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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
Camille O'Neill

Camille O’Neill, Sports Director

Camille is a senior at Millard West, and this is her second year on the Catalyst staff. This year, she looks forward to covering all of the sports Millard West has to offer. In her free time, she enjoys baking, horseback riding, playing goalball, singing, hanging out with friends and playing any sort of board game or card game.

All content by Camille O'Neill
Junior Dinesh Gullapali races in a NICA race this past season. He thought that diversity in cycling was important for a variety of reasons. “It is important to promote diversity in cycling because it is a fun sport and also it brings people together,” Gullapaili said. “It helps to make the bicycling sport more aware and fun to the people in the school.”

Diversifying riding

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
May 17, 2022
senior Drake Pietryga gets ready to set up his gun at the state meet. The team finished first place in the High Overall category. "I was really happy with my performance on the first day," Pietryga said. "I shot a 47 out of 75 on the second day because of the wind, so that was a little rough."

Shooting to success

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
May 12, 2022
Senior Sam Rieke works on her AP German final project, which involves narrating a short film of their choice. AP German has prepared her for her experience in Germany. "I think AP German has been applicable in terms of communication and speaking," Rieke said. "The other German classes I've taken have focused more on writing and vocabulary, but AP has really helped me apply it."

Immersed in culture

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
May 6, 2022
Sophomore Reaghan Pratt constructs a ring. In addition to making bracelets, she also makes rings if customers ask for them. "I started my bracelet business because I was bored one day stuck at home during quarantine," Pratt said. "Then it wasn't a business it was just a hobby but the beginning of term 3 it became a business."

Fun in beading

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
April 29, 2022
Senior Sadie Millard makes her first stride after starting a race at the state track meet last year. Millard continues to shine in this event, bringing up the rear for the Wildcats. “In order to become a student-athlete at the next level, I’ve really focused on mental and physical preparation,” Millard said. “It’s important to work with coaches and trainers in order to condition your body to get what you want it to do.”

Running to success

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
April 28, 2022
This is an infographic I made with facts and pictures pertaining to the ADA. The ADA is in its 32nd year as a law.

Accessibility for all

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
April 14, 2022
Senior Raimee Seal performs her Informative speech at the showcase. She was thrilled about how successful the showcase turned out to be. “I felt very proud of my peers and I was happy to have had a successful season,” Seal said. “We accomplished a lot this year, especially coming off of a COVID season last year, so it was truly amazing to see what everyone had achieved.”

Showcasing their talents

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
March 31, 2022
The DECA team poses for a photo before the competition begins on March 17. 12 students will be representing Millard West at the national competition in Atlanta. “The team has been preparing for the State competition leading back all the way to the beginning of the year,” DECA president senior Natanael Ray said. “ Through events like the First-Timers Competition and our own internal practice competition, members have been getting used to the structure of what a competitive DECA event looks like.”

Leading the competition

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
March 25, 2022
Kids climb on an attraction at Urban Air as workers supervise them. One of Buesing’s main jobs is to supervise people and make sure they aren’t misbehaving. ‘I basically ensure that the kids stay safe in the park and follow the rules,” Buesing said. “If a kid is not following the rules, they get one warning and if it continues, they get kicked out of the park."

Jumping around

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
March 17, 2022
The Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate their WCC conference title after defeating St. Mary’s 82-69. in the title game. They will face 16 seed Georgia State in the first round on Thursday.

Madness in March

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
March 16, 2022
Senior Christina Van Haren gets ready to record her video about water conservation she created to apply for the Changemaker Scholarship. Overall, the scholarship process took was a time commitment as there were a lot of steps. “Creating the video took five main steps, including research, making a script that would fit the information, recording the audio, recording the media/video, and animating on top of my video,” Van Haren said. “Overall, this process took around 18 hours.”

Calling for change in the environment

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
March 10, 2022
Senior Gwyneth Stocker attempts a layup during her senior night game against Millard North. The Wildcats would end up pulling off the upset against the Mustangs, sending Stocker out with a victory. “My favorite memory from this year in terms of basketball so far was beating Millard North at home on senior night,” Stocker said. “Not only did we beat the number 5 team in the state, but we won on what could have been my last home game ever.”

Setting up the team for success

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
March 2, 2022
Freshman Landen Swift crouches down in his stance during the District game he umpired that was between Omaha Northwest and Omaha Benson. This experience was a worthwhile one for Swift, as he go a chance to umpire a big event. “My feelings before a big event is to just go out and call the game like any other game,” Swift said. “I do get a little nervous sometimes during the game when a coach questions my call but never doubt myself because they question it.”

Paving the way for youth officials

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
February 24, 2022
During the third quarter, senior Trace Thaden attempts a layup to try to get the Wildcats back in the game. Although they made a run in the 2nd half, the Wildcats' comeback ultimately fell short. "I thought we fought a hard game, it was tough because shots weren’t falling for us most of the game," Thaden said. "We need to move the ball better and cut harder to find the open guy."

Wildcats fall in Battle of Q Street

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
February 9, 2022
Standardized test scores should not be required for admission because they don’t showcase skills needed for college.

Test optional for good

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
February 1, 2022
Senior Lizzie Ward maneuvers through cones during a western horsemanship competition. She has been competing in equestrian since the age of 6 and has won six ribbons. “I have always had a love for horses, so when I turned 6 my grandma had started me in riding lessons,” Ward said. “That is how my interest in riding really started.”

Riding to victory

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
January 21, 2022
Junior Jillian Weland follows through after releasing the ball during the duel vs. Papillon-La Vista South. The varsity girls competed hard against a strong Titan team, falling 13-8. “I struggled with the oil on the lanes,” Weland said. “I think it could help our team by practicing on different styles of lanes so we would be exposed to different oil patterns.”

Keep on rolling

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
January 12, 2022
Seniors Carly Finch, Charlotte Kittle, Bella Delgadillo and Brenna Matthews package food for the Backpack Program. Eight hundred fifty kids were able to have food over the weekend, thanks to the students’ generosity. “I learned how to be fast and efficient and make the best of the time we had there,” Delgadillo said. “I felt good we made over 800 packages of food, so it was good to know we could give so many people food and help them.”

Fighting hunger

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
December 20, 2021
Junior Makenna Scholting attempts to contest a shot by North Platte. Millard West came back from a seven point deficit at halftime, but couldn’t pull out the win. “After not playing so good, we all pulled it together and started playing better,” Scholting said. “We need to work on our shooting.”

Wildcats lose close game in last second

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
December 9, 2021
Schools should start later because of health reasons. Teens need more sleep than children and adults.

The issue with start times

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
November 30, 2021
Pen in hand, athletes sign their letter of intent to compete in athletics at the next level. The athletes were excited to make their decision official. “The signing day experience was really fun,” senior Sam Novotny said. “My favorite part was just being able to sign with a lot of my friends/teammates.”

Pledging for the future

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
November 18, 2021
The varsity volleyball team poses for a picture with the district championship trophy after their sweep of Millard North. The Wildcats swept their way through Districts, advancing to the state tournament. “I am a bit nervous for state, but my mindset going in is to just have fun,” senior Sadie Millard said. “It’s my last time playing volleyball for Millard West and is going to be the end of my volleyball career overall, so no matter the outcome I want to have the time of my life on the court.”

Sweeping through Districts

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
November 3, 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
Former Education Academy students Carly Pederson and Jessie Reyes present to the current students. They talked about a variety of topics including college, scholarships and student teaching. “I told students to not be afraid to jump in,” Pederson said. “Don't sit back and watch — get up, walk around, ask questions. This is the way that they will learn.”

Return to educate

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
October 20, 2021
Junior Alanna Bankston and sophomore Lauren Jones complete a block in the match against Papillion-La Vista. Jones and Bankston led the team with one block each. “We are always so upbeat when we get ready to play,” Bankston said. “The atmosphere with both of the student sections was fun to play in, and the fans really helped us keep our energy going throughout the match.”

Wildcats swat the Monarchs

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
September 23, 2021
Freshman Lily Dotson cuddles with her dog. She underwent two and a half years of intense treatment. "We are so thankful she continues to be a warrior even when people don’t see the battle," mother Susie Dotson said. "We are proud of all she has overcome."

Fighting for her life

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
September 15, 2021
Ryan Moseley, Jenson Groff and Kieren Langer ride side-by-side during the race. They finished the race faster than they expected. ". My hope is that get to see and experience a large scale mountain bike race, see some awesome trails, and push through to the end," Moseley said. "They are both strong racers, and I anticipate they will finish well."

A rocky road

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
September 10, 2021
With her knees bent and her glove open and facing down, sophomore Kaitlyn Fisher prepares to field the ball. The Wildcats defeated Papillion-La Vista South 13-5 on Aug 19. “Defensively, I think that we've really started to settle into our positions and we're playing really solid,” Fisher said. “We've had big moments of adversity already this season that we've had to overcome and I really think that it's pushed us all to become better players out there.”

Off and swinging

Camille O'Neill, Sports Director
September 1, 2021

News faces from different places

Evan Vaslow, Camille ONeill, Joseph Ebmeier, and Jacob Hargens
August 24, 2021
Students cut into the rat and followed the directions on their lab sheet. "We had to follow a guide that was step by step to dissect the rat," junior Gina Olson said. "We could also ask the teacher for help if we needed it."

A gutty experience

Camille O'Neill, Staff reporter
December 18, 2020
Senior Kaitlyn Dickmeyer rolls the ball down the lane. She thinks that she needs to improve on some of her skills. “The skill that I would like to improve for the next meet is to keep my elbow in,” senior Kaitlyn Dickmeyer said. “I need to make sure that I don't top the ball which is when you twist your wrist too much which will cause it to go more towards the left.”

Rolling into action

Camille O'Neill, Staff Reporter
December 17, 2020
Junior Campbell Macy stands holding a box of the donuts that she designed. On the top of the box, there is a donut with red hot frosting. “We turned the cinnamon candy into a very thick syrup and emulsified that into our standard white icing,” Bob’s Donuts chef Keri Tull said. “We already had an apple cake donut that we were selling so we used that. The toppings are a syrup that we made and crushed cinnamon candy.”

Donut in the making

Camille O'Neill, Staff Reporter
December 4, 2020
Students work on their computers in German. All of them are invested in learning what their teacher is teaching them. “I work better in an environment with people,” sophomore Mackenzie Cory said. “It is harder to learn when I am at home. I do hope we go back to school the Monday after break.”

COVID impacts week of Thanksgiving

Camille O'Neill, Staff Reporter
November 19, 2020
Miller has made several patterns for her masks. Pictured below are several different mask patterns.

Giving back through business

Camille O'Neill, Staff Reporter
November 13, 2020

Your voice, your vote

Miguel Paredes Reyes and Camille O'Neill
November 12, 2020
This picture shows what each bracelet says. They are blue bracelets. “This summer, I got diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes," Fellman said. "Because of COVID, the JDRF isn’ doing a walk this year, so I ordered bracelets to support them.”

Fight for a Cure

Camille O'Neill, Staff Reporter
October 28, 2020
Juniors Jonathan Ha and Emily Pettit create pets out of construction paper. Their lesson plan had something to do with pets. “Students were given a week to research, create, and plan to present ONE of the four lesson plans to their classmates,” Child Development teacher Amy Mach said. “Classmates were told to act as preschoolers to allow their classmates the opportunity to develop classroom management skills or appropriate ways to respond to typical preschool behaviors.”

High schoolers turned preschoolers

Camille O'Neill, Staff Reporter
October 13, 2020

College applications during COVID

Tenley Wright, Alexis Bahensky, Haden Batchelder, and Camille O'Neill
October 9, 2020
Junior Trace Thaden stands on the football field. He was with his teammates. “Playing sports always makes the transition easier, just to be able to make new friends before school starts,” Thaden said. “Knowing people when you start school takes stress off of making new friends. I moved here from Ankeny Centennial High School in Ankeny, Iowa.”

Open enrollment opens doors for athletes

Camille O'Neill, Staff Reporter
October 7, 2020
Junior Ava Rongisch and senior Madi Warren look up at each other while wearing a mask. They stood on the softball field getting ready to play. "When it is hot out, the gator mask does get pretty sweaty," junior Ava Rongisch said. "Also, when we are done running and have to put up our mask it makes it a little hard to breathe. We all know it’s for our safety."

Mask up and play on

Camille O'Neill, Staff Reporter
September 18, 2020

West implements new CCR QT

Edison Geiler and Camille O'Neill
September 15, 2020
Students in room 131 learn on their computers while they are in person. Every student is wearing a mask.

Safe schedule changes

Camille O'Neill, Staff Reporter
August 28, 2020
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