1

Melstone Monthly Staff

Connie Hjelvik – Advisor

Kimber Korell– Editor

Ty Meredith

Shayden Cooke

Inside This Issue

Page 2: Alexander.. Contin-

ued, Prom, FFA, BPA

Page 3: Sweetheart Dance

Page 4: Kobe Bryant, Recipe

Page 5: Senior Night

Page 6: Coin Battle, Basket-

ball

Page 7: Drill Team

Page 8: Drinking Age

Page 9: Drinking Continued,

County Bee

Page 10: Spirit Days

Page 11: School Bee, Ski Day,

State BPA

Page 12: Senior Staff Survey

Page 13: Calendar

We are also online at Melstonepublicschools.org

Volume 6 February 2020

Was Alexander the Great Really That Great?

By Ty Meredith

Last month the seniors were required to write a satire after reading Jonathan’s

Swift’s “The Modest Proposal,” in which he advocates eating the Irish children ra-

ther that allowing them to grow up and become a burden to the society. Obviously, he wasn’t serious. Satire is defined as “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or

ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the con-

text of contemporary politics and other topical issues” (google.com). For the next

two month’s we will feature some of the senior satires.

Alexander the Great is thought to be the greatest

ancient king of all time. After all, we now refer to

him as “the Great.” But while his legacy is the

greatest man to have ever lived and conquered, is

he as great as history remembers? Alexander was

the son of King Phillip II. Phillip was responsible

for getting Alexander’s kingdom, Macedonia, on the

radar when the two main powers were the Greeks

and Persians. Phillip was able to gain control of

Greece by training his troops to maneuver in strict

formations, armed with long pikes and using cavalry as a strike force.

This style of fighting was based off the Greeks and would be the basis of

Alexander’s army. Alexander was handed a great set of cards by his fa-

ther, who created the foundation of the Macedonian kingdom. Since it

was Phillip who originally brought peace to the Macedonians, created the

military force, and gained power over Greece, shouldn’t he be considered

the real mastermind of Macedonian power?

Alexander the Great took control of the Macedonian kingdom after his

father was murdered and from then on started his military campaign. He

went on to conquer Greece but was that really an achievement? The

Greece that Alexander conquered was not the Greece that we usually

think of. Alexander actually conquered the Greece that was devastated by

the Persian attacks and the civil war between Athens and Sparta. So when

Alexander took over his father’s kingdom and demanded Greek loyalty,

they had no choice but to listen, not because of Alexander’s military pow-

er but because of their own weakness.

Alexander was no doubt a great military leader; however, his empire

wasn’t even governed by him. When he conquered a new land, he would

leave the traditional government system in place. He then would place

troops in that area to ensure their loyalty. By keeping local rulers, he

gained their loyalty, and his empire was run for him. Basically, he only

spent his time leading military expeditions which means his political

ability and experience was zero. On top of not really governing his em-

pire while he lived, Alexander simply did not care about its future either.

Continued to page 2

2

Continued from page 1. He didn’t bother to find

an heir to his throne or to set up any sort of gov-

ernment, and on his deathbed, he claimed that his

kingdom would belong to the strongest. This

sounds like a great idea! To Alexander, all that

mattered was his own power. When he died, his

entire kingdom collapsed, and his land was divid-

ed into new kingdoms.

Alexander’s reputation might have made him the

most powerful military leader the world would

ever see but being a drunk is one characteristic

people might not think of. Alexander the Great

liked to party . . . a lot. He was known to get so

hammered that his doctors were concerned for his

health. This is a guy who survived fighting in the

front lines of many battles and his doctors were

worried that alcohol would be his downfall. In

fact, it eventually was. When partying one night,

he was given a large glass of wine. Alexander

chugged it and then screamed in pain. His health

rapidly declined from then on until he died just

ten days later.

With a man that considered himself a god but had

many problems like drinking, greediness, and

many other problems, the question comes to mind:

was Alexander the Great really that great after

all?

Plowing Through FFA

Submitted by Ivy Pinkerton

Thank you to everyone that

helped with the mechanics

competition. We appreciate

you and your support! On

February 25 the Melstone

FFA Chapter attended dis-

tricts in Custer. There FFA

members competed in Live-

stock, Farm Business Man-

agement, and Creed Speaking. The livestock team

placed 3rd, so congratulations to them as they

make their way to state. We are still waiting to

hear the results from the other competitions. Good

job to all the participants. We will be attending

the State FFA competition March 25-27 in Great

Falls. We have some seniors getting the highest

honor at the high school level in FFA: the state

Farmer Degree. On behalf of the Melstone FFA

Chapter and the officer team, thank you all for

your support!

BPA’s Version of March

Madness Submitted by Paul Bergin

Is it March already? I can’t believe it! BPA has

been preparing hard for upcoming State BPA

March 8-10 at MSU Billings and Billings Hotel and

Convention Center. All of our members will be at-

tending and hopefully placing in events for nation-

als in May. The Sweetheart Dance was a success!

Kids aged 4-18, and parents too, had a great time

dancing. And when they weren’t, they were eating

pizza and enjoying themselves at the Community

Center. Our BPA chapter would like to thank all

the parents and students who bought Valentine’s

sales, supporting our chapter. Our upcoming fund-

raisers are the following: Butter Braids just in

time for Easter; the BPA Carnival, Thursday April

2nd; Spring Concert BBQ, Thursday April 23rd; and

the Neon Dance on Friday May 1st at the Communi-

ty Center.

3

Sweetheart Royalty: Wyatt Herrmann and Kaigen Rosekelley

4

Chocolate Dutch Baby

Ingredients

3 large eggs ⅓ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup sugar 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more ½ cup whole milk 1 ounce bittersweet, semisweet, or milk chocolate ¼ cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Coffee ice cream (for serving )

Directions Arrange a rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°. Place a

dry medium skillet on rack to preheat. Whisk 3 eggs, ⅓ cup flour, ¼ cup sugar, 3 Tbsp. cocoa

powder, and ¾ tsp. salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisking constantly, slowly stream ½ cup milk into egg

mixture. Cover with plastic and let batter rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop 1 oz. chocolate and transfer to a small

saucepan. Add ¼ cup cream and cook over low heat, whisking often, until chocolate is melted and mixture is completely smooth; season with a pinch of salt. Keep warm over low heat.

Remove skillet from oven and add 1 Tbsp. butter; swirl skillet to melt, making sure to coat entire bottom and sides of skillet.

Give batter a quick whisk to reincorporate, then pour into skillet. Quickly transfer to oven, taking care because the handle is hot.

Cook until pancake is dramatically puffed and edges are curling inward toward center but center is still moist, 10–12 minutes. Remove skillet from oven (watch for that handle again) and let rest about 2 minutes. The pancake will im-mediately begin to fall, but that’s normal. Meanwhile, pull ice cream out of freezer to let it soften slightly.

Top with 2 scoops ice cream and drizzle with warm choco-late sauce; serve warm.

A Legend Gone Too Soon…

By Shayden Cooke

The entire world just lost a great player and fa-

ther. Arguably one of the greatest players to ever

play for the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant,

passed away on January 26th in a horrifying heli-

copter accident involving 8 other victims. Kobe

had great milestones and some argue he is the

best player to ever play the game. Kobe ended

with five NBA championships, was an 18-time All-

Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-

time member of the All-Defensive Team, was

named the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP),

and was a two-time NBA Finals MVP winner. Kobe

left a mark on the game that that no other player

as done this century. But Kobe isn’t the only per-

son everyone lost that day. There was a total of 9

people lost that morning, including Kobe’s daugh-

ter, Gianna Bryant. Gianna, known as Gigi, was a

great basketball player just like her father. Kobe

was always very proud when speaking about her.

He always said that she is already better than he

was at that age, and commonly told the girls that

played for UConn, Gigi’s dream school, that she

would break all there records.

Many NBA players paid tribute to Kobe. A lot of

teams in the NBA took a 24 second shot clock vio-

lation and an 8 second half court violation for Ko-

be. The Lakers got the numbers 8 and 24 painted

on their court and had 24 seconds of silence be-

fore one their games. Lakers players LeBron James

and Anthony Davis both got tattoos for Kobe. Ce-

lebrities payed tributes by getting their suits with

Kobe’s basketball numbers on them. Spike Lee

even wore a suit to the Oscars inspired by Kobe.

Other NBA players are dedicating games to Kobe.

Kobe Bryant

made a great

contribution

to the game of

basketball.

Kobe had MJ

to look up to;

we had Kobe.

5

6

Coin Battle

By Ty Meredith

For Mrs. Allen’s civics class, the students made

their own coin design. Morgan Schiffer’s coin

took first place. For this project, Mrs. Allen had

people vote on the drawing that the students

drew. For the front of Morgan’s coin, she drew

President Trump's face. She explained that she put

Donald Trump’s face on the coin because “he is

our current president, and he is trying to do very

good things.” For the back of her coin, she drew

an eagle because it is our national bird. Avery Eik-

e’s coin took second. For Avery’s coin, she also put

Donald Trump on the front and an eagle on the

back. She chose Donald Trump because “as our

current president, he ended an Iran nuclear deal

and he also made health care more manageable.”

She put an eagle on the back of the coin because it

is the country's national bird and it symbolizes

freedom. She feels like her coin would represent

the nation’s current events well. James Bergin

took third place with his coin. On the back of his

coin, he drew a picture with 2 parts: the twin tow-

ers collapsing on September 11, 2001 and the re-

built freedom tower. He put George W. Bush for

the front of the coin because he wanted to repre-

sent the president who was in office during this

crucial period in our nation’s history. James said

“My coin is important to me because it shows that

even if we fall, which we did on 9/11, we build

back up bigger than ever.” Congrats to Morgan,

Avery, and James on their success in the coin

drawing contest!

Avery Eike

Morgan Schiffer

James Bergin

Onto Divisionals By Shayden Cooke

Both boys and girls teams ended the season with

a bang. The girls on senior night won easily

against Custer/Hysham. The boys put up over 70

points that same night and got the easy win. The

next day they went to Broadus and won both

games by 20 or more. Tournaments then got un-

derway that following Wednesday. Both boys

and girls went in as conference champions and

were hoping to win the district championship.

The girls met Plevna first round and won easily

with a score of 63-14. The boys faced Wibaux

and won and with a score of 64-16. The next day

the boys had a tough game against the Broadus

but narrowly lost their first game of the year by

a score of 37-33. The boys ended up having to

fight back around and ended up getting 3rd. The

girls won their next game then won the champi-

onship with a score of 66-62. Both boys and girls

played tough at tournaments last weekend and

have another tournament coming up next week.

The boys have to play Bridger, and the girls have

to play Roberts.

7

Drill team will be performing in Billings

at the NAIA Championship game March

24th at 7 p.m.! Don’t miss out!

8

18 or 21? By Kimber Korell

Beer, wine, vodka,

rum, mixers. The

list goes on and on.

So does the opinion

on whether or not

the drinking age

should be changed.

It’s been nearly 30

years since Ameri-

cans under 21 could

legally purchase al-

cohol in the U.S.

The Uniform Drinking Age Act of 1984 required

states to raise their legal drinking age to 21

(exceptions do exist on a state-by-state basis for

consumption at home, under adult supervision,

for medical necessity, and other reasons) or face

cuts to their federal highway funding. Wyoming,

the last holdout, raised its legal drinking age in

1988, and 21 has been the magic number around

the country ever since.

After so many years, the debate over the legal

age has long been considered largely settled in

official circles, but new legislation around the

country is challenging that assumption. Last

year, Minnesota considered a proposal to lower

the legal drinking age. While last year’s proposal

failed to get traction, it will be reassessed dur-

ing the 2016 legislative session, and several oth-

er states are following Minnesota’s lead this

year with similar measures. The consumption of

alcohol by people under 21 is generally illegal

across the United States; however, 45 states

have set exceptions that allow underage con-

sumption of alcohol in certain circumstances.

For example, underage drinking is allowed in 29

states if done on private premises with parental

consent, 25 states if for religious purposes, and

11 states if for educational purposes.

While the MLDA is 21 in all 50 states, in 47 of 50

states age 18 is the “age of majority,” which en-

tails having the rights and responsibilities of

adulthood. Every state sets its own age of major-

ity that often corresponds with the age at which

one can vote, join the military, serve in jury du-

ty, sign contracts, marry, apply for loans, make

decisions regarding medical treatments, and be

prosecuted as an adult. Alabama (age 19), Mis-

sissippi (21), and Nebraska (age 19) are three

states that have an “age of majority” above 18,

although certain rights such as the right to vote

remain at 18 in these states.

One hundred thirty-six college and university

presidents have signed a pledge stating that the

drinking age of 21 is “not working,” citing binge

drinking, fake IDs, and the fact that adults age 18-

20 are able to vote, serve on juries, and enlist in

the military. According to the World Health Or-

ganization (WHO), three million deaths annually

(5.3% of all deaths) result from the harmful use of

alcohol. WHO also reports that 13.5% of all deaths

among people ages 20-39 are attributable to alco-

hol. The discrepancy between the MLDA and the

age of majority–and its many responsibilities and

authorities–along with continued incidents of al-

cohol abuse reported on college campuses has

fueled debate on whether or not setting the MLDA

at 21 is fair, smart, and effective. Alcohol is the

drug of choice among America’s adolescents, used

by more young people than tobacco or illicit drugs.

There are 10.1 million underage drinkers in the

United States… 39% of current 8th graders, 58%

of 10th graders, 72% of 12th graders, and 85% of

college students have tried alcohol.

Particularly worrisome among adolescents is the

high prevalence of binge drinking… Underage

drinkers consume, on average, 4 to 5 drinks per

occasion about 5 times a month. By comparison,

drinkers age 26 and older consume 2 to 3 drinks

per occasion, about 9 times a month. Underage

drinking is a leading contributor to death from

injuries, which are the main cause of death for

people under age 21. Each year, approximately

5,000 persons under the age of 21 die from causes

related to underage drinking. These deaths include

about 1,600 homicides and 300 suicides. Prohibit-

ing young people from consuming alcohol doesn’t

stop them from drinking. But it does make drink-

ing much less safe. Instead of drinking at a bar,

for example, students drink secretly in dorm

rooms or at clandestine parties, where they are

much less likely to be supervised and where

drinks spiked with drugs are much more likely. If

someone overindulges or becomes ill, their friends

are less likely to seek medical and other assis-

tance. Why? Because underage drinking is illegal,

and calls for help risk self-incrimination.

Moreover, banning the sale of alcohol to people

under 21 is certain to encourage binge drinking…

Since most college students are unable to buy

their own alcohol, they have friends, family mem-

bers, or even strangers buy it for them. But these

people are not always available. This lack of a re-

liable supply makes young drinkers more likely to

overindulge when alcohol is available.

Continued onto next page...

9

(Continued from previous page) Lowering the

drinking age would help mitigate or reverse these

effects. With a reliable supply, young drinkers

would have less incentive to binge. And when

binging did occur, they would be more likely to

seek help. Besides being ineffective, the drinking

laws are incredibly costly. In 2005 the conse-

quences of the underage drinking (missed work,

healthcare costs, etc.) spurred by current policy

cost taxpayers $60.3 billion. The U.S. government

also spends millions of dollars every year enforc-

ing these ineffective policies.

The 21-year-old limit may be less effective at curb-

ing binge drinking on college campuses, however.

A University of Indiana study of students at 56

colleges found that in the immediate aftermath of

21 becoming the national drinking age, significant-

ly more underage students drank compared to

those of legal age. The controversy surrounding

the topic may never change.

JAKE’S GARAGE Larry & Pam Zaharko

Mechanic– Tim DeJaegher Serving the Melstone Area Since 1951

Conoco Products

General Repair

Melstone, MT 59054 406-358-2389

Hours of Operation Mon-Sat

7 A.M.-Noon 1 P.M.—6 P.M. Come on down!

Bull Mountain

Sanitation

Josh Jorgenson

P.O. Box 238

Melstone, Mt 59054

(406) 358-2387

Best Spellers in the County

By Shayden Cooke

The County Spelling Bee got underway on February

10th. Ryker Roskelley got runner-up to Colton Dahl

from Roundup. Colton received a plaque and a ref-

erence set. The Judges were Kimberly Rindal, Hel-

en Hougen, and Sarah Allen. The Spelling Bee coor-

dinator was Connie Hjelvik, and the pronouncer

was Kathy Eike. Congrats to everyone who partici-

pated in the County Spelling Bee!

10

Spirit Days

11

From 2:30-5:30 on March 18th

Spelling Their Way to Success By Kimber Korell

The school spelling bee

was held on Tuesday the

5th, at 2:30 p.m. There

were twenty contestants

participating with ten

moving on to the county

bee. Out of twenty stu-

dents 5th-8th grade, Jhett

Fish was the winner. Other 7th and 8th graders who

qualified are as follows: Josie Robbins, Avery

Eike, Trey Meredith, and Yazmine Smith. The run-

ner-up was Belle Collins. Other 5th and 6th graders

who qualified are as follows: Kyra Hall, Maggie

Eike, Jack Fish, and Ryker Roskelley. Pyper Mere-

dith and Gavin Smith were alternates. There were

140 words spelled with the winning word being

disturbance. The judges were Kimberly Rindal,

Kathy Eike, and Sara Allen. Mrs. Hjelvik was the

pronouncer. Congratulations to all the students

who made it to the county bee!

Ryker Rosekelley not pictured.

Ski Day

March 20th

at Showdown

Grades K-12

Bus leaves at 5:00

State BPA!!!

March 8th-10

th

Bus Leaves after Divisional

Championship on March 7th

All winners qualify for Nationals in Washington DC!!!

12

Senior Staff Survey For this month’s senior/staff survey our senior was Davon. His favorite staff member was Mrs.

Wacker. His answers are marked with a “D” and Mrs. Wacker’s are marked with a “W”

What weird food combinations do you really

enjoy?

D: Mac and Cheese and Ketchup

W: Salt w/ watermelon and cantaloupe

What would a world populated by clones of you

be like?

D: A total disaster

W: Super organized, extremely clean, a

little OCD, believers in God, and

always late!

What are you currently worried about?

D: Raising my little baby boy

W: Nothing- God’s in control!

Where are some unusual places you’ve been?

D: The underside of a horse

W: Stone Mountain Georgia and

Panama City Beach

What movie can you watch over and over with-

out ever getting tired of?

D: American Sniper

W: McFarland

When you are old, what do you think children will

ask you to tell stories about?

D: Basketball

W: How I survived the 80s w/ all the

hairspray

If you couldn’t be convicted of any one type of

crime, what criminal charge would you like to be

immune to?

D: Stealing a very expensive pickup

W: Speeding

Who was your craziest / most interesting

teacher

D: Mrs. Wacker

W: Mr. Berg-5th and 6th grade

If you could have lunch with one person

alive or dead, who would it be?

D: My grandpa

W: My grandma Lena

What is your favorite season?

D: Spring

W: Summer/Fall

What are most people surprised to learn

about you?

D: How much I love to work out-

side

W: I play bass guitar

Are you superstitious about anything?

D: No

W: No

What would your dream job be?

D: Working on a ranch with over

3,000 cows

W: Wedding Planner

Which language do you wish you spoke

fluently?

D: French

W: German, so I could surprise

Franka!

What’s one thing you can’t live without?

D: My Family

W: Any of my children

What was your biggest childhood fear?

D: Heights

W: Bulls

What’s your best personality trait?

D: Work ethic

W: Empathy

What’s your worst personality trait?

D: Procrastinating

W: Perfectionist

13

1.

2.

3. S

en

ior L

ibra

ry

Re

sea

rch T

rip 4

. Div

ision

al B

oy

s

an

d G

irls B-b

all

5.

Sch

oo

l

Dism

isses @

2:30

6

7

8 S

tate

BP

A

9

10

1

1 S

tate

Bo

ys a

nd

Girls B

-Ba

ll @

Misso

ula

12

En

d o

f 3rd

Qu

arte

r

13

14

15

1

6

17

District M

usic

Fe

stiva

l Gro

up

s

18

1

9 P

/T C

on

f.

2:3

0-5

:30

20

Sk

i Da

y 2

1

22

2

3

24

Pre

-Sch

oo

l

Scre

en

ing

@ 1

:00

Drill T

ea

m @

NA

IA

Ch

am

pio

nsh

ip

AC

T Ju

nio

rs

25

2

6

27

2

8

29

30

District M

usic

Fe

stiva

l So

los

31

HS

Tra

ck @

La

ure

l

Su

nd

ay

M

on

da

y

Tu

esda

y

Wed

nesd

ay

T

hu

rsda

y

Frid

ay

S

atu

rda

y