May 25, 2022 · 8:20 am

Milwaukee Film Festival Review: ‘Memoria’ Creates Special Experience

The latest polarizing film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul was a unique highlight of the Milwaukee Film Festival

By Collin Chesak, Current Staff

I fell in love with film over the pandemic, and finally, after two and a half years of attempting to become a cinephile, I was able to visit my first film festival. The 2022 Milwaukee Film Festival was the first in two years to have in-person showings, and being a high schooler in Wisconsin, it was my first real opportunity to visit a festival. 

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May 24, 2022 · 7:56 am

West Bend Teacher Has His Head in the Clouds

By Hasti Ghasemi Vaghar, Current Staff

Two years ago, Michael Blaskowski had an idea that would literally take off.

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May 16, 2022 · 6:30 am

‘I Felt Like I Should Choose the Scarier Option’: Williams Commits to Harvard

By Kayla Lemens, Editor in Chief

Alexis Williams and her friends couldn’t help it. Despite being in a restaurant, they all started screaming.

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May 15, 2022 · 8:04 pm

Review: ‘The Northman’ Builds a Mythical World

By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff

“The Northman” is another great addition to what is best described as a collection of modern myths behind Robert Eggers’ filmography.

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May 6, 2022 · 10:19 am

Rivals No More

East and West soccer teams merged due to low turnout

By Kayla Lemens, Editor in Chief

Despite being rivals in the past, West Bend East and West girls soccer combined this spring to form one co-op team.

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May 2, 2022 · 7:24 am

Review: “Secrets of Dumbledore” Revives the Magic

By Amy Daniels, Current Staff

After a large amount of hype and advertising, the third installment of the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise was released April 15, to surprisingly weak box-office numbers.

That’s a shame.

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April 25, 2022 · 7:38 am

The Impact of Reduced Days

How do early release and late arrival programs affect students?

By Austin Hunn, Current Staff

There are hundreds of students permitted to have shorter school days on a day-to-day basis, but not much is known about its effects on students. 

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April 12, 2022 · 6:17 am

Review: ‘The Batman’ Has More Heart Than Brains

By Collin Chesak, Current Staff

With “The Batman,” Matt Reeves delivers a brutal bat noir that is more emotionally potent than intellectually challenging. The movie seeks to be more of an elaborate epic than the intimate character drama of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Instead of giving him the arbitrary origin story, Reeves introduces Batman like a stoic western character, down a long hall out of the darkness.

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March 25, 2022 · 11:54 am

Teacher Starts Spring Break by Donating Kidney

By Hasti Ghasemi Vaghar, Current Staff

Michael Rahlf, a social studies teacher at West Bend West High School, might be the friend of the year.

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March 25, 2022 · 8:19 am

Nifty Nibble Flooded with Changes

By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff

The Nifty Nibble, the campus restaurant at the West Bend High Schools, has had dramatic changes since being flooded twice due to problems in a bathroom across the hall.

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March 4, 2022 · 6:46 pm

NAMI Recognizes Longtime Volunteer

By Nicole Walters, Current Staff

Even though she retired from the West Bend School District in 2007, Sheryl Smith never stopped teaching at an award-worthy level. 

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March 3, 2022 · 6:44 pm

Dance the Night Away

By Rhys Chesick, Current Staff

After being postponed, the West Bend High Schools charity week and dance are back on.

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March 3, 2022 · 6:01 pm

Ninth Grade Gymnast Keeps Breaking Records

By Sydney Neuser, Current Staff

Gymnast McKennah Orth, a ninth grader at West Bend East High School, is heading to state in vault, floor, beam and all-around competitions.

This honor follows a season with many highlights, including a single meet where Orth was part of breaking three school records while ending in a tie for another.

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February 17, 2022 · 8:51 am

Review: Netflix’s Climate Satire Not Worth a Look

Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” lacks comedy and depth

By Collin Chesak, Current Staff

The Academy recently gave “Don’t Look Up” four Oscar nominations including Best Picture. However, if audiences are looking for an award-worthy film, they should look elsewhere. 

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February 17, 2022 · 7:57 am

‘Keep Getting Up’: Area Trainer Sets World Record to Raise Mental Health Awareness

By Cassidy Scherzer, Current Staff

There was a personal reason why Jackie Vazquez wanted to set a new world record in weightlifting.

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February 9, 2022 · 6:32 am

Local Teen’s MasterChef Memories Have Marinated for Five Years

Former contestant Sydney Neuser talks about her time on TV and whether she still wants to be a professional chef

By Kayla Lemens, Editor in Chief

Five years ago today, West Bend’s Sydney “Syd” Neuser made her network television debut as a contestant on “MasterChef Junior.”

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February 4, 2022 · 7:16 pm

Heading to the Big Dance

By Sarah Schmidt, Current Staff

Despite many obstacles, the varsity dance teams for West Bend East and West High have earned trips to a state competition.

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February 1, 2022 · 11:05 am

Trailblazing Fifth Graders Are Now Seniors

District restructuring presented new world language and music opportunities

By Kayla Lemens, Editor in Chief

Eight years ago, the class of 2022 entered Silverbrook Intermediate School as the first fifth grade class in the building.

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February 1, 2022 · 7:55 am

Chess Club Growing Fast

First in-person tournament will take place Saturday

By Austin Hunn, Current Staff 

The West Bend High Schools chess club, which has been in operation for over a year, is finally starting to take off. With an estimated 85 members and plans for an in-person tournament, it can now be considered an official club. 

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January 26, 2022 · 6:52 am

West Bend Graduate Honored at Film Festival

Amber DeRuyter stars in the independent film ‘Lonesome’

By Hasti Ghasemi Vaghar, Current Staff

After decades performing on area stages, Amber DeRuyter has now been recognized for a performance on the silver screen.

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January 24, 2022 · 8:00 am

Brickner Sets School Math Record

By Cassidy Scherzer, Current Staff

Let’s do the math: When Cullen Brickner scored a perfect 200 on the General Educational Development Option II math exam, it was the highest score by a West Bend School District student in the 13 years the program has existed.

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January 4, 2022 · 11:42 am

No Worries About ‘No Way Home’

By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” overcame the worries of many, using past characters and ultimately leading to a fulfilling conclusion in Marvel’s Spider-Man trilogy.

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December 30, 2021 · 12:22 pm

Goodbye Green, Hello Blue

By Leah Schmidt, Current Staff

Students and staff returned from Thanksgiving break to a subtle but noticeable change to the West Bend High Schools campus.

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December 21, 2021 · 11:51 am

Review: ‘The French Dispatch” Ranks Among Anderson’s Best

By Amy Daniels, Current Staff

After the release date was changed multiple times within a year, Wes Anderson finally released this fascinating film for us. 

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December 21, 2021 · 10:59 am

Review: ‘Cowboy Bebop’ Bucks the Original Too Much

By Brandon Labecki, Current Staff

Netflix’s “Cowboy Bebop” takes many liberties in the live-action adaptation of the original anime series of the same name.

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December 20, 2021 · 4:27 pm

Juniors Still Waiting for Traditional High School Experience

By Caroline Peplinski, Current Staff

The coronavirus pandemic forever changed the lives of nearly every human on the planet. Current juniors at the West Bend High Schools, for example, have never had a normal year of high school.

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December 16, 2021 · 10:44 am

How Denis Villeneuve Sold the ‘Unfilmable’

VIEWPOINT

By Collin Chesak, Current Staff

“Dune” director Denis Villeneuve dazzled the doubters by overshadowing a risky $165 million price tag with a box office run that now nears the $400 million mark.

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December 15, 2021 · 8:29 am

West Senior Hired to Promote Historic Theatre

By Cassidy Scherzer, Current Staff

One area student has gained behind-the-scenes experience at the Bend, West Bend’s historic theater that survived the Great Depression and now a global pandemic.

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November 23, 2021 · 10:26 am

Local Journalist Interviews Rock Legend for ‘Guitar World’ Cover Story

Former East student finds success as a freelance music journalist

By Nicole Walters, Current Staff

A music writer with local ties has finally reached the Edge.

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November 19, 2021 · 7:41 am

The Current View: Pandemic Reading

How has COVID-19 affected your reading habits?

Dana
“I have always been a very avid reader, and I can honestly say it only increased over Covid, especially over the spring break. I checked out 42 books from the library.”
Dana Timmermon, West senior
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November 12, 2021 · 8:29 pm

The Sky Isn’t Falling

Temporary supporting columns are needed until a structural flaw can be repaired

By Hasti Ghasemi Vaghar, Current Staff

When concrete falls through the ceiling, the clean-up needs more than a dustpan.

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November 8, 2021 · 9:20 am

All-In: The Recent Success of Milwaukee Sports

VIEWPOINT

By Collin Chesak, Current Staff

The city of Milwaukee has overcome the challenges of small market sports and become an example for the entire country.

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November 7, 2021 · 10:46 am

Musical Auditions are Back

By Leah Schmidt, Current Staff

If the pandemic era has felt a little like being isolated in a swamp, Tess Breit believes area audiences are ready for a fairy tale experience.

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October 28, 2021 · 6:59 am

Crew of Juniors and Seniors Mentor Ninth Graders

By Hasti Ghasemi Vaghar, Current Staff

Incoming ninth graders at the West Bend High Schools were surprised in September to discover that their first-day activities were being led by juniors and seniors rather than teachers.

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October 25, 2021 · 7:21 am

Review: ‘The Guilty’ Is Too Locked Up

By Amy Daniels, Current Staff

“The Guilty” is another American remake of an international success that doesn’t quite live up to what made the original so remarkable.

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