The Nite Crier is moving to a new location!!!

Check out the new location of the Slinger High School Nite Crier online newspaper at nitecrier.slingerschools.org   Here you will find all the latest Slinger High School news, sports, entertainment, and opinions.  

Students from Slinger's Anime Club participate at Anime Milwaukee

By: Megan Cichon, Entertainment Editor

Posted April 15th, 2016

Anime is a style of Japanese film animation, typically aimed at adult audiences, although there are some anime shows aimed at younger audiences. This film style is often characterized by colorful images, strong characters, and action-packed stories. It’s popularity in the United States prompted the formation of an Anime Club here at Slinger High School. Slinger’s Anime Club started six years ago, and has remained a small, but happy place for anime fans to get together. Anime Club here at Slinger meets every Monday immediately after school in Mr. Schneider’s room (225) and goes until 3:30. These club meetings consist of interesting activities, such as anime themed Jeopardy and drawing contests. Participants are given the chance to learn several Japanese words and listen for them while watching different types of anime. When asked of what her thoughts on the club and anime as a whole are, Rachel Muhl replied, “Many people are unwilling to watch anime due to the fact they find it childish or they don't know what it is. This ignorance gives anime a bad reputation when in reality, it is very interesting and just cool. Not only does it give a glimpse into the Japanese culture, but contrary to popular belief, it goes over mature topics and really makes you think”. There are many things one can think about while watching anime: one can think about the plot, Japanese culture, or the camera effects, such as panning, zooming, and other such shots. While anime may appear quite simple or childish on the surface, it really is quite complex.

Recently, a handful of Anime Club members attended Anime Milwaukee, an annual event that just finished up it’s ninth year. The ECPS (Entertainment and Culture Promotional Society), which is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to educating the Milwaukee area about various cultures, puts on this event with the hopes of “bringing attention not only to Japanese pop culture, such as anime and manga, but also to the finer points of Japan’s traditional culture, including artwork, cuisine, language, music and more. The Slinger students in attendance at Anime Milwaukee this year included Natalie Kue, Alexis Warshall, Becky Ash, Calista Whitewolf, Andrew Hinz, Sam Murranus, and Sydney Wachtel. Sydney, a member of Slinger’s Anime Club, said of the event that “there’s so much to do at Anime Milwaukee, it’s easy to forget what you did there”. This is true; at Anime Milwaukee, there’s many activities that one can participate in. There are costume contests, educational panels, video/board game contests, anime viewing rooms, panels specifically for voice actors, a vendor's room (where merchandise is sold), an art gallery, and many other such activities. In addition to there being lots to do, there’s also lots to see. At an event such as Anime Milwaukee, event attendees can cosplay, and many of them do. Cosplaying is the practice of dressing up as a character from a book, movie, T.V. show, etc. While this may seem silly to an outsider, to someone who has gone through the process of designing their costume, it’s quite the difficult task. Replicating the look of a fictional character can be not only extremely difficult, but rather expensive as well. However, the zealous looks received from other event attendees can be quite exhilarating. If you’re interested in knowing more about Anime Milwaukee, click here: http://animemilwaukee.org/.

Photos courtesy of Natalie Kue and Andrew Hinz.

Slinger Tennis score some big wins against Grafton and Plymouth

By: Madeline Hoitink, Co Editor-in-chief

Posted  April 14th, 2016

On Monday night, Slinger varsity boys’ tennis competed in their first dual meet of the season against Grafton.  Slinger was victorious over the Black Hawks, with a total score of 5-2.  The JV tennis team tied Grafton.  The following varsity singles and doubles teams won their matches in the meet:

Thomas Melius

Chris Melius

Tim Peters

Evan Sievers and Ryan Strupp

Jamie Melius and Tyler Becker

On Tuesday night, the Owls took on Plymouth High School.  The Slinger JV and varsity teams defeated the Panthers.  The following varsity athletes won their matches on Tuesday:

Christ Melius

Tim Peters

JP McGuire

Evan Sievers and Ryan Strupp

Tyler Becker and Jamie Melius

New live-action Jungle Book film--coming soon

By: Robby Timmler, Staff Writer

Posted April 12th, 2016

Disney’s new live-action remake of one their animated classics The Jungle Book swings into theaters April 15, so let's take a look at what this new adoption has to add to the story of old. The Jungle Book is directed by Jon Favreau, who seems to be taking a gritter tone with this new live-action remake, previewed with intense action scenes and jaw-clenching chases in the trailers. This thriller style seems to be the running trend with most of Disney’s live-action remakes of their classic films, like Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, and the other upcoming remake, Pete’s Dragon. With the movie being live-action, the trailer shows that all the animals in the movie are going to be Computer Generated Images (CGI) and have celebrities voicing the characters. For example, Ben Kingsley voices Bagheera, Bill Murray voices Baloo, Idris Elba voices Shere Khan, Scarlett Johansson voices Kaa, and Christopher Walken voices King Louie. Keeping all of this in mind, The Jungle Book could be a movie that entertains a new generation with the story of old.

Election 2016: The Wisconsin Open Primary Update

By: Korey Alder, Photography Editor

Posted April 12th, 2016

The race for the White House finally came to our state last Tuesday, and over 2 million Wisconsinites came out to vote for their preferred candidate. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, this year’s primary showed the highest voter turnout since 1972, with 49% of those registered to vote actually showing up to do so. This showcases the great interest that people are taking in this election, with much at stake in the world and at home.

Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders won the Wisconsin primaries for their respective parties, both by significant margins. Republicans had the choice between the same three candidates as in the last set of primaries: Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and John Kasich. Cruz received 531 thousand votes (around 48%) and was granted 36 delegates. Trump came second with 386 thousand votes (35%) and gained 6 delegates. Kasich came last with 155 thousand votes (14.5%), even despite the fact that even if he were to win all the remaining delegates, he would be unable to reach the required 1,237 delegates. Those voting for Kasich likely did so simply out of dislike for Cruz and Trump, still hoping that Kasich may take the nomination at a contested convention. The Democrats continued their battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and Sanders took the lead in Wisconsin with 568 thousand votes (around 57%) and 48 delegates, while Clinton received 432 thousand (43%) and 38 delegates. The delegate count thus currently stands as: Trump - 743, Cruz - 517, Kasich - 143, with 882 remaining on the Republican side; Clinton - 1,749 (of which 496 are superdelegates), and Sanders - 1,062 (of which 31 are super delegates) and 1,955 still remaining on the Democrats’ side.

If you’re interested in learning more about the race in Wisconsin, check out the following page on The New York Times, which visualizes various voter data from the recent primary:

http://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/wisconsin

The Son of Krypton vs the Bat of Gotham in one of the most anticipated movies of 2016

By: Robby Timmler, Staff Writer

Posted  April 11th, 2016

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is the long awaited gladiator match between two iconic superheroes: Batman and Superman. The film is about Superman (played by Henry Cavill) being questioned by the public about his actions on Earth. While this is happening, Bruce Wayne a.k.a Batman (played by Ben Affleck) investigates Superman’s actions on Earth and tries to find his weakness, so that Superman can no longer be a possible threat against the world. Throughout the movie, we meet other iconic figures such as Lex Luthor (played by Jesse Eisenberg), Bruce’s butler, Alfred (played by Jeremy Irons), and Diana Prince, a.k.a Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot). Batman v. Superman is D.C’s first step in the formation of  the Justice League, with the big three joining and fighting together. Batman v. Superman has great action and acting that will stun and entertain a wide variety of viewers.

Congratulations to the Nite Crier Art Contest Winner! Julia Gueller

Congratulations to Julia Gueller, the winner of the Nite Crier Art Contest.  Julia wins a $25 gift certificate to the Rookery.  Thank you to all artists who contributed to the contest.  If your artwork was entered after the due date we will feature your artwork in future postings on the Nite Crier.

Intentum  by Julia Gueller is a an ink pointillism piece. Pointillism means that every dot is made with a pen tip.
14 hours of artwork were needed to bring about the final product.

Blast from the Past Reviews: Before Batman fought Superman, let's look back on the last adaptation of the cape crusader

By: Robby Timmler, Staff Writer

Posted April 4th, 2016

The Dark Knight Trilogy is one of the most critically acclaimed trilogies of all time, right along side The Lord of the Rings and Godfather Trilogy. The Dark Knight Trilogy was directed by Christopher Nolen, who gives us a new look at the origins of Batman. Batman Begins (2005) is the first of the Dark Knight Trilogy, showing Bruce Wayne's parents deaths, training with the League of Shadows (a clan of mercenaries that train in the art of Justice) and to eventually becoming Batman. Along the way, we meet Ducard, (played by Liam Neeson) Bruce’s trainer in the League, Alfred, (played by Michael Caine) Bruce’s butler and friend, and Rachel Dawes, (played by Katie Homes) Gotham’s District Attorney and Bruce’s childhood friend. When Bruce finishes his training, he goes back to Gotham with police officer Jim Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) to right several wrongs and attempt to end the corruption in Gotham that lead to his parents deaths. Batman Begins is a deep and gritty film that goes deep into the origins of Bruce Wayne and why he becomes Batman.

The Dark Knight (2009) is the critically acclaimed follow-up to Batman Begins. In The Dark Knight, we see the Batman's crusade against crime in Gotham with the help of Lieutenant Gordon. We are introduced to the new head district attorney Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart) and the Joker (played by Heath Ledger), who was mentioned at the end of Batman Begins. The Dark Knight is a gripping and interesting film that gives astounding examples of trust, sacrifice,and the strength of will.

After the huge success of the second movie, audiences were excited to see the return of Batman, but things became more complicated after the sudden death of Heath Ledger, who had played the Joker in The Dark Knight. This is the reason why The Dark Knight Rises (2012) is the weakest film in the Trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises follows the events of the Dark Knight with Batman being gone for 2 years along with Bruce Wayne after the terror of Gotham by the Joker. It’s now peacetime in Gotham with Lieutenant Jim Gordon now retired, and Gotham is finally feeling safe. That is, until Bane, (played by Tom Hardy) a member of the League of the Shadows, develops plans to destroy Gotham. Bruce to comes out of hiding as a result, and becomes Batman again. Throughout the film, we meet Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, (played by Anne Hathaway) and rookie cop Officer Blake (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The Dark Knight Rises tries to be a mix of Batman Begins and the Dark Knight. However, in the end, The Dark Knight Rises just doesn’t have what made the other two films such a huge hit with audiences. The Dark Knight Trilogy as a whole, however, is all in all still one of the best trilogies of all time.

Cheer Up Time! Mr. Bingen named new Cheer Team head coach!

By: Kylie Coffin, Co Editor-in-Chief

Posted April 1st, 2016

Slinger High School has announced that long time Guidance Counsellor Steve Bingen has been picked to fill the head coaching vacancy for the varsity cheer squad.  Regarding the hire, SHS Athletic Director Dan Karius stated, “Boy, Steve is a great guy.  He’s been around forever.  He knows the kids.  He knows the town.  He knows the conference.”  Then, with a well-known, enthusiastic grin, Karius concluded, “We had like 200 applicants, but after Steve’s interview, this hiring was a slam dunk.”

Steve Bingen is no stranger to being a leader in athletics.  Three years ago Bingen was inducted into the Slinger High School Athletics Hall of Fame for his myriad of past coaching achievements.  Even though he has been out of coaching for some time, Bingen does not seem concerned by the layoff.  “I just wanted to get back in the game, so to speak,” said Bingen.  “I feel like I still have a lot to give.  I may be new to the whole cheer thing but finding new adventures has always been my thing.  And, hey…when I was younger, I really was into acrobats and flips.  In fact, I still now and then like to jump out of trees.”

When asked what these interests had to do with coaching cheerleading, Bingen countered with a blank stare.

Mr. Bingen will be starting his new duties this summer as he oversees cheer preparations first for the football season and then later for basketball.  But Bingen does not want to just do some ‘standard routine’.  Said Bingen, “We might be doing some routines down at the State Fair.  I am in the Hall of Fame down there too, you know?”  Bingen also would not rule out dressing like an elf and taking part in some Christmas themed event come next holiday season.  “I used to run with the kids when I coached cross country.  Maybe I can do some cheers with the kids now?” Bingen reasoned.

Karius’ rued one aspect of the hire, however.  “My only regret is that the timing is bad since I’m retiring.  I would love to see the day to day job this cat is going to be doing,” lamented Karius.  When told about Karius’ regret, Bingen responded by indicating that “I actually tried to get this job five years ago, I think, but the application I filled out got lost on my desk”.

Happy April Fools!

Upcoming School District Renovation

By: Kylie Coffin, Co Editor-in-Chief

Updated March 28th, 2016

On February 16, 2016 the community of Slinger spoke through their votes and passed the facilities referendum for the School District of Slinger. This referendum has a two-part agenda, one being $32.4 million worth of district-wide improvements, and the other being $9.88 million construction of an auditorium at Slinger High School. Superintendent of Slinger schools and School Board member, Mr. Sievers, was an active part of the forming and promoting of these plans. Mr. Sievers said of the passage of the referendum, "The community of Slinger always supports their schools and I feel blessed to work here. This referendum is another example of the pride and support this community has for its schools and our programs."

Much effort went into informing the community about why the renovations proposed would be beneficial for students, the school district, and the community at large. Mailers were sent out to Slinger residents to answer common questions about the referendum and inform people about the potential renovations. Open houses were also held on January 27, February 1, and February 8 in order to discuss the details of the updates. Mr. Sievers said of these efforts, “I think the open houses, mailers, and materials did a lot of educating of circumstances and telling our story, so to speak. We outlined the facts, educated people on the options, and informed people about the timeline.” He went on to say, “There were a lot of moving parts to this, so it really helped to be be up front with the public about everything being considered.”

Back in 2014, Slinger’s School Board conducted a Comprehensive Facilities Audit of all schools within the district. Based on the evaluation of roofing, plumbing and heating systems, classroom layouts and space within each building, the School Board created a list of updates it deemed necessary for the improvement of building conditions.

$9.7 million will be going towards updates at the three elementary schools within the School District of Slinger. Addison Elementary has a budget of $2.8 million which will be used to add new Kindergarten classrooms, create more storage, make the South parking lot larger, and update the heating system. Allenton was allotted $5.5 million to make a more secure entrance to the school, add more Kindergarten classrooms, and create a new gym. Updates will be made to restrooms, the electrical system, and the heating system. The bus and car route for before and after school traffic will also be reworked to improve safety conditions. At Slinger Elementary, $1.4 million will be put towards renovations to Kindergarten and Special Education as well as the gym. Gym additions will include new flooring and bleachers. Portions of the roof will be replaced, and the heating system will also be updated in this elementary building.

Slinger Middle School will use $1.8 million to work on making a more secure front entrance like what will be done at Allenton Elementary. This will require renovations to be done to the main office. The electrical systems, lighting within the cafeteria, and air-conditioning will be updated on the inside, while the roofing and doors will be replaced outside.

With $20.9 million of the $32.4 million budget for district-wide improvements, Slinger High School has the longest renovation to-do list. This will include an overall expansion with the addition of new music classrooms and rehearsal rooms, Special Education rooms, and general classrooms. The workout center that is currently in the basement will move to where the music wing currently is. That space in the basement will then be used to expand the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) and shop classrooms. Electrical, heating and fire alarm systems will be updated. A more secure entry will also be added to the high school. The lives of Slinger sports fans and athletes will be forever improved by the outdoor addition of bathroom, concessions, and storage space.

The second part of the referendum was the source of some concern before the vote on February 16 as School Board members decided whether the community would feel comfortable spending $9.88 million on a new auditorium for the district. It did, and this will greatly benefit the community in the long-run due to the fact that all performances, presentations, and extra-curricular activities at all levels will have the opportunity to use this space. Those who are less supportive of the auditorium from a more music-based standpoint are benefitted by the fact that physical education and athletics will no longer need to share their gym space. This new auditorium will be located directly next to the music classes, which are being relocated from their current location to the back of the school near the tennis courts. There will be 800 seats in the auditorium, fly space for scenery in shows, and an orchestra pit. Also included in the auditorium construction will be a lobby with bathrooms, storage space for stage sets, and dressing rooms designated for the performers.

School district renovations are projected to begin as soon as June 12, 2016. Many positive changes are coming to the School District of Slinger thanks to the efforts of the School Board and the support of the community.

President Obama makes historic visit to Cuba

Cuba President, Raul Castro

By: Korey Alder, Photography Editor
Posted March 23rd, 2016

President Obama visited Cuba today, making this the second time, and first since 1928, that a US President has ever visited the country while in office. Obama met with Raúl Castro, the current leader of Cuba, in the Cuban capital city of Havana to discuss future relations with the still-communist nation. Diplomatic relations with Cuba were severed in early 1961 because of the rise of Fidel Castro as well as his association with the Soviet Union, and were only reinstated on July 20th, 2015.

Castro and Obama held a private meeting before moving on to a public exchange where several questions were taken from reporters – something rarely seen in Cuba. Castro dismissed most of the questions directed at him, likely unused to the format in a country with generally limited public involvement in government. Both he and the US president had much to say, with Castro requesting an end to US control of Guantánamo Bay, as well as a termination of embargoes on Cuban goods. He also rejected accusations of political prisoners being held in Cuba, saying that if the reporter who brought up the subject could “give [him] a list, right now,” he would release the prisoners. When discussing human rights issues in Cuba, Castro defended the Cuban government’s policy of universal healthcare and education, calling those the “most sacred” human rights of all. Obama acknowledged the difference in viewpoints and goals between the US and Cuba, but promised that America would not attempt to replace communism in the island nation.

This meeting, while lasting only a day, will likely be remembered as a historic milestone in rebuilding relations in the post-Cold War era.

Nite Crier Art Contest Submissions: Ben Bernard

Title : Random Shapes

Title : Spiders way of showing it's art

Title: Polka dots on love

The Value of the ACT

By: Elysia Dowd, News Editor

Posted March 23rd, 2016

Early this March, juniors all across the state of Wisconsin took the ACT, which has replaced the previous WKCE requirement. Standardized tests like the ACT have been a hot topic in recent years, and I wanted to find out how Slinger’s juniors felt about their recent exam, as well as what the experts had to say. 76 of 245 juniors responded to the survey, and this is what they had to say.

80.3% stated that they were glad that the ACT has replaced the WKCE. This makes sense for several reasons, the most obvious of which is cost. The ACT is now free for Wisconsin students, which is very valuable for those who would have taken the test anyway (85.5% of the sample group). Additionally, sources like FairTest say that between the ACT and SAT, the ACT is a much more accurate measure of what students learned in high school, making it the best replacement for the WKCE.

Unfortunately, though so many students saw value in taking the test, only about 30% felt prepared or very prepared for the test, with 47% of responders saying that they only felt moderately prepared. Still, 50% said that school preparations helped them feel more prepared for the ACT, and rightfully so. Studies have shown that quality test tutoring can raise one’s ACT score by up to four points, with some companies like Princeton Review guaranteeing a three point increase. The 73% of students who state they will retake the test based on their score will likely turn to services like this.

This raises an obvious question: how valuable is the ACT if one can achieve any score with a little bit of coaching? There is fierce debate about how accurate of a profile standardized tests are, but for now they are a key part of the college admission process. However, the ACT and universities agree that test scores alone mean very little. Most colleges focus primarily on students’ GPA. Almost 49% of the survey group agreed that ACT scores don’t define a student, and they are right to think so. When approaching college application time, the important thing to remember is that hard work and studiousness in high school is what really matters to one’s future school, and that will show in a GPA even if it doesn’t seem to show in a test score.

For the complete survey results, click here: https://docs.google.com/a/slingerschools.org/forms/d/1W8GokokNavsqCHY1gr-1rxwRm3qEK4whf4vw6D4tNL0/edit?usp=drive_web#responses

Nite Crier Art Contest Submissions: Amber Kasten

Title: Cotton Candy

Title: Snow Cone

Title: Love's gonna get you down

Title: Ready... Set... Fire!

Grumpy Cas

Nite Crier Art Contest Submission: Cookie Pepe by Bryce Rufener

Created using MS Paint

Nite Crier Art Contest Submission: Indian Summer by Amanda Boehm

SHS KIWI Students Hold Fundraiser For Humane Society

By: Abbie Schmidt, Staff Writer

Posted March 22nd, 2016

Slinger High School’s KIWI club recently had a fundraiser. KIWI stands for Kind Individuals with Integrity. The idea was brought to the club’s attention by member Kaia Weiss. She thought a Humane Society could benefit from a fundraiser to raise money and collect desperately needed items. The fundraiser took place throughout the high school in the last two weeks of February and the first week of March. They raised about 100 items that were donated to the Washington County Humane Society.

Nite Crier Art Contest Submission: Intentum by Julia Gueller

Intentum is a an ink pointillism piece. Pointillism means that every dot is made with a pen tip.
14 hours of artwork were needed to bring about the final product.

Nite Crier Art Contest Submission: Cabbage by Jessica Strupp

Cabbage by Jessica Strupp
Done with acrylic paint.

Presidential Primary Update

By: Korey Alder, Photography Editor

Posted March 18th, 2016

The most recent primary, dubbed by some as a second “Super Tuesday,” saw many interesting developments in the Republican race for president, while things stayed relatively constant on the Democrats’ side.

The states holding primaries on March 15th included Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and South Carolina. Ohio and Florida were the big states in this set, with winner-take-all delegate counts of 66 and 99, respectively. Being the home states of Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich, these were also important places for these candidates to show that they were in fact capable of getting wins against Trump and Cruz, currently in the lead. Kasich did manage to pull off a win in Ohio, though this is not surprising as, in many polls, Kasich comes away with governor approval ratings above 60% from Ohioans. Granting him a boost, though hardly closing the gap between he and Cruz, the 66 delegates give Kasich a reason to keep in the fray. Rubio didn’t fare as well in his home state, where he lost to Trump by roughly 18%. Rubio fans were no doubt disappointed, although likely unsurprised, when the senator gave a speech explaining the suspension of his campaign. He retains his delegates, but has essentially given up on the presidency for this election year. These developments leave Trump and Cruz to battle it out for the remaining delegates, while Kasich stays in hope of grabbing the nomination at a brokered convention (and any delegates he can along the way). Currently, Trump maintains his lead with 673 delegates, followed by Cruz with 411, and Kasich with 143. There are 1061 delegates still remaining throughout the US, so Cruz could easily come back from second. With 1237 delegates required to ensure the nomination (and bypass a brokered convention), however, Kasich has no chance to do so, even if he won every single delegate from here on out.

The Democratic race is much as it has been for some time, with Hillary Clinton keeping a lead over Bernie Sanders. This lead still consists mostly of superdelegates, but she is ahead slightly ahead in standard delegates as well.