THE BEAR November 3, 2022 WBHS Volume 26 Issue 1
900 W. Main St., West Branch, IA 52358
Fine arts students work Kinnick to raise funds for programs
Katey Noble
Co-Editor
High School Fine Arts members
have been volunteering at Kinnick Sta-
dium to raise money for programs such
as band and show choir. Karin Swisher,
the organizer for volunteering, said “This
is my 2nd year being in charge of Kin-
nick.”
Swisher doesn’t do this alone,
working alongside FAC (Fine Arts Con-
nection) officers Amanda Rushton, Kate
Cox and Jennifer Carley, as well as High
School Band Director Samuel Ogilvie,
High School Choir Director Christopher
Reed, and Middle School Band Director
Beth Wirtanen.
Swisher said that she gets
people to volunteer “Mostly through
emails and social media.” A struggle she
has with getting workers is “asking vol-
unteers to give up their Saturdays to work
approx. 6-8 hours.”
If you are looking to volunteer,
here are some requirements and what to
expect; “Volunteers have to be 16 years
old with a valid ID.” Swisher said that
“There are several types of work… Some
The Bear Q&A: WBHS welcomes 3 foreign exchange students
Hannah Bjerregaard Pedersen
Q: Where are you from?
A: Denmark
Q: What are your parents' names?
A: My mom’s name is Annette Bjerregaard An-
dersen, and my dad’s name is Troels Bjerregaard
Pedersen
Q: Do you have any siblings? If so, what are
their names and how old are they?
A: I have one brother who is 8; his name is Sander.
I have one sister; she is 12, and her name is Lea.
Q: How old are you?
A: 16
Q: Who are your host parents?
A: Andrea and Blake Shultice
Q: Why did you choose to be a foreign exchange
student?
A: I like to travel and see different things.
Q: Is small town WB, IA, where you thought
you’d end up or even close to where you wanted
to be placed?
A: My family and my host parents' family know
each other, so when I decided I wanted to come
here, my family texted their family. That is how I
ended up here, and I really like it.
Q: While you’re in the United States, where
would you like to go, and what would you like to
see?
A: I have always wanted to see New York City and
the Statue of Liberty.
Hannah
Bjerregaard
Pedersen
Q: What are the major differences from our
school compared to yours back home? Explain.
A: In Denmark, we don’t have school sports. If you
want to play a sport, you have to travel to a bigger
city. The whole school works differently in Den-
mark. So, I’m really excited about American
school!
Q: What has been your favorite part about
WBHS so far? Why?
A: I love playing volleyball! And, I think the school
is really fun.
Q: What are your hobbies/interests?
A: I like to be with friends and sew.
Q: What activities/sports/clubs do you plan to be
a part of here at WBHS?
A: I really want to play basketball and soccer!
Q: How good do you feel your English speaking
skills are?
A: I think 6/10.
Q: Who has been the most helpful to you in tran-
sitioning into a “new life?” What have they done
to make the transition easier?
A: All the volleyball girls have been really nice to
help me every time I needed help and to show me
the school. I also think it’s nice to have other ex-
change students here with me.
Q: What are your plans for the future once you
return home?
A: I graduated from school before I came here, so
Naber wins runner-up in essay
contest, scores $500 scholarship
Caitlyn Harrison
Journalism 1 Guest Writer
Junior Olivia Naber displayed
her talent for writing yet again, this time
in the Paul Engle Essay Writing contest.
She was one of 5 runners-up and received
a $500 scholarship to the school of her
choice.
Participants in this essay writing
contest were asked to write about a spe-
cific Iowa experience. Naber chose to
write about the Derecho, which was a
strong, devastating storm that hit Iowa in
August of 2020.
This was no easy task.The dere-
cho happened a little less than 2 years be-
fore Naber wrote her story, so she found
it difficult, as she said, “Trying to recall
those memories that I have and the senses
that I remember to put down in words.”
Naber said, “I think the hardest
part was coming up with the idea and
then once I had my idea, it came together,
and it kind of flowed.”
will cook, run a register and get food. The
student volunteers mostly back up the
The first group of fine arts students to work Kinnick Stadium prepare for a day
of fundraising. (Left to right) Junior Diego Carillo, Senior Benjamin Shortt, Jun-
ior Kaylee Kettler, Senior Lynzi Dykstra, and Junior Olivia Naber are pictured.
Photo By Karen Swisher.
when I come home, I will start a new basic educa-
tion that is 3 years.
Q: Favorite food?
A: I love sushi.
Q: Favorite color?
A: My favorite color is pink.
Q: Favorite drink?
A: I think it’s lemonade.
Q: Favorite holiday?
A: I love Christmas.
Tess Hammar
Q: Where are you from?
A: I'm from a city in Sweden called EnkÖping,
which is around 1 hour away from our capital city,
Stockholm.
Q: What are your parents' names?
A: My mom's name is Lill, and my dad's name is
Magnus.
Q: Do you have any siblings? If so, what are
their names and how old are they?
A: I have a twin brother (who is as old as me), and
his name is Tim.
Q: How old are you?
A: 18 years old (born in 2004).
Q: Who are your host parents?
A: Tracy and Chad Schutte.
Q: Why did you choose to be a foreign exchange
student?
A: I chose to be an exchange student for many dif-
ferent reasons, the big-
gest one being that I
really want to experience
different parts of the
Tess
world in my life. America
seemed like a good place
Hammar
to start. The life of being
an exchange student has
also always interested
me, mainly because my
mom (who also was an
exchange student, but in
Texas) has told me so
many stories about the
many different, but also
amazing, school experi-
ences that you have here.
Q: Is small town WB,
IA, where you thought
you’d end up or even
close to where you
wanted to be placed?
Discuss.
A: It was not at all what I
had in mind when I
signed up for my ex-
change year. Even though I didn't really have a plan
of where in the United States I wanted to be, I still
had this big city/ school in mind when I thought
about it. When I got my placement, I didn't really
know what to think. However, this town and school
have already been far better than I ever thought. I
really like that I ended up here in West Branch.
Q: While you’re in the United States, where
would you like to go and what would you like to
see?
A: My host family and I have made a little list of
things we want to experience while I am here. One
of the main things that I would like to experience is
the city of Chicago. I have been there before when
I was little, but unfortunately, I don't remember
much. The only thing I remember is the large
number of people and the really big buildings ev-
erywhere!
Q: What are the major differences from our
school compared to yours back home? Explain.
A: The biggest difference is the school spirit! In
Sweden, the sports are not connected to the schools,
but to different clubs in the city. Therefore, we have
no student section or school spirit when we play in
Sweden. There is also this big difference in the
schedule of the day. In Sweden, we have different
classes at different times every day. We don't have
This contest isn’t the first that
she’s participated in. In January, Naber
won the 9-12 age group of the Write Now
Flash Writing Contest. She received a
Hawkeye Prize pack and her story was
published on the Write Now website.
Naber’s continued success isn’t
unexpected. Her peers, her friends, and
especially her teachers see the hard work
she puts in to make her writing great.
“Olivia pushes herself everyday
to be the best version of herself, her fu-
ture is bright!” said Elizabeth Gallagher,
11-12 grade English teacher.
Speaking of the future, Naber
said, “I've always loved to write, I've al-
ways been a writer. I've been writing
stories for as long as I can remember, so
it's something that I definitely am consid-
ering for my future!”
The winner of the contest, Lulu
Newhart-Roarick, who goes to Iowa City
High School, won a year of free tuition
to The University of Iowa.
Naber also plans to use her win-
registers.” imately $200-$250 per volunteer, de-
The organization makes approx- pending on each game. Swisher says the
money is used “To support WBCSD stu-
dents and directors. We have purchased
Chris [Reed], Sam [Ogilvie], and Beth
[Wirtanen] iPads for their classrooms for
instruction, an instrument cleaning ma-
chine for the band directors, paid for the
music rights for show choir, first cards
for the Florida Walt Disney World trip for
students, paid for senior Fine Arts
posters, just to name a few things.”
Swisher said, “One important
thing is that when students and parents
volunteer for Kinnick concessions, they
receive a portion of the fundraising
money for their student to be used for
Fine Arts expenses. Students also have
the option of Silver cord hours. We did
receive permission form school admin-
istration to be allowed to give a combi-
nation of both SA funds and silver cord.
A student must deduct two hours of silver
cord to get both.”
periods at all. Our classes are also longer (about 1.5 student?
hours). A: I’ve always wanted to experience a typical
Q: What has been your favorite part about American high school life. Since I knew people
WBHS so far? Why? who've already done it, I wanted to do it, too.
A: The school spirit! I love that there are so many Q: Is small town WB, IA, where you thought
people that are involved in sports and come and you’d end up or even close to where you wanted
cheer for the different sporting events. It is so fun! to be placed?
Q: What are your hobbies/interests? A: I honestly didn't care much about where I was
A: At home, I live on a horse farm, so I horseback gonna be placed. I am pretty open to everything and
ride, and I often play golf. During my free time, I just wanted to try out something new, no matter
love to be with my friends and family and bake. which state or place.
Q: What activities/sports/clubs do you plan to be Q: While you’re in the United States, where
a part of here at WBHS? would you like to go and what would you like to
A: While I am here, I want to experience as much see?
as I can! Therefore, I play volleyball, do cheerlead- A: I really want to see as much as possible. I love
ing, and plan on doing basketball, soccer, and golf the United States so far, and everything I've seen
as well! I am also a part of student government, was amazing.
which is really fun to see and be a small part of how Q: What are the major differences from our
the different activities in school are planned. school compared to yours back home? .
Q: How good do you feel your English speaking A: We have a lot more subjects and a different
skills are? schedule every day. We don’t eat lunch at school,
A: I feel like they are okay. I have almost been here and lunch is a 2 hour break. Our dress code is way
for a month now, and I feel like my speaking skills stricter. We graduate at 15/16 years old (9th grade).
have improved a lot; however, it is still hard to find My school has a lot more students and 6 different
all the words all the time, and I think that the har- school buildings. We switch between each class, so
dest part is to spell all the words right. I always we have much further ways to walk.
struggle with which, wish and witch. Q: What has been your favorite part about
Q: Who has been the most helpful to you in tran- WBHS so far? Why?
sitioning into a “new life?” What have they done A: The cheerleading team - everyone was so wel-
to make the transition easier? coming and sweet to me. I love cheerleading, and
A: My host family. They have provided me with so game nights are super fun.
much to help me "fit in"
here in West branch. They
always explain things I
don't understand and have
Norina
been so helpful!
Q: What’re your plans
Zaugg
for the future once you
return home?
A: Because my year here
doesn't count in school, I
am going home and will
graduate in 2024. After
my graduation, my plan is
to start University to be-
come a surgeon.
Q: Favorite food?
A: In Sweden, I love a
special sandwich with a
thing called SkagenrÖra.
It is a special, thick sauce
with caviar and shrimps.
And, here I really LOVE
Mac and cheese.
Q: Favorite type of
music?
A: Just "Normal" pop; Q: What are your hobbies/interests?
one of my favorite singers is Adele. A: I love cheerleading and anything music in-
Q: Favorite celebrity? volved.
A: My favorite Swedish celebrity is a singer called Q: What activities/sports/clubs do you plan to be
Zara Larsson. In America, it is probably Bruno a part of here at WBHS?
Mars. A: Cheerleading, maybe basketball and golf.
Q: Favorite drink? Q: How good do you feel your English speaking
A: In Sweden, it is a special chocolate milk called skills are?
Oboy; in America, it is lemonade. A: I don’t think too bad. I only have a hard time
Q: Favorite holiday? pronouncing a few words.
A: Christmas. It is just such a comfy and loving Q: Who has been the most helpful to you in tran-
holiday! sitioning into a “new life?” What have they done
to make the transition easier?
Norina Zaugg A: My host family has been very welcoming and
sweet to me. So, whenever I need something I can
Q: Where are you from? talk to them.
A: I am from a small village in Baselland, Switzer- Q: What are your plans for the future once you
land. return home?
Q: What are your parents' names? A: I'll keep on going to school there to get another
A: Christian and Tanja Zaugg. graduation.
Q: Do you have any siblings? If so, what are Q: Favorite color?
their names and how old are they? A: Blue.
A: 3 siblings: Nadja 26, Yannik 21, and Andra 18. Q: Favorite drink?
Q: How old are you? A: Water.
A: I am 15-years old. Q: Favorite holiday?
Q: Who are your host parents? A: Christmas.
A: Kristin and Rob Rood.
Q: Why did you choose to be a foreign exchange
nings at The Uni-
versity of Iowa,
as it has recently
surpassed Har-
vard and Prince-
ton in the
rankings for writ-
ing programs,
making it the No.
2 writing univer-
sity in the coun-
try. K e e p
your eye out for
Olivia Naber, she
still has two years
to shine at West
Branch High
School!
Naber’s
story, Such Winds
of Change, is
featured on page Junior Olivia Naber, runner-up in the Paul Engle Essay Contest.
11 for reader en-
joyment. Photo By Brooklyn Nash.