Senior Spotlight:
Suraya Williams
Senior Spotlight: Scott "Scottles" Lillo
Trinity Mayhew
Kitara Mielke
Suraya Williams. I don’t think there’s anyone on campus who hasn’t at least heard of her, let alone been in one of the many activities she actively participates in. Since I met her my freshman year, she’s always been a constant source of the best humor I’ve ever heard and one of the most caring people I know. She quickly became one of my favorite people to be around. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure to laugh over just about anything with her, here’s a quick introduction to this amazing senior.
Kitara: “When and where?”
Suraya: “Oceanside, CA, on January 20, 2003.”
K: “What were you known for as a kid?”
S: “Creativity and being really athletic.”
K: “Any advice for freshies?”
S: “Be yourself, and make each year better than the last.”
K: “What’s your favorite memory here?”
S: “The parties are always a lot of fun . . . formal, banquet . . . basically anything happening here.”
K: “What’s your favorite Robotics memory?”
S: “Freshman year competition.”
K: “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve heard on campus?”
S: “If they can tell your gender, you aren’t wearing enough clothing.”
K: “What are your plans after high school?”
S: “Come back to ILC to be a teacher.”
K: “Last but not least, what’s a good short music playlist?”
S: “ ‘Little Do You Know’ (Alex & Sierra ), ‘Best Day of My Life’ (American Authors), ‘Phoenix’ (Phoenix).”
Some of her favorites:
Color - Purple
Prof - Dr. Dan
Season - Spring
Age (to be) - 12 years old
Book - Pride and Prejudice
Place on campus- Bench by the Commons
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Where do you see Suraya in 10 years?
Marisa: “Married. A day school teacher who changed the entire US learning system for the better. Has little Surayas running everywhere.”
Mason: “Probably teaching in a small grade school somewhere.”
Joel B.: “I see her running her own restaurant and cooking most, if not all, of the food with her husband.”
Senior Spotlight: Ryan Lang
If you don’t know Scott, I feel bad for you. This guy is super driven, works hard, is always kind to others, and one of the greatest friends anyone could ask for. He's super smart, super funny, and super great to talk to. If you get put on a kitchen shift with Scott, consider yourself very blest; they're the best. I had the sincere pleasure of writing this Senior Spotlight about one of my favorite people on campus.
Trinity: When and where?
(Scott had no idea that this referred to his birth date and place. He spent a very long time considering this question before I finally told him what it meant.)
Scott: Wakesha, WI, November 27, 2002.
T: How have you changed since Freshman year?
S: I lost a lot of weight, but I actually haven't gotten much stronger. I got good at biking and socializing, I think. My style, too. I didn't care about how I dressed before.
T: What is your favorite high school memory?
S: Mountain biking with Ashton and Mason and Job, which was pretty much every day for a while.
T: Advice for freshmen?
S: Enjoy high school. Get out and do stuff.
(Stephen sings Taylor Swift loudly)
(Scott joins in)
T: What got you started on biking?
S: Mason and Job.
Stephen: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAAAAAA!
TROUBLE, TROUBLE, TROUBLE!!!”
T: What do you want to do after you graduate?
S: Join the Air Force and do that until I'm 45 and then I'm going to open my own bike shop and just chill, make a little money, and have some fun.
T: What has been your favorite year of high school so far?
S: Junior year, though I'm guessing Senior year is going to surpass it.
T: Ready for an amazing Senior year?
S:*nods emphatically* Yes. For sure.
​
Favorites
Color: Black (it's so versatile)
Flower: Hydrangea
Bike trick to watch: Superman Seat Grab Backflip
Bike trick to do: Wheelie
Class: Art
Prof: “Gullerud, Schierenbeck, Schierenbeck . . . I love them all."
Junior: *after a very long discussion about not knowing who's in what class anymore, he said it was me just so that he wouldn't hurt my feelings.*
Hymn: “Abide With Me”
Bible verse: John 14:2
Haiku Blues
Joel Kuehne
September 2020
Rebecca Durst
Oh, what should I write
For this recurring series
Made up of haikus?
Yes, things have happened,
And many more will as well.
But I’m bored of them…
Now here is a quiz,
A question if you would please
Just answer for me
Haikus may be great,
But ballads are easier
To read, after all
​
Shall I remain with
This certain type of poem
Or begin ballads?
​
Ballads roll off the
Tongue, you see, and aren’t quite so
Choppy and abrupt.
Or does one really
Need a certain form of po’m
To contain the words
Is free verse, rather,
Superior to them all?
Perhaps, perhaps not.
​
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Ryan Lang, a man of many mysteries. Whether it’s what he’s listening to on his headphones or where he got that cool tophat, the talented “cat whisperer” Ryan will always leave you guessing.
​
When and Where?
December 17, 2002, in Michigan.
​
Favorite Memories from High School?
Literally anything that happens in the dorm is worth remembering.
​
Where do you plan to go after high school?
That’s complicated. It depends.
​
Excessive number of Pets?
Had five in total, now three. Unless you count the fish; they all started eating each other though.
​
Favorite Pet?
Definitely Juno.
​
What would you do if someone stole Juno?
I’d definitely be very sad and try to get her back.
​
What would you do if I just happened to steal Juno?
I would remind you that I know where you live and I know how to get her back. What are you plotting?
​
Favorites:
Color: Red
Hobby: Soccer
Game: Settlers of Catan
Class: Definitely not Math, probably Art
Anime: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
​
Where do you see Ryan in 10 years:
The general consensus is that nobody knows. Could be anything from, “Still in his room sleeping because Nathan is hogging the basement,” to, “An entrepreneur with over a billion dollars,” to, “Someone who found a cure for cancer.” Honestly, we’ll never know. It’s Ryan.
Q&A
Kitara Mielke and Joel Kuehne
Prof. Joe Lau
How do guys feel about heels?
Joel: “If you like foot-binding, you can break your feet. If you like heels, you can make it harder for yourself to walk.”
Trinity: “Guys tend not to like it when girls are taller than they are.”
Joel: *nods head violently in agreement*
​
Why is everybody so concerned about who is dating whom?!?
It’s a small school, and everyone is friends with everyone, so news seems to spread quickly to everyone. I think that, and the fact that we are all sinful, leads to an urge to be caught up on all the news so we aren’t left out of anything.
​
Why do we exist?
Do we??
In all seriousness, God has a purpose for us, and that is why we exist. Paul says in II Timothy, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear.” We may not know why now, but just as God stood with Paul to guide him to spread His word, God is standing by us to bring about His will.
​
Do boys have brains?
No, they are a hive mind. “Hive mind -- a notional entity consisting of a large number of people who share their knowledge or opinions with one another, regarded as producing either uncritical conformity or collective intelligence.”
Send your questions to kitameil@ilc.edu or joelkuhe@ilc.edu for your question to be featured in the next edition of the Flash!
New President
The United States isn’t the only group choosing a new President this year. In an equally important election held last week, the high school students of Immanuel elected Senior Ethan Sydow to a one-year term as High School Student Body President.
Sydow ran against incumbent Olivia Thurow, who some blamed for the coronavirus coming to the United States, and Kari Wales, a Senior representing the southern states. While Thurow and Wales appeared to run their campaigns from their dorm residence’ basement, Sydow actively campaigned for the position by placing his duplicated face on various bulletin boards on campus.
Out of 96 potential high school voters, 81 cast ballots. That is a respectable turnout, considering no mail-in-ballots were accepted. As of now, no COVID-19 cases have been linked to in-person voting.
With many projects put on hold by last semester’s lockdown, the Student Council will have its work cut out in restoring the confidence of the Immanuel student body. Inauguration will take place at the first scheduled meeting of the council on Sunday, September 27.
Sidenote: E-T-H-A-N is how Ethan’s first name is spelled. That is to help the handful of students who spelled it incorrectly on the ballot.
Suraya Williams
A Weis New Professor
As all of you know, we have a new professor on campus. We thank the Lord that He blessed us with Mark Weis as a replacement for Prof. Paul Sullivan. Prof. Weis is even living in Prof. Sullivan’s previous, and newly renovated, home on campus. In an interview over Friday lunch hour, Prof. Weis remarked that he does not mind the yellow siding at all. He also added that when he was at school, the previous Prof. Gullerud lived there. Prof. Weis stated, “I would walk past [this house] all the time, never anticipating that I would one day live in it.
Weird Things Heard Around Campus
Sorry about the smaller article than usual, guys. Here’s what I scraped up for you. I hope you like it. If you hear any weird things for a future article just email or text them to me. Don’t tell me though because I’ll probably forget . . .
"I persuaded him to fall in love with me. Oh, no, wait, that's deception."
"Don't make me blow on you, woman!"
"I don't want to be a tree hugger. I want to be a tree smacker."
"Stop making weird faces at me. I'm not a watermelon."
"This is kinda like being a day school teacher. I had this gorilla suit . . ."
"You have the dexterity of a chicken."
"I may look like a manatee, but I don't swim like one."
"It is way too early to be alive."
Lydia Kettner
During this interview, Prof. Weis was asked what three items he would choose to have with him, if for some reason he was placed in solitary confinement. It was also established that a Bible would already be given. He chose a pencil and paper (decided that this would count as one item), a good novel, and a cellphone so that he could talk to others. Now, if you are a psychologist you may have some insight into his answers, but I’m just going to leave them as stated.
I asked Prof. Weis what his favorite color was. It turns out that his favorite color is green, which happened to be the color of the mask that he was wearing. “I think it’s mostly because green has always reminded me of growing things and renewal,” he told me.
There seems to be many things that our new professor enjoys doing; such as playing guitar, writing, sports, and walking in nature. Prof. Weis said that his favorite sport was basketball and that he played all through high school, college, and his first year of seminary. If you can believe it, Prof. Roehl and Prof. Weis played on the same team, and, yes, there was a college basketball team back then. They were called the Knights. Prof. Weis also stated that, “I was the first girls basketball coach here [at ILHS].”
I also learned that Prof. Weis’ favorite meal is spaghetti, garlic bread, with “a nice salad on the side.” He knows that it is simple and may sound boring, but that is his favorite food, with hardly any hesitation.
Overall, it seems that our new professor loves being back on campus and getting to walk by the same trees that he did many years before. There have been a few technical difficulties, but I hope everyone is enjoying having him on campus as much as he seems to be enjoying being back. He says, “I don’t mean to sound corny, but I am truly honored to be back here. I’ve always looked at it in that I got so much from this school that I now get to give back in teaching.”
Some Clarifications About the Murder Hornet
Aric Reim
A Fascinating Discovery
Trinity Mayhew (From Wyoming)
Last summer, the Japanese Murder Hornet was discovered to have arrived on the West Coast of the United States from Japan. A few days ago, I saw online the query as to whether the Murder Hornet “can kill you.” Now, it seems obvious to me, and doubtless, to the reader, that a creature known as a “Murder Hornet” can kill you, but I understand that the inquirer may have gotten this particular beast confused with other kinds of hornets, which are much less likely to kill you. This issue is not just black and yellow, so I’ve prepared the following helpful guide to let the reader distinguish the many kinds of hornets now inundating American soil.
North American Hornets
Murder Hornet: Kills things.
Embezzlement Hornet: White collar hornet that wears a suit and says shifty things like, “Don’t worry about settling your accounts, I’ll take care of it!” And rubs its hands nervously.
Armed Robbery Hornet: Sometimes hornets are seen carrying combs instead of stingers because the penalty is less for unarmed robbery.
DUI Hornet: Perhaps you’ve wondered why some hornets fly into a glass window over and over. These are DUI Hornets.
High Crimes and Misdemeanors Hornet: Most often found in Washington, Thomas Jefferson handed out rolled up Constitutions to Senators so they could swat these hornets.
Russian Collusion Hornet: Doesn’t actually exist, but it gets a lot of press anyway.
Voter Fraud Hornet: In 1980, two thousand hornets voted for a Minnesota senatorial candidate the day after an entire can of Raid had been dumped on the nest with all of them in it.
J-Walking Hornet: That loser hornet that walks everywhere instead of flying.
Destruction of Aircraft or Motor Vehicles Used in Foreign Commerce Hornet: ‘nuff said.
Extortion Hornet: “Real nice house ya got here, pal . . . Be a real shame if somebody, I don’t know, built a nest RIGHT OVER THE DOOR . . . ”
Identity Theft Hornet: One of those flies that looks like a wasp but isn't.
Disturbing the Peace Hornet: Every hornet ever.
Word Crimes Hornet: AKA "spelling bee."
I hope this handy field guide has cleared up any confusion about the various types of hornets on American soil.
Upon arriving in this place, I was astounded to see many things I had never seen nor dreamt of before. In particular were bodies of water the locals call “rivers” and tall things they call “trees.” They don't have those flat, tear-shaped things--”leaves”?--on the trees back home. We have needles, though.
​
It's been three years since I arrived, and at long last as I sat by my window on September 1 waiting for the snow, I was given an alarming message. Wisconsin has FOUR seasons. Not just two! In Wyoming we go straight from construction to winter; here they have seasons in between them! They call them spring and fall. In these in-between seasons, the weather slowly changes from the common weather of construction (or summer, as they call it here) and winter.
On the other hand, these locals have no idea what wind is. They're always remarking about how windy it is when there's barely a breeze!
One Time I Dreamt
I was taking the Music 10 listening final again. We had to match the song title to the album cover. Prof Reim added a bunch of other songs that weren't on the original CD, including one whose name sounded like one of the original songs on the Sampler, but was by Anberlin. He also had two Lego Ninja songs on it. Not all of the song titles he gave us were answers, but both of the Lego Ninja ones were.
Trinity Mayhew
Freshman Favorites
Ella Bernthal
This year, our Freshman class did a vote on four different things: favorite prof, best class, nicest out of all, and the best of Immanuel.
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Praisable Prof.
Professor Rodebaugh got the most votes at 14 kids in our class’ favorite teacher. That is 70% of our class. One of our students said, “Prof. Rodebaugh is really funny. We always have so much fun in his classes. We never have a ton of homework. He never makes you feel like you can’t ask questions!”
Teacher number two was Prof. Gullerud. Four people voted for him (20% of our class). Evan Kuehne said, “Prof. Gullerud is my favorite teacher because we always get to do ‘brain warm ups’ before his class. Homework is always reasonable, and when you walk in [the classroom] there is just a sense of relaxation. He has a good personality and is overall a great guy.”
Two of our students' favorite professor is Prof. Lau. Titus Radichel and Micah Fossum say that Prof. Lau is their favorite teacher because they like literature. They also say that he is funny. He likes sports and is a great P.E. teacher.
Nicest to Newbies
Whether the Freshman I asked said Sophomore, Junior, or Senior, they all said pretty much the same thing. They replied, “they always make me smile and wave when we walk by. They will stop and ask how school is going, how your day is, or just how you are doing. I love that they come talk, interact, and sit with us at meals.”
Immanuel’s Best
Six people chose to share what their favorite thing about ILHS is, and unsurprisingly, most have to do with friends.
“My favorite thing about Immanuel so far is playing sports with all the friends I’ve made.”
“My favorite thing is staying in the dorms and getting to see my friends every day.”
“The best thing about Immanuel is all the friends you make, and that you are always with them. You all go to school together, eat lunch together, play sports, and for us dormies, live together.”
“I like having all my friends from around the country at school with me. I really like playing games with them and just having a good time in general. I love Immanuel because you are always busy. I never seem to be bored or not know what to do. I’m either doing homework, practicing instruments, or playing with friends.”
“What I really like about Immanuel is all the opportunities to study and learn about God’s word in classes, devotions, chapels, and choir. I am very grateful that God gave me the opportunity to go to a Christian school with Christian friends, teachers, and classmates.”
No matter what each Freshman’s favorite thing about Immanuel was, we are all very thankful that we get to go to a Christian school. We thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity to be in His Word, around Christian people, and at a true Christian school that will prepare us to “Go and make disciples of all the nations,” and learn to “love each other as He has loved us.”
Masks
Joel Kuehne
The Truth-Unmasked
Anonymous
Masks, a major annoyance. They suffocate, asphyxiate, stifle, and choke, but still, they protect, filter, and “stop the spread.” From what I’ve seen, many people wear masks in many different ways, but in general there are four ways to wear masks. First, the correct way, wear it over the nose. It’s not that hard. Next is the, “I’m wearing my mask. I’m just going to render it completely ineffective by only wearing it over my mouth and exclusively breathing through my nose.” Honestly, what is your mask even doing at that point? Just take it off. Then comes the, “Oops, my mask fell from under my nose to my lower lip. Oh well.” Again, what is it even doing at that point? Finally, you have the “not at all” people. While I don’t think this is the best idea, at least they stick to their guns and give a solid “no” to the yes or no question that is wearing masks.
Over the time, there have been some great masks made. For example you have:
“The one that actually works” - (N95)
“The one that grandma made” - (Homemade)
"The Master Craftsman" - (Knitted or crocheted)
"The 'medical' mask" - (Disposable cloth masks sold at WalMart)
"Masking Tape" - (Enough said)
“The 1600’s” - (Plague doctor mask)
“Everyone’s Favorite” - (Batman mask)
Recently declared as “safer than a vaccine for COVID,” the public are being kept in the dark about what masks truly are.
Though currently mandated by the state and required by the health department, masks are actually more dangerous than the corona virus is. In recent studies, two groups of doctors were placed in separate work environments. The first group had to wear cloth masks at all times. The second group wore no masks at all. When all the doctors were tested, the data showed that the doctors who wore cloth masks at all times had a higher chance of contracting the virus than the doctors who never even wore a mask in the first place.
A piece of cloth that covers your nose and mouth is going to catch a lot of bacterium and provide it with a warm, moist environment perfect for growth, before being breathed right back into your body. This can produce many problems, among which are hypoxia and fungal pneumonia. Even with washing your mask daily, the bacteria will still enter your lungs over and over again, no matter how hard your lungs try to expel it.
Headaches are an extremely common side effect of wearing masks (I often get them by third period and by 8th; it's excruciating). A headache is your body's way of telling you that something isn't right. You're too stressed, you haven't eaten in a while, you're not getting enough water, sleep, or in this case, oxygen. Brain damage, high blood pressure, and infection can occur when there is a lack of oxygen in the body.
Even if none of that were the case, there is a cure for the virus. However, it has been declared unfit to treat the virus by the FDA, even though it was used extensively in 2005 without any harmful side effects. The FDA deems it as such because in a test they gave one man four times the recommended dose of this cure and he died. That amount of any drug is sure to kill a man.
If there’s a cure available and masks are more harmful than helpful, why is all of this happening? The answer is simple. The government has been manipulating you, making our President look bad as we near the 2020 election, and testing who is a threat and who will comply with their rules. Do your own research for your sake and for that of your family and your country--and never trust the media.