Necedah High School Holds Commencement Ceremony

Necedah High School's class of 2015.  -photo by Carney Lentz

See more photos here.

Necedah High School Holds Awards Ceremony

Deneille Lessard, left, was announced as the class of 2015
salutatorian while Loralee Arbanas, right, has the honor
of being this year's valedictorian.  -photo by Carney Lentz

Many students were recognized for a wide range of
accomplishments including perfect attendance
WIAA Scholar Athlete, and American Legion patriotism
awards.  -photo by Carney Lentz

You can find more pictures from the event here.

Necedah Graduation To Be Held Saturday, May 23 At 10:00am

Today was just for practice; tomorrow is the real deal with
caps, gowns, and diplomas.  -photo by Carney Lentz

Some seniors chose unconventional modes of transport to get
to graduation practice this morning.  Conrad Wandler, for example,
rode his horse to school.  -photo by Carney Lentz

Alek Hadley Memorial Dedicated at Necedah High School

Alek Hadley's family and friends gathered at
Necedah High School to take part in the dedication
of a red maple tree in memory of Alek.
-photo by Carney Lentz

by Carney Lentz

On Thursday, May 14 the Necedah High School community gathered with family and friends of Alek Hadley to dedicate a memorial in her honor.

A red maple tree has been planted and a brick indicating that the tree was planted in her honor will be added.

Several people spoke about Alek at the ceremony that was organized by her classmates.  Helena Teumer (friend of Alek's) and Kammy Quinnell (school nurse) spoke of their memories of Alek and Alannah Daniels (Alek's friend) read a poem titled "Plant a Tree."

The high school choir, lead by Cheryl Jackson also performed the song "Wings."

Alek Hadley passed away on September 20, 2014 as a result of cystic fibrosis.

You can see more pictures of the event here  (additional photography by Carney Lentz, Ashley Pochowski, and Amber Zander).

Necedah High School Holds Annual Honors Banquet

Isaiah Dutscheck led the National Honor Society induction
that was part of the evening's events.  -photo by Carney Lentz

by Carney Lentz

On the evening of May 13 School board members, students, family, faculty, and school administrators from Necedah gathered for the annual Necedah High School Honors Banquet.

After the meal, inducting new members into the National Honor Society was the first event of the evening.

A/B students, academic letters, and outstanding students in each department were also celebrated.

13 NHS students received a Deena Hatch
Memorial Scholarship.  -photo by Carney Lentz

After an intermission, thirty scholarships were awarded.  Community businesses, civic groups, and memorial foundations were part of the scholarship portion of the evening.

NHS Band & Choir Present 2015 Spring Concert

by Destiny Smith and Carney Lentz

The Necedah high school and middle school presented their concert on Tuesday, May 12.  Many parents, students, and community members attended the event.

The high school choir, directed by Mrs. Jackson, performed "Danny Boy," "If Music," and "Bohemian Rhapsody."  In addition the choir presented a special song, "Wings" by Carl Strommen, dedicated to Alek Hadley.

The band will be performed a group of songs selected by Mr. Jackson:  "Midnight Express," "Thriller," and a James Bond medley.  The percussion choir also performed "Cadancé" which was written by Joe Boissonneault, and NHS student, and arranged by Mr. Jackson.

The percussion choir performs an original piece
as part of the spring concert.  -photo by Carney Lentz

Mr. Jackson directs the band as they play "Midnight Express."
-photo by Carney Lentz

Mrs. Jackson directs the NHS choir as they perform
"Danny Boy"  -photo by Carney Lentz

The choir presented a special performance of "Wings"
in memory of Alek Hadley  -photo by Carney Lentz

Work Progressing on Necedah Butterfly Garden

Ryan Rattunde of Quality Lawn Care and Snow Removal
used his backhoe to help with the digging as Doug Staller,
other Necedah National Wildlife Refuge employees, and
AmeriCorps members started moving dirt for the
butterfly garden located near the high school wing of
the Necedah schools building.  -photo by Carney Lentz

Necedah’s 2015 Junior Prom Breaks From Traditional Voting

King Maxwell Winters and Queen Elyssa Sheley Crowned

by Taylor Stout

Parents and other family members gathered around to capture
a photo of the junior class and the newly crowned king and
queen at Necedah's junior prom.  -photo by Carney Lentz

On April 27, 2015, Necedah Juniors hosted the annual prom.  The event’s theme was black tie and was titled “The Grand Affair.”  This year the Juniors decided to switch it up and select prom royalty in a different way.

Instead of the class voting for the
court and then the entire high school vote for the king and queen, they had the whole grade up on the stage and the king/queen was chosen in a raffle by choosing a random name from a hat.

As students entered, they were greeted by red drapes hanging from the ceiling with gold and black balloons in the mix.  The music was jamming and a bunch of smiling faces filled the room.

The sign hung above the door announced the title of the dance:  “Grand Affair.”  The gym was filled with fancy decor; many in attendance considered it a dazzling event.

During the grand march, all of the Juniors had fun with creative poses; and it was a nice change to have the entire class standing on the stage as a whole rather than a few selected students.

At the end of the march, they announced last year’s royalty: Isaiah Dutscheck and Lacey Winters.  They had the honor to choose the names out of a hat of who would be crowned this year.

As the juniors were introduced for the grand march, they
posed for the community members in attendance.  Some
of the junior guys decided to form a pyramid.
-photo by Carney Lentz

Isaiah drew the name of Max Winters.  Lacey drew the name of Elyssa Sheley.  The gymnasium overflowed with resounding applause.

“The decorating part the day before was stressful work and seemed tedious at times,”  two of the Junior girls who attended prom, Jamie Bistodeau and Anni Knapinski agreed, “But after we were all done it looked really nice!”

“We didn’t like how we selected king and queen, though.”  When asked why not Jamie and Anni looked at each other.

“We liked the normal voting way because it seemed more special,”  Anni concluded.

Each class in the future will have the chance to vote whether to do it the traditional way or this new way.

New Spring Artwork in the Halls of Necedah High School

watercolor by Morgan Deguire

painting by Olivia Nokovic

painting by Anthony Seebruck

painting by Destiny Smith

painting by James Polack

stained glass lamp shade by Lacey Winters

mixed media mosaic by Logan Myhre

Students Compete In Pride Time Scavenger Hunt

One of the items that students needed to get a picture of
was a white car.  -photo by Carney Lentz

 Necedah High School students were able to compete in a scavenger hunt during pride time on Wednesday, May 6.

The previous day students created lists in their pride time and those lists were randomly assigned to a different pride time group.

Each team divided up into two or three groups.  The teams had to capture an image of the objects with a member of the group included in the picture.

Several items on the scavenger hunt forced students to explore
the grounds around the school as well as the hallways and
classrooms.  -photo by Carney Lentz

Student Poetry - "Concert"

Concert
by Loralee Arbanas

People rush in to fill the seats.
They come from all around.
They're here to see the best of bands.
Some are on the wide ground.

The warmth of the air is so thick.
Heat from the lights is felt.
The sweat on my face is dripping.
The sun's rays make me melt.

Music is heard from here and there.
The drum's beat soothes like tea.
And the voices that sing out loud
speak to the heart in me.

----------------------------------------
note:  This piece was written for an assignment in the AP Language and Composition class at Necedah High School.