. For athletes that are looking to play at the next level, having a big chunk of their season being cancelled, has had some effects.

Senior Grant Stittleburg will be attending Stevens Point next year and will be a part of their baseball team.

“Yeah, it has been tough. I love the game of baseball and not being able to go outside this past month and play has been hard, but shortly we will be out–and I can not wait,” said Stittleburg.

When universities recruit athletes to play on their teams, they normally look at season stats. This year will be hard for recruiters in the area with a lot of the season being cancelled.

“It won’t really effect me too much. I have spoken with Stevens Point and they know what we are all going through. For some athletes I could see this being a problem, though. The less games you play, the less experience you have to carry on to the collegiate level. It is a bummer to miss a chunk of my senior year of baseball, but I will make the most of it,” said Stittleburg.

“This weather hasn’t had an impact on me going to college. I will be playing football, so missing some track meets isn’t going to hurt my chances. I just wish we could get out there so I could throw,” said senior Christian Steihl.

The golf team has also had a pretty slow start to the season. All golf has been able to do is sit in the classroom and go over rules of the game and different situations.

“This weather has really set our season back. We were supposed to have like five matches already but we haven’t even got to go outside that much. The weather should warm up soon and we will be very busy having matches like three times a week,” said junior Alec Muth.

Next year the high school is implementing a new program in our school called one-to-one.  This program will give students a personal laptop.  This will allow many possibilities on how the school will approach both learning and teaching.

The school’s technology integration coach Kaye Henrickson is very hopeful about the future of one-to-one.  Henrickson is helping plan the program and get everything in order.  She is hoping that the school will save money and will become more educated on the technical aspects of the world.

The district is wanting to get the best laptops for both educational uses.  Having the latest technology will allow the latest programs to be accessible for the students.

The one-to-one program will have some environmental advantages as well.  With more classes having more online based classes, the use of paper will be decreased, thus saving the trees.

This change to our school will make way for many new online based classes to enter the school.  It will allow students who are interested in different classes to try them and expand their learning horizons.

Studies show that smaller schools who carry out the one-to-one program there test scores and grades slightly go up.  Even though it may just be a slight increase, this will allow different teachers to see what needs to be changed in different classes.

One-to-one with the computers will also allow students to get help outside of class by either having programs that will help you study, or chat groups with the teachers.  Homework will be available online as well.  Having homework online will result will also allow students who may have missed a day to get their homework and information they may have missed available to them.

Other schools with the one-to-one have seen more responsible students and less behavior referrals.  In fact more schools have seen more engaged learners after implementing the one-to-one program.

The one-to-one program may seem as if it is burning a bigger hole in the schools pocket.  However, studies show that schools save a lot more money from online textbooks, and lack of paper use.  Also the programs on the laptops will be ever-changing and always have up-to-date material.

This new program may be both good and bad for our school district.  Only time will tell the effects of the program, however the faculty seems very hopeful with this change to the high-school.

“I am fine with the early practices. I mean, I have been having to get up early for school for awhile and there was even a time when I had to be to school at seven for weeks on end, so I am used to it by now,” said junior Joseph Barnett.

With six different sports needing to practice after school, the weather has presented the Black River Falls High School with a challenge. Due to the snow-covered and muddy fields, the teams are not able to practice on the fields and courts. Since there are only three gyms available for the sports teams to practice in, some teams were forced to move their practice times to six AM.

“I like the practices being early in the day better than after school,” said sophomore Gabby Servant.

Some students may find themselves more energetic throughout the day because they got up early and were active. On the other hand, some students may find themselves dozing off during class because they burned so much energy already that morning.

“One advantage for me is that the practices are almost private because the area is kind of yours. On the other hand, a disadvantage is that some people don’t take mornings well, but some don’t mind it. I guess it all depends if you are a morning person or not,” said Barnett.

For students without their driver’s license, the early morning practices can present a challenge. The busses do not run their routes that early, and if a parent has to be to work earlier, or is not able to take their child for some reason, how are they supposed to attend their practices?

“I have definitely had trouble getting up at six each morning because I have been busy, and it wears down on the body because you are really tired and it bugs me. But once I am up and ready, I am fine with it. Also, I help give people rides to the early practices that do not have rides available for themselves,” said Barnett.

Many students, including Miranda Schnur, Joey Barnett, and others, agree that morning practices aren’t all that bad.

“I love six AM practices!” exclaimed sophomore Miranda Schnur

Here at the Black River Falls High School, six AM practices are becoming a new regular for many sports teams.

“I want to go to a college in New Mexico,” said sophomore Lionel Sanchez.

Unlike some sophomores, Lionel has put much thought into where he wants to go to school after high school.

The students that are attending the college have a voice and an opinion when it comes to their college. Junior Katie Malchow says that she has toured UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse.

“My tour was actually led by someone from the admissions office,” said Malchow.

Sometimes colleges will hold a student led tour. Many students feel that a student led tour is a better option because they  get a more raw and relatable experience. After all, the admission officer gets to go home instead of stay on the college at night. Who would know the college better than a student who lives there 24/7?

“I’m definitely looking for some more freedom, but I also want a more academically challenging college,” said Malchow.

When students tour colleges, they get a look inside the college life. They get to tour a dorm and a variety of the buildings in which student pursue their majors. Sometimes when they visit a college; however, they get a view that might not be so good.

“Walking from building to building for classes is going to be hard to adjust to,” said Malchow.

Even though they visit a college to get a feel for it, they also get a social feel for the college.

“Adjusting to college life and making new friends, meeting new people, it’s going to be difficult for me,” said Malchow.

The overall experience of college tours are very important in making a decision. However, many students neglect to tour their college of interest.

“It is with highest regard and respect that we welcome Shelly Severson as our educational leader.  She is an energetic, professional, accomplished leader who looks to continuously improve the learning environment,” said Mary Jo Rozmenoski, Black River Falls School District’s current school board president. Severson was selected after 16 other applicants applied.

“Dr. Severson was one of 16 applicants for district administrator.  The Board reviewed all application materials then narrowed personal interviews to 6.  After personal interviews, Dr. Severson was one of three top finalists in our search,” said Rozmenoski. Severson has many  qualities that qualify her for this job such as an Ed.D. Educational Administration, Master of Arts in Education, Educational Leadership and Bachelor of Music, Choral and General Music.

“I am a very active member in the community, I have a good understanding of the district, and I know our district’s strengths,” said Dr. Shelly Severson. The school board thought she had many great qualities as well.

“Dr. Severson is an experienced instructional leader, has exemplary interpersonal skills, is a collaborative leader and is driven by personal integrity and high values.  She has pursued continuous professional development throughout her career,” said Rozmenoski. Severson has many great ideas to help further our district, and the Board is there to help her.

Severson’s first priority is to help bridge the gap between the schools.

“There is such a big shock when students transfer to each school, and it shouldn’t be like that,” said Severson. She would like to form a leadership team that involves teachers, parents and students.

“Students tend not to care about what is happening in the other schools in our district. But what happens in each school affects everyone,” said Severson. Severson wants the leadership team to branch over all of the schools in our district. The leadership team would be consisted of mostly teachers and parents from all three schools.

“It’s important for teachers, parents, and students to be involved because they all have a say in what happens with their school,” said Severson. Making a leadership team is not Severson’s only priority. She also believes that going to one to one technology next year will help the school.

“One to one technology will be good for the students next year. It will help keep the students and teachers connected,” said Severson.

“The Board looks forward to the transition of working with Dr.Severson as the district’s superintendent, as she brings positive, trusting, creative leadership and is familiar with all facets of our district,” said Romenoski.

High schoolers are unsure where to look or find job opportunities, but students can find jobs in several different ways.

“The most effective means is to read the paper and look at the job postings. If none of those options sound interesting, ask an upper classman about job opportunities, and check social networking pages for local businesses,” said careers teacher Tina Gilbertson.  Often word of mouth and having good references will secure a job.

“It gives me something to pass time and I like having my own money,” said junior Tyler Rush.

It is not Rush’s first time working this year. Rush has worked at the golf course in the past summers. He filled out the application and got a call soon after.

“I don’t work in the summer because school and sports take up all my time,” said Rush. In some cases, students keep their jobs through the school year. They are able to work on weekends if they have the time.

“Once summer comes I will get more hours and more hours means more money, but I will not have as much free time,” said Burger King cook Harry Lipke.

Students  are not looking for a career choice you are just looking for work. Students in Black River Falls and the surrounding area have many options to look for temporary or part-time employment.  There are several fast food establishments, lots of hospitality jobs with local hotels, and jobs related to tourism such as employment with the state/county Park, as well as the Lunda Park.

“Students who like to be outdoors can also look to get jobs in the agriculture industry or small construction jobs,” said Gilbertson. All it takes is standing out to your employer.

There are many ways to get hired for a job. It depends on what job you are planning on getting. Complete, correct and truthful applications are what employers are looking for.

“Students should make sure they complete every section of the application. It’s important that students promote themselves and list volunteer opportunities as well as previous paid employment. Students need to be sure to ask the individuals they list as references if they will be a reference before listing them on an application,”said Gilbertson.

Once students get the job they want they have their own money to spend. It is very easy to spend money on things that are not important. “I buy things that I need and then I put the rest into a savings account for college,” said Rush.

“PRESS THE GAS SLOWLY,” blurted the passenger. She has been sitting in the car for around an hour now, clutching her seat at every turn you have taken. As your teacher, she has to be next to you as you drive for the next nine months.

Starting off, teens are prone to make mistakes. With their parents by their side, teens tend to relax hoping that they are taught quickly and efficiently; eventually the student becomes irritated.

“I did get a little mad at my mom, I thought I was doing fine and focusing,” said sophomore Mitchel Gjerseth.

Although teenagers are desperately striving toward getting their licenses, some tend to pick up bad habits along the way. According to DoSomething.org, one-third of the death of teenagers ages 13-19 are cause by motor vehicle crashes; to make matters worse, 16 year olds have the highest crash rate. New drivers should always be practicing their driving, especially with their parents. Statistically, only 56% of teenagers rely on their parents to learn how to drive.

“I am so glad that I got my driver’s licenses. I can do so many more things but I think my parents helped me out a lot while learning to drive,” said sophomore Eli Parker.

Although teenagers may not mind the company of their parents, others think that their parents cause a distraction and makes them nervous. Trying to meet their parents’ expectations, teens often make mistakes which is followed by a reminder or a remark.

These complaints light a fuse inside the beginner who is behind the wheel. As the fuse dwindles down, the mood of some drivers also changes. They start to become a little annoyed and angry, wishing that their parents would let them drive peacefully.

“I do not mind driving with my mom, I already know the basics, so she does not really yell at me,” said freshmen Ashley Derus.

Even if you have been driving or just beginning, always remember to view your safety and your passenger’s safety first. You would think that wearing your seat belt should be an absolute, right?

Well, teens are twice as likely to wear their seat belt when their parents are in the car. And one more thing, the one you probably hear the most from, don’t text or call while driving. Recently, they’ve passed a law making it illegal for people age 18 and younger to operate their cellular devices while driving. Did you know that talking on the phone and driving doubles your chance of getting in an accident? It slows your reaction speed down to that of a 70 year old.

If you are learning to drive or just cruising, remember, safety first.

“I went to the doctor for an ear infection and had my leg checked because it was bothering me. The x-ray showed that I had a tumor. I then had to go see another doctor for an MRI, and then another for a biopsy on my leg. The results showed that it was cancer,” said Sanders. Sanders found out about her condition in November of 2012.

“When I found out I got really upset and threw up,” said Sanders. She wasn’t the only one who was upset.

“I was terrified. I kept wondering, why my baby,” said Tammy Murphy, KayCee’s mother. Sanders friends were also very concerned about her.

“I was devastated. I mean, I know what cancer does to people, and to know someone younger than me was going through it, it’s hard to imagine,” said senior Camille Gunning. Gunning met Sanders through the tennis season. Gunning found out about her condition by a mutual friend and teammate.

As Sanders has come to know, many things change when you have cancer, especially relationships.

“My relationships with my friends kind of changed. I don’t see them as much, and we don’t talk as much either,” said Sanders. Some of Sanders friends think their relationship with her has gotten better.

“I started getting to know her during the tennis season this year, and now I feel like I know her better because all of us [the tennis team] have come together for her,” said Gunning.

Her relationships with her family members haven’t really changed, but one in particular has.

“We’re a lot closer now. We spend everyday together,” said Murphy. Sanders and her mom are together everyday. Murphy is Sanders’s primary care giver.

“Everything’s changed, our whole world was turned upside down. I don’t work anymore, and I moved in with my ex-husband,” said Murphy. Many of Sanders habits have changed since she found out she has cancer.

“I have a very different outlook on germs. I can get sick a lot easier than other people because of the chemotherapy, so now I don’t go to places where there are a lot of people. If I do, I always wear a mask, and carry hand sanitizer with me,” said Sanders. Although many things have changed, Sanders is learning to accept it.

“It still upsets me, but it’s okay right now,” said Sanders. Sanders is learning to cope with having cancer, but she doesn’t let it get her spirit down.

“KayCee has a really positive attitude toward having cancer. She is always able to see the positive side even though its hard for her,” said junior Sonja Cook. Cook was also on the tennis team with Sanders this past fall.

“Don’t ever take life for granted, it can change in the blink of an eye,” said Sanders.

“Basically on SNAC, we help the cooks to decide what foods they should serve us based on what we like and don’t like and give our input on the new foods,” said junior Sierra Flick.

The SNAC group has already gotten busy with the new food menu. The changes and additions will be taking place soon.

“Some examples will include, meatballs on May 8th, a multi grain sub bun on May 9th, a beef patty on May 14th, a new Italian cheese on May 15th and banana bread on May 20th. These are just a couple item changes that may or may not go through for next year,” said Nutrition Services Supervisor Connie Sieber.

SNAC consists of Kinzi Macintyre, Samantha Guillaume, Sierra Flick, Zachary Bailey, Collin Oakes, Taylor Hamilton and Dylan Rochester. The SNAC group may be small, but they are learning a lot.

“So far, I have learned that there are a lot of foods out there that we really haven’t tried and we should get a bigger variety,” said junior Zachary Bailey.

The club recently went on a field trip on April 9 to Eau Claire where Indianhead Foodservice hosted an event at the Eau Claire Sports Arena. SNAC went on a trip to Eau Claire to taste test some new foods.

“On the trip, brokers and manufacturers come together to highlight new products that they have developed and to provide information about current product lines they carry. One of the most important reasons to attend the show is to network with the brokers and participants,” said Sieber.

A day of eating, recipe exchanges and demonstrations were the expectations of the day.

“We have went on two trips so far, and we taste-tested food for next year for lunches, and that was fun because, obviously, eating food is fun, but you get really full eating so much,” said Flick.

Because of the field trip, there will be new items added to the menu for next year and more changes to be made in the future.

“Based on the taste testing experience we had with the SNAC group earlier this year, there will be changes happening in the future. They were able to taste over 206 products back to back in a blind taste study and provide us with honest feedback. The experience was eye opening and beneficial,” said Sieber.

The SNAC group has had a fun year and they have been very helpful providing information to the cooks.

“SNAC is fun and it’s nice to give our input on the food without worrying about offending anyone,” said Flick.

If anyone is interested in joining the SNAC group, talk to one of the members of the group or contact Connie Sieber.

“Developing this team and working together to create a better nutrition program has been the best experience, and I look forward to many more years to come with the hopes of increased interest in joining our group,” said Sieber.