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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
On stage, Juliet’s actor Lily Lane and Romeo’s actor Henry Hudson talk and flirt at Juliet’s balcony. At the Aug. 29 performance, the cast and crew had rehearsed this play many times already, with the hopes of portraying a heartfelt story, this was their first time performing for a packed theater. “Stay but a little, I will come again,” Lane (Juliet) said. “Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed.”

Bravo, star-crossed lovers

Luka Pashia
September 16, 2024
Cheering on the football team, senior Frederick Mindrup dresses up with necklaces, bracelets and an American flag cape to help lead chants and show school spirit. He and 15 other crazies pumped up the crowd and made the most of the first football game this season. “During football games, we are responsible for the crowd,” Mindrup said. “This means that we need to keep the energy flowing if it seems too mellow. We help lead chants with the cheerleaders and encourage the crowd to get loud.”

Crowd goes Crazy

Lainey Reynolds, Staff Reporter
September 12, 2024
Escaping the pocket, senior quarterback DJ Schiemann evades a Mustang near the endzone in the final seconds. Schiemann and the Wildcats found their groove within the final quarter, but were unable to complete the comeback, falling just short and the one-yard line. “During that last drive, I was thinking to myself that we had a shot to win this thing,” Schiemann said. “On that last play, I wanted to hit a slant or Breck on his route which would’ve been a touchdown. Unfortunately, the pocket collapsed beside me, making me go up the middle and get just short of the endzone." PHOTO BY: CHLOE VAUGHN

Mustangs gallop past Wildcats

Sam Whittaker, Staff Reporter
September 10, 2024
Sharing a quiet connection, Nova brightens the library with every gentle touch. Her dedicated handler, librarian Mrs. Gehrke guides her through her visits helping students de-stress during the school year. “ I just want to make sure that students feel safe at school and I know that Nova can ensure everyone feels that way,” Gehrke said. “Nova's gentle presence makes the library a sanctuary of peace for everyone who visits.”

Spreading pawsitivity

Natalie Fink, Staff Reporter
August 30, 2024
Running lines for the last time before performing, senior Lily Lane and sophomore Henry Hudson practice the balcony scene. Both actors are working on showing the love their two characters have for each other and paying extra attention to scenes like this.“I love it. It's the first time I've ever auditioned for a play so it was quite a surprise,” senior Lily Lane said. “My favorite part of playing Juliet is all her costumes. It makes me feel so pretty and I love my character voice.”

“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo”

Lexi Vore, Staff Reporter
August 29, 2024
To keep track of what her students are doing, Spanish teacher Joline Tesar uses Securly in the classroom. Without having to close down tabs or block sites Tesar could focus on the positives of Securly. “We didn’t even know we needed it until it came along, I think just the existence of it keeps students on track,” Tesar said. “It gives me peace of mind and it takes a very large amount of stress off teachers' plates; it's game-changing. “

Keeping screens secure

Peyten Pruitt, Staff Reporter
August 29, 2024
Painting a wall of a house, sophomore Jacquelyn Collette is helping her resident redo her house. She and a group of students from other states reconstructed and painted many walls to help her. “My favorite part about mission trips is getting to meet and interact with people that you may not have gotten to know,” Colette said. “I was on a crew with three people from Illinois, one from North Carolina, and one from Canada. It is so cool to see how different you are but you still have so many things in common. I still talk to the people from my trip and think it is amazing how strong of a connection we formed in one week.”

Serving to support

Lainey Reynolds, Staff Reporter
August 29, 2024
Handing the ball off to his teammate, senior quarterback David James Schiemann practices in preparation for week one. This year will be Schiemann’s first at the helm of a new Millard West offense after sitting behind former starter Brody Peterson. “Stepping into the starting role has been on my mind since last season ended,” Schiemann said. “Being behind a quarterback like Brody for a long time with his leadership and ability to tell me things to prepare has helped me to be the guy to lead this new offense this year. While this summer has been going alright, I know the coaches are always helping me in every way to help not just myself but the others around me, too.”

Ready to pounce

Sam Whittaker, Staff Reporter
August 28, 2024
The effects of a natural disaster can take away a home where memories were made. Artwork by Carley Bailey

History repeats itself

Sophia Eljamal, Staff Reporter
May 20, 2024
Coming in for relief against Elkhorn South, senior pitcher Ben Sterbens looks to close the game out and earn a save. Sterbens has been put in this situation before and would not back down no matter the circumstance. ‘’Getting outs is my number one priority once I step on the mound,’’ Sterbens said. ‘’I trust my defense behind me so I do my best to make it easy on them whether that's a pop-up or a routine ground ball.’’

Wildcats dodge the Storm

Brady Mar, Staff Reporter
May 17, 2024
Pitching against Elkhorn South, senior pitcher Ben Sterbens looks to get an important out. As one of the many closers on this team, Sterbens job is to get the final outs and limit any damage done by the pitcher before him if need be. “My main focus when coming into a hard situation is to keep a low pitch count and to create outs any way I can,” Sterbens said. “As long as we can get the outs we need, we should be good.”

Batting through the seeds

May 9, 2024
Pointing up to a sign, senior Hudson Addams shows how high in elevation he is. Addams and a few family members traveled to Asia for two weeks to climb to Mount Everest's first base camp. "The best part was being able to look back and see how far we came," Addams said. "Making the climb was honestly the best two weeks of my life and I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Summit seeker

Delaney Lueck, Features Editor
May 2, 2024
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