Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School

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Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
May 28, 2021			                Kingsburg High School 			         Issue 4, Volume 94

 Prom
 Royalty
 Reign

                      Features                    Seniors          Sports
  In this Issue:   Garabedian                KHS Bids
                   Chosen as                                   KHS Sports
    News                                     Farewell to the
                   2021 Girls                                  Given Chance
                                             Class of 2021
Tribute to Mr.     State Delegate                              to Compete
Maury Nyberg                                                   in Spring
Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
2
                                                           FEATURES
                                                             NEWS
      VIKING                       Maury Nyberg Leaves His Mark on KHS
                                   By Avneet Purewal                         lacking iodine, which can cause devel-         to do our part to keep up its traditions.

      VOICE                        Editor-in-Chief
                                             Maurice Nyberg passed away
                                   on April 18th, 2021 at the age of 95.
                                                                             opmental disorders. He also helped in
                                                                             getting tetanus shots to women in devel-
                                                                             oping countries who didn’t have access to
                                                                                                                            I know he would want the Kingsburg
                                                                                                                            Swedish Days to continue and we both
                                                                                                                            enjoyed hosting our large Nyberg family
                                   He was looked up to as a role model       sterile equipment during childbirth.           for Santa Lucia Day, which is the first
                                   in the Kingsburg community. He                      Local projects Nyberg led most-      Saturday in December. I also appreci-
                                   dedicated countless hours with the        ly involved fundraising so that Kiwanis        ated how he loved me unconditionally,
                                   goal to help others, especially young     could continue giving out their annual         and I him.”
                                   students.                                 scholarships. One of his most recent                     Nyberg always had a deep
                                             Nyberg graduated from           fundraisers included a pancake dinner          passion to give to others. “I enjoy being
                                   KHS in 1943, and continued to stay        and a silent auction which generated a lot     involved in community beneficial ac-
                                   involved with not only the Kingsburg      of scholarship money.                          tivities and serving the community. It’s
                                   community, but also KHS for the rest                Nyberg lived in Kingsburg for        such a worthwhile feeling helping chil-
                                   of his life. He advised KHS Key Club      all of his life. His grandparents moved to     dren of the world,” marveled Nyberg.
                                   and Kingsburg Kiwanis alongside his       Kingsburg from Sweden. He had Swedish          Nyberg was driven to help high school
                                   wife, Pauline Nyberg.                     parents, who raised Nyberg and his two         students which is why he dedicated so
                                             World War II began in Ny-       older brothers. He had three children,         much time to Key Club.
     Kingsburg High                berg’s junior year of high school. He
                                   knew he’d be drafted, so he made the
                                                                             nine grandchildren, and 14 great grand-
                                                                             children who continuously brought joy
                                                                                                                                      KHS College & Career Coun-
                                                                                                                            selor Kerry Peterson got to know Mr.
    School 2020-2021               decision to enlist in the navy. He had    into his life.                                 Nyberg through Key Club and Kings-
                                   to overcome many hardships while                    Another hardship Nyberg under-       burg Kiwanis. She explained, “One of
    Viking Voice Staff             serving his country during such a         went was when his first wife, Lorraine Ny-     my favorite things about Mr. Nyberg
                                   dangerous time.                                                                              was his humility. He served oth-
         Editor-in-Chief
                                             The first ship that                                                                ers graciously- he got in there and
        Avneet Purewal                                                                                                          worked! Even when he was in his
                                   Nyberg was assigned to was
            Editor                 named the U.S.S. Jenkins which                                                               90’s, he would lug water bottles for
                                   was hit by artillery from a shore                                                            Key Club lunches or cook and clean
        Zachery Howell
                                   battery. Six soldiers were killed,                                                           at the annual fundraisers to raise
     Staff Writers/ Reporters      all on his first operation.                                                                  money for KHS scholarships.¨
       Kimmy Alexander                       Another major obstacle                                                                   “I remember one Pancake
                                   he faced near the end of the                                                                 Dinner night where he was the last
           Laura Angel
                                   war occured when his unit was                                                                man standing- truly. He (at age 90
           Lauren Berry
                                   bombarded and hit a mine. “We                                                                or so) was mopping while all the rest
           Leila Dablan            would’ve sunk but the sand-                                                                  of us gave out or went home. He
          Jadyn Franco             bar barely saved us. We had to                                                               never asked anyone to do a job he
              Trista Fry           wait until we were discovered                                                                wouldn’t do right along with them.
         Brittyn Jennings          and then a bigger ship came to                                                               His style of leadership that way made
           Abigail Jobe            rescue us,” Nyberg explained.                                                                a deep impression on me. As far as
        Brenda Marquez                       After the atomic bombs                                                             a lasting impact, I would have to say
          Summer Mejia             were dropped over Nagasaki                                                                   that Mr. Nyberg showed me how
        Kristen Pacheco            and Hiroshima, Nyberg and                                                                    much kindness matters. He had a
           Mary Palmer             his crew knew that the war was                                                               way of making each and every one
                                   almost over. He served the rest                                                              of us lucky enough to know him, feel
         Madelyn Wiest
                                   of his time with a decommis-                                                                 like we’re really quite special. And he
         Brynlee Woods                                                                                                          made you feel that way each and ev-
                                   sioning team in San Diego until
         Camille Zavala            he was discharged in 1946.                                                                   ery time he saw you. He truly loved
    Special Thanks to Samuel                 Although he served as a safe-   berg, was diagnosed with breast cancer.        and was so proud of the students he
    Marshall for Photography!      ty consultant with the State Compen-      She had a long, hard-fought battle, but        served through Key Club. I will cherish
                                   sation Insurance Fund after the Navy,     lost when she was 67 years old.                those memories,” Peterson continued.
Any opinions expressed are         Nyberg impacted the community in          Nyberg met his current wife, Pauline                     Nyberg often advised Key Club
those of the author and in no      many other ways. He played a big role     Nyberg, through Kiwanis. They shared           members, “Study hard and find activ-
way represent the position of      in the Orchard Church, serving as the     similar passions and spent much of their       ities that will serve your community.
the Kingsburg High Staff, ad-      choir director and helping out when-      lives helping the community. “If it wasn’t     Don’t be so involved in things that
ministration, Board of Trustees,   ever and wherever he was needed. He       for Kiwanis, our paths would’ve never          would take away from you being active
advertisers, or the Viking Voice   advised KHS’ Key Club (a volunteer-       crossed,” Nyberg added.                        in your community because it really is
            advisor.               ing club) and was also a member of                  Pauline Nyberg added, “Mr.           worthwhile.”
                                   Kiwanis, a service club that empowers     Nyberg was always upbeat and happy and                   The Kingsburg community lost
Letters to the Editors             people to fundraise and partake in        if things bothered him he did not seem to      Nyberg on April 18th, 2021. Kings-
                                   local service projects to serve the       let it show. He gave the best hugs and had     burg honored him with a motorcade
 Email your comments, opin-        needs of children. He served as the       a nice, big laugh. He was generous with        down Draper Street all the way through
ions, and ideas on this issue’s    president for the Kingsburg chapter       his time and loved life. He enjoyed all his    Downtown Kingsburg on May 5th,
articles to the Viking Voice at    in the past.                              volunteer work and was very proud to be        2021. He received Military Honors as a
 6004356@stu.kingsburghigh.                  Kiwanis’ motto is “Serving      associated with Key Club. Mr. Nyberg and       large crowd arrived to support him.
com Your responses may be          the children of the world,” which         I were so fortunate to meet at the stages of   Nyberg was a huge inspiration to both
     published next issue!         Nyberg lived by. With Kiwanis, he         our lives when we needed each other. De-       young and old. He will forever be
          Check out the            helped with countless projects, both      spite our age difference, we enjoyed much      remembered, and his legacy will live
       Viking Valor page at        on the national or local level. Some      the same things, including God, family,        on forever. Thank you, Mr. Nyberg, for
                                   of his bigger projects included getting   friends and being with them. We loved          all you did for KHS students and the
       kingsburghigh.com
                                   iodized salt to countries that were       Kingsburg and happily worked together          Kingsburg community.
Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
NEWS
 3                                                                                                                                              May 28, 2021

Jackson Huckabay Heads to U of Texas                 time by even a second. It’s always exciting when      but his legacy will be embraced by his teammates
By Kimmy Alexander
                                                     one of the swimmers beats a school record or          forever.
Staff Reporter
                                                     beats their own personal record.                               As for beginning swimmers that have
         KHS Senior Jackson Huckabay has been
                                                             Huckabay motivates his teammates to           never swam before, Huckabay is a great role
given the opportunity to swim
                                                                                                                 model and can critique anything from
for the University of Texas locat-
                                                                                                                 starts to turns in the pool.
ed in Austin, Texas. Huckabay
                                                                                                                    Huckabay encourages students to try out
has been a part of the KHS swim
                                                                                                                 for swim. He advised, “I would tell a begin-
team for four years now and his
                                                                                                                 ning swimmer to enjoy the process. It may
swimming career will continue in
                                                                                                                 be a long process but enjoy learning and
college.
                                                                                                                 have fun. Because if you’re not having fun,
         Huckabay explained, “My
                                                                                                                 don’t do it.”
biggest motivation for swimming
                                                                                                                    No one ever said that swimming is easy,
is to try and be the best I can be.
                                                                                                                 but the more one practices, the better one
I want to reach my full potential.”
                                                                                                                 gets even if they feel tired and sluggish.
         On Friday, April 30, 2021,
                                                                                                                    As Huckabay leaves and new swimmers
Jackson swam for the 18U Spring
                                                                                                                 come, he is excited to see how well the KHS
Cup. He swam a 50, 100, 200,
                                                                                                                 swim program performs. KHS staff and
and 400 freestyle. His times were
                                                                                                                 students are ecstatic to see what Huckabay
24.1, 51.6, 1:52.1, and 4:03.
                                                                                                                 will accomplish at the University of Texas.
         Overall, Jackson said that
                                                                                                                    KHS swim coaches are very proud of how
the most valuable things that
                                                                                                                 well Jackson has done at KHS and will con-
he’s earned from swimming are
                                                                                                                 tinue to cheer him on while he is in Austin.
lifelong friends, time manage-
                                                                                                                    As the end of the school year approaches,
ment skills, and discipline. With
                                                                                                                 KHS just wants to say thank you and con-
so many years of swimming
                                                                                                                 gratulations to Jackson Huckabay for being
experience, discipline and time
                                                                                                                 a part of this school and its swim team.
management skills are very important to balance
                                                     do the best they can possibly do in practice and      “Once a Viking, always a Viking.” Congratula-
academics and athletics.
                                                     at swim meets. This may be his last year at KHS,      tions Jackson!
         In swimming, it is difficult to improve a

Taryn Irigoyen Named Junior League Scholar-Athlete
By Laura Angel                                       considering KHS is filled with many great female      burg High School. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA
Staff Reporter                                       athletes. I was also super joyful because I felt my   and has multiple League and Section Champion-
                                                     character and athletic achievements were reward-      ships in Softball and Soccer. She plans to continue
        Recently, it was announced that Senior
                                                     ed!”                                                  her education and softball career at CSU Fresno in
Taryn Irigoyen had received the Junior League of
                                                             KHS Athletic Director Scott Hodges said,      the Fall.”
Fresno Female Scholar-Athlete Award.
                                                                                                                             Irigoyen was very flattered to have
The Awards Ceremony was broadcast
                                                                                                                      received the award, and is very excited to
on KSEE 24 on Wednesday, May 5 at
                                                                                                                      be continuing her sporting career. Out
7:00pm.
                                                                                                                      of the two sports she played, soccer and
        KSEE 24 wrote in an article,
                                                                                                                      softball, she said that she would most
“The Junior League of Fresno is con-
                                                                                                                      likely only be continuing her softball
tinuing its tradition of honoring young
                                                                                                                      career.
female athletes who have excelled in
                                                                                                                             Irigoyen believes that she had
academics, athletics, and community
                                                                                                                      amazing teammates who would also have
service with the 40th year of its Senior
                                                                                                                      qualified for this award. She also stated
Girl Athlete program. Each year the
                                                                                                                      that she most likely won’t be trying out
women’s volunteer organization awards
                                                                                                                      any other sports, “I love both sports, but
a scholarship to one female athlete
                                                                                                                      my skills on the soccer field aren’t at the
from schools all over the Fresno metro
                                                                                                                      D1 level.”
area. In the event’s 40 year history The
                                                                                                                             When it comes to balancing her
Junior League of Fresno has honored
                                                                                                                      sports with academics, she said, “There
more than 600 young women. This
                                                                                                                      were a lot of late nights, but it’s the best
year, instead of an in-person banquet,
                                                                                                                      feeling to succeed in the classroom as
the Junior League of Fresno is part-
                                                                                                                      well as on the field.”
nering with KSEE24 to broadcast the
                                                                                                                             She also hopes that she will be
event. The special will air this summer
                                                                                                                      able to continue her success throughout
and sponsorship opportunities are still
                                                                                                                      her time at CSU Fresno next year while
available.”
                                                                                                                      playing on the highly competitive soft-
        When asked how she felt
                                                                                                                      ball team. Irigoyen elaborated, “I am
regarding the award, she said, “I was
                                                     “Taryn’s work in the classroom and on the field       excited for what the future holds for me after high
super honored and humbled to receive this award
                                                     has been outstanding during her tenure at Kings-      school!”
Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
4
                                                                FEATURES
Mr. Steve Harness Retires After 34 Years a Viking
By Brenda Marquez                                      summer and attended Illinois Community College            Science Club Adviser, was the MESA Adviser, was
Staff Reporter                                         for two years. It was here that he became intrigued       the contact person for the Upward Bound program
         KHS teacher and overall extraordinaire,       in the Earth and the natural world around him. He         out of Reedley College, was the Science Depart-
Steve Harness left a legacy here at KHS that will      transferred to Bradley University in Illinois where       ment Chair, and was deeply involved in AVID.
forever be remembered. Harness taught at KHS for       he graduated with honors and a bachelor’s degree in                 He remarked, “I started teaching AVID in
34 years, since the fall of 1986.                      Geology along with his teaching credential in 1974.       1989 then became the Coordinator. As Coordina-
         Harness taught a wide variety of courses at   His initial plan was to work for Texaco but that          tor, I helped organize university field trips, fund-
KHS. Although his main classes were Earth Science      didn’t follow through.                                    raisers, concessions at sports games, car washes,
and Chemistry, he also taught one year of Biology,              He elaborated, “With my degree in hand,          and especially the Christmas Families. This started
¨green, slimy, and worms¨ as Harness calls it, As-     I was planning on working for Texaco but that             small with AVID and a few clubs but became a
tronomy/Geology, and AVID for 24 years.                changed and none of the oil companies were hiring         major event for the entire school.”
         KHS will always hold a special place                                                                              There were many proud moments that
in Harness’s heart and he was sad to leave. He                                                                          stood out to Harness. One moment that felt
adores all the memories and experiences he has                                                                          special to him was having a group of MESA
had with students and staff here.                                                                                       students win first place in every event at the
         When asked how he felt about leaving                                                                           MESA Regional Competition.
KHS he said, “People say that you know when it                                                                             Watching his 8 classes of AVID students
is time to go and it is time. I really feel sad. The                                                                    finish and graduate high school also made
teachers, school, and community have made me                                                                            Harness feel proud. He read their names out
feel welcome. A good part of me doesn’t want to                                                                         loud as they received their diplomas. He is
leave.”                                                                                                                 also very proud of his past students who now
         His experience at KHS was like no                                                                              have successful careers. Several of them are
other. He interpreted, “I have been wonderfully                                                                         teachers at KHS and he is glad that he was a
blessed by this school everyday. We have a great,                                                                       part of their educational journey.
fantastic, wonderful group of science teachers.                                                                            Harness left an impact on so many students
Their individuality, professionalism, and the                                                                           on campus. One student said he was known
care they show everyone goes beyond any other                                                                           for telling the best dad jokes and playing the
reward. We have a great group of teachers and                                                                           Eagles Greatest Hits. According to a student,
staff at KHS who are truly compassionate about                                                                          he also was so passionate about his job and
their students. The students are really great                                                                           made students want to actually do their work.
here.”                                                                                                                  Another KHS student noted how much he
         Harness feels like his path to becoming                                                                        loved Mr. Harness’s quote “Do Smart, Don’t
a teacher at KHS was like no other.                    geologists. I was working in retail business and the      do Stupid.”
         He was born and raised in Illinois. He had    company promoted me and moved me to Califor-                        KHS staff and students will miss seeing
really poor counseling in high school. His dad, who    nia. After I left the retail business, I started teach-   Harness on campus. They will miss his dad jokes
only had a 5th grade education, encouraged him to      ing. I went to Fresno Pacific and earned a Masters        and all his fun stories.
go to college. Harness knew he liked science, but      in Math & Science Education.”                                       Harness had many accomplishments at
was suspended twice in high school due to chemis-              He was involved in numerous activities            KHS. He left a huge impact here that will be missed.
try experiments. His father couldn’t afford putting    during his 34 years at KHS. He coached Boys               KHS wishes the best to Harness in his future and
him through a university so he worked during the       Tennis for 15 years, coached Mock Trial, was the          sincerely thanks him for all of his service.

CNA Class of 2021 Graduates Ready for Action                                                                                The KHS 2020-2021 CNA class held thier
                                                                                                                  graduation on May 13, 2021. It was held in the Little
                                                                                                                  Theater at KHS where the students were recognized
                                                                                                                  for their hard work and acheiements throughout the
                                                                                                                  school year.
                                                                                                                            Each student was presented with a Pre-Cer-
                                                                                                                  tified Nursing Assistant at the awards ceremony.
                                                                                                                  Their teacher was Diana Gomez.
                                                                                                                            Senior CNA Graduate Natalie Fedor stated,
                                                                                                                  “The CNA class of 2021 faced many obstacles this
                                                                                                                  year, but with hard work and the help offered from
                                                                                                                  our teacher, we were able to overcome our difficlties.
                                                                                                                  This class was a huge help in introducing me and my
                                                                                                                  classmates to the medical field. While we may not
                                                                                                                  do what registaered nurses do, we have also gained
                                                                                                                  knowledge of the next steps we must take to contin-
                                                                                                                  ue our careers as nursees.
                                                                                                                            Fedor highly recommends this class for
                                                                                                                  upcoming seniors. She advised, “Persevere through
                                                                                                                  the (sometimes) mundane note taking and repet-
                                                                                                                  itive skills portion of the class because at the end
                                                                                                                  of the day it is totally worth it to put that smile on
                                                                                                                  someone’s face! Don’t forget you can also work in
                                                                                                                  hospitals and other facilities, not just skilled nursing
                                                                                                                  homes!”
Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
FEATURES
 5                                                                                                                                              May 28, 2021

KHS Summer School Goes Online to Accomadate High Numbers
By Jadyn Franco
                                                      need one semester of those two classes.                    The teachers will be very helpful to the
 Staff Reporter
                                                              “The summer school applications were       students. They will try their best to help all of
        This year at KHS they are offering multi-
                                                      due on April 9th.” Wilson said. If students signed their students, but it is important to keep in mind
ple summer school classes. It’s going to be dif-
                                                      one and turned it in, they are set and ready for   that there are a lot of other students that may
ferent from the other years that KHS has done
                                                      summer school. Students needed to just fill out    need help too.
summer school Administration is trying to offer
                                                      that form and turn it into Mrs. Hale.                      Any student at KHS can take a summer
the best possible options for all students.
                                                              “For summer school there will be an        school class. They just needed to sign up for
        Administration has answered a lot of the
                                                      assigned teacher for students to go to if they needthat class before the deadline. Students can take
questions people may be wanting
                                                                                                                            summer school to get ahead of a
to ask. They tried their best to give
                                                                                                                            class or if they failed a class.
as much detail as possible.
                                                                                                                                   “This year at KHS over
        “This year’s summer school
                                                                                                                            600 students have signed up
will be through Edgenuity,” stated
                                                                                                                            to take a summer school class.
KHS Assistant Principal Heather
                                                                                                                            Due to the classes having to be
Wilson. KHS has used this site
                                                                                                                            cut down in size not all students
before. It will be just like last year.
                                                                                                                            will be able to attend a class this
Students have to keep track of
                                                                                                                            summer,” stated Wilson. It’s a
their school work or they may fall
                                                                                                                            struggle to not be able to get
behind very quickly. Students will
                                                                                                                            into a summer school class but
have to do work daily and keep up
                                                                                                                            there is always next summer for
with their class as much as they
                                                                                                                            students to do so. Students have
possibly can.
                                                                                                                            2 weeks to complete a semester
        When a student completes
                                                                                                                            of a class. That being so they can
a whole class, they will receive
                                                                                                                            complete two semesters or even
5 credits per semester that they
                                                                                                                            a full year of a class in just 4
complete. “If you have to take both
                                                                                                                            weeks,” explained Wilson.
semesters of that class then they will be getting
                                                      any help with that class,” explained Wilson. If a          Summer school will be a challenge for
10 credits for that class in total,” stated Wilson.
                                                      student needs help in any way, shape, or form,     some students due to not being in person, but
        Students may also take two different
                                                      they can email the teacher they are assigned with. Vikings always make it through. Have a great
classes for summer school but that’s only if they
                                                      There will be about 30-35 students in each class.  summer KHS, go Vikings!

Jazz Choir, Band Perform As COVID Restrictions Loosen
By Kristen Pacheco                                    had actually performed together. So although          a huge success and the students were very pleased
Staff Reporter                                        they were super excited, there was a little bit of    with how they did.
        Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, things         nervousness too.”                                               When asked about how she thought she
have begun to loosen up as KHS was able to host                When asked about how he and his band         and her fellow students did while singing the
their last home football game against Selma High      prepared for the last home football game per-         National Anthem, Senior Kalynn Olson stated,
on April 16th. Along with the football game, the      formance, KHS Band Director Mike Schofield            “I feel like we had a pretty good performance, ex-
Jazz Choir was able to sing the National Anthem       responded, “We prepared some pep songs and            cluding the feedback issues we had with the mi-
and the KHS Band was able to perform through-         Green and Gold. We had a short period of time         crophones of course. We hit all of the harmonies
out the game. Overall, the game was a success         to get ready due to the requirements for bands        perfectly, and we were all well balanced, which is
with the Vikings beating their rivals and both        not allowing them to attend games until very          exactly what you want out of a performance.”
performances running very smoothly.                   recently. Up until then, we were getting ready for              Although students were nervous for the
        When asked how he and his choir were          the upcoming Swedish Festival Parade and some         performance, they were super excited to be able
able to prepare for the national anthem on such       concert music.”                                       to perform again.
short notice, KHS Jazz Choir Teacher Richard                   Because Scholfield was unable to attend                Olson expressed happily, “Yeah, I was a
Mynderup, explained, “We were originally asked        the last game performance, when the Viking            little bit nervous. It had been over a year since the
to sing the anthem the week before which would        Voice asked him how he felt leaving his two drum      Jazz Choir had last performed in front of other
have only given us two rehearsals. It worked out      majors in charge (Junior Kira Wilson and Senior       people, and we had only a week and a half to
to trade weeks with the band which allowed us         Luke Lutrell), Scholfield responded, “I felt very     prepare for it as well, so I had a little bit of anxi-
3 additional rehearsals. And then we were also        calm. We also had our Rafer Johnson Jr. High          ety about it, but I still had faith we’d all do great.
Zooming for one of them. I quickly found an           Band Director, Sigle, as well as our drumline in-     The way we all prepared for the performance was
arrangement the choir had originally performed        structor present. I felt confident that everything    through in-class rehearsals, and a few outside
several years ago. I made quick rehearsal tracks      would be ok knowing they were there and that          ones as well, practice tracks and a lot of patience.”
so the students could practice at home.”              the drum majors had it handled.”                                It’s been a hard year for everyone with
        When also asked how his students felt                  Unfortunately, the KHS Color Guard           the COVID-19 pandemic, but KHS was able to
about performing at the last home game, My-           was unable to perform at the last home football       persevere through it in a time of uncertainty.
nderup continued, “The Jazz Choir was very            game due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However,                     Along with that, all the students per-
excited for the chance to sing the national an-       Schofield was optimistic that they would be back      formed with big smiles on their faces… under-
them. When we were asked to do the anthem,            and better than ever next year with the halftime      neath their masks of course. And the awesome
we realized it had been over a year since the choir   shows beginning in the fall.                          defeat of the Selma Bears was like the icing on the
                                                               Nonetheless, these last performances were    cake!
Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
6
                                                                FEATURES
Garabedian Chosen as Girls State Delegate
By Madelyn Wiest
Staff Reporter                                          one week long starting on June 28th and ending         felt really honored when I received this award.
                                                        on July 3rd.                                           It is truly an honor to be selected as the delegate
        Nadia Garabedian, a KHS Junior, was                     ALA Girls State described the conference       for this conference. This opportunity really is a
nominated by KHS teachers for the Girls State           on their website, “Female high school students         great one and especially during this time I feel
Delegate Award.                                         who have completed their junior year are com-          like it is important to understand our American
        This award is given to one junior girl who      petitively selected and sponsored by American          government and how it works. I am truly grateful
will represent the American Legion Kingsburg            Legion Auxiliary units for this program, where         and honored to be picked. I am so thankful to the
Unit 191. The selected girl will attend                                                                                        American Legion Auxiliary Kings-
a leadership and citizenship program,                                                                                          burg Unit 191 for giving me this
representing their unit, to help them learn                                                                                    opportunity.”
about the American government as well as                                                                                        ALA Girls State wrote, “Candi-
politics.                                                                                                                      dates should be keenly interested
        To receive the Girls State Dele-                                                                                       in government and current events,
gate award, Garabedian explained, “I was                                                                                       and show strong leadership abili-
nominated for this award, by the teachers,                                                                                     ties. Because the structure of state
amongst other girls. I then submitted an                                                                                       and local government varies, ALA
application answering the questions pro-                                                                                       Girls State programs may vary in
vided. After this, there was an interview                                                                                      content and method of procedure,
for each candidate and from there I was                                                                                        but each adheres to the same basic
selected as the Delegate.”                                                                                                     core values.”
        The process for the Girls State                                                                                         Garabedian is really thankful and
Delegate Award is long and extremely                                                                                           honored to be selected for the Girl’s
competitive, but worth it. This award helps                                                                                    State Delegate Award, to partici-
many students learn and focus on how the                                                                                       pate in the program, and attend the
American government works.                              they learn about the political process by electing     conference. She gets to expand her knowledge
        Now that Garabedian is selected as the          officials for all levels of state government and ac-   on American government and politics with other
delegate, she gets to attend a conference for a         tively running a mock government. The girls are        state delegates.
week with other delegates in the state. This year, it   assigned to mock cities and either the ‘Federalist               This award is a big deal to be nominated
is going to be virtual instead of the usual confer-     Party’ or ‘Nationalist Party.’”                        for and is highly competitive. It is an amazing
ence at a college campus due to COVID-19 re-                     When asked how she felt when she              opportunity and very educational on the topic of
strictions and precautions. The conference will be      received this award Garabedian elaborated, “I          the American government.

                                                    “Jonny Needs A Lift”
                                                         By Kalaya Schreiber
                                                                   A local family, the Garcias, have a 27
                                                         year old son, Jonathan, who has suffered from
                                                         Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, uncontrollable
                                                         seizures, and fluids on the brain. He lives in a
                                                         wheelchair when he leaves the house. Howev-
                                                         er, it is growing increasingly more difficult for
                                                         his parents to load him into the wheelchair,
                                                         into the car, into the wheelchair for a second
                                                         time, to their destinations, and repeat.
                                                                   The family’s only vehicle has pushed
                                                         through many years and hundreds of thou-
                                                         sands of miles. However, its lifespan is quickly
                                                         coming to an end. Recently, the Garcias have
                                                         begun fundraising for a new vehicle through
                                                         several different approaches, and are still fall-
                                                         ing around 40 thousand dollars short.
                                                                   They hope for a Chevy Traverse, which
                                                         retails at around $70 thousand. So far, with all
                                                         the efforts combined, they have gathered 27
                                                         thousand dollars!
                                                                   Donations have been made available
                                                         at the Garcia families church, New Life Min-
                                                         istries PO Box. New Life Ministries, PO Box
                                                         584, Kingsburg, CA 93631.
Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
FEATURES
 7                                                                                                                                             May 28, 2021

Swedish Festival Resumes with High Attendance
By Camilla Zavala                                             Saturday was a full day of festivities,               The parade, starting at 10:30 am, includ-
Staff Reporter                                        starting with the Dala Horse Trot in the morning,     ed several floats and bands performing from all
                                                      whether it was the 2 mile or 10k walk/run. The        over. After the parade was the traditional dancing
         Any resident who has lived in Kingsburg
                                                      Swedish Pancake breakfast, hosted by the Lions        of the maypole, and Draper Street was full of an
has heard about the annual Swedish Festival. This
                                                      Club, was a huge hit. The line for the pancakes       assortment of vendors, ranging from kettle corn
four day celebration is a way for Swedes to share
                                                      stretched down the alley, past the historical jail.   and bierock food trucks to booths with face paint
and salute their heritage, and others to learn
                                                      Kingsburg residents were allowed to take pan-         and doll clothes, to booths selling books and flags
about the culture. It has a range of ac-
                                                                                                                            and so much more.
tivities to participate in and generally
                                                                                                                                     The Historical Park was
brings in over 25,000 visitors from all
                                                                                                                            also open to the public during the
over the state.
                                                                                                                            festival days. Guests from all over
         This year, despite the
                                                                                                                            were invited to see the museum,
COVID-19 pandemic, the celebra-
                                                                                                                            tractor barn, tank house and all
tion continued. However, because of
                                                                                                                            the other exhibits.
the virus and state regulations, it was
                                                                                                                            Saturday night also brought a
rebranded as the Swedish Days.
                                                                                                                            new musical program, an ABBA
         On Thursday evening at 5:30
                                                                                                                            tribute performance. ABBA, a
to 7:00 (as always) was the Pea Soup
                                                                                                                            band popular in the 70’s for their
and Swedish Pancake Supper. Shortly
                                                                                                                            catchy tunes and brought to light
after this dinner was the crowning of
                                                                                                                            most recently for the presence
the Swedish Festival Queen, following
                                                                                                                            of their music in the smash hit
predecessor Chelsea Flood. Flood was
                                                                                                                            franchise, “Mamma Mia,” is from
able to secure the crown for another
                                                                                                                            Sweden, and therefore perfect for
year, as she was awarded 2021 Swedish
                                                                                                                            the celebration. The music, cov-
Queen at the event. From 5:30 to 8:00
                                                                                                                            ered by Kingsburg residents Leah
on Thursday night was the traditional
                                                                                                                            Brey and Cheryl Carlson, drew in
Swedish Entertainment, with dancing
                                                                                                                            a large crowd. The audience was
and lots of music.
                                                                                                                            visibly enjoying themselves and
         Friday was the Flower and
                                                                                                                            singing along to all the hit songs.
Garden Show in the Village Mall from
                                                                                                                                     The Swedish Festival is
4:00 to 8:00. From 4:30 to 5:30 was
                                                                                                                            a Kingsburg tradition that has
the Public Safety Officer Dress Review & Award
                                                      cakes home, but there was also seating through-       made fun for all ages for over half a century. All
Ceremony in the Coffee Pot Park. To end the
                                                      out the Coffee Pot Park, attended to by Kingsburg     residents and guests should check it out at least
night, there was a Swedish Dinner & like always,
                                                      High FFA students.                                    once because there will always be something for
Swedish entertainment.
                                                                                                            everyone.

Congressional Computer Science App Awards
By Zachery Howell                                     email developers, change the color theme, etc.”                This is not the first time that students
Page Editor                                                   The two student coders had worked on          from KHS have entered and won this competi-
                                                      the app for a little over a month for their comput-   tion. Rogers added, “I speak for myself and my
          On Tuesday, April 14th, a field represen-
                                                      er science final projects. They then heard about      partner when I say I’m honored to have been able
tative for David Valadao
                                                                                                                                   to defend KHS’ title. Its so
presented the Congressional
                                                                                                                                   cool that the school could
App Challenge Award to
                                                                                                                                   win two years in a row, and
sophomores Lorne Rogers
                                                                                                                                   we’re glad that we could give
and Breton Pumarejo.
                                                                                                                                   our small town some repre-
          The challenge itself is
                                                                                                                                   sentation in an event as big
rather self explanatory. Over
                                                                                                                                   as the Congressional App
6,500 students registered and
                                                                                                                                   Challenge!”
submitted nearly 3,088 apps
                                                                                                                                      The award was awarded to
of different functions to be
                                                                                                                                   several students throughout
judged.
                                                                                                                                   the state, but Rogers and Pu-
          Contest winner
                                                                                                                                   marejo were the only winners
Lorne Rogers stated, “Our
                                                                                                                                   within our congressional
app (v.Task) is a scheduling/
                                                                                                                                   district.
reminders app for students.
                                                                                                                                      Thousands of functional
It can add events to a check-
                                                                                                                                   apps have been created and
list, set reminders that access
                                                                                                                                   recognized through this
the phone’s ‘clock’ feature
                                                                                                                                   challenge and are designed to
(it’ll alert you when the set
                                                                                                                                   improve our everyday lives
time is passed). It also has
                                                                                                                                   through technology and will
helpful tips that students can
                                                      the app challenge and decided to enter it into the    continue to attract more young and bright minds
access if they need pointers on how to manage
                                                      competition.                                          to rise to the challenge.
their schedule. It also has a page where you can
Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
8
                                                        FEATURES
                                                         SENIORS
Valedictorian Elects

       Avneet Purewal            Hayden Yakligian         Luis Martinez-Chun           Cambria Brandon             Hannah Hjelm
            Rank 1                     Rank 2                    Rank 3                     Rank 4                    Rank 5
    Fresno State University    California Polytechnic    University of California       Biola University        University of California
     Major: Biochemistry          State University             San Diego                Major: Nursing                  Irvine
                              Major: Computer Science            Major:                                          Major: Mechanical
                                                                                                                     Engineering

    Jacob Nystrem                   Rachel Just             Monica Chaidez             Jackson Huckabay              Jett Jackson
        Rank 11                      Rank 12                     Rank 13                    Rank 14                    Rank 15
    Reedley College              Long Beach State           Reedley College            University of Texas       Auburn University
Major: Computer Science             University           Major: Civil Engineering   Major: Business Marketing    Major: Agricultural
                                 Major: Psychology           & Mathematics                                      Business & Economics

      Taytum Neves                Tyler DeGroot              Joshua Bennett              Audrena Butts             Natalie Fedor
         Rank 21                     Rank 22                    Rank 23                    Rank 24                   Rank 25
 California Polytechnic       Grand Canyon University        Reedley College         The Masters University       Reedley College
     State University           Major: Criminology          Major: Accounting        Major: Liberal Studies       Major: History &
Major: Agricultural Science                                                                                       Communications

                                                                  Class of
        Ivan Gonzalez
           Rank 31
                                                                 2021 Facts
    Fresno State University
       Major: Computer
         Engineering
Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
SENIORS
9                                                                                                                             May 28, 2021

                                                                                        Class of 2021

   Emmett Firkus              Madeline Perkins             Rajvir Rai                   Leila Gonzalez                  Sofia Righetti
        Rank 6                     Rank 7                    Rank 8                         Rank 9                        Rank 10
University of California   Fresno State University   University of California       Fresno State University       San Diego State University
      San Diego              Major: Kinesiology          Santa Barbara                Major: Pre-Health             Major: Biochemistry
    Major: Biology                                       Major: Biology

     Maci Wood               Nathan Towsley              Melody Lewis                 Nadja Rosenfield            Katharine Rodriguez-Puga
       Rank 16                   Rank 17                    Rank 18                       Rank 19                         Rank 20
University of California      Allan Hancock          Fresno State University          Reedley College              University of California
     Santa Cruz             Community College         Major: Criminology          Major: Creative Writing &                Merced
  Major: Psychology          Major: Marketing                                            Education                     Major: Biology

  Marissa Gonzalez            Khloe Hodges               Sarah Wallis                 Taylor Trigueiro                 Hunter Stone
       Rank 26                    Rank 27                  Rank 28                        Rank 29                        Rank 30
 University of South         Reedley College           DeSales University         Oklahoma State University           Reedley College
       Carolina            Major: Graphic Design         Major: Dance                Major: Agricultural             Major: Agricultural
Major: Exercise Science                                                                  Education                       Business

  218      About 1/3                                 Approximately                   11% are 7 Graduates
                                                        1/2 are
Graduates are Attend-                                  Attending
                                                                                     Entering are Entering
           ing a Four                                                               the Work- the Military
  Total   Year Univer-                               Community or
                                                     Trade School                      force
                                   sity

                                                               *Rankings are not final. These numbers reflect date of print: May 28th, 2021.
Prom Royalty Reign - In this Issue: Kingsburg High School
10
                                                              FEATURES
                                                               SENIORS
Vikings Earn $350,450 at Senior Scholarship Night
         KHS held its annual Senior Scholarship       while presenters sat on the track and the football     thankful that KHS made this night possible. I feel
Night on May 24th, 2021, awarding $350,450. All       field. There was no hand shaking to limit contact,     honored to receive the scholarships I was given.”
seniors and senior families that were awarded         students were simply handed their envelopes.                    KHS would like to give a special shoutout
scholarships were invited.                                     The Class of 2021 was ecstatic to be able     to retired counselor Marlene Pavlina who put
         In a normal                                                                                                                             in her own
year, the ceremony                                                                                                                               time to plan
is held in the KHS                                                                                                                               the awards
New Gym, packed to                                                                                                                               night. This
the brim with excited                                                                                                                            Scholarship
families and students.                                                                                                                           Night would
In order to meet                                                                                                                                 not have been
COVID-19 precau-                                                                                                                                 possible with-
tions, the ceremony                                                                                                                              out her hard
was held at the KHS                                                                                                                              work. An-
Stadium.                                                                                                                                         other special
         KHS students                                                                                                                            thanks to KHS
and staff deeply ap-                                                                                                                             College and
preciate the genoros-                                                                                                                            Career Coun-
ity of the Kingsburg                                                                                                                             selor Kerry
Community. Overall,                                                                                                                              Peterson for
$350,450 was awarded as scholarships to various       to have the awards night in person and appreci-        helping students apply to scholarships.
seniors.                                              ates all the effort that KHS administration put in              KHS seniors were honored to have an
         In total, 315 individual scholarships were   to make this special night happen.                     in-person scholarship night. Thank you, KHS
given out to 112 senior students.                              KHS Senior Avneet Purewal added, “It          staff and administration, for making this memo-
         Families and seniors sat in the bleachers,   was great to have this event in person. I am very      rable night possible.

Senior Activities: Prom, Graduation, Senior Night
By Trista Fry                                         Jose. Other popular sites such as “Disneyland                   The graduation ceremony for KHS Se-
Staff Reporter                                        and Magic Mountain did not offer Grad Nite this        niors is going to be on the last day of school, June
         At the beginning of the school year, no      year because of COVID and were not open when           3rd, in the high school football stadium at 8 pm.
one foresaw the possibility of school districts be-   we signed up,” stated Robin Lund, KHS’s ASB                     Wow, what a year it has been, and it’s not
ing able to host senior activities to celebrate the   Book-keeper.                                           even over yet. All of the seniors are extremely
end of the year. Luckily, with COVID precautions              All of the seniors will be taking a charter    grateful for the leaps and bounds the staff and
in place, KHS is going forward with a Prom,           bus up to and back from Great America. They            administration have gone through to allow them
Graduation, Grad Nite, and a college signing day      will spend the day at the park, have a meal vouch-     to have as normal of a year as possible.
to celebrate and reward the Senior Class of 2021      er, and a snack bag for the ride back home. Great               Senior Audrena Butts stated, “I am very
for surviving a difficult year.                       America is going to require masks indoors or           thankful and appreciative to the staff and school
         Prom is an activity that many students       when it is not possible to socially distance. KHS      administration for working tirelessly to try and
thought they would have to forego this year.          was also limited in the amount of tickets they         get us senior activities.”
Senior Noah Rocha stated, “When we came back          could purchase, so there are not as many seniors                It has been a challenging year for every-
I thought at most we were going to have a gradu-      going this year. Senior Audrena Butts exclaimed,       one, but especially for the KHS Class of 2021.
ation, but I was not expecting us to have a Prom      “I am going to both grad nite and prom. I am           They have faced many challenges, setbacks, and
or Grad Nite.”                                        very excited to spend time with friends before         disappointments but took it all in stride. While
         Prom happened on May 15th this year.         graduation!”                                           these events could not be possible without the
Due to COVID, it could not be held on school                  Another event that took place for the          amazing staff and administration, the students
grounds so it was at 1613 9th Avenue Drive in         seniors on campus was “Sign your Star Day.” This       have also been resilient.
Kingsburg.                                            was an event for all seniors. The seniors were                  Mrs. Peterson stated, “I feel like many of
         In order to comply with COVID pre-           invited to write their name and where they are         them have taught us adults so much by hang-
cautions the school had to limit the amount of        going, or what they plan to do after they graduate     ing in there this year and graduating from high
people allowed to go, so it was only open to Ju-      on a star to display. Their stars were then hung up    school when it became more challenging and less
niors and Seniors. Unlike other years, no outside     on the Senior Star Wall. KHS College & Career          fun than they had planned. I guess I’d want to
guests were allowed, except for last years’ KHS       Counselor Kerry Peterson stated, “We have many,        tell them that the ways they served their fami-
Seniors as student guests. Each table had fewer       many students who write a community college,           lies this year, by supervising younger sisters and
people and there were multiple dance floors so        CSU, UC, or a private university but we also have      brothers and helping them with distance learn-
that students could socially distance while still     people who list a vocational college or a branch of    ing, by working more hours to help their family
socializing. Since the venue was outside, masks       the military.”                                         get through a tough time, by handling the disap-
were not required as long as students socially                “Sign your Star Day” is an important day       pointments they experienced with an honest but
distanced.                                            for seniors as it allows others to see the path they   flexible attitude. These are all accomplishments
         KHS Seniors also have the chance to go       are choosing and where they want to go. Mrs.           and they are huge. I hope they can feel proud of
to Grad Nite on June Second. Grad Nite this           Peterson thinks that they have nearly 100 stars        themselves and use the strength they’ve built to
year is going to be at Great America near San         on the wall as of right now, but plans on getting      go tackle their next challenge.”
                                                      many more students to turn theirs in.
11                                                                      May 28, 2021
                              SENIORS
      Senior Department Awards
 Every year the KHS Academic Departments de-
 cide on one Senior that they feel has
 demonstrated outstanding dedication to a
 certain academic educational discipline.
 Faculty would like to honor the following seniors:
                                                             English:
                                                          Avneet Purewal

        Agriculture:              Social Science:        Performing Arts:
      Taylor Trigueiro             Luke Luttrell          Daniel Huerta

     Foreign Language:                Math:             Outstanding Scholar:
     Carolina Gutierrez           Jacob Nystrem        Jesse Paniagua-Garcia

         Visual Arts:           Physical Education:          Science:
       Leila Gonzalez         Jania Martinez Ramirez     Hayden Yakligian
12
                                                             FEATURES
                                                             OPINIONS
Students Debate the Pros & Cons of Back to Regular
Schedule vs. Hybrid Schedule
By Lauren Berry & Madelyn Wiest                      normal schedule next year, I think that we would        schedule will affect students negatively at first as
Staff Reporters                                      still have to wear masks at least most of the time,     they are not used to the original schedule. After
                                                     and we might still have to stay a few feet away         a couple of weeks or a month, students will be
         Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kings-
                                                     from each other, as well as routinely disinfecting      adjusted and begin understanding their material
burg High School has been a lot different during
                                                     surfaces that get touched a lot, like desks and         more.”
the 2020-2021 school year. Students and teach-
                                                     chairs.”                                                         KHS Freshman Alexa Covarrubias said,
ers have opinions on whether or not they think
                                                              Some students and teachers would maybe         “Some advantages are that we get out a lot earlier
school will be back to normal next year.
                                                     like the idea of a different schedule and a normal      than normal, we get in person instruction after so
         This school year, Kingsburg High School
                                                     school, but some people might not like the idea.        long of being online.”
started with on Zoom classes, but eventually
                                                     When asked if they would want to go back to a                    She continued, “Some disadvantages of
moved towards in-person learning with an AM/
                                                     normal schedule, Hayley Garza a KHS junior re-          the hybrid are that not everyone is in school so
PM hybrid schedule. Students had to wear masks
                                                     sponded with, “I do want to go back to a ‘normal’       we can’t do things as a whole class, and the class
and social distance around campus as well.
                                                     schedule as band is difficult with shorter classes,     periods are cut shorter so some lessons are cut
         Some students and teachers think that
                                                     and I miss being in class for full hours. It will be    short.”
next school year could possibly be back to nor-
                                                     my senior year next year, and I would really enjoy               This year has been a major adjustment for
mal. Adeline Kliewer, a KHS freshman said, “I
                                                     normality and being able to see my friends in           everyone, from starting the year off on zoom to
think that school next year will be normal be-
                                                     class again.”                                           now finishing the year attending in-person class-
cause by then lots of people will be vaccinated
                                                              Having a normal schedule could affect          es.
which means that less people are getting sick,
                                                     both students and teachers in different ways.                    A few months ago, the school sent out an
therefore allowing the public more freedom.”
                                                     Students would be at school for a longer period         email wondering if students and parents would
         Joshua Woods, KHS computer science
                                                     of time and teachers would have more class time         like to continue the hybrid schedule or go back to
teacher and cross country coach said, “I think
                                                     with their students.                                    normal before the year was over.
that school will not go back to the normal that we
                                                              Woods stated, “I think it will be an adjust-            Some students prefer the hybrid schedule
knew before the pandemic, but will be more like
                                                     mentIf if we go back to our normal block sched-         such as Freshman, Logan McGowan. She says, “I
the new normal.”
                                                     ule next year. Only half of next year’s students        can go to school then come home and just do my
         While it’s possible that school next year
                                                     (the Juniors and Seniors) have ever done our            work, easier for me.”
will be back to normal, some safety precau-
                                                     normal block schedule so I think teachers will                   Students and teachers at Kingsburg High
tions might still be in place. The schedule could
                                                     have to be flexible and adjust based on how well        School all have their own personal opinions on
change, but masks and social distancing could
                                                     students are able to handle the block schedule          whether or not they think school next year will
just stay the same.
                                                     and going to school for a full day again.”              be back to normal.
         Kliewer said, “Even if we do go back to a
                                                              Garza said, “Going back to a normal
SPORTS
 13                                                                                                                                           May 28, 2021

            Girls Basketball
The girls basketball team came through with 2
wins this year. Senior Melody Lewis said she had
a great time for such a small season. She got to
play in 8 games this year during this season. She
did a great job at playing in her games and giving
all that she had. Senior Captain Avneet Purewal
added, “It was a difficult season with the year
that we are in. However, I’m really proud of how
the team fought hard and came together at the
end of the season.”                                                                                         (Central Sequoia League) meet at the Visalia
                                                                                                            Country Club, Ridge Creek Classic, the Central
                                                                                                            Valley 5k at Woodward Park, and the CSL meet
                                                                         Softball                           at Imanuel. Senior Ivan Gonzalez, a cross coun-
                                                      This softball season was like no other but that       try runner, said, “What I enjoyed the most about
                                                      did not stop our KHS Viking Softball teams to         this season was really getting to know all of my
                                                      do their best. KHS Varsity Softball has an overall    teammates through practices and races and just
                                                      record of 15-7 this season. Their greatest win was    enjoying being around a great group of people
                                                      against the Immanuel Eagles, 15-2. Game after         that have been one of the biggest influences in my
                                                      game, they have been defeating the opposing           life.”
                                                      team. Their most recent game against Hanford
                                                      West was a score of 15-0. The softball team is very
                                                      proud of themselves this season and are really                   Varsity Baseball
                                                      happy that they were able to play despite the         This season for Varsity Baseball has been amaz-
                                                      circumstances.                                        ing. Currently, Varsity is 12-4, and 2nd place in
           Boys Basketball                                                                                  League. Senior Luke Berry, explained the high-
        KHS Boys Basketball is looking forward                                                              light of their season so far, “Our 11-7 win against
to competing in playoffs starting next week. They                                                           Immanuel.” He continued, “That win has allowed
started off with a tough season, facing Division                                                            us to put ourselves in position to win the CSL this
1 Clovis schools but managed to keep the games                                                              year.”
close. Their overall record is 6-4 and they are 2-0
in league. Senior Nathan Towlsey elaborated,
“This season has been a blessing to have, espe-
cially knowing if we were going to play early in
the year. I’m looking forward to making another
push to try and bring home another valley cham-
pionship to Kingsburg.”
                                                                  Track and Field
                                                      The KHS Track and Field team was able to com-
                                                      pete this year in a total of 6 meets. The team was
                                                      able to compete in meets at home and at other
                                                      schools like CVC and Dinuba. They also compet-
                                                      ed in the CSL league meet. When asked how her                    Girls Water Polo
                                                      track season was going and if it was being affect-    Girls Water Polo had a short but rewarding sea-
                                                      ed by COVID-19, Freshman Danielle Jackson             son. Sophomore Nadia Garabedian stated, “Our
                                                      responded, “We have had meets leading up to           season was good for what it was. We really didn’t
                                                      our championship league meet this Wednesday           get a season. We kept thinking we were going
                                                      at Exeter (May 26). In my opinion, track season       to and we never did, which was a bummer. The
                                                      has felt completely normal, and COVID-19 hasn’t       good thing, though, was that we got to practice
                                                      affected it at all.”                                  and play as a team which was really nice.” The
                                                                                                            one game that Girls Waterpolo was able to have
                                                                                                            was the Senior Night Game. They ended up win-
                                                                                                            ning the game by a few points. All the players are
                                                                                                            looking forward to next season to showcase all of
                 Wrestling                                                                                  the practice and hard work they put in over the
KHS Senior Jonathon Viveros said, “Although we                                                              last year, hoping that it will pay off.
had little to no time to practice as a team due to
Covid. Everyone pushed themselves past their
limit and worked hard. The wrestling program
has three guys going to college to continue what
they love doing and the wrestlers who are still in
high school are looking to put Kingsburg on the
map. Go Vikings!” Viveros will be continuing
his wrestling career at California State University                Cross Country
Bakerfield next year. His coaches and KHS staff       The KHS Cross Country team had four meets
are very proud of all the hard work he has put in.    for their spring season. The meets were the CSL
SPORTS
                                                                                                                                              May 28, 2021
14
                                                             FEATURES
                                                                    Boys Tennis                             Central Section Championship. The team was led
                                                              The Boys Tennis team at KHS has had           by Senior Joshua Bennett who will continue his
                                                     an amazing season. The boys worked hard and            golf career at Reedley College next year.
                                                     overall won league with a perfect score of 12-0.
                                                     Going into Valley championships, the Vikings                          Girls Soccer
                                                     were ready for anything. They ended up win-            The Varsity Soccer team went 11-0 in all of their
                                                     ning Valley by a close score of 5-4. The Vikings       league games this season. Despite the pandemic,
                                                     have made KHS very proud. Senior Luke Luttrell         the team was able to persevere through and play
                                                     stated, “This group of seniors have been putting       their hearts out in every single game. The team
                                                     in the work for 4 years. It really showed, since we    has now made it to the Valley Championship
           Boys Water Polo                           went undefeated in league, and then beat the 1         and will play against Templeton Highschool on
Due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, their playing                                                                May 28. Senior Heidi Ahumada stated, “I can’t
                                                     seed to win Valley. Super proud of my team and
season kept getting pushed back and games post-                                                             wait to compete for Valley. This group of seniors
                                                     all of the hard work we’ve put in!”
poned. In the end, they were only able to have                                                              has been playing together for a long time and we
one game which doubled as their senior night.
They ended up winning the game by a consider-                                                               hope to win Valley for the 5th year in a row!”
able margin of points and tried to make the best
out of a bad year. Even though this year was less
than ideal, many of the team are getting ready for
next season. Sophomore Trent Regier stated, “I
am really looking forward to next season since
we won’t have to listen to any COVID rules, and
we can play a lot more games in the season.”
                 Swim & Dive
KHS Swim & Dive season came to a close ex-                          Girls Tennis
cept top swimmers who advanced to Valley. The        With the season over, it has been a great year for
season started in February and the very first meet   Girls Tennis at KHS. Making it all the way to the
was in early March. Seniors Audrena Butts and        quarter finals, the girls have played their best
Jackson Huckabay were standouts for this year’s      through an unusual year. Ending the 2020-2021                         Boys Soccer
team, Though smaller than previous years, the        Girls Tennis season, the girls have done an out-       The KHS Boys Soccer team is thankful for the
level of commitment was impressive. At time          standing job.                                          chance to compete this year. They went 4-13-2
of print, the Viking Swimmers were undefeated                                                               overall and 4-5-1 in league. They continued to
going into playoffs.
                                                                      Girls Golf                            improve as the season progressed and enjoyed
                                                     KHS Girls Golf has had a great season and they         the opportunity to play.
                                                     are excited to compete for a Valley title next week.
                                                     They had a few regular season matches and have
                                                     been performing well in playoffs. KHS Junior
                                                     Kailey Emmersen stated, “I’m excited to see how
                                                     do next week! The team has really come together.”

                                                                       Boys Golf
                                                     KHS Boys Golf had a great overall season. They
                                                     practiced hard and performed well. They won the

Marissa Gonzalez Beats Career Home Run Record
By Trista Fry                                        wait to see where it will take her.                    sity softball team has played a total of 22 games,
Staff Reporter                                       Being able to break this record, amidst a global       winning 15 of them.
        Marrisa Gonzalez, a KHS senior, has bro-     pandemic and an anomalous softball playing sea-                 They have had an outstanding season,
ken the record for home runs at the KHS                                                                           even under the trying times and circum-
softball field.                                                                                                   stances. The team won their most recent
        Marissa Gonzalez is a star athlete at                                                                     game against Hanford West on May 18th
the KHS, and just broke the record for hit-                                                                       with a final score of 15-0.
ting the most number of home runs. She hit                                                                        Gonzalez explained the highlight of her se-
a whopping number of 22 throughout her                                                                            nior year, “The softball season, and breaking
career while playing high school softball.                                                                        the home run record. I also broke the RBI
        Softball is a family affair in the                                                                        record, and those were my goals this sea-
Gonzalez family. The record that Gonzalez                                                                         son.”
broke was her sister’s, Jessica Gonzalez,                                                                            While this year has not been normal or
from when she played at KHS. Jessica’s                                                                            easy, Marissa Gonzalez has embraced the
number of record home runs before Maris-                                                                          challenge and quite literally stepped up to
sa broke it, was 17.                                                                                              the plate. She has left a lasting legacy on
        Marissa plans on furthering her                                                                           the KHS campus and softball field. KHS is
academic and athletic endeavors at the                                                                            proud to call Marissa Gonzalez a Viking
University of South Carolina. She is very                                                                         Record Breaker and can’t wait to see what
excited to be playing softball there and cannot      son, is quite an accomplishment. The KHS var-          she will accomplish next!
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