By: Grace Faris and Payton Burkhardt

On Monday, September 26, through Friday, September 30, the eighth grade Washington girls basketball tournament was held at Washington Middle School. The Shamrocks played on Thursday against the Sullivan Lady Eagles.
The Shamrocks won with a score of 28-19. The girls all went home happy with a plaque for consolation that will be placed in a trophy case at the middle school.  

Below are photos of the 8th and 7th grade team members and Coach Viehland.  
Photo credit: newhavenhigh.zenfolio.com

By: Joseph Malone and August Panhorst

At approximately 4:30 PM on Sept., 29th the Sheriff’s Office was inundated with calls from citizens who reported what sounded like an explosion.  The noise was heard throughout Franklin County in to Crawford County shaking windows and homes.  It was later determined that the noise was heard in various areas of the state of Missouri.
 
There were no reports of an area where an actual explosion may have occurred that we are familiar with.  A deputy reported seeing a military style aircraft pass over at that time.   Sullivan Airport officials also reported that the sound was similar to a sonic boom.   We began contacting the military, FAA, and Lambert Airport to determine if the noise was possibly a sonic boom.  Sonic booms were common in the 60’s but were discontinued due to complaints from citizens.
 
A sonic boom is the sound associated with the shock waves created by an object traveling through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding much like an explosion. The crack of a supersonic bullet passing overhead or the crack of a bullwhip are examples of a sonic boom in miniature.
 
A sonic boom would follow the path of the aircraft causing the noise to be heard over a substantial distance.  Officials with Lambert International Airport reported that aircraft from Boeing did depart from the airport around 4:30 PM.  It is possible that this was the cause for the noise but “it has not been confirmed” at this point.  Since this was heard state wide, there may be other agencies with information that would indicate a contributing cause that has been confirmed but we are not aware of any as of this release. 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — With fall firearms turkey season running Oct. 1-31, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) advises hunters it could be a challenging season.
This year’s annual wild-turkey brood-survey shows statewide turkey production in 2016 was lower than the five-year average – likely due to poor nesting success.
“Although we didn’t have many days with heavy rainfall in much of the state this spring, we did have quite a few days with at least some precipitation,” said MDC Turkey Biologist Jason Isabelle. “When hens are repeatedly getting wet while incubating, it can increase the chances of a predator locating the hen and her nest. Looking at this year’s brood survey results, only 29% of hens were observed with poults, which indicates poor nest success.”
Isabelle added June was fairly dry and ideal for brood-rearing in much of the state, but there were relatively few poults that were able to benefit from those conditions due to low nest success this year.
“Despite a poor hatch this year, there are still more turkeys on the landscape in many areas of the state compared to five years ago,” Isabelle said.
Each summer, citizen volunteers and MDC staff record the number of wild turkey hens and recently hatched turkeys, called poults, they see. These observations are then tallied for the annual brood survey. The number of poults is divided by the number of hens reported to create a poult-to-hen ratio (PHR). Isabelle explained this is a good measure of turkey nesting success and poult survival.
“Each year, thousands of citizens participate in the survey and we are grateful for their contribution,” Isabelle said. “During the three-month survey, participants typically report sightings of 60,000-80,000 turkeys, which is a testament to the large number of dedicated volunteers that take time to participate in the survey.”
This year’s statewide PHR was 0.8, which was below last year’s figure of 1.5 and the previous five-year average of 1.6. Regionally, PHRs this year ranged from 0.8 in the Northeast, Union Breaks, and West Prairie turkey productivity regions to 1.3 in the Mississippi Lowlands region (see image).
Given the poor hatch throughout the state, Isabelle says fall turkey hunting is going to be more challenging this year.
“Having fewer young birds on the landscape this year will likely result in hunters having to put forth more effort to be successful. This will be especially true in areas that experience good acorn production,” he said.
Isabelle notes where acorns are abundant, turkeys spend more time in forested areas and do not have to range far to locate food, both of which typically result in reduced turkey harvest.
In addition to considering this year’s hatch, Isabelle says hunters should be mindful of trends in regional turkey numbers. During the last five years, turkey numbers have been increasing in portions of north-central Missouri, as well as in the Ozark Border, Ozarks East, and Ozarks West regions (see image).
“Although the 2016 fall prospects are not as positive as years past, October is still a great month to enjoy the outdoors, and fall hunting provides an opportunity to pursue turkeys in the setting of Missouri’s beautiful fall woods, such as MDC’s conservation areas,” Isabelle said.
“Unlike the spring season, when more than 100,000 turkey hunting permits are purchased in Missouri, typically fewer than 15,000 hunters purchase fall firearms turkey permits,” he added.
Results of the 2016 wild turkey brood survey are available at http://on.mo.gov/2di1PXI.
Fall archery turkey hunting continues through Nov. 11 and resumes again Nov. 23 to Jan. 15. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset with a limit of two turkeys of either sex. Fall firearms turkey season runs Oct. 1-31 from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset with a limit of two turkeys of either sex. Details about fall turkey hunting regulations are found in the 2016 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet available wherever hunting permits are sold, from MDC offices and nature centers, or online at http://on.mo.gov/2d7JPxc.   
Buy permits from vendors around the state, online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits, or through MDC’s free mobile apps, Mo Hunting and Mo Fishing, available for download through Google Play for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices.

NHHS was selected as a National Blue Ribbon School one year ago.  This video was shared at the NBR ceremony last spring and includes a reenactment of the moment we learned that we had won the award along with fun clips from the students and staff.

New Haven High School is set to host the district softball tournament beginning October 5th.  All games will be played at Lions Field located in the New Haven City Park.  

Walkers will depart from the New Haven Lumber parking lot on Wednesday, October 5 at 7:45am.  Please arrive between 7:30-7:45am.  Any child in grades K-12 is welcome to participate.  Complete and return the form below if you plan to participate.

By: Grace Faris and Payton Burkhardt

On Monday, September 26, through Friday, September 30, the eighth grade Washington basketball tournament will be held at Washington Middle School. The Lady Shamrocks began the tournament by playing the Union Lady Wildcats on Monday. The Shamrocks sadly lost 37-15. The girls then played the Hermann Bearcats on Tuesday and went home happy after winning 29-22. The Shamrocks will play on Thursday, September 29 against Sullivan or Pacific.

​The team consists of all eighth grade players Madison Langenberg, Maya Wideman, Ellie Westermeyer, Casey Baker, Deanna Goodwin, Alyssa Sidwell, Makenzie Gerling, Grace Faris, Brande Kubiak and Payton Burkhardt, and seventh grade players including Mackenzie Wilson, Gracee Flaherty, Ryan Stutzman, Lucy Hoener, Emma Rolfing, Brooke Vedder, and Peyton Sumpter.

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Photos by: LeeAnna Linton and Lauren Gerlemann

The new Borgholzhausen monument has now been moved from downtown New Haven to the New Haven City Park. It is located by Roy Bail Park. It includes four flags and the monument itself. Construction is almost complete, and they are finishing up by planting flowers.

Check out the new monument today and tomorrow when you visit the park for the Balloon Festival this weekend, and appreciate the new beautiful symbol of our far-away sister city. 

By: Diana Ribera

On September 24, the world folk art and crafts students at New Haven High School will be presenting a papier-mâché float for the 2016 Balloon parade.

The world folk art and crafts students have been working on this float since the first day of school. The students of the classroom have had to brainstorm ideas and agree on a design to begin. Some of the ideas they came up with were Mount Rushmore, the Oval Office, or crafting the Declaration of Independence.

The students have been working on the papier-mâché float in the art classroom, with the help of their teacher Mrs. Borcherding. Mrs. Borcherding had this to say about the project:

“I decided to have 3D art participate in the parade, because I think that having students work on ‘real’ projects rather than items just for school is more beneficial for everyone involved.  It motivates students to do well, because people will see their work rather than turning in a project that is just graded and passed back.  Participating in the parade is also a way to get the students active in their community.  Creating a good float will provide entertainment for the community and hopefully encourage little kids to get involved with other community events too.”

What will the world folk art and crafts students display, you ask? The classroom has been working on a papier-mâché float that will go along with a presidential theme.

Though the exact plans are confidential for now, here is a sneak-peek of the general idea: the students are making the floats with papier-mâché heads that they will be wearing, and the presidents will be guided by the “secret service agents” (i.e. other students).

Though nothing more can be said without revealing secrets, the students hope you come see the world folk art and crafts float and cheer them on for their hard work.

The parade will begin at 1:30 p.m. on September 24. It will begin at Circle Park, turn right on Maupin Avenue, turn left on Emmons, left on Douglas, and will cross Highway 100 at the American Legion onto Park Drive. The parade will continue along Park Drive to the city park. Come and support the New Haven world folk art and crafts class.

Bernabe Ribera was one of more than twenty New Haven High School art students to submit a t-shirt design for the Bank of Franklin County's annual Shamrock Softball Tailgate t-shirt design competition.  Students were asked to create a design for the tailgate that would be printed using only one color of ink on a white t-shirt.  The winning design was printed on t-shirts that were handed out to the first fifty fans in attendance at the September 20, 2016 game.  Bernabe is pictured below holding his t-shirt design alongside students that attended last night's tailgate event.  From left:  Ethan Groner, Paige Remillard,  Bernabe Ribera, Meagan Holtmeyer, and Claire Meyer.     

By: LeeAnna Linton

This weekend, the New Haven High School cheerleaders will be selling cotton candy at the Balloon Glow, September 23rd, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, and at the Balloon Festival, September 24th, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Times are subject to change.

The cotton candy bags will be $3 and will go towards new uniforms, shoes, socks, and bows for the new cheerleaders. The money will also go towards various necessities throughout their cheerleading season.

Come out to the Balloon Glow and Festival, and support your NHHS cheerleaders as they prepare for their upcoming season!

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By: Makenzie Gerling and Deanna Goodwin

The New Haven Middle School Shamrocks take on the Union Wildcats tonight at 5:30pm in Union, MO. The game will be played at the Union Middle School. Tonight the Shamrocks will compete against the Wildcats. Both the 7th and 8th grade teams will be playing. The bus leaves at 4:15 pm. The 7th grade girls will play first then the 8th grade will follow them.

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By: Nolen Brown,  Payton Burkhart, and Ellie Westermeyer

    On Monday, September 19th the New Haven Middle School Shamrocks had their first basketball game of the season against the Sullivan Eagles.

The 7th grade won of a score of 37-3. The quickly dominated the Eagles, leading at halftime 21-0.

The 8th grade girls led the Eagles at the half 18-9, but lost in overtime with a close score of 24-22. Players today said that everyone tried their best, and they are confident about their next game.

Their next games will be Tuesday, September 20th at Union and Thursday, September the 22nd at Pacific. Hope to see you there!

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By: Lexie Nixon

Last summer, small town New Haven received a brand new ice cream shop. After the loss of some of the previous ice cream shops, the town seemed pretty excited for this new addition.

Previously, there were a couple shops that sold ice cream that tried to start a business in the same general field; it seemed as though our local Shamrocks enjoyed spending their time with friends and family when they were craving something original. That is exactly what this shop is set up for.

This brand new shop was opened by two locals, Jr. and Jackie Branson. When Jackie Branson was asked why she chose to open it in New Haven, her response was, “I saw the need for a place for people to gather with friends and family and enjoy a sweet treat in my little hometown.”

The Ice Cream Shoppe is located at 9442 on Highway 100 in New Haven, next to El Ranchito. This new hangout gives Shamrocks, of any age, a place to go at any time of the day to enjoy their share of ice cream.

Being famous for their fantastic ice cream doesn't mean it's the only thing they provide, however. The Ice Cream Shoppe also includes a variety of foods on their menu like hamburgers, fries, chicken strips, and much more!  Emily Lewis was asked about her thoughts on the Ice Cream Shoppe, and she responded with, “It’s a fun place to spend time with my best friends in the evenings while enjoying a sweet treat.”

When you walk into the Ice Cream Shoppe, the first thing you will notice is their bright green Shamrock spirit walls with a traditional logo sign. They have seating for table groups, but also have a bar area set up, accompanied by a stack of old yearbooks from New Haven High School. Talk about a blast from the past!

Not only is this an exciting place to go to and spend your days at with the people you love, but it is also an appealing place to work at. When Kate Weiser was asked about her experience working at the Ice Cream Shoppe, she said, “It’s a fun atmosphere, and everybody knows everybody there and their favorite ice cream flavor.”

​It seems as though the Shamrocks enjoy what this new addition brings to our growing town. Make sure you go check out the Ice Cream Shoppe’s weekly specials and new ice cream flavors!

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By: Hailey Fleming

Me Before You is a romantic drama based on the novel by JoJo Moyes. She takes the readers on a rollercoaster full of emotions; surprises are at every turn. In the film, Louisa Clark (played by British actress Emilia Clarke) is a ball of energy and greets every single person with a smile. In contrast, William Traynor (played by British actor Sam Claflin) is a paraplegic who has run out every care-taker he’s ever had with his sour attitude. She makes the crowd fall in love with her love/hate relationship with William, but little does she know what is in store for them both. As their relationship matures and starts to become more love than hate, the audience is truly entranced. As they embark on the struggle of their relationship, there are surprises that nobody expects or was ready for.

"But there, in the inky dark, half drunk from lack of sleep, with the fire and the endless sea and infinite sky, with the sounds of the music in our ears and Will smiling and my heart bursting with something I couldn't quite identify, I just needed to dance."   - Louisa Clark ​

This quote is a good representation of Louisa falling in love with William without even realizing it yet.  Me Before You is an outstandingly produced film, and the producer of the movie could not have captured the chemistry and connection better between the two actors. ​