October Hawk Talks 

Many students at Hiawatha High School are involved in extra curricular activities such as Volleyball, Scholars Bowl and Cross Country. While these activities all require talent, an often overlooked part of team success is the ability to be a good teammate.

HHS is filled with experienced coaches, so I asked three of them what they think a good teammate is.

Coach Nicole Jewett recalled a high school club softball teammate of hers who was a memorable teammate. Jewett said that this teammate, Kylie Sveum, “was everything you could imagine about a great teammate.”

One of Kylie Sveum's quotes Coach Jewett said that really captures what it means to play a sport is "Good enough isn't ‘good enough,’ you can always be better."

Coach Jewett also said "She was all of the good teammate characteristics. She told me to work through whatever was going on; her motto was, ‘Prepare. Practice. Play. Leave it all out on the Field.’’’

 She said how much she stuck out from the rest, and that's why she will remember the kind of teammate she was and will look for that in the kids she coaches Like Jewett, coaches are always looking for great players to lead their teams; being a great teammate opens up so many opportunities to stand out and be that.  Coach Brady Jasper said he looks for a great teammate while coaching. When asking him who he remembers Jon White was immediately who he thought of. 

Coach Jasper said “He cared more about the team being successful than he did his own personal success or stats.” He also talked about how much he cared to win, but not by himself; with his team.

After all of his years of coaching and playing sports he learned, “The confidence that is built through a good teammate, an encouraging teammate .. will far out-weigh the confidence that is built through an encouraging coach, or parent, or anyone else. "

Lastly I asked Coach Wyatt Jiru his opinions on teammates after rebuilding our football and weights program with his family in just one year. 

Coach Jiru said he always looks for good teammates in everyone because he believes everyone can do it. When playing football, he said he met many good teammates but one who he remembers is his high school teammate Bryson Littlejohn. 

" Bryson led by example, held our better and worse teammates accountable and always did the right thing,” Said Jiru. He also said he looks for characteristics like his in everyone he coaches.

After reading this you might have noticed a pattern; everyone mentioned was a great teammate. So next time you are in practice or at a game or maybe even at school, start being that great teammate that your team needs. Don't be good, be great.

On October 10, 2025 it is national Mental Health Day.  The main idea of this holiday is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world to help mobilize efforts in support of mental health. Mental health has been and will continue to be a growing topic in the world, as the rates fluctuate since previous years. 

Today, newer generations have begun normalizing mental health issues. This is in order to prevent the instability caused by mental health crises. Mental health becomes a serious topic when people are being negatively impacted increasingly and regularly. According to hopkinsmedicine.org, one in every four adults will experience an extreme mental health crisis in their early lifetime. Not only will they experience mental health issues in their lifetime, but because of these issues the suicide rate has gone up immensely. Suicide has now become the second highest cause of death among teenagers only being beaten by accidents- such as car wrecks. This is why resources are more available and normalized today. 

Recently at our school, awareness towards mental health was shown when we had an assembly f0r suicide prevention. On Friday, September 26 motivational speaker, Damon Parker came to our school to share his personal story regarding suicide. Students were told about his experience and the way he overcame his depression. After the speech students were then reminded about the easily accessible resources our school provides. The point of this speaker was to show students at HHS that they are not alone and there is always a way to get through life. 

 “School can be stressful! When you know more about mental health, you also learn ways to deal with stress, setbacks, and pressure in healthier ways,’” HHS Counselor, Madee Lierz said.   

“Knowing the signs of stress, anxiety, or sadness can help you notice when something’s off- in yourself or a friend- before it gets worse. Being able to understand mental health now means you’ll carry those skills into college, work, and adult life. It helps you build resilience and empathy,” Lierz said.  

Mental health however, has not always been such a normalized and supported topic. In the 16th century, mental health was a super serious condition (in a bad way), but instead of anyone taking steps to help these people they were sent away to asylums, prisons, and institutions to “get rid” of their condition. These places generally did nothing other than torturing the people housed there, causing their mental health to decline even more rather than disappear. It was not until the late 1700’s that it was realized actual treatment would better impact them than confinement did.  

The acceptance of mental health conditions have come a long way since first being recognized. Now resources are very easy to get a hold of and people are educated on how to recognize if someone is struggling. This day should be used as a day to not only check on other people, but also check on yourself. The world has a place for everyone. Everyone is special and important.

It’s officially fall, and for Hiawatha residents, that only means one thing: the Mulberry Pumpkin Patch is now open for the Sept. 20-Oct. 26 season. Only two minutes east of town, Mulberry is a classic fall activity for Hiawatha High School students every year.

The pumpkin patch, which initially opened in 2010, has plenty of activities to entertain students and adults alike. They have a laser tag arena, pedal boats, a hayrack ride, a corn maze, and a few more attractions for both young and old people to enjoy.

However, if fun activities are not the vibe you are going for, many people claim that Mulberry has a relaxing ambiance and that it can be a comfortable place to wind down.

HHS Freshman and Pumpkin Patch worker Nola Boswell said that she finds the pumpkin patch to be quite serene and that she and her co-workers “work hard to make it a relaxing experience for visitors.”

“The relaxing atmosphere was the main reason I wanted to work there,” Boswell said.

The pumpkin patch has something for everyone, whether it be nostalgia, relaxation or fun. This has caused several local families to make it a tradition to go every year.

“It is just something you do every fall, just like you would go look at Christmas lights during the wintertime. It’s just the perfect time to soak up the sun before it gets too cold,” HHS Alumni Grace Morey said.

Unlike bigger pumpkin patches in larger cities like Manhattan and Lawrence, Mulberry has a charm unlike any other, attracting people from all over the place.

“It is easily one of the best parts of Hiawatha during the fall,” Lawrence Free State High School student Cyrus Rogers said. Rogers also said that Mulberry “captures the small town feel that Lawrence lacks.”

Whether picking out pumpkins, relaxing, or enjoying the fall ambiance, the Mulberry Pumpkin Patch is no longer just a farm. It has become a central part of the Hiawatha community in the fall and for Hiawatha students in particular. As October goes on be sure to make the trip with your family or fellow classmates to get your pumpkins or try some laser tag and pedal boats. 

They have tackled homework and exams. Now, Hiawatha High School students face a bloodthirsty plant. The students are staging the sci-fi musical comedy "Little Shop of Horrors," bringing the iconic, ever-growing Audrey II to life in the school auditorium on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15.

The cast, under the direction of director Josh May, includes eighth graders Briar Schuetz as Audrey II, and Kellen Boye and Marryssa Johansen as additional cast; freshmen Autumn Rudder as additional cast, Ella Olson as Ronnette and Mariah Sigurdson as additional cast; sophomores Abella Woessner as Audrey, Austin Hasenohr as Orin, Olyvya Johansen as additional cast, Rachel Phillips as Crystal, Timothy Mowry as Seymour and Tyson LeMay as Audrey II; and juniors Chance Rudder as Mr. Mushnik  and Oliver Tawzer as Chiffon.

The cast describes the musical as a "spooky, funny and full of attitude" dark comedy. 

“It follows one of the main characters, Seymour, who finds a strange, interesting plant, which looks like a baby venus flytrap, but much more grotesque and with actual teeth,” junior Rudder said. “As he does this, he comes across the fact that it enjoys blood and it will only accept fresh blood.” 

Many actors emphasized the show’s unique blend of genres, saying that it is more of a comedic thriller than a pure horror.

For May, the selection of the musical was both a practical and creative decision. 

"The biggest thing was the cast size, like how many people were interested in auditioning for the musical, since we’re a smaller school," May said. 

He was also drawn to its "kinda goofy" premise, noting that a story about a "man-eating alien plant" was something interesting the school had never done before and would captivate both students and the community.

The rehearsal process has been a mix of both hard work and impromptu humor. 

One of many memorable moments involved the actors playing the carnivorous plant. 

“When some people tried to play the plant, it got complicated. Briar and Tyson are both plants. It’s pretty funny,” said Phillips. 

Several actors, like Schuetz and Boye, also noted the fun of the first script read-through, where there were unexpected lines that made them laugh. Embracing their characters has been a key part of the process. However, it can be challenging to tackle.

 For Hasenohr, who plays the sadistic dentist, Orin, the most challenging part was mastering the character's voice and attitude. 

“His attitude and voice, originally, it kinda has an Elvis Presley accent. I tried to do that but it came out country," Hasenohr said.

Meanwhile, Schuetz said that it’ll be hard for him because he has to control his voice in a certain way and has to control a big costume. However, it’ll still be amazing, he said.

Despite the challenges, the cast is excited to share the show’s memorable music and unexpected twists. 

“My favorite song is the sominex/supper time reprise, because it's a fun song and it’s where everything goes down and where all the exciting parts are,” Woessner said.

For the director, the ultimate goal is to leave the audience with a specific feeling. 

"I would think, probably, a sense of joy and perplexity, since the musical does end in an unconventional way," May said. 

Offering a final, almost a cryptic hint about the show's fateful conclusion, May advised simply to not get attached to anybody.

These past few months teenagers and adults alike have all been captivated by this year's latest love triangle. The show “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has gained much attention recently and wrapped up just last month. There were many reasons why so many people tuned in every Wednesday to watch this series.

In the show, there have been a multitude of very popular trendy songs to accompany some of the most intense scenes, and even popular songs for the teasers and trailers accompanying the series. For instance, the teaser that they put together for season three has two Taylor Swift songs, “Daylight,” and “Red.” Both of the songs have a theme of love and longing, which is why they used the songs to represent the main characters Jeremiah and Conrad. 

“I really like the songs, especially in the finale with ‘Dress’ and ‘Out of the Woods,’ it helped give us a look into Belly’s brain,” junior Ava Andres said. 

The show regularly uses the soundtrack to really convey to the audience what the characters are feeling and going through, and to get them to feel empathy for the characters and even relate to them in some cases. 

Before being a TV series, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” was a written book trilogy by Jenny Han. The books were written from 2009-2011 according to seventeen.com. They did not have quite as many readers as they do nowadays, compared to how many they have gained from it being adapted into a TV series. The books have also had alternate covers created in recent years, including certain actors and settings from the TV show, to make them more appealing to modern generations. 

The series has brought a wider audience to the books and the story that the author wrote. Most of the world would not know about that story had it not been for the enormous popularity of the show. 

Andres mentioned how the popularity of the series made her want to read the physical books just to see the parallels, because she enjoyed the TV adaptation so much. The creator, co-showrunner, and executive producer, Han, has also written many other books such as “Burn for Burn,” and “Shug.” You might not have heard of those, but the other most popular book series she has written is “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” which like “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” got adapted into an onscreen version. This book turned into a movie instead of a TV show series, though. Han has always worked hard on being directly involved with the on screen adaptations of her books. 

At the latest premier, for the finale, it was announced that there will be a movie to continue the story. 

“I look forward to the movie, because I feel like the end of the series was really rushed, and we don’t really have the full story,” senior Taryn Keller said. 

Many people have shared their excitement about the finale and how excited they are for the movie to close out the story.

Students at Hiawatha High School might remember how much panic there was when TikTok was going to get banned . . . everyone frantically tried to figure out what they were going to doom scroll on once it was gone. Now, think for a second about what you would do if the extreme was to happen with every other notable social media platform getting banned. That's exactly what was going to happen in Nepal at the start of September with the government planning to ban every social media platform except TikTok, Viber, Witk, Nimbuzz, and Popo Live.

The government officials claimed that these bans were to curb cybercrime, hate speech, and misinformation. While older people in the country thought this was fine, Generation Z (Gen Z) took to the streets in protest. Something that is important to understand is that the average Nepalese person is not the most well off in the world, and many of the government officials have kids that had much nicer things than the average person. This had been a force fuelling people for years and with people in the streets protesting already the situation was ready to explode.

Guards failed to stop the protesters from entering the area around the parliament building with non-lethal means like teargas, then they opened fire with live ammunition on the crowds. This caused serious injuries and even killed some of the protesters, pushing many of the protesters over the edge and causing them to start rioting.

This led to looting becoming common in the capital and the Parliament Building being burnt down the next day. All of this forced the prime minister of Nepal to step down. The violence eventually led to negotiations and there is now a new interim prime minister. The new prime minister, Sushila Karki, happens to be the nation’s first woman to lead the government, which just adds more to this unprecedented chain of events.

The events in Nepal show the power that young people can have if they want to. Expanding on this, a number of Hiawatha High School students were asked questions relating to the banning of social media and protesting.

Juniors Max Smith and Elijah Joslin were asked, “What would you do if every social media site was going to be banned in the US?”

Both students jokingly expressed how they would commit acts of violence if that was to happen. Even if it was a joke this shows how much younger people care about social media and can help explain why the situation in Nepal got as bad as it has.

Next students were asked, “If you were part of a protest that was quickly getting out of control would you still participate in it?”

Sophomore Arron Yang said, “I would not participate,” and Smith and Joslin also expressed a similar viewpoint with neither of them wanting to take part if the protest had a chance of them getting hurt.

These quotes show how the protests in Nepal are more so about how the government has become corrupted than the banning of social media, with the social media banning just being the fuse that set off the bomb.

When choosing between living in a small town or a big city, it’s really the choice between a life of meaning or a life of chaos. Living in small towns provides people with a stronger sense of community for support, a deeper sense of belonging and a calmer pace of life. City living creates stress, loneliness, and depression from the large population and fast, crazy pace of life.

“I think small town living has many positive aspects,” Hiawatha High School student Clayton Handke said. “There is always some sort of quietness in the town compared to a loud, large city. Everybody knows each other, so you are able to get help a lot quicker if needed. Also, the crime rate is a lot lower than what a big city would be.”

Smaller communities are simply able to have a better connection with each other rather than the bigger city full of strangers. In smaller towns, neighborhoods are able to look out for each other and build a personal relationship that involves comfort. Big cities can be overwhelming with the changes that happen everyday. In a big city, nobody has the space to relax like in a small town. The big city is filled with traffic noise, angry yells and loud construction noises. Big cities will never be able to get the pleasure of being able to just go on a quiet, relaxing walk in a small town.

“I love big towns, so I don't know that small towns are my favorite, but I will say this for Hiawatha,” HHS teacher Jennifer Snowden said. “The most important thing to me is time with my family. Living in Hiawatha allows me to have more time with them. I don't have traffic to deal with. I can pick my daughter Leighton up from school every day and that's just precious to me. I can walk out my door and go for a run. See beautiful trees and homes, and it is safe. So Hiawatha is great for those things for sure!”

In small towns, everything is so close to home. Need to make a milk run? The grocery store is right there. Did your car break down? A body shop is right there. Wanna grab some dinner? There's a variety of restaurants right there. In small towns, there is no need to travel to do the simple things. Everything is right there. Instead of stopping at a million stoplights and getting slowed down by traffic, making a trip is simple and fast.

“Having lived in an area with a lot more people than there are here in Kansas, I would say that one of the best parts about living out here is how there is no traffic,” HHS student Gus Smith said. “When you plan to go two hours on the highway in Virginia, it takes four hours because of traffic. It’s also nice how you can know all of the people around you when living in a small town.”

Big cities may seem appealing, but they will never be able to have the advantages that smaller towns offer. Small towns have a strong and supportive community, a calmer environment, and are more affordable for families. For residents of a small town, it isn't just a place for them to live in, it's a place to truly belong in life.

This year, Hiawatha High School is starting a new chapter when it comes to athletics. The girl’s golf team has started their inaugural season and while it has been an adjustment for some, the team is off to a great start.

The team led by coach Keith Erdely is made up of three seniors: Shae Dolisi, Mariah Simmons and Lainey Nelson; Two juniors: Anna Erdley and Aubrey Monaghan; Two sophomores: Makenzie Gonzales and Tessa Jones; and two freshmen: Nola Boswell and Samea Williams. 

Since girls were able to compete during the mixed season we had in the spring, the sport isn't new to a lot of these girls. However, players are now able to hit from the designated women's tee for each hole which has made winning more attainable. 

“I think it's a good thing that they started the sport,” Assistant coach Gordon Gunderson said. “Giving the girls a chance to fairly compete against girls instead of boys during the boys season lets them earn the winning that they deserve.”

At the first meet of the season on Sept. 11, everyone attending the meet from the team placed. The team has seen success at each of their meets. At the recent Big East League Tournament on Sept. 29, the team placed fifth with Erdley placing 8th as an individual. 

 As the season continues, they continue to do well on the course. All of the members are glad to be a part of the program, especially the seniors able to do it for their last year.

“I’m glad to be a part of the first ever girls golf team at HHS. As a senior, it feels so special and rewarding knowing that after we graduate, this team will continue to grow and develop,” senior Shae Dolisi said. “We have already made school history and I’m so excited to see how the girls that play in the future continue to improve throughout the years.”

This will be the second and final part of my Hiawatha food reviews. New China is one of my favorite places to eat, and it is very popular, so this will be shaped more like a restaurant profile, and less like an actual review. Any articles about food I write about after this will all be from places out of town. 

Before eating at New China, I hated just about all chinese food. I had bad experiences with it when I was little, so I never wanted to try it again. But one hunger filled act of desperation changed my life forever. I can say with confidence that there is not a single item on New China’s menu that is not good. I think I have tried just about everything, but my favorite things that New China has to offer are their combination platters, and the all you can eat buffet, which I don’t hear enough about. 

The buffet is always stocked with a variety of chicken, beef, and side options. Egg rolls, crab rangoon, teriyaki and black pepper chicken, you name it. And if something you want from the buffet is already gone, you never have to wait long for it to be restocked. There are also a variety of salad and fresh vegetable options as well as ice cream. But the bread and butter of any Chinese buffet, in my opinion, is of course the sweet and sour chicken. My associate Gus Smith and I could not help ourselves when we saw it, and together we ate just about the entire tray. Gus’s favorite option is the sesame chicken. Gus likes chicken.The buffet offers a wide variety of options that anyone could find something good in, and the combination platters offer a more customizable and “fresher” experience, with amazing portions. There are a total of 25 options of entrees with the combination platters, and your choice of fried or white rice, and egg rolls or crab rangoons. 

The prices of both the buffet and the normal menu items are very good as well, only costing around $11-$12 a head. Overall, New China is a staple of Hiawatha culture, and if you haven’t been there, or you’re new in town, definitely go check it out.