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Senior Interview: Savannah Witte
MHS Newspaper Staff
Rayne Palmer
Savannah Witte is a senior at Madrid High School who is a part of the 2026 graduating class. Her family consists of her dad, Ryan, her mom, Jenny, and her twin sister, Maggie. Her activities she has participated in consist of dance for four years, Swim Team for four years, National Honor Society for two years and president for one, Jazz Band and Marching/Concert Band for 3 years, National History Day Competition for one year, track manager for two years, Band Solo/Ensemble Contest for two years, State Science Fair for two years, and the World Food Prize for one year. Her awards and achievements include; 2026 Boone Girls Swimming and Diving State Team, North Central Swimming Conference All-Academic Award Boone High School varsity letter recipient, Girls’ swimming and diving Madrid High School varsity letter recipient, Band Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Member, DMACC President’s Award for High Scholastic Achievement, National History Day Competition, Third-place recipient Scholastic Art & Writing, Honorable Mention Borlaug Scholar recognition, Student Award of Geoscience Excellence, and The United States Army Outstanding Project Award. Her out-of-school hobbies consist of reading, staying active outdoors, and dancing. She works at the Boone Municipal Pool as a lifeguard and water safety instructor. She also works at Dance Driven at the daycare. When asked about contributions that she has made to the school or community that she is proud of, she exclaims, “I am very proud of my senior leadership project where I designed and led the honors English program for the 9th and 10th graders last semester.” After graduation, she plans on attending Iowa State University for History Education. When asked what she would tell underclassmen, she remarks, “Don't take what's in front of you for granted; treat everything as an opportunity.” Her senior quote, “Just keep swimming,” is a testament to her perseverance.
Senior Interview: Camron Elswick
MHS Newspaper Staff
Rayne Palmer
Camron Martin Elswick is a senior at Madrid High School who is a part of the 2026 graduating class. His family consists of his parents, Lisa Elswick and Jason Elswick, and his brother, Kaden Elswick. He participated in basketball for 3 years and powerlifting for 1 year. He was proud of his achievement as a finalist in the Know Your Constitution competition. His out-of-school hobbies include weightlifting, basketball, golf, bowling, landscaping, and cooking. He is employed at Subway. The contributions that he has made to the school or community that he’s proud of consist of community service, concessions, and Labor Day. After graduation, he plans on going to DMACC for 2 years to get an Associate of Science. He then plans to transfer to Iowa State University for Kinesiology for 2 years. After Iowa State University, he plans on enrolling in a DPT program at Iowa or DMU. When asked what he had to say to underclassmen, he responded, "It's really not that much effort to make it through school.” His senior quote is taken from a history teacher at Madrid High School, "It's not about the plot, it's about the substance" - Gabriel Thompson Dunn.
Senior Interview: Gracie Anderson
MHS Newspaper Staff
Kemper McDaniel
Gracie Anderson is part of the 2026 graduating class, and her family consists of her mother, Sheila Anderson; father, Paul Anderson; sister, Anna Caris; sister, Shawna Bunce; sister, Bethany Spence; and brother, Calin Anderson. When asked what activities Gracie participated in through her tenure at MHS, she replied, “FFA 1 year, Track 2 years, Yearbook 1 year, Softball 3 years, Colorguard 3 years, SkillsUSA 1 year.” Gracie said her proudest accomplishment would be going to state for Colorguard and getting division 1, in which Madrid was the only 1a band to do so! While outside of school, Gracie commented on her hobbies, “Hobbies are welding, Painting, drawing, and going on walks in the woods.” Staying on the topic of welding, Gracie plans on going into welding at Lane Trailers in Boone! Her advice to the younger classmen would have to be to keep your head up high and keep moving forward. Gracie’s senior quote is “Life is like a game of poker. You play the cards you're dealt and hope you win.”
Senior Interview: Makaylie Berg
MHS Newspaper Staff
Kemper McDaniel
Makaylie Berg, commonly called Makie by close friends, is a part of the 2026 graduating class. Makie’s plans after high school include majoring in early childhood education at ISU. Her advice to underclassmen would be “If you don't know what you want to do yet, that is okay!” Makie’s family includes: mother, Joy Berg; father, Matthew Berg; sisters, Kelsie and Ellie Berg; dogs, Pineapple and Hopper; hedgehog, Daisy; and turtle, Tulka. While she dedicated her time in high school to studying, it surely paid off with her achieving A and B honor roll all four years, student of the month for math, FCS classes, and growth. Makie’s in-school activities include: Marching Band for 2 years, Concert band for 2 years, Recital dance for 4 years, Competition dance for 2 years, Basketball cheer for 1 year, Theater for 4 years, FCCLA for 2 years. Contrastingly when asked what her out of school activities are she responded with, “ Crocheting, coloring, working my jobs, playing with my puppies, hanging out with friends.” and when questioned about her job she replied, “ I have 2 jobs, I work at Cup of Joy on most weekends and I work at Tiger Tots almost everyday during the week.” Lastly, Makie’s contributions to the community include: Volunteering around the community her senior year, participating in FCCLA and becoming a leader her 2nd year, and volunteering with my dance teacher my junior year, which helped with the little kids’ dance classes!
MHS Newspaper
Rayne Palmer
“Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” is a movie directed by Paul Feig. The movie is adapted from the original “Ghostbusters” that came out in 1984. The movie follows Abby, Erin, Jillian, and Patty as they try to prove that ghosts are real. As the movie progresses, they learn secrets and encounter ghosts. They eventually find the man behind the ghost outbreak and confront them until something horrible happens. This sends a spiral through the near-perfect peace they achieved. People get possessed, and ghosts get released, causing chaos, can they fix this before it’s too late?
I loved this movie. I grew up watching this movie ever since it was released, which allows me to remember the details so I can talk about it! I love how the characters slowly become a family with a shared interest. I also love how we get to see the Ghostbusters' point of view, as well as Rowan, the villain in the movie. The extended cut for the movie brings even more lore and intriguing feelings to the franchise, as it shows more about the story and funny little scenes that are hilarious. I personally don’t think I have any negative comments about this movie because it is crafted well and keeps me intrigued even when I am doing something else. I would recommend this movie to any “Ghostbuster” fans and people who want a new movie to watch!
Staff Superlatives Results
MHS Newspaper
Kemper McDaniel
Throughout the second semester of the current school year there have been voting polls for the students to vote on the staff. The following staff members won a superlative: Mrs. Grove, Nurse Thieben, Mr. Boone, Mrs. McNaul, Mr. Peterson, Ms. Gilles, Mr. Dunn, and Ms. Werthman. The superlative of Best Duo went to the iconic Mrs. Grove & Mrs. McNaull. Ms Gilles and Mr. Boone were awarded the Best Brainiac superlative, while the superlative of Best Stories went to Nurse Thieben and Mr. Peterson. The last superlative of Best Dressed was awarded to Ms. Werthman and Mr. Dunn. Give a huge congrats to these teachers and the staff in general for their hard work throughout the year!
MHS Newspaper
Sophia Gray
Caraval by Stephanie Garber is a fantasy novel where two sisters join this magic carnival. There is only one winner at the end, and the winner gets one wish. They have to play games and do tasks to win. During all the players' time spent in the game, they lose track of what is real and what is just a part of the game. This book is the first out of three books. This book is my new favorite book. I highly recommend that you read it.
Students participated in Wellness Day activities on Wednesday, April 9, as a break from the week of ISASP Testing.
Student Recipes - Lasagna - Ariana Smith
MHS Newspaper Staff
Victoria West
▢15 oz. ricotta cheese, 2 cups
▢1 large egg
▢2 cups mozzarella cheese
▢¾ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
▢2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
▢½ teaspoon salt
▢¼ tsp pepper
Meat Sauce
▢1 tablespoon olive oil
▢1 yellow onion, finely diced
▢¾ lb. ground beef
▢¾ lb. ground Italian sausage
▢3 cloves garlic, minced
▢½ cup chicken broth
▢40 oz. marinara sauce, see notes
▢1 tablespoon tomato paste
▢1 teaspoon hot sauce
▢1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Lasagna Noodles/ Cheese Topping
▢12 lasagna noodles, plus extra in case of breakage
▢2.5 cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Prep Work
Combine the cheese filling ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients.
Make the Meat Sauce
Heat olive oil over medium heat and add the diced onions. Let them soften for 10 minutes. (This allows them to release a little sugar which is a nice offset to the acidity of the tomatoes.)
Add the ground beef and sausage and increase heat to medium-high. Use a spatula to break up the meat so that it’s very fine and crumbled. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through. Add garlic during the last minute. Drain excess grease.
Add the chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the pot. Add the marinara sauce, tomato paste, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially and let the sauce simmer gently while you boil the pasta noodles.
Preheat Oven and Cook the Lasagna Noodles
Preheat oven to 375°.
Begin boiling a large pot of salted pasta water for the lasagna noodles. Once a rapid boil is reached, cook the noodles to al dente according to package instructions. (Set a timer to ensure you don’t overcook them.) Gently stir with a wooden spoon throughout cooking to prevent the noodles from sticking. Drain and rinse with cold water until noodles are completely cool.
Lay the cooled noodles flat on wax or parchment paper while you begin assembling the lasagna.
Assemble
Spread 1 heaping cup of meat sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Next, add 4 lasagna noodles, overlapping them if needed.
Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles, followed by about 1 ½ cups of meat sauce.
Top with 4 more lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture, 1 ½ cups meat sauce.
Finish with 4 more lasagna noodles, the rest of the ricotta mixture, and the rest of the meat sauce.
Top with 2 ½ cups of Mozzarella cheese.
Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray and place it spray-side-down on top of the baking dish to prevent the cheese from sticking to it.
Bake
Bake for 35 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 10 more minutes.
Remove and garnish with fresh parsley. Let it sit for 15 minutes prior to serving to allow the layers to set. Serve with garlic bread with cheese.
Weekly Motivation
MHS Newspaper
Dax Frey
This week's motivational quote is written by Denise Brennan-Nelson. The quote says, "Someday is not a day of the week." — Denise Brennan-Nelson. This quote has some very strong meaning to it. Most people go through their lives saying someday over and over and over again. Being okay with the word someday should be unacceptable to you. The more you push your dreams and aspirations back another day, the more of a chance you have to not achieve them. Get up every day with a deep belief that you can do it and go dominate your day. Do it today not tomorrow.
Wellness Wednesday
MHS Newspaper
Storm Margetta
As of last week, ISASP testing was completed, and on Wednesday, the school offered a day of fun activities to let students relax and have some fun after a week of testing. A survey was conducted asking 39 students what their favorite rotation of Wellness Wednesday was, and the top contender wasn’t very shocking. Cuddling with goats in Ms. Samson’s rotation was chosen most by 12 students; I would have to agree, the goats were adorable and very playful. As the second-best rotation at 7 students was hanging out with the kids at the elementary school, students enjoyed being around the kids at recess and making connections. And in third-best rotation was a tie between board games and dodgeball/kickball at 4 students each! A student had even stated that they went up against Mr. Dunn. I bet that was a fun and intense match! Seems like our students enjoy being active and interactive. It’s a great thing to know they are!