The annual Spring Band and Choir concert took place on May 1 in the Greybull High School Auditorium.

Mr. David Nigshswonger, Music teacher, felt really good about spring concert. Students in many groups went above and beyond what they were expected to do.

Performance from the Jazz Choir was a stand out because they didn’t have a conductor as Mr. Nighswonger played the rolethe sound-man as they sang from the sound track from the Lion King. Mr. Nighswonger was also pleased with Concert Band piece they played because they did so well with only having a few weeks to prepare.

“All have grown musically, because they all were very young groups,” said Mr. Nighswonger.

Mr. Nighswonger noted five standouts at the awards night.

 Alex Preis was acknowledged because of her ability to sing.

“She has grown immensely over the year,” said Mr. Nighswonger.  

Keegan Jenness was another stand-out of the Band classes. Although he had never played on actual drums, he will be the drummer next year.  

Mr. Nighswonger said “[Keegan Jenness] has made tremendous growth.”

 Justin Bacus was knowlagable for his tremendous growth in playing the trombone.  

Bonnie Tuner and Aiden Jenness were the last two of the five who took their fame on Awards Night May 7. They both were stand-outs in the Jazz Choir.

Mr. Nighswonger also complemented a few other individuals who have grown throughout the year.

The Freshmen girls are just phenomenal. Trebel Chior is the most rock steady group I have ever worked with. The best collection of singers I’ve worked with in a long time, they have a lot of strength and power to them,” said Mr. Nighswonger.  

 “We wouldn’t have this kind of year we’ve had without the seniors, Julian Wiley, Brady Sheomaker, Chandini Dalberg and Robbin Mikus really helped solitify everything we did this year though leadership and example,” said Mr. Nighswonger.

Well, the senior class of GHS played hard as it was announced that they won nearly half a million dollars in scholarships at the Achievement Awards that took place in the GHS auditorium on Monday, May 7.

During the course of the two-hour-and-ten-minute assembly, students were recognized for their accomplishments throughout the year in academics, extracurriculars, and special awards such as perfect attendance.

 Teachers awarded stand-outs in their classes as roughly 223 certificates were awarded to students.

Awards ranged from scholastic achievements in areas such as history, business, art, music, technology, math, yearbook, science, industrial arts and Spanish to recognition in extracurricular clubs and activities such as Future Business Leaders of America, Academic Challenge, Science Research, Speech and Debate, Drama and Student Council.

The heavy-hitters of the night were the seniors, however, as they came away with over 92 awards, 35 of which were scholarship awards of varying value.

This year’s seniors also had a record-setting number of valedictorians. Six students, Jessica Hunt, Alex Powers, Matthew Dillon, Edward De Cabooter, Victor De Cabooter, and Travis Sylvester, all shared the spotlight as the Class of 2012’s top-ranked with perfect 4.0 GPAs. Felix Weese, with a GPA of 3.9796, was honored with the title of Salutatorian.

At the end of the night, students left the auditorium richer, both in scholarships and self esteem.

“It was an honor to be recognized was part of the Class of 2012,” said Weese. “I wish everyone success in the future, and I’m sure we all will find it.”

With less than two weeks of school left for seniors, it isn’t a surprise that they’re starting to care less about homework and more about summer and college in the fall.

It’s hard to find the willpower to do assignments at this point in the year but there are reasons for continuing to do well in school. For example, a college can revoke scholarships or even acceptance if a student’s grades drop far enough.

“My grades are still important to me because I don’t want my college to disregard my hard work,” said Alex Powers.

Though the senior class has become restless, they are excited about college and reminiscent of years past. Those who have lived in Greybull their entire lives are ready to be in a new environment and even those who have moved here in recent years are excited for the next big step in their lives.

“Moving from Florida to a small town was a big change and I am ready to be in the hustle and bustle of a city again,” said Cierra Yarborough.

Hustle and bustle is not just for the big city, though. For most seniors it has been a hectic nine months as they finish up the last classes of their high school career and prepare for graduation.

Before students could actually graduate, there were many things that had to be done. Senior pictures had to be taken, announcements had to be ordered, class decisions had to be made and students had to find money to pay for it all.

After much debate, the seniors decided that their class colors were navy blue and gold, song was “Tattoos on this Town” by Jason Aldean, and class speaker would be Senator Mike Enzi.

The magic date is May 20 at 3:30 p.m. and will take place in the Buff Gymnasium.

For students who have been struggling with senioritis, their freedom from high school is fast approaching and new experiences are just around the corner.

Not just anybody to attend this art show, they had to be nominated at the art show that happened in Shell on March 30, only 11 people earned this right.  

Receiving awards at this art show were:

Matthew Dillon(SR) who received four blue ribbons, Morgan Flitner (SR) received two blue ribbons, Robin Mikus(SR) received two blue ribbons, Lisa Yager(JR) received one blue ribbon and Taylor Ballard received one blue Ribbon.

Dillon and Hanson also won the Spontaneous Sculpture competition against 19 other team. To compete in this completion they had to bring 15 random things such as, Hot Glue Gun, succors, glittery artificial plants, broken modeling mannequin, film, and a light bulb.

Their invention was called the Biogenetic inseminator 1,000 which was a “invention the from the future,” so they thought futurist and clean.

“When Matt and I placed first in spontaneous sculpture, it was a really exciting experience. We were both really happy to win,” said Hanson.       

Taking top honors for his altered book project, Dillon received a purple ribbon, the Artistic Discovery Award and his book will be on display at the State Capital this summer. 

The competition might have been hard because of competing against every big and small schools but Art teacher Ms. Karen Dunbar said “Small school Competing against every other school in the state still yields good results.”

Every year, Greybull High School puts on two school plays. In the fall, the show is a musical and brought together by students as well as the community.

 In the spring, thespians put on a drama with a cast solely comprised of its students.

This year, the title of the spring drama was “The Wall: A Pilgrimage.”

“The Wall” was written by Jan Stuckey, and is about a family that lost somebody dear to them in the Vietnam War.

William “Billy” J. Pearson Jr. was a beloved son, husband, father and brother, killed in action in Vietnam. In the play, Cesar Garay (SO) was the voice of Billy as well as the soldier at the wall when the family first arrives.

Matthew Dillon (SR) played the father of the deceased, William J. Pearson, while Sammi Stewart (FR) played the mother, Fran.

Ezra Hanson (SO) portrayed the brother, J.D Pearson .

Janie, Billy’s high school sweetheart and former wife was placed by Alex Preis (SO).

Lynae McBride (FR) played Lisa who was the daughter of the deceased, and she had never met her father because he went to war before her birth.

Clairie, Fran’s sister and the boys’ aunt was played by Emma Nelson (FR).  The part was not originally cast in the play, but was added to accommodate the number of actors available.

In order to be put into the play, Nelson had to create her own lines in the frame of mind of a woman who had lost a nephew.

Auditions for the play were two weeks before Spring Break, and practice began a week before the students were let go on vacation. The group had only three weeks to work on the play compared to the three months allowed for the musical.

Even though the cast felt rushed, the first showing was an ultimate success.

“The opening night was a success, many members of the cast were nervous for the first showing for a live audience, but they were able to portray emotion well,” Dillon said.

When the play ended, members of the audience were tearful as they applauded, especially the veterans.

Due to the play being smaller than others, there wasn’t a heap of backstage things to be done. The most that the set called for was something to represent the wall and the Washington Monument There was also cardboard painted black to represent the wall as audience members walked down the aisle to the seating area.

The play showed on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5.  

Emotion was felt both by the audience and the cast, leaving tears in their eyes as the show came to a close on both nights.

On the Wall, Preis said, “You know, I think that if I went back to Washington, I would appreciate it more than the first time I went.”

On Saturday April 28, 27 members of the senior class, along with chaperones Mr. Mike Blissett, Mrs. Lynn Forcella and Mr. Nolan Tracy, journeyed to Salt Lake City, Utah. The Senior Trip consisted of many fun activities for the class to participate in on their last school trip together.                                            

After an eight hour bus ride, students readily welcomed a night spent shopping at the Gateway Mall. Much larger than the mall in Billings, the Gateway consisted of blocks of stores ranging from Chili & Max, a hot sauce store, to Lucky Brand Jeans, a clothing store not found in Wyoming.

The following day, seniors went to the Lagoon amusement park for a day full of roller coasters and arcade games. The class began their day with a ride on “Wicked,” one of the most thrilling and frightening rides there.

Lagoon not only had roller coasters, but a miniature zoo as well, which could be seen when a person was on a train ride.

Seven hours and many sunburns later, the exhausted but happy seniors were boarding the bus to eat dinner at Applebee’s.

Lagoon proved to be a day well-spent, as many of the seniors went to bed before ten that night.

The seniors were up bright and early the next morning, ready and anxious to go to Boondocks Fun Center. The facility consisted of laser tag, a 4-D theater, flight simulator, go-karts, miniature golf, arcade games and bumper boats.

“My favorite memory would probably have to be the go-kart races and trying to beat classmates and teachers like Mr. Blissett and Mr. Tracy,” said Bryce Kelso.

The next part of the day was spent at Utah’s Hogle Zoo. There was a great variety of animals there, including many kinds of monkeys, giraffes, elephants and tigers.

For dinner, the class went to the mall again. Most students chose to eat at the food court, while the remaining ten went to a Brazilian grill called Tucanos.

Nate Nelson said, “We tried chicken hearts and a delicious mango tilapia. Those of us who went all loved it!”

The Senior Trip was definitely a success and something that will be remembered for years to come.

“It was a lot of fun and a good class experience,” said Nelson.

It was a decision that paid big dividends as almost every member of the team placed. 

The April 27 meet saw six schools compete, including Greybull, Tongue River, Sheridan, Big Horn, NSI and Buffalo.

Due to the small number of teams at the meet, it gave the Buffs a better chance to place as both a team and indiviuduals. 

Jeff Sukut, track coach, said, “I knew there were not as many teams that were going to be there and that gave my team the opportunity to be competitive.”

It paid off as both the boys and girls teams placed.

Facing more experienced teams and dwindling numbers, the team has faced some obstacles.

“I have a young team. It’s been frustrating because I’ve had some kids quit. There have been so many spring activities that they miss meets and practices, but for the athletes on the team, they have worked hard and are dedicated. It’s been a positive experience for everyone involved.”

Despite the obstacles, the team turned in impressive results and State looms on the horizon.

Both McKenna Powers (SO) and Lindsay Kern (SR) have already qualified for State.

The other track stars that have a good chance to qualify for state are Calder Forcella (FR) in Discus, Oscar Gomez (FR) in Shot Put, Julian Wiley (SR) in the 400 Meter and Dylan Brenner (JR) in the 100 M.  According to Sukut, the 4×1 team consisting of Forcella, Brenner, Jesus Burgos (SO) and Christopher Ogg (FR) have a good shot at it.

Buffalo Results:

Mackenzie Bollig (FR) took seventh in the 100 Meter Dash, sixth in the Triple Jump.

Megan Euerle (JR) placed sixth on the Long Jump.

 Calder Forcella placed first in discus, seventh in the 200 Meter Dash and first in the 4×100 meter relay.

Jacob Gifford (FR) placed eighth in the 1600 Meter Run.

 Oscar Gomez (FR) placed second in the Shot Put and third in the Discus Throw.

Wyatt Good placed fourth in the 110 Meter Hurdles and seventh in the 300 Meter Hurdles.

Logan Jensen (SO) placed fourth in the Shot Put.

Lindsay Kern (SR) placed first in the Shot Put and second in the Discus Throw.

Wyatt Neilson (FR) placed seventh in the 110 Meter Hurdles.

Christopher Ogg (FR) placed fourth in the 200 Meter Hurdles and eighth in the Long Jump.

McKenna Powers (SO) placed second in the 800 Meter Run, second in the Long Jump and third in the Triple Jump.

Julian Wiley (SR) placed fifth in the 400 Meter Dash and fourth in the Long Jump.

As part of the interviews, several experienced workers consulted with students to help them prepare resumes and research career fields that interested them. All of the background work was in preparation for mock job interviews with professionals in the fields of the students’ choice.

Alicia Shilling interviewed for the job of a photographer and put together a portfolio of her best work to present to her interviewer, professional photographer David Huber.

Shilling was most nervous about “what they [the interviewers] had to say about my work.”

Topping the list of things that created anxiety with the students, however, was the questions they were to be asked.

“I was nervous that I would get asked a question that I would not know the answer to,” said Sarah Bockman, who interviewed for the jobs of physician and elementary school teacher.

Despite the nerves, most students felt their interviews went well.

Denis Sosa, who interviewed to be a cosmetologist and a day care worker, said, “The first interview I was nervous and scared, but then I got used to it for the second one.”

Overall, the students felt the Junior Interviews were a good learning experience that prepared them for the future.

“I learned to be confident when being interviewed and to always have background knowledge and to have questions for the person who is interviewing you,” said Bockman. “This has given me an idea of what interviewing for a career would be like and has helped me prepare for when the time comes.”

The team off 22 has seven girls and 15 boys out and with just three seniors on the team, Head Coach Jeff Sukut said, “we are young and inexperienced.”   

But, it doesn’t seem to be hurting the team who automatically qualified two athletes for the State meet in May. Kern and sophomore McKenna Powers were two of the team’s standouts that qualified for state at their fist track meet.

Kern AQ’d for state in Shot Put with the distance of 32-feet, 9 ¼ inches. Kern also placed second in discus.

Powers qualified to go on to state in the 400 Meter Dash with the time of 1:3.25 and took second in all three of the other individual events she competed in,which were the 800 Meters, Long Jump and Triple Jump.

The rest of the girls placingat the Greybull Invite included Juliana Mendez who finished second in the mile, McKenzie Bollig (FR) who took  fourth place in the 100 and 200 Meters and Samantha Nighswonger (FR) who placed fifth in shot.

Although no boys automatically qualified to go state, the team showed well for the day. Julian Wiley placed second in the 400 meter with the time of 56.6 and also placed third in long jump.

Fabian Davila (FR) took second in the Triple Jump, jumping 37 feet-one inch and placed third in both 100 and 200 meters.

Junior Wyatt Good earned second in the 300 Meter Hurdles and fourth in the 110s.

Finishing off their opening meet with relays, Calder Forcella (FR), Chris Ogg (FR), Davila and Dylan Brenner took second in the 1,600-meter relay finishing with the time of 56:61.

 Forcella, Wiley, Ogg and Brenner won the 1,600-Meter Relay, Finishing with a time of 4:03:02.

55 Students from all four of Ms. Dunbar’s art classes collectively showed 170 pieces of art at the show, which was in conjunction with Riverside High School.

Results of the judges were being finalized as an audience of over 300 community members viewed the exhibition.

First-place ribbons were awarded to Nate Nelson (SR) for his piece “All Gave Some, Some Gave All,” Harry Fitzsimmons (JR) and Dylan Brenner (JR) for their table designed in metal, and Taylor Ballard (JR) for her place setting fashioned out of stoneware and polymer clay.

Earning second-place ribbons were Ana Burgos (SR) for a ceramic creation, Matthew Dillon (SR) for his mixed media lighthouse painting, Morgan Flitner (SR) for her painted steer skull and Lisa Yager (JR) for a photograph.

Thrid-place winners included Shiloh Dunlap (FR), Jessica Hunt (SR), Dillon, and Ezra Hanson.

Other awards for the night included Best of Show and the Superintendent’s Award of Merit, both of which went to Hunt. Ballard was awarded Superintendent’s Special Award of Merit. The Superintendent’s Scholarship Purchase Award went to Flitner, and People’s Choice went to Dillon.

When the show was over, 11 students secured spots at the state symposium. On April 26-28, Hunt, Flitner, Dillon, Ballard, Nelson, Fitzsimmons, Brenner, Burgos, Yager, Hanson and Dunlap will travel to Casper to show their work and contend for scholarships and other awards.