The School Year in Review
Story by: Bobcat Beat Staff
On Friday, Madison High School put on an assembly titled “A Year in Reflection.” While we enjoy boys’ sports and all that they highlighted as much as the next person, our writing staff felt that the assembly was lacking a few key memories of the school year. So here’s what our staff decided was the real recap of this year.
The Bobcat Beat
Madison’s new online newspaper, the Bobcat Beat, was launched this year in an effort to resurrect the journalism program. It was established during the second trimester of school, and after years of not having a newspaper at Madison, the Bobcat Beat was finally up and running. Mrs. Stanford, the newspaper advisor, wanted to give students an opportunity to learn a different style of writing and develop the wide range of skills that are required for journalistic work. The newspaper’s main purposes are to report school news, and build school spirit.
The Fight
If you were anywhere in school this year, then you would have definitely heard about the fight between Madison and Highland. The fight was instigated by the Highland Ram mascot shoving our very own Tavin Marlor; an action that made our student section very mad. Both student sections got involved, but the fight was quickly broken up by police and school personnel.
The fight erupted on social media, and after receiving a lot of hate, Senior Alex Christensen sent out the following tweet:
“Just want you guys to know that you mess with any of my Madison family, I’ll always back them up. Always,” Christensen said.
No one was charged or faced discipline, but security was definitely tighter in future games.
The Kiss
The infamous kiss between Andrew Nelson and Remi McWhorter was all over social media in a matter of minutes after it happened. In between classes, Nelson went up and kissed his dream girl, Remi McWhorter, in the hallway. Around 10 or so students caught the kiss on video, and were quick to post it on Twitter, where it spread like wildfire. School Administration called Nelson down to the office, and he was given three days of In School Suspension. A group of students were outraged at the punishment Nelson received, and started a movement involving a petition, posting the hashtag FreeAndrew2k16 on social media, and even designing 100 t-shirts showing support for the cause. Local newspapers contacted the students who started the protest, and soon the story was the talk of the town. But what was supposed to be an innocent kiss, turned into a controversial topic for debate. This was undoubtedly one of the most memorable moments of the year at Madison High.
Football and Basketball
Madison Athletics has always taken pride in being one of the best sports schools in the state. This year, the program definitely lived up to this title. In the fall, the football team was amazing, going 11-1 and reaching the state semifinals where they would fall to Mountain View by two points. Despite the early exit, the year was a great success for football. They also took pride in their suffocating defense and one of the best offenses in the state.
The basketball team was led by one of the most talented lineups in Madison history. It was a successful season for them as they won big games against all the Utah teams, and won their first game at Skyline in five years. The team was supported by the best student section in Idaho: The Madison Maniacs. The team took their talent all the way to the State Championship Game against Highland, where they lost in heartbreaking fashion. Despite the disappointing end, this year in basketball has been an unforgettable one.
Sports Signings
Here at MHS, we have had many students sign for sports. They are all taking their amazing talents to the next level. This has been a great experience for our Madison Bobcats. They have been practicing and looking forward to this moment for years.
Sidney Burrell signed for soccer at Sheridan, Wyoming
Remi Mcwhorter signed for track at USU
Josh Crane signed for football ISU.
Zach Anderson signed for football also at ISU.
The Duttons
The Duttons put on an exciting, high-energy show in Madison’s Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Mar. 23. They are an international touring and recording family band, and they play everything from classical to bluegrass. Music students of Madison High School had the opportunity to work with them, learn about their legacy, and perform with them in the show.
Senior Rachel Felt, a member of Madison’s Symphony Orchestra, was very inspired by The Duttons.
“They are amazing performers, and they’ve practiced a lot. I think that it something I can learn better, is practicing a lot more, and getting comfortable on the stage in front of people and just having a good time,” said Felt.
Some of the music students had very large parts in Tuesday night’s show. Junior Zachary Winn sang a solo of “You Raise Me Up” with violinist Amy Dutton.
“It was pretty crazy to sing with Amy Dutton. She’s a great violinist, and I was really honored to sing with her,” said Winn.
The Duttons have passed on their legacy not only to their children, but to our students and our community.
Mr. Madison/Distinguished Young Women
Everyone knows about Mr Madison. It’s a chance for senior boys to become friends and make people laugh. It’s enjoyable to watch, we all know that. Though, what about Madison’s Distinguished Young Women? The program which Mr Madison is a parody of? These girls work hard and months of preparation goes into this program. They compete for legitimate scholarships and the winner has an opportunity to represent Madison at state the upcoming fall. Mr. Madison’s contestants were recognized at two assemblies this year. The girls who competed in DYW were not even recognized at one. We feel as if they did not receive the recognition that they deserved.
TSA
Madison’s TSA (Technology Student Association) team went to State on March 10-12. They competed in many different events, and placed in VEX Robotics, Debating Technological Issues, and Tech Bowl.
The robotics team consisted of four members: Junior Dallan Miskin is the team leader, Junior Ben Black and Senior Daniel Rowley are both programmers and Senior John Franson is the engineer/driver. The debate team team consisted of Miskin and Black. The tech bowl team included Black, Dallan, and James Call.
The competition was held on the CSI campus in Twin Falls, but was interrupted by the city’s water main breaking. The competition participants were evacuated from the campus and went back to their hotels until further notice. The competition was resumed at a nearby school where the building was not affected.
Cheer State
Madison High Cheerleaders had a great year. After winning several competitions, the team headed off to state with two routines. Coaches Christina White and Jordan Hawkinson led their team to a second place win in their show routine, and first place in stunt group. “Even with all of the injuries and stress, I think we really pulled it together during districts and state. It was a really fun year,” Sophomore Lucy Hacking said. The coaches are looking forward to a new year and hope to win a state title.
BPA Nationals
BPA went to state in Boise at Boise State University. Junior Caleb Barzee and,Senior Mac Wasden both placed placed 3rd in their own events, Junior Blake Rawlings placed 4th in his own and Kaden Cook placed 5th in both of his events. While they were there, in their free time, they held a dance for all of the BPA members. They also had some motivational speakers that would talk to the contestants. For BPA nationals, the team went to Boston to compete. They had an opening ceremony where they handed out gavels to all of the people who attended and they broke the world record for the most gavels. While they were there, they did some tourist activities, like going on a duck ride, visiting Harvard and Fenway stadium. At the stadium they had a private X Ambassadors concert where they broke yet another world record for the most tie dye shirts in one area. They set the record at 1,500 tie dye shirts. Sadly, no one placed in the competition and the only people to compete from Madison was Wasden and Barzee, but it was a good experience for all who went.
End of Year Assembly
The end of the year assembly was awesome. The FCCLA held a mock accident and then showed a video to the student body talking about texting and driving and how dangerous it can be. This is a big problem among high school students, and they need to be aware of the danger that it poses to not only them, but everyone on the road around them. The Sports Marketing class did an phenomenal job on the sports’ video. Overall, the school year of 2015-16 has been one to remember.
*If you feel like we’ve missed something, comment below and we will get it fixed!
