The February Student of the Month is Senior Kayla Watson.  Kayla is the daughter of Stacey and Jeremy Watson.  She is active in FBLA.

Mrs. Borcherding said, “Kayla has put in a huge amount of time creating the school website and I think that the final product is really nicely done.  It's clean, contemporary, well organized, and displays the best things happening at New Haven High School.  Kayla graciously revised the site numerous times until she achieved exactly what we were looking for.  I cannot express enough how many revisions she did without any complaint.  Also, Kayla qualified 

Watch the video here.

Dominick Pataky, district champion in 2014, and with 4 state medals for his career, is a cross country runner for New Haven High School. Dominick came to New Haven in the 5th grade, always having an interest in running. Dominick began running in 7th grade, starting with track. “I first started running because Mr. Hagedorn told me that he thought that I could be great,” stated Dominick. Freshman year was the most memorable for Dominick. “It was like stepping into a whole new world of running.”

Anna Miller, a sophomore at New Haven High, is attending district choir for the second year in a row! Last year, as a freshman, Anna went to districts, and it is rare for a young singer to achieve such a goal. When talking about her previous experience, she said, “Last year at districts was amazing. The director was phenomenal, and it was an awesome feeling to know I was surrounded by people who loved to sing as much as I did. I also was glad I got to experience district choir with Maddie because she is such a big inspiration to me.”  Mrs. Taylor also commented about the director, “The clinician is an awesome director and is usually very educational and entertaining.” When questioned about what she hopes to get out of this experience, Anna said, “I hope to be able to meet new people and have fun as well as learn new techniques and warm ups.”

Luckily for Anna, she and Mrs. Taylor will be meeting each week until mid-November to work on Anna’s music. Mrs. Taylor has been teaching Anna since she was in her younger elementary years. Mrs. Taylor said, “I noticed Anna's musical ability at age 9.” Anna’s mom,Mrs. Miller, also says she noticed Anna’s talent around the same age, during a school concert. Now, on Anna’s 15th birthday, she received the news that she’ll be attending districts. During the morning announcements, Anna was in gym class, and when she heard her name  announced, she jumped with glee! When explaining this, Anna giggled, “What a great birthday present!”

For Anna to achieve such goal, she had to go through auditions, which included sight singing. Sight singing is when a singer is given a piece of music and is expected to sing it without preparation. The performer does this in front of a handful of judges who are facing in the other direction.  When discussing the topic of districts, Anna was asked if she was nervous, and she laughed and said, “Nervous is an understatement. Auditions were all I could think about for the longest time.” Once Anna arrives at districts, she’ll be taking part in a large, select choir from high schools in the area.

After the nerve-wracking auditions and weekly practices, in November Anna Miller will be at districts performing with students from several surrounding schools.

-by Paige Adams

   Even 4,977 miles away from New Haven, Clare Roth is showing the Shamrock tradition of excellence. Clare is spending a year in Vienna, Austria, embarking on many adventures in the foreign nation. She stepped out of her own comfort zone to see what the world outside of this small town has to offer.
   Just imagine taking ina new culture in a completely different country with only a basic knowledge of the language. Luckily for Clare, she spent two weeks attending language camp to help her grasp German. Although German is difficult to master, she is improving every day. Her host family and classmates speak a mixture of German and English to help her with conversational skills. Clare’s host grandmother even comes over every Sunday to help her learn the rules of the language. Clare states in her blog that when she ventures out into the city and tries to speak German, she has some trouble, so the natives will automatically speak English with her.
   School is a whole new adventure in itself! Clare explains in her blog that her first week of school wasn’t as bad as she had pictured it to be. She is attending a small Catholic school named Friegasse. The class sizes are similar to those at New Haven High. While New Haven started school on August 18th, Clare started on September 1st. She plans to play volleyball, take a dance class, and join a running team. Clare said that she is going to miss basketball games, cross country, her friends, family, and even teachers!
   Lucy and Mrs. Roth were asked what they miss the most about their sister and daughter. Lucy and Mrs. Roth both say they miss Clare’s voice; the house is much quieter without her presence. On the other hand, Mrs. Roth doesn’t miss dirty towels on Clare’s bedroom floor. Lucy also says she misses eating broccoli with candles lit and doing homework with her sister. Clare shared the ways of communication to home, “I talk to my family sporadically throughout the week via text, email, and Facebook chat, and I Skype or FaceTime them once a week, usually on Sunday night.” Thankfully, technology has made the distance more bearable.
   Clare stated, “I love how I can go from the truly stunning, bustling cities of Vienna to the equally stunning, quiet villages in the mountains.” She has gone from a town with a population of 2,089 people to a city with a population of 1.731 million! Clare commented on this, “There are so many people with different ethnicities all over the city. This means I have an enormous array of food from all over the world at my fingertips.”
   Without Clare’s knowledge, a few of her friends were asked to send a message to their international friend. Clare also had a brief message to her friends at home, “I miss you all at school and hope things are going well for you!” In conclusion, Clare is enjoying her time 4,977 miles from home, but New Haven misses her smile in the halls and community. From what Clare describes, she is continuing to grow and learn more in Vienna. What a lucky city to be hosting New Haven’s very own Shamrock! To find out more about Clare’s marvelous adventures, click below read it from her point of view: https://clarerye6060.wordpress.com/ -by Paige Adams

   New Haven High School has added three foreign exchange students to the school roster for the year. To welcome them to school, let’s meet the three new students..
   Kashaf Iqbal is from Sialkot, Pakistan, and providence Punjab. Kashaf will be staying with the Adams family and coming to school with Paige Adams. When asked about New Haven High School, she said it is very different than her school in Pakistan, but she likes it so far. She says the hardest thing is the homework assignments. Kashaf also misses her friends and teachers at her old school, though she has particularly liked Mrs.Hausmann’s classes. When talking about tests like the ACT, she stated that they have something in tenth grade that if one scores well, he/she may be able to get a scholarship or even half off all college fees. When talking about student life in New Haven, Kashaf has noticed the unique athletic style and says she doesn't think of it as weird, just different. Thanks to the Adams family, she has also been able to find a new favorite food: lasagna with zucchini. And lastly, when Kashef was asked why she chose to come to America as a foreign exchange student, she said she wanted to share her culture and to learn more about America.
   Luna Tomasi is from Trento, Italy. Luna will be staying all school year with the Patakys and coming to school with Dominick Pataky. When Luna was asked about how she likes New Haven High School, she said that she has really enjoyed the block-schedule with four classes a day. Something very similar to the ACT is in her school and is provided at the end of 5 years in high school for her state. She says that understanding the language can be really difficult at times. What she misses the most is her friends back home and having her phone by her. The Subway in town may make it easier, though. Luna loves Subway food and may consider it her favorite. Her favorite teacher is Mr. Tucker because she thinks he is funny and she understands the rules of his classroom. Something else she finds funny is the style of New Havens students. When asked about if it was weird, all she had to say was: “YES!” Lastly, for Luna, her decision to come to America as a foreign exchange student was mostly based on the fact that everyone in Italy loves America and also she was ready for the experience.
   Nele Granse is from Hamburg, Germany. Nele will be staying the school year with the Nixon family and attending school with Lindsay Nixon. When asked about school in New Haven, Nele said it is a very nice school with friendly people, though the rules are strict. The ACT, she thinks, sounds very similar to exams at the end of the year but not close to anything else. Another thing that is different is the clothes she says we wear. “We don't wear sport clothes in school,” says Nele. Speaking of Nele’s school in Germany, she says the hardest thing is not having her phone in school, as well as no breaks! Things that make life easier for her here would be frozen custard and Mrs.Hausmann’s nice smile, though English class is difficult. And finally, Nele’s reason for coming to America is because she wanted to experience our school spirit and togetherness as a school since it isn’t quite like that at her school. She loves the supportive teams and our culture. These are the new students of New Haven High from countries around the world. They are here in the area and are getting uses to their surroundings. Lets make sure they get a warm welcome from the people of New Haven. -by Tenille Duessler

   Each year there is a new freshman class at New Haven High School. It is a big transition from junior high to high school--from having your planner signed to keeping track of a block schedule. From waiting in line to enter a classroom to the “traffic jams” that are hallways during the time between classes. Although New Haven High School and Middle School are in the same building, there are quite a few differences between the two. So, a few of the students in the class of 2018 were asked about their experiences in high school so far.
   A couple of ninth graders were questioned about what their favorite and least favorite parts of high school were so far. Hannah White said she wasn’t a fan of her class having lockers at the end of the hallway. Luckily for Hannah, her locker position will change throughout the next four years. John Fleer and Hannah both agree that high school has given them the chance to meet new people and make more friends.
   Senior year and freshman year are only four years apart, which may seem like a long time for some; while for others, it may not seem long enough. With only week of the school year down, a sample of the class was asked what would they say to their senior-self, if given the chance. John Fleer said to enjoy it while you can. Owen Bucheit says not to get in trouble, so one can go on senior trip.
   This year, the class is going to survive the transition from junior high. They soon will blend into the life of a high schooler. A few more of the students will be interviewed later on in the year, to keep track of their experiences so far. --by Paige Adams