GHS NEWSPAPER - Gilbert Community School District

A COVID Christmas

Page 02

The Show Must Go On

Pages 06

It 's the Holiday Season for

a Reason

Page 07 -08

Support Ames Businesses

Pages 10 -11

GHS

NEWSPAPER

GHS NEWSPAPER | page 01

DEC 2020 | ISSUE 4

Follow us on Instagram @ghs_newspaper_club

Scholast ic Student Writ ing

4 -16

Unique Holiday Gifts

Page 19 -20

IN THIS ISSUE:

A COVID CHRISTMAS

B y : A n C h i N g u y e n

Here we are, December of 2020 still in a continuous pandemic. Things have been looking up recently. A vaccine

has been developed for COVID-19, but in the meantime, what will we do while we wait, and what will Christmas

look like?

After Thanksgiving, people now have a general understanding of how to celebrate holidays during a time like this.

Wearing masks, limiting travel, and keeping crowds small are common practices. But what concerns scientists,

doctors, and authorities the most is Christmas. Unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas is an international holiday that’s

celebrated all over the world. This means there will likely be more traveling and more hustle and bustle in stores.

The Washington Post noted the influx of travelers will make social-distancing more difficult. “‘What concerns me is

that Thanksgiving is an American holiday,’ said Melissa Nolan, an epidemiologist at the University of South

Carolina. “Christmas is an international holiday — it’s celebrated around the world. So if Thanksgiving is an

indicator of how much travel we can expect at Christmas, I think that is very concerning.”” However, airports are

preparing by enforcing mask-wearing and spacing out boarding gates and seats.

Mr. Barbier, math teacher at GHS, said that he’ll be traveling to New York this Christmas break and will do

“whatever [his] wife wants to.” The cheap flight tickets, hotels, and activities were a great deal for Mr. Barbier to

decide what will fill his time over winter break.

Going international, many countries in Europe are setting curfews and cancelling public events to stop the

spread. Italy and France implemented curfews while Germany and Spain cancelled many of their Christmas

markets and parades according to the BBC.

Once finished with Christmas, many expectations will apply to New Year’s, as well. Airbnb, a vacation rental

company, announced restrictions for bookings on New Year’s Eve (NYE). They have banned one-night bookings in

North America since Halloween, which will carry over to NYE and have capped the number of people per booking

at 16 according to the Washington Post.

While there’s still a virus roaming around, it shouldn’t stop us from enjoying the holidays. There are many other

ways to celebrate December festivities while being safe and having fun. Remember to wear your mask, wash your

hands, and stay six feet apart.


By: Katie Sanow

Programming Club and SWENext are new

clubs to Gilbert High School and have excit ing

STEM opportunit ies to offer students.

Programming Club is a small organizat ion of

three members that meet every Tuesday after

school in Mr. Bakker ’s room. Although they are

small , they have hopes for the future when

more members jo in. They don ’ t have

leadership posit ions yet but founding member

and junior , Kyro Bastawros, said “We could i f

more people jo in and the need arises.”

Currently , act iv i t ies include complet ing

programming problems where students are

given an issue that needs to be solved via a

code. These problems could also be found in

competi t ions where part ic ipants are judged on

speed and eff ic iency. While they haven ’ t made

plans to part ic ipate in competi t ions, the club

hopes “we would go to actual competi t ions

once we have enough experience and

members.”

Addit ional act iv i t ies include attending classes

and working on cumulat ive projects such as a

club website or creat ing games using Unity

Engine. The next programming club meeting is

after break, but i f you ’ re interested in f inding

out more information, their Instagram is

@gilbertcomputerprogramming.

SWENext is a divis ion of the Society of Women

Engineers, a col legiate level organizat ion, that

takes place at the high school level . President

Kat ie Sanow and Vice President Mariam

Bastawros work together with the Iowa State

SWE group to promote STEM f ie lds to young

gir ls and women.

Although the club ’s focus is about boost ing

the amount of women in STEM f ie lds, the

SWENext club is open to al l students. As the

club grows, future act iv i t ies might include

instruct ive classes (such as CAD draft ing

instruct ion ) , engineering panels f rom col lege

students and professionals , and helpful

col lege t ips (such as how to build a resume or

appl icat ion advice ) .

Recently , the club part ic ipated in a graham

cracker structure contest as a hol iday themed

event . “ I t was a fun act iv i ty that required a lot

of innovat ive thinking,” said senior member

Anne Buff ington. Molly Neubauer, sophomore

member and winner of the contest said, “ I t was

an excit ing experience because we were able

to put our STEM ski l ls into act ion while

working under t ime constraints , along with

bonding with each other in a fun way.”

The club meets the last Monday of each month

during Success Center in Ms. Rouwenhorst ’s

room. The next meeting is also after break, but

anyone interested in jo ining could always

fol low them on Instagram @gilbert_swe_next .

GILBERT STEM CLUBS



By: Sophie Vanderpool

The components of the perfect

Christmas movie are as fol lows: a

charming main character to root for , a

fest ive romance (with a kiss while the

snow is fa l l ing of course ) , a few great

punch - l ines throughout, a lesson to

take away, and natural ly , a

heartwarming ending. What Christmas

movie has al l f ive of these elements,

you ask? “Elf .”

This classic seasonal f i lm fol lows the

story of Buddy the Elf , played by Will

Ferrel l , who crawled into Santa ’s bag

ful l of toys as a baby l iv ing in an

orphanage. Buddy has always known

that he ’s dif ferent f rom everyone else

because he ’s human, leading him to

feel l ike he never quite belongs. One

day, Buddy decides to go look for his

dad in the big city of New York. Chaos

ensues. In case you haven ’ t seen i t , I

won ’ t spoi l the ending, but just know

that i t defini tely checks the box for

heartwarming and touching.


ELF IS GOOD. CHANGE MY MIND.


Despite the chal lenges Buddy faces,

he st i l l f inds a way to bring cheer to

those around him and stay posit ive.

This , in my humble opinion, is one of

the best parts of the movie. There ’s

something about continuing to f ind

the l ight while l iv ing in a t ime where

that doesn ’ t seem possible. A lesson

that many of us could use r ight now.

“Elf” also teaches us to always stay

true to who we are and that there ’s no

one else out there just l ike us. This is

such an important lesson for kids to

learn as they grow into their own

person. That , and that sugar always

makes any food better ! So this hol iday

season, make yoursel f a plate of

steaming hot spaghett i , douse i t in

maple syrup, get comfortable, and

watch one of the best Christmas

movies ever made.

I know pretty much everyone and their

mother claims that “Elf” is their

favori te Christmas movie, but why? I

wouldn ’ t necessar i ly cal l i t the worst

movie of al l t ime, but i t ’s defini tely the

most overrated Christmas movie ever .

Overal l , people might say i t ’s cute or

heartwarming, but i t gets way too

much praise when i t ’s actual ly a pretty

lame movie.

First of al l , Will Ferrel l ’s character

Buddy the Elf , has a super

quest ionable chi ldhood. He l i teral ly

gets raised by elves after Santa f inds

him as a baby. But then we f ind out

that everyone total ly knew who his

parents were the whole t ime, but they

let him know once he was l ike thir ty

something? I know our guy Santa

probably has some good

By: Lexi Anderson

intent ions, but that ’s st i l l pretty

messed up. I t also seems kinda

sketchy that he just abducted this

chi ld and then knowingly kept him

from his human family .

Wil l Ferrel l can be entertaining, but

his performance in this movie just

missed the mark for me. His character ,

who ’s meant to be awkward and

adorable, is more creepy and overal l

just makes me feel uncomfortable.

Also, his whole relat ionship with

Zooey Deschanel ’s character , Jovie, is

pretty sketchy, even i f we don ’ t talk

about the fact that she ’s 10+ years

younger than him. I just f ind the whole

romance quite unsett l ing. You ’ re

tel l ing me that Zooey Deschanel fa l ls

for a t ights -wearing man chi ld after he

creeps on her in the shower? Seems a

l i t t le quest ionable to me.

WHY ELF IS ACTUALLY THE WORST


This month, a few f ine arts events have taken place including the jo int choir and band concert

and the announcement of those who made SCIBA Honor Band. The choir and band concert

looked dif ferent than usual but was st i l l a success.

Grace Bernard, member of both choir and band, said of the changes, “For choir , our biggest

chal lenge was understanding how we would sound as a group. In previous years , the only thing

we had to worry about was learning lyr ics and blending, but this year we had to worry about a

whole dif ferent set of issues. For me personal ly , I had a lot of dif f iculty hearing the rest of my

section, so i t kind of fel t a l i t t le bit more individual than choir had in the past .”

Both choirs performed amazingly, as did Tiger Voices, despite the chal lenges they had to

overcome. The band also had a stel lar performance while adapting to dif f icult ies . “For band, a lot

of the issues that I personal ly encountered had to do with when people were in quarant ine,”

Bernard said. With many students temporar i ly onl ine, the band was down several people, which

made a dif ference for many performers including Bernard, who plays the f rench horn.


THE SHOW MUST GO ON

By: Connie Chen

SCIBA (South Central Iowa Bandmasters Associat ion ) results were announced this Friday and our

Gi lbert band did astounding, as usual . 25 students audit ioned vir tual ly f rom Gilbert High School ,

and 14 made the honor band. Although the annual fest ival has been cancel led, an outstanding

number of students made i t their goal to get into SCIBA. The fol lowing students achieved that

goal - Jenna White ( f lute - f i rst chair ) , Aldo Escalera ( f lute ) , Seera Smadi (clar inet - f i rst chair ) ,

Wi l l iam Wadsley (bass clar inet - f i rst chair ) , Anna Tal lman ( t rumpet ) , Jessica Stoker (bari tone ) ,

Chloe Berns -Schweingruber (percussion ) , Ryan Hinderaker (bass clar inet ) , Sarah Lennon

( t rumpet ) , Addie Jobes ( t rumpet ) , Lydia Papiboune ( t rumpet ) , Sanjay Stanley ( t rombone ) , Andy

King (bass t rombone - f i rst chair ) , and Simon Weydert ( tuba ) . Congratulat ions to those who made

it , and good job to al l who t r ied out!

Photos by Debbie

Photos by Debbie

. . . last Christmas I gave you my heart . . . . . .we wish you a merry Christmas. . . . . .have

a hol ly jo l ly Christmas. . .

Did you sing those while reading them because I sure did writ ing them. Throughout

the month of December, Christmas is thrown at us f rom al l direct ions - - music being

one way we are bombarded with i t . With the inf lux of Christmas in al l forms, how

often do you remember the other hol idays celebrated during this t ime?

These other well -known hol idays in December include Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

Hanukkah, a fest ival which starts on the 25th day of the Jewish month Kislev,

celebrates the recapture of Jerusalem in 164 CE, and subsequently , the

rededicat ion of the Second Temple. Over a period of eight days, a candle is l i t on

the Menorah with the center ninth candle ( the shamash or servator ) dist inguishing

the eight holy f lames f rom other mundane sources of l ight . The number eight is

t radit ional ly bel ieved to have been chosen due to a miracle which occurred during

the rededicat ion of the Temple - - there was only enough untainted oi l to keep the

menorah ’s candles burning for a single day, yet , the f lames continued bright for

eight days, leaving t ime to f ind a f resh supply. Activ i t ies such as playing a game of

dreidel and eat ing oi l -based foods ( l ike latkes and sufganiyot ) are also part of the

Hanukkah fest iv i t ies . This year , the hol iday began on the evening of December 10

and ended the evening of December 18.

IT'S THE HOLIDAY SEASON FOR A REASON

By: Mariam Bastawros


Family gathers round the Menorah.

Kwanzaa, a cultural and ethnic hol iday, comes f rom the Swahi l i phrase “matunda ya

kwanza” which means “ f i rst f rui ts” . I t was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga

to bring the Afr ican American community together . Beginning December 26th and

last ing seven days, the hol iday celebrates community , family , and culture, al lowing

Afr ican Americans to reconnect with their Afr ican roots and heri tage. Famil ies al l

celebrate in their own ways, but reoccurr ing themes include songs, dances, Afr ican

drums, storying tel l ing, poetry reading, and a large t radit ional meal . Popular foods

during the hol iday include Afr ican creole, Cajun catf ish, jerk chicken, and

groundnut stew. Tradit ional ly , Kwanzaa is symbolized by a kinara, a candle holder

with one center black candle, three red ones on the lef t , and three green ones on

the r ight - - al l together the candles represent the original stalk f rom which the

Afr ican people originated.

Omisoka (Japanese )

Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexican )

Kiahk (Coptic )

Yule (Pagan )

Saturnal ia (Pagan )

O t h e r H o l i d a y s Y o u S h o u l d L o o k U p

Family gathers for traditional Kwanzaa meal.

As the rest of December passes, and

Christmas continues to engulf the

minds of society, remember the

other hol idays too, and be

respectful of al l t radit ions and

bel iefs . Happy Holidays!


HOMEWORK OVER BREAK?

By: Andrew King


Every year , there seems to be a popular

occurrence around this t ime of the year in

schools : teachers assigning homework over

break.

I t is very common to hear students

complain about gett ing homework over

break. However , teachers have a var iety of

views on homework over break.

Although students could already make

assumptions about what a teacher thinks

about homework, some of the thoughts of

teachers may surpr ise them.

Tracy Tensen, Engl ish teacher , said, “My

goal is to give students enough t ime to

complete what wil l be due after break

before break.” She continued, “That said,

I ’m making my AP Lit students memorize a

poem. I don ’ t think that i t should be

overwhelming. With the semester as i t has

been, some teachers may feel the need to

assign some work.”

Short ly after Tensen was interviewed, she

actual ly canceled that assignment. When

asked whether or not teachers should have

to work i f students are assigned homework,

she said, “ I wil l be working over break, but

that has nothing to do with my decis ion to

assign some l ight homework.”

Advanced algebra teacher , John Barbier ,

had a similar feel ing towards homework,

and said, “ I promise you teachers are

already doing more work over break than

students can even imagine!”

Barbier said, “General ly speaking, no, I do

not think homework should be assigned

over break but there may be some

exceptions. I f a student is way behind in a

class i t seems reasonable for him or her to

do some things to get caught up.”

Curt is Mart inek, advanced math teacher

at Gilbert High School , shared a similar

view with Barbier , and said, “So while I

give homework over break, I do not

expect students to do any more over

break than they would between classes

during the week.”

Both Mart inek and Barbier shared that

they fel t students should get the

opportunity to work ahead in a class.

Mart inek said, “ . . . I handed out the

semester review to students recently . I f

a student wanted to work on the

semester review over break, he or she

could.” He added, “ I f a student wanted

to leave the review unti l just before the

semester test , he or she could do that as

well .”

Along with Barbier not bel ieving

students should get assigned

homework, he also offered another

perspect ive on the issue, and said,

“Students l i teral ly need a ‘break ’ f rom

school work. I think we may need to

clar i fy what is a break and what is not.

Winter break is a break.” He continued,

“Wednesday 's are not. They are school

days that just happen to be at home. I

think snow days could fa l l somewhere in

the middle.”

Some teachers acknowledge that

students are gett ing overwhelmed with

homework, but also that i t may be

necessary at t imes for students to do a

l i t t le bit of homework over break.


SUPPORT AMES BUSINESSES

By: Sophie Vanderpool

T r e a t s o n a L e a s h ( 2 1 6 M a i n S t r e e t ) I t ’s clear f rom the moment you step in the door, this is the type of place your pet

would consider heaven on Earth. This charming store has goods both for your fe l ine

fr iend and your adorable dog. Everything f rom beds, toys, homemade t reats ,

leashes, and everything in between can be found here. Ever wanted to give your

dog a new t reat besides the packaged Pup -Peronis? At Treats on a Leash, you can

browse a wide assortment of authentic t reats f rom duck hearts to salmon skin. I f

you ’ re a cat lover , do not worry! This store also has t reats perfect for your kit ten,

they are even stocked with calming and dental t reats .

Treats on a Leash is real ly the perfect place to purchase healthy and safe t reats ,

toys, and bedding for your furry f r iend f rom a store with a big heart .

P u m p k i n P a t c h ( 3 0 2 M a i n S t r e e t ) This third generat ion owned mom and pop store is f i l led to the brim with chi ldren ’s

clothes and toys. This adorable store not only sel ls new toys, but vintage second

hand toys can be found throughout. The combinat ion of the very f r iendly workers

and toys as far as the eye can see creates a very unique environment which can only

be compared to spending the day at your grandma ’s house baking cookies. I f you ’ re

looking for that perfect toy for your younger sibl ing or cousin this hol iday season,

stop by the Pumpkin Patch for a great select ion!

E v e r e t s ( 3 2 9 M a i n S t r e e t ) This store is the perfect place to buy decor for any homeowners. During this t ime of

the year , I think Everets has every possible Christmas decorat ions ever made in the

history of Christmas decorat ions. The home decorat ions are great to spruce up any

l iv ing space and would be a present your aunt or sweet grandma would love. I f

you ’ re shopping for a plant lover , Everets has a corner of the store devoted to just

that ! You can f ind cute l i t t le succulents to big leafy plants here! I f you don ’ t have a

green thumb, worry not, the employees are incredibly knowledgeable on when to

water and how often and how much sunl ight the plant you chose needs. I f taking

care of a plant st i l l sounds stressful to you, Everets also sel ls fake one that wil l turn

any corner of a home into a beauti ful area that makes i t look l ike you ’ve got a green

thumb! This store also sel ls the most elegant f lower arrangements that are a perfect

way to show someone you love them this hol iday season! Stop by Everets to

purchase some of the great things l is ted above and to see their adorable cat too!

C h o c o l a t e r i e S t a m ( 2 3 0 M a i n S t r e e t ) I think almost everyone can agree that there is no better way to start the morning

than with a cup of coffee. This warm and welcoming shop provides just that , plus

more. Chocolater ie Stam sel ls f ine European chocolates that are more than perfect

for any gift receiver with a sweet tooth. While you ’ re there, stay awhile and enjoy

some coffee, authentic (and del ic ious ) gelato, and someone to accompany the

fest iv i t ies on the piano. This shop is the defini t ion of warm and cozy, making i t the

ideal place to drop by this hol iday season!

T h e L o f t ( 2 3 3 M a i n S t r e e t ) Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity ’s carbon emissions, so not only is

buying f rom a consignment shop, l ike the Loft , great for the environment ( remember

the three R ’s: reduce, reuse, recycle ) , i t ’s support ing a great small business, and i t ’s

an inexpensive option for buying great name brand clothes! So real ly , is there even

a reason not to shop here? The super f r iendly and helpful workers real ly adds to the

atmosphere of this store making you always feel welcome! At The Loft , you can f ind

an assortment of clothes in al l sizes and even super cute and unique formal dresses

for homecoming or prom. Stop by The Loft this hol iday season for some great deals

on some super cute clothes!

Small businesses can real ly be struggl ing this year with the pandemic, so please, i f

you have the means, get out there and support some of those shops that make up

the heart of Ames, just don ’ t forget your mask! Happy shopping!


On December 15, several middle and

high school ELP students submitted

their original writ ing to the Scholast ic

Writ ing Contest under the mentorship

of Mrs. Moritz . The Scholast ic Art and

Writ ing Awards contest is a prest igious,

internat ional (US and Canada )

competi t ion for art ists and writers . In

the writ ing category of the contest ,

there are eleven categories and over

340,000 entr ies each year . Gilbert has

around sixteen students submit their

work annual ly .

Winners of the Scholast ic Writ ing

Contest receive either a gold or si lver

“key” depending on placing, and

students who do not win one of these

two awards can st i l l get an honorable

mention for their piece. A regional level

competi t ion through Bel in -Blank in Iowa

also awards students for the best in

grade in the state, as well as nominates

students for American vis ions and

American voices awards for art and

writ ing. Gold key winners move on to a

national level in NYC where they are

judged “by creat ive professionals such

as painters , poets, video game

designers, book editors , museum

directors , and authors,” Mrs. Moritz

said.

At a national level , pieces can win a

gold or si lver medal , and a select ion of

these get their work publ ished in the

Awards ’s publ icat ions The Best Teen

Art and The Best Teen Writ ing.

Receiving an award in the Scholast ic

Writ ing Contest is very commendable

due to the contest ’s prest ige, and many

col leges take an award into heavy

considerat ion when determining

admission and scholarships.

Pieces are judged by three cri ter ia :

or iginal i ty , technical ski l l , and

emergence of a personal vis ion or

voice. Mrs. Moritz defined original i ty as

“work that goes beyond the classroom

assignment and demands i ts own

reason to exist in the world,” and

technical ski l l refers to the more

technical component of a work. The

judging process is blind so judges do

not know anything about the ident i ty of

the creator including name, race,

gender, age, etc. Only the art or writ ing

is judged. Addit ional ly , judges al low

freedom of expression ; students may

choose any topic to explore in their

work without facing disqual i f icat ion

because of content . This promotes an

open -minded and unbiased judging

process.


By: Sarah Lennon

GILBERT STUDENTS ENTER THE SCHOLASTIC WRITING CONTEST


Pieces are judged by three cri ter ia :

or iginal i ty , technical ski l l , and

emergence of a personal vis ion or

voice. Mrs. Moritz defined original i ty as

“work that goes beyond the classroom

assignment and demands i ts own

reason to exist in the world,” and

technical ski l l refers to the more

technical component of a work. The

judging process is blind so judges do

not know anything about the ident i ty of

the creator including name, race,

gender, age, etc. Only the art or writ ing

is judged. Addit ional ly , judges al low

freedom of expression ; students may

choose any topic to explore in their

work without facing disqual i f icat ion

because of content . This promotes an

open -minded and unbiased judging

process.

This year is Gilbert ’s f i f th year enter ing

the competi t ion, and there are

seventeen students submitt ing work to

the contest . The process for this looks

dif ferent for each student . At the middle

school , Mrs. Moritz offers the Scholast ic

Writ ing Contest as an ELP exploratory

rotat ion. Students interested in enter ing

the contest may take this exploratory

and work on their pieces during that

t ime. However , part ic ipat ion is not

exclusive to those in this exploratory ;

several students in the middle school

work on their pieces during Tiger Time

or on their own. At the high school ,

some students work on their pieces

during the ELP class Mrs. Moritz offers ,

and others work on their own t ime.

This year is Gilbert ’s f i f th year enter ing

the competi t ion, and there are

seventeen students submitt ing work to

the contest . The process for this looks

dif ferent for each student . At the middle

school , Mrs. Moritz offers the Scholast ic

Writ ing Contest as an ELP exploratory

rotat ion. Students interested in enter ing

the contest may take this exploratory

and work on their pieces during that

t ime. However , part ic ipat ion is not

exclusive to those in this exploratory ;

several students in the middle school

work on their pieces during Tiger Time

or on their own. At the high school ,

some students work on their pieces

during the ELP class Mrs. Moritz offers ,

and others work on their own t ime.

Belin-blank

SCHOLASTIC STUDENT WRITING

GHS NEWSPAPER | page14

Statues of Ash b y N a t a l i e H a n s e n ( S h o r t S t o r y )I t was a beauti ful , perfect day. August 24th. Her birth celebrat ion was the next day.

She wouldn ’ t l ive to see i t .

The eight -year -old gir l skipped along the streets , holding a woven basket and humming to hersel f .

Several other chi ldren cal led out to her as she went along her way. She waved, but didn ’ t stop. She

was on a mission.

Her mother had sent her to pick up desserts f rom the bakery in town, and the gir l was only too glad to

do i t . Her birth celebrat ion was tomorrow, after al l , and these sweets would feed everyone at the

party .

As the gir l danced down the street , her eyes were drawn to the f lat - topped mountain in the distance.

She slowed, f rowning. Was that… smoke? The gir l shook her head. I t couldn ’ t be. She dismissed the

thought with a careless wave of her hand, then continued on to the bakery.

I t had taken longer than expected to pick up the t reats . The bakery didn ’ t have many of the i tems on

the gir l ’s l is t prepared, and even after she had bought the desserts , the gir l l ingered to talk to the

cute boy who just happened to be in the shop with her.

So, she was late. Her mother had expected her home half an hour ago. The gir l hurr ied down the road,

almost missing the sharp tang in the air . She stopped abruptly .

What is that?

Suddenly, someone screamed.

The gir l turned, and her mouth dropped open in horror .

A gigantic pil lar of smoke, ash, and debris f i l led the sky above the f lat - topped mountain she had

noticed earl ier .

The mountain wasn ’ t a mountain.

I t was a volcano.

Mount Vesuvius.

The Road to Libertas b y A n o n y m o u s ( S h o r t S t o r y )“ W h e n m y g r a n d p a r e n t s b o u g h t t h e i r f i r s t h o u s e , t h e y p l a n t e d a c h e r r y t r e e n e x t t o i t . T h e t r e e b r i g h t e n e d t h e o t h e r w i s e g r e y n e i g h b o r h o o d , a d d i n g a s p l a s h o f c o l o r t o t h e m u n d a n e s t r e e t a n d i d e n t i c a l l y d e s i g n e d h o u s e s . T h e w h o l e n e i g h b o r h o o d a d o r e d t h a t t r e e . H o w e v e r , b e c a u s e t h e t r e e w a s s o c l o s e t o t h e h o u s e , t h e b r a n c h e s b e g a n g r o w i n g a g a i n s t i t s s i d e . T o a v o i d l e t t i n g t h e t r e e c a u s e d a m a g e , m y g r a n d m a b e c a m e a n e x p e r t a t p r u n i n g , w h i l e m y g r a n d p ab e c a m e a n e x p e r t a t r e p a i n t i n g t h e i r h o u s e . A l l t o o s o o n , w e l o s t m y g r a n d m a t o o l d a g e , a n d G r a n d p a w a s l e f t t o m a i n t a i n t h e t r e e o n h i s o w n . A s a g e s a p p e d h i s e n e r g y , t h e n e g l e c t e d b r a n c h e s p u s h e d a g a i n s t t h e h o u s e . T h e y b r o k e t h r o u g h t h e w a l l , a n d t h e e x p o s e d r o o m w a s s i m p l y l e f t u n u s e d . A f e w y e a r s a f t e r m y g r a n d m a p a s s e d , m y g r a n d p af o l l o w e d . T h e g o v e r n m e n t r e a s s i g n e d t h e h o u s e , a n d t h e n e w f a m i l y d e c i d e d t o c u t d o w n t h e t r e e a n dr e p a i r t h e w a l l . T h i s l e f t t h e n e i g h b o r h o o d b o r i n g a n d g r e y o n c e a g a i n . I s t i l l m i s s t h o s e c h e r r yb l o s s o m s , b u t I s u p p o s e t h a t ’ s t h e n a t u r a l o r d e r o f t h i n g s . ” - A l e x E . G o r e y , D a i l y J o u r n a l A s s i g n m e n t

Intangible b y A n o n y m o u s ( S h o r t S t o r y )When God created the world, he created i t ugly. I don ’ t know why, but I only have to look around to

see i t . Muddy leaves and bent grass f i l l this whole place up. Every st inking thing on earth is r ight out

there for us to observe.

The greatest evidence I have is that God made me.

Books are ful l of t ropes that rarely repeat in real i ty . Moonlight never bathes in real l i fe , and l ightning

i l luminates only rarely . Fields do not rol l ; oak t rees are not so often gnarled.

These were the thoughts I dwelled on as we drove.

We ’d been driving for hours now, heading up to Ohio for a family reunion tomorrow. Well , I also went

for a dance competi t ion: the Madison Center for the Arts Dance Competi t ion.

The sky streaked paler and redder as sunsets typical ly do before growing dark. I watched the scenery

gradual ly go f rom coursing t rees to gliding buildings.

Dance and family : the only things that mattered in my l i fe r ight now and al l I would focus on this

weekend. Any other issues would hopeful ly pass away l ike the last of the vegetat ion as we came to

our shadowed hotel ; i ts bright sign seemed out of place in the quiet town.

The room was beige, barely worth noting upon. Tired f rom a long drive, I stumbled into the bathroom

and struggled not to resign myself to sleep in the warm shower.

The shower went quickly , though I overindulged in the weak hotel soap, t ry ing desperately to wash

out tangles f rom my f r izzy hair . I have awful hair - - i t ’s not an actual color . I t ’s not blonde or brown ; i t ’s

just the color of dead leaves. I have eyes the same color , just darker , l ike muddy water . I ’m too bulky

for pretty . I look l ike a lumpy t rash bag in everything.

I ’m an ugly thing.

But I can escape occasional ly .

As I sat on the bed, I l i f ted my hand up in f ront of my face and watched i t f lop l imply against the bed

sheets as I launched out of my body.

I t ’s an odd feel ing, l ike a combinat ion of needles and ult imate relaxat ion.

I looked at my l imp body on the bed as I f loated in the air , barely a whisper of smoke or of sound: a

spir i t .

Out of my chains.

Free.

When God made this horr id place, he made i t in two parts . He gave us our souls , our beauty. He gave

us everything we could ever have, and then he took i t al l away. He imprisoned us in a f lesh sack. He

made us al l great ; then he made us al l abhorrent .

The best way to explain i t is to see me.



The Girl With the Umbrella on the Pier b y A n o n y m o u s ( P o e t r y )In a bleak, brisk October , with the onset of fa l l ,

The harsh bite of winter hung dense in the air ,

an oncoming storm shaded vibrant t rees gray

as their leaves fel l scattered on a pond and a pier .

A gir l stood on the pier overlooking the pond

with a sleek, black umbrel la gripped under her arm.

The atmosphere waited with bated breath,

and Atlas strained against the weight of the storm.

Ripples chased r ipples folding over the surface,

and the algae drew closer propel led by the t ide.

The gir l stared at the glass born of water and wind,

and searched i ts distort ion for the answers inside.

In the miraged murky mirror , her si lhouette t raced

on the churning backdrop of the darkening sky,

peering at the harsh surface in search of her l ikeness,

the gir l met her match in her water painted eyes.

The wind gathered strength as the storm fast approached,

but the gir l made no move f rom her stance on the pier ;

she preferred to face Scyl la , pneumonic and numb

than paranoid Charybdis of i r rat ional fear .

And i f she were to fa l l , would she feel something then

as the water enveloped her st i f fening l imbs?

And what i f the fa l l was no simple mistake,

but a leap on a careless and impulsive whim?

No, she would not jump in , of that she was certain ;

instead she would wait and let t ime make the choice,

and perhaps i f she wished for and wil led i t to happen,

she ’d fa l l surely by accident without thinking twice.

But as she ref lected, so she was ref lected,

and gazing too deep past the surface, she found

that the eyes she saw were not her ref lect ion at al l ,

but the glazed, sunken eyes of Ophel ia , drowned.

As the gir l stared, stoic , this vis ion emerged

of Ophel ia ly ing, chi l led and grotesque.

The i l lusion of her image had clouded the surface,

and lef t the t ruth lurking in dark, watery depths.

The gir l did not move, neither to f lee nor to fa l l .

Her umbrel la stayed poised as a sword or a spear

extended towards demons, unknown and unseen,

and she stayed standing st i l l on the edge of the pier .




Konner Mongar is an 18 -year -old boy who has beat cancer f ive t imes.

His f ight against cancer started in 2005, and this September, he was once again

diagnosed with leukemia.

Doctors expressed concern about using chemotherapy as t reatment, as the

radiat ion f rom previous uses had begun to deter iorate Konnor ’s vital organs.

After consult ing with doctors , the family found an experimental t reatment in

Scottsdale, Arizona that wouldn ’ t do further damage to his organs.

The t reatment is expensive and wil l not be covered by the Mongars ’ insurance

company.

They have set up a GoFundMe page for help paying for the t reatment, and recently

reached their goal of $40,000 to begin t reatment for Konnor.

Ear l ier this month, Reverend Minna Bothwell of Capitol Hil l Lutheran Church asked

her congregation how they could extend their help to others . The churchgoers

sought out many local causes that they might fund, before eventual ly suggest ing a

group cal led RIP Medical Debt

RIP Medical Debt does i ts work by buying debt f rom col lectors and organizat ions,

and rather than force debtors to pay, i t abol ishes their debt.

When Bothwell asked how much the church might be able to contr ibute to the

cause, the organizat ion told her, “with what you have, you could forgive debt in al l

of Iowa.”

With 8,000 dollars , the church has bought around 5 mil l ion dollars worth of debt

for people

The church is further ing this mission with the goal of paying off the debt of

Missouri cit izens, hoping to raise $15,000 in the next few months in order to

accomplish this .

“2020 has been a rough year for everyone. Our goal as a congregation is to give

people a good start on 2021. Hopeful ly , when people receive this news, they start

the year off better with a signif icant weight off their shoulders ,” Bothwell said.

I o w a t e e n f i g h t i n g c a n c e r f o r s i x t h t i m e , t u r n s t o e x p e r i m e n t a l t r e a t m e n t

C a p i t o l H i l l L u t h e r a n C h u r c h b u y s — a n d f o r g i v e s — $ 5 m i l l i o n i n I o w a m e d i c a ld e b t , h o p e s f o r m o r e

TOP FIVE IOWA NEWS HEADLINES By: Alyssa Olson

Recently , the state of Iowa has changed the way i t reports deaths.

The new method, suggested by the CDC, al lows medical professionals to better

identi fy whether an individual ’s death was related to Covid -19. The previous

method did not take into account those who had taken an antigen test before

their death, causing an inaccuracy in the amount of deaths being reported.

According to the art ic le , “As of 10:30 a.m. on December 9, state data shows a

total of 3,021 deaths related to COVID -19. 2,768 of those reported deaths l is ted

COVID -19 as the underlying cause of the death, and 253 l is ted COVID -19 as a

contr ibut ing factor .”

This year , Iowa City has once again earned a perfect score on LGBT+ inclusion

from the HRC (Human Rights Campaign ) , one of the largest civi l r ights

organizat ions for the LGBT+ and the many people who belong to i t .

The Municipal Equal i ty Index is a nationwide rat ing system of LGBT+ inclusion,

which bases i ts verdicts upon a city ’s laws and enforcement, pol icies such as

protect ions f rom discr iminat ion, and the relat ionship between the city ’s

leadership and the community .

Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague said, “ I am proud to see that Iowa City has once

again received a perfect score in the Municipal Equity Index. Although I know

that Iowa City is a great place to cal l home, this high ranking provides clear

evidence of the support and value that our community shows for our LGBTQ

community .”

What started off as rain December 11 turned to a heavy covering of snow over

Iowa. Many local areas were blanketed in snow over the course of the weekend.

Most of Iowa ended up receiving between 2 and 6 inches of snow in that t ime,

though some places got more, such as the Dubuque Regional Airport , which was

reported to have 9.4 inches.

I o w a s u r p a s s e s 3 , 0 0 0 t o t a l r e p o r t e d C O V I D - 1 9 d e a t h s , a s s t a t e a d o p t s n e wr e p o r t i n g m e t h o d

I o w a C i t y e a r n s p e r f e c t s c o r e f o r L G B T Q i n c l u s i o n

S n o w f a l l T o t a l s f o r D e c e m b e r 1 1 - 1 2 , 2 0 2 0

TRIVIA QUESTION!!Which country consumes the

most chocolate per capita?

*check out next month 's issue for the answer! ! !

November Trivia: Which film did Steven Spielberg win

his first Oscar for Best Director?Answer:

Schindler 's

List


Giving and receiving gifts is one of the most excit ing parts of the hol iday season.

Being able to wish for nearly anything we want can be excit ing, and having the

opportunity to give someone an amazing present is a joyful experience. Gifts are one

of the highl ights of the hol iday season, but sometimes they don ’ t go quite as

expected.

We al l know the story: you pick up a gift with high hopes, wondering what could be

inside. Is i t a PlayStat ion 5? Airpods? Maybe even t ickets to a Just in Bieber concert?

You r ip off the wrapping paper and bust open the box, only to f ind an odd gift ,

something that doesn ’ t quite match your expectat ions.

Just l ike you and I , many teachers at Gilbert have tales of odd gifts f rom winters

past . When asked for some of these stor ies, many teachers had anecdotes to share.

Here are some of the best :

Mr. Metcalf :

In Mr. Metcalf ’s younger years , his family would often take t r ips to his grandparents ’

summer cabin in Minnesota. Despite their best efforts , Mr. Metcalf and his four

sibl ings could not hold their bladders for the entire t r ip , meaning they had to make

frequent stops along the way. To help rel ieve them (ha ) of this pain, his parents

purchased a portable toi let for the family ’s van, meaning they would not have to

stop for the entire r ide. Over t ime, however , i t was used less and less , and Mr.

Metcalf and his sibl ings began to feel embarrassed by i t , so i t was stored in the att ic

for nearly two decades. There i t sat , col lect ing dust , completely removed f rom the

memories of Mr. Metcalf and his family unti l one fateful Christmas day. Mr. Metcalf

was part ic ipat ing in a white elephant gift exchange with his family when he was

given the chance to pick any one of a number of gifts . Wanting to choose the best

present he could, he instant ly went for the largest box under the t ree. He

enthusiast ical ly r ipped open the box, only to f ind the portable toi let f rom his

chi ldhood, nearly twenty years after he had last seen i t . Needless to say, he was

quite f lushed in the moment!

Writers


By: Oliver Dreyer

UNIQUE HOLIDAY GIFTS

Mrs. Moore:

Mrs. Moore ’s parents love to give their chi ldren experience based gifts , such as

concert t ickets or t r ips, in place of typical presents . In order to make gift giving

more excit ing, her parents often set up a mystery for Mrs. Moore and her sibl ings

to solve: each chi ld receives a random object , serving as a clue hint ing towards

the real gift . A few years ago, they did just that . Mrs. Moore ’s sibl ings received a

pumpkin and crystal sl ippers, while she hersel f was given her old prom dress f rom

high school . The most excit ing hint of al l was the set of Mickey Mouse ears her

brother was given. Mrs. Moore began burst ing with excitement. “We must be going

on a Disney cruise!” she thought to hersel f as they opened the f inal gift . She

imagined boarding the ship, star ing out over the beauti ful ocean as she enjoyed

the warm t ropical weather . Instead of cruise t ickets , however , she received

something much more underwhelming: t ickets to a showing of a Cinderel la play in

Des Moines. Although she st i l l very much enjoyed watching the play with her

family , she could not help but feel disappointed to be there instead of a Disney

cruise ship!

Mr. Charlson:

Imagine you are a third grader part ic ipat ing in your class gift exchange. You draw

the name of a gir l that you know nothing about, apart f rom the fact that she has a

lot of hair . Puzzl ing over what to get her, you f inal ly decide to get her one singular

hair t ie . That ’s useful , r ight? But upon packaging the gift , you real ize i t ’s quite

small . How would you feel receiving such a t iny package?

Anyone who has had the pleasure of taking a class with Mr. Charlson knows he

loves a good joke, something that was not any dif ferent back in elementary school .

Faced with this very problem, he reached a solut ion that was perhaps the greatest

idea he has ever had. In order to make his gift appear more intr iguing, Mr.

Charlson placed the box inside another sl ight ly larger box, which he then put

inside yet another box. The process repeated unti l he had a monstrosity almost as

large as he was. Although the recipient did not f ind his matryoshka - inspired

creat ion as amusing as he did, Mr. Charlson had a great t ime giving her such a

large gift and watching the disappointment on her face grow with each box she

opened.

Although Christmas gifts can be underwhelming at t imes, they create memories

and laughs that last a l i fet ime.



W r e s t l i n gThe wrest l ing team had their f i rst meet

on December 3 at Bondurant High

School to start their season. The team

has been powering through the

chal lenges with COVID. Being such a

contact sport , this year ’s season was

uncertain. Head wrest l ing coach Scott

Auderer said the team has “ lost eight

meets already due to COVID and

weather .” However , for the team ’s

pract ices, Auderer says the rout ine

hasn ’ t changed much compared to

previous years . “ In wrest l ing, we

already clean and disinfect everything

al l the t ime,” he said, “ . . .you just have

to be careful .”

WINTER SPORTS UPDATESBy: Halle Woodbeck

Spectators are st i l l being l imited to two people per athlete. However , with cases r is ing,

al l sports are very unpredictable. While COVID has cancel led several matches

throughout the season, the team is looking for ways to make -up some of the lost meets.

Fortunately , very few athletes have had to quarant ine and none have tested posit ive.

Fol lowing precautions such as taking breaks every 12 minutes and disinfect ing the

equipment has helped ensure their continued season. “ I want them to be thankful for

the opportunity that they have because i t could ’ve easi ly been taken away f rom us,”

Auderer said.

B a s k e t b a l lBasketbal l season is in ful l swing for both the boys

and gir ls teams. The boys varsi ty team had their

f i rst off ic ial game on December 1 fa l l ing to Roland

Story 66 -59. They came back to have a strong

week last week beating both Perry and Winterset

to improve their record to 3 -3. They wil l play their

next game on December 22 at 7:30 against Bal lard.

The gir ls team wil l also play Bal lard on Tuesday at

6 pm. The gir ls are currently undefeated winning

against Southeast Polk on Saturday 62 -42 to

improve their record to 8 -0.

Photos by Debbie

Photos by Debbie

STUDENT ART SHOWCASE


"Hi There!"This is a sketch of my dog when she poked her nose down to see what I was doing. I really

wanted to capture the curious, goofy expression on her face. -Megan Tifft, 12th

December Horoscopes


Virgo (Aug 23 - Sept 22)

Libra (Sept 23 - Oct 22)

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21)

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21)

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19)

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18)

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20)

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19)

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20)

Gemini (May 21 - Jun 20)

Cancer (Jun 21 - Jul 22)

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22)

By: Mina Funaba-O'Brien

The ones who decoratelast minute

The ones who startplaying Christmas music

in early November

The ones who redecoratetheir entire bedroom for

Christmas

The ones who bingeChristmas shows and

movies while doing work

The ones with the master, well-organized Christmas

list

The ones who have aChristmas music playlist

but don't play it

The ones who are alwaysin the giving spirit

The ones who buymatching Christmas

pajamas for their familyand/or friends

The ones who plan giftsmonths ahead of time butend up purchasing them

last minute

The ones who enjoy"cringey" hallmarkChristmas movies

The ones who rig secretSanta or get upset whenthey don't get what they

want during whiteelephant

The indecisive gift buyerwho walks aimlessly

around the store

GHS NEWSPAPER - Gilbert Community School District

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