Pictured are state speech competitors from Marshalltown High School at the state contest in February 2 in Cedar Rapids. Pictured from left are, Coach Jocelyn Frohwein, Hay Htu, Nasteho Mohammed, Hay Oo, Jesse DeMeyer, Fynn Piepenschneider, Mung Piang, Carissa King, Eli Thiessen, Stella Roseburrough Borras, Phoebe Osgood, Trinity Snow Snyder, Ellie Draisey, Martha Diaz and Coach Grant Gale.

Marshalltown High School competed in the state large group speech contest on February 2 at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. The team earned five Division 1 ratings including one entry which received all-state recognition and one Division II rating.

The all-state honor went to Carissa King and Eli Thiessen for their performance of “You’re the Top” from “Anything Goes.” Carissa and Eli will be recognized for their honor at the all-state speech festival on February 16 in Ames.

Below are all the MHS entries and results from the state contest held this past Saturday.

Earning a Division I rating :

Ensemble Acting
Unbreakable Friendship
Consisting of: Hay Htu, Hay Oo, Mung Piang, Nasteho Mohammed

Group Mime
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Consisting of: Phoebe Osgood and Stella Roseburrough-Borras

Musical Theater
You’re the Top from Anything Goes
Consisting of Carissa King and Eli Thiessen

Short Film
Words Hurt
Consisting of Fynn Piepenschneider, Casey Carl, Griffin Gorsuch, Matthew Waldon, and Phoebe Osgood

In Memory of My Great Great Grandmother
Consisting of Ellie Draisey

Earning a Division II rating:

Group Improv
Consisting of Martha Diaz, Trinity Snow Snyder, and Jesse DeMeyer

Pictured is the Marshalltown High School robotics team at the super qualifier event held in Johnston on February 2. The team has qualified for the state robotics meet. Pictured in front row, from left are, Coach Yan Qiu, Alex Stansberry, Jordan May, Morgan Johnson and Coach Mike Lazere. Back row, Marek Jablonski, Zach Geil, Jesse Serrano (mentor), Andrew Kodis, Luke Wymore, Bill Peden (mentor), Coach Susan Fritzell and Coach Dori Pinkerton. (Not pictured: Jacob Swartz, Heather Junk, Jose Palmerin Andrade and Ana Palmerin Andrade)

The Marshalltown High School robotics team, known as the Botcats, qualified for the First Tech Challenge state robotics meet after competing in the super qualifier in Johnston on February 2.

The super qualifier was an all-day event with the team giving an oral presentation, networking in “the pits” with 23 other teams and competing with their robot to complete the “Rover Ruckus” challenge. Of the 24 teams competing, 14 advanced to the state contest. The teams with the top eight scoring robots advanced, but the remaining six teams advanced due to special awards.

The MHS team won the Connect Award, which allowed the team to advance to state. This judged award is given to the team that most connects with their local science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) community.  MHS will now prepare for the state contest on February 22 and 23 in Coralville with 16 teams from across the state participating.

Several National Honor Society students from Marshalltown High School are pictured with books. The group is collecting books for a book drive with a goal to give a book to every third grader in Marshalltown.

Students in the National Honor Society at Marshalltown High School are running a community-wide book drive now through February 15. The goal is to collect enough books to be able to donate one to every third grade student in Marshalltown.

To achieve this goal, the MHS students are reaching out to the entire community and are asking for donations of new and slightly used books. National Honor Society members will then personally deliver the books and read with the third grade students.

Donation box locations have been organized all around town, including boxes at:

• Marshalltown High School
• Miller Middle School
• Lenihan Intermediate School
• Shomo-Madsen Insurance
• Moore, McKibben, Goodman & Lorenz Law Firm
• Downey and Gantz Dentistry
• C Eye Care
• New Hope Church
• First Presbyterian Church
• Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA

Brittany Appelgate is the nurse at Franklin Elementary School in Marshalltown. She is a 2010 Marshalltown High School graduate.

Appelgate is 2010 Marshalltown High School graduate

Brittany Appelgate wanted to become a nurse to help provide comfort and support to people. The fact that she is doing that for students in the school district she once attended is icing on the cake.

She has worked for three years as a school nurse in the Marshalltown Community School District and is currently the nurse at Franklin Elementary School.

“Being a school nurse is unique in that it really gives an opportunity to build relationships with students and their families over time, compared to nursing in other settings where you may only see patients for a few minutes to a few days,” Appelgate said.

Marshalltown Schools lead nurse Stacey Tool-Crawford said Appelgate is an outstanding school nurse and a part of a great school nurse team in Marshalltown Schools.

“She is caring, supportive and student focused,” Tool-Crawford said.

Time as a student
Then known as Brittany Hurley, she graduated from Marshalltown High School in 2010. Some of her favorite memories from MHS are spending time on the show choir and volleyball team and cheering on the Bobcat football team, especially her eventual husband, Luke Appelgate.

“MCSD is full of amazing teachers,” Appelgate said. “I really loved each of my teachers all through school. In high school I spent a lot of my free time in the choir room rehearsing with Amy Ose and always felt inspired by the sweet Cheryl LaVille.”

Her way back home
After graduating from MHS, Brittany attended Allen College in Waterloo where she earned her bachelor’s of science degree in nursing. Now she can impact others just like she was inspired by Marshalltown Schools staff as a student.

“It feels like home,” she said about being a school nurse in Marshalltown. “I loved growing up in Marshalltown and returning to work in the same district I grew up in feels a little full circle. I’m happy to be able to give back to the community that raised me and be a part of all of the great things happening in Marshalltown and MCSD.”

Pictured are Marshalltown High School students who competed in the Iowa Science Bowl on January 26 in Ames. Pictured in front row, from left, Austin Christen and Jacob Swartz. Back row, Trevor Ketcham, Zach Swartz and Marcus Barker.

Five Marshalltown High School students competed in the 2019 Iowa Science Bowl in Ames on January 26 and advanced to the top 16 out of 40 teams in the competition. The team won four matches and lost three matches against other Iowa schools in the contest.  The Iowa Science Bowl is sponsored by Ames Lab and Iowa State University.

The bowl tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. Teams face off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format, being tested on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, energy and math.

The MHS team is coached by Extended Learning Program teacher Susan Fritzell. Pleasant Valley High School won this year’s Iowa bowl and will advance to the national competition at Washington, DC in April.

Marshalltown High School held its district speech contest at its own facility on January 24, after weather forced the cancellation of two previously scheduled contests with other schools. The MHS students were awarded after live performances in front of a guest judge, with many qualifying for the state speech contest, which will be held February 2 at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School.  The team is coached by Jocelyn Frohwein and Grant Gale, with Evan Roberts serving as manager and Phoebe Osgood as captain.

Earning a Division I rating and qualifying for State Competition:

Ensemble Acting
Unbreakable Friendship
Consisting of: Hay Htu, Hay Oo, Mung Piang, Nasteho Mohammed

Group Mime
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Consisting of: Phoebe Osgood and Stella Roseburrough-Borras

Musical Theater
You’re the Top from Anything Goes
Consisting of Carissa King and Eli Thiessen

Group Improv
Consisting of Martha Diaz, Trinity Snow Snyder, and Jesse DeMeyer

Short Film
Words Hurt
Consisting of Fynn Piepenschneider, Casey Carl, Griffin Gorsuch, Matthew Waldon, and Phoebe Osgood

In Memory of My Great Great Grandmother
Consisting of Ellie Draisey

Earning a Division II rating:

TV News
IDKNEWS with Owen Chaloupek, Fynn Piepenschneider, Isaac Deal, Sebastian Garcia, Jesus Silva, Sean Nyuon, Casey Carl, Rojin Kahraman, Griffin Gorsuch, and Matthew Waldon

Group Improv
Jacobsen Group: Dylan Jacobsen, Sam Wilder, Sadie Vergauwen, Freddy Ross III, and
Esperanza Reyes

RAJA Group: Rojin Kahraman, Ana Nolasco, Ana Kuzina, Anan Shen, and Ashlyn Ruiz

Group Mime
Silent Night, Sleep Tight, Don’t Let the Dollies Bite: Martha Diaz, Trinity Snow Snyder, and Jesse DeMeyer

Earning a Division III rating:

Short Film with Sam Wilder, Dylan Jacobsen, Gok Arou, Oscar Zazueta, Freddy Ross III, Ana Nolasco, and Tristen Osburn

Marshalltown High School sophomore Abbey Welden has been selected to be a youth ambassador this summer in Paraguay.

Bilingual sophomore excited for learning opportunities

Abbey Welden saw an opportunity and decided to go for it. Now, the Marshalltown High School sophomore is smiling after being selected as a youth ambassador who will go to Paraguay for a month this summer.

The all-expenses paid journey to the South American country will include meetings with community leaders in Paraguay, cultural presentations and activities and a home stay with a family.

“I think experiencing the culture there is going to be amazing,” Welden said.

The US Youth Ambassadors Program is a program of the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and US Embassies.

The application process included submitting essays, letters of reference, and a phone interview.

Helping Abbey achieve this goal was the fact she came through Marshalltown Schools in the bilingual program and is fluent in English and Spanish. Her work in Paraguay will be in the Spanish language and her interview for this selection was almost entirely in Spanish.

She said she wants to use this experience and come back to her community of Marshalltown to be an advocate for the bilingual program in Marshalltown Schools.

“I hope I can represent that it is beneficial for people from all different backgrounds,” Welden said of the bilingual program.

Welden will be gone for a month this summer to Paraguay. She learned about this youth ambassador opportunity from MHS Extended Learning Program teacher Susan Fritzell.

“I’m ecstatic she was selected,” Fritzell said. “I’m telling my students that they have got to take advantage of opportunities.”

The Marshalltown High School show choir is pictured preparing for the state show choir festival, which will be held on Feb. 4 in the MHS/Community Auditorium.

EVENT POSTPONED To Feb. 4

Marshalltown High School will host the state show choir festival on Monday, February 4 in the MHS/Community Auditorium.

The event will feature seven different school performances. Each performance will be followed by an on-site clinic with one or more of the judges. Admission for this state-level event is $7 for adults; $5 for seniors (62+) and $3 for students.

The performance schedule for Feb. 4 is as follows:
5 p.m.- BCLUW
5:40 p.m. – Ogden
6:20 p.m.- Woodward-Granger
7:20 p.m.- Des Moines East
8 p.m. – Waukee Timberline
8:40 p.m.- Waukee Prairieview
9:20 p.m.- Marshalltown

MHS Jazz Band Update
Marshalltown High School hosted the state jazz festival on January 21. MHS Jazz One received an overall Division I rating and a Division I from all three judges. MHS Jazz Two received a solid Division II rating. Both bands will compete at the Southeast Polk Jazz Festival on February 9.

Jazz Band/Show Choir Blast is Feb. 12
The MHS show choir and jazz bands will host the Jazz Band/Show Choir Blast on February 12 at 7 p.m. in the MHS/Community Auditorium.

Pictured is the Marshalltown High School robotics team at the Nevada meet on January 19. Pictured in front row from left, are Yan Qiu (coach/mentor) and Morgan Johnson
            Back Row, Dori Pinkerton (coach/teacher), Zach Geil, Jacob Swartz, Marek Jablonski, Jordan May, Lucas Wymore and Jesse Serrano (mentor).
Other team members not pictured: Alex Stansberry, Heather Junk, Andrew Kodis, Jose Palmerin Andrade, Ana Palmerin Andrade, Bill Peden (mentor), Susan Fritzell (coach/teacher) and Mike Lazere (coach)

The Marshalltown High School robotics team, also known as the Botcats, competed in the First Tech Challenge League tournament held on January 19 at Nevada High School.

The team advanced to the super qualifier (state qualifier) which will be held on Feb. 2 in Johnston. The MHS team won the Connect Award, which is given to the team that most connects with their local science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) community.

Students design and build a robot which performs tasks as part of these competitions. A total of 16 teams competed in Nevada with eight moving onto the super qualifier event.

MHS sophomores Marek Jablonski and Morgan Johnson were semifinalists for the FTC Dean’s List Award.