The end of a school year marks the beginning of the long hot days we call summer, and what better way to celebrate another school year than with a beach day?

Come the first day of summer, SHS seniors can be seen at a sandy beach either soaking up the sun or playing games with their friends. Elizabeth Tessier, Olivia Anderson, Kortney Toso, Hannah Thompson, Cambelle Christensen, and Emma Stokes run across the sand, ready to play a game of volleyball. Aiden Tiesman, Devan Smith, Aidan Woehler, Tony Young, and Kaden Robles can be seen gathering around a charcoal grill, ready to dig into a feast of hot dogs and burgers. Ashton Wuennemann is at the grill. Conner Rowin, BreeAnn Olson, Owen Reineke, Liberty Smith, Alaska Haas, and Cameron Montiel are gathered around, plates in hand.

Abby Groleau and Ainsley Staplefeldt are busy scooping up buckets of sand to add to their magnificent sand castle while Ingrid Gibson and Nadia Olveda watch. Kaylea Midthun, Ava Loftus, and Shannon Gibbons each carry buckets of sea water to add a moat to the castle.

Some seniors had taken to looking for things along the length of the beach. Kimberly Clark and Gabby Masten collect shells and rocks to keep as souvenirs for later.

Brooke Thrall and her group of friends, Sam Nelson, Riana Paquette, Isabel Wollangk, and Tori Fisher pierce the air with their blood curdling screams,

“SHAAAAARKKK!!!!!!!!” The students around them flee in terror, fearful that a shark might come up at any moment. But luckily, though, Drake Clark and Zac Caudle rise out of the water, howling with laughter as their clever shark disguises successfully fool the friend group.

Off in the distance we can see Hannah Boyer, G Gibson, Maddie Housley, Alli Krcma, and Emily Newquist dipping their feet into the cool water. Further down the beach Josh Livingston, Landon Lynch- Youngman, and Tobias Schultz are throwing footballs back and forth, splashing around in the dark sea. Others are taking advantage of the refreshing water. Evie Collins, Emma Phillips, Autumn Evenson, and Laz Vogt are lounging around on colorful floaties, eyes peacefully closed.

But what’s that? While splashing in the cool water by the shore, Meredith Thiessen and Brandon Kreger spot a long gray fin rising out of the water in the distance. Jessica Reuter, Tyler Sparks, and Cassie Rott lead a group to swim further out to take a closer look at what all the fuss is about, sure it was another prank.

They swim closer and closer to the buoyant figure, sure that it’s nothing to be afraid of. As they get closer they can make out the dark shape of a…. bloodthirsty shark! They hurry away, but Clare Borchardt and Anja Royko are grabbed by their inflatable floaties and reeled in by the shark’s razor sharp teeth. By thrashing about and hitting the shark on its nose, they manage to escape with their lives. Then, the screaming ensues. Groups of seniors splash their way to the shore. Niko Jemilo, Jayden Zywicki, Luke Pugh, and Tyler Pearson are almost drowned in the fearful riot to evade our sharky friend.

The senior class line up across the beach, some panting in fear, some crying. Luke Vienneau throws up his lunch. Our senior friends who escaped the shark retell their brave story to the rest.

Catelyn Jaskulke and Grace LeBeau shake themselves out of their fearful daze and approach the rest of the class, trying to calm their panicked minds and distract them from the bloodshed in open waters.

As the seniors pack up to leave the beach, they notice something peculiar looming in the distance. While the seniors were in their panic, they were too distracted to notice the water. There is not only one shark from before, but hundreds of sharks now swarming the open sea near the

shore. Dulce Gefke and Lexi Liddicoat scream in terror at the horrifying image before them. Most everyone stands frozen on the shoreline, staring at the blue-gray sea of predators. It was only an act of pure ungodly wrath that could have caused this mayhem witnessed by the students. Although the view was terrifying, the seniors were safe on the beach and had no fear of the sharks from their security of sand and warm towels.

Or so they believe. That’s when the wind started to pick up. It began as a low whistle, brushing loose sand across the beach. Then it picks up to a howling. Sand was blown in huge gusts across the shore as the sky darkened terribly. Alex Hefter, Hunter Dalsoren, and Angela Hark yell “GO” and students run amok in their panic, blinded by the blowing sand. Sure that it couldn’t get any worse than this, a voice cries out through the wind…

“THE SHARKS ARE FLYING!!!!!” Sam Rufh screams and Shqipe Ashiku ducks out of the way. Sure enough, the wind had picked up so much that the waters of the ocean were churned, throwing up the hungry sharks into the air, only to be picked up by the traveling winds. All the eye could see were huge gusts of sand blown by the wind, shrapnel from the beach activities, and sharks. Sharks are everywhere, flying about while attempting to snap bites out of the students, now running around in terror, too distracted to look for their cars to leave.

Kaden Stokstad, Adam Slager, Luke Fernholz, and Joey Waldorf are picked up into the now-hurricane, flying haphazardly along- side the sharks. Other students are picked up as well. Lake Rewey and Isaac Knutson grip the sandy floor in a feeble attempt to escape the thunderous wind, but do not prevail and are sent up with the sharks.

Anna Sedlacek, Annaliese Skerpan, Kalena Winter, and Clara Canal Nuñez are huddled behind a nearby car blocking the splitting wind. A shark swings right beside them, jaws snapping wildly. Luckily, no seniors are made into a snack. Laci McPhee and a group of people; Sara Gille, Payton Collins, Elise Carter, Addy McConville, and Sierra Bergman run into a nearby bathroom, taking shelter from the dangerous and toothy storm. Many of the students now find them- selves suspended in the air by the harsh winds, fighting for their lives from the storm and the many, many sharks flying around with them.

This was as bad as everything could get. The class had run out of hope. Many of the students had already accepted their grisly fate at the jaws of the shark hurricane. But, just as the storm had presented as their true nightmare, there was a silver lining revealed. Nearby where Aidan Kirby, Noah Sundby, Carson Smith, Rhiannon Gates, Abbi Hanneman, and Sophia Tallman were taking shelter, there sat—quite conveniently placed —a chainsaw store. Not a Home Depot, or an Ace Hardware, but ChainsawsRUs (title not affiliated with any nonfiction store or brand title and any relation to any nonfiction store or brand title is completely coincidental). The chainsaw store sits in the middle of the shark-hurricane chaos as a beacon of hope, a holy grail of sorts, for the students. If only they could get there!

Svea Hovland and Deven Johnson take shelter underneath a public bench. After noticing the chainsaw store, they make haste towards it in hopes of finding means to defeat their sharky foes. Suddenly, they are thrown back and swung into the wild winds of the hurricane by a stray shark, attempting to chomp down on their flailing limbs. Several other students including Alex Steele, Wyatt Sveum, Jael Vargas, Collin Williamson and Brady Sveinsson then make their way to attempt to get to the store. When all hope seems to be lost, the students give up and accept their gruesome fate.

Then, an act of an otherworldly force itself, the raging, screaming hurricane blows an enormous gust of wind directly towards the chainsaw store. The entire roof of the store is ripped off in one fell swoop. The students, some on the ground, some flattened to the sand floor, and most flying about within the air, all cry for joy as their savior presents itself within their grasp. As quickly as the students could say the word “chainsaw”, hundreds of chainsaws began to fly out of the store, many landing on the ground, many flying around with the sharks and students. Noah Kleitsch, Nick Gauthier, Beck Sisler, and Kai Sorensen all grab chainsaws from the ground, eager to prevail against their attackers. Tobias Balousek, Aiden Eldridge, Dakota Gavinski, Charles Hammond, Victoria Hick- man, Mikayla Howard, Luke Keller, and Michael Kress all grasp onto the chainsaws flailing through the air, careful not to harm themselves.

Sounds of hundreds of chainsaws start to fill the beach as the seniors take to arms, ready to fight against nature. Owen Lehmen, Ryan Hainline, Jose Gomez, Dylan Williamson, Zeke Mistark, Colton Hansen, and Marco Cortes-Lema pose for a picture, chainsaws in hand. Delaney Gauthier, Kyle Day, Eve Downie, Kylie Nelson and Jovanna Saimi charge towards any sharks they can see. More seniors follow their lead, braving the winds and non-breathing sharks. Farley, Eddy Kemppainen, and Leo Bright each have two chainsaws they use in tandem, leaving sharks in their wake.

Suddenly the wind dies down, and the sharks drop to the beach, no longer suspended in the air. Jon Caravella, Ben Model, Eli Burke, and Tyler Conklin dive out of a particularly large shark’s way as it crashes into the soft sand below. Leighton Hart, Peyton Smith, Max Monzo, Cameron Conklin, and Jaedon Conners, who were previously swept away by the wind, land with thumps as they too hit the ground.

The immediate threat of flying sharks had been dealt with, leaving the seniors in relative peace. Most are laughing at the sheer insanity of it all, some crying, others passed out, some puking. Caleb Konkol, Leah Huchtausen, Drew Toso, Zach Thomas and Tyler Strandlie are all huddled together, calming each other down.

“What should we do now?” Ethan Angell’s voice carries across the eerily quiet beach.

“We should probably clean up. Or at least get these guys to a hospital.” Erica Ree responds, gesturing to a couple of injured students.

So the seniors get to work. Olivia Kesller, Aden Gauger, Izzy Dennis, Zoe VanGilder, Lacy Smith, Liz Evans, and Greta Hougan, start clearing the sharks that landed on the beach out of the way. Elsie Astle, Jordan Bittrick, Cora Borroughs, Matt Eppler, Tom Unitan, and Hayden Schreier volunteer to drive the most injured to the nearest hospital. Sawyer Strutzel, Ramsey Winton, Jordan Barthuly, Ethan Peterson, and Ayden Probst have taken to chasing each other with their chainsaws, prompting Melanie Regan, Annie Tangeman, Mikayla Wheeler, and Kalli Venkus to start confiscating said chainsaws.

Many seniors sustained only small injuries from their heroic battle against their aquatic-turned-avian foes. Alyssa Christensen, Alondra Calzada, and Alani Estervig, start up a makeshift nurses office, tending to the multitude of scrapes, bumps, and bruises. Debris left from not only the sharks, but the convenient chainsaw store, the beach goers’ belongings, and other aquatic life swept up by the storm litters the beach. Zack Bonebright leads a small team made up of Carter Erickson, Bradley Garcia, Josh Franklin, Miles Gates, John McCann, Nolan Veregin, and Erald Hashani down the coast, picking up anything harmful to the environment —because they care for the earth, of course.

Brynn Stormer ends up calling their mom, which prompts police cars and ambulances to fill the beach with deafening sirens. Mya Franklin, Sara Krueger, Emily Alcantara, Julia Harman, and Noelle Finholt, stand huddled in their beach towels, talking to a police officer about the crazy events that took place only recently. The emergency workers fill in for the seniors who took leadership roles, giving them the much needed break. Cali Freitag, Susanna Jager, and Audrey Szajna are taken away in an ambulance while Gabe Rousseau and Ryan Lamers somehow land themselves in a police car.

Not only do SHS seniors and emergency workers fill the beach, the local news parks its van in the chainsaw store’s parking lot. A reporter with microphone in hand and a cameraman storm down the beach, ready to catch the inside scoop. They manage to find a group of seniors, all eager to end up on tonight’s news. David Stracener, Calvin Krueger, Theodore Kunz, and Andy McCoy yell towards the reporter’s outstretched microphone, hoping their story is the one they will read in the papers. However, their hopes are in vain as Emmy Lunde and Payton Schellin shepard the group off and give them jobs to do before they can be interviewed.

In the midst of all this chaos, some seniors continue to enjoy the beach and its view of the setting sun. Trenton Dow, Darrick Hill, Nicolar Rivera, and John Harman’s heads all stick out of the sand as Cael Steinmetz carefully sculpts a shark shaped tail for each person above the sand. Others return to the water despite the events that had taken place, seemingly unphased by the recent nightmare. Skylee Crisman, Isabelle Johnson, Kiah Nachtigal, Heaven Lee Hayes, and Elena Totz  currently lounge in abandoned floaties found scattered across the shore. Miraculously, the grill from earlier survived the shark onslaught, and Conner Steinberg stands it up and yells, “I’m grabbing supplies be right back!”

Personal items that had been collected from the mayhem were re- distributed while Abigail Spilde frantically searched for her phone.

Things return to semi- normal for the seniors remaining. An emergency worker takes up the mantle of grilling after supplies were replenished. The police officers and leftover emergency workers join in for the beach celebration. Kaylyn Schuh, Malia Schauff, and Hailey Sawyer find a random ball laying around and start a new game of volleyball, this time more determined than before. Landon Bedessem and Madison Engen lay on the sandy beach, gazing at the setting sun while Kayla Schultz, Max Niles, and Isaac Schumacher pack up their belongings to leave.

Overall, the beach day was a success.