BURLINGTON

This year in Burlington High School, with a new principal and athletic director new changes have occurred. Conversations held between Mrs. Grover, Mrs. Bolen, and others created a new way to celebrate the holidays. They called it “Turkey Games.”

   The idea behind Turkey Games was to help collect items for our local God’s Store House. The faculty accomplished this by setting a school goal, creating a point system for each item that could be collected, and giving an award if the school reached said goal. The award is a game day before Thanksgiving Break. When the goal was met.

  Donna Bolen, one of the creators of Turkey games, says this was the idea behind it: “We Herd God’s Store House was low on donations so, in talking, instead of waiting and doing a food drive at Christmas time, we decided to do it at Thanksgiving time instead. [We were] hoping we could get enough food to kind of hit both holidays.”

    So, for the game day, two CAP classes were put together to create a fun game for other CAP teams to play. The two joined groups would then go around and play other games trying to collect points. Each game had an opportunity to win up the twenty points.

   Whoever had the most points at the end of the day won a track trophy renamed as the Turkey Games. The winner of this year ended up being the CAP classes of Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Hayes. They won with over a 10-point lead.

  The Turkey Games was a great way for Burlington High School to give back to the community. It also was a fun way to spend the last day before for break and keeping the enjoyment of the school. This event had many benefits and may have a chance of occurring next year

Every year, staff and students fill out a questionnaire regarding a very important topic: themselves. The sheet consists of questions about the individual’s favorite things and details about their lives. One’s favorite color, favorite sports team, zodiac sign, and their friend group are all asked about.

   Students in the Interactive Media class then use these forms to create a personalized poster. These “Hall of Fame” posters are filled with not only information, but four to eight photos of the person. Each one has a design and layout specific to the personality of the receiver.

   Senior Tucker Wright, who has been creating posters for the school for years, says, “Just getting the information and making sure you have enough pictures has got to be the most difficult part. Even then, after you get over the original learning curve [the posters are] pretty easy to pump out.”

   He admits that it is nice to have a template of questions to simply fill out. This process makes it easier and quicker, rather than coming up with information those who make the posters would have to sift through and decide if it is appropriate or not. Tucker also states that, as he makes his, he likes to add personalized questions for himself as a little perk.

   The posters are then hung along the hallways of the school within each grade’s designated area. They are displayed with the intention of others being able to get to know their fellow classmates. They are then given the opportunity to take them home.

   Overall, Hall of Fame posters are a way for staff and students to show off aspects of themselves others may not see. Taking a look at them is a good way to see their interests or to start up a conversation with someone you may not have before. This ongoing tradition will likely persist at BHS for years to come.

by Allie Harris

   Burlington High School’s Future Farmers of America, or FFA, is the largest club available. While it is not required to live on a farm, much of it deals with farming and ranching. FFA offers opportunity after opportunity to represent the school and learn about the agriculture industry.

   Having constant competitions in their respective fields, these students miss a lot of school. One of these events, a select few students missed, was

the FFA National Convention. Four individuals, Senior Halle Finnerty, Junior Kyla Lankton, Alumni Kyana Lankton, and Alumni Serenity Washburn, represented the state of Kansas.

   The convention took place at the end of October and lasted four days. These four were able to compete as well as judge on a National level for both Burlington High School and Kansas. Out of so many Kansans, they were picked for this opportunity.

    However, that was not all this event had to offer. Others were able to go, not as representatives, but as a learning experience. The others who went were Senior Tori Rossillon, Junior Ashdynn Lehmann, Junior Emma Krugar, and Sophomore Taggart Isch.

   Activities at this convention had quite the range. There was the competition, but also classes that lasted all day where they learned about different types of agriculture. There was also more entertaining activities, such as watching horse racing in the evenings.

    “Something valuable that I took away was being able to represent Kansas there. We competed against hundreds, if not thousands, of other teams to have this opportunity. It was a really big deal for us,” Senior Halle Finnerty provided. This was a huge event for the entire school, especially those who were able to go and participate.

by Madison Hawley

  The Christmas season would not be same without the jolly tunes we all know and love. The annual Winter Concert not only spreads holiday spirit, but gives student musicians an opportunity to connect with the community and show off their hard work. Each year, the middle and high school bands and choir combine to create a performance.

   This is the very first concert of the year. While high school band has had marching and pep band to worry about, the first half of the year has been spent getting ready for this moment. The pieces being played and sung have been

worked on meticulously for months.

   This concert is a perfect way for all students involved to learn and grow. The middle school students are able to hear more advanced music. In addition, high schoolers are able to pass down traditions and are available to give a helping hand.

   Each group is performing three pieces, except for the fifth-grade band, who will play four pieces. Each piece is meant to exhibit what the students have been working on in class. The music was chosen to be entertaining with several contrasting styles.

   Not only the classic tunes of the holiday season

will be featured; pieces containing spins on the old tunes and even motifs from classical composers will be played. The music ranges from triumphant brass features to jazz.

   All in all, this is a great event for both the students involved and the community that supports. Mr. Bostic states “If you have upperclassman calm, then it helps underclassman with staying calm and focused.” The students are able to show off their hard work, learn from others, and connect with the community in a performance.