Is it Friday

Yet?

Students aren’t the only ones itching for 3:05 on a Friday afternoon.

Teachers, too, anxiously await that sweet final bell week after week.

The early mornings and late evenings peppering the life of a high

school teacher at Skutt Catholic aren’t always easy, but these staff

members do have their vices to help get them through. Coffee, music,

prayer, whatever it may be – that extra motivation to continue on

even when dealing with sometimes obnoxious students is much

needed. So what spurs your seventh period teacher on to that last,

desperate burst of energetic greatness? Below are three of Skutt

Catholic’s faculty members: math teacher Mrs. Higgins, computer

teacher Mrs. Rago, and sophomore theology teacher Mr. Goetzinger

who testify that they, too, have their items that simply get them

through those long days.

What a teacher needs to help them push through the school

day

Hannah Klemme, Gabby Giesler, Lily Yates - Skutt Catholic High School - Class A - In-Depth Newspaper

Stringed Instrument SalvationBy: Lily Yates

Although theology teacher Mr. Goetzinger can already be

said to be outside of the boring in many respects, in one he is

no different from any other. Like an understandable myriad

of Skutt Catholic staff, this educator leans on a crutch, so to

speak, to assist him through each school day, stay sane, and

finish strong. “Well, this one I ordered on Amazon like, a year

and a half ago because I didn’t want to use my plan periods

efficiently,” he said matter-of-factly, examining a sturdy but

unremarkable acoustic guitar. “I knew I could constantly keep

myself occupied,” finished Goetzinger. One of two instru-

ments on display in the classroom, this guitar is a staple in

his domain. “It’s a useful tool to distract me. I also write songs

for students on it,” he added. As for its seeming younger

brother? “I bought this ukulele on Amazon as well. I was taking

a trip of students to Nicaragua, a two week service trip, and

I wanted to be able to annoy them on the 20 hour flight, so I

bought this and learned one song: and that song was a really

obnoxious show tune called “Alabamy Gal” which is only in

minor (and is really annoying),” Goetzinger recounted mischie-

vously. The beginning of this Omaha theology teacher’s love

for the music began in another interesting turn.” In college,

I was in a band that played at local shows and played cover

songs like Bob Dylan, Beatles, Neil Young; old standards,” he

asserted. Many days he plays during study hall, his entire

seventh period plan, and after school, as well as during classes

when “I get a song I need to play at a student right then,

spontaneously.” With an estimation of around 50 previous

student players, not to mention a few teachers in the mix,

these things can definitely get annoying, but are generally a

crowd pleaser. “You can connect with some students on that

level whom you otherwise might not connect with at all,” he

confessed. In other words, “There are some students who do

not care one wit about class, but I can reach some of them

because they’re interested in guitar.” Goetzinger’s instru-

ments are his constant companion and one of few tethers to

normalcy and a dash of fun. If they went away suddenly, “I’d

probably be angrier; meaner, like I’d probably just do a seri-

ous amount of online solitaire,” he admitted. “I feel like some

of them [students] might miss it, and others might think

“Thank God…” All in all, laughing as he described his stringed

antics, this teacher is immensely grateful for the musical

cohorts that get him through the school day.

Got Mr. Goetzinger for study hall? Renditions of “Alabamy Gal” and more

Caramelicous Blender, Extra

ShotMrs. Higgins and her Scooters

crazeBy: Gabby Giesler

Approaching Mrs. Higgins’ desk in the morning without a

Caramelicious Blender from Scooter’s present is one way of surely

and quickly bringing your world to an end. This drink, composed

of world-class espresso with smooth, homemade caramel sauce is

crucial to Mrs. Higgin’s sanity as a math teacher at Skutt Catholic

High School. It all began entirely on accident. “I just saw it on the

menu and hadn’t tried it before so I thought I would give it a shot,

and I instantly fell in love,” recaps Higgins. Not a school day goes

by without her beloved Caramelicious. Mrs. Higgins says, “The

baristas know me when I pull up in the drive-thru. They no longer

ask me what I’d like to drink, only what size I’d prefer. It’s pretty

great.” Worthy of venturing out into the morning dusk early for

her drink, Mrs. Higgins gets an extra shot of espresso each morn-

ing to get her through the day. Teaching juniors and seniors, edu-

cating them in Contemporary Business Statistics, Pre-Calculus,

Algebra III, and Basic Statistics, coffee is a necessity when dealing

with older students day after day. “If I didn’t have this drink at

school, I don’t know what I would do,” explains Mrs. Higgins. She

has considered giving up her beloved Caramelicous as her Lenten

promise. “I’d have to survive somehow. It wouldn’t be easy,” Hig-

gins continued. In fact, Mrs. Higgins has considered owning her

own Scooter’s to make having access to her drink even easier.

She even has gone as far as considering tying in the Scooter’s to

Skutt Catholic. “I’ve given some serious thought into opening a

Scooter’s Coffeehouse at our school. I would donate 10% of the

drinks back, and it would make a lot of sense. Students stop to

get coffee before school regardless, so why not make it easier

on them?” This dreamy combination of caramel and coffee has

Mrs. Higgins confessing that she is in fact obsessed. How can we

blame her, though? Coffee is by far the easiest solution to being

tired at school and is key for many teachers. When asked how much money

she roughly spends per month on Scooter’s, Mrs. Higgins replied, “Oh, way

too much. I can’t even say a number, I’d be too horrified.” No judgement

there, Mrs. Higgins. We are rooting for you and your love for Scooter’s.

Woven with warmth and comfortThere’s no denying that our school is a life-sized ice box. Whether you stay warm with a cardigan or hoodie, there are several options to keep you nice and toasty during the school day. However, our very own Mrs. Rago keeps cozy with a sweat-er that has kept her company for a large part of her teaching career. Upon stepping inside Mrs. Rago’s classroom, you will probably notice three things right off the bat: rows of computers, a wall of cheerleading photos, and a lone, white sweater propped on the swivel chair by her desk. Almost everyday, you can catch Mrs. Rago sporting this woven sweater with whatever outfit she is wearing. Luckily, it’s monochromatic color goes with almost anything and it serves as a stylish way to stay warm. This cherished sweater actually has an interesting back-ground to it. Few may know that it came all the way from Ireland. But before this cardigan was brought overseas, there was another one that preceded it. “This is not my original go-to sweater,” states Mrs. Rago. “My original sweater came from the Loch Ness Museum on a trip to England and Scotland, which would have been sixteen years ago. I had that one for a long, long time to the point where it started to have

holes in the arms and such.” To Mrs. Rago’s misfortune, she went to have the sweater repaired, but the result ended in the loss of the beloved pullover. “My husband finally took it because he had someone who was going to repair it, so they fixed it and then washed it. However, they didn’t know that it was a wool sweater so it shrunk,” shares Rago. There was no way Mrs. Rago could continue her teaching career with-out the comfort blanket that she had comically lost. So on a trip to Ireland six years ago, she undoubt-edly ventured to find a replacement. “The replacement looks just like the other one!” she testifies. Although she reminisces on the primary

sweater she once had, her current one never fails to keep her warm during the school day. What would she do without this sweater? The question is kind of unthinkable, even to her imagination. “I don’t even know what I would do! This is the best sweater I have ever found- I can’t live without it!” she says. Getting through a single school week is a treacherous pro-cess in itself, but we all have our vices that get us through. Whether it be a can of soda, your favorite song, or even an article of cloth-ing, it’s the little things that bring us joy throughout the week, just like Mrs. Rago and her cozy, white sweater.

The sweater that accompanies Mrs. Rago during her weekly routine

Adviser’s Note of Explanation (disregard and judge the entry as is if this isn’t allowed...) The preceding PDFs were published on the Skutt Catholic Flightline as an Issuu, a sort of online magazine. So, the first and last appeared as a sort of cover to the electronic magazine, with the inner pages displaying as spreads. The original can be found at this link… http://skuttcatholicflightline.com/6485/features/is-it-friday-yet/ Any further questions, let me know: jrelliott@schools.archomaha.org. Thanks! Joe Elliott Journalism Adviser, Skutt Catholic