Claire is shown here receiving the check from members of the New Haven High School CTA committee: Doug Peirick, Claire Laune, and Julie Westermeyer.
By: Kamryn Poe
Tim Scheer, P.E. coach, softball coach, and JV basketball coach, is retiring too. He has 3 daughters, 1 grandson, and has been married to Mrs. Michele Scheer for 32 years in June. He is saying goodbye after 33 years at New Haven and R-II. Coach Scheer graduated from New Haven High School in 1980. He then went on to attend East Central College (ECC) for 2 years before finishing at Southeast Missouri State (SEMO). He received his degree in education with a major in physical education. After college, he went on to teach P.E. for 33 years and coach for over 29 years. He is married to Michele Scheer (née Ocheskey) and together they raised their 3 daughters: Stephanie, Julie, and Kimberly. At this time in his life, Tim likes to golf and spend time with his wife, kids, and grandson. He coached both girls and boys basketball at Franklin County R-II. He coached basketball there from 1987-2001. In the 2012-2013 school year he started coaching JV girls basketball and assistant coaching the girls Varsity team at New Haven High. He became the head coach of softball in 2004. He decided to become a P.E. teacher at a young age and never steered away. He had older siblings follow the teaching and coaching path-- so he did have teaching run in his family. He found the experience of teaching has been “enjoyable and rewarding. I enjoy the school community.” Coach Scheer has also said that “I’ve enjoyed being a part of [these] schools.” He has gotten to see “kids mature and improve over time and improve their athletic abilities.” As a teacher, that was one of his main goals. When it comes to coaching however, he liked “just seeing people improve and grow as individuals, not just in sports but in their own lives… but I also like winning.” He will miss the school setting and most importantly the people-- staff members, fellow teachers, and students at both R-II and New Haven. He decided to retire this year, because “it’s time. It's been a long time and it feels like it's a good time to move on.” We would like to wish Coach Scheer the best in the next chapter of his life. He will be missed both at R-II and at New Haven Elementary and High School. He has impacted many students in this community for the better and we are grateful for the time we have been able to be taught and coached by him. He has always represented the gold and black colors of R-II well and he has always been happy to sport the green and white colors of New Haven. We know we will still see you at the field you spent many favorable years at, and you will always be leaning against the wall during the basketball games where you had many great memories. Thanks for being an amazing coach for all these years. You will be missed dearly. By: Kamryn Poe
Ray Steinhoff has been with us for 39 years and has served as the Athletic Director for 35 years. He graduated from Orchard Farm in St. Charles in 1976. He then went to East Central College (ECC) for his first two years, then finished studying at Southeast Missouri State (SEMO). After this, he interviewed at several schools, but decided on New Haven when he was offered the ideal coaching jobs in an area he was familiar with. His wife, Ruth (née Scheer), was raised in New Haven, so they stayed and raised their two children, Ryan and Rachel. Before college, Coach Steinhoff played various sports. In high school, he played baseball and basketball for all 4 years. He also played football the first 2 years then switched to cross country junior year, but realized that he didn’t want to run senior year. Even from a young age Coach Steinhoff wanted to be coaching in some sense. He has stated that “All of my coaches had a huge influence on me, going all the way back to my elementary P.E. teacher.” He saw all of them impact and influence students and he thought, “I want to do that for others.” It also helped that Coach Steinhoff’s older brother was beginning to coach, so he had a role-model to look up to. While in college, Ray Steinhoff also had 2 of his college coaches push him to get ready for coaching. Once he started coaching and teaching, he was supported by “some really good administrators early in [his] career. Then Mr. Strobel took over as the principle,” and he continued to support Coach Steinhoff. Coach Steinhoff said, “I worked under and with Mr. Strobel for 20 plus years, and he had a big influence on me. He helped me out a tremendous amount in this career.” Coach Steinhoff started at New Haven by teaching P.E. and he was also the coach for freshman volleyball, Varsity baseball, and freshman and JV basketball teams. He was promoted to be Varsity boys basketball coach and Athletic Director in the 1984-1985 school year. He coached both baseball and basketball for 34 years. In baseball, he was the Varsity coach for the first 19 years and then assisted Jim Scheer the last 15 years. In basketball, he served as the Varsity boys coach for 30 years after spending 4 years as the assistant (and serving as the JV boys coach). He then retired from these positions during the 2013-2014 school year, but he still served as the Athletic Director in a part time role for the last 5 years. His favorite part of coaching and teaching was “The day to day relationship with the students. That goes even further than coaching. I loved teaching P.E.” Coach Steinhoff said that he “[has] been really fortunate to work with some tremendous teachers, coaches, and administrators.” After all these years, there is still one word Coach Steinhoff can use to describe this chapter of his life-- “blessed.” It was “awesome in every way. This is a great school. The tradition of excellence is true here both athletically and academically. I am proud to have played a role in that.” Now he is retiring, for many reasons. “I have done this a long time,” “I don’t have that daily interaction with the kids [anymore],” “It’s time for someone new,” and “I need to take a step back and be with my family,” are just a few of those reasons. In his free time, Ray Steinhoff will continue to enjoy fishing, golfing, reading, and following sporting events, but he will still be looking for hobbies and challenges as well. He may also be looking for opportunities to volunteer. We will all miss you, Coach Steinhoff. We know we will still see you standing against the wall at home basketball and volleyball games and standing in the hot, humid weather of cross country meets and softball games. We know you will visit the baseball team and track team rain or shine. You have accomplished your job. You have impacted and influenced all of us here at NHHS. Once a Shamrock, always a Shamrock. By. J. Graham Hill
The majority of the focus in these final days is about the class of 2019 graduating after a long, hard year, but what about the class of 2020? They are just a little over a week away from becoming seniors, and they have some big plans. While looking back on the three years of high school they have already completed, they noticed some great memories they had with their classmates and teachers. Johnna Bloch loved how Mr. Pruessner was able to banter back and forth with his students in class. McKenzie Overschmidt just liked how active she was throughout high school so far. “My favorite memory is making it to state for cross country my freshman year, and getting third place,” Grace Allgaier stated. Hannah Knoppe said, “My favorite memory I've made so far has to be when the juniors decorated for prom. We all came together and worked hard to get the job done, and we worked diligently in order for everyone to be involved. It was just a really nice time to set aside all differences and come together.” “Winning Homecoming queen and becoming president of NHS and reporter for FBLA” is what made Lexy Sidwell’s junior year a success for her. Destiny Lafferty loved having fun with her classmates during Leadership Week. But that is enough looking back, it is time to start looking forward. Senior year comes with a lot of pressure. They want you to know what you want to do after high school. You are expected to know exactly what major you want to go into and what you want to do with your life. Then there are some that think senior year shouldn’t just be a time for worrying about life after high school (although students should think about it at some point). It is a time to have fun! Johnna Bloch, like many of her classmates, wants to make a lot of memories with her friends before they have to go off to college. The entire class of 2020 reports looking forward to their senior trip next April. There are those few students, like Hannah Knoppe, that are excited about the whole thing. Hannah said it best: “[she is] looking forward to entering the home stretch of high school. [She is] excited to do [her] very lasts of everything and to start prepping for college.” As I have said before, some think this is a time to get your life together, and some think this is a time for fun. However, these students have already formed their own expectations for the year. For instance, McKenzie Overschmidt thinks that it will be both funny and fast. “I expect it to be a lot more hectic than all the rest of my high school years, and I hope that I get a lot of opportunities for new things that might help me out in the future,” Grace Allgaier said. Going along with both of these girls, Hannah Knoppe stated, “I expect it to go by as fast as this year has gone by and for it to be exciting. I hope and expect to get a lot of things prepared for college and have a better understanding of how stepping into the workforce will be like.” Lexy Sidwell wants to get great grades and become more confident in what she decides to do after high school. Destiny Lafferty plans to work hard her senior year so that she can get into a good college. As you can see, these juniors are ready to become seniors. Not that any of these students need it, but good luck! End this year with a bang and make sure you start next year on the right foot. Eugene W. Gerlemann, 90, of New Haven, MO, passed away Monday, May 6, 2019 at New Haven Care Center. Eugene was born in New Haven, Missouri on January 30, 1929, a son of the late Louis & Hulda (Vosbrink) Gerlemann. He was the husband of Elsie Erna (Dierking) Gerlemann. They were united in marriage on October 14, 1950, at St. Peter's United Church of Christ, New Haven. Elsie survives in New Haven. Eugene is also survived by their sons, Steve Gerlemann, of New Haven; Charles Gerlemann & wife Sue, of New Haven; Paul Gerlemann, of Gerald; and James Gerlemann & wife Lisa, of New Haven, by nine grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, two sisters-in-law, Shirley Calkins & Velma Dierking, both of Beaufort, Missouri; and by nieces, nephews, and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, and his sister, Odell Dierking. Eugene was baptized and confirmed at Ebenezer Stone Church, Gerald, where he was a life time member. He was a life long farmer. He also worked for the state for several years in the winter plowing snow. He enjoyed the outdoors and grandkids and great grandkids, especially at Christmas. Visitation will be held Thursday, May 9th from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home, New Haven. Funeral Services will be held Friday at 11:00 a.m. at Ebenezer Stone Church, Gerald, Missouri. Burial will be at the church cemetery. Memorials may be given to Ebenezer Stone Church Cemetery. C/O Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home. New Haven Elementary started the 8 week Indy Mini program on March 21, 2019 and registered approximately 68 K-6 grade students and parents. This is about a quarter of the total student population. The group met each Thursday after school for one hour running intervals to work up to the one mile finale. Students tracked their progress at each meeting and talked about the Indy 500 festival. Each week our students ran in different locations within New Haven. This year participants saw a good amount of rain during the training season but enjoyed a beautiful sunny day for the final mile in the New Haven City Park and high school track. Runners and their families also went to a St. Louis Cardinals game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Cardinals generously donated 100 tickets to the program. This Indy Mini is the 8th kids marathon New Haven Elementary has offered the students. By: Bernabe Ribera
Russell Pinnell, senior, recently went to state choir in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday, April 27th. Russell was the only one to make the cut out of all his classmates. Going to state is a big opportunity for NHHS students, so Russell was asked a few questions on how he felt going to state. Russell was first asked how he felt going to Columbia. Russell responded by saying, “I was excited. The week before I had a cold so I was worried I would not be able to sing as I could, but the antibiotics I took really helped me out.” He was also asked what songs he sang and why he chose them in particular. Russell replied by saying, “I sang ‘Per la Gloria d'Adorarvi’ and ‘Deep River.’ I chose ‘Per la Gloria d’Adorarvi’ because of the story it tells and I just loved the deep meaning it had to it.” Going to state is a big thing, and many people do get nervous. Russell was later questioned on how he handled keeping his calm. “I was nervous a little, so all I did was take a deep breath. I kept my cool and focused on what I needed to do,” said Russell. Russell Pinnell also shared when he likes to practice his singing. “I have lessons on Monday and I try to practice whenever I have time,” replied Russell. When asked what he plans on doing in the future if he continues to pursue singing, Russell responded by saying, “I plan on getting my minor in singing/voice. I love singing so I definitely want to continue on with singing and see where it takes me.” Not many people can get an opportunity like this. Russell Pinnell shows a lot of potential, and he also showed what NHHS can teach students and what they can achieve. By: Addison Tolar
For many, the adolescent years are the hardest. At NHHS, we have a program for our middle schoolers (though high schoolers are welcome too) called ARTC. This program takes place on Mondays after school. The ARTC program stands for Achieving Responsibility, Recovery, and Resilience Through Creativity. This program allows the young teens in our middle school to explore art forms that they may have never seen before, and express their individuality through different art media. They do projects spanning from science, painting, clay, music, all the way to fashion. The art counselor that runs the program, named Mrs. McClain, has been coming to NHHS for two years. Mrs. McClain has and continues to form personal relationships with all the kids, and I could see when I went into the room to observe the program that all of the students truly did have a friendship with Mrs. McClain. NHHS and NHMS’s art teacher, Mrs. Borcherding, stated, “I think it's a very positive program and I think it gives students a good outlet to both explore art and discuss things that might be difficult in another setting.” The ARTC program takes kids from the ages of 7 to 18. Mrs. McClain explained to me that ARTC helps kids with anxiety, anger management problems, depression, and mental disorders. She said, “I see kids come in shy all the time and leave excited, happy, and talkative.” The ARTC program is completely funded through the Franklin County Children's Resource Board. They provide transportation for kids if needed and are always available to do one-on-one sessions. I think that ARTC is an amazing program, and quite frankly, I wish I had the ability to access a program like this when I was in middle school. Anyone can make a referral, and anyone can go. Thank you to Mrs. McClain for making a difference in NHMS and for sitting down to talk with me. I appreciate what you do and I’m sure that your students do as well. Joseph has been a three sport athlete throughout high school having participated in cross country, basketball, and track. He has lettered at the varsity level all four years in both cross country and track, while doing so each of the past two years in basketball. Joseph has been a three time Four Rivers Conference medalist in cross country where he placed 5th as a sophomore, 2nd as a junior, and then became the individual conference champion this past fall. Joseph has been a key contributor to cross country teams which have brought home trophies from four consecutive state meets. His teams finished 4th in Class 1 his freshmen year, 3rd in Class 1 his sophomore year, and then captured the Class 1 State Championship his junior year. After being bumped up to Class 2 this past fall, the team finished 3rd. Joseph has been a three time Cross Country All-State Medalist having placed 10th as a sophomore, 11th as a junior, and then 12th this past year at the Class 2 level. In track & field, Joseph was an All-State Medalist his junior year in the 4 x 800 m Relay as his team placed 5th. At the Four Rivers Conference Meet this past week, Joseph earned conference honors in three events. He placed 3rd in the 3200m, 2nd in the 1600m, and was a member of the conference champion 4 x 800m relay team. Joseph has also excelled academically. He ranks 2nd in his class and plans to attend Missouri S&T University to pursue a degree in civil engineering. Joseph is the son of Keith and Ruth Rethemeyer. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch will recognize all of the Scholar Athlete recipients in the their Thursday, May 9th edition and also at Busch Stadium prior to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game that evening. In an effort to try to get our Four Rivers Conference games in, New Haven will now be playing Hermann on Wed. May 8 @ 4:30 pm, rather than the originally scheduled game vs Silex @ 5:00 pm. This game will be played at New Haven.
Information about this weekend's district track meet at the New Haven Community Track can be found at http://trxctiming.com/MSHSAA/2019_TF/Districts/class_2.htm. Field events begin at 10:30 and running events begin at 11:15. Admission for all ages is $5.00.
George Alexander Wurtz, Jr., 83, of New Haven, MO, passed away Sunday, April 28, 2019 at the Missouri Veteran's Home, St. James, Missouri. George was born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 9, 1935, a son of the late George A. Sr. & Margaret (Hertling) Wurtz. He was the husband of Doris M. (Kohlbusch) Wurtz. They were united in marriage on July 17, 1959, in Stony Hill, Missouri. Doris survives at their home. George is also survived by their two children, a daughter, Vicki Hughes & husband BJ, of New Haven, Missouri; and a son, David Wurtz & wife Teresa, of Wildwood, Missouri; his grandchildren, Jennifer Hughes, of New Haven; Michelle Pruessner & husband Brian, of Eureka, Missouri; Heather VanderLaan, of the state of California; and Jacob & Sarah Wurtz, both of Wildwood; by two great grandchildren, Heidi and Daisy VanderLaan, by a brother, James Wurtz & wife Melva, of New Haven, Missouri; and by nieces, nephews, and many friends. He is preceded in death by his parent, and an infant son Steven. George proudly served his country in the United States Army from 1956-1958. He was a member of St. James Evangelical Church, Stony Hill, Missouri. He was a past Chamber of Commerce President, which he was very active in, a former Cub Scout Leader and was a R-2 School Board member. George and his wife Doris owned and operated the New Haven Western Auto Store. After they closed the store in 1992 he went to work at Ace Hardware in Washington, where he became the store manager until his retirement. In his free time George enjoyed hunting, doing construction projects around the house, traveling with his wife, and spending time with his family and friends. He also had an interest in fire arms and was an avid St. Louis Cardinal Fan. Visitation will be held Monday, May 6th from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home, New Haven. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at St. James Evangelical Church, Stony Hill, with Rev. Tom Lloyd officiating. Burial will be at St. James Cemetery. Memorials may be given to St. James Evangelical Church or Alzheimer's Association. C/O Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home. By: Lexi Oetterer
The State FBLA Convention was on Sunday, April 14th, through Tuesday, April 16th, with the actual competition and presentations being held on Monday and Tuesday. Mrs. Jaime Hoener took the FBLA members that were eligible to attend because the FBLA sponsor, Mrs. Kelsey Anderson, was on Senior Trip with the class that she sponsors. “I am very happy with the results and proud of all the students that participated this year,” said Mrs. Anderson. “Overall, I think we did a great job!” The members that attended the competition were asked how they had prepared themselves for the event. “Lucy and I looked at a lot of stats and facts concerning our event as well as practiced with each other a lot,” said Miranda Yarbrough. The members were also asked about how they felt they did during their presentations. “I was extremely nervous both times,” exclaimed Miranda. “I knew that we had good information and took a different approach which set us apart. Being so different made it a little scary especially because we are both freshmen and could've completely misinterpreted the event.” “During the presentation, I thought that I did pretty [well] with the information that I had to present,” replied Hannah Rethemeyer. “I also was not that nervous at all. I was really comfortable when I presented. I was a little more nervous on Monday when we had to present again, but I feel that I did pretty well.” FBLA was able to bring home a few medals. Alyssa Sidwell placed 3rd in Intro to Business Communications; Lucy Hoener and Miranda Yarbrough placed 7th in Social Media Campaign; and Hannah Rethemeyer, McKenzie Pecaut, and Claire Meyer placed 8th in Broadcast Journalism. Alyssa Sidwell also advanced to the national competition. These members were asked about how they felt about the place that they got. Miranda commented, “I feel like being in the top ten as a freshmen was super amazing and although we didn't make nationals we still did very well.” “I was happy with the result, but it would have been nice to get a higher place than what we did,” said Hannah. “I guess that just means we will have to try even harder next year!” Good job to everyone who was able to attend the state competition, and congratulations to everyone who placed. Also, good luck to Alyssa Sidwell at the national competition! Kathy Laune, American Legion Auxiliary President, (on left) and Jo Musick, American Legion Auxiliary scholarship committee member, (on right) present the 2019 ALA scholarship award to Lexi Oetterer. By: Grace Allgaier
On Tuesday, April ninth, the New Haven track team went to their first medal meet in Union. The top six of each event medaled at the Union Relays. The top two athletes of each event from New Haven went to the meet. Logan Senecal, a sophomore, participated in discus. When asked if he was ready for the first medal meet, he said, “I would say so-- it was nice seeing the competition there. It was a little intimidating because there were guys there who looked like they could throw farther than I could.” Emma McIntyre, a sophomore, participated in the four by eight hundred and the mile. She was asked the same question and responded with, “No, I was very nervous for it and feel like I could use a little more practice.” Kayla Brummels, a junior, participated in the four by eight hundred and the eight hundred. She was asked about how a medal meet is different from a practice meet. She said, “The practice meets were kind of easy. When we got to the medal meets, there were a lot more experienced runners there.” Alaina Scott, a sophomore, participated in high jump, hurdles, and pole vault. She was asked the same question and responded with, “The medal meets are more challenging because there is a lot more competition since everyone is trying their hardest to medal.” Good luck on the rest of your season, New Haven Track team! |
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