Valley's Got Talent 2014

Tippecanoe Valley High School held Valley's Got Talent on Thursday, May 8.  $584 was raised from ticket sales, with all proceeds going to Rachel's Challenge.  There were fifteen performances at the talent show, with awards for both solo and group acts.

Solo Act

1st place: senior Nolan Sponseller telling a joke
2nd place: Health and P.E. teacher Mrs. Bush-Garbers making bird calls


Group Act
1st place: Peer Facilitators lip-syncing/dancing comedy act
2nd place: Les Filles Francaises dancing act


To see glimpses of the show, visit the school newspaper website at www.runicreview.com.

Genocide in Venezuela

The following is an article written by senior John Paul Secrest and junior Rockne Bhastardo about genocide in Venezuela.

               On February 27, 1989 the country of Venezuela changed forever.  In the months leading up to this event, an economic crisis had gripped the country.  It started with their government borrowing money from the American government.  They had no way of repaying what they borrowed with their current revenue.  In order to pay America back they looked for ways to increase their revenue.  Their plan was to over tax their people for basic necessities. 

               They increased the costs of public transportation by over one-hundred percent.  They increased the price of gas resulting in driving yourself impossible.  They increased the price of food making what they bought a week ago almost unaffordable.  In an outrage, a massive riot broke out near their capital city.  The government was left with two options: let them rage or take them down.  Their solution was to take them down.

               Armed soldiers started firing upon the citizens.  The soldiers had lost their chain of command and were just following the last orders they received.  They were killing people indiscriminately.  The rioters were put down, their families were put down, bystanders were put down, and everyone they saw was killed. 

               The government’s official death toll was three-hundred.  If you ask the people there, it was in the multi-thousands.  The victims have not been compensated in anyway after this occurrence.  The soldiers responsible for the murders where not even punished, they all now hold easy government jobs.  This past February marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the massacre.  The people that lost family and friends are still alive today.  The lives of these victims have been changed forever, and most people don’t even know what they went through.  

Seniors Go to Washington, D.C.

Thirty-eight Tippecanoe Valley High School seniors traveled to Washington, D.C. last week for their senior trip.  The trip, which in the earlier years of Valley was just a one-day vacation, has changed.  Students spent four days just in Washington, D.C.  They left on Tuesday, April 22^nd and returned on Sunday, April 27^th.  During their time in the nation’s capital, the seniors saw various monuments and visited several historical places.

During their trip, the seniors visited Gettysburg and Mount Vernon, two well-known historical sites.  The students got to walk in George Washington’s house and on the Gettysburg battlefield.  They also visited the Library of Congress, the U.S. Capitol, and the Smithsonian Institution.  Seniors saw memorials such as the Washington Monument, the Vietnam Wall, and the Lincoln Memorial.  Also, the students got to see a protest and Vice-President Joe Biden’s motorcade.

Students Raise Money for Rachel's Challenge

               Bullying and suicide are topics that are always talked about on television and online.  However, both of these subjects have impacted students and staff at Tippecanoe Valley High School greatly.  In the 2012-2013 school year, the school corporation grieved the loss of three students and two faculty members.  However, juniors Michael Thacker and Deontee Smith are working to bring a program called Rachel’s Challenge to the community.

               According to www.rachelschallenge.org, the program “equips students and adults to create and sustain safe, caring and supportive learning environments essential for academic achievement.”  Rachel’s Challenge is “based on the writings and life of 17-year-old Rachel Scott who was the first student killed at Columbine High School in 1999.”  The website also states that in the last three years, Rachel’s Challenge has received five hundred emails from students who, after hearing Rachel’s story, reached out for help because they were considering suicide.  Thacker and Smith believe that the program would be effective in preventing both bullying and suicide.

               In order to bring the program to Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation, both Thacker and Smith have been working to raise money.  Rachel’s Challenge costs approximately $5,000, but this goal is very close to being reached.  

Students Perform Wizard of Oz At Valley

                Tippecanoe Valley High School presented the musical The Wizard of Oz.  The students in the musical performed four shows from Thursday, March 20^th to Saturday, March 22^nd.  The well-known characters from this classic story were portrayed by the following students:

Dorothy: sophomore Ally Weber

Scarecrow: senior Branigan Bahney

Tin Man: sophomore Nick Reynolds

Cowardly Lion: sophomore Kaden Sebastian

Glinda the Good Witch: freshman Devyn Masterson

Wicked Witch of the West: freshman Blake McBrier

Mayor of Munchkin City: freshman Thane Madeford

Aunt Em: freshman Jenna Schultz

Gloria: junior Megan Howard

The Wizard of Oz: sophomore Jeremy Himes

               All proceeds from the tickets purchased will go towards costumes for next year’s performance.  The set was created by Mrs. Jan Mills’ Art classes.

New Class: Political Studies-Part Three

            Seniors in the Political Studies class at Tippecanoe Valley High School completed their business plan presentations on March 14^th.  During the first semester, students created a business plan for a product or service.  For the second semester, the groups made a Power Point, stating the basic facts about their business.  These ideas were then presented to an investor panel, who evaluated the presentations.  The investors also decided how much money each business would get.

Each group received an investment ranging from $200 to $600.  The highest investment went to Boost Your Beauty (BYB), a not-for-profit service that involves volunteers giving manicures to elderly women in nursing homes.  Seniors Sofia Boganwright and Taylor Garringer won the competition.  Both students will go to Boca Raton, Florida, where they will present their business plan.  If Boganwright and Garringer win the competition there, they will advance to the finals in Washington, D.C. 

The Political Studies class has completed many projects over the school year.  They have completed a business plan and created a marketing plan for the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation.  The students have also taken many field trips, including one to the Indiana Statehouse.  Finally, the seniors in the class will have a YEA! graduation at the end of the year, with the Indiana Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann as a guest speaker.

Winter Sports Wrap Up At Valley

                Due to several instances of bad weather, completing winter sports has been very challenging for student athletes at Tippecanoe Valley.  However, even with the rescheduling of many games, Valley has had awesome highlights in its winter athletic career.  Wrestling, basketball and swimming have all had excellent seasons, with students traveling to state and making All-Area teams.

                For boys’ basketball, junior Chainey Zolman, and seniors Tanner Andrews and Robby Groom were named to the Warsaw Times-Union All Area Team.  The boys’ basketball team also made it to the sectional semifinals, but was defeated by Northwood.  Also, the Tippecanoe Valley girls’ basketball team had three players recognized as All-Area athletes: freshman Anne Secrest, senior Cara Hoffman, and junior Caylie Teel.

               The TVHS wrestling team completed its season with seven wrestlers advancing to regionals.  Austin Nault (11), Devin Childers (11), Wyatt Nelson (11), Cody Runyon (11), Garrett Bell (12), Keaton Bell (12), and Jaron Kidd (12) qualified for regionals.  Junior Devin Childers also advanced to state and competed.

               Tippecanoe Valley has had a great winter sport season, and will most definitely have a great season.  Girls’ tennis, boys’ golf, track and field, baseball and softball will begin practices, matches, and games soon.