Cardinal Chronicle, October 28, 2020

By Andria Dolezal

Amongst the students of Staples-Motley High School, you hear young voices and laughs float around the hallways and through the classrooms. Mixed with those of older students. As a student, it’s a change going from what seems like an almost abandoned hallway to one that is almost half full of people.

It is a drastic change to the older students. It makes the day interesting when the younger kids are mixing with the older students. It’s nice to see so many young people getting along in a society that has changedso much in the last few years.

Four years ago, the school board made the decision to take the eighth grade out of the middle school in Motley, and put them in the high school. It was a strange experience going from a full hallway to a half full one. The experience changed again, two years ago, when the school board made the decision to close the middle school in Motley. The hallways got a little crowded and it was harder to navigate with the younger students weaving in and out of the older students at high speed.

This year, the debate about Staples-Motley going back to school was made. The students were given the opportunity to either go to school or do distance learning and many chose to do in school learning. So far apart from the amazing classes and the easy schedule, some of the older students are vexed with the back talk and the running in the halls. I think that the fifth through seventh grade makes the school crowded and noisier. I think they should find a way to make the halls less crowded and that some of the older students are not happy with the students running down the hallways, while screaming and sassing.

I believe that integrating the 5-8 graders was a bad idea due to the fact that when we are in class and the younger students walk by they are loud and are disregarding that they are interrupting classes.

They are being very disrespectful to those who wish to learn and are there for said reason of learning.

They act more like elementary students instead of middle schoolers. Regarding the elementary I believe that they were taught left from right, my question is if they know left from right then why are they walking on the left side of the hallway instead of the hallway? Why are they traveling in packs that fill the hallway?

They have been told and they don’t seem to care.

Many people have different opinions, here is mine. That’s fine. That’s alright. That’s the First Amendment. Though many might argue that it was a good decision, they never asked the students what they thought of the idea.

Interviews with the school board candidates

By Rafael Caudillo

I had the privilege to interview all five of the school board candidates. Below are the four questions I asked and their responses.

•Why do you want to be on the school board?

Lisa Anderson: Mrs. Anderson is an active parent in the district. She has five children, four currently enrolled here. But in the end she truly cares about the community, district and the students.

Erich Heppner: With the birth of his son Henry, Mr. Heppner really wants to be involved in his son’s schooling and his potential friends’ education.

Bryan Winkels: Mr. Winkels said that, ¨staff and education are his passion.¨ He wants to stay on the school board to make the school the best it can possibly be.

Greg Frisk: Mr. Frisk said, ¨I want our students to be a positive influence on their world, no matter where that is. I want them to be proud of who they are.¨ Mr. Frisk wants to give students the best chance at ¨having a good school experience and getting a good education.¨

Jeremy Reeck: Mr. Reeck is a local businessman and has two young children at the elementary school. He wants to help the community any way he can because this is the community that he grew up in and so will his kids.

•What would you do if you were elected?

Lisa Anderson: Mrs. Anderson said, ¨One thing I feel strongly about is having a unified board that works like a team and really has clear communication with the parents and students because the priority is students and education.¨

Erich Heppner: Mr. Heppner said, ¨We have great students, staff, administration, superintendent and good school board members. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be the best school district in the area.¨

He wants to be a part of that. He wants to be a positive voice for the district. But more importantly, Mr. Heppner said he wants to be ¨a bridge builder.¨

Bryan Winkels: Mr. Winkels said, ¨If your gut feeling is to make decisions about what’s best for kids you can’t go wrong. If you look at my voting record it will show that I have historically tried to support the students and district the best I can.¨

Greg Frisk: Mr. Frisk said, ¨If you look at what I have accomplished in the four short years I have been on the school board, I think that it will show that I want to help ensure the best possible outcome for our school district and our community.¨

Jeremy Reeck: Mr. Reeck said, ¨I would like to see the school continue to move forward. But I know one problem is the building.¨

•What important issues facing Staples-Motley are not given proper attention and if they were what would you do about it?

Lisa Anderson: Mrs. Anderson said, ¨ To answer your question there is no major problem that I can seeright now. Now this might change as I hopefully get elected and get to see the inner workings of the school.¨

Erich Heppner: Mr. Heppner said, ¨I would say that right now we are in the fight of our lives in terms of being able to educate kids during the pandemic.¨ Another point of emphasis Mr. Heppner said, ¨is giving kids a career and technical education.¨

Bryan Winkels: Mr. Winkels said, ¨One thing that I think is a problem with this whole COVID-19 thing is internet reliability for students that choose distance learning. The device is only as good as the internet reliability.¨ Mr Winkels would like to see internet reliability increase in the district.

Greg Frisk: Mr. Frisk said, ¨We have some of the poorest counties in the state in our district. Communities on two sides of us have newer buildings, and our voters voted down our efforts to build and or enhance our own facilities.¨

Jeremy Reeck: Mr. Reeck said, ¨Obviously the biggest problem is the building. But another problem is that we have some of the poorest counties in the state.¨

Anything else you want the community to know about you and your campaign for school board?

Lisa Anderson: Mrs. Anderson said, ¨I would say that no matter if I get elected or not I will still be involved in the school. Not only because I have four kids that go to school here but also because I truly care about the community.¨

Erich Heppner: Mr. Heppner said, ¨I want Staples- Motley to be the premier school in the area. I want families to want to choose Staples-Motley not Verndale or Pillager or any other school. I want all of us to work together for the best interest of the kids.¨

Bryan Winkels: Mr. Winkels said, ¨Just that I really enjoyed being on the school board. Being on the school board is not as easy as some people think it is. Ultimately, if you look at my voting record I think you will see that I have made decisions that are best for students.¨

Greg Frisk: Mr. Frisk said, ¨I vote for our kids, and I vote for you. My wife and I are very involved in our communities, and we have been since we moved back here. We care deeply about you and your families.

I would once again appreciate your trust.¨

Jeremy Reeck: Mr. Reeck has been a volunteer firefighter for 20 years and he still wants to be an active member in the community. Mr. Reeck said, ¨I want our communities all working together.¨

Bonus question: What is your position on students being able to wear hats in school?

Mrs. Anderson: yes

Mr. Heppner: yes

Mr. Winkels: yes

Mr. Frisk: no

Mr. Reeck: yes

5 Exchange Students this year in

Staples-Motley High School

By Jan Castelltort and 

Tony Nguyen

Like most years, the foreign exchange students program is active. Students from all around the globe have come to the United States to spend a year involved in the American Culture.

More than 400 students would come in normal conditions, but with the Covid-19 pandemic, there are 71 students from different countries studying here in the U.S. Five of them are here at Staples-Motley High School. There are two girls from Italy and three boys from Spain, Hungary and Vietnam.

Some of them were interested to give us their opinion about the American Culture, the education system and how their experience has been so far:

“So far everything has been very good to me. Nice friends, nice teachers, gorgeous hosts, everything is better than I expected. I like American Culture, school (the facilities are the best) and right now I’m just looking forward to my future.” 

-Tony, from Vietnam

“It’s so different from home. The school, the food, the culture, the people… I never thought there would be so many differences, but I’m getting used to it. I’ve been good so far, it’s hard but pretty fun. I’m sure this will open lots of opportunities for my future and I’m sure it will be an amazing experience that I’ll never forget.” 

      -Jan, from Spain

“I’m enjoying my time here so much. Everyone is nice and try to include me. I’m falling in love with this place more and more everyday. The scholar system is completely different from the Italian one: I’m actually having fun at school and I look forward to going there every day, I’m not anxious at all. They organize a lot of things that I’ve never experienced before (like the homecoming and Cardinal Days) and they really take sports seriously.”

“Doing sports has helped me a lot, making new friends and keeping me busy. I feel like I’m living in a movie and I love this.” 

  -Serena, from Italy

“I really enjoy the time in the USA but the travel here was not too easy. My first experience that I felt here is that every person is so nice. System is better here if you are a citizen but if you are not, nobody protects you. I enjoy the school time but I already learned this stuff. My only enemy here is the language and I want to defeat it. This is why the tests are so hard for me. The teacher only can help the learning stuff, not in the languages.” 

          -Bende, from Hungary

“America is giving me a lot: much more self-confidence, I’m more open minded now, I have lots of new friends, an amazing host family and of course, lots of fun. I’m very proud and happy of being part of your community,” 

  -Beatrice, from Italy

Everyone always has a chance to study and to experiment new things. The student exchange program, even though it only lasts for one year, will definitely be an important part of our life, where we meet new people, new cultures and where we change ourselves, to become a better version of us, a mature version, and a version of being better than yesterday.

We’re back baby!