Graduation is a time full of pride, laughter, and maybe even a few shed tears, but what really goes into planning a graduation party?

The first step is picking a date to have the party. It’s such a busy weekend, and the graduate wants to make sure that someone else’s party isn’t going to take away from theirs.

After the date is set, the next step is the location. An outdoor party would be beautiful, but the weather could always change that.

After those major decisions are finalized, it’s time to make the invites. Many seniors have been going away from the more formal invites and focusing on a more creative invite that captures their personality. A few popular websites that make this possible are Snapfish and Shutterfly. Mary Wede said, “I wanted my invites to be more personalized and my photographer created my invites using my senior pictures.”   

Another very important aspect of the party is the food to feed the guests. Maddie Christensen didn’t have to think long about what she wanted to serve; she chose her favorites, mini corn dogs and mac and cheese. Bailey Nelson is choosing to embrace her love for pasta by serving spaghetti and alfredo. Whatever the graduate chooses, it’s sure to please the eager guests. Senior Kara Christensen said, “I think my mom is more concerned about all of the final details than I am. I have so much going on with school that I haven’t had much time to think about my party!”

Finalizing all of these tedious decisions can be a bit overwhelming, but after the hard-work of not only graduating, but planning such a big event as well, the end result is well worth it. It’s time for the graduate to sit back and enjoy the party with their friends and family.

Summer is near, and the kids are getting ready. With planning for graduation, finishing classes, picking out their new residence, and preparing for college, Audubon High is buzzing with big plans.

Mary Wede, a senior, is planning babysitting, working, and getting ready for college and her move to the city. She's ready for school to be out, but said, “I will miss my class so much!” The senior's last day is May 14, and graduation is May 18. 

Senior Kara Christensen is planning on working, prepping for college, and seeing as many friends and family members as she can before the fall comes. Christensen will be headed to Northwest Missouri State, but said, “I am very ready for school itself to be over, but not my time with my classmates. To me, we have a very close class and it will be very hard for me to not see our classmates every day or be coming back together in the fall.” This summer, other classmates of 2014 are planning on playing sports, working, college prepping, and going on family vacations.

Although not just seniors are planning for summer and their future, junior Lauren Graeve has her summer already set up. She is running her third-half marathon, doing missionary work in Minnesota, and going to Tablerock for a week with the FFA officer team. She’s also taking on two jobs – Present Company and Audubon Foods.

Bradley Nissen, also a junior, plans on balancing work, tennis tournaments, trips and “personal time”. With a little less than a month left, it seems like most of Audubon students are ready to skedaddle out for summer. When asked if she’s ready, senior, Haillie Anthofer said, “yes and no, because it's my senior year and I'm ready to experience new chapters of my life, but at the same time I will miss everything around here.”

The annual Demi-Con is coming to Des Moines Friday, May 2 through May 4. This phenomenon has been going on for twenty-five years. Many people ask what Demi-Con is, well, it's like Comic-Con in Las Vegas, but here in Des Moines, Iowa. According to Wikipedia, "DemiCon is an annual volunteer-run science fiction, fantasy, and gaming convention held in Des Moines, Iowa, in early May. DemiCon's host organization is the Des Moines Science Fiction Society (DMSFS), a nonprofit group that promotes literacy, science, and the arts, especially through the enjoyment of science fiction and fantasy."

Audubon teacher Miss Laura Granger is going to this fantastic convention for her first time with past attendee Tauna Bohlmann. Granger said, “I thought it would be something fun to try, and meeting new people in crazy costumes.  Plus, it has a lot of writing workshop sessions.” 

This year’s theme is steampunk, and also the silver anniversary of the convention. Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction based on an alternate timeline set in the Victorian age with advanced technology that’s mostly based on steam power.  Steampunk is still fairly unknown, but fellow staff member James Thoelke has been a fan of the genre for years.

Tauna Bohlmann, who has been going to the convention for the past three years, said that by far Friday night is her favorite night of the event; “I love the Friday night hall contest & Saturday night masquerade as there are a lot of costumes and some of them are very good, some mediocre, and some awe-inspiring.“ The convention has planned events, but it is different every year.  Bohlmann said “Some of the rooms are decorated to look exactly like the bridge of a starship or some anime theme.  There has always been a candy room where you can get sick on chocolate & sugar.  One year there was a bacon party....They had over 40 different flavors of bacon foods!”

The convention also welcomes children and teenagers offering separate youth programming and game rooms.  The event is this weekend and has various prices for admission.

    Dresses, hair, nails, dates, and dancing would be a few words a person would hear walking down the hallways at the Audubon High School, and that can only mean one thing: prom. Do boys and girls have the same concerns and worries about prom?
    Many worry immensely about prom, while others decide to not sweat the little things. Junior Brad Kerkhoff said, “I don’t worry about a thing, I just enjoy a carefree night.” Senior Dylan Jensen shares Kerkhoff’s mindset.
    One worry everyone shares to some degree is expressed by one of the school's AFS students, Karl Segerborg, who said, “I worry about the DJ playing good music.”  But in order to get to that hallowed dance hall you need a date.
    When asked how he would ask a girl to prom Junior Brad Kerkhoff said, “I’d ask in a cool, fancy way, like the girls like it. But not too over the top.”
    Segerborg however has the confidence of a lion and would get a date to prom by simply saying, “Sup. Want to go to prom?”
    Junior Trevor Smith, with the help of Lauren Graeve, put together a movie with pictures of him and his girlfriend, Bailey Nelson; at the end he asked her to prom. She of course couldn’t turn down such a sweet gesture.
    Many girls are most concerned about what they’re going to wear. Senior Kara Christensen said, “My biggest fear about prom night is that my hair and makeup won’t turn out like I practiced it, but I won’t let it ruin my night.”
    Junior Ruby Johnson is in charge of the Grand March committee this year, and she said, “I definitely have put more work into the details of the Grand March instead of myself, but I just want it to be a success. My biggest concern is not having enough decorations and supplies, while decorating the day of prom.” Many of the seniors have said that they are way less stressed this year, probably because they aren’t in charge of making prom a success. It’s their turn to sit back and relax.
    The theme of this year’s prom is “A Night in Paris.” Many girls are taking this theme into account while choosing their dresses. A general theme this year seems to be a more elegant and classy style. A common time to start focusing on prom seems to be around January. Maddie Christensen said, “January is when it starts crossing my mind, but I don’t really start taking action until early March; that’s when I focus on dress shopping.” Prom isn’t a cheap event. On average a girl spends around $400 depending on what dress she decides to order plus shoes, hair, makeup, and nails.
    As much fun as prom can be, it can also be a little pricey for boys. Both Jensen and Kerkhoff spent anywhere from $120-$150, including dinner at the banquet and their tux. Segerborg noted that he only bought a vest and tie, as he already owned the other articles of clothing.
    Whether you're the type of person that has everything planned down to the last detail, or the person who chooses to just go with the flow, prom is sure to be a fun filled night.

The new rapper Donald Glover, other wise known as Childish Gambino; has “spit” beats on his new album "Because the Internet" and is changing the music game. Starting with his album “Sick Boi” in 2008, working his way up the musical food chain by playing in Adidas commercials, Gambino has taken on the music industry and is coming in with a big pow. Donald Glover is better know for working with Tina Fey and acting in the show “Community.”

Two of his latest singles “Crawl” and “3005” make this CD worth buying. This album shows off Gambino’s array of sound waves with techno, soft rap, speaking parts, heavy bass, and major flow. His album can be described as eclectic with random sayings, sounds, and mash-ups. However, this album may not be for younger listener's ears, since it is marked as explicit.

"Because the Internet" features members Chance the Rapper, writer of "Acid Raps", Jhene Aiko, writer of "Sailing Souls", and Azealia Banks, writer of "Broke with Expensive Taste."

When listening to the song "Flight Of The Navigator", fellow staff member Carley Williamson said it sounds “creepy” and reminds her of the movie "Tarzan"; but when listening to "Pink Toes" – a “less trippy” song – she said, “it’s a good one."

Hannah Spencer is a big fan of Gambino’s album; she said, “his album is really good, but I guess you have to be into that kind of music to like that kind of music, ya know?” Gambino’s album is pure gold to some, but maybe not for the next person.