Have You Heard?

Victory Obielodan

Make sure watch for Teal Pumpkins!

     Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) started the Teal Pumpkin Project. The Teal Pumpkin Project was inspired by a local activity run by the Food Allergy Community in East Tennessee. It is for trick-or-treaters who have food allergies, homes put a teal pumpkin in front of their house to indicate that they are distributing non-food items. When you put out a teal pumpkin, you can add your house to the Teal Pumpkin Project map. It is a great way to include all trick-or-treaters, especially
those who could not participate because of allergies and other conditions.

PSA:  If you see any younger trick-or-treaters on their own, make sure to walk them across the street.  A reminder to keep the porch light on if you are handing treats out!  Keep in mind to always test the candy, for the kid's safety. ;)

All information has been collected from FARE’s website: www.foodallergy.org 


Photo credits to https://pacresmortgage.com/what-is-a-teal-pumpkin/ 

The End of a Season

Anica Graney

     The Platteville Hillmen football team had a great run this season with an ending record of six wins and three losses. The three losses were from conference teams: third-ranked Lancaster, first-ranked Prairie Du Chien, and the game that ended their season, second-ranked River Valley. The Hillmen stood at number four in conference play ahead of number five Dodgeville and number six Richland Center. The team is coached by Mr. Ryley Bailey who just completed his second year on the team. The captains include Isaiah Altfillisch (‘19), Jacob Niehaus (‘19), Tyler McClain (‘20), and William Schaefer (‘20).
     On Friday, October 5, the Hillmen faced Dodgeville at Williams Fieldhouse at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where they swept Dodgeville in a 41-0 victory. In the first couple minutes, Anthony Barner (‘19) scored a rushing touchdown, giving the Hillmen a headstart to the game before lightning struck, delaying the game by over an hour. Once the game continued, the Hillmen demolished the Dodgers and left with a satisfying win for the Homecoming game. Unfortunately, a week later, Platteville faced River Valley ending their season in a disappointing loss of 35-2.
     Senior captain Isaiah Altfillisch (‘19) answers to the team’s strengths, “We are a very dedicated team and give total effort. We have a lot of good chemistry and good leadership.” A thank you goes out to the seniors who gave it their all this season and entertained all of the fans cheering them on in the bleachers.

Soccer Season Recap

The team celebrating mid-game. 

Hypatia Fitzsimons

     The boys’ soccer team has had an incredible season so far. They were undefeated 10-0 in conference. They were lead by their captains: Liam Reinicke, Everett LaBudda, and Ben Trewin. The team works very well together. Their coach, Brandon Pink, says the strength of the team is “their unity and being very coachable. They share a similar expectation and value, and are always interested in getting better.” 

     The boys did have a set back: the rain. Since there was so much, a lot of games had been postponed. “They had to play 3 games in a 24 hour period at the stadium, which was crazy.” However, this is not preventing the team from doing well, “[they] haven’t been scored on since late September.”

      Today, “they play a 12 seed team (Whitewater) which hopefully they do super well with. If they win that, they play a 4 seed team (Belleville) that they have tied with twice this season, so if they win that one as well that would be huge.” Coach Pink also said he has a lot of faith in the boys and their ability to go far. Good luck tonight boys, you have put a lot of hard work and you’ll do very well.

Fall Trends

Hypatia Fitzsimons

     ‘Tis the seasons of sweaters, leggings, and UGG® boots.  Fall is the time of year everyone waits for because it’s the perfect season. The outdoors are beautiful with the trees changing colors and being able to crunch the fallen leaves while scampering around in a pair of warm, fuzzy boots.
     These days, it doesn’t seem like it’s fall unless everything is pumpkin spice flavored. Without pumpkin spice, there is no fall and without fall, there is no pumpkin spice. During fall, I don’t think there is any way to avoid the basic flavoring. Anywhere and everywhere, there is a display for something related to it, but I think it is getting a little out of hand. Who needs pumpkin spice Oreos?
     Along with pumpkin spice food and drinks, there are also pumpkin spice candles, lotions, and perfumes; there are thousands of scents other than the beloved pumpkin spice. Everywhere you go, there will be the smell of fall. The best thing is when people drench themselves in any type of fall scent. I fully believe during this time of year, Bath and Body Works have the biggest profit, because the smells are very lovely and make me happy.
      Starting September thirty-first, you can find me in Bath and Body Works where I'll be getting my hands on everything fall scented. Having the smell of pumpkins, cinnamon, vanilla, etc. just enhances the season immensely and makes me feel better about life. Also, it’s nice to have pumpkin spice latte in the mornings because they are delicious and give me motivation to get up since the cold makes me want to stay in my warm bed all day.

Swimmingly Making Their Way Through

The 200 Medley/Freestyle Relay.

Madison Albert-Nelson

This season, the Platteville-Lancaster Co-Op Swim Team is under new reigns with, PHS Alumni, Elissa Granger. Although the team hasn’t had very many meets so far this season, things have been going well.
      On September 25th, the team got their first win of the season against Delavan-Darien during a triangular meet against them and other conference rivals, Burlington. The final score between Platteville Varsity and Delavan-Darien Varsity was 94-76, while losing to Burlington Varsity 116-54. On the upside, Platteville/Lancaster J.V. won over Delavan-Darien J.V. 66-0, still losing to Burlington’s powerhouse J.V. 121-28. Madison Albert-Nelson (‘20) lead the varsity team to victory over Delavan-Darien, winning both of her individual events. In her best event, the 100 yard butterfly, she touched in at a 1:02.91 and she clocked in at 1:05.69 in the 100 yard backstroke. The 200 yard medley relay of Madison Albert-Nelson (‘20), Allison Brehm (‘19), Erin Walker (‘20), and Brooklyn VanNatta (‘21) had a second place time of 2:03.92. The same relay group got second place in the 200 Freestyle Relay with 1:51.93 as a time. Lancaster’s Brooklyn VanNatta also helped the team to the victory in two events. Placing first in the 50 yard freestyle with a quick 26.82 and another scoring placement in the 100 yard freestyle at a 59.52, earning bronze. Allison Brehm (‘19) got first in her most prized event, the 100 yard breastroke, having an end result of 1:16.18.
     Students and faculty, the Annual Hillmen Invite that will occur on October 20th! The team is also looking for timers for this event. The hours served count for community service hours. Make sure to stop by and show the girls some Hillmen support!

On Your Marks, Get Set, Act!

Quinn Collins

     After waiting nearly an entire year, theater nerds everywhere are excited to jump back into the Fall Play season. This yearly one act play has been to state two of the last three years and actors are hoping they can make it once more. Student Director Molly Otto (‘19) has been an integral part of the play for four years, and wanted to share some words of wisdom with The Voice.
     As student director, Otto’s main responsibilities are to make sure actors know their lines, and to make scenes look good from the audience’s perspective. This hasn’t always been the case, as she says, “I’ve seen it become a lot more of a student-led project over the years.” She also shared some of the reasons fall play is unique. This play may only last one act, but at competition, it represents Platteville to all of Wisconsin. The play is judged in a very similar way to many Forensics events. Otto says some of the most important criteria are memorization, set design, and character portrayal.      With so much pressure to do well, the task of performing a show every year can be quite daunting. Why do actors come flooding back every year? Otto believes, “If you feel like you haven’t gotten a good chance to make a bunch of friends yet, this is a small community that kind of becomes your family at school.” The fall play family is always looking to grow: “If you really like theater, join fall play. If you don’t like theater, join fall play. Fall play is so much fun, and we’ll teach you how to act.” While casting is done for the 2018 season, Fall 2019 will feature a new student director and a newly renewed dream for state. Fall play has seen many changes throughout the years, but the drive and passion of the actors will never truly change.

Endless Summer Coming to an End

Madison Albert-Nelson

Platteville's 2018 Homecoming Court

     One of the most exciting weeks of the year has come to an end aseveryone on the risers, waiting for the Homecoming King and Queen to be announced. Last year’s Homecoming Queen Kimia Safari Shad crowned Rachel Burkhard to be PHS’ 2018 Homecoming Queen while 2017 Homecoming King Tikiri Bandara enthroned John Cramer  Homecoming 2018 was a fun week filled with so many memories that will last a lifetime.

 quickly as it has approached. This year’s Homecoming theme was Endless Summer. Following the festive week of dress up days, our little extension of summer finished up with the Homecoming Dance on October 6th, and a win over the Dodgeville football team on October 5th (41-0).
     The dress up days were all related to Endless Summer in some form. There was Beach Day, 4th of July, Slumber Party, Outdoors, and finally, Hillmen Spirit. Every day, the school was dressed for the occasion where each grade tried to win the title of showing the most school spirit.
      The Sophomores were in the lead for points until Thursday, when everyone took the time to watch each grades skit and lip sync. After the videos were judged, the Juniors had the slightest edge over everyone else.
     Friday was the final day of the Homecoming activities. The afternoon was filled with fun activities such as relays, Watch Ya’ Mouth, inspirational talks from coaches, and much more. Following the games it was a three-way tie between the Seniors, Juniors, and Sophomores, with the freshmen trailing behind. It came down to the last game: Face the Cookie. Michaeleen Frommelt, the Face the Cookie champion for the Juniors, talked about his winning experience. “I know I have a big mouth, in all senses of the phrase, and I can be awfully expressive with my face.” It was an intense battle, but he came through, popping the oreo into the air and landing in his mouth.” Frommelt went on to describe that it wasn’t just him that made the winning effort. “But overall, yeah, it was pretty clutch catching that Oreo, but I’d like to think that it was a team effort of everyone in my grade. Although everyone will think back to that catch, I will know, thanks to everyone, that we did it.”
     The Homecoming Parade followed the pep rally, where all fall activities were showcased and the Homecoming Court was shown to the public for the first time. All the Platteville schools gathered to watch as the younger kids waved and cheered for the participants in the parade.
     Later that night, the big game didn’t go exactly as planned. The first quarter was almost done when there were cracks of thunder and lightning. The players ran to the locker room, band members hurried underneath the stadium, and spectators rushed to seek shelter under the big concrete structure. The waiting game started: when will the game start again? After almost an hour of waiting and the band members continuously playing, the game was ready to go on. With the last three quarters played, the Hillmen crushed the Dodgers forty-one to zero.
     Saturday was the big day. The hours prior to the dance starting, students were rushing around, trying to get their last minute touches done for their attire planned. The cross country team and the volleyball team had to hurry home quickly to get ready on time.
     At nine p.m. sharp, the homecoming coronation started. The court waited in front of everyone on the risers, waiting for the Homecoming King and Queen to be announced. Last year’s Homecoming Queen Kimia Safari Shad crowned Rachel Burkhard to be PHS’ 2018 Homecoming Queen while 2017 Homecoming King Tikiri Bandara enthroned John Cramer Homecoming 2018 was a fun week filled with so many memories that will last a lifetime.

Why Care About Kavanaugh?

Quinn Collins

     The Supreme Court is boring. It’s uninteresting politics combined

Kavanaugh being sworn in as
Supreme Court Justice. 

with repetitive court procedures in the most agonizing way possible. However, the recent battle over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is unlike any we have seen in decades. This nomination has the potential to define our political era for generations, and you have a chance to get involved.
     When Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on June 27th, many already knew this nomination would be unique. Justice Kennedy was known as the moderate of the Supreme Court, deciding many 5-4 cases. Kavanaugh is known for much more conservative values, which would solidify conservative control of the Court.
     After Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings, the nomination process took an unexpected turn. Over the course less than two weeks, three women came forward with sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. On September 27th, a Senate hearing was held which was shortly followed by an FBI investigation which lasted less than a week. While the results of the investigation are not available to the public, according to the BBC, “... the FBI files a report but does not reach any conclusion regarding the credibility or significance of allegations.” On October 6th, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate by a margin of 50 to 48.
     Kavanaugh's nomination was clearly controversial. Despite citizens being unable to vote directly on Supreme Court nominees, there are still many ways for student voices to be heard. Students who are over 18 will be able to vote in the Midterm elections on November 6th. As CNN notes, “Election Day in less than one month, Brett Kavanaugh headed to the Supreme Court and American voters -- maybe mobs of them -- will head to the polls.” For many, this midterm election will be a way to voice their opinions on the Kavanaugh confirmation and the entire Trump presidency. Now more than ever, it is important for people, especially young people, to vote and make their voices heard. These midterms will communicate to Donald Trump whether or not the public supports Kavanaugh and his nomination. Whether students are Republicans, Democrats, or third party supporters, the only way for their voices to heard is through voting. Despite this being the end of the article, this is certainly no the end of the Kavanaugh story.

Movie Review: Sierra Burgess Is a Loser

Madison Albert-Nelson

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3120280/

Sierra Burgess Is a Loser
Released: 2018
Director: Ian Samuels
Actors: Shannon Purser, Kristine Froseth, RJ Cyler, Noah Centineo
Rating: PG-13

Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, a Netflix special, came out on September 7th, 2018. The movie focuses on Sierra Burgess, played by Shannon Purser, who’s a studious Stanford hopeful, and Veronica, portrayed by Kristine Froseth, a cheerleader who bullies the people that she thinks are losers. It all begins when Jamey, portrayed by Noah Centineo, walks up to Veronica in a restaurant, in hopes of getting her number. She instead gives Sierra Burgess’ cell phone number to him instead of her own. Later that night, Jamey texts who he thinks is Veronica, but in reality is Sierra. Sierra is confused by this mystery man texting her, but goes along with whoever he is. Throughout the movie, Sierra has to decide what’s important to her: grades or a social life. Will everything eventually work out for Sierra? I found Sierra Burgess Is a Loser a decent movie. It is definitely not something I’m going to watch many more times, if at all. I did like the actors/actresses chosen for this movie. It still has comedic touches within it, as well as the basic motifs: romance and friendship. The storyline itself was difficult to watch because at some points, it was outright boring. The movie seemed to drag on during some scenes or there wasn’t enough pizzaz to keep my distracted eyes locked. It was the predictable love story with a cat fight between the two main characters. It’s a cliché that you see in every teenage love story. However, I did really enjoy the soundtrack of the film. Overall, this movie is a three out of five.

Student Profiles Coming Soon!

The High School Library Gets a Facelift

Madison Albert-Nelson

      As many of us have caught on to by now, the Platteville High School library is being remodeled! Although newcomers may not realize it, the IMC has gone through some drastic changes compared to what it once was. Although the books are kept in the back room currently, but can still be checked out, the open IMC area is coming along nicely. The library set up, will be finished by the end of the school year, says Ms. Schober. The old library featured a balcony above the tables that was rarely used, but fondly remembered by all who went up there. Mrs. Schober who commented, “It was such a unique space, but it wasn't up to code and made the main area of the library feel like a cave...it’s time had expired. I was happy to see it go, but I will remember it fondly.” Our new up-to-date library now features several work spaces for groups! Each will be equipped with a table, chairs to surround, and a display TV. We’d also like to thank Bill Wagner and Brad Kettle for building us a new circulation desk. They used some of the cabinets and drawers from the old desk and incorporated them into the new workstation for the Tech Team and our librarians! Wagner is also the man who built those group rooms and helped create the new cafe tables and countertops. All these elements have come together to make a modern IMC that will help students far into the future.

Marching into the History Books

   Quinn Collins

     Determined to take on a new challenge, the Platteville Marching Band has decided to compete for the first time ever in the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA) State Marching Band Championships. In Mr. Cooley’s second year at Platteville, he has already taken on the ambitious goal of competing with the greatest marching bands in the state. The band will compete at noon on October 13th at UW-Whitewater in the Class A division, the division consisting of the smallest schools. Mr. Cooley had a lot to share about what this opportunity means to the band. Mr. Cooley said, “One thing most people don’t realize about marching band is that every single person on the field is doing a different thing at the same time. It’s like having 50 different people playing 50 different positions.” Even members playing the same instrument often move to different places, so everyone has to be responsible for themselves. Another big challenge for the band is memorization. Cooley also shared that, “Trying to memorize three movements of music along with all of the marching is a much greater challenge than memorizing one song for parade marching.” All of these challenges may seem daunting but Cooley also commented that he was so excited about the entire marching season that he couldn’t pick a single thing that stands out for him. He believes that if the band is up for the challenge of memorizing 15 more unique movements than last year, our band will definitely make waves at the competition this year. The band invites you to watch their show Man of Steel at the Platteville Homecoming game on October 5th.

Good Charlotte’s New Album, Not Good

Quinn Collins

Good Charlotte's Generation Rx

     Rocking out to some high energy pop punk was easy back in the 2000s and Good Charlotte was one of the bands responsible. Their hit album The Young and the Hopeless gave us some killer tracks to rock out to. I was hoping Good Charlotte could help revive this lost genre with their new album Generation Rx, but I’m afraid they missed the mark. The album begins with an eerie serenade that was quite unexpected. Pop punk is famously maligned for all sounding the same, but the opening track, and album’s namesake, proved Good Charlotte could break the mold. The opener transitioned perfectly into their second song, a classic sounding anthem that really did sound like the Good Charlotte I was hoping for… until the chorus. The singing sounded monotone and uninteresting. Good Charlotte is known for biting vocals that let you hear the singers emotions, but on this album, it felt like Joel Madden was just singing for his paycheck. At many points throughout the album they layered Joel’s voice several times, but instead of giving us the energy of multiple singers, it gave us the apathy and mediocrity of one singer amplified. Unfortunately the album gets worse from there. “Self Help,” “Shadowboxer,” and “Actual Pain” sounded annoyingly identical. They got worse with each track and really showcased Good Charlotte’s identity crisis. They didn’t want to abandon their original sound, but they also wanted to modernize. They were left with a watered down copy of the band Fall Out Boy that desperately needed an electric guitar and an energy drink. The song “Prayers” finally broke the curse and sounded different, but it lacked that frenetic energy that pop punk needs. Suddenly, as I began to give up hope, “Cold Song” rose from the ashes and revealed that Joel Madden could sing with emotion and the band could have a distinct but still exciting sound. The song moved me emotionally and I didn’t want it to end. But it did, and then we heard two more songs that tried to sound unique and exciting, but couldn’t make up for the disappointments previously. The final track of the album was another hidden gem. It wasn’t a perfect song but it sounded emotional, and well written. If Good Charlotte would have taken their four best songs and polished them, they could have made a solid EP that would attract new and old fans alike. But they didn’t, and they probably won't ever again. It hurts me to say this but, Good Charlotte’s not good anymore.

Sweater Weather

   Victory Obielodan

     The leaves turn from green to orange-tipped gold. One falls from the branch and flutters through the air to land itself on a sweater clad shoulder. It latches onto the pink cable knit sweater until it is blown off by the wind. It continues past the cup of coffee, the dark blue jeans, the riding boots. Finally, it reaches the ground where it joins many others, leaving a satisfying crunch when the slightest pressure is applied. Further up, there are smiles in response to the sound. Fall is here. Autumn is my favorite season (spring is a close second). Autumn has unique characteristics that no other season can match. One of my favorites would be the leaves. Firstly, the fact that a season can make dying look beautiful is amazing; there is a variety of color, plus they’re all warm tones. Everything about fall is practically perfect: the colors, the weather--not too cold, not too warm--, the holidays, and also daylight savings time ends so there’s an extra hour of sleep. What’s better than autumn’s characteristics is what can be done in fall. We can bring out our sweaters, boots, and scarves after the scalding heat of summer. Everything is so much cozier in fall without the temperature having to reach zero; in winter things are cozy as well, when we’re not outside getting frostbite. Pumpkin carvings and other fall decorations can be made. There’s so much to do in fall that the list could go on. However, there is a downside to autumn: school. The school year begins in summer and we endure it throughout fall, with usually a consecutive four-day break. Nevertheless, school isn’t forever, autumn will always be here...unless global warming ends it. So, let’s enjoy autumn while we can.

Setting The Pace

Anica Graney

     The Platteville Hillmen volleyball team is soaring to a spectacular season as the games keep rolling in. The team, coached by Danielle Duerst, is dominating the sport with an almost spotless overall record of 14 wins and 7 losses and an even more impressive undefeated conference record so far this season. The team is led by senior captains, libero Kylie Rohrbach (‘19) and setter Kalie Boigenzahn (‘19). On Thursday, September 20th, the Hillmen faced the Lancaster Flying Arrows whom they have already demolished in a 3-0 victory earlier this season. Again, they defeated the Arrows in an unsurprising blowout victory of 3-0. All three sets ended with the Hillmen doubling the Arrows’ score and easily winning the game. Junior Rebecca Hoyer (‘20) led the team with 9 kills. Following her was Mary Jane Stephens (‘20) with 7 kills, Isabel Carroll (‘20) with 4 kills, and Alayna Digman (‘21) with 3 kills. Allison Cooley (‘20) and Alayna Digman (‘21) each had 3 blocks a piece and senior captains Boigenzahn (‘19) and Rohrbach (‘19) led the team in digs with 21 combined. Boigenzahn (‘19) and Rohrbach (‘19) added after the game that the girls work very well and “all mesh together.” Boigenzahn (‘19) went on to say, “Our hitting is [our] biggest strength, but we could use some work on our passing.” The team’s strongest rival is second ranked River Valley whom they have already beaten 3-1 earlier this season. They face River Valley again on October 11 at home.

Back to School

 Anica Graney

     Welcome back to school, everyone! The next nine months will no doubt be filled with amazing memories, stressless days, and restful nights… or not. I know school isn’t something that most students look forward to, but it is required by law so nobody has a choice. I really want to avoid all of the clichés that the back to school article no doubt demands, but it is a tradition that I give my advice to all of the classes in high school. Freshmen: The upperclassmen don’t actually hate you. It’s just something that we do to tease all of you and make you feel more included as a part of the school. That being said, please stay to the right side of the hallway, don’t walk in large groups, and above all else, don’t walk slow, otherwise I will take back the first sentence. My other piece of advice to you is to try everything. Go out for any club, sport, activity, or class that even slightly interests you. If you love it, great! You get to do it all four years! If you don’t then you don’t have to do it again next year. At least now you know and can say you tried it, right? Sophomores: Yeah, you’ve got one year under your belt, but don’t think I still don’t consider you freshmen. This year is just freshman year part II, and like The Godfather II, the sequel is better than the original. You get a sliver of upperclassmen privilege, know your way around the building, and get equally ticked off when freshmen slowly walk on the left side of the hallway in a large group. The classes are going to get a bit harder, so definitely learn some good study skills, or go the way I did and completely wing everything and hope that it all works out okay. A bit more of a stressful approach, but still effective contrary to what your teachers might lead you to believe. Juniors: Good luck. I’m trying not to over exaggerate, but this year can be pretty nasty. Just try your best and whatever your best is will have to do. Focus on the little joys in life, like the amount of homework you will receive everyday, or the countdown to when you are state mandated to take the ACT and the work keys, or the coffee addiction you will no doubt acquire. If none of these things sound that appealing, you’ll at least have prom to look forward to! Seniors: As much as I enjoyed growing up with all of you, I think it is safe to say that most of us are going to be glad to finally get out of this place. I know four years seems a bit much, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s really only the same length of time as a marathon of all of The Godfather movies. In all seriousness, though, we kind of have to admit that the last four years have had some benefit to us. All I ask is for in the future, when we all discover the joys of aging, taxes, and slow metabolisms, that we can look back on these years and at least think, “Never again.”

P.S. I’m not apologizing for all of The Godfather references. You made the choice to read this article and I made the choice to include The Godfather. I hope neither of us are sorry.

Fun Facts About Homecoming

   Hypatia Fitzsimons

     Homecoming is a week of fun dress up days, game activities, and a football game. In honor of homecoming this week, here are some interesting fun facts about the first homecoming, the origin of the King and Queen, and the history of the corsage.The University of Illinois has claimed the title of the first homecoming. In 1910, two seniors wanted their team to win against the University of Chicago; for the past seven years, every time University of Illinois played Chicago, they lost, and the seniors thought if the school’s spirit could be brought up, then the team would be able to win. So, they invited all the fans and students and ended up having twelve thousand people at the game. The team won 3-0 prompting many other schools to start the homecoming tradition. Today, homecoming king and queen are important but the first homecoming didn’t even have them. Originally, a homecoming king and queen were picked to be on a float for the parade. In the 1930’s, the homecoming dance started to become more popular, leading to people voting for a king and queen. This started the tradition of having the king and queen crowned at the dance. Although the corsage was not originally for homecoming, it has become a tradition. People also wear them for other formal events, but the history of the corsage is interesting. Corsages have been around since ancient Greece and worn at weddings. The bride would wear the corsage to keep the evil spirits away from her and her husband. In the 16th century, it was worn whenever a woman would leave her house to help prevent diseases. Over time, the corsage was only worn for special occasions. Until the 1920s, the corsage was clipped onto the dress. But when the style of dresses changed, the corsage started to be worn on the wrist. These are some interesting traditions and beginnings that have led to today’s homecoming.

Staff Spotlight: Señorita Herreid

Señorita Herreid

Hypatia Fitzsimons

  Señorita Herreid is our recent addition to the Spanish department for the quarter. She went to high school in Prairie du Chien and decided to go to UW-Platteville for college. She chose Platteville because she loved her visit there, heard great things about the school, and that is where her high school Spanish teacher went as well. Herreid will be graduating with a degree in Spanish Education this winter. “I grew up in Wisconsin and I have always loved living here, so I’d like to continue being here, but I’m also open to new places if they took me there.” To add she likes the idea of a small school better because she can have a better one to one connection with the students. While she was in high school, she participated in cross country, student council, key club, and international club. “I wanted to be a teacher since I was little and because I loved Spanish in high school and my Spanish teacher showed me that, then it made me want to be just like her.” Herreid has traveled to four countries: Spain for six weeks, Argentina for 4 months, Uruguay for two different weekends, and Portugal for a weekend. Currently, Herreid is working in the mornings at the high school. The classes she teaches are three Spanish 1 classes. In the afternoons, she observes Señorita McLean’s classes. Second quarter, she’ll be teaching Exploration Spanish and Spanish A/ B at the middle school. As for Platteville, “I like that it is a city that is small enough where to get to know the students but has a big city feel with Dubuque so close and the University.” The message she wants her students to learn is, “knowing Spanish opens doors and there are a ton of Spanish speakers around us and their population is only growing. Being able to speak Spanish will help with interacting with people and having more opportunities when traveling abroad.” To include, Herreid wants her students to experience the different cultures Spanish speaking countries have.

Guest Opinion: You’re Literally Speaking Incorrectly

by Jake Klein

There is an epidemic that has plagued our nation. People all across America have been speaking incorrectly. They have been using the word “literally” incorrectly or unnecessarily in their everyday speaking. The incorrect use of this word is like a social trend: it came out of nowhere, and now it seems everyone is doing it.

I am what most would call a grammar Nazi. Because of this, I’m going to give you a quick crash course on how to use this word correctly so that many years from now you won’t say to your college English professor, “I literally did my homework last night.”

“Literally” can be used in three different ways. The first is in translations of foreign languages. With translations, literally means ‘word-for-word’. For example, someone may ask, “How do you say ‘My name is’ in French?” To which you could reply, “Je m’appelle, which literally translates to ‘I call myself,’ but basically means ‘My name is’.”

The second use is with exaggeration. You may say to your friend, “I called you a thousand times last night! Why didn’t you answer?” Now, you most likely did not call him 1,000 times, but you were exaggerating. However, if you actually did call him one thousand times, you could say, “I literally called you a thousand times last night!” 

The third use of the word is with commonly said expressions. For example, “raining cats and dogs” is an expression meaning it is raining a lot. But if for some strange reason, cats and dogs are falling from the sky, you could correctly say, “It’s literally raining cats and dogs!” A more realistic example is the expression “it blew me away,” meaning it was very impressive or surprising. “The scientist’s project blew me away!” If the scientist’s project was demonstrating a giant fan that physically pushed you across the room, you could humorously say, “The scientist’s project literally blew me away!”

Here are some words/phrases that can be used instead of the word literally: seriously, honestly, honest to goodness, totally, not-even-kidding, and really. 

So what did we learn today? The word “literally” can be used only

1. When explaining a translation word-for-word.
2. When the rest of your 100% honest sentence may be taken as exaggeration (called you a thousand times), or as an expression (blew me away).
3. When using a differentiating between a common expression like figures of speech and real situations 

So many people today are using this word incorrectly that the correct definition and use of the word, sadly, is dying. Sound smart, be smart, speak correctly, and the world will be a better place, literally. 

Want more info on the correct use of the English language? Watch Weird Al Yankovic’s “Word Crimes,” a parody of “Blurred Lines,” on YouTube.

Guest Opinion: There's No Code for Sexualization

by Akeeya Sylvester

Imagine this: your five-year-old daughter was sent home because her skirt rode up a little too high. You say it’s no big deal, but is it? What is this teaching her?

A five-year-old little girl should be worried about what color crayon she wants to use, not worrying about “trusted” teachers and older men goggling at her skirt and tights. The problem with the dress code that has been drilled into a girl’s head from a young age is that it’s teaching girls that they should be viewed as sexual beings. Look at it like this: a young boy can take off his shirt and run around without the worry of an older woman wanting to sexually harass him. A young girl will wear a shirt that exposes her shoulders, and instantly, adults are drilling in her head that “flaunting” around a body like that will attract predators.

Why are we putting all this pressure on the girls? It’d be simple to drill it into a young boy’s head that touching any girl without consent is inappropriate, so we could prevent events like rape and sexual harassment from happening. “Let boys be boys” is no excuse; a boy is taught the way he acts by people he looks up to and by never being taught what he’s doing is wrong. Instead schools and media focus in on body parts on girls, like showing bit of stomach, shoulders, or thighs. Simple body parts that could easily have no meaning are given a reputation to be viewed as sexual. It does not have to be that way.

For example, at the age of 12, I was sent to the office because my shirt was cut “too low.” I was pulled out of class to go to the office and hear a lecture about my body, concerning the way it was covered. Who reported it? An adult.  

When young children are put in a classroom, they pay attention to the teacher. Some students may doodle and some may talk when they’re not supposed to, but I have never in my life known students in middle school or younger pay attention to the way their classmate’s collar bones show. At that age most young girls are not even fully developed, yet they’re still being sexualized for something they don’t have yet. Young boys may be curious, but something as innocent as shoulders showing should not drive their imagination wild. It shouldn’t for adults either.

A child or teen with a pair of shorts that fit above mid-thigh or a top that has spaghetti straps/no straps most likely walked out of the house with her parent or guardian viewing what she chose to wear. A school is meant to be a learning environment and should have adults capable enough to not view girls as sexual objects and instead as human beings. If a boy can wear a muscle tee with his entire side being shown, a girl should be able to show her shoulders in her favorite dress, for example. Unless there is a very vivid view of a girl’s privates I don’t believe they should be distracted from learning to be told they could be distracting others. Isn’t the school the one distracting the student? The amount of time a girl spends calling home, changing, or sitting in the school’s office is taking away from her time to be learning in class.

If we put a stop to sexualizing young girls and start teaching young boys the word “no,” then girls could grow up feeling safer and more confident in their skin. I believe our next generation could start a revolution for girls and their children’s future education system. So the next time you look at a young girl and only pay attention to her so called “revealing” shorts, remember in that moment of time you are sexualizing a minor for legs that could easily be viewed as we view boys’.