Norse News

By Braylen L. Tuesday, November 28, was a big night for the Norsemen basketball team. The varsity boys game went into triple overtime with the Norsemen ending up victorious. Also, a school record fell as senior guard Jonovan Wilkinson scored 44 points, the most points scored in a single game, and snagged 15 rebounds. Senior Boaz Clark had a great night, breaking a school record with ten steals in a single game.  The varsity boys game was a thriller. On opening night, the Roland-Story Norsemen faced the Gilbert Tigers at Gilbert. All the fans and players were excited because it is opening night. After a bunch of ups and downs for both teams, when the final buzzer sounded, the game was tied 60-60. The first overtime ended with a score of 70-70, and the second overtime ended with a score of 77-77.  Third overtime starting… Roland Story wins the tipoff. The Norse and the Tigers fight out another eight-minute overtime. Wilkinson put the game away for good with some of his big-time ...

By Kevin D.  Roland-Story acquired a new principal in August of 2023. Mr. Andy McQuillen is the new principal of RSHS. Mr. McQuillen grew up outside of Moscow, Iowa.  Moscow is in far eastern Iowa. He grew up on his family farm next to his grandparents. The families raised hogs, cattle, and row corn crops. He helped a great deal with the farming operation and still helps today when possible. During high school, Mr. McQuillen ran cross country and track and played basketball. Then he attended the University of Nothern Iowa for a Business Education degree. He taught for a while then decided to go back to UNI to get his administration degree. He wanted to be a high school principal. I asked Mr. McQuillen why he likes working with high school students. He said, “High school students have a broader understanding of the world and can provide deeper thinking. I was a high school teacher and coach well before I was ever a principal, which helps with my perspective.”  Mr. McQuille...

By John C. The Iowa All-State Festival was on November 18, 2023. Musicians from all over the state traveled to Iowa State University in Ames to perform in the orchestra, chorus, or band. Among them were several students from Roland-Story. These students include Jenna Birkland, Jaina Brunscheon, John Craig, Luccas Hart, William Licht, Heston McIlrath, Lucy Schmidt, Mason Schnurstein, Casey Spainhower, and Jori Witthuhn. Getting accepted into the festival is a long process that takes a lot of time and effort. The ten students who performed at the All-State Festival had to overcome a lot of hurdles to get accepted into the festival. The conductor for the Iowa All-State Festival picks out six songs that will be performed at the festival. In late July, these pieces of music as well as the annual pieces, “America the Beautiful” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” are given to the students auditioning all over the state of Iowa. Around this time, Roland-Story students had the opportunity to go...

By Zoe V. On November 20th the FFA chapter had their annual Kids Against Hunger event. More than 65 second graders gathered in the elementary school gym with 50 high school FFA members to package meals for families in the community. They packaged 810 bags, which is 5,000 servings, over the course of three hours. This year they packaged oatmeal.  Before the event takes place, FFA advisor Ms. Zimmerman reaches out and submits paperwork to the outreach program, communicates with the elementary school teachers about what day works best, and reaches out to donors to see if they want to fund the event. Zimmerman coordinates with elementary teachers and sends in a PTO funding request. On the day of the event, students meet Ms. Zimmerman at the high school in the morning to load supplies and then walk over to the elementary school to get started with set up. Seven tables were set up with grains, proteins, and other healthy mixes to put into the oatmeal. The goal for these packages is for i...

By Kamryn L. The Roland-Story Volleyball team had a very successful season, although it did not end the way they had hoped. They wrapped up their season in the middle of October after losing in the second-round regionals to Union. They ended the season with a record of 25-12. They finished 2nd in conference behind Nevada, who took the conference title.  There were six players who made the HOIAC All-Conference team. Ali Charlson, Kamryn Lande, and Brookelyn Jondle made first team; Grace Dowling made second team; and Madelyn Risdal and Miley Geise were honorable mentions. There were also many juniors and seniors who were awarded academic all-conference.  The seniors will be greatly missed as they contributed so much to the team. The end-of-season banquet was on Sunday, November 5, to wrap up the season, which gave coaches the chance to hand out awards and for the team to look back and reflect on the season. The team is looking forward to what next year will bring! 

By Ella L. Twice a year, the Roland-Story Key Club hosts a blood drive through LifeServe Blood Center. The blood drive is open to all eligible students and faculty members who have signed up. To be eligible, one must be at least 16 years old with parental consent and weigh at least 120 pounds.  The most recent blood drive was hosted on October 31st of this year. Out of the 30 people registered to donate, 26 people were able to. Fourteen people were first-time donors! Twenty-seven units of blood were collected potentially saving or sustaining 81 lives. The role of the Key Club while hosting the blood drives is to coordinate the date and time and to promote the blood drive through social media and posters. The senior members of Key Club explain the process and give detailed information to the student body during seminar. Some members volunteer to bring baked goods for people who donate blood while others sit at the cantina to make sure the donors recuperate properly. Mary Sara Lettow...

By William Z. In early November, Roland-Story High School students and staff participated in their annual fall cleanup. Fall cleanup is something that the high school does every year right before winter. The students get out of school early and go around Roland and Story City to rake leaves.  This year it was rescheduled from October 26th to November 6th, due to the weather and the lack of leaves on the ground. After the schedule change, the weather was perfect. It was sunny, not too windy, and a great day for leaf raking. The leaf clean-up is one of the bright spots of the semester for some of the students. “Fall clean-up is one of my favorite parts of the first semester. It is fun to get out of school and go rake leaves for people who don’t have the time or are not able to,” said junior Braylen Loots. Similarly, junior Brady Lettow said, “My favorite part of it is to see my group’s progress and all of the leaves getting cleaned up and on top of that we got out of school a little ...

By Rylee W. Nearly 20% of children and young people ages 5-17 in the United States have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder, and suicidal behaviors among high school students increased more than 40% in the decade before 2019, according to the National Institutes of Health. Although these statistics are very real and horrifying, students at Roland-Story High School are facing these mental challenges head-on and are demanding change for those who bottle their emotions. Mind Matters is the new mental health club that focuses on genuine human interaction, being a light for those who sit in the dark, and advocating for mental health in teens.  I decided I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for something to change, so I started Mind Matters. The club is composed of passionate high school students and is under the direction of Anna Fleecs, RSHS guidance counselor. She is in charge of sending out mass emails to the school when we have events, helping fundraise, an...

By Adalyn S. On Saturday, November 4, the Roland-Story Competition Cheer Team competed at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The Norsemen cheerleaders competed in the 2A division in the Small Stunt Group and Cheer Dance categories.  The day started early in the morning for the cheerleaders, meeting at the school at 5:15 a.m. for breakfast and to start to get ready. By 6:15 a.m. they were on the road headed for the fairgrounds. Upon arrival, many other cheerleaders were checking in at the same time. All cheerleaders were filled with nerves, excitement, and determination.  The day went very well for the Roland-Story cheerleaders. The Small Stunt Group brought home a first-place trophy for the third year in a row. The Small Stunt Group consisted of Aurora Kightlinger, Jaina Brunscheon, Jori Witthuhn, Adalyn Sporleder, and Chloe McGuigan. The teams coming behind the Norsemen were Northeast (Goose Lake) in second place and Columbus Catholic in third place. Next, the Cheer Dance team broug...

By Owen J.  The 2023 Roland-Story Fall Play is running in full swing with all cast and crew members present and rehearsing hard to make this year’s show, “Ghostlight,” a great success. With one week left until opening night, actors and crew members are working on finishing touches for the show, and everyone is excited to perform for the public. There are many seniors in this year's cast and crew, who all have put countless hours into fall play in the past four years. Senior Jaina Brunscheon, starring in the lead role as Garbiella Nettles, said, “I am most excited for the audience's reaction to the plot twist in the end.” She, as well as the rest of the cast, is looking forward to having an audience which makes the experience way more fun for the actors.  Fall play is a great time for many students to get together and have fun. “My favorite aspect is hanging with my pals in the choir room and backstage, making friends and having a good time,” said senior Lucas Wuebker, playing ...

By Alana T. October 28, 2023, marked the 20th anniversary of the Haunted High School at Roland-Story. First put on in 2003 by NHS, what we know as the Haunted High School was simply a haunted house, and it has continued to grow. The way the haunted house was run initially differs from how it is run today. Mrs. Fetterer, the school secretary and teacher sponsor of NHS, was asked her opinion on how this year’s Haunted High School went. In comparison to past years, Mrs. Fetterer said that the turnout was a little higher. This difference from past years may be due to this year's planning.  Planning for the Haunted High School usually starts in the beginning of September, right after Labor Day. All NHS members meet and are briefed on how the Haunted High School works. They then form groups to work in and claim a section of the high school to decorate. Each group develops their assigned section into a unique and scary idea that they come up with. But the planning for this event doesn’t g...

By Dylan N.  Roland-Story esports has had incredible success within the past few years. Examples include the Overwatch and Smite teams attending state tournaments last year. This year marks the third year RSHS has participated in esports through the Iowa High School Esports Association. One of the titles for fall season is Super Smash Bros. Super Smash Bros. is a player vs. player fighting game where you can play famous Nintendo characters against your friends or online. The Roland-Story Smash Bros. team features seniors Nathan Barkema, Braden Vinson, and Logan McLain; junior Logan Bunn; sophomores Aidan Lowther and Justin Shanks; and freshmen Ethan Mikel, Kyler Jensen, and Kail Hendersen. Practices happen after school, and involve matches against teammates as well as scrimmages against other schools. Their games go with three rounds where the team who gets two wins takes it all home for a win. The scoring system is set to have five players from each team battle it out over vario...

By Marty I. The City Council for Story City meets twice a month at six o’clock in City Hall. At these meetings, regular business includes updating ordinances to keep the public safe and happy, or reviewing budgeting and planning for the future of the town. During the Oct. 16, 2023, meeting, the council covered a variety of business. Once Mayor Mike Jensen opened the meeting, role was taken. Council members Connie Philips, Rhonda Ostrem, Mary Kay Solberg, Dave Sporleder, and Jim O’Connor were all present. Next, the minutes from October 2 were approved. In the meeting previous, the council discussed the budgets for the police and fire department, along with parking ordinances and a liquor license for Swanee’s Pub. As Bertha Bartlett Public Library is undergoing planning for expansion, they are required to communicate with the city council. Chris Feil, director of the library board, proposed the new bid for the expansion and answered questions asked by the council. He also introduced the ...