One Copy Free johnston high school blackAUGUST 2008 VOLUME 18 ISSUE 1 515.278.0449& 6501white NW 62ND AVE JOHNSTON, IA BullerBRITTANY DEAL runs for board editor in chief Former student Tyler Buller, 20, added his name to the list of candidates for the one-year term for school board. “I guess my interest first started when I was in high school and I covered school board sophomore, junior, and senior year,” Buller said. Buller, who is currently focusing on communications at Drake University, had planned to run for a one-year term before, however chose not to when he heard Karen Coaldrake was running in 2006. “I sort of had the idea floating around that maybe after I graduated high school I would run,” Buller said. “But Karen ran in ’06, and obviously she’s not someone I wanted to run against. I had tremendous respect for her. She was just phenomenal. And, quite frankly, she would do a better job than anyone else I’ve ever met, including myself.” Then, in 2007, according to Buller, Coaldrake moti- vated him to run. “She said something to the effect of if you don’t run for school board, I’m going to kick your (butt),” Buller said. “Then after talking to a lot of students I still know, and some kids my age that still graduated, I kind of wanted to stay involved and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring something new to the table.” School board member Jill Morrill points out that this Brittany Deal / BW “something new” is Buller’s point of view. In an interview with Amy Lovejoy, school board candidate Tyler Buller discusses the absentee ballot system. Buller “He has that perspective of what helped him, of what hosted Greet at the Gazebo Aug. 12. he was lacking,” Morrill said. “He has an understanding of what the graduates need to go on.” people “engaging”. herself.” Buller agrees that he has an advantage of being a re- “I think if people get engaged with something, no Morrill, John Dutcher, and Jackie Heiser are running cent graduate. matter what they’re going to be successful,” Buller for the three-year term. “If you have a question about if school policy is work- said. “And that means you get students engaged with “I think it’s really important to come to the board ing, hello, I can answer. I just went through that,” Buller the board, you get parents engaged, you get teachers with the willingness and commitment to look at all sides said “If you want to know if our math requirements are engaged, but it’s two ways. You have to get the board of the issue and make a decision that is based on our preparing people for college, obviously I wasn’t prepared engaged with students, the board engaged with parents, policy and our commitment to student achievement for at all when I went into my math class, and I took four and so on.” all learners,” Morrill said. years of math at Johnston. So just those kinds of ques- Buller chose to run for the one-year term because Dutcher agrees with Buller about the improvement tions that someone who’s 35, 40, 50, 60 on the school he graduates in May and doesn’t know what he will be of communication. board, how would they know that? You couldn’t possibly doing next. “We have a really good school district here, but we expect them to.” Vicki Selinger and Julie Walter are also running for have some holes and some opportunities to improve on One of Buller’s goals for the school board is to im- the one-year term. here,” Dutcher said. prove communication within the district. “I am a parent of four students and a taxpayer. I Heiser emphasizes the importance of voting for “It seems very foreign to me that someone could have a lot at stake,” Walter said. “I want the best for my school board. think that they can determine all kinds of these academ- children and all children.” “The most important thing is for people to get out ic policies, curriculum, things like that without asking Selinger, who ran last year for the three-year term, and vote in these elections and I guess we’ll see what kids if what they’re learning is what they’re supposed considers her philosophy similar to Coaldrake’s. they decide,” Heiser said. to,” Buller said. “I don’t think anyone can fill Karen’s shoes. I will try The school board elections will be held Sept. 9 be- He calls his plan of starting the communication of very hard,” Selinger said. “Karen was in a class all by tween 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. The big move, unloading behind schedule CHELSEA NELSON for the students and their notebooks, staff writer textbooks, and calculators and the tools the students need for their daily work.” For several teachers, the long moving process was tiresome. Johnston High School is welcoming “Moving is like having an ulcer and back its students with 17 new classrooms a heart attack and a stroke at the same and an unfurnished fitness center to time,” Schillerstrom said. serve as the lunchroom. Construction is Pippert feels that the result of process still being done on the new cafeteria, de- did not have a profound negative affect. spite having passed its expected comple- “I can’t say anything bad about how it tion date. all turned out,” Pippert said. “The teach- According to associate principle Ran- ers had to have a lot of patience.” dy Klein, the building project is almost While the teachers have begun to set- finished. tle in, students will have to remain eating The only thing that hasn’t been com- in the fitness center, the temporary caf- pleted is the cafeteria,” Klein said. “All eteria. According to Bob Lindner, Super- the classrooms are done; they just need intendent for Harold Pike Construction, the little bits and pieces.” and Johnston’s current contractor, the Some teachers, including math teach- cafeteria was expected to be completed er Danielle Pippert, moved into their new by the first day of school. classrooms with extra upholstery such as Chelsea Nelson / BW “Weather was the biggest factor for couches. Shoving terrazzo into the crack, construction worker Mike Janning sweeps the (the completion delay),” Lindner said. “It’s nice, a little hard to get used to, trowel to level the new cafeteria floor while J Willenborg surveys his work. “Weather delay for a few days can add up mainly because a lot of us have more to a week. Not only that, the schedules furniture now,” Pippert said. “It’s a little for his classroom. that the renovation of materials, includ- are quite short, and workers had to go do hard to play interior decorator, but it’s “The good thing is that (moving) gives ing furniture, has some drawbacks. something else during the delay. Some- nice to have all new things.” you a chance to go through and discard “I miss having student tables instead times it’s hard to get them back.” English teacher Mark Schillerstrom things,” Schillerstrom said. of having individual desks,” Retzlaff said. The cafeteria is now expected to be also had the chance to get newer material Math teacher Adam Retzlaff believes “I just think the tables offer more room done by the end of September. August 2008 B&W 2 news Heidbreder leaves, Brimeyer steps up Shawna Polen review editor Jessica Heidbreder, co-band director of the high school band, diminished her contract and left her spot open to vocal director Ted Brimeyer. On June 9, Heidbreder and her hus- briefs band received the call that they had been news waiting months for. They could now trav- Corrections Clarifications el to China to adopt a new addition to the & family, 19-month-old Grace Heidbreder. nThe Black andb White strives “I felt that by to be both accurate and fair. continuing with Readers who believe the the high school ac- paper has printed an error tivities like march- should call 515-278-0449. ing band and jazz band, I was not giv- ing Grace my all as a mom,” Heidbred- er said. “So I made State adopts new Heidbreder the tough choice to decrease my contract with the high school playoff system to only one period a day, and still teach ninth grade band at the middle school.” A change has been made to the Iowa Working with the high school band State High School Football Playoff sys- for 15 years, Heidbreder finds herself al- tem. Beginning in 2008 twice the num- ready missing it. ber of teams will be included in the state “The thing I’m going to miss the most tournament. is seeing the kids grow,” Heidbreder said. Coach Brian Lutter said that the “Teaching the ninth grade band is fun, change in class 4A will mean 32 teams but I only get to keep them one year. will play in the opening round of the tour- With the high school, I get to watch them nament. This implement of the new sys- grow over the four years.” tem is intended to cut down the amount However, Heidbreder has plans to of debate and controversy of who makes take on more responsibility with the high the tournament. school again in the future. “I’m looking at some juncture, coming back in the future when Grace gets old- er,” Heidbreder said. Until then though, Fall Leadership I’m going to be the band’s biggest fan in the stands.” Photo by/Shawna Polen Retreat Between the administration, and Vocal director Ted Brimeyer conducts the band during the “Star Spangled Banner”, Heidbreder, it was decided that current filling in for co-band director Jessica Heidbreder.