Articles from Feb 8, 2022

I’m sure going through the paper this week that you're wondering if this is a new page that you see – and, well, it is. I’m a student at Norris and one thing that I've wanted to be involved with that we didn’t have was a journalism club. So, like any person, I started one up with the support of school administration, staff and those around me. I along with other several other students at Norris will be putting together a school page for the newspaper every other week. Some of the things that you will find are current or upcoming events at the high school, events that happen every week, a student or teacher spotlight and submissions by some of the other clubs/students.

Included in our initial group is Abigail Faz, Anneliese Bargen, AutumnWinter, Emma Stacy, Isabelle Lewis, Jade Chauza, Stella Hutzler and Emily Glinsmann, who are all high school students here at Norris, and we are excited to bring a glimpse into your home from our school and things that we achieve and have going on here. We'll be learning as we go as a journalism team, especially as we're starting more or less from scratch more than half-way through this school year, but we hope that you enjoy what we bring the weeks that the page isincluded in the newspaper!

Thanks for reading!

The Norris Music Program has been a staple in the community for many years. This program includes the various branches of band and choir. Throughout the years the music program has thrived. This year, Norris Gold, the varsity show choir, placed first in UNL Midwest Cup and Lincoln East’s Spartan Spectacular. Norris’s Marching Band was crowned class B champions at the state marching band competition only a couple of months ago. The band has grown to around 79 students and the choir followed with around 163 students. This year, Norris High School revived its chapter of Tri-M. Tri-M is a music honor society that inspires students to be active in their community, provides leadership opportunities, and acknowledges students for musical achievements. Tri-M stands for the three musics: band, choir, and orchestra. Tri-M was originally founded in 1936 and became a section of the well known National Association for Music Education (NAfME) in 1983. With this in mind, Tri-M has been an integral part of the music education system for over a hundred years.

Hunter Boe, a music educator at Norris High School, took on the task of Tri-M Advisor in hopes of bringing band and choir students together for service and leadership. According to Mr. Boe, Tri-M “is a sign of a healthy [music] program.” The Tri-M program remained dormant for a number of years before this revitalization in 2021-2022. Norris’s music directors have collaborated with each other to create the best activity environment for the students. Along with Mr. Boe, the student leaders have become a huge part of the program. Tyler Wilson, Delaney Leyden, Heather Riensche, and Jake Parsley were chosen to lead the group. When searching for student leadership, the directors wanted to find “somebody that had a vision.” These four students are able to come up with plans and ideas that benefit Tri-M.

A huge part of being a Tri-M member revolves around service and volunteering. Students are expected to volunteer at least once per semester. Some other prerequisites for the program include being a band or choir member and having a desire to serve and invest in the music community. Some upcoming events Tri-M is looking forward to are District Music Contest, selling valentine-grams, Fields of Talent, and hopefully an end of the year event. Over the next five years the program’s goals are to create bylaws, become student-led, have a calendar full of events, and become an indispensable and impactful organization for the Norris community. Another goal for the future is to participate in the UNL Tri-M sessions that educate students and give them a fun new experience.

Norris is surrounded by amazing people and musicians. Tri-M can remind students that music “says what you feel like you can’t say or that it hints at something you didn’t even know you felt, it moves in you”. For Hunter Boe, this program will bring a brand new opportunity for the music program and all of its members. “The most inspiring thing is watching people grow and get better. That’s my favorite."

As a student at Norris High School, I don’t truly know many of my teachers, and as far as knowing my peers, I tend to only know those in my friend group. So, I decided that it could benefit us all to get to know both our instructors and classmates, not just by the sports a student plays, or by the subject a teacher teaches, but by their hobbies and interests outside of school. The Norris community is so large and diverse that we often are blind to the traits we all bring to the table, so it is my goal that by reading about others in our community we can start new conversations with the people around us and build friendships to last the duration of our high school years, if not lifetime.

Teachers are the heart of our school campus. They dedicate their careers to teaching students a multitude of subjects day after day, week after week. Without teachers, students could not become the people they are, with the ambition to further their knowledge in different subjects and career paths.

Mr. Steinkuhler is an American History and Government teacher at Norris High School. In the past he has taught global perspectives, AP government, sociology, psychology, and economics. When asked why he wanted to start teaching, he stated, “Originally I wanted to coach and I had a strong interest in history. As years have gone by, I really enjoy the classroom more and more and the coaching less.” Mr. Steinkuhler has coached many sports, including basketball, track, football, and baseball at both the high school and middle school levels.

Growing up, Mr. Steinkuhler’s favorite subject was history, which led him to enjoy all social studies. This is just one reason why he chose a career in education. “Early in high school, I had a great history teacher, and wanted to make an impact like him.” He went on to say that, “Mr. Wusk was my football coach and history teacher from 8th grade until I graduated. He taught me many life lessons, more than content.”

Teachers' hard work often goes unnoticed by students, their thoughts buried by the stress of their own studies. As a continuously expanding community, it is our duty to recognize the hard work, dedication, and generosity of those around us. Mr. Steinkuhler is just one of the teachers in the Norris School District that encourages students to not only do well in studies, but to take their ideas and aspirations to the next level, whether it be academically or in sports.

The Norris Titan Talkers speech team competed at the Lincoln Northeast Space Race on Friday, January 28. The team brought 18 members and participated in a total of 37 events. The bus departed at 1:30, after a half day of school and the competition went well into the evening.

“All competitions are long, but the Friday ones seem even longer,” sophomore Miranda Davis said. “After a partial day of school, having to compete in multiple events that are already hectic is mentally taxing.”

After their long day of work, the team sat in the Lincoln Northeast High School auditorium to hear the results from their five finalists: freshmen Abi Faz and Brandon Groth, and seniors Elisia Frey, Noah Niemeyer and Gionna Weber.

“Finals are a lot of pressure, you’re competing against the best-of-the-best,” Faz said. “But then I remember that I deserve to be there too.”

The Norris team placed fifth overall, after the teams from David City, Malcolm, Lincoln East, and Millard North. Niemeyer was champion in Informative and placed 5th in Program of Interpretation. Weber placed 2nd in Impromptu and 16th in Informative. Frey placed 8th in Poetry. Weber and Frey placed 6th in their Duo. Faz placed 10th in Persuasive. Groth placed 4th in Entertainment.

“No matter how I do, seeing kids, who I have worked with and become close with, final brings me so much joy,” junior Emma Stacy said. “Even if I don’t final, it is great to watch them do what they love.”

While the team is seeing success, they are determined to keep getting better. February is the last full month of the speech season. Members are required to practice after school twice a week, but many are at speech practice far more often. They are working diligently to qualify for the upcoming state tournament on March 16.

“I am working toward state by coming in most days after school,” sophomore Brooklyn Ivy said. “I am preparing for both my individual event and my group event.”

Speech isn’t all work and no play. There is a balance between practicing and socializing. Team members often watch and give advice for fellow members’ speeches, while still being light-hearted. In fact, most members are friends outside of speech too, even with people from other schools’ teams.

“Every speech team is like a family,” said Davis. “But when we all get together at competitions, it’s like a big reunion.”

Overall, speech is a worthwhile experience for the students involved. The benefits come from trying their best and succeeding by winning medals or simply from the fun they have while participating. With one of the largest teams in Norris High School’s history, hopefully it continues to be as such for many years to come.