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The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
Posing beside one of his original cheesecake flavors, freshman Jahongir Ergashev takes great pride in his cheesecake company run with his mother. Beginning the Home & Joy cheesecake business two years ago, Ergashev has grown with his company through the help of his family. “My plans are pretty ambitious,” Ergashev said. “I know my mom and my brother believe in me, and they tell me I can implement whatever I plan for Home & Joy no matter what. They let me be ambitious, and so I am not afraid of challenges. I want to open a small bakery next year with the help of my brother who is a realtor at Berkshire Hathaways, and he will find a place for us.”

Baking dreams a reality

Samantha Vojslavek, Feature Story Editor
December 10, 2021
Spending her second block practicing conducting a piece of music for the Philharmonic Orchestra, senior Sophia Ollis has taken on a new role. Ollis was given the opportunity to pick a piece of music for the group to perform during their winter concert. “The biggest challenge that I’ve faced throughout the time I’ve spent working on this piece was figuring out which gestures to use while conducting,” senior Sophia Ollis said. “Since the most important part of conducting is conveying the emotion of that particular piece, I had to consider everything from the movements I make with my hands to the facial expressions I use in order to emote what the piece is supposed to say.”

Saying cello to a new role

Kaden Roth, Catalyst Online Editor-in-Chief
December 9, 2021
Performing “Disneys Descendants: the Musical” junior Sadie Kottich and her fellow cast members gather around the auditorium’s center stage to begin their performance. After spending weeks preparing, they were reading now more than ever for their moment of showtime. “Getting to perform on stage is truly an unforgettable expierence,” Kottich said. After getting past the nerves, I was really just excited for everybody to see what we worked so hard on.”

A thespian like no other

Quinn Burton, Staff Reporter
December 9, 2021
Kelderman has spent his last five years working on grad-school, but he was able to get a Master’s Degree and now his doctorate out of this time and effort. “I have been taking classes to complete my program for two years and then 1 year of completing my dissertation, “Kelderman said. “I am very excited to be done and love the atmosphere and increased freedom that I have teaching at the college level that isn’t always there in the high school. Because of this, I started looking into doctoral programs about 5 years ago” Kelderman put in the effort to finish hoping to learn more about how students work towards what they think is success in his classroom.

Becoming “Dr.” Kelderman

Brooke Sliva, Social Media Manager
December 6, 2021
While training after earning her second-degree black belt, sophomore Olivia O’neill stands in a defensive block position. Training at Omaha Blue Waves since she was five, O’neill is now training to achieve her third-degree belt, or the Sam Dan. “Practices, or classes, throughout the week focus on multiple different things,” O’neill said. “Weekday classes lean more towards traditional martial arts, in other words, everything you will need to advance to the next rank. Saturday classes consist of more extreme martial arts. This is reserved for tumbling classes, classes to make creative forms, and weapons classes.”

A kickstart of confidence

Samantha Vojslavek, Feature Story Editor
November 30, 2021
Veterans Day is a day of remembrance and appreciation for those who have served our country.

Honoring those who served

Reece Straley, Staff Reporter
November 17, 2021
Senior Jonathan Jimenez spends his time interning in the Millard West Information Technology (IT) department. The time Jimenez has put into his internship has not only allowed him to gain employment experience but also develop working relationships with his mentors. “Johnny has many qualities that make him a helpful member of the tech. office team,” technology assistant Linda Deegan said. “He is always pleasant to work with and is also an efficient and hard working intern. He is very responsible and a self-starter.”

The intern behind the screen

Kaden Roth, Online Editor-in-Chief
November 4, 2021
Along with the other members of the drumline, senior Braedon Johnson stands on the sideline to cheer Union Omaha on. Johnson enjoys getting to work with a nonprofit while doing what he loves. “I’m a big soccer fan, so this is right up my alley,” Johnson said. “During the game, we constantly make noise and sing chants while drumming.”

Taking fandom to the next level

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
October 29, 2021
Sophomore Logan Moseley works to create a graphic for the STRIV TV live stream. The graphics are important to the live stream as they provide stats and information about the players.

STRIVing for success

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
October 12, 2021
Photo credits to Heather and Jameson Photography

Sisters steal the spotlight

Sadie Smith, Staff Reporter
October 12, 2021
An assortment of completed Rubiks Cubes. Rubiks Cubes are the main focus of the club, but they are all different sizes, such as the standard 3x3 or the more advanced 7x7.

The kings of Rubik’s Cubes

Jacob Hargens, Staff Reporter
October 7, 2021
Preparing drinks during their morning rush, senior Kendal Lentz spends her mornings before class working at Scooters. Her time at Scooters has come with many memorable moments which she’s able to laugh about with her coworkers. “The most rewarding part is all the friends I got out of working there,” Lentz said. “All of us, especially the high schoolers, are close and we share lots of fun memories and inside jokes together.”

Connecting through coffee

Kaden Roth, Catalyst Online Editor-in-Chief
October 6, 2021
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