Ram Write-Up - Maple Valley Community Schools

March 2006
Ram Write-up Staff:
Editor-in-Chief:
Lindsey Carothers
Technical Editor:
Sylvia Pedersen
Layout Editor:
Lindsey Carothers
News Editor:
Devon Hieber
Display Editor:
Courtney Hahn
Transfer Editor:
Sylvia Pedersen
Historian:
Steffany Treiber
Class List Controller:
Ashley Mullicane
Photographer:
Nick Buth
Maple Valley-Anthon Oto’s
Staff Reporters:
Austin Bettin, James
Brouillette, Aaron Bechen,
Sara Dose, Jeff Koithan,
Shane Erlemeier, Kayla
Dose, Courtney Venteicher,
Jesse Nielsen
Adviser: Lois Moser
Ram Write-Up Issue
501 South Seventh Mapleton, IA
From the desk of Ann Cox
Twenty-five 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 10th
grade students from Maple Valley and
Anthon-Oto competed as five teams at the
Regional Destination Imagination competition
in Council Bluffs on February 25th. The
regional competition consisted of 65 teams
comprised of over 390 students. The MVAO
teams placed very well and four teams have
earned a trip to the State Destination Imagination
competition in Grinnell, IA on March
27th.
You are probably wondering just what
Destination Imagination is. Destination
Imagination is an international creative thinking
and problem solving competition. The
teams prepare for the competition by meeting
after school and on weekend. Students
work in teams of 5-7 students along with a
volunteer parent manager to solve one of five
long-term challenges. They do this by performing
a skit that incorporates art, technology,
performance, improvisation, and real
#6
MVAO Destination Imagination
team jumps on board for the
state competition
Above: Chris Sadler, Jennifer Wilson, Stephen Phillips, Jessica Bruning,
and Nate Sadler were the 10th grade students who participated in DI.
world skills. The teams have been working
together since November on their main challenges.
Then comes the other part of the competition,
called the Instant Challenge. This
portion of the competition assesses the
student’s ability to think on their feet. The
students go into a room for an instant challenge
of 4-8 minutes where they may be asked
to build something, act something out, or a
combination of both. To give you a better idea
of what the students are expected to do for
their main challenge, here is a sample of what
our students have been working on for the
past few months.
The high school team consisting of Jessica
Bruning, Stephen Phillips, Chris Sadler, Nate
Sadler, and Jennifer Wilson competed in the
regional tournament and chose the challenge
called “How’d tHAT Happen?” This challenge
required the team to create an 8-minute
skit set in a contry other than their own, where
unusual events occur, all having to do with
finding a hat that dramatically transforms one
of their characters. They also had to use a technical
method to cause a bizarre happening to
occur and incorporate two special side trip
talents of the team. The team also had to create
all of their costumes, backdrops, and
props. They racked up 378.69 points, placing
them 2nd and earning them a trip to the State
Destination Imagination Tournament in
March.
As you can see, the teams have put in a
lot of hard work and the team managers
have invested a great deal of time to the
performances. We should all be very proud
of the fact that twe have four teams earn the
right to go to the state tournament and 25
students who showcased the creative minds
that Anthon-Oto and Maple Valley have to
offer. Please congratulate the students and
their managers when you see them and
wish them good luck at state.

By Aaron Bechen
Saint Patrick’s Day is always celebrated on
March 17. It is the Irish feast day which celebrates
Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
It is a legal holiday in the Republic of Ireland,
Northern Ireland, the overseas territory
of Montserrat and the Canadian province of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
As well as being a celebration of Irish culture,
St. Patrick’s Day is a Christian festival
celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church.
Although, as a Christian festival, St.
Patrick’s Day sometimes is required to give
way to a more important feast.
Sometimes St. Patrick’s day falls in the season
of lent. If it falls in Holy Week, it is moved
to the second Monday after Easter.
According to www.wildstur.com, in Ire-
Page 2, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
A little history of St. Patrick’s Day
land it is traditional that those who are taking
part in the lent fasting can take a break
for the duration of St. Patrick’s Day.
A major parade takes place in Dublin and
in most other Irish towns and villages. The
four largest parades of recent years have been
held in Dublin, New York City, Manchester,
and Montreal.
Parades also take place in other places,
including London, Paris, Rome, Munich,
Moscow, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore,
Copenhagen, and throughout the United
States.
Some people believe St. Patrick’s day is a
bigger holiday in the U.S than it is in Ireland;
however, many Americans travel to Ireland
for the festival.
The first public celebration of St. Patrick’s
MVAO purchases Ram Bo
Pictured above is the new Phi Ramma Jamma mascot, Ram Bo, hanging
out in Dr. Oberg’s office.
By Courtney Venteicher
There will be a new face hanging around
the Ram athletic events from now on.
The Phi Ramma Jamma group (headed by
Mr. Clark) decided to purchase a new mascot
for the Maple Valley Anthon Oto High
School.
Senior Kent Fredrickson and the Phi
Ramma Jamma Fratority Officers thought of
having a new mascot so they just went with
the idea and thought of ways to come up with
the money to purchase it.
Phi Ramma Jamma put on a dodge ball
tournament that raised quite a bit of money
to purchase the Ram mascot. There was also
money available from the cheerleading account
to help out. The mascot cost approximately
$900. It was purchased from
Anderson’s Spirit out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Inside the outfit there’s a fan and a cooling
vest that is filled with ice packs so the
person wearing the outfit won’t get too toasty.
Day was held in Boston in 1737.
Today the largest parade celebration in the
U.S. and the world is located in New York
City.
The parade itself dates back to 1762.
In 2003 more than 150,000 marchers participated,
including bands, military and police
groups, county associations, emigrant societies,
social and cultural clubs.
Chicago is also another major city in which
large and elaborate festivities are held.
The Chicago River is dyed green for the
celebation there.
Children in the U.S. celebrate St. Patrick’s
day by wearing green colored clothing and
items. Traditionally, those who are caught not
wearing green are pinched.
Some other facts about St. Patricks Day are
It’s also very difficult to see when you’re inside
the costume.
The person who will be chosen to wear the
outfit is “Double top secret information,”
stated Mr. Clark. There will be tryouts held,
just like cheerleaders have, for people who
would like to be the new mascot.
‘Ram Bo’ will be the new mascots name!
Hopefully we’ll be seeing quite a bit of Ram
Bo, watching him pump up the Ram fans, and
cheering for the athletes.
that corned beef and cabbage is not a favorite
St. Patrick’s Day dish in Ireland. It’s an
American dish. The Irish prefer ham or bacon.
St. Patrick’s Day parades have a history
that goes back hundreds of years, but didn’t
originate in Ireland. The parade in Dublin
only has a 50-year history, while those in
Montreal and New York City go back almost
200 and 300 years.
The shamrock isn’t a real plant. Rather, the
plant is a type of clover that grows in Ireland.
Leprechauns aren’t cute little creatures.
They’re actually evil, mean-spirited and perform
many evil deceptions to keep you away
from that pot of gold.
New movie
frightens
viewers
By Jeff Koithan
Imagine baby-sitting for a couple of kids
when all of the sudden a stranger calls and
starts making horrific threats to you and the
kids. Well, that’s what this horror movie,
When a Stanger Calls, is all about.
The movie was directed by Simon west.
The movie was originally made in 1979, but
Simon wanted to remake the movie into a
very thrilling film.
The stars of the movie are Camilla Bell
playing the frightened high school student,
and Brian Geraghty who plays the dangerous
caller out to harm her and the children.
The movie is actioned-packed and will
keep you on the edge of your seat through
the whole movie. I give this movie three out
of four ram heads.
“This movie will
keep you on the
edge of your seat...”
-Jeff Koithan

Page 3, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Ram Walking
Freshman Joel Barry
By Sara Dose
For this month’s Ram Walking, four students
were tested on their knownledge of recognizing
lyrics from popular songs. Chosen
were Senior Jennifer Chwirka, Junior Dustin
Lawerence, Sophomore Kallie Clausen and
Freshman Joel Barry.
The first song was “Photograph” by
Nickelback. The lyrics from the song that I
picked out were “And this is where I went to
school, most of the time had better things to
do, criminal record said I broke in twice, must
of done it half a dozen times.”
Joel:”I’m clueless.”
Kallie:”Umm, it’s by Avril Lavigne...I’m trying
to sing it in my head...gosh...I don’t know
what it is! I’m stupid!”
Dustin: “Hmm..I have no clue. I can’t even
guess.”
Jennifer: ”’Photograph’ by Nickelback. I’m
positive.”
The next popular song that I selected was
Popular song lyrics
Sophomore Kallie Clausen Junior Dustin Lawrence
Senior Jen Chwirka
“Sugar We’re Goin’ Down” by Fallout Boy.
The lyrics I provided were, “Am I more than
you bargained for yet? I’ve been dying to tell
you anything you want to hear, cause that’s
just who I am this week.”
Joel:”No idea what that song is.”
Kallie:”Oh my gosh Sara! I’m not going to get
any of these right! I can see the music video
but I don’t know who sings it! Oh! “’Sugar
We’re Goin’ Down’ by Fallout Boy.”
Dustin: ”That’s umm..uhh..I know the
song...by Fallout Boy, “Sugar We’re Goin’
Down.”
Jennifer: “(Singing the lyrics to herself) “Sugar
We’re Goin’ Down”? by Fallout Boy?”
The third song I chose was a very recently
released song by Kelly Clarkson. The name
of the song is called “Walk Away” and the
lyrics that I gave the contestants were, “I’m
not looking for attention, not another question,
should you stay or should you go? Well
if you don’t have the answer, why you still
standing here?”
Joel:”I have no clue.”
Kallie:”I’m gonna cry! Umm...it’s by Kelly
Clarkson I think..I don’t know, “Behind These
Hazel Eyes”?
Dustin:”Does Kelly Clarkson sing that song?
I don’t know.”
Jennifer:”Oh I know this! Gosh, what is it? Oh
it’s Kelly Clarkson? No...wait..yeah “Walk
Away” by Kelly Clarkson.
For the fourth song, I chose “She Thinks
My Tractor’s Sexy” by Kenny Chesney. The
lyrics i provided as a clue were, “Plowing
these fields in the hot summer sun, over by
the gate, lordy here she comes, with a basket
full of chicken and a big cold jug of sweet tea.”
Joel: “I have no idea. I’m sick of guessing.”
Kallie:”Oh! That’s a country song! “She
Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” by Kenny
Chesney! I love that song!”
Dustin:”Sounds like a country song...I have
no idea.”
Jennifer: “Is this country? Don’t have a
clue...that’s a stupid country song...I don’t
know. I don’t listen to hankytwank.”
For the fifth and final song, I chose a song
that is very overlyplayed. I chose “We Belong
Together” by Mariah Carey. The lyrics I gave
the contestants were, “Who else am I gonna
lean on when times get rough, who’s gonna
talk to me til the sun comes up, who’s gonna
talk your place, there ain’t nobody better, oh
baby baby.”
Joel: ”I don’t know. “
Kallie:”Oh my gosh! Mariah or whatever her
name is. “We Belong Together”! Yay!”
Dustin:”Once again, I have no clue. Sounds
like a girl song.”
Jennnifer:”Is this one country too? Faith Hill?
I don’t know.”
The winners this month were Jennifer
Chwirka and Kallie Clausen as they both
knew three out of five songs. Congratulations
girls!

By Steffany Treiber
The athletes of the month for boys basketball
are senior players James Brouillette,
Aaron Bechen, and Cody Forch. For the wrestling
team Freshman Jake Parker was the
coaches pick. For girls basketball, Seniors
Lisa Ortner, Tammy Kafton, Erin Vermeersch,
and Leslie McBride were chosen by the
coaches.
Coach Brian Brown chose the three other
senior basketball players because they have
showed a lot of leadership this season. They
come to practice each day and have worked
Page 4, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Athletes of the month
Jake Parker, wrestling
hard all season long. “The boys can really
take a lot of pride in their season, because of
their record of 16-4 and their second place
finishing in the conference,” stated Coach
Brown.
James is a forward and averages five and
a half rebounds and nine points a game.
Aaron Bechen is a forward and averages five
rebounds and seven points a game. Cody is
a guard and averages two steals and five
points a game.
The wrestling coach’s chose Freshman
Jake Parker places 1st at Sectionals
By Austin Bettin
Jake Parker, a freshmen at Maple-Valley
Anthon Oto, received first place at Sectional
Wrestling on Saturday, February 11th at the
Maple-Valley Anthon Oto High School. Jake
is the son of Lloyd and Jody Parker from
Anthon.
Jake is wrestling at a weight of 171 pounds.
His record this season is 32-10. He is the first
freshmen wrestler to qualify at Sectionals for
MVAO since 1995 when Brian Scott qualified.
Jake prepared for Districts by coming in before
and after school to practice his wrestling
and was very excited about his placing at
Sectionals. “It is very exciting to be a freshmen
qualifier, and my match at Districts will
be a tough one,” commented Jake before the
meet.
Before Districts, Jody Walsh, assistant
Girls’ Basketball...
(Right): Leslie McBride, Lisa
Ortner, Tammy Kafton, and
Erin Vermeersch.
Boys’ Basketball...
(Right): Cody Forch, James
Brouillette, and Aaron
Bechen.
Freshman runs into stiff competition
coach of the Rams wrestling team, commented,
“Jake is a very hard worker in practice,
and has a very good shot at advancing
at Districts.”
Alex Parker, teammate and older brother
of Jake, also had something to say about his
brothers ability. “Jake learned from the best,
and had an excellent showing at Sectionals.”
During District play, Jake had tough competition,
wrestling both Coleton
White and Daniel Mikels. Mikels is a Junior
from Logan Magnolia. His record is 33-8.
Jake had two disappointing losses to both
the wrestlers.
Jake has been an excellent contribution to
the Maple Valley Wrestling Team. Since Jake
is only a freshmen this year, he has three more
years to showcase his talent.
Jake Parker because of his fine performance
at sectionals and his overall season. During
the season, Jake won thirty-three matches. He
placed first in his weight class in Sectionals,
which qualified him to wrestle at the District
meet.
Lisa, Tammy, and Erin were chosen because
they all have shown good senior lead-
Jake
ership. “All girls fought through adversity
and some tough times and have shown good
character, determination, and class. They will
all be missed,” stated Coach Dan Dougherty.
Leslie continued to show up at practice
despite an injury that prevented her from
playing this year. “We missed her this year,”
stated Coach Dougherty.

Girls reflect
on season
By Steffany Treiber
The girls season came to a close with their
first district game against the Lawton
Bronson Eagles Wednesday, February 15th.
MV-AO faced conference component
Lawton Bronson. Lawton Bronson defeated
the Rams earlier in the season in a regular
conference game.
Lawton Bronson defeated the Rams in the
first round of districts with a score of 57-45.
The Rams started out strong the first quarter,
then let the Eagles in the second quarter.
The Rams suffered a devistating loss
which then didn’t allow them to continue on
their journey to state. Tabby Allen was the
leading scorer with eighteen, followed by
Michele Pierce with eleven and Erin
Vermeersch with eight.
Erin also led in rebounding with six defensive
and three offensive, Angie Flanigan
also had six total. Tammy Kafton and Erin
Vermeersch each had three steals to help the
Rams.
“We played really hard this year and improved
greatly. I believe that next year’s team
will have much success,” commented Senior
Lisa Ortner.
“I believe next year’s
team will have much
success.” -Lisa Ortner
By James Brouillette
The Rams boys basketball team improved
their overall record to 16-4 heading into their
last regular season game against Sargeant
Bluff-Luton.
On Friday, February 9th, the Rams were
host to a Lawton-Bronson team that the Rams
only beat by one point in the conference tournament.
The Rams came out strong leading
22 to 16 after the first quarter and didn’t let
up in the second quarter, pushing the lead to
17 at halftime. The Rams kept the pressure
on the remainder of the game and won by a
final score of 75 to 53. The win clinched 2nd
place in the conference for the Rams with a
conference record of 9-2 and an overall record
of 16-3.
“Our players really came out focused and
executed on both ends of the court for a solid
four quarters,” commented Coach Brown.
Travis Brown was the scoring leader with 25
points, followed by James Brouillette with 12,
Page 5, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
By Devon Hieber
Seniors
Dustin Boyer 3/05/1988
Andrea Kafton 3/13/1988
Cody Holton 3/15/1988
James Moody 3/22/1988
Juniors
Nicholas Buth 3/03/1989
Matthew Fox 3/06/1988
March Birthdays
Boys’ basketball ends season 16-6
Aaron Bechen and Robbie Gustin with 10
each, Austin Bettin with nine, Cody Forch
with four, Alex Flanigan and Tyler Maynard
with two, and Travis Hazard with one. Aaron
Bechen led all rebounders with eight. Travis
Brown led in steals with four, and James
Brouillette was the leader in assists and
blocks with seven and two respectively.
The following day the Rams headed up to
Denison to take on the Monarchs, who are a
bigger 3-A school. At the end of the first quarter,
the Rams were trailing by five and the
lead stayed the same for the Monarchs going
into halftime with a 36-31 lead. But the Rams
refused to give up. They out-scored Denison
22-12 in the third quarter, giving the Rams a
five point lead heading in the fourth quarter.
The Rams, however, were unable to maintain
the lead and the Monarchs came back and
won in the closing seconds of the game.
“Our guys played really hard. I’m proud
Cory Hein 3/06/1988
Jacob Malloy 3/10/1989
Robert Gustin 3/13/1989
Travis Hazard 3/27/1989
Matt Parkhill 3/27/1989
Johnny Moody ll 3/27/1989
Alex Ehlers 3/28/1989
Kelsey Bruhn 3/30/1989
Chris Creswell 3/30/1989
Sophomores
Zachary Gothier 3/03/1990
Kyle Deeds 3/09/1989
Kallie Clausen 3/12/1990
Jacob Berry 3/23/1990
Jeremy Heizelman 3/28/1990
Freshmen
Heather Morgan 3/06/1991
Lindsey McGrain 3/08/1990
Ethan Trucke 3/13/1991
Brandi Kerns 3/18/1991
Jennie Wensel 3/25/1991
of the effort they gave that night. We missed
some opportunities to win the game, but it
just didn’t happen. Hopefully, the next time
we’re in the same situation we take advan-
tage of those chances,” stated Coach Brown.
Leading the Rams in scoring was James
Brouillette with 20 points, followed by Austin
Bettin and Travis Brown with 12, Robbie
Gustin with nine, Aaron Bechen with eight,
Alex Flanigan with four and Cody Forch
rounding out the scoring column with two
points. Robbie Gustin led all rebounders with
eight. Austin Bettin was the steals leader with
seven and Travis Brown led the team in assists
with two.
On Monday, February 21 the Rams season
came to an end with a heart-wrenching loss
in double overime to Sargeant Bluff-Luton.
The Rams lost 72-68. The Rams ended te
season wit a overall record of 16-6. James Brouillette skies for the
tip against SBL.

By Kayla Dose
Packing 10 people into her car during volleyball
camp this summer and driving
around with all of her friends while singing
and dancing is Senior Kelsey Clark’s favorite
memory in her heap.
Kelsey owns a 1986 Buick Skyhawk. She
bought it for $1300. This car catches when it
accelerates and slows down. The seat belts
Page 6, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Heap of the Month Physiology
students
experience
Briar Cliff
Cadaver
By Austin Bettin
It’s March, and for many basketball and
sports fans that means that March Madness
is just around the corner.
March Madness is a popular term for the
season ending tournament that is played in
March by college basketball teams. The tournament
consists of 65 teams from Division I
colleges. The tournament starts around
March 17th, and doesn’t get over until the beginning
of April.
During March Madness, many people enjoy
predicting the outcome of the NCAA tournaments.
People also like putting bets on who
they think will make it to the Final Four.
Bracketology is the picking of the correct
teams that will be in the tournaments. The 65
are loose and get stuck in the door. The heater
doesn’t work very often, and tires sometimes
don’t keep air well. It is hard to start sometimes,
and it uses up a lot of oil and only goes
85 m.p.h..
Also, there is not a lot of leg room in the
back seat, and neither the gas gauge nor gas
light works.
One difficulty that Kelsey’s had with her
March Madness brings
excitement to the month
(including the 2 teams who compete in the
play-in game) participating teams are announced
by the selection committee on Selection
Sunday, although some teams are
known to have made it already by winning
their conference tournament. The eventual
winners of the four regions then meet at the
Final Four in a predetermined location.
Before a team can get to the Final Four they
have to make it through the Sweet Sixteen
and the Elite Eight. The four final teams then
play out the tournament through single
eliminaton until a National Champion is
crowned.
Duke, Illinois, Maryland, Wake Forest,
Iowa, Syracuse, Gonzaga, and of course last
year’s National Champions, North Carolina
Kelsey Clark
car is when she and Lindsey Carothers went
to a Briar Cliff volleyball camp and Kelsey
locked her keys in the car. Another one is that
she ran out of gas less than 1/4 mile from the
Country Store in Smithland and had to get
towed in.
Even though Kelsey’s car has some problems,
she says she still likes her Buick
Skyhawk.
are going to be top contenders to make it to
the Final Four. But every year a top-ranked
team gets knocked out of the tournament by
a small Division I college.
Small Division I teams are the teams that
make March Madness worth watching because
those teams always find a way to beat
out a top-ranked team. James Brouillette a
Senior sports enthusiast who loves his basketball
commented, “I love the month of
March, just because of March Madness, I like
filling out a bracket, and seeing how well I
filled it out when all the games are over.”
So even if basketball is not your favorite
thing to watch, I think March Madness will
bring some excitement to your month of
March.
Dr. Olsen teaches
about muscles and
tissues
By Jesse Nielsen
On Monday, January thirteenth, the students
from Mr. Conover’s sixth period Physiology
class took a field trip to Briar Cliff College
to see their cadaver lab. Mrs. Mente also
came along for the ride.
The trip started with a rough beginning
when the bus was 30 minutes late and still
needed gas! But with the skilled bus driver
and a little luck, they arrived in Sioux City
by 9:45.
In the classroom, there were many sights
including stuffed birds, two real skeletons,
human embryos in different stages of development
(from miscarriages), and two human
brains! The students were given time to look
at all the specimens and touch the brains.
During this time, there was also a movie of a
human dissection taking place.
The students were also given a tour of the
college. They got to see how the college was
layed out. They saw the cafeteria, both gyms,
the weight room, and more. They were
shown the dorms and some got to see the oncampus
apartments. Along the way, several
MVAO graduates were seen including Jill
Bollig, Tiffany Treiber, Niki Gustin, and some
thought they saw Corey Dose.
The main reason they went to Briar Cliff
was to see the cadaver. He was an 89 year
old male. He had already been dissected by
college classes so it was just a matter of moving
the tissues to see the muscles and organs.
They were given a run through of these and
allowed to touch, all while Dr. Olson taught
them about each muscle or tissue. They
passed around a heart, lungs, and the brain.
They also got to see the effects smoking and
drinking has on the body.
The trip ended with a stop to Applebee’s,
where the students took a break and ate.
They socialized with each other and the employees.
This field trip was a good break from the
classroom and was enjoyed by almost every-
one.

Will we ever have
a real winter?
By Jesse Nielsen
Over the past few years we have had exceptionally
mild winters. The reason is conclusive
but there are many theories. Some I
found are Elnio, global warming, and many
others are out there.
There also are many opinions about the
warm weather. Shane Erlemeier said, “It’s
nice when I want to practice baseball, but I
have snowmobiles so I want snow for that.”
Mrs. Boerner said, “I love the warm weather.”
Al Nielsen (a local resident who has lived
here for 49 years) said, ”I only remember
three brown Christmases and they were all
with in the last five years. This year, last year,
and one about five years ago.
If you are a fan of snow keep your hope
because late February and early March are
still predicted to have a hard hitting snow-
fall and cold. It’s not over yet!
Page 7, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Student disagrees with Bush war policy
By Courtney Hahn
Everyone knows when a country is attacked
by terrorists or whomever it may be.
The reaction is to fight back, also known as
go to war. The United States has been at war
since 2001. The funny thing is that there has
been many reasons why we are fighting, such
as to get dictators out of power, to find weapons
of mass destruction, or turn a country towards
a democratic government. It’s your
guess on whether or not any of the reasons
are worth it.
We have lost thousands of men and
women during the War in Iraq. Think of what
the families must be wondering. What did
my son or daughter die for? What cause are
they trying to fight? I think President Bush
needs to realize his precious war needs to end
because the American people are not going
to just stand by and watch so many young
people lose their lives over a useless war.
I believe President Bush has been trying to
finish what his father started. If that is true,
why are so many people dying for the wrong
reasons? They never found any weapons of
mass destruction, they stopped Hussian, and
are still in the process of forming a new government.
I think it is time to let the people in
Iraq handle their own problems. I’ve always
wondered why we have to be the country
helping everyone else because the way it looks
now, nobody would ever help us if we would
ever need it.
So many countries are mad at the United
States because of many different reasons Even
though no one has actually come out and said
it. I think the main reason is because we keep
getting into everyone’s business when we
don’t need to be. After awhile somebody is
going to get angry.
There is one thing I can’t figure out and
it’s how President Bush got reelected. Many
say it was so he could clean up the mess he
made. Does anyone else but me think that
statement doesn’t make any sense at all? First
off, I don’t think President Bush should have
been allowed to make all of this mess. I really
believe he has no clue what he is doing. Our
economy is suffering terribly. Our jobs are
going to illegal immigrants. I think President
Bush is a weapon of mass destruction, considering
the shape of this country.
Another thing that has just recently come
up in Bush’s State of The Union Address that
I found confusing is when he said, “It is not
my job to decide when our troops come home
it’s the commanding officers job.” What is he
trying to say? He doesn’t know when our
troops will be able to come home? If that is
true, then I wish 2008 would come faster than
it is.
In the end, I think the War in Iraq in unorganized
and President Bush needs to realize
when a war is to be ended so we can get back
to being a peaceful country again.
Dancing Gauchos entertain elementary
and high school
Maria and Sergio perform their River Dance.
By Kayla Dose
The Dancing Gauchos integrate danger
and power with grace and passion, ascending
their art to unparalleled heights. Sergio
and Martha Martinez performed an awesome
show here at our school on Wednesday, February
15. They have performed in over 38
countries and all of the states in the U.S. except
Alaska.
The performance started with all the kids,
elementary and high school, filing into the
gym. Sergio and Martha gave their welcomes
and began the show.
They started by telling us information
about themselves, such as the fact that they’ve
been married for 14 years and they are from
Argentina. They do own a house in Vegas;
however, they are hardly ever there because
they are always on the road. Also, they told
us that the word Gaucho means cowgirl or
cowboy in Spanish.
The first act was a River Dance in which
Martha played the drums and Sergio danced
a long.
Next they performed a dance using a
weapon made of rock covered in raw hide,
and it was attached to a string. Sergio stated
the balls were going up to 60 m.p.h. They
both have had bruises from this weapon.
For the 3rd act, Martha lit a rope on fire. It
was a special rope with a special fuel and that
is how she got it to start on fire. Sitting in the
audience, Junior Kelsey Bruhn stated, “ I
could feel the heat at my seat.” Martha also
danced to the music while throwing around
the ropes of fire.
After the first two acts, they offered to answer
any questions that the audience had.
Some questions that were asked include how
long they’ve been dancing and how many different
languages they know. Sergio said that
he had been dancing for nine years and when
he was 14, he decided to become a professional
dancer and two weeks later he was
dancing on TV. Martha is the fifth generation
of dancers in her family. She started
dancing when she was four and became a
professional when she was 11.
They both can speak seven different languages,
including English and Spanish,
which happen to be the most fluent. They
both also said that the United States is a beautiful
country and it is the best country that
they’ve visited.
After all of the questions were answered,
they asked for a volunteer. The lucky person
happened to be Jesse Garule. Jesse became a
dancing Gaucho by learning how to play the
drums with Martha while Sergio danced
along. “ It was quite the experience,” stated
Jesse.
“I could feel the heat at
my seat.”
-Kelsey Bruhn

By Devon Hieber
The senior whose biggest ambition is to
get a career working as a DNR conservation
officer in the future is Corey Trucke. He is
the son of Doug Trucke and Amy Trucke.
During high school, he has been involved
in Broadcast Journalism, first responders, and
work release. His best memories are all of
the people he has met since he started at
Maple Valley Anthon Oto after the first quarter
of this school year.
Corey’s most embarrassing moment was
when he was sitting with the freshmen at the
first pep assembly because he didn’t know
he was supposed to sit with his class. He
plans to go to Buena Vista University in Storm
Lake where he plans to major in criminal justice
and criminology with an environmental
science or biology minor.
Corey likes to listen to country music, eat
prime rib with hashbrowns and cheese or
baby back ribs, and watch Office Space or Anchorman.
He likes to say, “How’s that treat
you?” or watch the TV show Twenty Four.
He also like the Fourth of July because it’s
warm.
He would like his high school legend to
be the new kid since he will have only gone
to Maple Valley Anthon Oto for three quar-
By Steffany Treiber
Senior Austin Jay Bettin is the son of Bert
and Diana Schauer of Mapleton and Jay Bettin
of Ida Grove.
Austin has three sisters, Stephanie, DeRae,
and Tari Kay. He has been involved in basketball
all through high school, two years of
baseball, and one year of Cross Country. Austin
is currently the president of Phi Ramma
Jamma.
His best memory of high school was taking
the Manche “muddin” with Phil and
Chewy. Austin’s secret talent is that he has a
small left hand.
Some of Austin’s favorites are the sayings,
“you fee me” and “this is it”. He likes the
movie Joe Dirt and the song Night Moves by
Bob Segar. Austin’s favorite food is white spaghetti
and his favorite drink is NOS. He likes
to watch the Minnesota Vikings and also likes
to watch J.J. Reddick play basketball for Duke
University.
In the future, Austin plans to graduate from
college, have a good career, and start a family.
This summer he will be busy working,
hanging out with Steff, and going to Okoboji.
The most influential person in Austin’s life
would have to be his stepdad, Bert. Bert has
taught him how to be independent and that
Page 8, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Senior Spotlights
Corey Trucke
ters. Corey plans to work for the Department
of Natural Resources as a seasonal patrol officer.
If he doesn’t get that job, he wants to
work in Danbury at Danbury AgriServices
for the summer and enjoy weekends camping
and on the water, boating.
Austin Bettin
to get things in life, you have to work for them
and not to be afraid to take chances.
He wants to be remembered as a person
who was nice and respectful, even towards
the underclassmen, like “Fish” (Derek
Brown).
By Devon Hieber
This senior, who wants his high school
legend to be the kid who came up with the
idea to get the ram mascot, is Kent
Fredricksen. He is the son of Mark and Sherrie
Wolterman.
Kent has been involved in Phi Ramma
Jamma and FFA. His best high school
memory is when he was the ram mascot.
Kent’s most embarrassing moment was when
he fell through the roof of the green house
while he was trying to fix it.
Kent plans to go to WIT Community College
in Sioux City for two years. After that,
he plans to go to Morningside for four more
years for Construction Management. He likes
to listen to rock, rap, and country music. You
could also find Kent eating his favorite food,
a rib-eye steak, or saying “no pain no gain”,
or “go big or go home.”
His favorite holiday is the Fourth of July.
Kent’s dad has been to most influential person
in his life up until now because he has
always been there for him and he helps Kent
make the right choices.
Chelsea Wolf
By Sara Dose
This month’s senior spotlight shines on
Chelsea Wolf. She is the daughter of Jeff and
Lee Wolf of Mapleton.
Throughout high school, Chelsea has been
involved in numerous activities such as volleyball,
track, basketball cheerleading, FCA,
PALS, AWANA, AAU volleyball, National
Honor Society, Gold Club and Destination
Imagination.
Chelsea’s favorite high school memory so
far has been beating Galva Holstein volley-
Kent Fredricksen
Kent’s biggest ambition is to become rich
and retire young. He plans to spend as much
time as he can with his friends and family his
last summer before college.
ball for first place in the Maple Valley Conference
Tournament her senior year.
However, Chelsea’s most embarasssing
moment was sophomore year when her dad’s
underwear stuck to her sister’s coat in the
dryer and then was thrown in Chelsea’s car.
When she found them, she threw them in the
glove box and forgot about it. Just her luck,
the next day, Phil McGrain and Shawn Smith
borrowed her car to drive down to Casey’s
and found her dad’s stashed underwear in
the glove box.
Chelsea’s favorites include sledding, snow,
basketball games, McDonalds’ french fries,
country music and the show Grey’s Anatomy.
Wiggling her ears up and down is Chelsea’s
secret talent.
Chelsea’s future plans include attending
the University of South Dakota and majoring
in dental hygiene. Hopefully she will be
able to fulfill her biggest ambition, which is
to be successful and live a wonderful life.
Before leaving Maple Valley Anthon-Oto,
Chelsea’s advice to underclassmen would be
to always do your best and don’t worry about
what other people think--do what makes you
happy!
Going to all the baseball games, hanging
out with friends, and maybe taking a few college
classes are Chelsea’s summer plans before
heading off to college in the fall. With
her plans of attending all of the baseball
games, it’s no doubt she wants to be remembered
as the number one Ram Fan!

By James Brouillette
Someone who was always up for Kevin a good Perkins his dad, “because he has taught me every-
time and also a very good athlete is how Sething,” stated Kevin.
nior Kevin Perkins would like to be remem- Something many people may not know
bered.
about Kevin is that he can play the guitar very
Kevin is the son of Blake and Kelli Perkins well. Kevin’s plans for the summer are to
of Oto. During high school Kevin has been work and prepare for college.
involved in football, track, and choir.
Kevin’s biggest ambition is to someday
His best high school memory so far has make a lot of money and enjoy doing it.
been going to state in track his junior year. Kevin’s plans for the summer are to work
In his free time Kevin enjoys playing and and prepare to go to college and study to
listening to music. He also enjoys fishing.
The most influential person in his life is
become a conservation officer.
By Austin Bettin
Zach Else is the son of Dr. James Else and
Crista Else. Zach’s family lives in Mapleton.
He has two brothers, Eli and Lucas.
During high school Zach has been involved
in many things including, golf, gold
club, jazz band, National Honor Society,
band, Boys State, and honor band.
In Zach’s life, the most influential person
up until now has been his father because he
has taught him a lot about everything.
Zach has made many memories during
high school. One of the best was watching
Lindsey Carothers wet her pants during
World History his sophomore year. One of
his most embarrassing moments was almost
hitting a car in front of Lee Peterson’s house
during Driver’s Education.
Zach’s future plans are to go to Iowa State
University and major in animal science. This
summer he plans to hang out with the guys
and fish a lot.
In Zach’s spare time, he could be found
listening to his favorite band Blink 182 and
watching the movie Dazed and Confused. His
favorite food is pepperoni pizza and his favorite
holiday is the 4th of July.
One thing that might be unknown about
Zach is he is a crack shot with a gun. His
biggest ambition is to own a 1970 Chevelle
SS.
Kevin Perkins
Page 9, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Zach Else
By Jeff Koithan
This senior’s most memorable moment is
hanging down at the Maple Motel with
friends Clayton, Jeremy and his brother Jeff
(me).
David Koithan was born at St. Lukes Hospital
on June 22, 1987. He is the son of Dan
and Carol Koithan of Mapleton. He has four
siblings, Alisa, Eric, Ben and Jeff.
Some of David’s favorite pastimes are listening
to Bob Dylan and Tom Petty & the
Heartbreakers, playing guitar, and getting
crazy with friends. Some other favorites for
David are prime rib and burritos, the movie
Boondock Saints, and the song The Times They
Are A-changing by Bob Dylan.
David’s plans after high school are to attend
college, have some fun, and also pursue
a music career. In five years, David sees himself
being wealtly and living in California or
Hawaii.
David wants to be remembered as the guy
who would have a good time with anyone.
By Jesse Nielsen
Senior Nick Schrunk plans to have fun with
his friends and “do what I do best--work on
cars” during his last summer before college.
He wants to be known for building hot
rods and other cars during his high school
years. This is a warm up to his biggest ambition,
which is to be famous in the car-building
world.
His favorite car is a Nova SS and his favorite
show is Inked. Other favorites are punk
music , Chinese food, the movies Gone in 60
Seconds and Fast and the Furious. His favorite
holidays are Christmas and his birthday.
His best high school memories are spending
time in the shop working beside Mr.
Benson and Mr. Miller. His most embarrassing
moment was also in the shop, when he
was doing some grinding and a piece of metal
started his jacket on fire.
Next fall he plans to go to Iowa Lakes in
Emmetsburg to become a mechanic and auto
body mechanic so he can one day open his
own shop in California.
His parents are Tina Schrunk and the late
Bruce Schrunk. Nick’s mother has been the
most influential person in his life because,
David Koithan
Nick Schrunk
“She has pushed me through high school and
she has opened doors to me that I never
would have seen without her.”

By Ashley Mullicane
Chelsea Finkbeiner is the daughter of Troy
Finkbeiner of Okoboji and Nikay Schaffer of
Mapleton. She has been involved in
cheerleading her freshman, sophomore, and
junior years and she has also danced at Sherri
and Julie’s.
Chelsea reveals that her secret talent is that
she can make a three-leaf clover with her
tongue, but she wants to be remembered by
people for the way she never takes life too
seriously and is always having fun. Her biggest
ambition is to never take life for granted
and to always live life to the fullest.
When she’s not sitting around eating
cookie dough, watching “Mean Girls” you
can usually see Chelsea “busting out a couple
movies.” Also, Chelsea’s favorite holiday
is Valentines Day because “everything is so
cute and pink,” which is her favorite color.
Her most influential people in her life are her
mom and dad because they always tell her
to do her best and always smile!
Her most embarrassing memory is when
her and Lindsey Carothers were shopping in
Sioux City and they accidentally drove down
the wrong side of the highway and people
were laughing and honking at them. Her best
Chelsea Finkbeiner
Page 10, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
high school memories are of hanging out with
her friends and always having fun. She plans
to go into the medical field but before she
heads to college she plans to work and hang
out with all of her friends before they all have
to go their separate ways.
Jazz Band places
first in Jazz Festival By
By Courtney Venteicher
The MVAO High School Jazz Band placed
1st at a Jazz festival in Council Bluffs on February
11, 2006.
The Jazz band has been working hard
since October with their early morning practices
Tuesday-Friday to prepare for competitions.
Since the Jazz band placed 1st out of seven
bands at the Council Bluffs competition, it
gave them two points because they beat the
Southwest Iowa Jazz Championship qualifiers,
which were Underwood and Griswold.
The Jazz band also has one point for winning
a Jazz festival. The points they’ve
earned will give them a giant leap towards
receiving a wild card to advance to the State
Jazz Championships in Des Moines. There
are only four wild cards that are given out in
the whole state and it is determined who gets
the wild card by seeing how many points
they’ve earned from other competitions and
festivals. We’ll find out around March 11th
if the Jazz band made it to Jazz championships
or not.
The Jazz band has competed three times
so far. They competed in Council Bluffs,
where they placed 1st, Morningside, where
they placed 5th out of 13 bands, and the State
Jazz Contest, where they received a Division
I rating.
Our school has had two state titles for Jazz
band and they were in 1978 and 1979. The
Jazz band hasn’t won a festival since 1992 or
received a 1st division since 1993.
On March 28th, MVAO Jazz Band will
compete in Norfolk, Nebraska at the Northeast
Jazz Festival.
By Kayla Dose
Sara Dose is the daughter of Andy and Jo
Dose of Danbury.
Throughout high school Sara has been involved
in drill team, volleyball basketball
cheerleading, softball, BPA, FCCLA and
Project Pals.
Her most embarrassing moment would
have to be during her sophomore year when
she started driving and something happened
to her car so she pulled into a parking spot
and steam started spilling out of the sides of
her hood, because her water pump broke and
she had no idea what was wrong.
Her favorites include the movie Dumb and
Dumber, pickle wraps , Christmas, Diet Coke,
the color pink and shopping.
Her biggest ambition is to marry a rich guy
so she doesn’t have to work a day of her life
and she can go shopping all the time.
The most influential people in her life up
until now has been her mom and dad because
her mom is really smart and is a great role
model and her dad because he has taught her
everything.
Her best memories in high school would
have to be homecoming and decorating Lisa
Ortner’s car freshman year with Kayla Bleil
and Chelsea Wolf.
Her secret talent proven by many friends
is she can make the world’s best omelets.
Sylvia Pedersen
Consider being a boy who has to shoot free
throws against the girl’s basketball star in
front of the whole student body. Best out of
25 wins, and if you lose, you were defeated
by a girl; if you win, you only beat a girl, no
big deal. That is exactly the position Danny
Henderson put himself into when he offered
to shoot free throws against Angel McPherson,
but instead of sulking about it, he used the
situation to “get the girl”.
Angel McPherson moved the Eastern Iowa
from Florida at the beginning of her junior
year. As an amazing shooter, she carried the
girl’s basketball team all the way through the
season, but she is reserved, and keeps to herself.
That creates tension between her and her
teammates. They all celebrate together and
get excited while she stays cool and calm.
At home, Danny has only his father. His
mother died when he was young, but that’s
not the whole story. The whole story he keeps
hidden form the world, only known by him
and his father. His father has been hurt by
women, so much so that he won’t call a
woman or girl anything other than a “female”.
He keeps Danny busy with sports, fishing,
and camping.
Sara Dose
Her advice to underclassmen is try to get
to know everybody in highschool because it
goes really fast.
Her summer plans are to hangout with
friends, go swimming, and go to baseball
games.
How I Fell in Love and
Learned to Shoot Free Throws
Danny “decides” to lose the free throw
competition so that he can ask for her help
with shooting. When she surprisingly calls
him to tell her that she’ll help him if he will
help her, she gets scared and hangs up on him.
Eventually, they set up a time to practice
at the park, but he quickly comes down from
a jump shot wrong and lands on top of her.
He helps her get home because she is so badly
hurt that she can’t walk. When they get to
her house, she tells him that she can make it
the rest of the way. He helps her even though
she seems almost adamant against it.
This short book tells a story about two
teenagers lost within themselves who find
confidence within each other. The main questions
of the book end up being mind boggling.
What is Danny’s dark secret? Why doesn’t
Angel want anyone at her house, or in her
life for that matter? How will they overcome
their fear of other people’s thoughts?
I give this book two and a half out of four
ram heads.

Page 11, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Around the ‘Valley’
Senior Phil McGrain designs his
stained-glass project during art class.
Junior Kelly Carrington stretches her
muscles during Physical Fitness.
Freshmen Janna Dose and Brianne
Rickert work on their needlepoint. Freshman Stephanie Malloy,Intro to
Art student, is drawing 3-D boxes for
this required project.