By Allera Roberts, News

December 6 , 2024

The National Honor Society (NHS) had their induction on Monday, Nov 25. The ceremony was held in the auditorium and was opened by NHS President Acacia Erdley. The Hiawatha NHS club has been accepting members since 1939. 

        The National Honor Society accepted 13 new members to their chapter. Senior inductees were Makinsey Winters, Madelyn Simmons, Dani Morton, Kerragan Bachman and Paige Mueller. The junior inductees were Quinn Boye, Claire Twombly, Rhen Hageman, Laura Lierz, Mariah Simmon, Gus Smith, Brylie Williams, and Lainey Nelson.

Character, scholarship, leadership and service are the qualities that make up each member and serve as the foundation for the NHS. These qualities were explored and explained by five NHS members, Acacia Erdley, Marcus Hinton, Shae Dolisi, Tori Wist, and Connor Kettler.

      The society holds a high education standard, and applications were carefully reviewed and approved by an anonymous faculty council within the high school. The society encourages academic excellence and demands that members maintain at least a 3.5 GPA throughout the school year to remain a member. The National Honor Society is known for their service acts within the community. Whether they are delivering May Day baskets, doing community service, or hosting lunches for our teachers they are always keen to stay involved.

“I care about education, and helping others which is why I applied for the National Honor Society. But the NHS is so much more than just an academic accomplishment, it’s a measure of character,” said senior Kinsey Winters. 

By Emon Thompson , News

November 22, 2024

The Hiawatha High School Student Council hosted their bi-annual blood drive on Nov. 13. The drive was a great success and collected over 40 units of blood. Student Council sponsor Chris Diller was ecstatic to put on this event. 

“I very much enjoy helping out with the blood drive,” Diller said. “We’ve done it for over 10 years and I have gotten a very big understanding of the process and the need for blood for our community; It is also a very good way for students and staff to get involved.”

The drive started the week before with sign-ups. Student Council members are given the task of getting people signed up and they also helped out during the drive.

“Helping with the blood drive is one of the main reasons I joined the student council,” Student Council member Allera Roberts said. “I really like seeing the students of our community working together and helping out everyone that needs the blood and I definitely plan on continuing to donate!”

Most upperclassmen and staff members that were able to donate blood did. It was an all-day event that many took very seriously. First time donors were especially eager to help out. Foreign transfer student Jana Caparros was extra eager.

“This was my first time ever giving blood and I really enjoyed it,” Caparros said. “Although it was a little scary, I am very glad that I am able to save lives and I’m sure whoever gets my blood will be very grateful and I will definitely be doing it in the spring as well. 

The HHS Student Council will host their next blood drive on March 5, 2025. Student Council members said that they are hopeful for an even bigger outcome in the spring.

By Pauly Rockey, News

November 13, 2024

Another school year means another great play being put together by the Hiawatha High School students. Kate Miller, Hiawatha Elementary School teacher, is directing and constructing the play to be the best it can be. This year the production is,“Game of Tiaras.” 

“This play is very amusing and tongue and cheek. It knows it's making fun of the popular book/TV series Game of Thrones as well as poking fun at the fact that Disney is very protective of its copyright,” Miller said. “You don't need to know much about either of those two things to enjoy the comedy of the production. Sibling rivalry at its best meets medieval merriment & humorous tragedy.  The cast has been working very hard to bring this to life and I cannot wait for people to see and enjoy it!”

According to the play’s writer, Don Zolidis, the story is about, “When the aging king of a Magical Kingdom (England) decides to split his empire between his three daughters, Cinderella, Belle, and the Snow Queen (who in no way resembles a copyrighted character), terrible tragedy ensues. Terrible, hilarious tragedy. Combining the gut-wrenching plot twists of Game of Thrones and the soul-numbing despair of Shakespearean tragedy, this adaptation of King Lear will leave you dying with laughter as the body count mounts. When you play the Game of Tiaras, you win or you die." 

The main cast members are senior Olivia Hawks as Cinderella, senior Paige Mueller as Snow White, freshman Abella Woessner as Belle, senior Tori Wist as Ellie, senior Lexys Ruch as the Little Mermaid, senior Gavin Noll as King and junior Israel Ross as Prince Charming. Some cast members will be tackling multiple parts during the play. 

“This is my last play and I feel like I will work very hard to make it the best ever. As the main lead, Cinderella, I have a lot of stress, but I want to be the best,” Hawks said. “I've not been a main lead in any plays or musicals these past years, but very important side characters. Now that I’m a lead, I want to show the school and community that I'm the right person for my role. I will do my best to make this play shine.” 

The cast began practicing on Sept. 30 and has been working hard ever since. The play will debut on Friday, Nov. 22 at  7 p.m. The next showing will be on Sat., Nov. 23, also at 7 p.m.

By Olivia Hawks , News

November 6, 2024

The Hiawatha High school choir department had its first choir concert of the year on Oct. 22. This concert had all three choirs: General Choir, Concert Choir, and Headliners. The hard work put in by each of these choirs was showcased.

General Choir performed three songs: “Rise Up O Fame,” “The Road Not Taken,” and “Antiphonal Jubilate Deo.” Concert Choir did three songs as well: “Allunde Alluya,” “The Seal Lullaby,” and “And This Shall Be For Music.” Headliners performed two songs, which were “Alleluia” and “Big Bang Theory/9 to 5.” All three choirs, now called the Red Hawk Chorale, sang a song together called “I Sing Because I'm Happy.”

“My favorite song was ‘I Sing Because I'm Happy’ (because of) the tempo and the meaning behind the song,” freshman Concert Choir member Olyvya Johansen said. “It was the song I enjoyed singing the most.” 

  While General Choir is open to all students, Concert Choir is an audition-based choir and Headliners is an audition-based choir with dancing. 

HHS choir teacher Joshua May has been working very hard to help each choir grow more. May choreographed all of the dances for Headliners and was dedicated to the performance the best it could be.

“I feel the Fall concert went well. The first concert is always tough for a lot of reasons. New ensemble members, getting adjusted to new music, and continuously developing proper vocal technique,” May said. “I always look at performances as improvement from a previous performance or time. If I were to play a recording of the beginning year to the students now, I guarantee you they would hear an improvement.”

The concert had good feedback from the crowd; many people from the audience said they enjoyed Headliners’ “Big Bang Theory/9 to 5” as the dancing really made the crowd come alive. During “I Sing Because I’m Happy,” May asked the crowd to clap along which added to the excitement.

“I thought Mr. May showed great professionalism, as well as demonstrated quality conducting techniques during the concert. It was clearly evident Mr. May knew the music he was directing with the choirs.” HHS Band Teacher Taylor Vaughn said. “ I also could see how my colleague is about making music in our school. I was very happy to see him host a successful concert and give meaningful music making experiences to his students through his passion for music.”

By Jacob Gallagher, News

October 29, 2024

On Oct. 16, Hiawatha High School held its 11th annual Community Service Day. On this day, students were divided into small groups led by teachers, and were sent to various job sites in and around Hiawatha.

With all of the students combined, over 1,500 community service hours were worked. This year, students were sent to over 45 different job sites, which varied from jobs like mulching and trimming tree branches, to repairing walls, to cleaning out garages. While most of the job sites were in Hiawatha, some groups were sent out as far as Fairview and Reserve. 

The way these job sites are accumulated and selected is simple.

“There are several different methods,” said Chris Diller, HHS teacher and main organizer of Community Service Day. 

“We do advertise, we send out a text caster, and oftentimes we’ll have a radio announcement,” Diller said. “Another thing we’ll do is we’ll work with the ministerial alliance, and ask what their parishioners need. And since it’s our 11th year doing this, some people just need to know the exact date and they’ll just call in.”

HHS has also never turned down any jobs, and if any job cannot be completed on Community Service Day, Diller and a few members of the HHS student council complete the job at a later date.

Community Service Day has been a long-standing tradition at HHS, and is a day that most students look forward to. It gives students a day off from school, and allows them to give back to the community, and get to know prominent figures in the community in a meaningful way.

“It’s a great way to give back to community members all over the district. It’s awesome to spend a day helping people and businesses,” said Paige Mueller, HHS student.

While many students wouldn’t admit it, Community Service Day is an important part of the  beginning of the school year, and most students said it’s definitely better than sitting in class all day.

What makes Community Service Day even more fun for most students is that they get to be with some of their friends in a different setting. This is why when making groups, Diller tries to fit students with people they’ve been seen hanging out with. As a result, this encourages productivity and helps groups work together better.

Teachers also enjoy Community Service Day, and view it as an essential part of the year, as it gives them a good opportunity to build bonds with students. HHS teacher Wayne Olson is an advocate for Community Service Day.

“I think it’s a good thing, I think it’s good for the students and the teachers because we can interact with students in a different way outside the classroom, and I see a lot of kids that don’t normally get involved, getting involved,” Olson said.

Community Service Day is one of the most important days in the school year, and is a tradition that will hopefully be upheld for many years to come.

By Kerragan Bachman, News

October 10, 2024

People of all ages throughout the community gathered together for Hiawatha’s annual Maple Leaf Festival on Sept. 28. Despite it being fall, the weather was warm with a high of 85 degrees. Lasting from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., this festival was a big hit. 

Small businesses, non-profit organizations and vendors set up booths around the courthouse square for the Maple Leaf Festival. In addition, live music was provided by musicians Lisa Scholz, South Wind, Hiawatha High School’s Headliners and Tori Wist. All the musicians were a success and set the mood for the day. 

“Our performance itself went decent. We could have done better, but it was very windy.  The echo from inside the courthouse was super cool,” said Olivia Hawks, senior Headliner. “At the end, Mr. May said we did a really good job and we hope to continue to make the music the best we can.”

There was also a car show that brought other people to the festival. There was also a car show that brought other people to the festival. For the children, there were inflatables and a rock wall. The heat didn’t stop the kids from having a blast. A grassy area on the southwest side of the courthouse square held a petting zoo with animals for everyone to enjoy. These family-friendly animals brought smiles to those who stopped by to visit them. 

A non-profit organization, Headquarters Kansas, had a booth with stickers, bags, resource handouts, chapstick, stress balls and bracelets to provide information about suicide prevention and resources. Another booth with free handouts was Brown County Democrats who gave out Harris-Walz buttons, U.S. Congressman handouts and buttons with a QR code to register to vote in Kansas. 

Long lines of hungry community members gathered behind the food trucks and vendors selling food, drinks and treats. Picnic tables were lined up along the street for people to rest and eat their food. The tasty food options didn’t stop there as a variety of snow cone flavors were offered to cool off on the hot day.

Another year brought about another successful fall festival. Vendors, games and live music made for a special day in the community. The annual Maple Leaf Festival was a success as the community gathered together to spend the day in the beautiful town of Maple Trees.

By Isabel Burnos, News

September 25, 2024

Maple leaves descending down from trees for this year’s autumn is nothing new for Hiawatha. What is new are the maple leaves staying all year long. These maple leaves are fiberglass sculptures created by the Hiawatha Chamber and Visitors Bureau. With each leaf having a unique and hand painted design, the leaves are certainly eye-catchers and they were made to be that way.

“People who go to see public art are known to shop local and so, we were looking at different things we can do as an organization to be able to bring something to Hiawatha,” said Katherine Miller, president of Hiawatha Chamber and Visitors Bureau and local Hiawatha elementary art teacher.

Miller said that the idea to create fiberglass sculptures came to the Hiawatha Chamber and Visitors Bureau when they started looking at other smaller communities for inspiration. One of the inspirations was the Chicago Cows, which were created for The Chicago CowParade event on June 15, 1999. 

Miller said that maple leaves were chosen because Hiawatha is known for its maple leaves. With the addition of the maple leaf sculptures, Hiawatha can now be called the beautiful city of maple leaves all year around.

The creation of these sculptures wasn’t easy. Not only did the project take many years to create, but it also required a lot of money and went through numerous developmental stages.

“It was going to be nearly $8,000 just to get the first leaf made,” Miller said.

The Hiawatha Chamber and Visitors Bureau realized that they had to start fundraising for the project. So they started selling Christmas ornaments and with the help of a generous donation by an anonymous couple, they were able to make the first prototype of the maple leaf sculptures.

“It took over almost a year and half, maybe even two years, to get the first full prototype,” Miller said.

While being able to even construct a prototype was certainly a success, the sculptures still had a long way to go.

“Originally we thought it would be more like one leaf and be a bit thicker. Then, to basically ensure the sculpture wouldn’t fall or get damaged, (we realized) that wasn’t really going to work out,” Miller said.

Despite the difficult trials, the pursuits to give the Hiawatha community a gift is what kept the passion well-alive and burning. Miller grew up in Hiawatha, which was why she was dedicated to the concept for years. Miller said she appreciates the history and culture of Hiawatha and wanted to show that by creating something that can be enjoyed by the local residents and small businesses.

Miller also had her students from Hiawatha Elementary school make designs for the maple leaves. Outside on the front of the Hiawatha Elementary school building, there is a maple leaf sculpture with a Redhawk waving. On the stand, there are multiple popsicles. The idea to add popsicles to the maple leaf sculpture was directly from her students.

“It was fun because I was able to share with the students but I was also able to kinda explain some of the process and how it goes,” Miller said.

While the creation of the sculptures may have been challenging, the journey to get there was definitely worth the wait. Currently, you can spot various sculptures all around different areas of Hiawatha, including one made for the old clock tower in downtown Hiawatha. 

In addition, people can commission the Hiawatha Chamber and Visitors Bureau community to have their own personalized maple leaf sculpture made. For more information about commissioning for a maple leaf sculpture, contact the Hiawatha Chamber and Visitors Bureau through Facebook or email.

“This is not something that’s going away anytime soon. We wanna see at least 50 leaves in Hiawatha, if not more,” Miller said.

The maple leaf sculptures will be remembered for years to come because these leaves represent what makes Hiawatha so special: creativity, resilience and most importantly, love for the community.

By Madelyn Keller, News

September 18, 2024

2024 has become one of the hottest years on record. With this severe weather also comes more severe weather conditions. Droughts are plaguing the United States and the world in general. According to www.themercury.com, these conditions are some of the worst the world has seen in a long time. The hot weather contributes to the droughts which leads to more extreme heat. Drought conditions have also impacted agriculture. 

Without precipitation, crops dry out and ultimately die off. Droughts also have an effect on the lives of everyday individuals, as they lead to water shortages and rationing. According to www.themercury.com, the state of Kansas is the fifth driest state in the country, with almost 9 percent of residents facing drought conditions. This year has been abnormally dry throughout the different counties in Kansas which has affected many Kansas residents. 

“The drought right now is actually helping us out because it is drying up the corn,” Hiawatha High School student Marcus Hinton said. “This is good because it has to be below a certain moisture rating to get sent to the mills. We do not want it too dry because it is measured by weight.”

As Hinton pointed out, the current droughts are helping the farmers in this area. Their corn is being dried up to the point where it is good to send to the mills. Farmers need their corn to be dry enough, but not too dry that it affects the weight of the corn and how much the farmers can sell it for.

“These droughts have not affected my husband negatively, he has still had very good yields,” Hiawatha High School teacher Linda Miller said.

Some farmers in this area still have good crop yields despite the dry conditions in the United States. Farmers in different regions of Kansas are being affected by the droughts in different severities. Nonetheless, all farmers see some sort of effect from these droughts. 

These droughts have affected farmers in many different ways, some good and some bad. People in agriculture are heavily affected by these droughts, but they are not the only people affected. Everyday residents are affected by droughts and water shortages. Droughts have a major impact on the environment. 

By Taryn Keller, Feature

September 18, 2024

Since Hiawatha is a small town with larger towns surrounding it, the community relies heavily on various news sources for information. According to NBCU.com, in late 2023 the average screen time for the United States was over seven hours per day, with little kids having an even higher average. This means that social media has replaced cable television and is now the primary source for daily news. Since the world has been constantly changing it is more important than ever that citizens are practicing media literacy. 

Media Literacy is the ability to critically analyze stories presented in mass media and being able to determine their credibility. According to Fresno Pacific University.com, media literacy is important because it helps people realize that words carry weight, gets rid of bias and recognizes one’s own point of view on certain topics. The disadvantage of newer generations not understanding media literacy is the decrease in the amount of people using critical thinking skills. The key ideas to being media literate are finding out where to locate information, how to evaluate information and how to apply it. 

Most of the time, the first mistake in being media illiterate is choosing poor websites. When citations are used, whether this be at work or school, they should always come from credible sources. The credibility of websites is easy to determine. One step to ensure the credibility of your websites is the domain name. According to The University of Texas.com, if the name has .edu and .gov in it then it is probably a realistic source. Websites that use suffixes in them are normally misleaders. Taking a closer look at the source for authors, credentials and dates is another important step. If there is no date the article could no longer be valid. If your website meets all requirements, one more important thing to do is fact check the information using another source. 

In order to stop the spread of misinformation, we need to evaluate the information being given. According to The University of Chicago.com, whenever you want to spread or share something, you should always use the SIFT method to confirm this information is worth spreading. The first step to the SIFT method is to stop. Before sharing any information, stop and be aware of your emotional response to a video. Headlines are designed to get extra clicks and views to evoke an emotional response in the reader. Before sharing anything consider what you already know about the topic and what you know about the source. Does it have a good reputation? The next step is to investigate the source, you can do this by looking up the author and the source publishing the information. The third step in the SIFT method is to find better coverage. You need to go to other websites and see if their information matches the other website's original claim. Lastly you need to trace claims, quotes and media to their original context. In order to do this you must ask yourself a few questions. Such as: Was this information clearly presented? Does the extracted information support the original claims in the research? Is the information being picked specifically to support a specific agenda? Is the information being taken out of context? It is important to remember that websites want your money and clicking on them brings attention to the matter. Whether this information is false or true they get a paycheck. 

The last step to ensuring you’re media literate is applying the information. This means that when you share something you need to be sure that you are honest and transparent about your motives. Do not manipulate or purposefully deceive your audience with misinformation. Also educating people around you about the dangers of being media illiterate will help solve this problem as a whole. 

Since daily internet usage is common, we must remember that not everything on the internet is true, reliable and or realistic. You still need to form your own opinions based on gathered information and not being persuaded what to believe. It is important to be media literate so critical thinking skills are constantly being developed, leading to the positive side of being media literate.