Inzaina is from Arzachena, Italy which is located on the island of Sardinia off the coast of Italy. She has travelled to places such as, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Tunisia, and Germany but even after having visited all these countries she decided to study for a full year in America.

“I chosed [sic] to come to America because for me it was a dream. Fortunately I won a scholarship and I could choose between America, UK and Ireland, and I chosed the United States,” Inzaina said.

After arriving in Fort Atkinson she has travelled with her host parents, Bill and Terry Johnson to St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago and Springfield, Illinois. From visiting these famous American cities she got the opportunity to learn about historic people and places, such as the 16th president Abraham Lincoln. Travelling to these places made the beginning of her stay in America interesting because it gave her chances to see parts the the United States other than just Fort Atkinson. Inzaina and her host family plan to visit New York in the spring, which will give her another opportunity to see how diverse different parts of America are.

While seeing many parts of the United States proved to be exciting for her, the real excitement came when the school year commenced. Schools in Italy differ from schools here and unlike American schools, Italian high schools don’t have sports teams, so our somewhat intense commitment to our sports teams came as a bit of a surprise to her. She has attended a few sporting events while in America, like going to a Brewers game as well as school football and volleyball games.

The cultural differences between American and Italy are vast and Inzaina has had the chance to see some of the differences first hand during her time here.

“Some differences are language of course, then people are different, food, clothes, teenagers’ life, school, almost everything,” Inzaina said.

Although Fort Atkinson is unlike the school she attended in Arzachena, Inzaina is really enjoying her time in America thus far.

“I like the Fort High School, because it’s completely different, everything is new: lockers, people, language, subjects! It’s pretty interesting,” Inzaina said.

It’s the unique differences between America and Italy that will hopefully make her year here very memorable and fun.

The fall musical captures the life of a confused Egyptian princess who battles with capture and freedom of not just her own personal life and safety but the lives of others weighing down on her shoulders.

“I think its a good choice! It’s classic theater, but it’s still fun and modern and its something people can relate to,” Freshman Blair George said.

Who knew that Egypt could be a romantic place? Ancient Egypt can be a enticing place where Aida and Radames learn the enthralls of danger and love at the same time.  As Aida is captured by Radames’s parents the cast sings  Fortune Favor Brave a song liked by many roles in the play.

Along with the stress in the musical plot stress often arrives for actors and actresses trying out for the foreign musical. Nerves and excitement adds to the adrenaline running through each performers veins.

“While like most actors and actresses there are nerves and there is a point in that they are pumped to audition, for me it was both,” Engstrom said.

A repeat of the much liked past musicals are the hopes for this one as well with many experienced performers to fill out the cast.

“About 10 or 12 I think,” Engstrom said.

As Aida works on navigating her way out of this dangerous situation as well as maintaining her relationship with her love Radames the cast audience alike await the final performances of Aida.

“As a teacher, I want them to take away new knowledge and appreciation of theatre and all of the work that goes into producing a show.  Other than that, I hope they leave with good memories, new friends, and more confidence than they came in with,” Play Director and English teacher Kate Schultz said.

The spring play titled The Plot, Like Gravy, Thickens, is a murder mystery, during which the audience gets to interrogate the characters. The audience’s interaction with the characters proves to be a unique component to the play. The cast includes 19 students which is the biggest cast Schultz has ever used for a play. There are 14 principal actors and 5 understudies but some of the principal actors are also understudying other roles, which gives the actors the opportunity to portray multiple roles. There are a variety of students who have been involved in theatre before, but over half of the students in the cast haven’t been involved in a winter or spring play at this school before. The diversity of students involved in the play allows them to mingle with people outside of their group of friends. “I enjoy being part in a play because I like being with everyone and interacting with them. It’s always different in every play I’ve been in,” Junior and assistant director Conner Staples said.

Schultz possesses a degree in theatre and believes acting to be an art and a great way for students to get together to produce a final product. Working together to do a play helps build teamwork and determination. “I like being a part of the production of a play and seeing the accomplishment that comes out of it,” Senior Kate Murley said.

Being involved in the spring play is exciting for many new students to be involved in their first play, but also is bittersweet for many seniors being involved in their last play in high school.
Overall, Schultz chose to direct plays because it is fun! Hanging out with students and having fun with them if one of Schultz’s favorite things about directing plays. Others include seeing the actor’s passion on stage and how she can relate to them.

In the past, Murley has been costume designer for plays and was the assistant director for the winter play. She has been involved in plays since her sophomore year. She has had fun throughout high school and doesn’t want to leave, but will be pursuing in theatre in her college years.

Staples has been involved in plays since his freshman year. Students in the play enjoy the chemistry and bond that is formed with other actors.

Morning lap swim starts at 5:30 every weekday morning.  Typically, the swimmers are older and use the open pool to stay in shape.  The lifeguards, however, have to wake up attentive and alert to keep the swimmers safe.

The job requires student guards to wake up in the dark coldness that is winter as well as during the mild an bright summer mornings.

“I felt sleep deprived for the first two weeks. After two weeks, my body got used to the deprivation,” Lifeguard Jason Straub said.

According to sleepfoundation.org, biologically it is difficult for teens to fall asleep before 11:00 p.m, and waking up early is not as easy for teens as it is for older and younger people. Also, being short on sleep restricts the ability to learn, listen, concentrate and solve problems.

Negative aspects of small amounts of sleep might not pop up until later in the day.

“I usually feel pretty good throughout the day considering I’m a morning person, but Mondays suck! I sometimes take caffeine pills throughout the day to stay awake,” Straub said.

Early morning jobs also require early nights, sometimes resulting with missed or shortened opportunities to hang out with friends.

“I haven’t missed anything, but I have had to leave early from things. Mostly from hanging out with friends. If I do miss anything, it’s because my mother doesn’t think I’ll be able to wake up,” Straub said.

The benefits of the job prove to be higher then the loss of sleep.  Money can be a huge incentive for many teens taking less than desirable jobs.

“I decided to take this job, because I desperately need the money, and it’s a really easy job and nice pay. At the time it doesn’t feel worth it, because it really sucks getting up that early in the morning. I know that in the future it will be worth it when it comes to paying for college and such,” Straub said.

Although people are encouraged to get jobs they love, in high school this does not seem as important.

“This job hasn’t benefited my life to much other than the experience, meeting people, and once in a while I may finish up some homework,” Straub said.

Even though waking up early in the morning can be a pain, students who do it reek the benefits of the added cash to their wallets.

Influenced by the musical styling of bands like Coheed and Cambria, Junior Jake Gerard, Sophomore Josh Gerard, Lucas Bielejewski from Cambridge and Senior Nick Saunders have started a project to satisfy their appetite and love for music.  Essentially a band without a name, the Gerard’s and his friends play in Saunders’ basement most of the time.  Jake and Lucas shred guitar, Josh slaps the bass, and Nick rocks the drums. All the boys started playing their instruments fairly early on.

“I had a little crappy guitar that I would play here and there, and then one day I saw an Avenged Sevenfold music video on MTV.  I heard awesome guitars and music these guys played, and I knew I wanted to learn how to do that. Playing guitar then made me want to learn other instruments and made me discover hundreds of different bands from every genre,” Jake Gerard said.

As they grew as artists individually, the members discovered the hunger to share their music with others. For them, starting a band was just the next natural step. When they get together to share their talents, the musicians collaborate to create their own music that they all enjoy playing and listening to.

“I think playing and listening to music can help to act as an escape from pressures and problems, and it influences you to try new things and be overall more courageous,” Josh Gerard said.

Participating in this project for these guys is not about trying to hit it big or make a name for themselves, it is about spending time doing the thing they love. They are just hoping to keep a great hobby, expand on their talents with other musicians and express themselves.

 “[Being in a band] will just help me aspire as a musician and broaden my playing styles and how I think about music in general and hopefully I will meet a lot of new people,” Saunders said.

As they feed off each other to discover new riffs and beats, the members of the musical project are growing as a group and as individuals to improve their musical talents and lives outside of the basement.

The Will Smith and Potato Club, which started the dress-up day, was created in 2007 by a group of sophomores including Tommy Johnson, Dalton Scolman and Josh Foskett.

“We got kicked out of the Milk and Cookies Club, so we started our own club doing something we liked, and Josh loves Will Smith and potatoes,” Scolman said.

By coincidence, ugly sweaters and wacky shorts came to be a great part of the club. While perusing through their favorite store, Goodwill, the founders discovered a hideous Coca-Cola sweater. Pairing the sweater with its exact opposite, wacky shorts, they thought it was a perfect way to show their appreciation for Goodwill. The dress-up day was a way to introduce their new club to the school. From then on, it was a hit.

As most know, the boys who established the Will Smith and Potato Club moved on to college last year. This year, Senior Scott Rupprecht had the organization passed down into his hands.

“I’ve been observing Scott throughout the years and he was my top choice for continuing the club. Along with his team of Extraordinary Gentlemen : Justin Scroggins, Nick Rolain, and J.J Scolman, I know it is in good hands. Scott has this sense about him, this charisma, and not to mention extreme tennis skills that are perfect for a club like this,” Johnson said.

President Rupprecht and Vice President Justin Scroggins plan to create videos, announcement raps and even t-shirts to promote the donning of appalling shorts and sweaters. Last year the founders went caroling in their ugly sweaters and collected $150 to donate to the Food Pantry. This year, under new management, the club will sell t-shirts and donate all proceeds to the same cause.

“I like wearing ugly sweaters because they remind me of my grandpa; he’s cool and has a mustache. He taught me about the importance of helping people,” Rupprecht said.

As the year scoots on, the club plans to do more activities that can benefit both the school and the community. Johnson, The Scolmans, Rupprecht and a small portion of the student body has embraced that love of ugly sweaters, wacky shorts and the Will Smith and Potato Club. They continue to show their support by sporting the abominations the club has dubbed Ugly Sweaters.

As a coach, Wallace is trying to make an impression and wants to take the poms squad to the next level. “My favorite thing about coaching is getting along with the girls, and having the squad camaraderie and also being able to watch all the hard work that the girls put into their work, and final product,” Wallace said.

“My least favorite thing about coaching is the fact that its a lot harder of a commitment then I expected it to be. Its more then just the six hours of practice we have every week, its also out of school, its the games, and the planning that goes into it,” Wallace said. Poms includes both cheering and dancing; Wallace answered quickly that her favorite between the two is hip hop dancing.

According to Wallace some of the differences between being on the Poms squad and coaching it are the fact that she doesn’t have to learn the routines like she did when she was on the squad, and she doesn’t get to preform.

The Poms girls are observing and judging how well she does. “Amanda is so much more organized, and she is really improving the squad. She is almost like one of the poms girls, she is reliable, easy to talk to and i know i can go to her for anything. There is a lot in store for this year’s poms squad,” second year poms member Dana Robinson said. ]]> http://www.fortsignal.com/feature/2010/10/04/poms-squads-new-coach/feed/ 1 http://www.fortsignal.com/news/2010/10/04/homecoming-2010/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=homecoming-2010 http://www.fortsignal.com/news/2010/10/04/homecoming-2010/#comments Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:04:23 +0000 ramseystatz http://www.fortsignal.com/?p=651 On October 3-9, students, staff and alumni will celebrate the 79th annual Homecoming.
As one of Fort Atkinson High School’s traditions, students are encouraged to attend and support the varsity football team against Oregon at 7:00 p.m, Friday, October 8.

“I’m very excited; it is fun to represent your school at such a big event,” Homecoming Committee Member, TJ Strom said.

Starting at 4:00 p.m. on October 8, the homecoming carnival takes place right outside the stadium. All high school students as well as elementary school students are welcome to attend.

“This year with the carnival, we’re going to be inviting elementary schools so that we can actually have a lot of people,” Homecoming Committee Member Ellery Barrow said.

The dance starts at 8:00 p.m, October 9 and goes until 12:00 a.m. The theme this year is superheroes and Chris Scherer will be DJing. If a student decides to wait last minute for their tickets, the cost at the door for singles will be $10, and for couples will be $15.

“We picked superheroes this year as the theme because we thought that it resembled our school and each student in a good way,” Strom said. ]]> http://www.fortsignal.com/news/2010/10/04/homecoming-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.fortsignal.com/uncategorized/2010/05/28/2010-student-of-the-year-runner-up-lauren-hayes-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2010-student-of-the-year-runner-up-lauren-hayes-2 http://www.fortsignal.com/uncategorized/2010/05/28/2010-student-of-the-year-runner-up-lauren-hayes-2/#comments Fri, 28 May 2010 20:04:44 +0000 cassierains http://www.fortsignal.com/?p=563 While many students deserve recognition for their efforts and participation in and out of school, very few meet the qualifications to be considered as a Student of the Year.  The Signal is proud to honor Lauren Hayes as a 2010 Student of the Year Runner-Up.
Lauren possesses all of the traits that any successful student does.  She focuses a lot of her attention on school and works to the best of her abilities, yet she still has the time and energy to dedicate her life to so many other things and so many other people.

“The dedication and work ethic [Lauren] puts in to each and every activity she is involved in is impressive and commendable,” Assistant Band Director Jessica Rensberger said.  ”I frequently forget that she is a senior in High School; she is mature well beyond her years.”

One of Lauren’s key focuses beyond schoolwork is music.  She plays, among other things, harp, bassoon, and mellophone, and she has dedicated much of her time during the summer to leading the marching band as Drum Major, a responsibility that very few people are cut out for.  Being Drum Major requires a great passion for music, and a great deal of dedication to the band, and under Lauren’s leadership, the band has had two very successful seasons.

Between summer practices and before every weekend show, Lauren would send out emails to everybody in band reminding them of their responsibilities to practice and to remind them of schedule changes, report times, etc.

She stands out as a leader in the band, even after the marching season.  Very often when both Band Director Tom Cook and Ms. Rensberger were out and there was a sub, Lauren would take over and conduct the band from the start of warm-ups to the end of class.

“Her accomplishments as a musician are particularly outstanding, students like her do not walk through a band director’s door often!” Rensberger said.  With Lauren graduating, it will be difficult to find someone with her talent and dedication to fill her shoes.

“Despite all of the time dedicated to her practicing and her studies, Lauren makes the time to participate in youth activities at her church.  She travels on mission trips and uses her musical talents to enhance the worship services,” Fort Atkinson Middle School English Teacher Martha Firari said.

Even with all of these things on her plate, Lauren manages to find time for friends, like Firari’s daughter Grace.

“On a personal level, I’m glad that Lauren is a part of [Grace's] circle of friends.  She’s such an enjoyable guest because of her friendly demeanor,” Firari said.

Regardless of what she is doing, Lauren is able to excel and balance personal life with school life.  Everything comes first and nothing comes second.  She is deeply involved in music and the community, yet she is in rigorous courses and manages to keep up with her own work and also does her best to help others understand.  “Lauren is the consummate student,” English Teacher Mike Hall said.  “She is conscientious and compassionate and has left an indelible mark here at FHS.”

Lauren’s mark in the music department has been one of great passion, dedication, and sacrifice.  She gave up her time, trekking almost daily through the infamous “Swamp Ookie-Pookie” (the flooded practice field behind the school), subjecting herself to the full power of Dr. Beat, standing tall and proud through sweltering days and freezing nights to lead a band of rag-tag soldiers whose only commonality was music to be the best that they could be.  “She will be missed at Fort Atkinson, but I am looking forward to hearing of her accomplishments in Arizona – they are lucky to have her!” Rensberger said.