Andover High Trojan Bluestreak- Issue 2

TTB the trojan bluestreak

1744 N. Andover Road. Andover, KS 67002 Volume 26 - Issue 3 Oct. 7 2011

Analyzing the modernfamily A glimpse into the lives of American families {pg 15-18} news: band participates in yearly Greater Andover Days parade {pg 5}

sports: senior ben loflin displays leadership, skill on the soccer field {pg 24-25}

pop culture: ‘Moneyball’ deserves Oscar recognition {pg 28}

{news}

Race displays hope, strength in survivors

Where can a Star Wars fan chat with a storm trooper, a child have their face painted by clown in striped pants and a cancer survivor chat with Elvis as he flips her pancakes? The 22nd Race for the Cure Mid-Kansas rolled its pink cement trucks and balloon canopies into Wichita on Saturday, Sept.

24.

From pink roses, to pink shirts, to pink fire trucks, the Race for the Cure set up shop in the Towne East parking lot between Dillard’s and Sears.

In the three hours that the events went on, 10, 304 people showed up to walk, run, donate and stand together in an effort to end cancer. In the 5K race, 366 teams showed up to pledge their support.

In a crowd of 10,000, it may be hard to stand out. But one thing that did was Nicki. Nicki, a bright pink fire truck parked near the end of the parking lot, drew in crowds all day long. Donated by the Lawrence Kansas Fire Department, the retired 1987 truck is a symbol of hope.

“The union here in Wichita donated all pink gear for firefighters to wear,” volunteer and firefighter Mike Ward said. “[The truck] is a traveling memorial. Survivors sign it. That makes it important.”

Nicki, named after Nicki Janne, a breast cancer survivor and wife to a Sedwick County firefighter, travels the area from Race to Race, going as far as Texas and Missouri.

The pink truck is covered, end to end, in messages written by survivors or family members of those who have succumbed to the disease.

Snip-its

“Glad to be alive,” one survivor wrote.

Some message are personalized, a favorite memory or quote shared in a last private tribute.

Others are simple.

“I miss you, Mom. I really need you right now,” another said.

While hundreds gathered around to sign or read the truck, others began to line up to race. For a $30.00 donation, participants could run or walk a 5K. For $5.00 less, donators could participate in a 1-Mile Fun Walk, geared towards those with smaller children.

Before running or walking, participants can affix pink signs to their backs with sayings like “In Celebration of...” or “In Memory of...” Sue Crockett, a 27 year survivor put simply. “In Celebration of All of Us.” “I’ve try to stay in the shadows,” Crockett said.

“This is larger than me.”

Another attraction for many, is a group of men and women dressed as Star Wars characters.

“My mom is a four year survivor,” storm trooper Daraman Ellison said. “I started doing this for her.”

Costume companies donate the different garments every year.

“Costume organizations love to help us out with this event. Their main goal is charity,” Ellison said. “I saw Star Wars when it came out; I was five. I have been fascinated ever since. I knew we should dress up like Star Wars characters.”

But although the main message of the Race

Halloween dress up day cancelled

2

Every year the school grants students the right to celebrate Halloween festivities by allowing them to use their creativity and wear costumes of their choice.

“It sucks not being able to participate in it being my freshman year. It was something fellow students and I were sort of looking forward to, but at least we can in the future years to come,” freshman Paige Epperson said.

For this season, there will be no dress-up day around the school, as Halloween falls on a Monday that students do not have school and the Friday prior will be a pink out to support breast cancer awareness.

“Costumes are always a challenge for us,” StuCo sponsor Rachael Neibling said. “It’s hard cause students don’t always follow the dress code.”

If students didn’t follow the dress code, there would have been penalties, though that was not the problem.

“If that is so, the students will just be sent home,” Neibling said.

The reason for in-service on Halloween is to give teachers a conference release day, or a day out of school to attend a conference. Dress-up day will be back next year and many years to come as long as it falls on a day students have school.

sydneySTAEHR Oct. 7 2011

Senior Glenn Karnes dressed up as White Goodman from the movie “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” last year. Students will not be dressing up on Halloween this year for a variety of reasons. Photo by Sarah Clark

is hope and optimism, there are some serious overtones.

“Sign our petition to keep Congress from cutting funding to end breast cancer research!” several volunteers said.

All throughout the parking lot, volunteers went around with petitions for anyone to sign.

“While there is nothing in the works to cut funding, we are trying to be proactive,” Crockett said. “Congress has been generous since they started giving in 1992, we want that to continue.”

The station for the petition also gives out free information to men and women about warning signs of cancer.

“Breast cancer knows no boundaries - be it age, gender, income or where you live,” the motto for the Race says. “You are the cure.”

All in all, donators raised over $570,000 on Saturday alone, and donations are accepted for another month. That money will be used for research and for screening for low-income men and women.

Breast cancer is the number five killer of women. An estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected this year. the five-year survival rate is 98 percent, compared with 74 percent in 1982. That research can largely be attributed to Susan G. Komen’s donations.

“We are the largest private fundraiser for breast cancer,” Crockett said. “We’ve come a long way. But we’ve got a long way to go.”

robynHERBERT

Students travel to inauguration

Once every four years, the country holds a meeting to formally induct a new president into office.

The next presidential inauguration is to take place on Jan. 20, 2013 and students from Andover High school will be attending.

“It’s an amazing time to see the nation’s capitol with heads of state, celebrities, and a general buzz about the city,” history teacher Joel Schaefer said.

“It’s a once in a lifetime experience for most students.”

It has been estimated that 50 students, ranging from sophomores to seniors will go on the trip.

While in Washington D.C., the group will visit places such as the Smithsonian museum, the Capitol and will attend a ball.

“I did not like history in high school but now I realize how important it is and having the opportunity to go is a great privilege so I’m excited,” counselor Sue Coffman said.

With nothing but positive responses from students over the years, Schaefer is excited for the trip.

Though it will be exhausting due to the constant movement, it is well worth it.

“I love hanging out with students, listening to their comments, seeing their curiosity and just soaking in the atmosphere of it all,” Schaefer said.

Dates have not been set, but a meeting will be held in February to begin the sign up.

sydneySTAEHR

Professionals speak at Issues Fair

School Resource Officer Lance Parker gives a presentation on school violence during the Issues Fair. The Issues Fair occurred on Sept.

28. Photo by Brooke Hilbert

Last week, students attended the Issues Fair, where they listened to professionals speak about common issues teens face.

Mandy Ronen spoke to students about applying for scholarships and being admitted into colleges.

“I’m a Wichita State University graduate. I worked in admissions for two years and have my master’s in educations administration,” Ronen said.

Ronen said she had an opportunity to speak to students about making college choices and decided to go for it. Part of her job involves talking to students.

“I work at admissions and admissions is all about recruitment and anytime we have an opportunity to talk to students, we take the opportunity,” Ronen said.

Ronen said that students, especially seniors, attended her presentation because the college applying process is time consuming.

“They can learn what to do when starting a college search process and things to look for when choosing a college,” Ronen said.

Ben Christensen, a financial adviser, came to the fair to speak with students regarding financial problems people, not only teens, can face.

“I talked about money management, budgeting, saving [money], credit, and risk and return,” Christensen said. “I think everyone needs to know [the information] and I [tried] not to be boring.

School Resource Officer Lance Parker gave presentations about school violence. Parker has given his presentation in the past.

“I’ve been an SRO for four years and [have] made presentations in the past,” Parker said.

Parker’s presentation consisted of his speech about school violence. He also showed some videos of his police training.

“They watched a video of me getting tased,” Parker said. “I also talked about bullying in schools, violence, and the implementation of the taser.”

Senior Casey Satran attended Ronen’s presentation and said that the she did a good job giving information.

“It was a good presentation,” Satran said. “She had a lot of nice information which was very helpful.

Overall, the entire presentation was helpful to me.”

tjRIGG and laurenQUAM

New store brings clothing, cupcakes to area With the school district’s population growth and the economy in the drain, businesses are starting to be more creative with their stores and expanding their merchandise.

One business is Cupcakes and Pearls, a cupcake bar and consignment store located on 127th and 21st streets. Lori Chrisman opened Cupcakes and Pearls at the end of July.

“Basically, we are a cupcake bar, and we sell higher-end types of clothing,” Chrisman said. “We sell vintage clothes, and we have special names for our cupcakes.”

With the recession leaving high school students’ pockets lighter than usual, more students are choosing to save their money. Cupcakes and Pearls knows this and are trying to work with

students’ budgets.

“Their cupcakes are really cheap and they’re delicious too. I love all the cupcake options and it is really pretty inside,” sophomore Elle Ablah said Each cupcake is $2.50 and is named based on Hollywood stars and starlets.

“One [cupcake] is named after Audrey Hepburn,” Chrisman said. “We really like our cupcake makers [Simply Scrumptious, a Wichita cupcake bakery], she does a splendid job.”

Chrisman intentionally picked this part of Wichita to open up business because she loves Andover and it’s surrounding area.

“I live very near here. I do not think we could make it without Andover business. They contribute to most

of our sells. Andover is a great town,” Chrisman said.

“Andover is becoming more and more populated so I think it is good that we have [them],” sophomore Amanda Frost said. “It will be good for Andover’s business.”

Students enjoy the shop for the proximity, located just minutes from Andover students’ houses.

“I like how close it is,” Frost said.

The cupcakes are a big hit with students, many going in just for a quick treat after school.

“They have good cupcakes,” senior Eden Zarkeshan said. “I like how cheap [they] are, and I like the flavors.”

Cupcakes and Pearls, a high-end

and cupcake store, opened in mariaSTANLEY clothing July. Photo by Brooke Hilbert

Oct. 7 2011

3

Citywide C urfew affects students

Editor’s Note: The names of the students in this story have been changed to protect their reputations.

Violating curfew is a task that can be easily accomplished by teenagers and one that can come with severe consequences.

The city of Andover has a curfew beginning at 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. School Resource Officer Lance Parker, however, tells students different times.

“To help make the curfew problem go down, I tell them that the curfew is 10:30 [p.m.] on weekdays and 11:30 [p.m.] on weekends,” Parker said.

Being out after curfew is a violation of the City of Andover codes 1978 13501 and 13-502. The codes state that “it shall be unlawful for any minor to loiter, idle, wander, stroll, or play in or upon the public streets, highway roads, alleys, parks, playgrounds, or other public grounds, public places and public buildings, places of amusement and entertainment, vacant lots or other unsupervised places, and including

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Oct. 7 2011

the driving of cars or being passengers thereof ” past the specified times.

Police officer Braxton Hill recently ended a four month tenure as a nighttime patrol officer. During that time, he alone caught 20 teens out after curfew hours. Braxton said about half the teens he caught violating curfew were from Andover High School, while the other half were Andover Central High School students.

“Usually, I called the parents to have them come pick up their child.

If the parents could not come, then I drove them to their parents’ house,” Braxton said.

Braxton said that the first time a teen is caught after curfew, they will be brought back to the parents. The parents are given a letter that explains to them what will happen if their child violates curfew again.

The letter states that “any parent, guardian or person in charge of such child who shall permit such child again to violate the provisions of this article after receiving written notice of the first violation shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not less than $500

and/or six months incarceration upon the conviction of the same.”

Parker added that the punishment for additional curfew violations is up to people other than the police department. “[The punishment is] up to the county attorney’s office and the city municipal court. The punishments include fines and community service,” Parker said.

Senior Lori Smith was spotted after curfew hours the summer before last school year with her sister, cousin and her cousin’s friend. Smith and the rest of her party were not caught by police.

“We were T-P-ing a person’s house because they were someone we didn’t like,” Smith said. “It was about one in the morning when the cops came up.

We saw his lights and started running down the street. We ran to my cousin’s house about three miles away and were not caught by him.”

Freshman Sidney Jones had a similar experience violating curfew during the summer months.

“In June, a couple of friends at I were out at 1:30 in the morning walk-

ing to another friend’s house,” Jones said. “Apparently Timbuktu had been broken into a few days before and an officer was watching the place. He saw us and it looked like he wanted to crush our hopes because it didn’t look like he was going to bust us.”

Jones and her friends were confronted by a police officer on the bridge overlooking the turnpike.

“He asked for our cell phones and looked through them. He called our parents and put our information in the records,” Jones said.

Smith’s experience with violating curfew changed how late she decides to stay out.

“I am definitely a lot more careful about staying out late,” Smith said.

Parker said that ultimately the police officers are just trying to make sure the teens return home safely and will know the consequences about violating curfew again.

“It’s not that we are looking for teens violating curfew,” Parker said.

“We are just trying to keep the city safe.”

tjRIGG

Jazz band continues traditional GAD performance

Junior Joel Findley plays the guitar at GAD on Sept.

29. The jazz band performs every year in the gazebo at central park. Photo by Morgan Trekell

other

performances during

Greater Andover Days

Andover High choirs Andover Central High jazz band Martin Elementary choir Wheatland Elementary choir Meadowlark Elementary choir

Wind, broken instruments and run away music were just a few obstacles the jazz band faced as they took the stage on Thursday, Sept. 29.

At 5:45 the band preformed right after the two Andover Central jazz bands. As the first song got under way, however, the weather shifted causing a few minor blips.

But even with Mother Nature not on their side, the band persevered to end with a great performance.

“My saxophone broke,” freshman tenor saxophonist Austin Brown said. “But luckily it was before the performance started so I was able to get a new one before we started playing.”

Brown played in the middle school jazz band and chose to audition for the high school band.

Because of the high volume of people who want to play in the jazz band, auditions are held to determine who gets in.

Upperclassmen who have previously played in jazz band do not have to audition.

“There were approximately 10 new saxophones that auditioned; four made it,” director Kevin Findley said.

The unexpected winds that started up just as the band was settling in to tune turned the weather chilly and had an unexpected affect on the music.

“My music blew away during our first song,” freshman baritone saxophonist Asia Haque said.

“We use clothespins to clip our music to the stands so that it does not fly away, but I guess I did not have my music all the way in them.”

This was the first performance the jazz band did on its own, and one of only three performances they will have separate from the concert band.

“We compete at Friends University,” Findley said. “But that competition is mainly for comments.

We also play at Baker University; they give us a rating.”

Ratings are traditional in all band performances, but not necessary and only are given when music judges are present.

The concert on Thursday was not a competi-

tion and the band did not receive ratings, but a large crowd did turn out to cheer them on.

“It was a good practice run,” senior alto saxophonist Tony Supancic said. “It’s a way for us to perform without the pressure of judges or other competition.”

The jazz band and the Madrigals perform at the Greater Andover Days opening night every year.

“I thought we were going to have a smaller audience then what we had,” Brown said. “The bleachers were filled.”

The concert, which featured four songs with six different soloists, took place in the gazebo in Central Park.

The only freshman to solo was Brown, although he felt having to switch saxophones right before his premiere hurt him, he managed to get through it without a hitch.

“I had a solo that didn’t sound as good as it would have if I would have had my saxophone,” Brown said.

While some solos are written out prior to the event, others are improvisation solos, or solos made up on the spot.

“We do have some written out solos,” Findley said. “But a lot are improv. The jazz band always plays really well. I was happy with the solos and the performance.”

Improvisation is common in jazz music, but is harder to perform because one must have an understanding of music theory to know what melodies will fit well.

“We have a couple of really good improv-ers in our band,” Supancic said. “Michael [Raehpour], for example, can just get up and play a solo without practicing or writing it down first.”

Other soloists include junior trumpeter Alex Olson in “One Size Fits All”, senior trumpeter Mayumi de Leon, senior alto saxophonist Stephan Hoover and junior trumpeter Michael Raehpour in “Matt’s Mexican Special” and Brown, de Leon, Hoover and Supancic soloed in “In the Mood.”

“I think my solo went really well,” Supancic said. “I was happy with our concert; we played well, and it was a lot of fun.”

{around andover}

Wind during performance proves to be a challenge, but musicians overcome it

robynHERBERT

Oct. 7 2011

5

& Q

with librarian

A SANDY REED

As the school librarian for the past 10 years, Reed reflects on her job, her free time and her past.

Q. Where did you grow up?

A. [I grew up in] Kinsley, Kan. – small-town America.

Q. Where were you previously employed?

A. Other small American towns. I was first a teacher, then a librarian. My most recent job before this was in Lakyn, Kan. Q. How long have you been working for Andover High?

A. This is my 10th year.

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

A. Reading, watching sports and hanging with my grandkids.

Q. How do you get involved in the school with activities, sports and events?

A.We go to most of the home events. I also help the athletic program by taking tickets and things. My husband was the basketball coach here for 35 years. I used to coach track; I ran track in college and both my kids ran track in college. So I guess you could say our family has grown up around sports.

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Oct. 7 2011

Q. What is the best part about working with high school students?

A. I try and help students prepare for the world ahead.

It’s changing so fast, and I try to help prepare them.

Q. What influence you to become a librarian?

A. We go to most of the home events. I also help the athletic program by taking tickets and things. My husband was the basketball coach here for 35 years. I used to coach track; I ran track in college and both my kids ran track in college. So I guess you could say our family has grown up around sports.

Q. What is your favorite book?

A. I have lots of favorites. My classic favorite would have to be ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.’

Q. What would be your advice to students about reading?

A. Whatever turns you on to reading is what you should read.

Q. What is your favorite part of your job?

A. All of it. I like working with students and helping them.

I also just love books. I have stacks of books at my house. It is an addiction. When my stacks start to get short, I have to stack them back up.

Oct. 7 2011

7

s s i l B e t a m i Ult

{feature}

ipate ic t r a p i n m alu Students, ool sponsored sport in non-sch

What originated as a handful of friends throwing a plastic disc around, has now grown into a weekly competition known as the Andover Ultimate Frisbee club.

“At my brother and sister’s club soccer tournaments, my dad and I would toss around a Frisbee,” senior Bobby Scharping said. “I started our team to bring my friends closer and give us something to do.”

Andover’s Frisbee team was originally started about two years ago by the Scharping family, and they have been involved ever since.

“Ultimate Frisbee relates a lot to soccer, but with different twists and being able to use your hands,” sophomore Lizzie Scharping said. “The teamwork involved is amazing.”

The objective is for one team to work the disc down the field for a score, while the other team defends. A player cannot run after catching the frisbee and must pass the disc within ten seconds of holding it.

“I enjoy playing defense because you can swat the frisbee,” senior Matthew Dekoning said.

Andover’s ultimate team has participated and hosted several local touraments in Kansas.

“We play at a tournament at Wichita East high school every year and we host the fall Frisbee classic,” Bobby said. “We played high school teams from Junction City, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and other schools from around the Midwest.”

The team has a free schedule and like to play as much as possible. Usually a mass text or Facebook post is sent out.

“Usually we play on weekends, but occasionally Fridays,” junior Joel Findley said.

Practices and games are played at the soccer and football practice fields behind the school.

No official rules are put into place, but there are special guidelines for the team.

“Since there are no referees, fouls are called by the players. This is called ‘spirit of the game,’” Bobby said. “But it’s really just bro code.”

Teams are not organized with certain people and are switched around almost every time they play.

“Each time we play our teams are slightly rearranged so we get to work with every player sometime,” Bobby said. “Sometimes students from Wichita Heights and Central play with us as well as college students in the summer.”

Ultimate players prepare and warm up just like other sports.

“I drink a lot of water and stretch as much as possible,” Findley said.

Ultimate Frisbee does not end after players graduate, many pursue the sport in college “My brother Andy represents Andover on the Kansas State team,” Bobby said. “When he comes back home for the summer, he shows us the strategies, tactics, and throws he has learned.”

Lizzie looks up to her older brothers and is a big supporter of his new team.

“My family goes to as much of his games as we can and when he comes home we always play together,” Lizzie said. “I think it’s so cool that he went out for ultimate in college because they go hard core.”

Other graduated Andover students who play in college are Will Zuiss, Jeff Eberle, Drew Terhune, Kyle Shook and Colyn Jones. Bobby plans to join his brother at K-State after he graduates.

“I wish ultimate Frisbee could be a high school sport, I’d love to have tryouts and to play other schools,” Findley said.

Senior Matt DeKoning disagrees with the thought of ultimate frisbee being a school sport and likes that the game is an out of school activity.

“Even though ultimate as a school sport would be organized, it would be too intense and not as enjoyable,” Dekoning said.

The ultimate frisbee club does not have age restriction and lets almost anyone play.

“Jeff Scharping plays with us, and he’s in his 40’s. Ultimate it is a sport for life,” DeKoning said.

Andover plans on keeping ultimate Frisbee going as long as possible.

“Ultimate is really laid back, but at the same time super intense,” Lizzie said. “Our team bond is very close.”

brookeLEATHERMAN

TYPES OF THROWS Forehand

8

Oct. 7 2011

Backhand

Hammer

Under the Leg

{

Senior Bobby Scharping dashes for the Frisbee. Scharping and students of various ages play the sport on the weekends. Ultimate Frisbee combines the concepts of soccer and football but adds a flying disc into the mix. Photo by Alex Durano

questions with

Frisbee player

Matthew DeKoning

What is your favorite thing about ultimate?

Getting to hang out with all of my friends.

Ultimate Lingo

Bid: Huck: Pull: Chilly: Handlers: Cutter:

a dive for a catch or to defend a long throw

the throw that begins the round an offensive strategy to remind a player to not rush a throw players who throw the disc receivers

How is it challenging?

The police have kicked us out of the stadium.

Why did you decide to play?

It sounded like a lot of fun and my friends play.

What is your best position?

Defense, because I am tall.

{

What is your most embarrasing moment?

Tackling Joel Findley

Oct. 7 2011

9

e f i l e h t n i y a Ad 7:30 - 9 a.m.

Principal Bob Baier attends a parent meeting off campus.

Principal Bob Baier

9:49 a.m.

A college students arrives for a short meeting. Baier teaches an Intro to Teaching class at Butler County Community College.

Baier spends time working in his office as well as doing various things for teachers around the school.

9:30 a.m.

10:57 a.m.

Baier leaves to take his lunch break. At least one of the three administrators has to be present in the lunch room during all lunches.

10:22 a.m.

Counselor Robin Anderson, comes in to talk to Baier.

Baier’s boss, Tom Ostrander comes in.

Ostrander was principal of Andover High prior to Baier, before the two schools split.

Baier meets with a teacher in a private meeting.

10:40 a.m.

10:04 a.m.

7:30 p.m.

12:41 p.m.

12:57 - 1:45 p.m.

Baier returned back from lunch at the end of fifth hour.

Baier meets with multiple students as well as SRO Lance Parker to deal with a prior situation.

Baier receives a phone call from someone needing to schedule a meeting.

12:41 - 12:48 p.m.

2:17 - 2:27 p.m.

Baier meets with a student.

Baier meets with a parent. He usually has at least one parent meeting a day.

2:01 p.m.

Baier attended the soccer game in Winfield. “I enjoy going to those [the sporting events]. And the kids enjoy seeing me there and ultimately that’s what matters,” Baier said.

Maintenance meeting and IEP meeting , which is a meeting with the parents of a special education student.

3:00 p.m.

10

Oct. 7 2011

Baier gets home around 10:30 p.m., after the game. The average time of the end of his day is usually around 8:30 p.m.

10:30 p.m.

Shop teacher Mark Cross comments on the game vs. Valley Center. Cross has been commentating football and basketball games for nine years.

Photo by Jacob Highfill

Voice of the Trojans

Nine years after falling into announcing position, Cross reflects on his job Watching intently from his announcing booth, shop teacher Mark Cross booms his voice across the field telling everyone in the stands what is happening underneath the Friday night lights.

Ever since the school split in 2001, Cross has been at the football and basketball games announcing for the Trojans.

It all started at a pep assembly when Athletic Director Gary Merritt was busy and could not attend to the microphone.

“I just started announcing then and there,” Cross said. “[I] just fell into it.”

Once that fateful assembly happened, Cross knew he wanted to announce for his school. The students adjusted to hearing his voice over the microphone. “[Mr. Cross] has been announcing for our sports teams since I have been going to Andover,” sophomore Jolie Carpenter said. “His voice is what I naturally expect to hear while at the games.”

Announcing for the sporting events has its perks and downfalls.

“In a way you have power and control of the game,” said Cross. “I really [enjoy announcing], it is a lot of fun especially when we’re winning.”

Every announcer has an embarrassing moment during their career. Cross’s most embarrassing is one that happens to announcers at one point or another.

“It was our first game last year and I pronounced four guys’ last names wrong,” Cross said. “The rest of the game I

got heck from the coaches.”

Cross’ announcing is a year round commitment that keeps him informed on the Trojan’s athletic wins and loses.

He is there at both our football and basketball games. Announcing for each has differences that can make the nights events more stressful from one to the other.

With football, he is up in his booth and can look down upon the game and say what he sees. But with basketball it can be a slightly different story.

“In basketball the home team is right behind me,” Cross said. “If I don’t pronounce their child’s name right, they make sure to let me know what I did.”

Whether he makes mistakes or not, students enjoy having him as an announcer.

“He is an awesome person,” junior Brandon Khamsiharath said. “He gives a personality to the games.”

When the teams are losing, it does not matter to Cross.

He still finds a way to pump up the crowd and keep us hopeful for a comeback.

“He gets the crowds going at games,” sophomore Bailey Cradduck said. “It’s like a mini-concert without the music.”

Cross is there in wins and losses and has found his place while at the games and enjoys what he does.

“I get a lot of compliments from parents and students,” Cross said. “It makes it feel like what I’m doing is something worthwhile.”

trojan

TALK

Which sports do you prefer Cross announcing?

Football: 20 Votes Basketball: 15 Votes

garrettWOLF

Oct. 7 2011

11

{editorial}

12

{ EDITORIAL}

Sports should not recieve a larger percentage of funding than non-athletic extracurricular activities during this time of budget cuts and economic difficulty.

F

Vote: 35-6

or the past few years cuts to state education funding have led to the school making cuts where they feel necessary with the budget they are given.

Principal Bob Baier said he is working with half the budget he used to have. Cuts have been made to almost every aspect of the school, however, some cuts are more substantial than others for the same curricular purpose.

Some of the more substantial cuts are taken from extracurricular activities such as band, theatre, debate and Trojanettes. This opposes the much more minimal cuts to sports such as football and cross-country.

Sports recieve additional funding for things like new uniforms, reliable transportation, equipment and other fundamental needs for the sports which cannot be supplemented by additional funds. Nevertheless, the activities have been struggling to scrape together cash for their respective events. Thus, the tools needed to compete or perform must be funded by the students or staff themselves.

For example, the band is working with a budget of about $100 for the remainder of the year. Clearly, that money has to be stretched; the only fundraising event the band puts on has already come and passed.

Fundraising has become a vital part of some students’ lives who take part in activities in order to supply their transportation to events, money for uniforms, and any extra necessities that may be encountered. Students are encouraged to do some sort of activity if they aren’t involved in a sport; however, it should not be put on students to worry about how they will get the money to participate.

The Trojanettes dance team has funded its own transportation to dance competitions. Some students have become concerned that if budgets do not improve the activity will be cut from the budget altogether.

Football may be an easy generator for cash from ticket and concession sales – an obvious reason that it should be taken seriously from a financial standpoint – however, the same could be said for a production put on by the theatre department. If the department received a better budget, the show might turn out a little more elaborate, resulting in increased ticket sales which the school could pocket with profits.

Although sports might be more of a return financially, it’s still the principle that everybody should be treated equally when it comes to the school budget.

No student should be denied an opportunity because of a reduced budget if it can be prevented.

The school ultimately has to decide what is the most sensible solution from a

LIKE

IT

Testing day may be tedious, but will be benefical to students.

The Issues fair was beneficial to students but time consuming .

BLUESTREAK editorialpolicy

The Trojan Bluestreak exists to inform, persuade and entertain its readers concerning topics of importance. The newspaper recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment.

The Bluestreak operates as a public forum for student expression and the staff takes full responsibility for newspaper content and its ramifications.

The Trojan Bluestreak will not publish material considered to be legally unprotected speech, libel, obscenity copyright infringement,unwarranted invasion of privacy or material that could disrupt the educational environment.

The Bluestreak is a CSPA Gold Medalist and KSPA All-Kansas honor recipient.

Oct. 7 2011

LOVE

IT

Cartoon by Ali Renich

financial standpoint. Sports do indeed have a lot of costs that cannot be avoided, such as transporting teams and uniforms, but the same could be said for the Trojanettes.

There is no getting around the fact that our school is working with far less money, and there’s no denying the fact that the school has done an amazing job working with the money it is given. The bigger picture is that every extracurricular activity should take its future into consideration so that non-athletic activities will not have to fear whether or not they will be able to compete.

Adding on an activity is a personal choice, but it is one that has always been encouraged by school administrators and without money it makes the decision to do activities all the more difficult.

Budgets likely will not see an increase in the near future. What should be changed is how the money the school has is distributed. Students involved with activities should not have to look forward to next year and worry that their activity is going to be cut from the school budget.

Every activity should be taken into consideration, and the budgets of nonathletic activities should not be unfairly cut. Everybody deserves the chance to participate. Students should have the motivation to keep being involved, but it won’t happen if they continue to have fears over their activities’ statuses because of budgeting concerns.

The theatre department is hard at work on the fall musical.

The Bluestreak has been nominated for a Pacemaker.

kaitlynDEYOUNG&chrisJONES {editors-in-chief}

HATE

IT

ryanLAKE {opinion editor}

henryHOOK {pop culture editor}

kelseyDICK {business manager}

trinaBHATTARAI {senior writer}

edenVIERTHALER {DPS editor}

chadHAMMAN {web managing editor}

jacobHIGHFILL {photo editor}

katherineHARTLEY {news editor}

hollyHEIRONIMUS {copy chief}

robynHERBERT {writing coach}

tjRIGG {page editor}

katieSCHNEIDER {design editor}

kathrynSILL {senior writer}

samLEE&aliciaRENICH {illustrators}

laurenPRILL {circulation manager}

laurenQUAM {fun editor}

ryanMINEAR {sports editor}

Lack of funding is drastically affecting all athletics and activities Lack of partcipation in spirt week. {staffers} alexLEFF ericaANDERSON chaseLEMMONS abbyBRADSHAW hebaMADI claireCHRISTOPHERSON caleMINEAR alexDURANO stephanieMUNSON alyssaFRIEND haileyPURDY suzannaGEHRER kalliSIKES alyssaGOODMAN sydneySTAEHR alexHERNANDEZ abbyWHITE jordanHERNANDEZ garrettWOLF brookHILBERT brookeLEATHERMAN

kristinBAKER {adviser}

courtesy of Nike.com

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College football

UnIfOrMiTy is becoming old-fashioned CHRIS {jones} The future of college football has just about arrived, and it’s looking good.

Over the past couple of years, Nike has been unveiling new ‘Pro Combat’ uniforms for several teams who sport the Nike logo. More and more teams in college football have started sporting the futuristic attire.

Phil Knight, founder of Nike, started producing his out-of-the-ordinary apparel for the University of Oregon football team, with very mixed reactions. Despite the fair share of criticism, the idea that uniforms could be something other than the original two colors began to spread across the country.

This past year, Nike has taken their ‘Pro Combat’

collection to an outrageous new level. Schools with classic uniforms that nobody thought would ever join the revolution, such as Georgia, LSU, Stanford, and even Michigan and Notre Dame, while with Adidas, couldn’t ignore the future of the college football uniforms.

The new uniforms definitely make watching each game much more exciting and interesting. The attire is no longer boring. It has grown to exponential proportions of insanity.

From the absolutely amazing to the absolutely horrendus, college teams across the country fill both ends of the spectrum.

First, the good.

In the opening week of the current college football season, the Oregon Ducks took to the field at Dallas Cowboy Stadium against the LSU Tigers, decked out in an all black uniform with green neon lining. When compared to the classic jerseys of the opposing Tigers, the Ducks looked sharp. Although the outcome did not turn out in the Ducks’ favor, they definitely won the battle of the uniforms.

On the same night, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the Georgia Bulldogs shocked the college football community when they dawned the new all-red, black shouldered jerseys. Unlike Oregon’s, the Bulldogs did not impress. The University of Georgia is known

as one of the classic colleges, with jerseys that never change. In the eyes of the college fooball world, this attempt was considered a failure.

From the good, to the bad, there is also teams that made you just shake your head. This college is the University of Maryland.

Also, during the opening week of the season, as a part of their ‘Maryland Pride’ campaign, the Terrapin football team came out with an insane design. Across the shoulder portion of the Maryland jersey and the helmet had half of the state flag on one side, the other half decked out on the other.

These jerseys left me searching for the right words to describe what I was looking at. The intentions behind the design were right, but the overall product was just plain ugly.

Whether they are popular or not, and even though some of the designs might not even be good, the future of college football uniforms are in the ‘Nike Pro Combat’ field.

The designs are what you thought college football teams would look like in the far away future, and it is strange that the future may be here.

Whether the majority of Americans like it or not, the new look of college football is finally here, and it looks a lot different.

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Oct. 7 2011

Senior rights his wrongs, brightens future

CHAD{hamman} Everybody needs to just chill out. That is what I used to think whenever I had a bad day.

However, this year has brought on a new perspective for me in terms of my role in my own sanity. It used to be that when I was having a hard time I assumed everyone was out to get me, when in reality the only person bringing me down, was me.

I have gone through high school with a reputation of being extremely uptight; I was stressed out all the time, took everything too seriously and rarely had a night to just chill out and relax.

At the start of this year, though, I have made it my goal to just relax a little bit. Already I have been more social than in years past, and I cannot remember a single major scuffle I have gotten into this year (an achievement for me). Some people who I used to portray as villains are now hanging out with me on the weekends.

A lot of people have told me that they have seen

a lot of change in me this year, and in every case they have said it, it is positive. I feel like most of this comes from my wish to just enjoy my last year here rather than sit and wait on college to come.

A few weeks ago I volunteered at a 10-year reunion for the AHS class of 2001 for National Honor Society. Just being there made me realize that down the road there would be a lot of people at Andover who I would only get to see every five years. If that is the case, I want to make sure I have some memories to reminisce about when I come back to those reunions.

My point is there are a lot of other people out there who just need to relax. My only goal the last two years was to build up a resume for college, but I could have done that with a smile on my face rather than a scowl.

So many opportunities are available to students in high school, and I encourage everybody reading this to get involved as much as possible. However, I got caught up in my future, rather than enjoying what was directly in front of me at Andover.

My goal since I was a sophomore was to gain admission to Texas Christian University. I put every bit of my time toward things that would help ensure acceptance. While I do not regret being involved in any of those activities, I sometimes wonder if I might have benefited socially from taking a break once in a while.

As excited as I am that my hard work will likely pay off next year when I go to college, I am equally disappointed that I did not take more time to have fun and enjoy high school. Every day I discover new activi-

ties and different sides of people that I had previously written off because I was too “busy” to care.

Now, I am finally realizing how much I At have missed in the start of this high school, yet it is alyear, though, I have most too made it my goal to just late.

I have less relax a little bit. Already I than a have been more year to social... make up for a lot of the lost time and friends I missed while I was caught up worrying about my future.

So, while Andover may seem boring at times and high school just a drag, sit back and think what the real problem is. In all likelihood, the city is not to blame so much as the person doing the complaining.

There is no way I can change my behavior and attitude over the last few years, but I can change all that now and make sure I go out with a bang. Do not get caught up worrying about the future, when so much is waiting today.

Review of ‘Yes Man’ movie teaches staffer life lessons

trina {bhattarai} The first time I watched “Yes Man” starring Jim Carey, I laughed during the scenes where Carey makes a fool out of himself and “awww-ed” when he starts falling for the heroine; besides that, I hardly gave it any more thoughts. However, a couple of days ago, I begin to ponder the principle of the story after watching “Yes Man” for the second time.

In the movie, Carey stars as a cynical and cranky banker who refuses to step out of his comfort zone until his friend forces him to attend a “yes” seminar.

In the “yes” seminar, Carey is told to say yes to every

14

Oct. 7 2011

opportunity that presents itself in order to experience new things.

Altered by the word “yes,” Carey learns how to speak Korean, play the guitar, ride in a motorcycle, pull an all-nighter and finally live.

The moral of the story: try new things,and provide yourself with an opportunity to be someone other than your typical self day after day. Learn to forget boundaries and discover interests that never existed.

If eating lucky charms for breakfast falls into the daily routine, whats the harm in trying Coco puffs? One might discover that he is actually crazy for coco puffs too.

Several people settle on repeating the same routine, while maybe driving a new route to home to spice thing up. People, including myself, find comfort in routine; however, clinging to a life-style creates a flat life.

Trying new things allows a person to grow dynamically and adds to his wisdom.

It takes immense courage for people to step

out of their bubbles and dip their toes into unfamiliar water, but then again, who knows what one can discover. That courage might lead a person discover his passion, career path, soulmate or it could be a little to oops in life to forgive and forget.

Though I hardly encourage ordering a wife online like seen in “Yes Man”, I do encourage high school students to participate in an activity or try something totally contradictory to their daily routine.

Why confine oneself to the same set of tedious behaviors, friends and activities when a whole different world with varieties of treasure awaits?

Students need to embrace that curiosity and courage that once flourished during our careless childhoods. That feeling of being a wide-eyed wanderer eager to explore needs to take a hold of our hearts again, so we can learn to live our lives to the full potential.

In “Yes Man,” the speaker of the seminar said to Carey, “you say no to life; therefore, you are not living.” Let’s not be a casualty of no.

Circumstances changing classic family view

Like a Good Neighbor State Farm is there.

and wife, without children, make up a family. Children are impacted in many ways by their family.

“There are advantages to both [a small family and a big family]. In a small family, there would be more one-on-one time with each child,” Ybarra said.

“In a big family, one of the advantages would be that the children would learn how to be part of a larger unit, and probably would not demand so much attention from others later on in life.”

Divorce is also an occurrence which effects children.

“There are some real wounds and a ripping that appears to take place when couples get divorced,” Ybarra said. “Children whose families go through divorce are impacted deeply, since the people they look up to to provide a sense of family for them are splitting up. Their definition of what it means to be a family changes.”

Additionally, in the realm of single-parent families, 83 percent say unmarried couples with children are a family. This structure of family, though, comes with strains of its own.

“I would say that being a single parent is the hardest job in the world. Challenging aspects would be not having someone else to step in for parenting duties or not having someone to absorb some of the difficulty of trying to discipline, teach and raise children,” Ybarra said.

Any family has the potential to have difficulties within it, and these family problems can contribute to psychological or mental disorders.

“I would go so far as to say that family problems are one of the root causes of some mental disor-

ders,” Ybarra said.

Oppositely, families can play a role in helping their members overcome a mental illness.

“Teens these days have to deal with issues that others did not have to deal with in the past,” counselor Robin Anderson said.

Along with modernity comes the idea of samesex marriages. Thirty-three percent of people said a gay male couple was a family, but adding children to the relationship makes this number change to 64 percent. Also, a common practice lately is two unmarried people living together. Thirty-nine percent of people would qualify this situation as a family.

Generally, different people will define a family as different things, based on their personal experiences.

“I think family is defined by the person who is in it, but people tend to identify themselves with and attach themselves to a certain group of people. This is their family,” Ybarra said. “We might define it as the group of people by whom you were raised and the system of relationships you come from.”

Anderson thinks slightly differently than that, but agrees for the most part. “[Family is] the people that love you, not necessarily the people you are born from,” Anderson said.

“It does not matter who your biological family is; I think you make your family.”

Overall, 60 percent of Americans said that if you considered yourself to be a family, you were one.

edenVIERTHALER

{breaking it down}

Indiana University released new research on Sept. 15 proving that people are moving away from the traditional family dynamic of two parents and one or more children.

“My opinion is that the definition of the typical American family is changing,” licensed marriage and family therapist Joel Ybarra said. “Although there is still a core belief for most people that a typical family is the nuclear family, defined by two married parents and their children, other family structures, such as blended, or step families are generally accepted as typical, if only because of the shear number of them.”

The idea is that beliefs are different now. Even so, the Census Bureau holds onto the old-school definition of family: a group of two people or more related by birth, marriage or adoption and residing together.

“There appears to be more arrangements for families than in the past, as these different structures become more acceptable and prevalent,” Ybarra said. “There seems to be a looser structure for the family, meaning there does not have to be a married couple present as the parental unit.”

In 2010, 99.8 percent of people agreed that a husband, wife and children are what makes up a family. But more than this standard can count as a family.

“More couples appear to be not getting married, there are many single parents, and there are many stepfamilies, or “blended” families, as well as other family structures,” Ybarra said.

Notably, taking children out of the picture changes statistics slightly; 92 percent said a husband

Tony Durano CLU ChFC Andover. KS 316-733-1000 tony@tonydurano.com

Oct. 7 2011

15

Analyzing the

modernfamily

Divorced statistics increasing

The aftermath of divorce leads to different coping mechanisms

T

he statistic that more than 50 percent of marriages in America lead to divorce looms over the heads of every couple entering a union and the children of the American family.

Out of one million marriages that occur in America, only half make it to the end. This leaves students to face the harsh reality that a divorce between their two parents could happen at any time. “[My parents] never really fought, that is why it shocked me,” senior Katie Hobble said.

Hobble’s parents got a divorce in May of last year.

Jan Andersen, associate professor at CSU Sacramento, found that the more common causes of divorce in America are incompatibility, lack of emotional support, abuse and sexual problems.

Other people’s relationships come to a halt because of personal issues involving money and cheating. “[My parents] fought all of the time,” sophomore Abbi Fuller. “They just did not get along.”

In fact, Jeffrey Dew at Utah State University, found that couples who reported disagreeing

about finance once a week were over 30 percent more likely to get divorced than that of couples who reported disagreeing about finances a few times a month.

Breakups between parents have the potential to affect some children more than others, leading them to feel resentment and even sorrow.

“I was sitting, watching TV and doing homework, and they sat me down and told me,” Hobble said. “I picked up my keys and left for the day to my friend’s house.”

On the other hand, the aftermath of a divorce has the potential to turn into a positive, stopping arguments and improving the overall mood within the home.

“I am kind of glad because there is less fighting, but at the same time I want to spend time with the both of them,” junior Julia Reid said.

Following a divorce, parents sometimes have to work out custody agreements.

“I see my parents an equal amount of time,” Fuller said.

The divorce process hits some students harder than others, leaving some to form stronger bonds with either parent, or to show less favorit-

225 students surveyed...

out of

70

students have divorced parents while

155

students’ parents are married

16

Oct. 7 2011

ism towards one.

“It has made me and my mom have a closer relationship,” junior Sydney Tilson said.

Tilson’s mom has full custody of her.

“My personal relationships, I have felt, has grown better with them because I have spent more time with each one individually. There is more quality time,” Fuller said.

Finally, relationships between siblings generally increase to fill the sadness created from the divorce.

“My sisters and I have become closer through the divorce,” Tilson said.

Other divorces increased the independence and overall maturity of the students involved.

“I have had to become more of a role model [for my siblings],” senior Kyle Bishop said.

The divorce process has both positive and negative effects, leading some into remorse and others into independence. “[The divorce] has made me more independent,” Reid said. “I do not have both parents to depend on.”

henryHOOK

31%

of students at AHS have divorced parents

69%

of students at AHS have married parents

Birth order affects students’ lives The dynamics for children are dependent upon birth order, yet not in the way most would typically believe, according to an article in Scientific American.

Though the details of the evidence from the studies cited in the Jan. 2010 article are vague, the article does lead to the conclusion that birth order does have an effect on which type of personality a person may develop. While independent factors, such as family size, create different scenarios, the key factors remain constant.

“Sometimes I want to be the oldest because I get tired of being bossed around,” sophomore Sophie Rogers said.

Being the youngest child usually entitles the role of becoming the baby of the family. As the baby sometimes certain privileges are easier to get once the parents figure it out through older sibling trial and errors.

“I would say they are more lenient because with [my older sister] Kendra; they tried different things and learned what worked, and if she got in trouble and I got in trouble for like the same things, I wouldn’t get in as much trouble,” senior Devin Blose said.

trojan

TALK

Junior Delaney Booth has one sister, Cassidy, who is a freshman. She said she feels protective of her sister.

“I feel like I would help her to make good choices, and I would stand up for her if she was ever in need of help and give her thoughtful advice,” Delaney said.

Sometimes being the youngest means living up to expectations that over achieving siblings set.

Also, parents might act stricter toward younger children from past experiences with the older children.

“If we both did the same thing and got into trouble, I would get in more trouble than she would,” Cassidy said.

However, some students said they would rather be in the position of youngest than the middle child where attention can be lacking.

“It’s not terrible [being the middle child], but it’s not great either, because I always get asked to do everything since my younger brother doesn’t have to do anything and my sister is in college, so I have more responsibility,” junior Andrew Bunting said. “Plus, he is always getting babied, too.”

The oldest child, the top dog of the family, is

What would you say the definition of an American family is?

FRESHMAN

Asia Haque

generally looked up to and is the guinea pig for parents to figure out the ins and outs of raising a child. This may sometimes mean the firstborn gets the benefits of testing new experiences first.

“I try to set an example for some things for my little brother,” junior Alec Linot said.

The eldest is also a role model if they have younger siblings, so they may feel pressured into making a good ideal for their younger siblings.

Making choices not for themselves, but the siblings who look up to them.

“I do feel more pressure from my parents, because I should be a good role model and set an example for my younger sister,” Booth said.

According to the article, children who are the youngest tend to associate with and even marry others who are the youngest, and that pattern continues for all types of children. This trend is the key factor that associates with birth order being an affect on people’s personalities.

“I feel you compromise a lot [with your siblings],” senior Maddy Randall. “But it’s like you want to share with them, though.”

alexHERNANDEZ

“A family is something that always has your back and supports you.”

Sydney Kaufman

“Someone who would do anything for you.”

SOPHOMORE

JUNIOR

Elizabeth Caro

“A family is anyone that lives in the household with you.”

Matt Ma’Umalanga

“Family is something that you can talk to if you need something, and they will be there no matter SENIOR what.”

Students discuss sizes of family, effects Different challenges are present depending on the size of one’s family.

Junior Olivia Pierce cannot imagine life as an only child.

“I know how much I would miss my brothers and sister. I grew up with them and they know me better than anybody,” Pierce said.

Of course, children with a lot of siblings have support from not only their parents and friends, but all their sisters or brothers, as well.

“It means that there is always someone there for me. There is always at least three other people in my wolf pack,” freshman Grant Blizzard said.

Families with more children can be stretched thin with all the activities their children do. This can make it difficult to see one another during

the week.

“Especially during the school year, sometimes we don’t see each other until we get home the next day because of rehearsals, errands, youth group and football practices,” Pierce said.

However, only children do not have to compete with other siblings for chances only one of them may be able to take.

“You get more attention than you would with multiple siblings, and probably more opportunities to do different things,” sophomore Jenny Hahn said.

Being an only child has its holdups, and only children said being lonely can be a burden.

“I would want an older brother,” senior Megan Carry said. “I just always liked seeing kids

with their older brothers in like movies, and I would really like his support.”

On the positive side, being the only child means also being the favorite child in the family.

“It’s quiet when you need it to be,” senior Rachel Arbuckle said. “There is no one there to bug you when you are trying to get something, like homework done.”

Some only children do have trouble building relationships with other children, however.

“Having the relationships you get with your siblings and all the stuff you want to tell them,” Hahn said. “That you wouldn’t to anyone else, and not being able to [is a downside of being an only child].”

alexHERNANDEZ

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Oct. 7 2011

Step-siblings pose difficulties, advantages

{in-depth}

An estimated one-third of Americans are a part of a step-family. Whether that be a family with a step-parent, step-siblings or half siblings, blended families make up a large portion of the homes in the country.

Although each situation is unique in its own, living with step siblings produces its challenges. Studies show that sibling or stepparent-child rivalry is a product of the transition from home to a home with step siblings.

“Usually there is a power struggle of some sort, the child is trying to find a place in the family and find a hierarchy of power,” family therapist Monica Boknecht said.

Focus may be altered from one child to the majority, and children might see this as abandonment from their individual parent. It is a difficult transition for some children who are used to being the center of attention.

“All of the sudden I had all of these siblings, and it was really different. The favor was off of me. I was no longer spoiled and was no longer the only kid in the house. I felt kind of left out at 10 years old,” senior Marcus Baysinger said.

Unnecessary resentment may grow between step-siblings as a result of circumstances in home, resentment that could have been avoided with the right methods.

“We are extremely close. We grew up together, but it was always weird them going back and forth between houses, something you have to get used to,” sophomore Malarie Cox said.

Healthy Children offers words of advice for the ones most affected by the transition. The website describes the importance for each child’s personal space. Not everything should be shared, and each child should have his/her own personal belongings.

Parents should also be warned against disciplinary measures that may be unbalanced, and considered unfair treatment from the stepparent.

“The new couple should gradually make a transition to shared authority,” Boknecht said.

The biological parent-child relationship is imperative to making the transition a smooth process.

“Clear communication is the biggest thing to be helpful. Sometimes parents will try to protect the children by not telling them, and that is when [the children] are blindsided,” Boknecht said.

Although the transition of blending families may not be the easiest, the result can be very rewarding.

“I have seen families working through the transition and come through better. Sometimes when they go through this experience, parents and children end up with a better relationship,” Boknecht said.

Tough experiences build character, and children

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Oct. 7 2011

who go through such a difficult transition may come out with a more positive outlook.

“I am less spoiled and have a lot more family. I watch out for them instead of just watching out for myself. I like having more family,” Baysinger said.

Teenagers may find the adjustment most difficult because they are already experiencing huge changes in their lives.

“In my experience, adolescents [find the transition more difficult] because they are entering the stage where they are trying to figure out who they are and bringing in a new family is a new change this added to the changes already occurring in their lives.

That is really where you get the power struggle. They are usually more defiant towards the step-parent,” Boknecht said.

As difficult as this transition may be, positivity is important as well as seeking help through the tough situations.

“My advice is try not to bottle up feelings or deny it is happening, because it is whether you like it or not,” Boknecht said. “Talk to someone about it and keep an open mind.”

kalliSIKES

Budgets cuts cause tension between activities, athletics The Andover School District has endured yet another year of budget cuts.

Each year, circumstances have caused certain activities or sports to be cut to a greater extent. This year, extracurricular activities took the brunt of the cuts.

“The Board of Education tells us how much money each school gets and Mr. [Bob] Baier sets the budgets,” Assistant Principal Amanda Grier said.

According to band director Ray Linville, school funding levels for education are at the level they were during the 1991-1992 school year.

The budget change in the past three years has left Baier with choices to make. “[Activities were cut more than athletics] because there are certain costs of athletics that we cannot avoid, such as uniforms. Also, with activities there are other budgets that supplement the costs,” Baier said.

The goal of the school is to make sure students do not feel the affects of the budget cuts.

People are concerned with how the school will continue to do some things

they have in the past because of the budget cuts. “[Due to cuts] we have to fund transportation for dance competition,” senior Trojanette Ellie McDonald said.

Like McDonald, band students have been hit by budget cuts. Several activities have had to do fundraising, yet fundraising does not solve the loss.

“The past year band directors have taken a significant pay cut and I have paid for many things out of my pocket,” Linville said.

The band’s budget this year is approxiatemly $1,000. The marching competition hosted each year costs about $900.

Choosing where to cut every year is not easy. Athletic Director Gary Merritt finds he just has to be more creative on how he funds things.

“It is tough when you are working with half the budget you use to have. It is hard to continue to perform at the high level we are use to,” Baier said.

While it might seem easy to just cut athletics and activities evenly, Baier has to adjust the finances according to the year.

“You do not base it on what you

Junior Michael Raehpour plays his trumpet at the Kansas State Fair. The band’s budget was cut drastically this school year. Photo by Morgan Trekell. think should get cut more. You base it on the financial area of each group,” Baier said.

McDonald hopes the budget cuts will not increase every year, but for now she remains positive that although the present situations are hard, they will get by.

Senior Kyle Bishop said education

is important, and it is often ignored.

“I feel that the government should invest money in education to create jobs,” Bishop said. “If you invest in education, it will create a brighter future.”

kathrynSILL

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19

{in-depth}

Andover High through the ages

Courtesy Photo

Although the school’s mascot has been the Trojans as far back as people can remember, the reason behind the selection of this mascot is unknown.

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t each athletic or extracurricular event, Andover High School is typically known as the “Home of the Trojans” without any question as to why the mascot represents mythology’s image of failure.

“They were known as the greatest fighters, but they go down as the biggest losers in the Trojan War. The Trojans lost epically,” English teacher Mike Lee said. “But not too many people of the modern society know the story that they founded the greatest empire, the greatest civilization.”

According to the “History of Andover schools” put together by district offices, in 1875 a one-room schoolhouse was built near the area where Andover is now. The mascot has supposedly remained the Trojans, however the information on choosing the mascot is non-existent in most local historical remnants.

Retired faculty staff members are not aware as to how Andover chose the mascot of the Trojans.

“I was there for 45 years and they were the Trojans way before I came,” retired athletic director and assistant principal Dale Downing said.

Current staff members who have attended the high school previously believe that it may have been chosen democratically.

“I always thought that they chose the mascot by a vote, like they chose the jaguar for Andover Cen-

July 23, 2011

tral High School. I thought it was a community voting,” administrative assistant Debby Bollig said. Bollig graduated from Andover High School in the year 1981.

Local Andover citizens who attended the school in the 20th century were also never informed of the history of the mascot.

“I started school out here in 1946 and we were the Trojans,” 1949 graduate Carol Timmons Moser said.

Local historians Timmons-Moser, Charles Malcom, Norma Royce-Blank, and previous staff members such as Downing, and long-time community and staff members are unaware of how the mascot of the Trojans was selected for the school. The fact remains a mystery to most town members.

“We were always the Trojans as far as I know,” Timmons-Moser said.

The school had celebrated the mascot by having a local Wichitan sculptor create a statue for its representation. Gino Salerno, the tree artist carved a wooden Trojan warrior sculptor, which the school named Thor. However, the statue has been through several ups and downs over the years.

“Before a game against Kapaun, Thor was cut at the legs and taken away and we got ransom notes for several weeks. Then we got a treasure map to go find

Thor and we found him tied up to a tree over by Augusta; we thought it was Kapaun who stole him, but it was Augusta who set it up to look like Kapaun stole him,” Koenigs said.

Though the school received the statue back, he was still in repair.

“We put him on wheels and put him inside the school, when we discovered termites in the building.

Then we found out that it was Thor where the termites were coming from, so we fumigated him and took him to maintenance building. He is now in the middle school,” Koenigs said.

With the town continuously growing, historians have figured that community proximity has not been intact.

“Andover has grown so much. It used to be so small, everybody knew everybody,” Malcom said.

As the school system has been in existence for several decades now, the changes in the school have been greatly considered by former graduates and local Andover historians in town.

“The academics have improved, I would say, 95 percent. The changes in the school have been drastic,” Royce-Blank said. “I graduated in 1950 and have been around here for about 60 years now. I’m sure the school offers so much more for the kids now than they did back then.”

History behind Trojan Nite The fall season event that the school hosts each year around September is the infamous Trojan Nite where the students pay tribute to the Greek mythology behind the history of the school by participating in several games and events.

Typically on the first day of the new school year, classes meet in order to choose their athletes and colors. The school-wide event has celebrated its 44th year of being in existence, however it has not taken place every year.

“One year we cancelled Trojan Nite because we found out that one of the classes was stealing wood for their float,” assistant Superintendent Andy Koenigs said.

Retired StuCo sponsor Mary Chase founded Trojan Nite in 1967.

Throughout the years, Koenigs has seen several designs of floats.

“The most interesting float was a Trojan horse. All the gladiators and runners came out of the horse through a big gate,” Koenigs said.

Requirements and rules for the float size and height came from these different designs of floats.

“The height requirement came from a class whose float was Medusa’s head. It was 30 ft. in the air and it dwarfed everyone else’s. It was a scary float,” Koenigs said.

Most often, the senior class dominates the other classes in winning the entire event. However, there have been classes who have won more than just their senior year.

“The only classes to win three years in a row,” Koenigs said. “Would be the classes of ’91, ’05 and ’77,” K

hollyHEIRONIMUS

Timeline of AHS Andover school building built 1946

Previous high Andover school (Cottonstarted havwood building) ing football was built 1957 1965

School population was 100 students

1947

School 1960s became part building torn of district down USD 385

Founding of Trojan Nite

1967

1981

Moved into current building

Last year to graduate at old building before moving into new building

1982 Located outisde the art room at Andover Middle School, this wooden statue, by the school named Thor, was created by Gino Salerno. Photo by Lauren Sokolosky

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July 23, 2011

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he increasing tuition fee for colleges and universities add to the overall stress of finding the right college for senior stu-

dents.

According to a College Board report, during 2010-11, the rise of fee and tuition for in-state school added up to $ 7,605 or 7.9 percent more than the previous year. Similarly, the rise for private school also grew up to $ 27, 293 or 4.5 percent more that year before. “[The increase in tuition] is just caused by the nature of economy. The colleges are facing the exact same things that we are; they are just not getting enough money,” counselor Sue Coffman said.

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Oct. 7 2011

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According to University of Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, Kansas suffers from $70 million short-fall which universities compensate for by increasing the revenues.

KU and other universities will experience a devastating 1.193 percent decrease in state funding by the year of 2012.

“Universities are trying to reach out to students by being more accessible and attractive to the students,” Coffman said.

Moreover, the report, “Measuring Up 2008” shows that the total cost for a four-year public university consists of 28 percent of an average family’s income, while a four-year private university makes up 76 percent of an average family income. “[The price of a university] makes a big impact on my choice of college,” senior Julia Hilts said.

In addition, universities have resorted to eliminating departments and major in order to atone for the shortfall of millions of dollars. According to CNNmoney, elimination of department “The location, foundations, the diversity and scholarships are all the thing I look for in a college,” senior Haley Grinstead said, “I am trying to fill out as many scholarships.”.

For senior Kristen Morgan the tuition impacts her decision to an extend; however, it does not limit or cut out any options.

“With the way the economy is right now, colleges have to charge extra.

There are scholarship though that can help you,” Morgan said.

Alas, all hope is not lost. Colleges still provide students with scholarships in order to help with the financial burden. Kansas State University offers $16 million worth of scholarships based on academics and activities. Similarly, other universities and colleges seek to help

students with scholarships and financial aid.

“By December i should have all of my acceptance letters backs as well as any scholarships that i can get,” senior Blake Karnes said. “At that point, I will choose the school that offers the best deal to me.”

The Pell grant also still stands which assists nine million Americans pay for college. Despite Senates desire to cap the maximum grant to $845, the maximum still controversially stands at $5,550.

“Financial strain places much angst upon my mind, but wherefore should I worry if the brave university funds my studies?” senior Bobby Scharping said.

According to Coffman, students should maintain solid GPA achieve high test scores and apply themselves in all four years of high school in order to lessen the financial burden of college.

“It is becoming more and more important to know what area you want to go into[because of the rise in tuition],” Coffman said. “Instead of taking random classes, it’s becoming more important to understand what you want.”

trinaBHATTARAI

Midseason Football Report Card Sophmore Nick Hess scans the defence and prepares for the snap during the Maize Football game on sptember 30th. The Trojans (1-4) lost the contest 0-14. Photo by Brooke Hilbert

Stuck in the wrong gear Offense still looking to find stride midway through season

It has been a rough season so far for the Trojan offense, which has resulted in a frustrating 1-4 record.

“Right now we are our own worst enemy,” head coach Mike Lee said.

Coming into the season after last years dissapointing 2-7 finish, the team was hoping that their second year in 5A competition would yield better results, so far this has not happened.

In the five games that the team has played, they have produced only 641 yards of offense, only 186 of those coming from the passing game. Both quarterbacks combined have only completed a total of eight passes.

Points-wise, the Trojans have been outscored 72 to 156 and have averaged only 14.4 points per game.

So far this season, the offense has relied mainly on the running game.

“We are focusing on running the ball,” senior Jonathan Nye said.

The running game has produced so far this season, but they were hurt by the injury to senior Tyler Goering, who along with Nye and junior Chase Ogden have led

the rushing attack.

Signs of life seem to had shown in the teams 28-8 victory against Valley Center, as sophomore Nich Hess threw for a pair of touchdowns and the offense gained a total of 200 yards.

Some thought the ship had been righted, but the past two games have brought more frustration.

They have been shutout in their past two games, losing 14-0 and 42-0 to Maize and Derby respectively. In the teams last game against Derby, they only managed to produce 29 yards in the air.

“We aren’t executing,” Lee said. “We need to focus more on getting the job done.”

In the remaining four games, the team will face Goddard, Andover Central, Kapaun and Ark City, the last three of those being in league competition.

“This team has potential, but that potential has yet to be shown,” Lee said. “We need to execute and play better football overall.”

chrisJONES

Golf team eyes state competition Despite lack in numbers, team shows skill

The Lady Trojan’s golf team is nearing a successful end to the season, with four first place finishes and just one meet before their regional tournament.

“We have pretty good depth, if someone is not playing their best, we will have someone step up,” Head Coach Ryan Harshaw said.

The girl’s have won four out of their six tournaments and are striving for a larger goal this season.

“We have a really good chance of getting to state,” sophomore Mad-

die Routhier said.

Although golf may be considered an individual sport, the girl’s encourage each other and work together.

“Our team’s chemistry is good and even though it is not a team sport, the girls want to do good for each other, and are encouraging,” Harshaw said.

Some individuals have been shining and prove to be a major asset to the team’s performance.

“Audrey Meisch won the North High Open with a score of 74, she has been our leader all year long,” Harshaw said.

Meisch has considered playing golf at the collegiate level, and is continuing to keep her options

Offense

D

“We need to execute. Most of the time we are our own worst enemy,” Lee said.

“We need to focus on making plays and being better as an offense. Our potential hasn’t been shown yet.”

C

“The defense has started to show improvement,” Lee said. “Everyone on the defensive side of the ball needs to focus on doing their job for that particular play instead of thinking about the next play.”

C

“Our punt team has been decent at times but is very inconsistent,” Lee said. “Our kickoff and punt return team needs to show more urgency, because as of now they havent showed that.”

Defense

Special Teams

C-

Overall

“Our team could do alot better,” Lee said. “We need to show urgency and execute at the level are oppenets are. As of now we are settling for medicority.”

Photo by Jacob Highfill

open for the future.

“I might possibly [pursue college golf], because their are more scholarships and opportunities,” Meisch said.

As the season is approaching its end, the team will have to continue to work hard and compete to reach their goals.

“They are a bunch of good kids, they have good grades and are good community members. They are all hard workers and are fun to be around,” Harshaw said. “They are very coach-able.”

kalliSIKES Oct. 7 2011

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Senior Takes Charge of Team

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Oct. 7 2011

A

ssuming the role as a leader on the soccer team during practice and on the field during a game, Ben Loflin takes charge in his senior year season at Andover High School.

“I see how hard-working he is and I try to work just as hard as he is,” senior Devin Blose said.

Loflin was organizing summer scrimmages with his fellow teammates even before the season started.

Taking it on himself the senior organized and, got all of the players numbers. Setting up times, Loflin made it possible for his teammates to get together for scrimmages, work on ball skills and to condition.

“It helped my ball handling skills and helped the teams overall chemistry,” junior Mike Moran said.

As co-captain with senior Dallas Fiszel, Loflin feels the need to set an example for his follow teammates.

Working hard at practice and performing his best in games, Loflin does all that he can to stand out as a leader. “[To be captain] you have to be a good leader and others look to you more and follow your lead,” Loflin said.

Loflin has been playing soccer since he was threeyears-old. He plays all year round and has played every year for the school. The team he plays with on the off-season is the Rojo’s coach by Dallas Fiszel, he and Fiszel play together on the older team. “[Losing Ben] will be hard because we’ll be losing the most important asset to the team,” junior Kail McGuire said.

Head coach Chris Lemons finds Loflin’s dedication to the team and to improving as a player is admirable. As his first year here at Andover, he has made an easier transition with help from Loflin’s leadership.

“Not only is he a born leader, obviously he puts his heart and soul out on the practice field and into the game,” Lemons said, “It shows in his productivity in the game, not only does he work in the attack, but he also gets behind the ball and helps defensively.”

Loflin’s leadership gave a lasting first impression on the new coach. His testament to improving and working with the team impressed the coach.

“Before he even touched a ball, my first impression of him was his work ethic and his leadership skills,” Lemons said.

After high school, Loflin plans to continue playing soccer. Many believe that with his work ethic and his ball skills, he could play in a college of his choice.

“I want to play at a two-year college in Kansas,” Loflin said.

Both the coaches believe that he could accom-

Senior Ben Loflin sprints toward the ball during the Andover Central soccer game on Sept. 6. Loflin scored three goals during the game. Photo by Abby Bradshaw plish this and more in terms of soccer. After high school they would think he has options with playing in the next level of college soccer.

“I see him going as far as he wants to with his work ethic, ball control, and finishing abilities,” Lemons said.

But for now his goal is to just help the team improve and do all that he can to help. Being productive at practice and especially in games.

“He can do things during a game that I wouldn’t expect, his ball control is very good,” assistant coach Alan Goodman said.

Loflin plays as a forward for the Trojans and works his hardest to score for his team. He has scored numerous times for the team this year, noticeably in the Andover vs. Andover Central game, where he had all three Andover goals.

“You have to work hard at all times, and you have to be in good shape, practice everyday and never stop playing,” Lofin said.

Loflin suffered a concussion in the home game against Augusta. It happened in the second-half of the varsity game. After being walked off the field the senior did not return to the game.

“I hate watching the team struggle and it makes me want to play more,” Loflin said.

The team has taken a hard hit with his temporary lost, but the players have worked hard to make up for his absense. The other team members are stepping up and taking more responsiblity on themselves in a game.

“We haven’t won since I’ve been injured, we are struggling offensively,” Even with his injury Loflin has still been a leader.

He goes to the practices and games to support his teammates and help with what he can.

“I still go to all the games and practices to support the team,” Loflin said.

As Loflin continues to lead the team any way he can, the season goes on. With regionals for state coming at the end of the month Loflin’s leadership will be key in getting everyone ready for the challenges to come.

“It’s an honor to have a team leader like Ben,” Blose said.

jordanHERNANDEZ

Oct. 7 2011

25

Unorthodox practice field leads to success

Senior Camille Hantla runs in sub-forty degree weather during the Buhler track meet. Photo by Cale Minear

No football field. No basketball court.

No track. Welcome to the varying world of cross-country. Unlike other sports that have a familiar playing field, cross-country courses are always changing.

“Running is such a different sport that you need something entertaining,” head coach Max Hamblin said.

With diverse courses to run, there comes a favorite for each runner.

“Of all the courses, I would have to consider Lake Afton as my favorite because of the narrows that we get to run through for most of the race,” junior Chris Ioerger said.

With every favorite course comes one that people consider their least favorite. Ioerger’s least favorite course is the Raft, the first course of the season.

“The Raft would have to be my least favorite course,” Ioerger said. “Partially because it is the first race of the season but also because it is extremely wide open and you can see the entire course needed to be ran in front of you.”

The runners in general find that what makes a course one of their favorites is anything that adds flavor.

“My favorite course is any course that is just one lap,” senior Peach Ablah said. “It is a lot easier to run when you don’t have to see the same things again.”

Hamblin also believes that it is preferable to have variety on a course.

“A little character in the course is always nice,” Hamblin said.

With no specific course to practice on for all courses, the runners have to be prepared for all elements on a course.

“We only run the same routes for every practice, so it doesn’t help too much,” sophomore Chris Clausing said.

Working with the terrain of Andover, the team lacks the hills that some eastern Kansas schools have on their courses.

“Sometimes we do stairs at the stadiums,” Hamblin said. “We’re taking three girls to Lawrence on Sept. 21. We have to prepare them for the hills. The schools in eastern Kansas have a big advantage.”

Hills are one of the many difficult elements that exist in various courses in crosscountry.

“Hills are definitely a difficult element of a course, especially the intense ones at Afton.

A course that is open would have to be the most difficult to run just because you seeing what you have to run makes the distance seem longer that it truly is,” Ioerger said.

With no exact course to build a strategy on, the runners have developed strategies that work on any course.

“When I run I try to start out in the middle to front group and maintain a solid pace for the first two miles,” Ioerger said. “For the third mile, I try to speed up and then always sprint the last 400 meters.”

ryanMINEAR

Pairs team adapts to change, still performs In every sport there is change, but for senior Mel Mihelic and sophomore Abby White change came easily.

“The team just needed some change,” head coach Mark Cross said.

The season for the girls’ tennis team could be summed up in one word: “rocky.” The team has not had the year that they pictured in the beginning.

“We are doing alright so far, I think we could do better,” White said.

With the year winding down and players losing focus, the team needed to find something to give the team a spark.

“I didn’t know what to think when I first changed but now I’m in love with the change,” Morgan said.

The thinking behind the plan to move Mihelic and White from singles to doubles partners, was to hopefully go to and win state.

“Both girls are really good and could make a name for themselves,” junior Katelyn Rochat said.

Mihelic has been playing singles ever since her freshman year. Now she has to drop everything she knows and learn to play the game again

26

Oct. 7 2011

in her last season of her high school career.

“At first I wasn’t very excited about the move, but I just had to roll with it,” Mihelic said.

It is the same story for White. The only difference is that White is two years younger and she has time adjust to the move.

“I like the move because we win more,” White said. “I think we could make state and I think we can do pretty well as well.”

The duo of White and Mihelic seem to be working as planed placing in various tournaments and matches.

“It’s good to put an experienced girl with a girl who is less experienced, and hopefully both can gain something from each other,” Cross said.

Only time will tell if the move will work out.

“I think it’s working fine but, we’ll see when league comes,” Rochat said.

Both girls started league this week and look to dominate the courts, and both girls have optimism toward regionals and hopefully reach state.

“As a team,” Mihelic said. “I hope we can make it to state.”

-alexLEFF

Senior Kristen Morgan and sophomore Abby White practice before they head off to League play. Photo by Heba Madi

Freshman steps up to varsity volleyball team Agnew impresses with talents in mulitple positions

At 5’ 10”, freshman Jaylyn Agnew was a seemingly obvious choice for the girls’ varsity volleyball team, and her ability to play a mean game of volleyball helped.

“I did not believe that I would make it onto varsity because I didn’t think I was up to the varsity level.” Agnew said.

Once the season started, Agnew was immediately pulled into varsity life with harder practices and more challenging competitors. But the fears that a freshman might have towards a team of only upperclassmen did not affect Agnew.

“At the beginning it was kind of awkward because I didn’t know the upperclassmen,” Agnew said. “But since we have begun playing we have gotten to know each other and they treat me as friends.”

On some teams a freshman on varsity would be sitting on the sidelines encouraging their team, and proudly sporting the varsity title. But Agnew is different, with her getting to start every game in an important role. “[She gets to play] all the time,” Volleyball Coach Sue Coffman said. “She is a starter and plays all around.”

When Agnew joined the team, she realized that her postion on the volleyball team was going to be important despite her grade level.

“It’s kind of difficult [being on varsity],” Agnew said. “I have to step up as a leader even though I’m the youngest on the team.”

Other members on the varsity and junior varsity teams and coaches have a respect for Agnew and her abilities during a game and on the court.

“She is impressive,” sophomore JV player Morgan Trekell said. “She has a lot of heart towards the game.”

Coffman agreed and added that Agnew has a crucial role in the team’s dynamics.

“She is one of the top nine players,” Coffman said. “We needed a middle and she can play almost any position.”

Though the season is getting closer to wrapping up, Agnew has no thoughts of taking a break from her extra curricular activities.

“I don’t really have an off-season because I play sports all year round,” Agnew said. “But I try to work on [my volleyball skills] whenever I can.”

Throughout the hardships of being on varsity Agnew manages to find a way to have fun with it. “[I enjoy] being on varsity,” Agnew said. “It’s fun because I’m very competitive and it’s a very competitive level of the sport.”

On Andover’s volleyball team, everyone is equal in opportunity. Agnew shows that grade and age does not matter towards being a great athlete. Everyone needs to work just as hard as the person next to them to be the best game player they can be.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or how good you are,”Coffman said. “Everybody has to practice hard.”

w

garretWOLF

Freshman Jaylyn Agnew serves the ball during practice. Agnew is the only freshman on varsity. Photo by Heba Madi

JV tennis won first at League Singles

Julia Spangler-2nd Kyndal Pistotnik-10th

Doubles Trina Bhattarai & -1st Abby Kaff Mackenzie Pepper & -6th Kate League

** Mel Mihelic and Abby White placed first for varsity doubles title at League

Oct. 7 2011

27

{pop culture}

28

‘Moneyball’ worth price of admission

T

he game of baseball has long been known by a game of players and dollars, largely ruled by the teams who pay the most and buy the best players. The movie “Moneyball” highlights the 2002 Oakland Athletics, a team that defied the odds and changed the game forever.

It has been a long time since I have been really excited to see a film such as this one, due to my love of the game of baseball and the overall concept of the movie. Heading into it, I was very eager and was hoping it would not disappoint.

It did not.

The movie opens in the 2001 American League Division Series, as the athletics are facing elimination against the big-budget New York Yankees. The A’s lose and return to obscurity.

His team has been depleted in the offseason, losing the talents of players such as outfielder Johnny Damon, reliever Jason Ishringhausen, and power hitting first basemen Jason Giambi. Looking for answers, Beane travels to Cleveland to talk trades, where he eventually meets player analyst Peter Brandt ( Jonah Hill).

Although Hill is largely know for his roles in the comedy film genre, he fills the role, albeit a small one, of the timid yet brilliant Brandt, very effectively. The relationship between him and Pitt grows throughout the film and they are able to play off each other’s acting abilities very well.

After meeting Beane, Brandt brings up the idea of a new system to manage a major league baseball

Oct. 7 2011

team. He suggests that instead of buying players, Beane needed to buy runs, thus producing more wins. Brandt believed that , with the small budget of the Oakland As, there was still a team out there that Beane could field that could win a World Series.

Beane hires Brandt, and they set off to find their own “island of misfit toys” or players that others have undervalued, that could help with the coveted championship.

Throughout the movie, Brad Pitt owns each and every scene that he is in. The character of Billy Beane is that of a slightly arrogant, smooth talking baseball guy, who was highly touted as a baseball player, but had a flop of a baseball career and turned to another career path. Pitt, portraying the real life Billy Beane, brings his super acting abilities and nails the role.

With the rag-tag team assembled by Brandts new, widely unpopular system finally formed, it is time for the plan to be put into action when the season starts.

Being a baseball fan myself, I automatically loved the premise of the film, but my only knock on it, being a baseball fan, was the fact that it did not focus mainly on the baseball itself, but the behind the scenes action such as trades and statistical analysis.

As the movie progresses, so do the Oakland A’s, as everything Brandt had predicted would happen actually did, and the team skyrocketed. At one point they even win a record setting 20 straight games.

However, this is no fairy tale story of how a team of undervalued, unappreciated players led by a charismatic GM and a new system miraculously wins the

World Series, this is a real life story.

Overall, I loved the movie. The acting was superb, led by Pitt and Hill, as well as received contributions from actual baseball players such as Scott Hatteberg.

The story also greatly impresses, and the fact that it is a real life story makes it that much greater to watch. Every scene catches your interest, keeping your mind completely off the rather lengthy two hour runtime.

Even if you are not a baseball fan, this movie is great. The acting and the way the movie is constructed is so well done that almost anyone can follow it without feeling out of the loop.

I would definitely recommend going out immediately to see this movie, and I hope that it receives Academy Award recognition. It is definitely deserving of such acknowledgement.

chrisJONES

GRADE

Blink-182 returns to the national scene with ambitious new studio album

I

t has been a long eight years since punk-rock trio Blink-182 has had a new album out and at last, fans across the world can rejoice with the band’s new studio album titled “Neighborhoods” which was released on Sept. 27.

The band consisting of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker have come together for the new album after a nearly four year hiatus to create what is ultimately their best album to date in their catalog.

Dating back to their “self-titled” 2003 album, Blink-182 has certainly done a lot of growing up, making this album sound like a complete departure from the band’s sound of punk rock. Instead of punk-rock, we get a lot of stadium influenced drum-in-bass rock-to put it simply, this is a different Blink-182.

The guys in the band are not exactly young anymore, and with that, comes growing up. Lyrically, the overall theme of the album is primarily touching on death and isolation and fear of the world surrounding us.

From the first track titled “Ghost On The Dancefloor” it’s obvious the changes that blink has made over the years, the spacy, epic track opens up with an amazing synth, guitar, drum, and bass build up in the song that is about missing someone you loved but has passed on. It is a great opening track setting the tone for the rest of the album and one of my favorites.

The second track “Natives” is a punk throwback giving relief to old school fans which then leads the band into ballad led territory with “After Midnight”, which can be explained as the “I Miss You” of the album being about missing someone you love but cannot get out of your head. It’s an album highlight

and one of my favorites with the heartfelt and sincere lyrics the band displays.

The next track “Snake Charmer” is another best of the album with a intro that sounds reminesent of The Cure and breaks into a heavy guitar riff with the song being metaphorically about Biblical characters, Adam and Eve, and about how all our mistakes lead back to the very begining with DeLonge crooning a lyric that will remain stuck in your head “good girls like to sin”.

Some of the best tracks on the album, “Kaliedoscope” and the self-titled “Mh.4.18.2011” are examples of why Mark Hoppus should’ve been featured more on this record as they are standout songs showcasing Hoppus’ songwriting ability.

“Wishing Well” is a DeLonge led track and is perhaps the most poppy sounding song on the album. It really compliments DeLonge’s lyricism with the memorable hook “I reached for a shooting star, it burnt a hole through my hand, made it’s way through my heart, I found it at the promised land.”

The album has a few tracks that dabbled in experimentation such as “Fighting the Gravity” and “Love Is Dangerous” that I feel the band should have left Tom DeLonge to use in his other side project, Angels & Airwaves.

It would not have surprised me if DeLonge said from the start of the band’s reunion that if the album is not done how he wants, he will quit the band again.

DeLonge absolutely has influence on the shape of the record- both good and bad as it’d be nice to have a little more Mark Hoppus featured.

The album closes with an emotional throwback titled “Even If She Falls” which features DeLonge rem-

inesing over past loves through the eyes of a young man. It is simple, but perfectly executed through the lyrics that strike hard and perfectly ends the album on a note that will touch the listener.

As the album closes, it is realized that the album is not going to be known for hits, but moreso an album that can be respected, the coming together of three completely different individuals to create the result of “Neighborhoods”- an overall great piece of work.

The album is not quite a masterpiece, but almost.

The fun in the band’s music may have faded but the sound and lyrics are true. relatable, and genuine.

Despite the dark themes of death and depression, the album is an absolute success and is a great entry in the bands already sterling reputation in the music world showing indeed that the former punk rockers are indeed back.

ryanLAKE

GRADE

Oct. 7 2011 XXXXXXXXXXXX

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Halloween

Horror

As fall draws near, so begins the fear From pumpkin spice lattes to scary movie marathons, October festivities strike people with excitement and thrill. One event occurring during this time of year is haunted houses, a combination of suspense and adventure.

In Andover there seems to be few activities to enjoy on the weekends, haunted houses can be a easy cure to Kansas boredom.

“I love going to haunted houses. They’re thrilling, and I like getting freaked out by all the chainsaws and the slaughter houses,” sophomore Cole Gumeringer said.

Haunted houses start preparing almost three months in advance to become a stimulating, creepy way to entertain teenagers and adults. All the groundwork made for a haunted house takes a lot of hardworking people. “[We] started building Aug. 10, hired 30 actors and many crew people such as designers, make-up artists and more,” haunted house worker Jerrod Farha said.

Farha, a worker of “The House of Terrors” said that it is very interesting working at a haunted house and has had several odd experiences throughout the years. The House of Terrors had a Hollywood setup, which was rated number one in Wichita and has been compared to haunted houses in Kansas City.

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Some of the top scariest haunted houses are located in Kansas City. Haunted houses such as the “Haunted Hospital”, “The Beast” and others. The “Haunted Hospital”, located in Kansas has a waiver that is required to be signed in order to go through.

This waver

I love going to haunted houses.

They’re thrilling, and I like getting freaked out by all the chainsaws and the slaughter houses. coleGUMERINGER

entitles the actors of the Haunted House to touch you, grab you and separate you from your group. This haunted house is filled with trap doors, creepy costumes etc. “[What] I look for in a haunted house [is that] it

has to actually be haunted. I also love laughing at the actors,” junior Dallas Bruner said.

The age requirement for most haunted houses is high school students or above. According to many haunted thrillers, more teenagers attend than adults. An additional haunted activity is the “Field of Screams”.

“My favorite [haunted house] is “Field of Screams.” They have pigs hanging and people chasing you with chainsaws; it’s crazy,” junior Timmon Herzberg said. “There is a lot of variety and it’s a pretty good amount of time to go through.”

To some, walking through a haunted house can be exciting but also terrifying. Research shows that three out of 10 people will back out once entering a haunted activity.

“One time my mom wore high heels to a haunted house, she cracked her ankle and was trying to find a way out, [it was] so funny,” Herzberg said.

From passing out to losing a shoe, experiences in haunted houses create an experience, even if one may regret it. Finding an interesting activity to experience on a Friday night becomes a lot easier once fall rolls around.

alyssaGOODMAN

the bluestreak {BUZZ{ October Sunday

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Flea Market @ Kansas Pavilions 1229 E. 85th St. N., Valley Center, KS 67147, 9a.m.4p.m., $1

Night of the Living Zoo @ Sedgwick County Zoo, 6:30p.m.-8:30p.m.

Halloween NO SCHOOL

Sugarland Concert @ Intrust Bank Arena, 7:30p.m., $56/$40.50 Homecoming dance @ 8p.m.

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NO SCHOOL Great Plains Flat Track Series @ Jeeps Oklahoma City Thunder v. New motorcycle club Orleans Hornets Preseason Game @ Intrust Bank Arena, 7p.m.

Saturday

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National Chemistry week begins

Friday

KU & K-State Scholarship Applications due

Testing Day Seniors don’t come until fifth hour Freshmen meet with Link Crew

Seniors order grad supplies during lunch ($60 deposit due)

Tallgrass Film Festival begins

Lake Afton Public Observatory presents: Astronomical Zoo @ Lake Afton Public Observatory, 7:30p.m.10 p.m., $4

Straight No Chaser Concert @ Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center, 8p.m., $46.50, $40.50, $33.50

BOOtanica @ Botanica Gardens, 2pm-5pm, $7 Slammin’ Sammy’s Birthday Bash featuring Shaggy @ Hartman Arena, 7pm,

ACT Test Date

Annual Asian Festival @ Century I I 5-10:30p.m.

SAT Test Date

COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS | ABC PROGRAM MYBANK CHECKING | SIGN & SAVE

4 WICHITA LOCATIONS | (316) 685.5441 WWW.SUNFLOWERBANK.COM

Oct. 7 2011

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TROJAN NITE

Annual class competition increases class unity Sophomore Gage Moss runs during the Hula Hoop competition at Trojan Nite on Sept. 24.

Moss was the sophomore class prince and went on to place second to the junior class. Photo

by Abby Bradshaw Top Middle: Senior Chad Hamman talks to a teammate after a victory at Trojan Nite on Sept. 24.

Seniors took first place. Photo

by Abby Bradshaw Bottom Right: Senior Hunter Weddington focuses on getting another win for the senior class in the jousting competition.

Weddington was a boy gladiator.

Photo by Abby Bradshaw

Sophomores Cooper Nichols and McKay Brumfield watch a balloon fly through the air during the catapult event. The sophomores placed last in the event.

Photo by Abby Bradshaw The junior athletes walk into Trojan Nite arm-in-arm. The juniors placed second overall at Trojan Nite this year. Photo by Alex Durano

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