April Issue

Tigers'go'to'state'speechby Emma HolzFeature Editor

The 2014 State Speech was held on March 28, at Kearney with four qualifying in three different events. Joel Schroeder, sopho-more, placing first in Humorous Pros, Leanne Gamet, junior, and Justin Hardwick, senior, placing second in Duet Acting, and Alec Fox, junior, placing first in En-tertainment Speaking. Connie Snodgrass, speech coach, stated, “I’m very proud of the hard work that these student put forth, they very much deserved to go to state they were very com-mitted, and practiced many long hours and I hope they bring home medals.” Schroeder, sophomore, said, “As being my first time going to state, I'm very excited to represent

The Paw PrintsPaxton High School's student body newspaper Friday, April 4, 2014Edition I, Issue X

Layout by Taylor Holzfaster and Nicole Keller

PHS students arrive in style by Austin HackneySports Editor

Paxton Consolidated Schools school board has made the decision to get a charter bus and it is expected to be here before the end of April.

The bus cost the school 88,500 dollars without any logos put on the sides of it. The bus will fit 49 people. Del Dack, Superint-endent said, “We are involved in a lot of activities and the distance that we travel to those activities is long and so the kids are on the bus a lot so we just want something that is comfortable and safety is another reason [to get the bus]. Something that is safe for them to ride in.” Dack also said, that they had been planning on getting a bus for about one and half year. The bus is a used 2002 bus. The school bought it from Coach Masters in Kearney because of the location and warranty, since it is a used bus. The school has three bus drivers that were interested in driving the bus drive the bus to see if they liked it. Dack added, “We did choose an activity bus in 2011, we bought the current bus that we have and we were looking to up-date that bus or make different changes to that bus because we didn’t like some of the things about that bus, like the seating, the seats weren’t as comfortable and so that’s why we are looking at it now. Plus at the time that we bought that bus we had just joined the RPAC conference and so we didn’t realize how much traveling we would be doing to Southwest Nebraska and so that’s why this bus is maybe a little better for us because the kids are on it so much," said Dack.

(photo by Lori Holmstedt) Pictured above front row: Michelle Kluver (coach), Leanne Gamet, Connie Snodgrass (coach) and back row: Alec Fox, Justin Harkwick, and Joel Schroeder traveled to the state Speech competion on March 28.

Track •Sat. April 5 - Sutherland Booster club Track Meet

•Thu, April 10 - Chappell Meet

State FFA•Wed., April 9

•Thurs., April 10•Fri., April 11

Track•Thu, April 17 -Sutherland HS

Track Meet•Fri, May 2 -RPAC HS Track

Meet

Golf•Tue, April 8 DCS Golf Invite @

Benkelman•Thu, April 17 Med Valley Golf

Invite @ Curtis

Golf•Tue, April 29- Garden Co Golf

Invite•Thu, May 1- RPAC Golf @

Curtis

by Logan AndersonSocial Media Promoter

Every year students from Paxton High School attend Inter-High Day hosted my Mid-Plains Community College. This year the students attended Inter-High Day on March 26, 2014 at McCook and 38 students competed. On April 2, students traveled to North Platte for the second session of Inter-High Day where 35 students competed.

The day is made up of a series of tests. Deborah Meyer, guidance counselor, and teachers in the area being tested, selected the best kids for each test. First through third places won a free class that is offered in the summer in the field that the stu-dents competed in. The students

Testing'worth'something...can also get a scholarship for Mid-Plains Community College. Three students won this honor and one small Paxton team. Justin Hardwick got 2nd in English Lit-erature, Wacey Campbell got 3rd in Fire Science, Tyler Schimonitz got 3rd in Welding, and a Paxton team made up of Bailee Schow, Alex O’Connor, and Taylor Holz-faster, got 2nd in Business Event Management. Ten other people ended up in fourth place putting them just bel-ow getting a scholarship.

“Inter-High Day in McCo-ok started early, but even with a 5 a.m. start, the students were on the bus, on time, with great attitudes. I felt the day went exceptionally well, and was very proud of each and every one of our Paxton par-ticipants as they exhibited not only

by Alex O’ConnorCo-Editor-in-Chief Science Olympiad competed at the state competition on March 29, in the star city, Lincoln. There were 36 kids on the team but only few made it, 15 in the B division (6-8) and two in the C division (9-12). They have competed at regional competition and even some of the members got first in their event. Out of the 15 members in the B division they competed in all 23 events and out of the C division the high school team, comprised of two, competed in two events. Most of these competitions require a team or two people. A lot of preparing goes on when a team goes to a big competition like the State com-petition, one of the coaches, Me-

Science'Olympiad'was'a'success

the great town of Paxton. It’s been a very fun year with the rest of my teammates and I cant wait to perform down at state. I hope to go to state prepared and go down to state and do the best I can and know that however, state goes I’m still a Paxton Tiger.” Fox, junior, said, “I’m extremely proud of the whole team. We’ve had a great season, and I am thrilled to be one of the few who are pri-vileged enough to go down to state and show ‘em what Paxton speech is all about.“ The state qualifiers comp-eted, Fri. March 28, with none of the kids getting into fin-als. But according to Snodgrass, speech coach, “They had a very successful and hard working season.”

(photo by Taylor Holzfaster) The Paxton bus barn will get a new resident at the end of April. Paxton Consolidated Sch-ools is getting a 2002 charter bus to take to all types of act-ivities.

gan Mullen said, “I felt like my team was well prepared for their events, but the competition is always intense. There are no cla-ss divisions in Science Olympiad. We compete against all the class A schools from Lincoln and Omaha. This is the first year that we brought home a trophy from state. I am so proud of my team’s hard work and all that they have accomplished this year.” All of the participates did place: Taylor Mullen-Beck and Callie Kriha got 2nd Anatomy, Dalton Drews and Bennett Per-linger got 5th in Shock Value, Hayley Hebblethwaite and Shayle Mullen got 4th in Helicopters, and Caroline Akinnigbagbe and Lau-ren Fricke got 5th in Robocross. Taylor Mullen-Beck and Orey Fricke got 5th in Simple Mac-hines, Treyton Hebblethwaite got 5th in Quiz Bowl, Orey Fricke and Dalton Drews 7th in Boomilever, and Brylie Hahn and Callie Kriha got 7th in Crimebsuters. Colt Mullen and Tatum Florom got 7th in Rotor Egg Drop, Colt Mullen and Tatum Florom got 7th in Wheeled Vehicle, Caroline Aki-nnigbagbe and Lauren Fricke got 8th in Can’t Judge A Powder, and Taylor Mullen-Beck and Ryan Fox 8th in Entomology. Taylor Mullen-Beck, Callie Kriha, and Ryan Fox got 9th in Experimental Design. The High School stuends Hannah Rosen-trater and Alec Fox also got 6th in Forensics as well.

(photo by Emma Holz) During the pep-rally on Thurs., March 27, sixth graders Colt Mu-llen and Tatum Florom prepare to demonstrate to the PHS student body on how to compete in the wheeled vehicle competition.

great behavior, but also excelled in their competitions. This coming Wednesday we head to North Platte for another exciting Inter-High competition, and I look forward to hanging aro-und campus with these excep-tionally interesting and humorous individuals,” Meyer stated on her thoughts about the day.

On April 2, 27 schools competed but PHS still had plenty of winners. Cheyanne Loeffler got 1st place in NPCC Facts, Justin Hardwick got 1st in Literary Ana-lysis and Alec Fox got 2nd in Chemistry. Cody Hardwick also won two extra gift cards to Pizza Hut for the optional short stories in Gra-mmar Composition and Literary Analysis. There was a close win with

other students as well placing in 4th including, Annie Wasserman for Art, Bethann Gartrell for Drama, Leanne Gamet for Infor-mation Technology, and Tyler Cassell for NPCC Facts. Bailee Schow also placed 5th in Art, Alec Fox got 5th in Instrumental Music, and Jordan Loeffler got 5th as well in NPCC Facts. In between test taking at North Platte there were multiple dance contests with prizes involved. Students participated in play around basketball, volleyball, and other activites to get involved. The select choir at NPCC also sang to the students a few songs before the winners were ann-ounced. There were over 850 tests that were given to the students.

Taylor Holzfaster Thursday, April 3, 2014 1:42:16 PM Mountain Daylight Time

OPINIONFriday, April 4, 2014Layout by Shelby Conway and Shyanne Hidalgo

The Paw Prints Staff

Co-Editors-in-Chief: Shelby Conway and Alex O'ConnorFront Page Editor: Nicole KellerOpinion Editor: Shyanne Hidalgo

Feature Editor: Emma HolzSports Editor: Austin HackneyPhoto Editor: Taylor Holzfaster

Social Media Promoter: Logan AndersonAdvisor: Becky Zerr

The Paw Prints is a student publication, and an open public forum. The Paw Prints staff decides what articles to cover and in what

manner, with Mrs. Zerr advising where needed.

Comments from other students and community members are encouraged, and letters to the editors will be accepted and ran,

unless the letter is obscene or libelous. The Paw Prints staff has the right to choose which letters will run when.

[email protected]

by Taylor HolzfasterPhoto/Video Editor

During the month of March, many students, staff, and faculty members of Paxton High School participate in “Mus-tache March.” There are many months throughout the year that people partake in such as, “No Shave November” and “Jungle January.” There have been in the past and currently are some students and faculty members that continue to participate in certain monthly events. These “monthly events” aren’t mandatory, but they are something that is fun to do to and that will challenge people’s ability to follow the rules throughout that certain month. Paxton High School has had both students and faculty members that have participated in the monthly events, but one staff member in part-icular was the only member in PHS to successfully make it through “Mustache March” without shaving or trimming his mustache. When Corey Turner, the Ag teacher at PHS was told that he was the only person that hadn’t shaved or trimmed his mustache throughout the

whole month of March, his response was, “It feels pretty good to know that a number of people started out with good intentions and I was the only one to persevere and finish it

out. I’ve always tried to give 100% to everything I set out to do and I didn’t figure Mustache March was anytime to quit giving my all.” Turner was then asked a variety of questions along the lines of how hard was it to manage his mustache, and if

there were ever moments throughout the month of March that he was tempted to shave or trim his mustache. He replied by saying, “Really my mustache kind of manages itself. With a little encouragement and a compliment in the mirror once in a while it really is very self-sufficient. I wasn’t ever tempted to shave because it has really grown on me.” While some people may find all of these “monthly events ” to be lame, or not worth anyone’s times, there are some people that would disagree. No matter what month appears on the calendar, there are always a select few in PHS that will participate in order to bring fun and excitement to the halls of PHS.

I “Mustache”about March

(photo by Taylor Holzfaster) Throughout the month of March, Corey Turner, Ag teacher, was striving to perfect his mustache. While there were patches that Turner was having troubles with, he continued to be a role model for many men in Paxton Schools in the art of mustache growing.

by Shyanne Hidalgo Opinion Editor

When spring begins, girls start feeling this constant need to become “beach ready” or “prom ready”. Some girls start this process with hitting the tanning bed a few days a week, however this process is lengthy and very unsafe. For prom however, many girls turn to spray tanning to get the perfect glow.

What most girls don’t understand is that a tan is nothing more than damage to the skin. A tan is the body trying to defend itself against UV light. Dr. William James, a professor of dermatology says “Indoor tanning gets you ready for the beach in the same way that getting scalded in a hot tub gets you ready to be boiled alive”.

The fashion industry is the main culprit for the idea that damaged skin is beautiful. Society nowadays views a tan as a sign of radiant health rather than a sign that you are damaged. Before Coco Chanel, wo-

men were erratic about avoiding exposure to the sun. Women carried umbrellas and parasols everywhere.

In the 1920’s, Coco tried creating a new “healthy” look to promote swim wear; however, this popularized tanned skin. Women began sunbathing and those with a tan

were seen by society as beautiful.

Whether one is going to bake their skin on the beach or in a tanning parlor, the evidence that both are bad for you, is to much to not pay attention.

Many people say that a little color to their skin makes them feel better about their

overall appearance, however looking good now could result in aging skin or health issues several years from now. People that use a tanning bed are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma than those who have never tanned indoors. Ten minutes in a sun bed matches the cancer-causing effects of ten minutes in summer sun near the equator.

A newer alternative to crawling into a tanning bed is spray

The golden fool

by Shelby ConwayCo-Editor-in-Chief

An important decision that many high school seniors find themselves asking is “Where do I go after high school?” Some students know right away where they want to go, most choose according to the college they decided to go to. Nebraska is obviously a popular choice among the students who have lived here all their lives. Another factor students of Paxton throw into their debate of leaving or staying in their home state is family, friends, and finances. Mackenzie Walker, a Paxton senior said, “Scholarship purposes, there are more scholarships for those planning to stay in state. Also, to be closer to my family.” From my perception college is a time to find out whom you are, to experiment, to go off on your own

and make mistakes and learn. Yes, financial aid is very important but I think a way to become more independent should be more that just moving a few hours away, up state.

Staying close to family shouldn’t be an excuse not to leave the state. Experiencing as much as you can in the years of developing, as a college student is very important you have to opportunity to meet people you would have never met staying in state; different

people, with more diversity and people with different beliefs. Justin Hardwick, a Paxton senior said, “To experience the world! No matter what state I lived in I think I would want to move away from it at some point just to experience all that our planet has to offer!”There is just a simple ignorance of people who never leave their state to experience the beautiful world we have access to.

tanning. Of course there are health issues that come with spray tanning as well. Once someone inhales this chemical is can be carried into your lungs and carried into your bloodstream. In some cases, this can cause inflammation similar to asthma.

If you really want to stand out in a crowd with a dark tan, remember a few things: •Wear nose clips or hold your breath while you’re being sprayed. Do not get the chemicals into your lungs. •Cover your eyes as best as possible•Keep your lips sealed, and when done wipe them with a towel.

I don’t see anything wrong with getting a spray tan for prom, or even jumping in the tanning bed once in a while. However, I think one should know the risks they are exposing themselves to beforehand.

To each their own, I could tell you the facts about the chemicals in the spray tans, or the effects of long term UV light on the skin, but in the end the choice is yours and tanning is a personal choice; make sure you are being safe.

(photo by http://goo.gl/A71wf) You can’t just have happiness, you have to work for it, go find it. It could be on the other side of the world, and you may never get it unless you go.

Go explore, you won’t regret it

by Alex O'ConnorCo-Editor-in-Chief

Prom was held on March 22, in the old gym. Some would say it was the best night of their lives and then some others beg to differ. The theme “Fathoms Below” was a really creative idea and one of the best prom themes and decorations in a long time. The juniors put in a lot of time and effort to put this on. The food that was catered to the dinner was fantastic; along wi th the snacks throughout the whole entire dance was a good choice. Now on to the dance, it wasn’t compared to the last couple of years, due to the fact that there seem to be not a lot of people there. Maybe that is because our high school doesn’t have the numbers like it did in the past or there wasn’t as many out of town dates as in the past. The DJ was good to a certain extent, it started off a little rough in the beginning, but then it got better. The only bad thing was his speakers were blown out but sometimes you can’t help it. But overall I do commend the junior class for stepping out of the box and trying something different. Post prom was good it did have a lot of different things for people to do and the food was really good. The only thing that I thought was kind of disappointing about post prom was not having a movie because a lot of people enjoy that. Overall it was a very good prom and probably one of the bests with all the decorations and food. I commend and want to thank the junior class for all their hard work for putting this together because we all might pick a apart things but a lot goes into making this possible.

Prom comes to an end

(One students opinion of tanning)

Shelby Conway Thursday, April 3, 2014 1:17:50 PM Mountain Daylight Time

FEATUREFriday, April 4, 2014Layout by Emma Holz and Alexandra O'Connor

by Logan AndersonSocial Media Editor

Q: Full Name: A: Bailee Ann-Margret SchowQ: Parents Name(s): A: Kyle & Cheryl SchowQ: Age: A: 17Q: Siblings (if so name and grade): A: "Ben Schow, 7th grade."Q: Activities/Sports that you are involved in: A: "FFA, FCA, volleyball, yearbook - WAS INVOLVED IN: basketball, track, speech, band, choir."Q: What do you want to do with your life (college/career)? A: “I will be attending the University of Wyoming at Laramie this fall studying Art and Business. I hope to study abroad in Haiti for a semester and through the exchange program study at another university in the U.S. for a semester, as well. I will follow God and wherever he leads me, but I hope to move home sooner or later after college and keep Schow Auction Service running. I also want to take my art cap-

abilities to a new level and open my own studio or something along those lines.”Q: One fun fact about you: A: “I absolutely love the heck out of dill pickles and food in gen-eral.”Q: Favorite song:A: “Every song I've heard recen-tly.”Q: Favorite school lunch: A: “My own.”Q: What is one thing that you will miss when you leave high school?A: “Sports.”Q: Who do you look up to the most and why? A: “Definitely my parents and grandparents because everything we've been through in this last year has been very stressful on all of us and the way that my parents and grandparents have responded is amazing. I am absolutely bless-ed with the strongest, most faithful family in the world.”Q: Who is your best friend and why? A: “I have a handful of best friends, but hands down, my mom. She just amazes me at everything she does. What little girl doesn't look up to her mom, but we're more like sisters. Sometimes fri-

Coming up next is Mackenzie Walker’s Senior Window. Mackenzies window is filled with lots of memories of her friends and family. Her window also includes, senior pictures, personal achievements, and childhood memories. Mackenzie will be attending at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Mackenzie’s favorite quote is, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, Philippians 4:13.”

Senior WindowsSenior Spotlight:Mackenzie Walker

KORDELL STROUPPHS SENIOR

(photo by Nicki Stroup)

(photo by Emma Holz)

(photo by Emma Holz)

BAILEE SCHOWPHS SENIOR

(Photo by Larry Holscher)

ends let you down here and there, but she has yet to disappoint me. She tells me how it is, even if it isn't what I want to hear. She'll lecture me about my bad decision and at the same time she'll laugh with me about how stupidly fun it was or how my outfit is horrendous and tick me off but I won't look dumb, I guess. I just love her.”Q: What is your favorite quote of all time? A: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”-Philippians 4:13

MACKENZIE WALKERPHS SENIOR

This weeks senior window goes out to Connor Merrill. Connor’s decorative senior window includes senior portraits, baseball, and many memories. This fall, Connor will be attending Hastings College while also playing baseball. Connor’s favorite quote is, “The bible verse Philippians 4:13, always reminding me that my strength and ability comes from Him.”

Q: Full Name:A: Mackenzie Kae WalkerQ: Parents Name(s):A: Don and Lori WalkerQ: Age:A: 19Q: Siblings:A: “I have three older siblings, my oldest brother Tyler (29) is married and has two boys, Jace is 26 and has a daughter, and my sister Mikaela is 21 and is a sophomore at UNK.”Q: Activities/Sports that you are involved in:A: “I am involved in basketball and rodeo. Normally I participate in volleyball, but was not able to this year.”Q: What do you want to do with your life (college/career)?A: “I plan to attend the University of Nebraska at Kearney majoring in Veterinarian Medicine. I then plan to attend veterinary school and receive my DVM and become a veterinarian.”Q: What is your most embarrass-ing moment?A: “Oh man, too many to choose from! Just one example would be my freshman year of basketball, I

got a concussion and started going to the wrong basket while the whole crowd was yelling at me.”Q: One fun fact about you:A: “I have a mole in my eye.”Q: Favorite high school memory:A: “My favorite high school memory would have to be this whole year. I have enjoyed my year at PHS so much. A moment that sticks out to me would be district basketball. The support I received from the community was truly amazing and I will never forget that.”Q: Favorite song:A: “Don't Take The Girl” by Tim McGrawQ: Favorite school lunch:A: “I do not usually eat the school lunch, but my favorite would be mini corn dogs.”Q: What is one thing that you will miss when you leave high school?A: “The thing I will miss most about high school is the sports.” Q: Who do you look up to the most and why?A: “I look up to my Grandma Shirley the most. She taught me so many things and raised me. She was the strongest most caring wo-man I have ever known.”Q: Who is your best friend and

why?A: “My best friend would be Alex O'Connor because we have known each other for so long. We spend a lot of time together at rodeos and she has been there for me through everything.”Q: What is your favorite quote of all time?A: ”I can do all this through him who gives me strength" -Philippians 4:13"

by Taylor HolzfasterPhoto/Video Editor

(photo by Mckenzie Spurgin)

Senior Spotlight: Kordell Stroupby Shyanne HidalgoOpinion EditorQ: Full Name: A: Kordell Noble StroupQ: Parents Name(s): A: Neil Stroup and Nicki StroupQ: Age:A: 18Q: Siblings (if so name and gra-de): A: "Rourke Stroup."Q: Activities/Sports that you are involved in: A: "Cross country, Track, Quiz Bowl."Q: What do you want to do with your life (college/career)?: A: “Undecided.”Q: 1 fun fact about you: A: “I like to cook.”Q: Favorite high school memory: A: “Bus rides home from cross country meets.”Q: Favorite song: A: “This is How We Roll, Florida Georgia Line.” Q: What is one thing that you will miss when you leave high school?:A: “People I won't see anymore.”Q: Who do you look up to the most and whyA: “My brother because he is one

of the only people that has been there for me.”Q: Who is your best friend and why? A: “Coby Quinn because he can always understand what I'm going through without judging.”Q: What is your favorite quote of all time? A: "I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters. For those ten seconds or less I'm free." -Unknown

Senior Spotlight: Bailee Schow

Emma Holz Thursday, April 3, 2014 1:15:17 PM Mountain Daylight Time

SPORTSFriday, April 4, 2014Layout by Austin Hackney and Logan Anderson

Track&season&kicks&off(photo by Sara Schimonitz)

Kolton Carlyle, left, and Tyler Schimonitz, right, sprint their way to first and second in the 100 meter dash.

by Austin HackneySports Editor The Paxton track season kicked off on Sat. March 29 in Hershey. The boy’s team placed second over all. Kolton Carlyle, junior, placed first in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.10 while Tyler Schimonitz, senior, placed second in the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.40. Tyler Cassell placed first in the 3200 meter run with a time of 11:31.00, and third in the 1600 meter run with a time of 5:17.60.

Carlyle placed second in the 200 meter dash with a time of 23.10, while Justin Corfield placed third with a time of 23.80. The boys 4x1 meter relay team consists of Connor Merrill, senior, Schimonitz, senior, Justin Cor-field, sophomore, and Kolton Carlyle, junior. The team placed first at this meet with a time of 45.90. Along with placing first in the 4x1 Merrill also placed first in triple jump with a jump of 41’-2”. On the girls side, Kaylie Carlyle, sophomore, placed sixth

in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:52.30. Emma Holz, sophomore, placed first in shot put with a throw of 36’-1, nearly 2 feet a head of the second place throw. Holz said “I felt amazing after I threw.  It was a great feeling after I realized I got my personal best and that I beat my sisters personal best.” Holz also adds, “I would definitely change the weather. The weather was very cold and windy. And it made me want to stay in my warm ups more.” The next meet is Sat. April 5, in Sutherland.

NCAA makes March madby Shelby ConwayCo-Editor-in-Chief The rave of March is most commonly known as “March Madness.” A whole month of people who are watching men’s college basketball tune their television sets to multiple basketball games throughout all 31 days. In honor of “March Madness” is an American businessman named Warren Buffett who also just so happens to be a multi-billionaire. Buffett just like the rest of the nation enjoys basketball, so he put up a bet to anyone who can create a perfect bracket of the winning teams, $1 billion dollars. A bracket is a diagram that displays the winning and losing teams of the whole NCAA men’s basketball championship. Besides a great deal of money the bracket has shown that it unites people in an unexpected way.

Justin Hardwick, a Paxton student said, “It allows EVERYONE to participate in the event, not just basketball junkies. Even people who know nothing about basketball can fill out a bracket (like I did) and see whether or not they managed to pick the right teams.” Unfortunately the perfect bracket and was not made, Buffett got to keep his $1 billion dollars.On a brighter note the Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket is still offering $100,000 each to the top twenty performing brackets. Many submitted brackets and only 3 out of the 11 million submitted to ESPN had the “Sweet 16” correct. With all the “madness”, March has hosted an eventful basketball frenzy, which has gotten different people from all walks of life to discover a little friendly competition, spirit of the men’s basketball nation.

Platte Valley “ACES” their way through tournamentsby Nicole KellerHard News Editor

Club volleyball is a way for Paxton girls out for volleyball during season to get some extra practice in throughout the off season. The girls have to be selected to play on the club team, and to travel to the different tournaments. Coach Jody Rhodes and Assistant Coach Troy Dehning, select the players to be on the club team for that year. The coaches for the actual club team are Bailee Schow, Taylor Holzfaster, and Austin Hackney. The supervisors are Del and Geri Dack. The girls have started their club volleyball season, and will partic-ipate in at least three tournaments

this spring. So far, they have participated in one tournament, and placed second. The girls placed second out of six teams during the North Platte High tournament in the 18 year-old division. The Paxton girl’s team is called the “Platte Valley Aces”, and have their own jerseys that are pink and black, with their own number on

the back. The team wears, black spandex, and white kneepads with their pink jerseys. The Platte Valley Aces will be participating in two more tournaments. They have a tournament on April 13, in Kearney, and another on April 26, in Seward. The girls practice as needed in the new gym at Paxton Schools.

by Nicole KellerHard News Editor

The Paxton junior high boys traveled to Kearney to compete in a Mr. Basketball tournament on March Sun. 23. The boys had competed in a Mr. Basketball’s Snow Jam tournament a few weeks earlier as well, and placed first. Once again they have came out on top in the huge tournament called the Kearney Blowout. The boys placed first of five teams that played in their bracket at the University of Nebraska Kearney. There were 277 teams present at the Snow Jam tournament and 163 teams present

Junior Tigers claim goldat the Kearney Blowout tour-nament. Paxton’s first tournament team consisted of eighth graders, Josh Jenkins, Orey Fricke, Jeff Storer, Roper Chandler, Ryan Fox, Daw-son Helmer, Damola Akin-nigbagbe Treyton Hebblethwaite and seventh grader Kaden Schow. The second tournaments team was eighth graders, Jenkins, Fricke, Storer, Chandler, Fox, and seventh graders Jordan Callihan and Schow. Storer, eighth grader said, “It felt great getting to play with other teams from different parts of the state and knowing that we could compete with schools"

(photo by Taylor Holzfaster) The girls of Platte Valley Aces are practicing to participate in tournaments in Kearney and Seward for their club volleyball season.

(photo by Karlee Schow) The Paxton junior high boys placed first in both of the Mr. Bas-ketball tournaments they attended in Kearney, at the University of Nebraska Kearney.

Austin Hackney Thursday, April 3, 2014 1:07:11 PM Mountain Daylight Time