This time of year, while many students participate in a sport, sophomore Neal Zoglmann decided to coach one instead. Zoglmann is coaching a youth soccer team this spring.

“I had a lot of free time and I like to stay busy, so I thought it would be a good, new experience coaching young kids,” Zoglmann said.

Zoglmann’s team is the Grasshoppers, because the team’s color is green, and it consists of children in 4th grade through 6th grade. At the games, they don’t keep score since it’s a noncompetitive league.

“I like the responsibility of coaching,” Zoglmann said. “My team has a lot of potential and really good attitudes.”

The team practiced on Tuesdays and Thursdays before the season began, but according to the noncompetitive league rules, the Grasshoppers aren’t allowed to practice once the season started. Their games are Wednesdays and Saturdays; they have played two games so far and have five more left in the season.

“We have a lot of potential on our team,” Zoglmann said. “They always have good team spirit and can score goals really well, but they need to work on their passing and keeping the ball in play.”

For the first time since having Craig Frederick as the social studies teacher, the senior class took a field trip to Topeka, Kan., to tour the Capitol building. Most of the class attended, and technology education teacher Bryan Bates went as a second sponsor.

“Actually being able to see where our state government works and meet representatives is the main reason for going,” Mr. Frederick said. “It’s more real when you can see how the sessions work and the history behind the building and artwork. I just wish we could’ve spent more time in Topeka and seen the Kansas Natural History museum though.”

The bus left at 5:30 a.m.. Once they arrived at the Capitol, the general tour lasted an hour and the dome tour another hour before the group ate lunch and returned home.

“The trip was a lot of fun,” Brenden Pauly said. “I learned a lot, and going up the 296 steps of the dome was the best part.”

The tour highlighted the different art and architecture of the Capitol building and the history behind them. Popular attractions included “Tragic Prelude” and other murals by John Steuart Curry, paintings by Lumen Winter, and other decorative designs throughout the building. The seniors also sat in on a session of the House of Representatives and talked with representative Kyle Hoffman.

“Conquering my fear of heights by going up the dome was my favorite part,” Carissa Brozovich said. “Seeing the amazing view afterwards was definitely worth it.”

On top of the trip, the seniors that participated also took notes to write a short essay on what they learned.

    With graduation only a couple months away, the CSHS graduating class has been planning for their futures, whether applying for jobs, going through college admissions, or signing with intent to play a sport or activity. This year, CSHS has four athletes signing to continue their sports careers: seniors Riley Akiu, Sabrina Bellar, Abagail Heimerman and Lacey Pauly.

    In February, Akiu signed to play football at Benedictine College, a member of the NAIA Conference. Akiu is a four-year letterman for the Cardinals and was named first team all-league lineman his senior year. Head football coach Matt Biehler says that Akiu has a bright future.

    “He will do very well because he’s motivated and wants a high level of achievement,” he said. “He’s a very good leader and role model.”

    On April 13, Bellar will be signing to Hesston College to play both tennis and basketball. Bellar is a three-time state tennis competitor and placed third overall her senior year in singles and as a team. As a basketball player, Bellar averaged 13.4 points per game her senior year, shooting 46 percent from the field and receiving first team all-league honors.

    “I’m looking forward to meeting new people and building lasting relationships,” she said.

    Heimerman and Pauly have both committed to play volleyball at community colleges next year. Heimerman will be attending Northeastern Oklahoma Community College and Pauly at Johnson County. Heimerman is scheduled to sign to NEO on April 11 while Pauly is undecided on a date.

    “I chose NEO because nobody else from Conway has played there,“ Heimerman said. “I’m excited to begin playing with a new team and coach and becoming close with them.”

For many, the topic of graduation requirements has been murky and confusing. As per the handbook, to graduate from CSHS, students are required to have four English credits; three each of math, science and social science credits; one each of computer, P.E., and fine arts credits; one half credit of speech and consumer education credits; and seven electives.

“I really haven’t been confused over the requirements,” sophomore Joshua Koester said.

There are different requirements and qualifications for the scholar's (Board of Regents) and qualified admissions for 4-year Kansas state schools. These can also be found in the student handbook.

After asking why there’s been confusion over graduation requirements, guidance counselor Louise Ronnau said that the confusion between CSHS requirements and the qualified admissions and scholar’s curriculum could be from the way the table is set up on page two of the student handbook.

The status around the valedictorian and salutatorian is another issue that has been confusing to some students. Starting in 2016, CSHS began to use a points system in case there were multiple 4.0 GPA students, but this is the first year that it has had to be put into use. Students who attain a 4.0 will have the valedictorian status on their transcript no matter what, but points come into play for other honors and scholarships. Not all classes are used in this point system, though; only the required classes count.

“I have mixed feelings over the points system,” sophomore Amy Zoglmann said. “On one hand it’s good because it singles out a single valedictorian, but on the other hand, it stinks because everyone else who’s worked hard to get a 4.0 and to be valedictorian gets screwed out of it.”

In the case of a tie in GPA, grades from freshman to senior year are given point values based on the percentages below:

100-98= 12 points

97-94= 11 points

93-90= 10 points

89-88= 9 points

87-84= 8 points

And so on

The student with the most points receives top valedictorian status and will give the speech at graduation. The top valedictorian also gets recognition on KWCH, the governor’s dinner, and the scholar’s section of the paper. Additionally, the top valedictorian receives $5,000 from the Kansas Star Casino; salutatorian, $4,000; the top 10% of the class, $2,000; and every other senior pursuing more education receives $1,000. The valedictorian and salutatorian for the Class of 2018 will be announced on April 3 and graduation will be held on Sunday, May 13.