Centralia School

8th graders were using prisms today to separate and reflect light. They had colors divided into cool and warm colors.

Written by Blake Broxterman and Thaden Slater Lawson Osterhaus was brought into this world on December 12, 2006, by his parents, Dawn and Eric Osterhaus. He has an older brother, Raef and a younger sister, Taryn. Lawson has been a faithful football team member and has played for all 3 years except for his senior year, where he was a manager for the team. He has also been a part of the basketball team for all four years of his time at Centralia High School and has loved his time as a part of the team. He was also in FFA for his first 2 years of high school and FBLA for his last 2 years. Lawson has also loved being in Kays for all 4 years of high school. Lawson said, “My favorite part of all of high school had to be homecoming week.” He loves it so much because you can participate in all kinds of things throughout the week. Including dressing up with the themes that are set for each day, especially on Friday when you get to get out of school to tailgate out back. Eating great food and playing games while doing it. Another reason why he loved it so much is that they didn't have to drive far away for the football game, and it was just right there. He was also proud of the fact that his class won homecoming week all 4 of his years in high school, which contributed to his love for this week. He claimed, “Every year our class was devoted to winning that medal for all of our years.” Lawson also states that Mrs. Gleason or Mr. Holthaus were the most influential people to him during his 4 years at Centralia High School. He said, “Gleason taught me how to make sure that I get my stuff done and done on time”. Which is one of the reasons why he said that he made it through Junior year. Osterhaus claims that the best way to overcome junior year is to make sure to get your stuff done and turned in. During Lawson's free time, he loves to play Warthunder, which is a video game that involves flying military aircraft to defeat enemy players.. After high school, Lawson plans on going to flight school in Manhattan, Kansas. This school is called Flex Air, and at this school, he will learn how to do everything that involves flying planes. After he is done with school, he plans on flying planes commercially for any of the major flight companies all over the United States. Finally, Lawson said that “High school goes a lot faster than you expect it to, so enjoy it while you're still there.” Which I think can apply to all kids in or out of high school because you never know how good something is until it's gone.

The 4th Grade is having a Cherry Limeade & Lemonade Stand at the Centralia Softball & Baseball games on Friday. All proceeds will go to the Centralia Ball Association

Written by Jayce Schmitz Lillian “Lily” Rose Puvogel, daughter of Jason and Amy Puvogel, was born on February 26, 2007, in Sabetha, Kansas. She began school in Hiawatha before moving to Corning and joining Centralia in 2020. Since then, she’s become known for her creativity, especially in the arts. Whether through her drawings, singing in choir, or dancing, Lily has always found ways to express herself. She's been dancing at Holle’s Studio since the age of three and spent three years on the Centralia dance team—dance has been a huge part of her life and one of her favorite outlets. Lily has been incredibly involved during her time in high school. She’s been part of FBLA (serving as both secretary and president), FCCLA, NHS, Forensics, Scholars Bowl, Art, Band, and Choir, among others. She especially loved FBLA and dance, where she found leadership opportunities and a chance to grow both personally and creatively. She’s thankful for mentors like Mrs. Poe, who helped her build confidence, stay organized, and manage the stress that came with so many responsibilities. When reflecting on high school, Lily describes her experience as “unexpected.” Every year brought new challenges and discoveries that helped shape her into who she is today. While she admits it hasn’t always been easy—especially balancing a packed schedule—she’s proud of how much she’s grown. One fun fact most people don’t know? She was in The Lion King and Aladdin in grade school, which helped spark her lifelong love of theater and the arts. After graduation, Lily will head to Kansas State University to major in Social Work. Her passion for helping others and love for connecting with people make it a perfect fit. Her advice to the next senior class is simple but meaningful: “Don’t be afraid to do what makes you happy, even if it’s not the popular choice. Your happiness matters.”

Parker Koch was awarded 2nd place in the Office of the State Bank Commissioner (OSBC) and Kansas Department of Insurance financial literacy scholarship. Parker has been awarded $3,000 for his essay. Congratulations!

Yesterday in Mrs Holthaus's Science room the 8th graders were using lasers and mirrors to reflect light. They got up to 9 mirrors before they were unable to see the laser light.

Written by Kalin Olberding Gage Wimberly was brought into the world on January 30, 2007. He was raised by his loving parents Brett and Shelli Wimberly. Gage also has one older brother Miles. Miles was also a student at Centralia and was a great role model to him. During school Gage has kept himself entertained by enrolling in many sports and clubs, this includes football and golf. Gage played both sports for four years but he says out of the two golf was his favorite. Gage’s favorite memory from highschool is unsurprisingly also a golf memory. He says that it was “the first day of golf practice every year”. Gage also has some fond memories of football, if he could relive one part of all of highschool it would be rhyming on the sideline at football practice freshman year. Gage didn’t just do sports though he is also a part of many clubs and organizations. Gage has been in FFA his freshman year, FBLA from junior year to senior year, and Kays his sophomore, junior, and senior year. Throughout the years at Centralia Gage has gained some wisdom on what to expect and how to manage your way through the rest of your high school career. He says that one thing the upcoming seniors should know is that they shouldn’t stress about the small things. Gage also has some advice on how to get through what he, and most students at Centralia, thinks is the hardest part of high school junior year. He says that one of the key ways he got through it was by learning the art of procrastination. Surprisingly enough Gage’s most influential teacher is Mrs.Gleason, he says she has pushed him hard to be better especially his junior year of English. One thing highschool has taught Gage is what having responsibility is truly like; Gage also says that the one word that would sum up his high school experience is surprising mostly because it was a lot more laid back than he expected. Lastly Gage plans on continuing his education at K-State where he will major in accounting. Overall Gage is an excellent example of a hardworking and fun personalited person. Through his participation in football, golf, FBLA, and KAYs he has become a great role model to others and a great example of a good senior. I have no doubt that he will be successful in any of his future endeavors. I hope future students can only learn from his time at Centralia.

Written by Arrie Lasky Helen Elizabeth Eaton was born on September 1, 2006, to Michele and Justin Koch, her lovely parents. She has two younger brothers, who are twins, Peter and George Koch. She grew up in Seneca, Kansas, with just her and her mom until she was about six or seven when her mom met her now stepdad, Justin (Gus) Koch. Then they welcomed her twin brothers. They lived north of Seneca until about 2019 when they moved to Centralia, where she has been going to school ever since her seventh grade year. Helen is a member of the Centralia High School graduating class of 2025. Throughout her high school career, Helen has participated in FFA, was a basketball manager her freshman year, and filmed for the football team her sophomore year. FFA is her favorite ongoing activity, and she participated in it all four years of high school. Known for her positive work ethic, Helen has been working at LifeCare in Seneca, Kansas, since March 2024, but she is PRN (as needed) at East Ridge in Centralia, Kansas. She has also had her CNA for almost 3 years. Helen’s time at Centralia High School has been filled with many memories since her freshman year. She stated, “My favorite memory is my Junior year in the AG room when Wyatt Mason and I had our chickens that we had at the time on a chicken harness and walked the chicken around the AG room.” If Helen Eaton could revisit a memory from high school, she would choose a moment from sophomore year during seminar, which was the last 30 minutes of the day; it was never a dull moment for what they did. Her overall favorite class in high school would be any of her ag classes, such as AG Mech, animal science, and others like them. Her favorite part of her favorite club, FFA, was meeting all different kinds of people, making connections with one another, and forming new friendships with students from various schools. The most influential teacher or mentor during her time in school was the former agriculture teacher, Mrs. Jenna Akins. She encouraged Helen to push herself to her limits, try new things, helped her with her classes, and was a teacher to whom she could go to rant during the classes they had together. Helen’s quote to an advice she would have for next year's senior class is, “Embrace it and do everything you can. It will go by fast.”When Helen graduates from Centralia High School, she is going to go back to Highand for their medical assistant class that they offer.

Centralia NHS recently held a food drive for the local food pantry. They asked Centralia Elementary students to bring in boxed foods and after all were collected the NHS students would set up the boxes up as dominos down the main hallway. The elementary class that donated the most boxed foods would win an ice cream party put on by NHS. This morning everyone got to watch the domino event and the winning class was announced. Congrats to the 5th Grade class on donating the most boxed foods. Thank you to everyone that donated. Please use the link to view the video. https://youtube.com/shorts/9V4NXTPO-xg?feature=share

The Centralia Baseball team and Junior Varsity Softball team are in action today. The Baseball team travels to Frankfort for a double header that starts at 4:30 pm. The Junior Varsity Softball team travels to Rock Creek for a double header that starts at 4:30 pm. Location of Rock Creek Field: 9355 Flush Rd, St. George, KS 66535

Centralia Junior High Track hosts a track meet today in Centralia. Field events start at 2 pm, the 3200 meter run will start at 2:45 pm and all other running events will start at 3:30 pm. Good Luck Panthers!

The Centralia Varsity & JV Golf teams are in action today in Onaga for a tournament. Tee time is 10:00 am. Good Luck Panthers!

On Saturday, two students competed at State Forensics in McPherson. This meet consisted of three preliminary rounds, semifinals (top 12), and finals (top 6). Morgan Allen competed in Impromptu Speaking and placed 3rd. Parker Koch competed in Extemporaneous Speaking and placed 8th. Congratulations Morgan and Parker!

It was a rainy track meet on Friday complete with a slight delay prior to the start running events. CHS Track athletes battled through the conditions, and many were able to meet season or personal records. Both of our 4x200 teams were great sports and agreed to run the relay even with the short notice. Not only are our athletes great individually, but they continue to prove how great and supportive of teammates they are to each other. Our season is winding down, next week we will be in Sabetha. Go Panthers!

Good Luck to Morgan Allen & Parker Koch as they compete at State Forensics today in McPherson.

6th, 7th & 8th Grade enjoyed the Junior High End of the Year Dance!

Another solid day for the golf team! They got third place, shooting their best on the year with a 362! Bronx Talley placed 10th with an 89! Gage Wimberly got 6th with an 84! Blake Broxterman shot his best on the year with a 96!

8th Grade Social Studies Civil War Projects

Written by Mason McClain and Degan Ronnebaum Meet Charles Timmel, known to everyone as Duke. He’s a high school senior who has faced many challenges, grown a lot, and discovered his passions. Born on October 25, 2006, Duke’s high school journey has been full of sports, friendships, and memorable experiences that he'll carry with him long after graduation. Duke is the second oldest child of Lieshell and Uriah Fairchild, with three siblings: Lyaleah, Uriah, and Josiah. From an early age, his family, sports, and a determination to succeed have been major parts of his life, shaping who he is today. Throughout high school, Duke has been involved in various sports, including football, wrestling, baseball, basketball, and track. If asked to pick a favorite, Duke would choose basketball. Football was always enjoyable, but the memories he made playing basketball are the most cherished. It’s clear that basketball holds a special place in his heart, even though he loves all sports. When it comes to his best high school memory, Duke finds it hard to pick just one. There have been countless unforgettable moments, whether on the sports field or just spending time with friends. A key influence in Duke's high school life has been Mr. Landon Wright, a teacher and coach from Marysville. Since elementary school, Mr. Wright has supported Duke through tough times. He’s not just helped with school; he’s been a mentor, teaching life lessons that extend beyond the classroom. To upcoming seniors, Duke’s advice is: "Have fun and make memories because it goes by faster than you think."He learned this firsthand, especially when he changed schools midway through a year. It was challenging at first, not knowing anyone, but by joining sports, he made new friends and formed a community. Reflecting on his experiences, Duke feels prepared for the future. High school taught him how to juggle responsibilities and make hard choices, skills he knows he’ll need later in life. If Duke had to describe his high school years in one word, it would be "Exhilarating." This period has been like a rollercoaster ride, with ups and downs that made it unforgettable. From the thrill of participating in sports to the bonds formed with friends, high school is a time he will always cherish. Looking ahead, Duke plans to attend Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, where he’s eager to continue growing academically and athletically. Charles "Duke" Timmel III isn't just a high school senior with notable achievements; he’s someone who has approached these years with determination and a strong focus on the future. Everyone is eager to see where his path leads next!

Written by Kyra Niehues On November 16, 2006, Kinzey Elizabeth Niehues was welcomed into this world by Greg and Beth Niehues. Kinzey has three younger siblings: Kyra, Garrett, and Bailey. Throughout high school, Kinzey has been involved in many different extracurricular activities. Kinzey has been in NHS for 2 years, while in NHS she was STUCO rep her junior year and president her senior year. She has been in FCCLA for 4 years, where she was president for 1 year and secretary for 2 years. In KAY’s, she was secretary and school service for 2 out of the 4 years she was in KAY’s. Kinzey was also in the leadership group, FBLA, volleyball, basketball, softball, track, vocal, and student council. There are many valuable skills she has learned from these activities, such as the importance of hard work, public speaking skills, and responsibility. After graduation, Kinzey plans to attend Emporia State University to major in elementary education. Kinzey enjoys working with children and is very passionate about helping them grow and become the best versions of themselves. When asked what teacher had the most influence on her, Kinzey answered Mrs. Lora Whetzal. Kinzey’s advice for next year's seniors is, “Enjoy your last year, and don’t wish the time away because it flies by.” One of her favorite memories from high school is roaming the halls with her friends. Kinzey has been extremely involved in activities at Centralia High School. Although she will miss high school, she says that she is excited to start the next chapter of her life.