We'releaving for Spain!

Today is the day that we leave for Spain! There is 9 students going to Spain, and none of us could sleep a wink last night! We will be getting on a plane at around 4 in the afternoon, and when we get to Spain it will be very early in the morning in America, but because of the time change, it will be time to get going for the next day for the time in Spain. Everyone was too eager to fall asleep, and wanted to try to start adjusting to the time change!

Spain

In 3 days 9 juniors and seniors are hopping on a plane and heading to Spain. The students leave around 10 in the morning to go to the Minneapolis airport, they get on the plane and later will arrive at Amsterdam. From Amsterdam the next flight will take them to Madrid, Spain. In Spain there will be many activities for the students, and sights for them to visit. They will be there for 15 days, and for 5 of the days they will be staying with a host family. The families are in contact with their families and are eager to meet them.

College classes at CAL

College classes in high school may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually a lot simpler then it seems. There is around 6 different classes at CAL that are taught through North Iowa Area Community College. They are: Web Multimedia, Digital Photography, Composition I, Composition II, Animal Science, and Agronomy. The NIACC instructors give the high school teachers an outline of the course, and what the class needs to cover, and the high school teacher pass on the knowledge to their students. Not only are these classes good because you get both high school and college credits, but you also get more one on one time with the teachers, and you can learn more at your own pace. They are very convenient and are usually transferable. In one year I easily earned 15 college credits just learning in high school, like I do in any other class.

Senior Year

Senior year is coming to an end. It is a lot harder to be a senior then I expected. Most kids in the senior class are athletes that participate in more then one sport. For me the hardest thing about senior year is ending sports. The last game of a season is always the hardest game of the season. Ending something that you have been involved in for at least 8 years is extremely hard. Most of us athletes have been playing together since traveling leagues in 5th grade. Almost every single day we are working together as a team. To have such a close connection to the girls that when the season is over, and us seniors realize that we will never get to be part of something this amazing, and a team that we love, is one of the hardest things that I have ever done.

Valentine's Day.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. The hallways were filled with pink and red and balloons and flowers lined the lockers. At CAL when something gets around, everybody hears about it. Well yesterday was the Cadet boys basketball game that decided if they moved on in districts. Because of this event, and the fact that it was Valentine's day the word got around for all the girls to dress in pink, and wear tutus. It was quite the scene to see all the girls prancing around, dressed like 2 year olds. To be honest, I think that most of the tutus were borrowed from 2 year olds!

Seniors '11

There is 21 students in the senior class. All of us are like family. Especially in a brother/sister kind of way, where we only get along because we have to. We might not always be nice to each other, and we might sometimes be a little "cliquey" but the truth is, if you asked almost any classmate they would say that they wouldn't change one thing. Having this small of a class forces us to love each other. Some of us may never talk to each other ever again after we graduate, but for now we remain close. We all have shared laughter and tears together, and now there is only 95 days until we receive our diplomas, makes me realize how hard it is going to be to say goodbye to the family that I have come to know for the past 12 years of my life.

Mock Trial

At CAL many students participate in a program called Mock Trial. Mock trial is where schools all over the state receive a court case with all the witnesses' affidavits. In the spring there is a date set where all the schools involved have the mock court case against each other. Each school is on defense one time, and prosecution one time each playing roles such as witnesses and lawyers. There is actual judges who score you on how well you played your part, asked and answered questions, handled objections, and kept your composer. The best scores in the school move on to state mock trial.

Ms. Shaw

CAL was blessed with a new English teacher this year. Her name is Nichole Shaw. I have two classes with her every day, and they are my favorite two classes of the day. I have talked to other English students from other schools and they talk about how boring their English classes are. They mainly consist of writing papers, with Ms. Shaw we learn a lot, but have a lot of fun doing it. At the moment we are working on an assignment where each student has to come up with a holiday then make and give the presentation to the Hallmark CEO and their staff (her and the class). There is never a dull moment in class, and never a dull assignment.

Ashley Attwood

Ashley Attwood- Newly engaged, first year math teacher, 1st team-all conference arm wrestler, and of course, CAL High School head basketball coach. The picture of wholesome perfection. Can run 10 miles without breaking a sweat. Mentor of every high school girl at CAL. As a high school senior I have gone through many coaches with a lot of experience, but even as a first-year coach, she has taught me to have a passion for something that I ever really enjoyed in the past years. I have been pushed to my limit, and she has really helped me reach my full potential in the sport. Every day I look forward to going to basketball practice to see what else she can teach me, not only about the game of basketball, but about the game of life.

Teachers

This year CAL welcomed 7 new teachers into our Cadet family. The classes taken over are: preschool, fourth grade, middle school reading, high school family consumer science, high school science, high school math, and high school english. We have already gone through one semester with our new teachers, and have learned so much. Most of them are just starting there career as teachers, so they are young and have a lot of fresh ideas for their classes. With such a small school, the teachers all get to know the students very well, and have a very good relationship with them. The students here at CAL are very happy with their new teachers and are looking forward to many more years with our new teachers.

Sports

Even though CAL is a small school, we still have many students actively involved in athletics. Around half of the students in each class are involved in one way, or another. Because of our small school size, the sports conference is very far away, so we are able to play other schools that are our size. A lot of the bus rides are 2 hours away, meaning these athletes are on the road all night and don't get home until midnight on most away games. Even with these athletes getting a major lack of rest they continue to do it week after week, because they love what they do, and put their whole heart into the pride of their school. 

Introduction

CAL Community School is a small school, made up of around 350 students from preschool to 12th grade. We are all in one cozy little building located in Latimer, Iowa. Many people think that a small school does not amount to much, but with as low as one person in a class, we get more then enough one on one time with our teachers. We get to know know everyone who goes to our school, including staff. Students at CAL do not even know the meaning of a "cliche" because they cannot afford to have someone mad at them because chances are they are in some sort of club together. With such a small school CAL kids get the opportunity to do so much more then students of big schools. From sports to speech and drama to band and choir, students are involved in everything. CAL is truely "small but mighty".