Ram Write-Up - Maple Valley Community Schools

Maple Valley-Anthon Oto’s
January 2005
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
Staff Reporters:
Jeff Koithan, Shane
Erlemeier, Kayla Bleil,
Kayla Dose, Austin Bettin,
James Brouillette, Aaron
Bechen, Courtney
Venteicher, David Koithan
Adviser: Lois Moser
Ram Write-Up Issue
501 South Seventh Mapleton, IA
# 4
Quiz bowl team makes a tidal
wave at last competition
Senior Quiz Bowl members Lisa Ortner, Sine Chinakat, Kelsey
Clark, and Amy Bruning.
By Courtney Venteicher
“Wer’e Intelujunt peepul” is what the
MVAO Quiz Bowl team calls themselves, also
“with slap happy buzzer hands”
There have been some brainy students
working and practicing for Quiz Bowl competitions.
This bunch of students spend a few
hours after school every Tuesday and also
Thursdays before school preparing themselves.
The way the teams practice is by reviewing
old questions from former competitions
and also going over actual Quiz Bowl
books. There are no specific qualifications for
students who want to become a team member
of Quiz Bowl, though most of them are
students who are also in T.A.G.(talented and
gifted).
Coaches of the quiz bowl teams are Mr.
McKenny and Mrs. Cox(the T.A.G. teacher).
Mr. McKenny also reads the questions to the
competing teams at competitions and also
helps the team members get to their destination
by driving the van.
The captain of the varsity team this year
is Amy Bruning and the captain of the JV
team is Stephen Phillips. This year the varsity
team includes seven members. The three
seniors on the team are Amy Bruning, Kelsey
Clark, and Lisa Ortner. The two juniors are
Sylvia Pedersen and Nick Buth; also with two
sophomores, Jessica Bruning and Nate Sadler.
The Junior Varsity’s team members are freshmen
Alli Kirchgatter and Jeff Bruning; sophomore
Stephen Phillips, and our foreign exchange
student Sine Chinakat.
This year there are six returning quiz bowl
members from last year, and they are as follows,
Amy Bruning, Sylvia Pedersen, Stephen
Phillips, Jessica Bruning, Nate Sadler, and
Nick Buth.
This group of people have been practic-
ing for quite some time now and they have
already been to two different competitions.
The quiz bowl team will only be competing
in one more this year. The first competition
was held in Sergeant Bluff and the teams did
well. Although in the next competition at
Odebolt the teams were soaring. On Saturday,
December 3, 2005 the Varsity team placed
second in the Maple Valley Conference Quiz
Bowl Tournament. The Varsity team racked
up a total of 1,275 points. There was a total of
fourteen teams there, with eight of them being
Varsity. At that same tournament in
Odebolt, the JV team won the JV Conference
Title. The team had a record of 5-0 and with a
total of points of 1,635.
Now lets wish the Varsity team luck on
their next attempt to be champions on January
14th at Morningside College for the KTIV
preliminary tournament!

Phi Ramma Jamma group
aspires to purchase mascot
By Ashley Mullicane
It all started with the Current Issues class
when the fraternity “Phi Ramma Jamma”
was created. Mr. Clark, the advisor, had the
idea of raising money for a school mascot.
Even though this would be fun for all students,
faculty, and MVAO supporters, Phi
Ramma Jamma has to come up with some
ideas to pay for it since it would be required
for them to raise the money themselves.
Their first idea to raise money was a bowling
fund raiser but it didn’t work out because
of the fact that they would have to come up
with the money themselves.
Currently the group is working on setting
up a dodgeball tournament that would be
open to high school students. They are planning
to have it on Saturday, January 21. All
Maple Valley conference schools have been
invited to attend. “The dodgeball tournament
is a good idea because we are raising
money for a good cause and having fun while
we’re doing it,” stated Phi Ramma Jamma
Officer James Brouillette.
By James Brouillette
Noelle Uhl- Jan. 1st
Amanda Nelson- Jan. 2nd
Jonathan Wensel- Jan. 3rd
Travis Brown- Jan. 4th
Courtney Seuntjens- Jan. 4th
Brent Gigaroa- Jan. 4th
Amie Davis- Jan. 8th
Sara Dose- Jan. 9th
Courtney Venteicher- Jan. 9th
Page 2, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
They are looking at a couple different companies
to purchase the mascot from, but there
are many pros and cons to each company.
“There are many companies out there but
most of them look too wimpy. We want a
strong looking mascot!” exclaimed Mr. Clark.
Once the whole idea is approved by the
administration, but the next obstacle for them
is to overcome is the price. The cost of the
mascot will be about $1200 to $1300, which
includes the cooling fan and the belt which
is used outside the outfit and holds the ice
packs.
The name for the mascot and the person
who will play the role of the mascot hasn’t
been chosen yet, but students have the opportunity
to suggest names that they think
would be good and many great entries have
already been submitted.
Along with the fundraisers going on,
people and businesses can donate money
themselves for this cause. They could send
them to the school or contact Mr. Clark at the
school’s number.
Derek Dougherty- Jan. 9th
Jared Hagemann- Jan. 10th
Clint Nixon- Jan. 13th
McKenzie Sauser- Jan. 13th
Kiersten Hayes- Jan. 18th
Kristin Carlson- Jan. 19th
Megan Remmick- Jan. 21st
Kent Fredricksen- Jan. 26th
Elizabeth Sturgeon- Jan. 26th
Jennifer Holton- Jan. 27th
Brittany Bowen- Jan. 27th
Happy
Birthday!
It’s time to get
the sleds out
Picture obtained from http://www.yamaha-motor.com
By Shane Erlemeier
When temperatures start dropping and the
snow starts flying, it’s my favorite time of the
year.
There are a couple things to do before you
get your snowmobile out and ride. First,
make sure there is enough gas in the tank.
Next make sure that it is at least half full of
oil. Check your hyphax and check your ware
rods. For best steering make sure you replace
them often. When your snowmobile has been
sitting all summer long and hasn’t been run,
you might need to get some starting fluid to
prime it to get it going easier. Once you do
get your snowmobile started let it sit there
and warm up for a couple of minutes. Check
to see if it sounds weird and if it does you
probably have a fouled spark plug. Get a 13/
16 socket and replace the spark plug more
than likely with a NGK BR9ES.
Before you get ready to hop on the snowmobile,
you should probably make sure you
have the right gear to ride in. You should
always wear a helmet when riding. It’s not
only safe, it is a lot warmer. You should wear
a warm coat and bibs, or coveralls, and warm
boots and gloves.
After you have checked the snowmobile,
let it warm up. Now you are ready to ride.
When riding in ditches, make sure that you
know the terrain good because you can easily
get hurt if you hit a stump or fall in a creek.
When riding in the town of Mapleton you
have to be on a direct route. You are not supposed
to be driving around the town or on
people’s property.
“I think that snowmobiling is pretty cool,
especially when you cruising down a trail on
an Arctic Cat F7. It can be a deadly hobby if
your not really careful--just ask Angie
Flanigan. Overall I think it’s pretty swell
riding snowmobiles,” proclaimed Junior
Nick O’Connell. “My first time on a snowmobile
was freezing, but it was also pretty
cool becuase we went pretty fast,” exclaimed
Junior Kayla Dose.
If you ride in the mountains, there are a
couple of things you need to do before you
go. You need to rejet your snowmobile, which
entails putting in bigger jets. This is because
the air is so thin. You also need to re-clutch
your snowmobile. Make sure you bring
enough oil with you so that you do not need
to buy oil at the Mountains. Oil can be very
expensive. Gas is also expensive at the mountains.
For example, if gas is around $2 dollars
per gallon here, it will probably be around
$3.50 per gallon there.
You have to be extra careful out at the
mountains because you don’t want to cause
an avalanche and get burried. You also have
to be careful when you’re going through an
open field because there are all kinds of rocks
and stumps that you could hit.
Snowmobiling can be a very fun sport as
long as you are cautious.

By David Koithan
There has only been one team in the entire
history of the National Football League
that has recorded an undefeated season. That
team was the 1972 Miami Dolphins, led by
players such as Bob Griese, Larry Csonk and
Mercury Morris. These players helped their
team capture an undefeated season, which
amounted to 17-0, counting their playoff and
Super Bowl victories. No team before or after
the ‘72 Dolphins were even able to have
an undefeated regular season, not to mention
win all their postseason games.
The 2005 Indianapolis Colts now have
been stirring up questions as to whether they
possess the ability on both the offensive and
defensive sides of the ball to reach the nearly
impossible record of 16-0. The Colts are now
over three-fourths of the way to reaching that
mark with an outstanding 13-0 record. The
last team to reach the 13-0 mark was the Denver
Broncos back in 1998, a team that ended
up winning only two of its last four remaining
games, but went on to win the AFC
Championship game and the Super Bowl.
There are many reasons that makes this
team, that is now heading to the playoffs, so
special. One reason is their potential to score
every single time they have possession of the
football. With quarterback Peyton Manning
presenting a threat every time he drops back
to pass to receivers such as Brandon Stokely,
Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and Marvin
Harrison, the Colts passing offense is hard to
stop. Dallas Clark, who is one of the top receiving
and blocking tight ends in the National
Football League, played his college career
at the University of Iowa, where he holds
records for receiving. Marvin Harrison,
ranked in many NFL player polls as the best
Page 3, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Colts experience amazing season
By Aaron Bechen
Who would get up at dawn to face the blistering
cold and other winter elements? If
you’re thinking a mail carrier or paper boy,
you’re wrong.
Millions of people get up this early to go
hunting. If they had to get up that early to
do chores or something else in the cold, it
probably just wouldn’t happen.
The following persons do not need a hunting
license or pay certain fees: residents under
16 years old that hunt under the direct
supervision of their properly licensed parent,
guardian, or other competent adult, with the
consent of the parent or guardian, do not need
a Hunting License nor do they have to pay
the Habitat or Migratory Game Bird fee. One
properly licensed adult must accompany
each unlicensed hunter under 16 years old.
receiver in the NFL, now shares the record
with Peyton Manning for most passing and
receiving touchdowns between a quarterback
and a receiver.
Edgerrin James, the Colts runningback,
has been one of the top runningbacks in recent
years mainly because of his combination
of speed, agility, and power- a gift that few
runningbacks in the entire NFL possess.
A few years ago, James sustained a severe
knee injury that many people thought would
ruin his bright career that started back in his
college days while running the ball for the
University of Miami Hurricanes. Only a year
after sustaining this horrible knee injury,
James surprised many people after rushing
for a 1,000-yard season.
With the all-pro starting offense for the Indianapolis
Colts, few teams have been able
to even stay within reasonable contention.
James is rapidly approaching a 1,500 rushing
yard season. Quarterback Peyton Manning,
and receivers Marvin Harrison and
Reggie Wayne, are all having pro-bowl caliber
seasons. Manning has now thrown for
over 3,200 yards and 27 touchdowns, Marvin
Harrison is now just 10 receiving yards away
from a 1,000 yard season and now is at the
top of the league with 12 receiving touchdowns.
Reggie Wayne now has caught 71
passes, just one less than Harrison, and also
has caught 5 touchdown passes. University
of Iowa alumni, Dallas Clark, is having the
best season of his young career with over 400
yards receiving, and has also caught 3 touchdown
passes.
One thing every football fan knows is that
in past years, the Colts offense has been the
key to their success. Including this year, they
Residents 12 to 16 years old may hunt
without adult supervision, but must have a
Hunting License and must have passed a
hunter education course.
This specification applies to all hunting
activities. It doesn’t matter what kind of
hunting they are involved in.
Licenses are required to hunt deer and
wild turkey. Nonresidents hunting deer or
wild turkey must also have a Hunting License
and pay the Habitat Fee.
A Wild Turkey Hunting License is not required
to hunt wild turkey on a licensed
hunting preserve.
Iowa residents who are owners or tenants
of a farm unit, or are a member of the owner’s
or tenant’s family that resides with the owner
or tenant, are eligible for reduced-fee deer
have made it to the playoffs five times in the
past six years. This success has mainly been
credited to Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James,
Marvin Harrison, and their offensive line. Going
to the playoffs this many times is a great
accomplishment in today’s NFL, but the main
setback for this team is that they have never
won an AFC championship game, let alone
win the Super Bowl. The main reason for this
is the Colts lack of talent and depth on the
defensive side of the football. Over the past
few years the Colts have had one of the worst
defenses is the National Football League,
mainly because of the fact that they gave up
big plays way too often and also were unable
to create turnovers to get their offense the ball
back.
With a revamped defense the Indianapolis
Colts now have the 4th ranked over all defense
in the NFL with a 9th ranked pass defense
and a 7th ranked rush defense.
The problem with the Colts defense in the
past was not so much the lack of talent, but
the use of their players in certain situations
of the game. Their poor defense would have
mainly been blamed on the coaching staff.
The Colts defense is a very young one, that
could become one of the best in the league for
years to come if they are able to stay together
to find out new ways to get their young defense
to be able to participate to the best of
their ability. Dwight Freeney, their main pass
rushing defensive end, was considered to be
used only in certain situations during the
game because of his lack of size compared to
other defensive ends in the NFL. Freeney,
however, has a rare combination of moves
and speed that allows him to get to the quarterback
nearly everytime a quarterback drops
and wild turkey hunting licenses, called land-
owner tenant licenses.
When it comes to hunter saftey course, residents
born after Jan. 1, 1972, and nonresidents
born after Jan. 1, 1967, must complete a hunter
education course in order to obtain a hunting
license.
A person who is 11 years-old or older may
enroll in a course, but those who are 11 and
successfully complete the course shall be issued
a certificate of completion which becomes
valid on that person’s 12th birthday.
Residents under the age of 12 can be issued
deer and turkey licenses, but the youth hunter
must be accompanied by a licensed adult
hunter. I think that the age should be at least
16 before a person can hunt by themselves.
back to pass. Freeney had a pro-bowl year
last year accumulating 32 sacks in the regular
season. With the new addition of Robert
Mathis, who is playing the opposite defensive
end spot from Freeney, actually has more
sacks so far this season than Freeney at 11.5.
This has been due mainly to Freeney drawing
double teams by offensive on many snaps
during the course of the game. Not to mention
the fast, strong, and agile interior defensive
tackle combination of Montea Reagor
and Corey Simon, who have allowed Freeney
and Mathis to get to the quarterback for a
combined 21 times this season.
The main problem in the past for the Indianapolis
Colts, besides their run defense
has been their past defense, which was
ranked extremely low last year for being a
playoff team. With the stepping up of players
such as Mike Doss, strong safety, who
played his college ball at Ohio State University,
and Bob Sanders, free safety, who played
his college ball for the University of Iowa, the
Colts pass denfese has vastly improved from
last year. Cornerbacks Nick Harper and Jason
David have been great teaming together
for over 80 tackles, and 4 interceptions. Their
strong play has also helped out their defensive
ends and defensive tackles able to have
more time to allow them to get to the quarterback.
This has been the reason for the large
amount of sacks, and them hurrying the quarterback
is why they have had more interceptions
this year.
With all these great players now both on
the offensive and defensive sides of the ball,
the 2005 Indianapolis Colts may have the ability
to do what no team has accomplished in
the league since 1972...an undefeated NFL
season.
2005 hunting season opens
A twelve year old can’t even get to a hunting
place legally to hunt. This way kids are older
and more responsible.
Another activity that goes hand in hand
with hunting is trapping and hunting furbearers.
The following are considered furbearing
animals: beaver, badger, mink, muskrat, raccoon,
striped skunk, spotted skunk, opossum,
weasel, coyote, groundhog (woodchuck), red
fox, gray fox, otter, bobcat, and gray wolf.
Personally I prefer pheasunt and deer
hunting. Pheasant season is nice because it
lasts so long. I like second season shotgun
for deer.
I like this season better than first season
because you get to weekends. It works out
good for kids in school. They get more for
the money during second season.

Page 4 , The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Ram Walking: Can you guess these teacher’s shoes?
Steph Malloy
By Steffany Treiber
The January topic of Ram Walking this
month is staff members shoes. The contestants
were asked to identify four female shoes
and one male shoe.
The contestants were teacher Mr. Casey
Conover, Freshman Stephanie Malloy, Sophomore
Alex Wimmer, Junior Alex Ehlers, and
Senior Royd Reid.
When the first shoe was shown Mr.
Conover said, “Yeah this won’t be good, can I
get a hint? Mr. McKenney?” Stephanie
guessed, “Whose shoes? Umm... Mr.
Dougherty I don’t know.” Alex replied, “I feel
like I have seen them before, Mr. Conover like
Cary Conover, GOSH.” Alex replied, “So I
gotta identify the foot? Mrs. Conovers? Am I
wrong?” Royd stated, “Shoes are you seri-
A
Alex Wimmer
ous? Mr. Cary Conover?”
The correct answer which nobody answered
correctly is Mrs. Haveman.
When the second shoe was shown Mr.
Conover replied, “Ooh...Ocker I have no
clue?” Stephanie immediately replied, “Mrs.
Conover.” Alex Wimmer responded, “Mrs.
Conover.” Alex Ehlers said, “Oh it’s white
let’s go Mrs. Conover.” Royd stated, “It’s
Mrs. Conover.”
The correct answer which Stephanie, Alex,
Alex, and Royd got right is Mrs. Conover.
When the contestants viewed the third picture
Mr. Conover said, “I’m gonna go Lundt,
Oh wait I actually know who it is...Moser.”
Stephanie guessed, “Teacher? Umm..Diana?”
Alex Wimmer stated, “Dude James wore
Alex Ehlers
Heap of the Month
By Devon Hieber
The heap for the month of January is described
as a 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4-4-2
with 130,000 miles, and two-tone grey with
chrome wheels. It is owned by Senior Kylee
Miller who payed $500 for this car.
His heap has been through rough times.
He took his heap mudding after the snow
melted and the breaks went out on the way
home from Danbury. The heap gets bad gas
milage, has bad shocks, and has a leaky exhaust.
Kylee’s heap also has peeling paint
on the doors, hood, and trunk. It has a broken
shifter, the check engine light stays on at
all times, and the T-tops leak whenever there
is precipitation.
Royd Reid
shoes like these...I’m guessing it’s like a lady.
I’m trying to think of girls who teach, Mrs.
Cortez?” Alex Ehlers shouted “Diana!” Royd
said “Umm...I don’t know Dina?”
The right answer which Stephanie, Alex
Ehlers, and Royd answered correctly is Diana.
After seeing the fourth shoe Mr. Conover
replied, “Umm Mrs. Ocker?” Steph said, “Is
that um..I know this..is it Mr. Conover?” Alex
Wimmer wondered, “Hmm..How many
teachers are there 20? I have like a 1 in 20
chance...Conover Casey Conover?” Alex
Ehlers remarked, “It’s easy, Stodola, who is
it? I want to win?” Royd added, “That’s Mr.
Cary Conover’s.”
The right response which nobody answered
correctly is Mr. Bliven.
Casey Conover
When the fifth shoe was shown Mr.
Conover wondered, “Can I guess anyone? I
just wanna guess people. Can I say Ocker?
It’s not Mrs. Conover...Well my class guesses
Mr. Walsh.” Stephanie added, “I can barely
see them, who is it Mrs. Chaffin maybe?”
Alex Wimmer remarked, “They’re blue...Mr.
Smeltzer?” Alex Ehlers replied, “Oh Mrs.
Moser she has small feet.” Royd guessed, “Is
that Mr. Smeltzer’s?”
The correct answer which nobody got right
is Mrs. Dirksen.
The winners are Stephanie Malloy, Alex
Ehlers, and Royd Reid.
Answers to the teacher’s shoes are on page 7.
C
B D E
He plans to put a new engine and transmission
in the Oldsmobile. Kylee’s going to
give it a much needed paint job when he gets
the money. Some of his favorite moments in
his heap have been driving around with the
T-tops off.
Steroid use at MVAO
By James Brouillette
I would like to make it clear that in
my article about steroids in the last issue
of the Ram Write-up, I was not saying
that steroids are a problem in the
MV-AO High School, although it may
be a problem in many larger high
schools. The athletes at MV-AO work
very hard to get the results they have
gotten and, although some of the students
use muscle builder, I can assure
you that none of the athletes at this high
school use steroids.

Page 5, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Meet the Ram Write-Up Staff
By Ashley Mullicane
At the beginning of the year all Journalism
students go under evaluation by the
newspaper advisor Mrs. Moser. The journalism
staff has eight spots that have to be filled
and the rest of the class are “staff reporters”.
The most important job that has to be filled
is editor-in-chief. This year Lindsey
Carothers has the responsibility of serving as
a spokesperson for the staff, edits assignments
after they have undergone first revision,
and sets up the newspaper layout. The
editor-in-chief has to see out that all articles
meet the deadline and the overall paper gets
finished and sent to LeMars in time for its
separate deadline.
The layout editor, Lindsey Carothers also
doubles as the layout editor. That position
has the responsibility for the final placement
of all of the articles, headlines, and pictures.
The display editor, Courtney Hahn, posts
copies of the newspaper is the classrooms and
also saves two copies for the permanent file.
The pictures that are featured in the newspaper
each month go through many stages.
After the pict ures are viewed by Lindsey,
Sylvia Pederson, the new technical editor, has
the job of editing the pictures. She has to cut,
crop, resize, and place the pictures.
The News editor, who is also Sylvia
Pederson has to check the monthly calenders
for new story ideas. She also has to keep
up on out-of-school activities that students
are involved in.
Sylvia Pederson is also the transfer editor.
She is responsible for the delivery of the pa-
James Brouillette
Aaron Bechen
Ashley Mullicane
per to other schools.
The class list controller, Ashley Mullicane,
keeps track of all of the information that
might be needed in the future. This job consists
of keeping track of how many times a
student has been featured in the newspaper
(including who has or hasn’t been featured
in Senior Spotlights), and also a list of all students
attending MV-AO.
Lastly, the historian, Steffany Treiber,
maintains files of past newspapers.
The staff reporters, David and Jeff Koithan,
Shane Erlemeir, Devon Heiber, Kayla Dose,
Austin Bettin, James Brouillette, Aaron
Bechen and Courtney Venteicher have a requirement
of writing twenty inches for each
deadline to be featured in the monthly Ram
Write-Up. They are graded on quality, such
as spelling and grammar, correct name spelling,
effective use of class time, and supply
their own pictures.
The second-year veteran members in the
class right now are Kayla Bleil, Courtney
Hahn, and David Koithan, who have been in
here for two years. Lindsey Carothers joined
in the second semester last year.
Senior Courtney Hahn commented, “ I like
journalism because it gives me a chance to
be creative.”
Journalism is a year-round class taught by
Mrs. Moser. The students get a lot of freedom,
yet have a lot of responsibility. “Journalism
gives people the chance to freely express
opinions,” commented Junior Sylvia
Pederson.
Lindsey Carothers
Courtney Venteicher
Shane Erlemeier
Jeff Koithan
Austin Bettin
Devon Heiber
Courtney Hahn
Sylvia Pedersen
Kayla Dose
Steffany Treiber
Kayla Bleil
David Koithan

Wrestling season
starts with a pin
Freshman Nate Boggs works hard to get a pin.
By Shane Erlemeier
The Wrestling team is off to a pretty good start
for this year, their record is 5-1. “The kids
are working really hard and I am impressed
with the progress that the team has done,”
commented Coach Casey Conover. “The season
is going pretty good and people are keeping
in shape. Coach Kingsbury is pushing
us hard to keep in shape, and all the coaches
are pretty happy that we can fill all the weight
classes,” exclaimed Senior Phil McGrain.
The returning letter winners are Kyle
Page 6, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Livermore, Ynez Curiel, Tyler Wessling, Jesse
Garule, Nathan Rodenburg, Andy Wray, Alex
Parker, Kevin Zimmerman, Beau Hanson,
and Chris Silva.
The managers for the wrestling team are
Melissa Mente, Kayla Dose, Janessa Rhode.
“It’s fun and it gets to be very intense when
watching the matches,” proclaimed Junior
Kayla Dose.
The first match is against MOC Floyd Valley,
Cherokee and MV-AO.
Drill team earns division I rating
By Kayla Bleil
This year the MVAO High School Drill
Team Squad consists of nine girls. Those girls
are Seniors Sara Dose (captain), Jennifer
Chwirka, Juniors Sam Marsh (captain), Kali
Dose, Melissa Mente, Sophomores Kallie
Clausen (captain), Hallie Seuntjens, Courtney
Seuntjens, and Freshman Becca Marsh and
alternate Alli Jo Lloyd.
This year’s squad started practicing in the
summer before school started. Once school
started, the girls practiced about two or three
times a week. Their first performance was at
a football game in Mapleton.
After many practices after school they finally
became ready for State Drill Team competition.
State competition was held on December
2 and 3 in Des Moines. The girls left
on Friday the 2nd at 2:30 in the afternoon and
it took them two and a half hours to reach
their destination.
When they arrived in Des Moines they
stopped at Joe’s Crab Shack, ate, and then
went shopping. After shopping they traveled
to the Embassy Suites, which is where
they stayed.
On Saturday morning, December 3, the
girls woke up at 6:00 a.m. performed at 8:20.
After performing at 8:20 a.m. they headed
back to their hotel room and hung out and
rested up so they could perform again that
evening at 6:45.
Over four hundred dances were performed
that day by drill team squads from
all over the state.
The Maple Valley-Anthon Oto squad got
a division one in pom, but didn’t place in hip
hop.
The girls also performed at the boy’s basketball
game on Friday, December 16th during
half time in Mapleton against Whiting.
Boys basketball off
to a perfect start
By James Brouillette
The boys basketball team started the season
off traveling up to Boyer Valley to face
the Bulldogs. The Rams started off slow with
only a three point lead at the end of the first
quarter but were able to get the lead up to 13
by halftime. The Rams were able to maintain
the lead the rest of the game and ended up
winning by 15 points. Leading the Rams in
the scoring column was Travis Brown with 20
points. “I was really happy with how hard
our guys played. We forced a lot of turnovers
with our defensive pressure. We were then
able to convert the turnovers into some easy
baskets.” commented Coach Brown.
The following Friday the Rams hosted the
River Valley Wolverines. The Rams came out
strong with an 11 to zero run and took a 12
point lead into the half. The Rams kept the
pressure on and won 83-65. Austin Bettin and
Austin Bettin dribbles
up the court with a
defender on him while
Travis Brown looks
back to see if he needs
help.
Travis Brown were the leading scorers for the
Rams with 22 points and 18 points respectively.
Coach Brown had this to say about
the Rams performance, “We got off to a great
start. Our pressure forced several turnovers
that we turned into easy lay-ups. That kind
of set the tone for the rest of the night.”
The next Tuesday the Rams faced Odelbolt
for the first game in Mapleton of the season.
The Rams came out rather slow but were able
to take a 15 point lead into halftime. The
Rams came out of the half and were able to
build the lead up to 20 points but towards
the end of the game seemed to slow down
and let the Trojans back into the game. The
Rams were able to hang on for the win though
winnning by nine points. Travis Brown was
the leading scorer for the Rams with 11 points.
Alex Flanigan and Aaron Bechen scramble for the
ball against the Bulldogs.

By Austin Bettin
The girls basketball team is off to a struggling
start of the beginning of the 2005-2006
season.
The Maple Valley Anthon Oto Rams girls
team is coached by Mr. Dan Dougherty and
assisted by Mr. Matt Dress and Mrs. Tammy
Flanigan. The girls were scheduled to play
their first basketball game on Monday, September
27th against the Missouri Valley Big
Reds, and their first conference game on December
2nd against the Remsen Union Rockets.
But unfortunately due to winter weather,
both games were cancelled.
The girls finally got their season underway
by playing the Boyer Valley Bulldogs in
Dunlap on Saturday, December 2nd.
To start the game, the starting five players
for the Rams were Tabby Allen, Lisa Ortner,
Angie Flanigan, Tammy Kafton, and Erin
Vermeersch. Leslie McBride, one of the returning
five starters from last year, is sidelined
for the beginning of the 2005-2006 season
because of an ankle injury she suffered
during the volleyball season.
Page 7, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Girls Basketball kicks off
with strong competition
Erin Vermeersch shoots for a three.
The Rams started the game off good, and
held with the Bulldogs for the first quarter,
but started to wear down by the end of the
first half. The first half ended with the Bulldogs
leading by a score of 29-19.
In the second half the Bulldogs started to
pull away, and when the 3rd quarter buzzer
sounded the Rams found themselves trailing
50-29. With the Rams down by eleven points
to start the 4th quarter the Rams just couldn’t
overcome the deficit. The Rams fell to the
Boyer Valley Bulldogs with a final score of
66-47. Head Coach Mr. Dan Dougherty commented
on the girls first game, he said, “We
needed to do a better job of rebounding, and
not allowing them to get easy put-backs.”
Erin Vermeersch and Tabby Allen were the
high scorers of the game with Erin putting
up a solid thirteen points, and Tabby putting
in ten of the Rams total 47 points.
On December 6th the girls had their first
home game of the season. They faced the
Missouri Valley Big Reds in a very energetic
and high intensity game. The team played a
good first quarter by leading the Big Reds 15-
12 . But by halftime the team found themselves
trailing by a score of 19-28.
With the Big Reds leading to start the second
half the Rams just couldn’t get caught up.
The game ended with a final score of Missouri
Valley-50 and the Maple Valley Rams-39.
Tabby Allen lead all scorers for the Rams
with a total of 15 points. Erin Vermeersch and
Lisa Ortner also contributed to the Rams scoring
with 8 points each.
The girls basketball team traveled to
Anthon on Friday, December 9 to play the
River Valley Wolverines.
The Rams played a good first quarter, and
only trailed the Wolverines by 1 point. But in
the second quarter the Wolverines lead increased
and the Rams went into half-time
down by a score of 27-33.
The Rams clawed their way back into the
game in the 3rd quarter and held the Wolverines
to only scoring 6 points in the quarter.
By the end of the 3rd, the Rams were only
down by 6 points.
In the 4th quarter the Wolverines were just
too much for the Rams and started to pull
away. The game ended with a Wolverines
Steph Allen takes on the double team and escapes down
the sideline.
win. The final score was 52-36. Michelle
Pierce and Tammy Kafton were the high scorers
for the Rams. Michelle scored 12 points
and Tammy put in 10 for the Rams.
Tuesday, December 13th the Odebolt
Arthur Trojans traveled to Mapleton for the
Rams second conference game. The girls
started out strong the first quarter, leading
the Trojans 13-11. The second quarter the
Rams offense slowed down. The girls ended
up losing a tough game. Tabby Allen was
the Rams high-scorer of the night. “I think
we played well with the tough competition
we faced, and i’m looking forward to the
game Friday,” stated Junior Tabby Allen.
The Rams started out the season with stiff
competition. Their over-all record is now 0-
4, and their Maple Valley Conference record
is 0-2. They will continue conference play
Friday the 16th in Mapleton against the Wolverines
of River Valley. Last year when the
the Rams faced the Wolverines it ended in a
Ram victory after a very close game. The
Rams just started their season and have many
more games and opportunities to improve.
Answers to Ram
Walking from page 4:
A. Mrs. Haveman
B. Mrs. Conover
C. Mrs. Sexton
D. Mr. Bliven
E. Mrs. Dirksen

Jarhead movie
review
By Courtney Hahn
A young man named Anthony Swafford
joined the Marines and is training to become
an expert sniper. He finds himself mixed in
sand and oil. Which is known as the Gulf War
in Saudi Arabia.
He tells stories of early boot camp when
he got his head shoved through a chalkboard
for making a drill instructor angry. Other stories
he has of seeing dead bodies, holding a
gun to fellow marine and the boredom of
waiting in the desert for the war to start. The
main story is about how he deals with his romantic
problems and family problems, but
Page 8, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
mostly his trials during his time in the Marine
Corps.
The movie also talks about how he thinks
joining the Marine Corps was a mistake. He
wishes his father had never been a war hero
so he wouldn’t have such high expectations
when he grew up.
I think Jarhead was a good movie because
it has plenty of comic relief unlike most war
movies that can be somewhat boring. I didn’t
think I was going to like this movie at first,
but it definitely proved to be a good movie. I
give Jarhead three out of four Ram heads.
Producers of Family
Guy release new season
By Jeff Koithan
It’s funny. It’s obnoxious. It’s just downright
hilarious! The Family Guy TV series has
now released the 4th season of this gut-busting
comedy from Fox.
Family Guy has been around since 1999
when their first season came to Fox and had
awesome reviews. The show was created by
Seth Macfarlane. Seth also does many of the
voices for the characters on the show.
The show is about a middle class family
who lives in a made-up town called Quahog
in the state of Rhode Island. The comedy is
mostly based on a funny family taking wild
risks and funny adventures. The show also
has many series of flashbacks in the episodes.
The characters remember or think of something
that has something to do with the situ-
Senior class volunteers their time
By Courtney Hahn
Have you ever wondered about the people
who are less fortunate than us that can’t afford
food, clothes, and gifts for Christmas?
The senior class took one day to volunteer
their time and help people in need while the
other classes were at school taking standardized
tests.
On November 30, the seniors went Sioux
City to help out at the Gospel Mission and
the Salvation Army. Half of the class went to
the Gospel Mission and the others went to
the Salvation Army.
At the Salvation Army the students sorted
clothes, books and Christmas items to be sold
at the Salvation Army. At the Gospel Mission
the students sorted clothes and served
food to those at the mission. “It was fun helping
people less fortunate than us. I never
knew the Gospel Mission had such good
food, but they do,” enthused Senior
McKenzie Sauser.
The two chaperones on the trip were Mr.
Cary Conover and Karla McGrain. Mr.
Conover thought the day went well. He commented,
“I thought it was a good day. It was
a good mix of hard work, learning, and fun.
It is important to realize that we can give back
to our communities in many ways.” Karla
McGrain stated, “I thought it was a great day
and the students learned a lot. They got
plenty accomplished and everyone was willing
to help. This tradition should continue.”
By the end of the day, the students felt as
if they were a big help. Some of the students
at the Salvation Army got to pick one item to
take home. Before they left to go home all of
the students and supervisors enjoyed a lunch
at the mall.
Pictured above are Seniors Leslie McBride, Sine Chinakat, and
Mandi Bendixen organizing clothes at the Gospel Mission.
ation which is usually very funny.
In 2002, the show was canceled, but they
sold DVDs of the three seasons. They still
aired the show on Cartoon Network’s Adult
Swim. The show came back in the fall of 2005
with all new episodes. The fans went crazy
when the show came back, and now there is
a DVD of the 4th season of Family Guy. It is
their best work yet!
Family Guy is for anyone with a good sense
of humor, and for people who don’t get easily
offended. The writer of Family Guy also
produced a new show called American Dad
which also hit the Fox lineup.
This show will keep you laughing time after
time, and the quotes will bring back some
funny memories. I give this TV series four
out of four Ram heads.
Coldplay
comes to
Omaha
By Jeff Koithan
A band that brings joy, sadness, adventure
and love is what the chart-topping act
Coldplay is all about.
The group released their first album Parachutes
in July of 2000, which had smash hits
such as Yellow and Trouble. Coldplay has begun
touring all over the world. The band decided
to start working on their second album
A Rush of Blood to the
Head, which was released in August of 2002.
The album topped the charts at number five
in the U.S., and won four grammy awards in
the process.
As of now, Coldplay is on a worldwide tour
for their newest album X&Y, which was released
in June of 2005. The album was number
1 in 28 countries and sold over 737, 000
copies in the first week of its release. The band
started the touring for the album in June and
will be making a stop in Omaha to perform at
the Quest Center on February 20, 2006.
The tickets for the show have already gone
on sale and they are selling out fast. Critics
say they put on one of the best shows for the
new generation and that it is definitely worth
the money.
Coldplay’s music is something different,
but it’s something that is full of heart and soul.
Don’t miss a great show by a great band.

By Aaron Bechen
Football and wrestling cheerleading, BPA,
FCCLA, 4-H, CCD, Choir, and Student Council
are a few of the activities you can find Senior
Noelle Uhl participating in.
Noelle is the daughter of Mary Uhl and
the late Cliff Uhl.
During high school, Noelle has enjoyed
being a Varsity Cheerleading captain. She
also said that her favorite high school trip was
the BPA Nationals trip to California her junior
year.
Noelle is constantly saying “not so much”
and her favorite food is pasta. She loves
Christmas, country music, and the movie The
Notebook.
The most influential person in Noelle’s life
is her mom because she’s raised Noelle and
her siblings on her own for the past 12 years.
Noelle’s biggest ambition is to have her
own massage therapy practice within the next
five years. She plans to attend a massage
therapy college after high school.
This summer before Noelle heads off to
college, she plans to work and spend as much
time with her family and friends as possible.
By Courtney Venteicher
Born on September 12th in 1988 to Jim and
Karen Kueny, was Kristine Marie.
During high school Kristine has been involved
in golf, Future Farmers of America,
Band, Business Professionals of America,
CCD, track, and volleyball.
Her best high school memory is when she
was on the Maple Valley FFA Forestry team
her junior year and they got to fly down to
the National FFA Convention in Louisville,
Kentucky.
Her most embarrassing moment was
when she went to the Washington Leadership
Conference and she ran into a tar pole.
Kristine wants to be known as someone
who was friendly to everyone in high school.
Kristine enjoys being a senior because she
feels that she gets to do more things.
Kristine’s most prized posession is her car
for now. In the near future she hopes to have
a shiny new red Ford Mustang GT.
A few favorites of Kristine’s include the
food pizza. Her favorite high school class was
Comm. 1. She enjoys listening to her favorite
band Green Day. Her favorite holiday is
Christmas. A few of her favorite movies include
Coach Carter, and The Longest Yard.
Kristine looks up to her older brother Rich,
“because he has always given me advice
when I have needed help.”
Kristine plans on spending her last summer
before going to college hanging out with
Page 9, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Senior Spotlights
Noelle Uhl
Kristine Kristine Kueny Kueny
her friends and family. She will also be
working at her dad’s shop, Kueny Electric.
Kristine’s future plans are to go to college,
get a job, and then get married. To start off
with her plans, Kristine wants to go to Briar
Cliff or Northeast Community College after
high school. She plans on majoring in horticulture
or environmental science.
After college is all said and done with,
Kristine wants to find herself a home in a
large city(not quite sure which one yet). And
after five years, Kristine wants to have a successful
job in the city, have a husband, and
maybe a few little rugrats!
David Dirksen
By Steffany Treiber
Travis Brown is a senior who has been involved
in many school activities during high
school.
Travis is the son of Brian and Brenda
Brown from Mapleton. He has a younger
brother Derek in high school, and a younger
sister Lindsey in junior high. They have been
involved in the Maple Valley school since
Travis was in sixth grade at Anthon Oto.
During high school Travis has kept busy
with many sports, including basketball, golf,
baseball, cross country, and football his freshman
year. He has also been involved in Fellowship
of Christian Athletes and Business
Professionals of America.
Travis has had many good memories during
high school. One of the best was being
the winning pitcher against Sergeant Bluff
Luton to go to sub-state last summer in baseball.
Travis’ favorite holidays are Thanksgiving
and Christmas, because he really likes the
good food. “I’ll eat anything,” laughed
Travis.
This summer Travis plans to play baseball,
make money, and spend time in Okoboji.
After that he will probably head to college at
the University of Northern Iowa. After college
he wants to get a good job and get rich.
By Jeff Koithan
Playing in a dodge ball tournament all day
during school is Senior David Dirksen’s most
memorable moment in high school.
David was born on November 30, 1987 at
a hospital in Sioux City. His parents are Fred
and Fanchon Dirksen who live outside of
Danbury.
David’s interests are motorcycles, hunting,
and playing some video games. Some of his
favorites include a juicy prime rib sandwich,
the song Stricken by the band Disturbed, and
watching the movie Space Balls.
After high school, David will be attending
Iowa State University. He is not quite sure
what he wants to do yet, but he says he will
figure it out. In five years ,David sees himself
having a steady job and living in a nice home.
David Dirksen wants to be remembered
as the “fastest of the slowest.”
Travis Brown

By Kayla Bleil
The person who could always make
people laugh or smile and knew how to have
fun is Senior Aaron Bechen.
Aaron is the son of Kurt and Cindy
Seuntjens of Danbury and Nick Bechen of
Omaha.
During high school Aaron has been involved
in football, basketball, baseball, Project
Pals, FFA, Phi Ramma Jamma, and CCD.
Aaron said his best high school memory
would have to be going to volleyball games
in the green tank his senior year with his
friends David, Cody, James, Austin, Shawn,
and Wiggles.
Some of Aaron’s favorites include all kinds
of music, Dr. Dre, which happens to be his
favorite C.D., pizza, prime rib, and making
people laugh.
The most influential person in Aaron’s life
has been his mom Cindy, because she has always
been there for him and has always believed
in him.
Aaron’s biggest ambition is to be successful
and walk down the street being proud of
who he is.
After graduating from high school Aaron
plans on going to the University of Northern
Iowa to major in construction management.
By Kayla Dose
This month the boys basketball coach
Brian Brown picked three seniors to be athlete
of the month. These seniors are Alex
Flanigan, Travis Brown and Austin Bettin.
Alex was chosen because he shows great
Page 10, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Senior Spotlights
Aaron Bechen
Aaron said that during his last summer,
he plans to play baseball, work, and try to
spend a lot of time with friends before everyone
leaves.
leadership by his hustle and willingness to
do the dirty work on the basketball court.
Anytime there is a ball lose, Alex is willing to
dive after the ball. Every team needs a player
like this. He averages six points a game and
Craig Riesberg
about eight and a half rebounds a game.
Another athlete chosen was Travis Brown.
Travis was chosen because he is a leader more
by his actions on the floor and his unselfish
play than his vocal leadership. He put in a
lot of time during the off-season to make himself
better. He averages 19 points, four assists
and three steals per game.
The third chosen athlete was Austin Bettin.
He was chosen because he has really brought
a lot more intensity to the floor this year. He
has become a much more complete player
because of his defense and making the extra
pass to find the open player for a better shot.
He averages 15.5 points, six steals, and four
assists per game.
There will be more senior boys basketball
players chosen in the future.
Coach Conover and Coach Kingsbury
chose Andy Wray for this month’s wrestling
athlete. He was chosen because he works
extremely hard to make himself better, on his
feet and when he’s on top. He is also very
By Devon Hieber
The senior whose parents are Harry and
Jeannette is Craig Riesberg. During high
school, he has been involved in Future Farmers
of America, Phi Ramma Jamma, and track
his sophomore year. He likes to listen to all
kinds of music, watch the movie Bad Boys II,
and eat pizza. Christmas is his favorite holiday.
Craig’s secret talent is giving Government
lessons by himself. His biggest ambition is
to get a good job and retire young. He wants
to be remembered and the kid who dressed
crazy. When asked what his favorite memory
was Craig replied, “Dressing up as girls at
homecoming.”
His most embarrassing moment was when
he got gas at Bells and forgot to take the gas
nozzle out and got all the way home before
he even noticed that he still had it in his car.
Craig plans to go to a two year college and
major in Ag production.
The most influential person in Craig’s life
has been his dad because he keeps him out of
trouble and leads him into the right direction
in life. Craig plans to work at Fiesta Foods
and at the Iowa State Research Farm. This
summer, he plans to hang out with his friends.
Athletes of the Month
The basketball athletes of the month are Travis Brown,
Austin Bettin, and Alex Flanigan.
Andy Wray is this month’s
wrestling athlete of the month.
patient, limiting careless mistakes. Andy has
been a great motivator during practice. He
also shows up for youth wrestling practice
and helps out. He is in weight class 152 and
holds a winning record of 10-4.

Page 11, The Ram Write-Up, Maple Valley Anthon- Oto Schools
Around the ‘Valley’
National Honor Society President Alex
Flanigan places gloves on the Hat and
Mitten tree.
Janna Dose reads the latest issue of the Ram Write-up
during her study hall.
Michael Jepson and Sine Chinakat work on their projects
in Mrs. Dirksen’s Intro to Art class.
Kelsey Clark and other TAG students play a mind game
during class.