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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
Annabelle Harshbarger

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor

Annabelle is a senior and is returning for her third year on the CATalyst staff. She enjoys writing opinion and news stories as well as filming and editing broadcasts. This year Annabelle is looking forward to finding new stories to share with Millard West students. Outside of journalism she enjoys reading, hanging out with her friends and anything outside.

All content by Annabelle Harshbarger
Senior Peyton Overman stands at attention during the military fitness training. He has spent the past year preparing for enlistment both physically and mentally. “I’ve been working at General Store Company to help with my supplement knowledge and sales experience,” Overman said. “Hearing that Marine Corps boot camp is the hardest has really motivated me to go to the gym and make healthier lifestyle choices. I have been studying Marine Corps history and basic knowledge to help me at boot camp.”

Future serviceman

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
May 24, 2022

Donating for a cause

Annabelle Harshbarger and Samantha Vojslavek
May 11, 2022

One last performance

Brenna Batchelder and Annabelle Harshbarger
May 5, 2022

New year, new schedule

Brenna Batchelder and Annabelle Harshbarger
April 28, 2022

Meet the 2022 Prom candidates

Annabelle Harshbarger and Kaden Roth
April 20, 2022

Cruising into retirement

Annabelle Harshbarger and Kaden Roth
March 31, 2022
Showtimes’ series “YellowJackets” premiered Nov 14, 2021, and after a 10 episode season has been renewed for a second season.

What really happened out there

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
March 17, 2022

A Thank You to our teachers

Brenna Batchelder and Annabelle Harshbarger
March 17, 2022
Senior Camile O’Neill sits in her honors pre-calculus class, where due to her visual impairment she uses eSight glasses that help her to see the board, teacher and her notes. O’Neil uses tech in all of her classes that help her in a variety of ways. “With my eSight glasses, I am able to take pictures of the board so I can study them later,” O’Neil said. “My laptop helps me get my work completed in an efficient way. Most of my teachers send me digital copies of all of my assignments, so they are all accessible to me.”

Learning through a different lens

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
March 16, 2022
The fashion industry has many negative effects on the environment. Shopping sustainably, donating unwanted clothes and shopping second hand are great ways to avoid contributing to the negative effects of the fashion industry.

Microtrends are a massive issue

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
March 11, 2022

Bringing Hammered to the stage

Annabelle Harshbarger and Kaden Roth
March 3, 2022

Women in leadership

Annabelle Harshbarger and Kaden Roth
February 9, 2022

Sub shortage

Annabelle Harshbarger and Morgan Weir
February 4, 2022
Senior Adam Mar works hard in his advanced pottery class to create a bowl on the wheel. Throughout the semester Mar has become more confident in his abilities as he learns new techniques and gains a new skill set. “I’ve seen Adam progress just in the way that he opens up more to the material that we work with,” advanced pottery teacher John Kirke said. “Now that he seems more relaxed and invested in it, Ive seen him laugh and smile this semester more than I have the entire four years.”

Sculpting a new standard

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
January 20, 2022

New Year’s Resoltions

Annabelle Harshbarger and Kaden Roth
January 15, 2022

Sculpting his talents

Annabelle Harshbarger and Camille O
December 21, 2021

Passion for plants

Brenna Batchelder and Annabelle Harshbarger
December 9, 2021

Empowering through music

Kaden Roth and Annabelle Harshbarger
December 2, 2021
Missing from the media

Missing from the media

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
November 19, 2021

Fairytale theatrics

Kaden Roth and Annabelle Harshbarger
November 11, 2021

Lack of Laborers

Genevieve Carter and Annabelle Harshbarger
November 4, 2021

Raising the bar

Brenna Batchelder and Annabelle Harshbarger
October 28, 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
The Oktoberfest display in the hallway set up by German club members shows off a unique holiday celebrated in Germany. The display not only gave a visual representation of the holiday but also stated facts to give more information. “We want to spark interest in our German programs and expand students’ knowledge of the world outside our country,” German teacher Andrea Turner said. “And we want to share some fun and create community with the rest of the school. Many students at West have family connections to Germany.”

A week in Germany

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
October 12, 2021
Homecoming spirit week 2021

Homecoming spirit week 2021

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
October 1, 2021

The new Millard mural

Brenna Batchelder and Annabelle Harshbarger
September 30, 2021

Meet the 2021-22 HOCO Candidates

Kaden Roth and Annabelle Harshbarger
September 21, 2021
As STEM Academy students start off the year junior Grace Tsogbevi works to learn the basics of design. The academy utilizes many different software programs to give students a hands-on experience. “We have been working with the Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software to start to learn the basics of design,” Tsogbevi said. “I am most excited to learn more about the program and be able to shape things and work off the program a little bit.”

New opportunities in STEM

Annabelle Harshbarger, Online Editor
September 10, 2021

New year, new staff

Kaden Roth, Annabelle Harshbarger, Sadie Smith, Brielle Wilson, and Avery Looney
August 25, 2021

sNEAKY sNAKE

Annabelle Harshbarger and Brooke Sliva
May 19, 2021
Millard West alumni Joseph Drwal and Sophie Hill prepare to film Unified Talks, a collaboration between Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools and Nickelodeon. The video will be used in Unified Classroom to teach grades K-12 about how to be an inclusive leader. “I hope that the youth who see this recognize that they have the power to spark change and lead within their school or community,” Hill said. “Everyone brings different skills to the table and has the potential to be a great leader. Its their job to step up and advocate for what they believe in.”

Unity, inclusion and “SpongeBob”

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
May 7, 2021
Junior Michael Boehm tosses his trash bag into the dumpsters after spending time cleaning up the campus. “I think it is immensely important to celebrate Earth month at West because it gives us time to focus on the planet for at least a month out of the year,” Boehm said. “If we are able to keep the momentum from Earth Month going forward, it can launch into a whole year of celebrating our planet by keeping it clean and habitable. It becomes a domino effect of one upstanding student inspiring another student to save our planet.”

One piece at a time

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
May 5, 2021

The future of education

Annabelle Harshbarger and Brooke Sliva
April 28, 2021

Meet the 2021 Prom Candidates

Kaden Roth and Annabelle Harshbarger
April 15, 2021
The COVID-19 vaccine is a crucial component as the nation works toward normalcy. As Nebraska goes into phase two of the vaccination protocol some Millard West students are eligible to receive the vaccine. And as pharmaceutical companies continue clinical trials the vaccine will hopefully be available to all students.

The beginning of the end

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
April 2, 2021
Raising the bar

Raising the bar

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
March 29, 2021

West celebrates Women’s History Month

Kaden Roth, Annabelle Harshbarger, and Brooke Sliva
March 18, 2021
The fight for 15

The fight for 15

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
March 10, 2021

Clowning around

Madelyn Christiansen and Annabelle Harshbarger
March 4, 2021

Black History month celebrated at West

Kaden Roth and Annabelle Harshbarger
February 25, 2021

Calc 3 students learn through innovative software

Kaden Roth and Annabelle Harshbarger
January 29, 2021
The Prom shows a high school student as she navigates being lesbian in a conservative town. **/5

The girls, the gays and “The Prom”

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
January 19, 2021
Senior Luke Skrabal filmed his video for All-State, with the changes this year, he had no do-overs.

All state all star

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
January 6, 2021
As we enter the holiday season it is important to learn about and include all holiday celebrations.

Diversity during the holidays

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
December 10, 2020

Building a foundation

Annabelle Harshbarger and Kaden Roth
December 9, 2020

3Cs PSA

Kaden Roth, Brenna Batchelder, and Annabelle Harshbarger
November 19, 2020
The Millard West Forensics team gets hyped up for their first meet of the 2020-21 competition season. Although the team did not get to attend the meets in person they still worked hard to prepare for their first virtual meet. “Preparing for the first competition of the season was definitely different than any other year,” Cavalier said. “Instead of practicing looking at an audience I had to get used to looking at one focal point.”

Competing in a pandemic

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
November 12, 2020

Among Us takes over

Madelyn Christiansen and Annabelle Harshbarger
November 5, 2020

Meet the 2020-21 HOCO Candidates

Annabelle Harshbarger, Kaden Roth, Brenna Batchelder, Madelyn Christiansen, and Bailey Vincent
October 28, 2020
8 Passengers is a popular YouTube family. The Frankes post videos centered around their 6 children and have gained almost 2.5 million subscribers. The family has been called out by multiple Youtube and TikTok creators for using their children for clickbait and showing neglect in their videos.

A new age of child stars

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
October 13, 2020

Sanitary solutions

Emma Baker, Jonathan Willis, Annabelle Harshbarger, Miguel Paredes Reyes, and Carson Fox
October 9, 2020
Junior Zachary Neesen and volunteers work to paint the room numbers used during fire drills on the sidewalks outside of Millard West high school. “On the day of the project, I assigned areas for the volunteers and gave them the needed supplies,” Neesen said. “Then during the project, I checked in with my volunteers repeatedly and offered any help I could.”

Painting the path

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
October 7, 2020
This infographic talks about ways to safely throw a party during a pandemic.

Pandemic Parties

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
October 5, 2020
Cars lined up and distanced from each other at the new outdoor venue in Denmark show another way people can safely enjoy live music. People at the concert are able to connect to a private FM radio station so that they can hear the performer in their car.

The future of live music

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
September 14, 2020

Students learning remotely

Kaden Roth and Annabelle Harshbarger
September 10, 2020
Three easy ways to keep yourself and the community healthy and help to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Wearing a mask, not a difficult task

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
September 2, 2020
Sophomore Emmi Gilbert works to repair her gravel bike. She has been working towards becoming a bike mechanic and has been learning to repair while in quarantine. Gilbert hopes to soon turn her passion for cycling into business repairing bikes for people in Omaha.

At home hobbies

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
April 17, 2020
With remote learning in full swing, sophomore Ava Fisher is able to continue her learning from home. “Remote learning has overall made me a more organized and responsible student,” Fisher said. “Although it is hard to stay motivated when not in a traditional classroom setting.” Students are working hard to have a successful school day from the comfort of their homes.

A new way of learning

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
April 10, 2020
Junior Jasmine Hermosillo-Padilla poses in front of a background at the Arnold Clark studio. Hermosillo-Padilla has been modeling for Arnold Clark since she was little and hopes to continue her career with them. “I have taken pictures with them since I was little for cheer,” Hermosillo-Padilla said. “I plan on doing more modeling with them in the future.

Strike a pose

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
March 9, 2020
This graphic shows the countries with an abundant amount of reported cases of the virus.

COVID-19 in Omaha

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
March 6, 2020

H+ performance

Natalie Eljamal and Annabelle Harshbarger
February 27, 2020

Giving back to save a life

Peyton Busteed and Annabelle Harshbarger
February 20, 2020
Spanish teacher and soccer coach, Juan Agurrie poses in an indoor soccer complex for his club team in the United States. He played indoor professional soccer for the Witchita Wings, in Witchita Kansas. “When I first moved to the United States in 1991 the soccer league was much less developed than it is now,” Aguirre said. “Back then soccer was just starting the develop”

From field to classroom

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
February 12, 2020
Sophomore Eva Gould performs their exhibition show. Uptowns theme of this years show is the goddess of vegetation and the wild. “My favorite part of the day was our exhibition performance,” Gould said. “ It can be stressful performing in front of so many people but is still enjoy it.”

Show choir showdown

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
January 31, 2020

PSA Hallway Etiquette

Peyton Busteed, Annabelle Harshbarger, and Staff Reporter
January 24, 2020
This infographic talks about the measures taken to ensure vaccine safety. Before vaccines can be released to the public extensive clinical trials take place. All vaccinations are tested and approved by the FDA and vaccine manufacturers.

Truth about vaccines

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
January 16, 2020
This info-graphic shows three popular forms of renewable energy and how they are harnessed.

Energy of the future

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
December 20, 2019
Freshman Ellie Gorman rehearses with American Midwest Ballet for their production of The Nutcracker. Gorman has been dancing for a majority of her life but began dancing with AMB one year ago. Throughout that year she has improved greatly and learned new skills. “Dancing with AMB has taught me so much,” Gorman said. “The most important thing is patience. AMB helped me understand that I am not the only one performing so I have to wait patiently”

Nuts about ballet

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
December 13, 2019
During the Kindness Retreat, Reagan Elementary fourth graders learned about the importance of kindness through a day of singing, dancing and fun. “The fourth graders are able to easily learn about such an important topic through activities, games, and group discussions,” Vontz said. At the end of the day I am positive each fourth graders left with more kindness in there heart and eager to help others.”

Teaching kindness

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
December 10, 2019
Adults and children alike volunteer their time at the Open Door Mission to help prepare and serve food. The Mission serves over 3,500 meals daily, and this would not be possible without the generous volunteers.

The importance of volunteering

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
November 26, 2019

Unified in Speech

Annabelle Harshbarger and Kaden Roth
November 14, 2019
When scrolling through Brandy Melvilles website the thing that stands out most is that lack of diversity. All the models look the same, they range from a 22’ to 24’ waist and 5’7- 5’9.

One Size Fits Small

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
November 8, 2019

German Exchange program returns for a second year

Annabelle Harshbarger and Kaden Roth
November 1, 2019
Junior Trey Frazier donated blood on Friday. This is Frazier’s third time donating for the HOSA blood drive. “I donate blood because I want to help people who need it,” Frazire said. “I also really enjoy it.”

The Gift of Life

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
October 11, 2019

WIG performs on the field

Bailey Christensen and Annabelle Harshbarger
October 2, 2019

Getting the job done

Annabelle Harshbarger and Kaden Roth
September 26, 2019

2019-2020 Homecoming Royalty

Emma Baker, Chloe Parker, Annabelle Harshbarger, Kaden Roth, Jenna Reynolds, and Annalise Smalley
September 18, 2019

Fall pep rally (August 30, 2019)

Edison Geiler, Annabelle Harshbarger, and Carson Fox
September 5, 2019
At her second meet of the season Sophomore Peyton Busteed benches 110 pounds. At the Central High School meet she placed fifth and lifted a total of 568 pounds. “Bench press is the lift I need to improve on the most,” Busteed said. “I have been working really hard and I am starting to improve more and more each week”

Heavy Lifting

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
September 5, 2019
Sophomore Addison Smith, her younger sister and Cassy Milward pose in front of the Arc de Triomphe, on of the most famous monuments in Paris.

A Trip to Remember

Annabelle Harshbarger, Staff Reporter
August 27, 2019
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