The Cardinal Chronicle: Volume 1, Issue 4
Cardinal Students · posted April 18, 2024
2024 Prom
Written By: Makayla Barnes
This year's prom has big plans! The walk for prom will be at 7:15, but if you are attending prom you should be at the school by 6:45. Some things to look forward to at prom are polaroid photos, a chocolate fountain, charcuterie boards, and so much more. This year the gym will be decorated similar to last year, but there will be bows on the back of all the chairs. Prom will last until 11:00 and then after prom will start. At after prom there will be pizza, subs, fruit, cookies, pop, water, and punch. A few fun activities that will be at after prom are inflatables, knocker ball, nerf guns, corn hole, cash machine, and ladder ball. These activities will last from 12:15 to 2:00am. At 2:00am, there will be prizes which include mini fridges, TV’s, air fryers, digital cameras, bluetooth speakers, projectors, tumblers, gift cards, and so much more.
Most popular place to eat:
- Mike's pizza
- Godfreys
- Joe’s Italian
- Bubba Q’s
Popular places to get hair done:
- Reflections
- Bombshell studio
- Bliss
- Simply you
Most popular place to get nails done:
- Nail time
Most popular place for lashes and brows:
- Kinsey Hissem ( 210 1st street Batavia Iowa)
- Alondra at Bombshell studio in Ottumwa Iowa
The Best Board Game
Written By: Kendall Birk
The question of, “What is the best board game?” is an age old question, and today we are going to see how the people at Cardinal (teachers and students) feel about this. I sent out a google form asking what the favorite board game was and even included card games for those who don't play board games.
The majority vote for board games was Monopoly with 10 votes and the winning card game was Uno with 16 votes.
I asked people why they picked these and these were some of my favorite responses.
I picked Monopoly, because it's one of the board games I've played the most. For the card games, Solitaire and War, they're fun things you can do to pass the time. Solitaire; you can play by yourself. Uno you can play with a group, which is fun. I enjoy playing an online version of Uno because it has fun additions to the main game which makes it more chaotic. - Khloe Heckethorn
I picked those games, because they are the ones where I have the most fun with my family. We love playing card games, and I love playing Clue and Scrabble a lot. - Lauryn Hartley
I chose Sorry, because my family has always played it, and we are extremely competitive when we play it as well. I love card games with playing cards because there are so many games you can play with them. - Mrs. Walker
April Fools Day
Written By: Sara Breeding
April Fools day is all about jokes, from small dad jokes to extreme pranks. Many people participate on this holiday. This article will explore a few funny examples. In 1989, a Seattle comedy show had tricked people by telling them that the Space Needle had fallen. In 1994 a magazine had placed an ad that there was going to be a law that you weren’t allowed to use the internet while drunk, and the person to contact's name was Lirpa Sloof and if you read the name backwards it says April Fools.
No one really knows the true story of April Fools’ Day, however, some people believe it goes back to a calendar change in the 16th century. New Year’s Day actually fell on April 1st! Apparently when the switch was first made, some folks were resistant and wanted to continue celebrating the new year on the 1st of April. This eventually gave this holiday the nickname of, “April Fools.”
One of the most famous April Fools Day pranks that occurred in 2008, by the BBC. The BBC is a trusted authority for nature documentaries and news but, in 2008, the BBC aired an entirely fake special featuring penguins that had evolved to learn how to fly. Millions were duped into believing penguins were capable of flight, only to be disappointed when it was revealed as an elaborate (and expensive) hoax.
Earth Day
Written By: Levi Cox
I asked how many people recycle and the ratio was 77.8% yes and 22.2% no, and I have to say thank you to the people that like to help out and protect the animals and environment. I've also asked if people would prefer to ride a bike or drive and it was 80.8% for driving and 19.2% for riding a bike. To the 19.2 percent of people that would rather ride a bike, I am so glad to hear that you enjoy riding a bike and would rather ride a bike then drive a car. I understand that driving gets you places faster, and you don't need to use that much energy, but I personally think that riding a bike is the best way to save up money and to get exercise in. Someone that I interviewed stated, “We are having children that will have to suffer the consequences of our actions. We only have one Earth, and if we continue the current behaviors, it will not end well for us.”.
I personally love to recycle as much as I can even at school. If you need to recycle anything just go down to Mr C's classroom. His classroom number is 15 and he’ll have a bin in there to recycle your cans. I also like to try and pick up as much trash when I'm walking around town. I like to help my grandpa and grandma with picking up recyclables when they find something heavy or need to move a lot of things. You don’t even have to pick up that much trash or even recycle that much either just the littlest amount this helps. To the people reading this, I hope you have a heart and help save the Earth.
Easter
Written By: Zane Coyne
Have you ever wondered about the origins of Easter? Well let me tell you all about it. Easter started because it originally celebrated by Christians because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after he was crucified by the Romans around 30 A.D. People still celebrate this holiday each year with Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Easter has evolved from that as well, and now has more traditions including the Easter Bunny, coloring eggs, and Easter Egg Hunts.
Now I'll tell you some fun things you can do during Easter. The most obvious thing is an Easter egg hunt, a person I've interviewed said, “Easter egg hunts by far are the best thing about Easter." You could do this with friends and families. Maybe visit the Easter Bunny in the mall sometime or you can decorate Easter eggs. Many people also go to church during Easter.
Some things you can do with your family is go eat out with your family. You could bake something with your family. There are also many different types of Easter related movies that you could enjoy with your family. Some people go get pictures professionally done if the weather is nice outside. One of my friends told me, “Hop is the best Easter movie in existence." So you might want to check it out.
National Garden Month
Written By: Lauryn Hartley
Hello, my name is Lauryn Hartley. In this article I will be talking about National Garden Month and how it originated. I also interviewed some people to let them be able to share their interest in gardening.
I interviewed some people asking if they liked gardening and one of my responses was, “I love it! It’s my happy place. My therapy!” I am glad they enjoy gardening that much! One of my interviewees has a flower garden, and the other has a flower and vegetable garden. I also asked these people what their favorite thing to plant was. The responses were, “Gerber Daisies,” and, “flowers and green beans. Flowers because how much they grow, change, and blossom. Green beans because I LOVE to eat them!” These responses were extraordinary and very informational!
Another thing I asked was, “What’s your garden like?” The response my first interviewee gave me was, “We have a decorative gate, water gauge, and trellis. Railroad ties divide some spaces. A sitting area with a table and two chairs. Two tiki torches, a wind chime and windmill decorate throughout. We hope to add a bird bath this year!” This response gave me a good visual on what their garden looks like. I hope it does the same for you! My next response was, “Flower garden. I only plant 2 tomato plants and 2 cucumbers.” I love flowers and vegetation, this response was amazing! I asked the interviewees whether they prefer pots or the ground better for planting, here is one of the responses! “I can move the flowers into pots to suit my preference. It is all dependent on the color of the blossom or the theme for the year. Pots make them portable and their placement changeable. Vegetables have a good ground soil for good roots and nutrients to provide produce.”
The last question I asked was how long it takes to get their garden ready. One of my interviewees lives in Georgia and this was her response. “I work in it all year. January and February are for cutting back the dead foliage. I start planting for spring in early March.” Then, my interviewee from Iowa responded with, “We usually dedicate a couple of Saturdays to it. Max is enlarging it this year, so he’s already spent maybe 3 hours in it replenishing soil and raking and taking out old, dried up plants. It still needs some prep work and fertilizing of soil. I’d bet another couple of hours worth. And maybe around 4 hours to plant, I’d wager.” That is it for my interviews!
To conclude, I will be talking about how April got the title of “National Garden Month.” In the 1980s, the National Garden Bureau worked with 23 cosponsoring national horticultural organizations to legislate National Garden Week and that is how it all started. National Garden Month started as a week in 1986. Then, US President Ronald Reagan signed a declaration to make the observance official the following year in 1987. That is how we came to know April as National Garden Month. Thank you for reading my article, have a nice day!
National Days of April
Written By: Kenna Kirkpatrick
We’ve all heard of those funky holidays that don’t really make any sense. Those are national holidays! Everyday has a national holiday, which tend to just be fun days that can be joked about or celebrated if you want! Some days even have more than one, and it can be kind of interesting reading them all. Other days are more serious or awareness based, those days are especially important to recognize.
Here’s a list of all the national days of April:
- Walking day
- PB + J day
- Find a rainbow day
- Tell a lie day
- Dandelion day
- Caramel popcorn day
- No housework day
- Draw a picture of a bird day
- Unicorn day
- Farm animal day
- Pet day
- Grilled cheese day
- Make lunch count day
- Dolphin day
- ASL day
- Librarian day
- Ellis island family history day
- Animal cracker day
- Hanging out day
- Lima bean respect day
- Library workers day
- Take your son/daughter to work day
- Take a chance day
- Pool opening day
- Pet parents day
- Ritcher scale day
- Tell a story day
- Blueberry pie day
- Zipper day
- Honesty day
I also took it upon myself out of curiosity, to take some opinions from fellow students here. I asked them to read my list of days and pick their top 3 favorites, and these are the top 5 most popular picks:
- Grilled cheese day
- Pet day
- Animal cracker day
- Take a chance day
- Lima bean respect day
That’s all for this article, I hope you enjoyed reading about the fun holidays of April, have a great month!
Junior Student Spotlight
Written By: Tyler Trueblood
My name is Tyler Trueblood and I wrote this article on Junior Spotlight. I interviewed Junior Kyran Spees. I asked them these 10 questions.
- What is your favorite thing about high school?
- What is your favorite food?
- What is your favorite drink?
- What do you do after school?
- What is your favorite school subject?
- Do you do any sports?
- If so, what sports?
- Who is your favorite teacher?
- What is your favorite school field trip you have ever been on?
- If you could meet any famous person who would it be and why?
- What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Kyran's favorite thing about high school is 3:40 pm, which is the time we get dismissed, because he gets to talk to his friends after school. His favorite food is crab and his favorite drink is water. Kyran plans to go home and play a farming simulator when school is over. His favorite school subject is History. Kyran does one sport and it's wrestling. His favorite teacher is Mr.Wixom. And his favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla. That's what I found out about Kyran Spees.
Teacher Spotlights
Written By: Montana Rupe
Mrs. Walker
What is your favorite food?
It is a tie between chili and chicken alfredo.
What is your favorite drink?
She likes coffee 60% creamer 40% coffee. And she prefers Scooters over Starbucks.
How long have you taught your subject?
Teaching for 4 years.
What year did you graduate from high school?
Mrs. Walker graduated in 2016.
What college did you go to?
University of Northern Iowa.
If you could teach any other subject what would it be?
I would be a music teacher.
Have you always wanted to be a teacher? If not, what other profession did you want to do?
She went to college just for English. She wanted to be an author or editor but then she realized she could do both as a teacher.
What's your favorite elective to teach?
She likes to teach all of her classes but loves creative writing the most.
What's your favorite hobby?
Hanging out with her kid.
What's your favorite vacation you have even been on?
I loved Gatlinburg Tennessee. I went and saw the smoky mountains with Mr. Walker.
Mr. C
What is your favorite food?
Tacos de el pastor.
What is your favorite drink?
Sparkling water.
How long have you taught your subject?
2 years.
What year did you graduate from high school?
2009.
What college did you go to?
William Penn University.
If you could teach any other subject what would it be?
Math, because science and math are closely related.
Have you always wanted to be a teacher?
If not, what other profession did you want to do? He wanted to be a doctor but when he got to high school he decided to be a teacher, because he thought he would be better at that.
What's your favorite elective to teach?
Physics and Chemistry.
What's your favorite hobby?
Running or hiking.
What's your favorite vacation you have even been on?
Hawaii because it was my honeymoon.
Chommy's Information and Review
Written By: Christian Vass
Chommy’s is a bar and grill that is located in Eldon Iowa. Chommys originally opened in the year 1994 and has been in business ever since. Chommys is very popular with community members and has served the community well over the years. Chommys is opened Tuesday through Sunday every week, and sometimes they have big events for holidays. The biggest however is definitely Saint Patrick's Day. During this day the bar throws on multiple fun games and has lots of drinks for everybody.
I had the opportunity to interview Justin Appenzeller, an employee at Chommys. Let's see what he says about working for them. First I asked him what it was like working for Chommys. He said this: “It's easy, and it requires little to no skill. Everyone is nice, and Chommys is a great place to work.” After that I asked him if he got any benefits for working for Chommys. “You get one free order of food while working and free drinks." After that I asked him what his overall least favorite part of working for Chommys was and he said, “Bagging food, and bagging fries. It’s really boring."
I decided to also interview a regular customer at Chommys, Tyler Trueblood, to get another perspective on the restaurant. First I asked him why he goes to Chommys. He replied, "The food is good and it's closer than Ottumwa." Next I asked him what his favorite food from their menu is, and he said this, "Boneless wings and the crab rangoons," He said these were the best foods to try if you're new to the restaurant. Lastly I asked him if he would recommend Chommys to a person that's never been there, and he said this, "I really do. It's a great place and has lots of great food options." Thanks for reading about Chommys, I highly recommend checking out Chommys if you're in the southeast Iowa Area, they have great food and you'll meet some great people.
Apple Walnut Ring Cake Recipe
Written By: Tristan Shepherd
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup butter
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 3 Cups Flour
- 1 ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 3 Cups Chopped Apples
- 2 Cups Chopped Walnut
Directions:
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
- Mix and sift dry ingredients and add to egg mixture slowly.
- Stir in vanilla, apples, and nuts.
- The batter will be stiff.
- Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan and bake at 325 degrees fahrenheit for 1 ½ hours.
- Let cool in pan before removing.
- Serve with whipped topping, a glaze, or a slice of butter.
Enjoy!
National Poetry Month
Written By: Quinten Moore
Poetry month celebrated in April is a special time to enjoy and share poetry. People gather to appreciate the beauty of words in poems. It's a chance for poets to show their work to readers to find new favorites and for everyone to connect through poetry. Events like poetry readings happen to get more people excited about poetry. Schools libraries and other places have writing activities to help everyone love poetry. This month is about showing how poetry can be interesting.
It's an opportunity to dive into feelings and experiences through the words of a poem. This month is interesting because we get to read all kinds of poems from funny ones to really deep ones that make you think. It's a chance to express yourself through words and get creative with writing. This month is also a great time to learn about famous poets and their work.
The Cardinal Chronicle Positivity Chain!
There are a lot of things to celebrate this month!
Mrs. and Mr. Walker have been so kind and helpfull to a lot of us cardinal students so I thank them for being so positive and for taking time out of their day to be there and help us students.
-Cathryn Bearden
My class has taken off with their reading and writing skills and it is so exciting!
-Eleanor Arnold
The HS and MS track teams are competing hard and doing a great job. They are all fun to watch and are working hard.
-Chris Becker
My baseball team is really supportive of each other and helps whenever help is needed whether it's community work or helping out with the team.
-Jaykob O'Leary
I am excited to help out with the plays and musicals next year!
-Mrs. Walker
I am excited to help out with the Girls Wrestling Program next year!
-Mr. Walker
