Decision Time - Andy Childs

As acceptance letters begin to roll in, the decisions of the seniors continue to get harder. Many think the struggle is deciding where to apply, while in reality it is just as hard to do things like choose a roommate, housing, and meal plan. Fortunately I have already chosen to be a roommate with Marco Carini, a gentleman and a scholar. As we are finalizing our housing location, we have argued over the best places to stay in Madison. After a visit to the city, we have both decided that Lakeshore is where we belong. I’ve been told that this next semester is going to be the slowest one of High School, I certainly hope not.

As it continues to get colder out, it begins time for my tennis partner Collin Brault and me to move inside and start practicing for next season. In past years, we have played at 7 in the morning on Saturdays, so hopefully we can start that practicing up soon. Because this is our senior year and our last season playing together, we are going to work as hard as possible to be prepared for the season. Also, hopefully as our team continues to shrink we can recruit some new freshmen this year to pick up some of the slack. It’s a great sport and a more fun time with the team, so make sure to come out this spring.

Also, with winter break coming up, all of my teachers have for some reason decided to cram as many test in as they possibly can. While I understand that it’s nice to start a new unit as soon as we come back from break, studying for hours on end is not exactly what we want to be doing right before a two-week break. I understand the purpose… I just don’t need to be happy about it. I’m sure that Mr. Wick would have some witty retort for me right now.

In other news, my 6^th hour, Mrs. Danay’s A+ class, has just destroyed everyone else in the penny war, totaling over ninety dollars worth of pennies.  To all other classes, it was a valiant effort; we just love animals more I guess.  In reality, thanks to everyone that donated money it really is making a difference. Plus, it was a lot of fun to make penny angels and slow-mo videos in class with our fat stacks of cash.

In my AP literature class, Mrs. Parker is having us start the poetry unit. I’m having a “wonderful” time decoding the many messages of 17^th century literature. It’s a safe bet most of the time to assume the subject is beauty, religion, or nature. With Parker’s help, I think I’m finally getting the hang of it. We’re also doing something in my AP calculus class, but I never know what. I thought that was a foreign language class until half way through second quarter. Oh well.

Ozzy's Cafe -- Aaron Nytes

The Birdhouse is open! Last Monday,  y'all best believe our new Birdhouse, now known as Ozzy's Cafe, had its grand opening.  It shall now be open before school, during resource and after school. And who can you catch their two days a week? Yours truly. (Plus a shout out to my coworkers Annah and Katelynn, keep it real.) How does one get such a sweet job you ask?  All that it took to get the position at Ozzy's Cafe -- the school apparel and snack store -- was to volunteer. Normally there is an interview process, but OBVIOUSLY they took one look at me and knew I was an apt salesman, which I am.

Lately tons of people have complained, me included, about the lack of variety of sweets due to federal restrictions. But we, the Cafe Crew, have done a good job to bring some items into the cafe that maybe will make up for missing some of your favorites.  Some new items that seem to be popular are our yogurt parfaits and our new ice cream bars.  Stop by to visit the best writer on this website, or to purchase a smoothie or coffee. Either way, I'll see ya there!

One Quarter Down -- Aysiah Jaeke

            So far, freshman year has still been going great. I have made a lot on new friends in golf, musical, student council, and my classes. It is great to get to know someone better and being involved is one of the best ways to do that.

Although my homework is still taking up most of my time, I am now better at managing my priorities and making sure that school work always comes first. I was a cast member of the musical “The Wizard of Oz”, which was really fun because it is a classic, and I grew up watching the movie. Also, it was so cool to see the  little kids who came to the show because they were all so excited. The best thing about the musical was probably the people involved. Everyone in the cast was so welcoming, and I couldn't have asked for better people to be beside me on stage. I hope that the friends that I have made through the musical will last throughout high school. Being in the musical also came with lots of commitment. We rehearsed almost every night from the first rehearsal, to opening night. We actually had an 8 hour rehearsal one Saturday, which was long, but still fun.   

Student Council has also been going well, and I was recently elected as the Freshman Representative! Freshmen Rep in student council is the freshmen who is part of the executive board and helps to make sure that the freshmen are being included and agree with everything happening in council. So far as freshmen rep, I have lead a meeting with the freshmen in council to make sure that they agree with everything going on in council, and that they feel involved in everything that we do. I also get to sit in the front of the room during large meetings every Monday which is fun.  I am looking forward to the reindeer games for the teacher's kids because I am working the cupcake walk and the leadership seminar that we will be having. I am also looking forward to the winter trip! It sounds like a lot of fun.

I am so happy that I ran for the rep position and glad that I now can be even more involved than I already  am. My sister is also on the Executive Board, and I am excited to be joining her and the other amazing members.

One thing that I am very grateful for in high school is the reassessment policy. Every test I try my hardest, but sometimes I still don’t get the grade that I want. I can fix this now with reassessing. Although it takes a lot of work to relearn the material and fill out the reassessment form, it is worth it.

Freshmen year is going great, and I am very happy that I become involved with everything that I have. 

Life at HUHS- Andy Childs

As the year continues to progress, seniors, like me, are beginning to hear back from a few of the colleges we have applied to. Recently, I personally heard back from Whitewater and am very happy to be accepted. Many of my friends have heard back from UW system schools as well, such as Platteville and UWM.

On another note, Student Council held its first blood drive! We hung up many signs around school and we signed up about 150 donors.  Remember… it can easily get you out of that one class you hate. I would guess that a large amount of our students give blood simply to cut class. I think the real motto for the blood drive should be “Save a life: skip class today.” Pretend you’re dizzy and get a free Coke! Though truthfully, it is a great cause and is crucial to save the lives of others – the most helpful way to avoid school.  At the end of the day, we collected 149 pints of blood in a short, five hour period. Our next blood drive will be January 21, 2015.

As time goes on through the year and students begin to regret taking difficult classes, I have recently found my enjoyment for art class increasing. All of my friends and family would suggest that I am not the type of person to enjoy an art class due to my lack of skill, but I think I’ve finally started to shine in art fundamentals with Mrs. Mohagen. I haven’t decided what I find more fun, creating things in class or coming up with different last names for our teacher. While we work, Noah Fleuchaus and I spend much of the class deciding other ways to use “hagen” in an interesting name combination. (Don’t worry we still work while talking) I believe the most popular example so far has been “Mrs. Brohagen”. Fortunately she is a good sport and only gives us unsatisfactory when we deserve it. (All of the projects)

The Season is Almost Over -- Carlie DeBack

Saturday November 1^st was the varsity conference meet for Girls Swimming and weeks before that day, I knew it was going to be a tough battle. I had a fire fueled in me to win Conference for the 9^th year in a row, and I know that my teammates did too. This fire grew brighter and bigger after out JV team lost by one point  the previous Tuesday. We have worked too hard and too long in practice to want anything less than a win. Conference was held at Oconomowoc YMCA and the stands where packed, everyone was anticipating an exciting meet, but that didn't matter. We came in determined to win, but yet we could not quite grasp a hold of victory. We lost to West bend West by 70 points, but came home with some new records for the boards. We may have lost, but the season is not over yet, at least for the 15 of us that are going on to sectional (Nov. 8) and hopefully onto State (Nov. 15). Wish us luck in Cedarburg!

Editor's Note: The Swim Team set three new records on their way to state.  Carlie will be swimming in 4 events at the state meet on November 15th.  She will be swimming in the 50m free, Medley relay, the 200m free relay, and the 400m free relay. 

APUSH Dance Offs -- Aaron Nytes

As the quarter comes to an end, we all already looking forward to summer. However, with the cold setting in, as it always does in Wisconsin, summer becomes the utopia as we shiver through the inevitably cold winter and we yearn for some sort of warmth. One of my favorite activities thus far that will continue to instill warmth in my heart even through the winter is closing in is the famous "APUSH Dance Offs". It is used to solve debates, end ties, or just to shame someone for not knowing some of the material. Although I have not had the honor to participate in one yet, you can bet I'll be ready when I am granted that honor. I will begin with the spectacular "Napoleon-Dynamite" dance which will render my opponent star struck and my spectators amazed making me winner by default. Oh how I look forward to that day... The children will remember that day onward as "the day Aaron reestablished himself as the all time dancing king". Of course, I may then have to then proceed to brainwash the class, as a memory of my dancing may be detrimental to my presidential aspirations. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there?

Editor's Postscript:  In the time that Aaron submitted his blog and publishing date, he did have a chance to participate in a dance off.  Unfortunately, he froze and forgot about his amazing "Napoleon Dynamite" routine. He relied on some poorly executed Michael Jackson moves and was defeated.

French Exchange -- Carlie DeBack

If my name seems familiar it is probably because you know my mother Mrs. DeBack the Graphic Production teacher here at HUHS. On Thursday, October 16, 2014, 17 French exchange students arrived at Hartford. You may have seen them or heard about them running around. These students come from a town in the South of France called, Carpentras, where we have a sister school. The students were greeted by their hosts after school on Thursday,  one of which being me. My French student, Cholé, was very excited to arrive and finally meet me in person after emailing each other for weeks. The conversation are going well; many of the French students have been learning English since around age 8, but they are also teaching our students many things about French culture and pronunciation of words. The students are here for two weeks, which are very full of activities, but still find time to come to class with us a couple of days. 

The students are not only attending class with their hosts, but also visiting several places around Wisconsin, like Milwaukee, Madison and even Hartford. They attended the Hartford vs. Slinger game and many of them are going to Fright Fest this weekend. They will surely return home with many new stories to share with their friends and family. 

Meet Carlie!

Carlie, a sophomore, is our final blogger this year.  Carlie has wandered the hallways of HUHS since she was little, as her mother is a TEE teacher at the school.  She is the oldest of four children, so she is paving her own way at HUHS.  While Carlie will tell you that she likes to read, write, and draw, she says that either Math or Graphics is her favorite class.

Just like our other bloggers, Carlie is involved in various activities at HUHS.  She is a member of the Swim Team, Skills USA, and Track and Field.  She has become quite accomplished in both Swim and Skills USA.  Her relay team recently broke the 200 free relay school and pool record; she and her team or looking to compete at the State level.  Carlie is not a stranger to such a high level of competition.  She qualified and competed at the National event for Skills USA this past summer in the category of pin design

One of Carlie's passions is photography and you will find her around school, on the field or court capturing many exciting moments at HUHS.  Creativity abounds in Carlie, and she is currently learning to play the guitar.

Nearing the End -- Andy Childs

As the fall is starting to come to us in Hartford, the rest of the senior class and I have a busy schedule to tend to. Whether you’re in multiple AP classes or you’re simply enjoying the ride of senior year, there is always something to be involved in around the school.

Currently, as a member of student council, I am spent most of my time after school working on the decorations for the homecoming dance this year, “Safari Samba.” This last Wednesday, in fact, my group of council workers and I began to trace and paint the panels (or large paintings on the stage) for the dance. I hope that all of you enjoyed the dance and can appreciate the constant hard work of Student council!

On another note, many seniors have already or are beginning to apply to colleges for freshmen year. It seems very far off to me, but I just submitted my application to the University of Wisconsin Madison for next fall! I, and many others in my situation, can only wait patiently for a reply. I constantly need to remind myself that I will still be alive if I don’t make it in.

By this point in the year, I have gotten to know my teachers very well! Unfortunately, they have also gotten to know me… creating the decision for some to steer clear. Either way I have “enjoyed” reading a book entitled Ethan Frome this last week in my AP literature class and have recently started studying limits in AP Calculus.  But in all seriousness the book wasn't that bad.

I would like to thank Mrs. Parker for giving me the opportunity to speak for the senior class and I look forward to this next year sharing current events. 

Meet Andy!

Andy, our senior blogger, is already setting his sites on next year. Currently wading through college applications, Andy's first choice is UW-Madison, where is sister Allison is in her junior year.  This year his schedule includes four AP classes, his favorite being AP Economics, and he hopes to study finance in the future.

Andy has been a member of Varsity tennis since his freshman year. However, last year he explored a few of the other co-curricular offerings at HUHS, joining both Student Council and Model UN.  He had a tremendous impact on Student Council garnering one of the "Rookie of the Year" awards during the 2013-2014 school year.

While school takes up a great deal of his time, Andy likes to spend the free time being outdoors, playing tennis and fishing when he gets the chance.  He is also able to squeeze a part time job into the mix  Andy lives in the southern part of the HUHS district, so he has the added joy of a 20 minute drive to and from school.

Be sure to follow Andy's witty take on the road to graduation, as member of the class of 2015.

A Brand New Year, Brand New School -- Aysiah Jaeke

Hi. I am Aysiah Jaeke, a freshman at HUHS. Although school just started,  I am already incredibly busy. Being part of different activities such as Student Council, the musical, and golf has made my schedule crazy, but it has also made my transition into high school a lot easier.

 On the first day of school, I was a bit nervous. I am really glad that I went to Freshman Jumpstart and Freshman Orientation because it really helped me find all my

classes and get there on time. It was kind of hard to adjust to kids in the hallway because there are so many people, but I can now say that I have successfully made through my month without being tripped or getting lost.

In the first couple weeks of school, I have already gotten tons of homework. After golf practice, I have to go home and start working on assignments right away. Although during resource I may want to talk with my friends, I have found that it works better if I focus on homework. Resource is such a helpful period because I can work with different classmates or go to teachers for help. I have also learned that high school teachers are no scarier than middle school ones. My teachers all seem to genuinely care about my success and are ready to help me wherever I need it.

One of my favorite classes so far this year is biomedical sciences. The class includes high school students of all different grade levels, which is cool because I can meet people other than freshmen. So far, we have been working on a crime scene investigation. It’s really cool to do labs that are similar to things that some people actually do for a job and to learn more about crime scene investigators. I love the hands-on aspect of everything here at the high school.

So far, my year has been going great, and I hope that it will continue to be like this for the rest of my four years at Hartford Union High School. 

Meet Aysiah!

Our freshman blogger, Aysiah, has some pretty big shoes to fill, for her older sister Elisha has set the bar high, but Aysiah is definitely up for the challenge.  In a short few weeks, she has found her way around the building and is feeling at home as the school year moves on.  Aysiah comes to HUHS from Central Middle School, and is a second generation Oriole, as both her parents attended HUHS.

Wasting no time in getting involved, Aysiah is a member of Student Council, she is a part of the musical, and a part of the golf team.  Aysiah is a member of the Treble Choir, and she also enjoys playing the violin as well.  Theater is in her blood; she has been a part of 14 productions with various local theater and dance groups, garnering one of the leads during middle school.

While she engages the left side of her brain often, she admits that science is her favorite class and is looking forward to the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) BioMed class.  Science is intriguing to her because there is always something new to learn.  Already, the class has piqued her interest with the crime scene investigation scenario.  For Aysiah, it was fascinating to see all the elements of science that goes into an investigation.

Joining the Student Council at HUHS was a logical progression for Aysiah, as she was the president of her middle school council.  She is looking forward to getting involved in the HUHS community through Student Council and is excited to be working on the Homecoming events for 2014.

Make it Great -- Aaron Nytes

It's the beginning of a new school year! Time for the "beginning-of-the-year-jitters", and procrastination to start kicking. My name is Aaron Nytes. Yes, brother of the outgoing Jackie Nytes and the outspoken Ian Nytes. I am very active around the school, and I, as well, am excited for the new year. 

We all have that feeling of excitement, but the sad truth is, eventually, that will be set aside as feelings of despair and anxiety start to kick in. It won't be long until we are all counting down the months, days, and the *tick*tick*tick* seconds.  As we get piled on with homework and essays and responsibilities and... Umm... More essays; we will all begin to hate school again, as we did last year, and the year before. But, I ask of you, while you are already starting to look forward to the summer,why not try and make this year great. It's a year you will never get back. "The glory days" they call it. Why don't we try to make them glory-filled? Why don't we make it the best we can be? Try enjoying free learning, as the next step will most likely not be free. As a pessimistic-optimistic would say, we have to be here anyway, why not make it great? Enjoy the beginning of the school year.

Meet Aaron!

As we kick off The Oriole Life blog, we will introduce you to the four students who have graciously agreed to document their lives for this blog. They are a great group of kids with varied interests, and they represent the wonderful kids that walk the halls every day at HUHS.


 Aaron, a junior, is a student who looks to challenge himself in school.  He is currently taking four Advanced Placement (AP) classes this year and plans to take six AP classes next year.  In addition to his coursework, Aaron is involved in Forensics, Model UN, Tennis, and Student Council this year.  In the past, he was involved in Mock Trial and Basketball. He is probably one of the few teenagers who enjoys public speaking, and he brings his gift to school events, as he hosted the talent show last year and will be the host of the Homecoming Pep Rally in October.

Aaron is the youngest of three children to attend HUHS.  His older sister, Jackie, who graduated last year, was his forensic partner.  They placed very well last season, even winning the talent show with their performance of "Dear Babies Everywhere."  You can also find him working in Ozzy's Cafe when all the renovations are completed.

Even with such a full schedule, Aaron has been involved in the creation of the Love>Hate project.  The project works to end the culture of violence within our society and to help people embrace a more positive outlook.  This project grew of the tragic death of HUHS alumna Jessie Blodgett, and works to help people move beyond the anger and hate that surrounded the tragedy.  In the little spare time that he has, Aaron has a job outside of school, and likes to play the collectible card game Magic,

Welcome to Life at HUHS

This year we are documenting the lives of our students as they maneuver their way through the halls of Hartford Union High School.  Our new blog "The Oriole Life" presents a side of high school that many may not see.   We are taking you behind the scenes, around the campus, and into the lives of our students.

We have four featured writers who will share their experiences at HUHS throughout the entire academic year.  Hartford Union High School is a great school, and there are so many opportunities available to all students.  A student's perspective will show the community all sides of the high school experience, from the academic experiences to the social issues and everything in between.

Keep an eye out for profiles of our bloggers during the next few weeks.  The bloggers will begin posting the week of September 8th.  Enjoy the Oriole Life!