4 Feature
Futsal league begins it’s second year
Caitlyn Harrison,
Staff Writer
Futsal is a type of indoor soccer
that is played on a small indoor court
with hard floors. The game of futsal is
also played with a slightly smaller and
heavier ball to compensate for the play-
ing field.
There is no practice for the
league but the first game is on February
5 and other games will be every Sunday
after that through the 26. The high school
Students prepare for Costa Rica trip on Spring Break
Costa Rica Spanish Trip
March 11 March 19, 2023
Itinerary
Day 1 Hola San José (groups flying
from the west coast may be required to
depart day 0)
Meet your tour director and check into
hotel
Day 2 San José Arenal
Travel to Arenal
Arenal Volcano National Park visit
Day 3 Arenal landmarks
Lake Arenal kayaking tour
Hanging Bridges excursion
Baldi Hot Springs visit
Day 4 Arenal Monteverde
Travel to Monteverde
Lunch
New Spanish conservation club begins
Peyton Braddock,
Staff Writer
At the beginning of the second
semester, a new opportunity for extracur-
ricular activities joined West Branch
High School. The Spanish Conversation
Club is a new club contributing to West
Branch High School, and many students
are excited for it.
The teacher’s leading the Spa-
nish conversation club are Annie Popkes
and Abby Noeck. They explained that
they’ve been wanting to start a group like
this for awhile, but with the Costa Rica
trip coming up this spring, it gave a great
opportunity for students to be more con-
fident in their Spanish speaking. Al-
though the group is helpful for people
traveling to Costa Rica, the Spanish con-
New custodian, student teacher join WBHS
Photo by Claire Jarrett
Caitlyn Harrison,
Staff Writer
Brooklyn Curtin
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Williamsburg, IA.
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: Iowa State University.
Q: What subject do you hope to teach
when you become a teacher?
A: Ag Education 9-12.
Q: Why do you want to be a teacher?
A: Teaching is something that I have al-
ways wanted to do. As I have a love for
the agricultural industry I knew I
wanted to get into a degree where I
could teach the youth within the agri-
cultural industry and that's what lead
me to becoming an agricultural edu-
cator.
www.midtownfamily.com
Location:
200 Scott Ct 1069 Highway 1 West
Iowa City, Ia Iowa City, Ia
319-351-9303 319-351-9323
The Bear
games will be played at 6pm in the
Hoover Elementary School gym.
Futsal is a great pre-season ac-
tivity for soccer players. Due to the
smaller court size, players must focus on
their ball control and passing skills. Ted
Miller, head men's soccer coach, said, “I
feel the speed of the game of Futsal helps
the kids in quick decision making, which
transfers to the real game.”
Last year, the futsal league was
a huge success but this year the partici-
Santa Elena Biological Reserve visit
Plant your own tree
Day 5 Monteverde landmarks
Horseback ride
El Trapiche farm visit and chocolate
tour
Day 6 Monteverde Coastal Puntare-
nas
Canopy zip line tour
Travel to Coastal Puntarenas
Free time at the beach
Optional Crocodile Safari
Day 7 Manuel Antonio excursion
Manuel Antonio National Park guided
visit
Day 8 Coastal Puntarenas San José
Travel to San José via Sarchí
Sarchí craft village visit
Optional Folklore evening
versation club is for anybody in Spanish
3 or 4 that is interested in gaining more
confidence while speaking Spanish. So
far, the students who are interested in
joining the club are Lynzi Dykstra, Lil-
lian Hahn, Gabby Rushton, Emmersen
Thomas, Olivia Naber, Nina Torkleson,
Maddie Reed, and Emily Coleman.
The Spanish conversation club
is supposed to help students speak more
fluently in Spanish, and also help stu-
dents learn more Spanish vocabulary.
Coleman said, “The reason why I decided
to join the Spanish conversation club was
because I have never done anything like
this before, and I also actually want to
improve my Spanish.” The main goals
for the Spanish conversation club are be-
coming less hesitant and more successful
while speaking Spanish, and also becom-
Q: What are you liking about WB so
far?
A: I like that it is such a small district I
feel like I have been really able to get to
know the students, teachers, and many
other people within the district.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: I really only have one hobby and
that takes up a majority of my free time.
My true hobby is showing livestock
around the United States at the state and
national levels.
Q: What is your family like?
A: There is five members of my family.
My parents and younger brother Tanner
who is a Sophomore at Iowa State Uni-
versity and a younger sister that is a
Freshman at Williamsburg High School.
Q: Do you have any pets?
A: I have 3 australian shepherds.
Q: What is one thing you want to do
before you die?
A: Go to Hawaii.
Q: What kind of music do you listen
to?
A: Country music.
Q: In your opinion, what is the best
Disney movie?
A: Toy Story.
February 16, 2023
pation levels are significantly lower. You
can sign up using the link on the West
Branch Soccer Facebook page. The cost
is 45 dollars and all players must wear
shin guards.
Players really enjoyed the
league last year and are looking forward
to playing again this year. One of last
year’s participants, Reese Gingerich, said
he thought playing in the league was
valuable because he “got to get extra
practice in.”
Day 9 End tour
Trip Chaperones
Annie Popkes
Abby Noelck
Beth Gallagher
Laura Gongora
Trip Participants
Carver Boelk
Kinnick Boelk
Redi Boelk
Cooper Burger
Diego Carillo
Emily Coleman
Asa Dingbaum
Lynzi Dykstra
Jade Gongora
Logan Graves
ing confident when speaking to a native
speaker as well. Naber said, “I'm hoping
to get better at speaking in Spanish with-
out planning out what I'm going to say
beforehand. I want it to come more natu-
rally, and hopefully the club will help me
learn more vocabulary as well.”
The Spanish conversation club
has weekly meetings every Monday dur-
ing I.S. The meetings will last 15-20 mi-
nutes or so, depending on how long the
group would like to talk for. Anybody is
welcome to join and be a part of the club,
even if a student cannot attend a meeting
one week. If you’re wondering what is
happening during the meetings, Popkes
said, “Our meetings will mostly consist
of informal conversations, but we might
also do some conversational games or ac-
tivities. I want to leave it up to the stu-
Photo by Claire Jarrett
Anna Waterman,
Staff Writer
Brad Caudle
What do you do here at West
Branch?
I am a Custodian at the High School.
Why did you choose to work at West
Branch?
It was a better fit for me when I was
looking for a job.
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Another one of last year’s participants,
Lu Guetzko said, “everything was a great
experience!”
Participants from WB this year
include: Aiden Shields, Lu Guetzko, El-
liot Hinkhouse, Dilan Kazlauskas, Jaxson
Kaalberg, Joe Hamann, Cooper Burger,
Shae Farmer, Bradyn Sexton, Ryan Lu-
kavsky, Reece Druecker, Oliver Trepa-
nier, Reese Gingerich, Cameron
Gingerich, Trenton Schutte, and Tate
Frantz.
Lu Guetzko
Lily Hahn
Izaiah Hansen
Ava Hazelwood
Alex Heithoff
Claire Jarrett
Auron Marsh
Maryam Martin
Kya Montgomery
Olivia Naber
Ashlynne Nash
Hunter Niles
Caleb Pedersen
Baylee Piegors
Gabby Rushton
Emmersen Thomas
Nina Torkelson
Bailey Walker
Ellie Walsh
dents to decide what they want to talk
about and how they want to go about it.”
The reason why the Spanish conversation
club is an important extracurricular activ-
ity at our school is because it will help
give students who are highly motivated
to learn more about Spanish to practice
with other students who share the same
goals and interests. Torkelson said, “I
love Spanish and I usually pick it up
quickly. It's just fun to be able to learn a
different language and hopefully, in the
future, be able to talk to people that I
never would have been able to communi-
cate with before.” Because there are
many students interested in excelling
their Spanish, this new club at West
Branch is the perfect addition to the
school.
Tell us about your family. Where are
you from?
My family is in West Branch out in the
country area. I am from Williams, IA
growing up.
What are you looking forward to the
most at West Branch?
The most looking forward to is meeting
new people and making new friends
What is your favorite food?
My favorite food is Pizza
What are your hobbies?
I like hiking, walking, fishing, bowling,
bike cycling
If you could travel anywhere in the
world, where would you go and why?
If I could travel anywhere it would be
Alaska because it is the last frontier and
always wanted to visit