Feature

By Jaime Gabel 

The annual Seward Rotary Home Holiday Outdoor Lighting Contest was held Sunday evening, December 2, 2007.  The holiday outdoor lighting and decorated homes in the Greater Seward Area were judged by a group from the Seward Rotary Club and the Seward High Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).  The following homes and families are recognized for outstanding efforts to create a festive atmosphere for the 2007 Seward holidays.  Winners include...

Grand Prize-"Best Overall" The Ben Earnest Family, 1710 Edgewood Lane

The "Mayor's" Award,  James Noe Family, 611 North 6^th Street

The Christmas Spirit Award, The Toni Sabatka Family, 212 Hickory

The Family Award, The Ron Schultz Family, 1442 North Columbia Avenue

The Children's Award, The David Hudson Family, 207 South 2^nd Street

The Best Religious Display, The Terry Kamprath Family, 938 Cherry Lane

The Osborne Award, The Mich Goldsmith Family, 1610 North 2^nd

The Countdown Award, The Mark Suhr Family, 1920 North 4^th Street

The Icicle Award, The  Jacob Parr Family, 1978 Starr

The Rudolph Award, The Craig Williams Family, 455 Starr Street

The Best Homemade Award, Clyde Hobbs Family, 311 South 9^th St.

The Best Lighted Tree Award, The John Moody Family, 2040 Parkview Drive

The Club President's Choice, The John O'Dell Family, 1800 Karol Kay Blvd.

The Best Decorated Fence Award, The Van Vahle Family, 700 Pinewood Avenue

The Best Decorated Playhouse Award, Olivia Volzke, 1226 North 1^st Street

The Best Decorated Deck, The Tom Schlueter Family, 147 Wildwood Road

The "Christmas Card Home" Award, The Bob Urban Family, 1717 Eastridge Avenue

The "Christmas Corner" Award, The Tom Matzke Family, 116 South Columbia and The Charles Matzke Family, 15 Seward Street

The Best Wreath Award, The Brad Bowen Family, 1269 Ridge Road

Honorable Mention Awards were presented to....

            The Dean Roll Family, 422 Hillcrest Avenue

            The Jack Aegerter Family, 416 Hillcrest Avenue

            The Sue Wickersham Family,  906North 3^rd Street

            The Matt Stryson Family, 1039 North 5^th Street

            The Clark Koehler Family, 1050 North 5^th Street

            The Scott Bruick Family, 1101 North 5^th Street

            The Don Rolfsmeier Family, 1118 North 5^th Street

            The Rick Weatherholt Family, 1830 North 1^st

            The Jim Plake Family, 211 Struther's Place

            The  Friog Family, 345 South 9^th Street

            The Brent Jackman Family, 755 Cory Drive

            The Steve Borer Family, 19955Rainbow Avenue

            The Mark Perry Family, 2000 Rainbow Avenue

            The Duanne Miner Family, 2030 Rainbow Avenue

            The Jim Huber Family, 1888 Karol Kay Blvd.

            The Mike Demuth Family, 1640 Edgewood Lane

            The Cliff Damrow Family, 1777 Edgewood Lane

            The Roger Grunke Family, 725 Bader

            The Richard Znamenacek Family, 1245 Eastridge Drive

            The Bob Elwell Family, 352 East Bek Avenue

            The Roger Lindner Family, 2633 East Seward Road

            The Ted Grigsby Family, 237 2^nd Street

            The Jim Arneson Family, 636 5^th Street

            The Matt Lichty Family, 604 North 5^th

The contest was judged by members of the Seward Rotary Club and the SHS FBLA. Judges co-chair for the Rotary Club were Allen Baldwin and Phil Bangert.  Judges co-chair for the SHS FBLA were J.T. Cattle and John Wiemer.  Questions can be directed to Allen Baldwin. 

While businesses were not judged, special recognition must be given to Merle's Flower Shop, The Bakery, Fashion's by Barb, Mueri Drug, the Flower Mill, Café on the Square, Hall of Cards, Gracie's Boutique, Concordia University and the Seward Civic Center for their holiday window and outdoor decorations.  The Civic Center's grand tree on the corner of 6^th and Bradford is one of the best lighted trees in Nebraska!  The downtown Seward business area is aglow with holiday lights and creates a festive atmosphere for all who see it!

Both the Seward Rotary Club and the SHS FBLA are hosts for the Chamber's Cradick's Country Christmas display and encourages families to drive throughout Seward and visit the park to see this wonderful volunteer effort, keeping the Christmas Spirit alive in Seward for the young and young at heart!

By Dani Caler

            Between filling ourselves with turkey, opening presents from Santa, spending time with family and celebrating the New Year, we may find ourselves suffering from a little bit of cabin fever.  Here are five things for you to do to keep yourself busy during the holiday season:

1. Build a snowman!

            Nothing like going back to childhood and putting on the old snow pants and boots and going outside in the chilly weather for a good time in the snow.  There is no fun in building a snowman by yourself so take out your kids or your little brother or sister or even your significant other!  Don't forget to round up the necessary supplies to give your snowman some character (i.e. carrot for the nose, scarf, hats and a button for the nose!) and watch your snowman come to life!

2. Bake Christmas cookies!

            Who doesn't love walking into a warm home, immediately catching the aroma of baking cookies when you step in the door?  There are thousands of different kinds of cookies to make for the holiday season, so call up your great aunt and ask for her secret recipe for her favorite cookies or go online searching for a new cookie you've never tried.  After baking them, share them with your family.  For a neat gift idea, wrap them in Christmas related baggies and tie with curly ribbons.  Just don't forget to save some for Santa!

3. Donate to a charity.

            The holiday season is a great time to give.  You are already spending more money than you expected so why not spend an extra ten dollars on a gift for a child who may not have Christmas this year.  There are so many easy opportunities to donate to charity.  The easiest way is to go to your church and ask for a family to help out.  If you don't belong to a church there are many other ways.  A few I've recently heard of: Kamp Out for Kids on December 7-8 in the Wal-Mart parking lot on 27^th and Superior, the Teddy Bear Toss at the Lincoln Stars vs. Waterloo Blackhawks hockey game on December 7 at 7:05 and Toys for Tots at any Toys ‘R Us or Babies ‘R Us store. 

4. Have a movie day!

            After baking your delicious Christmas cookies, settle down with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy some of your favorite Christmas movies.  Either rent them from the local video shops or find them on TV.  There are plenty on TV during the holiday season (ABC Family has at least one on every night).  Some great classics include "A Christmas Carol", "Rudolf, the Red Nose Reindeer" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  Also, don't forget to watch the 24-hour marathon of "A Christmas Story" starting on Christmas Eve on TBS!

5. Drive through the Cradick Chirstmas Lights display.

            Cradick Christmas lights are up right after Thanksgiving and are open every night including Christmas Eve!  Cruise through the winter wonderland light show with friends or family any night after dinner (hey, you could even bring along those delicious Christmas cookies you made for dessert!).  It only costs a few dollars to get in and provides a radio station to tune into to listen to some festive holiday music while enjoying the view.  For all you men out there, the Christmas lights are a romantic date idea for your special someone during Christmas time!

           Christmas is a wonderful time to get back in touch with yourself and your family.  Make sure to take a minute to think about all of your blessings and to let your family know how much you care about them.  These five activities are a great way to help out in the process of doing so and are fun and exciting at the same time.  Happy holidays everyone!

Winter Sports Cheerleaders

                                                                      By Liz Lichty       

            The Seward High Cheerleaders started off the season at the first varsity girl's basketball game against Hastings on November 29. This season's squad consists of Captain Alicia Kirschbaum, Dani Svoboda, Liz Lichty, Cassidy McLaughlin, Lexi Cudmore, Desiree Earnest, Brittany Ogden, Nicole Gifford, Sierra Smith, and Haley Leach. The cheerleaders will be cheering for boys and girls varsity basketball and wrestling. They will be attending every home game and as many away games as possible.

            The squad practices three days a week, Mondays after school 3:30-5, Tuesdays and Thursdays in the morning 7-7:45. Each practice they review cheers for both wrestling and basketball. They have been working on posters and trying to come up with new cheers.

The cheerleaders will be attending their first wrestling meet of the season on Thursday, December 6. They will also be attending the boy's varsity basketball game on Friday, December 7.

"I am really looking forward to cheering for basketball this year, both the girls and boys teams are good this year and the games are really fun when people get into them," said Lexi Cudmore.

"I am excited to cheer for wrestling because I really enjoy watching it," said Dani Svoboda.

This week the cheerleaders are planning on having a poster party. They are planning on making signs to hang up in the gym and all around the school. If you have any ideas or suggestions for posters let one of the cheerleader's know.

By  Rhiannon Root                     

"Freaks and Geeks"

What it is: An obscure, brilliant but canceled TV show from 1999-2000 era NBC. It centers around brother and sister Sam and Lindsay living in 1980s Michigan. However the 1980s era doesn't distract from the story at all, most of it takes place in high school, which in some respects never changes. Lindsay has identity issues, she's not a goody-goody like her earnest church-going friend Millie, and she's not like Kim, a shoplifting straight D student. On the other hand her brother, Sam, seems very clear about who his friends are, Neal and Bill, however being labeled a "geek" is distressing to him.

Why it Rocks: It's by far the most realistic portrayal of high school ever (which may be why it was canceled!) "Freaks and Geeks" showed more issues than just the obvious teenage ones. This show had moments of pure hilarity; Lindsay throws a party unknowingly serving non-alcoholic beer and thus demonstrates the power of suggestion. And this show will also break your heart; Bill's mother dates his gym teacher, Lindsay talks about her grandmother's death. "Freaks and Geeks" will break your heart while you're laughing yourself silly.

            Many of these actors have gone on to be famous including: James Franco, Seth Rogan and Jason Segal, coincidentally all "freaks." Producer of the show, Judd Apatow has had a string of hits (many of which had former cast members) "Knocked Up," "Superbad," and "Anchorman."

            Other cast members have been successful as well, though they aren't as well known. John Francis Daley (Sam) has been in "Waiting" and currently plays a psychotherapist. Linda Cardellini (Lindsay) and Busy Philips (Kim) currently play doctors on "ER." Sam Levine (Neal) was in the recent Amanda Bynes movie "Sydney White." Creator Paul Feig is working on the screenplay adaptation of "Stargirl."

Why You've (Probably) Never Heard Of It: "Freaks and Geeks" was cancelled early on, but did have repeats on ABC Family. The DVD is now available with all the original music, which is pretty awesome considering how hard it is to get licensing rights. It runs for about $40, which is well worth the price.

By Keri Volnek 

"It's the Holiday Season!" and carols will be sung here at the high school Monday, December 17th at 7pm.

    The second term band and choir has been preparing diligently for their upcoming concert this month. The band will be performing five selected pieces: "Festive Fanfare For the Holidays", "A Cambrige Carol", "Christmas at the Movies", "Parade of the Bumbling Wooden Soldier", and "Christmas Classics: a Medly of Christmas Carols". Although small, this term's band will create a festive sound to get you in the mood for the holidays!

   The Choir, consisting of about 50 members this term, will also be singing five selected pieces: "In the Bleak Midwinter", "Sleigh Ride", "Angel's Song", "Hodie" (a latin piece), and "Somewhere in My Memory" from the movie "Home Alone". There is also a select choir in which choir members had to audition. They will be singing an acapella piece entitled "The New Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies".  In addition to the show, there will be a few duets and small groups such as Nate Walden and Keri Volnek singing "Baby It's Cold Outside" and a trio of boys singing "Oh Holy Night".

   The Swing Choir has also prepared a little Holiday show. In addition to their regular show, they will be singing "Perfect Christmas Night" from the movie "Dr. Suess's How the Grinch Stole Christmas", "Angels in Seven" (Hark the Herald Angels sing with a twist), and "It's the Holiday Season." Choreography for the first and last piece were done by Kelsey Wullenwaber and Ciara McCormack.

By:Sherry Stevens

You can ask almost any of the twenty girls who are on this year's Winterguard team if they're ready for the season and get pretty much the same answer.  "I am pumped!" exclaims junior Tiffani Toft.  The performance this year is going to be a little different from what you're used to seeing from this group.  The girls will be performing to the song entitled, "Operator" by Toby Lightman.  Julie Hadley will once again be choreographing the show and Annette Stevens will be painting the tarp to look like a grand piano.

"We haven't learned too much of the routine yet but what we do know is amazing," states senior Corissa Fosler.  "I couldn't ask for a better show for my senior year."  The girls have been practicing every Tuesday night to get ready for the season.  The vast majority of the show will be learned over Christmas break and when school is back in session, the girls will be busy having at least two night practices a week and numerous morning practices.  "The seniors all really want our championship title back," Corissa continues, "We haven't had it since our freshman year so we'll really be pushing the girls to reach our goal."

The girls won't officially start their competition season for a while yet.  They will be competing several Saturdays out of the year.  The competition dates include February 2nd, and 16th, March 1st, and Championships on March 15th.  The girls will also be attending a regional competition in Denver, Colorado March 20th-22nd.  Each of these dates except for championships and regionals are full days where the girls will be attending one competition in the morning and another later that night.  Wish the girls luck!