Issue 6

ECHOES

The Independent Voice of Abraham Lincoln High School

Issue 6 March 2012 Council Bluffs, Iowa

STATE OF THE CITY

Mayor Hanafan weighs in on issues to Echoes

Echoes reporters sat down with Tom Hanafan, Mayor of Council Bluffs, for an exclusive interview to discuss various issues facing the city. Photo by Jessie Adkins

ALechoes.com

3

Administration takes a stand against poor attendance.

When asked why Google chose Council Bluffs for its growing business and why they decided to bring the Google Chrome Project to AL, Hanafan was ready with a solid answer.

“Power plant, electricity, and water. We also have a good education level.”

Some have associated the new renovations of Broadway and its businesses to trying to be more like the Old Market in Omaha. Hanafan disagreed. “We want to be Main Street. Not the Old Market.”

Along with the business changes comes the retail changes. When Hanafan came into office, Council Bluffs’ retail was down to -27 percent (more people were going to Omaha to shop then staying in Council Bluffs). Currently the retail rate is up to 14 percent.

Prepared for the worst, but still hoping for the best The past year has seen several challenges, as well as changes and improvements throughout Council Bluffs. After facing the worst flood in decades and a harmful hail storm, the city’s budget and time will be devoted to returning to how it was before.

As the city continues to repair it will will also continue to grow as the last few years have shown, bringing in new businesses and growing city assets to accommodate the maturing society. Mayor Hanafan puts it best.

“We’re going to have to change, and we did change, and I think we’re in a different world. We’re more transparent than we’ve ever been and what we should be,” Hanafan said.

“Facts are coming out a lot faster, different and it’s a little bit different. I appreciate being here for it.”

6 7 11 &

Echoes go behind the razor on self-mutilation.

PAGE

What’s Inside:

be held. Caesars Entertainment (which is best known for the Harrah’s and Horseshoe Casinos they own) is now the new provider for community events.

“It will not change anything at all that will happen at the MAC. It just isn’t owned by SMG,” Hanafan said.

The Mall of the Bluffs Many questions are arising with the current shape that the Mall Of The Bluffs is in. After the departure of Barnes & Noble, the only major stores remaining are Sears (which is on its way out) and Dillard’s, and things are as uncertain as ever.

“The mall is owned by a company that is bankrupted,” said Hanafan. “I think the mall needed to come up with a game plan. You should see it change in the next two years.”

Crime and Law Enforcement As Council Bluffs has grown, the crime in the city has grown as well. The 21st century has brought its own challenges in issues such as the rise in domestic violence and the increasing problem with illegal substances, in particular the use of methamphetamine, according to Hanafan. With crime increasing, the police department has adapted to the changing rate.

Hanafan believes that the manner in which the police approach situations has matured, as each officer is being given more equipment and careful instruction than ever before.

Business Growth With in the next couple of years, the people of Council Bluffs will be seeing many changes. From new stores and businesses being built to old stores closing, the change will draw attention to Council Bluffs.

PAGE

First attending high school at TJ and then moving on to college, his original plans in life were to open a bar in Miami with his college roommate. Now, he is the mayor of Council Bluffs and has been for over two decades. On Feb. 16, Mayor Tom Hanafan attended a press conference in the journalism lab held by the Echoes staff, concerning the State of the City.

The Flood of 2011 Mother Nature brought her fair share of challenges last summer, but one that caught everyone by surprise was the flood. The summer flood forced Council Bluffs to spend $45 million in expenses to repair levees, streets, and sewers.

“This past summer, of course with the flooding situation, we ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for most of us over 104 days with no time off, no vacations,” Hanafan said.

“Our responsibility in that flood was to have evacuation plans for 35,000 people. We had seven school buildings in the heart of that flood. Also we had a tremendous amount of streets and sewers that we lost.”

If one looked at the collapse of the levee in Hamburg, Iowa for example, to repair the collapse of their levees, it would be easier for the government to pay their citizens to move out then to repair that levee.

“As of today, we know we spent $12 million on flood efforts,” said Hanafan. “That was to prevent water from coming back in. We received $250,000 on government

reimbursement program.”

It is unsure when Council Bluffs will get that money back. There is an eminent threat of breakdown and wear on sewers and streets from last summer’s flood that will happen this summer and beyond. This may cost up to 45 million dollars with street damage and sewers that may collapse. One thing is for certain: the flood effort didn’t stop at the end of last summer. There is still much work to be done.

“A year ago, I wouldn’t have been standing here talking about a flood. In 1952, we had a flood. We built those levees and everybody forgot about them. Today, they are very important,” Hanafan said. “The federal government has changed rules on the levees.

We have to re-certify every levee in the city of Council Bluffs, of which we have 28 miles of them.”

Hail Storm Damage In August 2011, Council Bluffs experienced a massive hail storm. This hail storm damaged over 220 structures in the Council Bluffs area. The Council Bluffs Public Library’s roof was damaged and cost around $750,000 to repair. Homeowners and business owners had the same problem, and also had to repair things due to hail damage.

That $750,000 spent on the library roof was just a small fraction of what had to be spent to make all repairs on roofs, homes, and cars.

Mid-America Center Update It may be important to note that the City of Council Bluffs still owns the Mid America Center. With the Mid America Center being operated under a new provider in July, many are worried about how future events will

PAGE

Story by Blake Willadsen Suzanne Peterson Britteny Johnson

Rugby makes its way into the hallways of A.L.

2

News

Brittany Rupp | Editor in Chief

Teachers and students interact with technology

S

to all players to ensure that there is no question about what is being said. Another form of social media which ocial media is a part of many can be used when it comes people’s lives these days. to sports is the Lynx Pride With so many different website. This site allows forms of social media, it students to sign up to receive can easily give people the emails or texts whenever an opportunity to connect with alert is posted on the website others, develop relationships, about sports events. Using and much more. Social this website is beneficial media can also occur here at because everyone gets the school between teachers and same message and there students. Gmail isn’t any gives teachers question and students “(Contacting is) to be for professional or concern the ability to about what take classwork reasons, not on a personal level.” information b e y o n d is being the actual relayed.

-Fred Maher, Assistant Principal classroom.

It may “It helps a seem easier lot,” Alicia Wilson ‘13 said. specifically for school to talk to a teacher or student “If you have extra time in a organizations or a school through one of the many certain class and you need email that students can social networking sites or help on something else, contact. by their personal phone, but Gmail can help your teacher “Unless it’s about school recent scandals at schools talk you through it.” or sports, I don’t think even within Omaha and Gmail also gives teachers and students should Council Bluffs have shown students the accessibility to talk outside of school, even that anything can happen. communicate with teachers if it is over the computer,” Social media is a handy about assignments if they Jessica Brown ‘15 said. tool in and outside of the are out of school. With all Social media also classrooms for students the social media surrounding connects to schooland teachers. Many have students, it may be tempting related sports. Coaches realized the importance to search for favorite teachers are encouraged to send of professionalism and on sites such as Facebook informational mass text maintaining appropriate and Twitter. While that may messages about practices contact when using be okay, school officials said and games. According to Jeff social media. Any type of it’s important to remember Novotny, activities director, technology has endless that if students are contacting these texts should be sent possibilities that can be both helpful and harmful.

By Jaidlyn Bookout Reporter

a staff member it is for a school-related topic.

“It’s to be for professional reasons, not on a personal level,” said Fred Maher, assistant principal.

Talking to teachers via Twitter, Gmail, and Facebook may come in handy when it comes to difficult homework or missing assignments yet contacting their personal accounts isn’t necessary.

Some teachers have accounts

Echoes

News Briefs A Solar Storm that was forecasted to become a G-3 (the most dangerous type), hit Earth on March 8. The storm, however, was only a G-1 (the least severe). The only threat this served to Earth was disruptions to radio controlled devices.

A watch in Basel, Switzerland has been reported to have a cost of $5 million dollars, and encrusted with 1,292 diamonds. The watch was on display at the the Baselworld Fair on March 7.

James Cameron, a filmmaker, set the record for the world’s deepest solo submarine dive.

He plans to dive even deeper within a matter of weeks. He plans to travel to the Marianna Trenches.

Studies suggest that eating fruits and vegatables can improve your skin’s apperance. Over a six week period, 35 people were studied and the results showed that fruits and veggies brought out the redness and yellowness in the skin.

Information collected from Yahoo! News and ABC News.

The dangers of lack of sleep affect more than just the body

By Kaylee Willadsen

Introduction to Journalism Oh, the teenage years.

So many nights studying, Facebooking it up, and texting your crush till all hours of the night. At the moment it may seem like the best way to be spending your time, but what about the next day when you can hardly stay awake? So here’s the real question: is it really worth it?

There are many interesting studies revealing the side effects of not sleeping enough. According to studies by webmd.com, if you skip as little as one and half hours of sleep a night, the next day your alertness is reduced by 32%. Many students are more than willing to quickly agree that they are tired all the time.

“The less sleep I get, the more I don’t catch what

people say,” Rachel Harold ‘15 said. “Then again, since it happens about every night, I just get used to it.” She admitted soon after that she typically gets two hours of sleep a night.

Though studies by webmd.com show that over 70 million Americans have one of 85 recognized sleep disorders, only ten percent are actually diagnosed, and the rest just learn to live with it.

Everyone has at least the tiniest notion that staying up all night is going to leave you groggy the next day. Though not only are there immediate effects for lack of sleep, but it is also is linked to quickly increasing your chances of fast weight gain, high blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, obesity, psychiatric problems, and depression. Even scarier, according to webmd.com,

sleeping less then six or seven hours a night can lead to a higher death risk as you get older in age. This sounds odd and overdramatic, like staying up till two in the morning every once in awhile is going to kill you, or add on another 50 pounds. The truth is, it obviously won’t.

The main job of sleep is to re-energize and do quick repairs to your body, and especially your brain. When you continue to constantly burn energy when awake, you’re depriving your body of that time it usually has to refurbish and repair, according to serendip.edu.

Overall, sleep helps you to live a healthy, happy lifestyle. So when you take it away or limit it, you get stressed, and life just gets that much tougher. So why do we do it so often? The simple answer is we have so many other greater things to

do on our agendas.

“I admit, I am definitely in need for more sleep with 6:00 a.m. basketball practices. Though I find it hard to do with Xbox games to be played, Facebook conversations to join, and TV shows to be watched,” Jacob Steenbock ‘15 said.

So on those nights when Steenbock doesn’t get the right amount of sleep, he admits to occasionally sleeping in class when he gets the chance. Teachers probably don’t appreciate that decision, but many other students were quick to confirm he is not alone.

This is your body’s way of dealing with the lack of sleep. Typically you would need two to three times the sleep you lost to be regained sometime in the week to feel back to your regular self.

There’s no denying that losing sleep is large problem for the typical American teenager. We all do it at some point in time for different reasons, and suffer the consequences. Though there seems to be more and more things needed to be done, and half the time in the day to do them. Typically the first thing eliminated from most schedules is sleep. Then that eventually effects your mood, your education, and your health to keep updated

with your social life. So, it is up to you to decide. Is it really worth it?

Victoria Holcomb contributed to this story.

Facts about Sleep • When you sleep, your brain processes everything you did and learned during the day.

• As a teenager, your sleep patterns are going to shift toward later at night. Your waking patterns will also shift to later time periods too.

If you don’t get enough sleep: • your ability to learn and process things is greatly decreased.

• you have a bigger chance of developing acne.

• you eat more unhealthy things that are full of sugar and caffeine ***Facts collected from National Sleep Foundation website

News

3 Attendance crackdown causing frustration Echoes

Brittany Rupp | Editor in Chief

Adminstration works to keep kids in classes with enforcement

By Lauren Myers Entertainment Editor

Students around school have been noticing the enforcement of existing rules within the school regarding student attendance.

According to the District Code of Conduct, “If a student is going to be absent, or if a parent/guardian wishes to have a child leave before the regular dismissal time, it is possible to notify the school by note or phone.”

In some incidences a student can be dismissed from school due to an illness, school or sport activity, competitions, and other reasons listed in the Code of Conduct. Reasons for the enforcement is mainly for the students. “ As a parent of two kids there’s no way I don’t want to know that my kids are leaving school,” Todd Barnett, Principal said.

“Safety revolves all around this, I don’t want to call a parent and have to say your son/daughter has been in an accident and I don’t know (when your student left) if they are bringing something or someone from off campus.”

Other reasons for the enforcement of the existing rules focuses around the average daily attendance of students. “ I think there’s more of an awareness,” Barnett said. “Our average daily attendance isn’t where we want it to be. The state’s benchmark is 95 percent.”

Students who are absent from their assigned class or class activity for reasons other than those listed in the Code of Conduct can be defined as truant. There are many actions that can be taken to those found truant-one action the school has taken for those students is by providing Graduation Coaches.

Graduation

Coaches focus primarily on enabling students’ attendance while focusing on support for families in truancy prevention. For one student,

‘13 said. “They keep me on track with all my classes, attendance and overall, school.”

Since the existing rules

Cartoon by Elizabeth Beck having a graduation coach has been beneficial.

“Right now I have Mrs. Davis, but I also speak with Ms. Rommel,” Erica Athay

have been more enforced, some students feel that those existing rules are becoming more tougher and it’s all about choices whether or

not students will still follow the rules despite how much they’re being enforced. “(The rules) are very strict,” Athay said. “(I know that) people are getting suspended for leaving school, but it’s their choice if they want to mess up their lives.”

Some student choices dealing with the enforcement of rules may be that one decides to go against the rules and goes off campus for lunch. Even though the school is not an open campus one student feels that a past privilege should be prevalent again.

“In my opinion, the rule (enforcement) is strict but good,” Ella Etchison ‘13. “Students try and skip throughout the day, especially during lunch and now there’s less skipping during lunch. I think the seniors should be able to go and get lunch like they used to. They’ve waited to have that privilege and now they

can’t.”

Barnett feels that loitering hasn’t been an issue as well as food being brought in by students. The enforcement of the existing rules go back to something we all think.

“You constantly have to look at the day, if attendance isn’t at 95 percent, you think ‘what do we got to do?’”

Barnett said. “As adults and teens we don’t think about what we do, only how we do it. It’s not all about what you do, it’s about how you do it.”

The enforcement of the existing rules is to improve student attendance here at school, and overall it has been positive while receiving student feedback from both sides. Athay shared some advice she had for students who feel more negative about the enforcement.

“Being suspended is not worth it,” Athay said. “Even though you may not like (the rule enforcement), still follow the rules.”

Inclucity offers more CB Stadium than just leadership getting a face lift

By Krystal Hopkins Reporter IncluCity, which is short for “Inclusive Communities” pulled together delegates from Abraham Lincoln, Omaha Central High School, and Omaha South High School who are interested in helping their communities and schools. IncluCity is a human relations organization that raises awareness of prejudice and discrimination.

The four day camp focuses on the ethnic diversities that are separating society because of the many stereotypes that are supposed to be nonexistent, yet still occur.

“We do a lot of activities, trying to inform people how some groups of people are more privileged than others, and that it doesn’t make one group better than the others,” Chlesea Eret ‘14 said.

The ability to go to the IncluCity camp was open to all grades. In order to get

students at AL interested for the program guidance counselor Christy Heckman talked to English teacher Jim Demott, College Access Program, and TAG seminar students, and A.L.L. I.N. just to name a few. However, there was only room for 17 students. The few students that will get the chance to go are being funded by the IS3 grant (which stands for Safe and Supportive Schools) , that the school received after taking the survey last school year.

The camp’s activities, as well as listening to a speaker, allowed different ways of learning about the ethnic groups involved in today’s society. They were involved in culture groups where in one case they tried to help different cultures understand one another.

“We got to meet new people from all different walks of life, diversities and cultures. It was interesting cause we got to know other

By Kirsten Gallaher Reporter

This fall, the CB Stadium will have improved bleachers for users’ safety and comfort. On Feb. 28 at a board meeting, Council Bluffs Community Schools District Superintendent Martha Bruckner approved a $686,000 reconstruction of CB Stadium’s bleachers with a capacity of 2,729 people for the home side.

“The current bleachers were installed in 1989. Due to the age and the current condition, the bleachers need significant maintenance and no longer meet the safety standards we want for such a high traffic venue for school events,” Diane Ostrowski,

district spokesperson, said.

Within the next several months, reconstruction of the bleachers will take place and will be ready before the first football game. Although a costly process, it is believed to be necessary. Not only are the bleachers being reconstructed but the supply room, fences, track, and concessions stands will be too, all together costing $1.2 million.

“I don’t like as a superintendent having to sit through a game and pray that the bleachers don’t break,” Bruckner said.

Students also believe it’s time for a change of the bleachers. According to Lauren Nahnsen ‘15, the bleachers need reconstruction.

“People are not going to want to come if they can’t sit

comfortably.” Nahnsen said.

Many people agree that getting new bleachers is an excellent idea but some however think it is not, this being because it is believed that students will disrespect and vandalize these new renovations.

“They could always repair or ‘touch up’ a few of them but, the new bleachers would definitely be ruined with in the first few games.

Half the students don’t have any respect for their school or what our administrators do for us. Who wants to see all that money go to something that will be destroyed by ungrateful kids? ”Tana Schroder ‘13 said.

This is just another one of the many changes that is planned both for the stadium but also the district as a whole.

Senior Timeline

March and April

March

people that we might not normally talk to,” Alexander Stanley ‘14 said.

IncluCity offers experience as a camper only once. However, if one has attended the camp before, they can sign up to become a counselor with the camp.

Eret was a delegate of the camp in the summer of 2011 and went back to the camp and became a counselor in training this year. A counselor can be any high school or college volunteer who is selected by the directors, and has previously attended the camp.

Overall, the delegates of the IncluCity camp were able to not only learn about the ethnicities in society but also have some conversations with people of different cultures. The opportunity that students were granted by this camp, allowed them the tools, to begin to help, not just themselves, but also their school and community.

1st

31st

First day to turn in SWIEF Scholarship

SWIEF Scholarship Deadline

TBA

April

Senior Class meeting

14th ACT Test at AL *** All dates collected from Bobbie LeRette in the Guidance Office

25th Final Parent Teacher Conference 4pm-7pm

MAY!

4

Opinion Twitter vs. Facebook

Echoes

Britteny Johnson & Jaidlyn Bookout | Opinon Editors

Getting the ‘Buzz’ with Twitter

By Joe Vrenick Reporter Social Networking is one of the many ways to get “the buzz” out, whether it be via Facebook, MySpace (like anybody uses it anyway) MyYearbook, and my personal favorite, Twitter. I don’t get why people hate Twitter so much. People always complain about people tweeting, “I just used the toilet” or “I’m sitting outside”. It’s fun to do that sometimes because you know you’ll make people mad for walking them through your daily life. Plus you can also do that with Facebook, but you never hear anybody complain about what people post on Facebook. You get over 20 “likes” for posting “I just used the toilet” on Facebook, but when you tweet it on Twitter, it’s an entirely different story.

One thing that I really like about Twitter, is that celebrities use Twitter a lot. I think that it is about as close to a celebrity as you can get unless you want to work in the entertainment industry. But the really bad thing is some celebrities don’t use Twitter, so some jerk will create a Twitter for them and name it @therealthisperson or @therealthatperson. At least some of them are smart enough to say that they aren’t the real person, or that they actually are the real person. It’s really cool when a celebrity follows you on Twitter, because you follow them on Twitter. I know that because one of the kids from the movie “Super 8”

and YouTube’s Ray William Johnson follow me.

But it’s really cool when you follow a certain major movie or music studio, and then they follow back.

Because they read a lot of peoples’ tweets, and you can link websites like YouTube to your Twitter, they can go to your YouTube links and you might have landed a music or acting gig if the studios like what they see. Sadly for me, that has not happened yet.

But I’m pretty sure that it will happen.

Plus, you can type the funniest and coolest stuff with only 140 characters. It gives comedy a small bit of a challenge, but if you have the brain to intelligently paraphrase something that is hilarious, you can make it even better than the original joke.

Now I use Facebook as much as Twitter, don’t get me wrong, but there’s a huge difference between the two. Like I said in the first paragraph, if you post “I just got out of the bathroom” then you get about a thousand “likes” (this is most definitely an exaggeration, but it proves my point.) Also, most celebrities don’t use Facebook at all, so you can’t have them some-what be your friend if you think they’re awesome and you can’t start friendly conversations with them. You can post on the celebrities’ “Fan Pages”, but then they won’t reply and if they do, it’s the person managing the “Fan Page.”

Friend me now, follow me never

I can give a positive note about Facebook. Facebook allows tons of characters in a post, unlike the 140 characters that Twitter allows. That gives people who want to be funny a chance to type in a bunch of words to make a joke funnier.

So they both have their plus sides, but I go with Twitter more than Facebook. My reasoning again is because you can make something creative and funny with only 140 characters, you can get the latest “buzz” on celebrities and even have small chats with them (if you get the chance and they reply back), and you might have a higher advantage of working in the entertainment industry if you have any interest in it.

By Emmalee Adams Business Manager “Follow me on Twitter!”

Lately, that is the only thing I see on Facebook. Why? It seems like ever since I was in sixth grade, all we’ve been doing is finding new ways to talk through social networking.

Starting with Xanga and Myspace, we then moved onto Facebook. Now the big thing is Twitter. Personally, I hate Twitter (and hate is a very strong word). I’m not saying that with a biased opinion, I have tried Twitter, and it annoyed the heck out of me.

One of the things that I’ve seen on Twitter, and even Facebook, is hash tagging.

Cartoon by Elizabeth Beck

Hash tagging is #lame, if you want more “followers”, just get on Facebook and send someone a friend request. Twitter barely has any ways for you to personally connect with its users. I think saying “Happy Birthday!:)” on someones time line is way better then saying “hppy bday#celebrate @Jane Doe”.

Twitter gets you too indepth in all of the celebrities’ personal lives, no offense Kim Kardashion, but I could care less about when you get your nails done. Though the celebrity drama can be amusing, like with Miley Cyrus and her anti-fans, I’d rather watch it go down on TMZ or Perez Hilton. Twitter can also be very dangerous. Going back to Miley Cyrus, she was getting death threats by people who didn’t like her, but since it was on Twitter, it was more difficult to link back. Any social networking site is dangerous, but Facebook makes it easier to reach back to the source and take police action.

Personally, I love sharing my stuff on Facebook, not my social drama, but my pictures and interests. But, there are some downfalls to Facebook along with any social network site. I will never, ever care about any one’s relationship drama or who they like. If I could spam every single status/

tweet about he/she being “the one” or someone just “wishing he/she knew how I felt”, I totally would. It’s a status/tweet, it is not your diary. Along with those annoyances, I also can’t stand when people post stuff every five minutes. Whether it’s on Twitter or if it’s on Facebook, it’s very irritating. I don’t see it as someone being cool and social, I see it as someone taking up my news feed.

Sites like this are a way for you to express who you are, and “typin lik dis” only expresses that you don’t know how to spell. I’ve seen that on Twitter way more than I have on Facebook.

Not saying any names (my brother), but this is an actual Tweet that I have seen, “bord 2nite HMU#getcrazy.”

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m journalist that makes me shake my head so much, but I will never understand what’s so appealing about typing like that.

So in the future, you will never see me asking you to “follow me”. I am a devoted Facebook user, and I plan to keep it that way. Also, send me a friend request.

“Like” us on Facebook at ALHS Echoes Follow

us

on

Twitter @ ALHSJournalism

Senior year in Denmark: it’s not just graduation Senior studio tours, blue books, and The Galla

Students arrive at the Galla in style. Photo submitted by Hunter Hiffernan

By Hunter Hiffernan Foreign Correspondent Senior year is traditionally a year not a soul will forget. Americans know it to be about decking out for school events, receiving

more freedoms, getting ready for college and dying to get out of high school, Danes think it has a completely different meaning. The Danes think of it not as their last year of high school, but the beginning of their lives. During senior year in Denmark, the students

look forward to blue book (yearbook), class trips and The Galla (similar to prom).

Undeniably, students may not follow every tradition by the book or may even make their own special traditions.

However, the traditions that are still kept in Denmark are unforgettable.

In Denmark, yearbooks are forever and always, they are about memories, quotes and embarrassing pictures.

It’s called the blue book; the blue book is a big deal for the senior class in Denmark and only the senior class. It is written by seniors only for the seniors. The book is filled with memories they’ve shared, embarrassing moments that have happened in the past couple years, and quotes about each other, that could make anyone die with laughter. “I can’t help but cry with laughter and a bit of embarrassment every time I see what my friends wrote about me, so the entire senior class could see,” said Amalie Bork, a graduated high school student. The biggest difference between the Danish senior blue book and an American yearbook is that the blue book is just for seniors and a year book is for all students of the school.

Another special event that takes place in senior year is a class trip. For second year

students, it’s just traveling a couple hours to another city but for the Danish seniors it’s traveling to another country for a week. This is called a Senior Studio Tour, where the students go to a country relevant to their paths of study. A year before the senior trip, the students start finding ways to earn money like cleaning up the school, selling cake to students, having car washes and hoping it’ll be enough money by the time the trip comes around.

The trip could be anywhere from New York to Spain.

While traveling in the host country, the students go sight seeing, study at high schools, and look at museums. If they travel to a country like Spain, after 2 p.m. they have free time to do anything and are allowed to go and experience the night life!

As the year comes to an end, a couple months before graduation there is a dance known as The Galla, only for seniors. Some Danes say The Galla is a downgrade of

what prom is in America.

However, to Americans it might just be better than prom. Similar to prom, the students dress formally or in anything they please. It’s common for a girl to wear a stunning dress and a boy to wear a tuxedo. Unlike prom, an entrance is one of the most important events of the night. The students arrive in all different vehicles or ways of transportation as in decorated bicycles, carriages, police cars, or even wagons. After arriving they walk down a carpet inside the building and get pictures taken from different angles.

Many things in Denmark are so much alike to America and also so different such as the difference of a senior year in Denmark and an American senior year.

Students here look at the American prom as an overthe-top party of the year but they don’t realize how the Americans look at their country.

Opinion

Echoes

Britteny Johnson & Jaidlyn Bookout | Opinon Editors

Staff editorial: Be courteous at school Getting to school can be a real pain in the butt.

Getting up on time can be an even bigger pain in the rear. However, even if you do stumble to school in sweatpants and leggings, let’s keep some class in the hallways and in the bathrooms please.

Ladies, there is no need to whip out your makeup bag in the middle of class and get “glammed up”. Also, just because you excuse yourself to the bathroom doesn’t make it less distracting. The problem continues when you can’t seem to wash your hands in the locker room because a student can’t apply mascara or foundation at a different time and place. It could be a quick fix, a little smudge or any other makeup malfunction. Yet standing in the mirror for half an hour while you should be in class is ridiculous. I know we all pass many people each day, but natural beauty is okay. We are all beautiful, with makeup or without.

Whether you choose to do your makeup or fix your hair during school is ultimately your choice but being aware of others is

something that should be kept in mind. As well as the real reason why we are at school.

Another part of school etiquette is wardrobe. Our school has a dress code and whether it’s enforced is questionable. Seeing someone wear shorts that are shorter than mid thigh or shirts that don’t cover shoulders isn’t distracting, but other things are just disturbing. For instance, if you have to constantly pull your shorts down and your shirt up or are scared to bend down to open your locker, there’s probably a problem. And you’re most likely not the only one who is noticing. Go ahead flaunt it if you want, just not at school.

Gents, what’s with the nonstop pants sagging?

We see sagging all the time--students are wearing belts but adjust them so they have an underwear peep show going on. To sum it all up, just think about this: if you wouldn’t wear it in front of your grandma, don’t wear it to school. If you think

showing your boxers to all the ladies is the way to go, please think again.

Now you might not be a huge fan of “Twilight” but did you see Edward or Jacob running around with their pants half way down their rears? We didn’t think so.

Another thing to keep in mind is traffic flow. How you act in the halls and classroom also affects everyone around you, whether

you realize it or not.

The overly-dramatic and loud conversations or walking extra slowly isn’t necessary. The classrooms are for learning and the halls are for walking. Yeah, it’s perfectly fine to stop and chat, but making it difficult for others to get around you is annoying, possibly causing someone to be late.

While you may not come to school to

impress others, it’s nice to keep those around you in mind. Whether it means having to skip the first hour makeup season, wearing decent clothing or moving out of some one’s way in the hall. Being courteous during the school day isn’t that bad or even hard.

The staff voted unanimously in favor of this column.

ECHOES

5

Editors-in-Chief Brittany Rupp Danielle Peabody Section Editors Lauren Myers Devon Jefferson Blake Willadsen Jaidlyn Bookout Britteny Johnson Photo Editor Shannon Holmes Design Editor Kevin Dickey Business Manager Emmalee Adams Advertising Staff Arianne Boehme Amanda Peters Photographers Jessie Adkins Kristine Swanson Hayley Hochstetler Melloney Keller Graphics and Cartoons Elizabeth Beck Copy Editor Melanie Krohn Executive Reporter Suzanne Peterson

Unnecessary rivalry between schools

Cartoon by Elizabeth Beck

Reporters Victoria Holcomb Joe Vrenick Christina Rivera Krystal Hopkins Katie Hiers Maddi Martinez Tiffanie Keller Kirsten Gallaher Brooke Criswell Foreign Correspondent Hunter Hiffernan Webmaster/Copy Editor Brian Williams Adviser Gerry Appel

Jessie Adkins and Victoria Holcomb visit Th.0omas Jefferson High School.

Photo by Hayley Hochstetler

By Victoria Holcomb Reporter

By Jessie

Adkins Photographer

Have you ever thought of what it would be like to spend a day at our rival school, Thomas Jefferson? We recently found out what it was like. In December we were granted the opportunity to spend a day at TJ. We were allowed to attend classes and do everything a TJ kid would do.

As it turns out, our two schools are not all that different. We have the same types of teachers, the same types of students, and the same curriculum. There are about the same amount of similarities as there are differences.

Sitting through a day of classes at TJ (that were about the same as our own) made us realize that our stupid rivalry is pointless.

Why should we not like someone just because

of what school they attend? The school you go to does not define who you are. So what’s the big deal then? Why do we have such big rivalries with people that are not that different from ourselves? “[I think] it’s because we are the only two high schools in this district, that we are across town and want to prove who is the better high school,” Logan Guiser ‘14, TJ student said.

We believe Logan is right. We think one of the main causes of the rivalry is sports, but why does something like a football game, which not all students even participate in, cause entire schools to go against each other?

That is poor sportsmanship. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose. That’s life, and it’s no reason to dislike another person.

We are all one school district, shouldn’t we be trying to prove that our district is the best, not just our school? TJ should be thought of as our ally, not our rival. We should treat them both as if they are our own.

“I guess it means a lot to us to beat TJ because we have always had a rival, I think we

are trying to prove that our school is a good school,” Gage Ruppe ‘15, AL student said.

Ryan Higgins, the PLTW (Project Lead The Way) engineering teacher, works at both TJ and AL. “Demographically it’s about the same, socioeconomic status of the two schools is similar, we deal with the same types of problems; those sets of students they both deal with the same types of drug problems alcohol problems and fighting problems,” said Higgins. “I think it’s a rivalry based on proximity, anytime you have a town this size that has two schools it’s just natural to go against each other,” Higgins said.

Depending on the instructors’ teaching preferences, there can be minor differences between AL and TJ, but with our school curriculum being about the same as TJ’s, the difference is not huge. You wouldn’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a student by his or her school. Get to know someone before you make assumptions. Who knows, maybe they’ll surprise you.

The Echoes is published by the newspaper staff of Abraham Lincoln High School, and exists to serve as an open forum for the students, faculty, administration and community.

All state and federal laws regarding the publications of student materials shall apply, and the Echoes will not publish materials which also fall under the guidelines established by the Council Bluffs Public Schools system, and are deemed libelous, obscene, or a material and substantial disruption to normal classroom activities.

The views expressed are not those of the Council Bluffs Public Schools, faculty, or administration.

Any student, faculty, or staff member wishing to contribute materials will need to submit a letter to the editor within deadline restriction; however, final publications is at the discretion of the staff. Letters to the editor are encouraged, and must be 400 words or less in length and signed; letters will be printed as received. Every attempt will be made to verify the authenticity of the author, and no anonymous letters will be published.

Advertising will not be accepted for all products or services that are illegal for minors to possess or utilize. Advertisers wishing to reserve publication space should call 712328-6481 ext. 425.

Member Publication

Feature

6 Self-injury (A.K.A “cutting”) has become increasingly popular among teenagers in recent years, and is often a practice done to relieve emotional issues. For many it’s like a new “drug”, having the same effect on the brain as heroin, but the the only difference is--it’s legal.

As more and more teens begin practicing self-mutilation, The Echoes takes a peek at this fast-growing epidemic with a look . . .

Behind

the

razor

STORY BY MADdi MARTINEZ

Brian Williams | Copy Editor

Teens all over the world have let themselves fall victim to something that could end up killing them: self injury. This becomes more of an issue everyday.

But is there more to the blade than what studies have found? Some studies show that 3 million Americans have shown self-harming behaviors according to teenbreaks.com/cutting. Selfmutilation be prevented by catching the warning signs.

Kids are faced with possible triggers everyday.

A teenager’s life is anything but easy. Dealing with school, sports, friends, homework, a job, and chores, life can be pretty tough to handle at times. Add depression, stress, anxiety, bipolar disorder, bullying or a bad family life into the mix and there’s going to be a problem.

“There could be many reasons someone cuts, but some people may just like the pain, but it also depends on how the person handles stress,” said Thomas Bartlett ‘13, a student at Millard South.

But how is the issue

of cutting being solved?

Typically, after a parent or guardian has found out the child has self-injured, they will put the child into therapy. A lot of the time the child will be put on antidepressants if they have bad enough depression. Also, if the injuries are bad enough, the child might be sent to a rehab clinic or the mental ward unit of a hospital.

N

y b y r u j n e s: i f th er l b Se m U N

13%

1 in 200

of 16-yearolds have deliberately harmed themselves.

girls have cut themselves.

t

of not putting down the razor could go one of two ways. It could either be an isolated incident and the child will stop, or it could turn into an addiction. One cut turns to two, two cuts turn to five, and so on.

It’s a downward spiral from there if the child goes down path number two.

If concern for someone close arises and it’s possible that they may be harming themselves, there are certain warning signs to look for.

According to helpguide.org, parents should look for small linear cuts, sudden mood changes, and blood stains on towels or clothing. Also look for sharp instruments such as razors and broken glass.

Parents should be aware if a child is showing symptoms of depression or bipolar disorder and spend long

“Being called fat, whore, pig, etc. on a daily basis is what pushed me over the edge.”

e v e r y o n e understands the thoughts of a self-harmer.

Some of them may just do it off of an impulse from being angry or sad, not realizing the choice they are falling into. Just one act of harming themselves can trigger more. Others may think they are worthless, or mean nothing to the world, or that they screwed up, that they’re alone, they have no

To Write Love On Her Arms is one of the many organizations that offer help and encouragement to those who are suffering from depression, self injury and suicide.

It is estimated that

o

where else to go, it’s their only choice, and many other things.

“Being called fat, whore, pig, etc. on a daily basis is

- Anonymous student

what pushed me over the edge,” said a student that wishes to remain anonymous.

Sometimes kids don’t think it through, but sometimes they do. Often they will continually ponder whether or not it is the right thing to do. The consequences

If you need help, you can also call

For

3,000,000 Americans, cutting is a serious problem.

Facts courtesy of http://www.teenbreaks.com/cutting/cuttingfacts.cfm

1-800-DONT-CUT

hours alone in their room.

“The biggest mistake I see these days is adults just want to stick a kid in a mental ward and feed them pills,” Bartlett said.

Sometimes a parent could overreact, especially after they find out their child cuts. There are many reasons why a parent could become angry. One reason being that the child lied to them about their self-injury. Being angry can make a child feel worse about what they’ve done.

A widely known organization called “To Write Love On Her Arms” is a nonprofit organization that tries to help stop self mutilation.

TWLOHA’s goal is to prevent and help, self injury, suicide and depression. The support of the organization is growing, and many students have clothes with the logo printed on it.

Not every child will show the signs, but looking for them can always help. If a friend is showing signs of depression, seek help. Don’t wait to act on it. Life behind the razor is a life no one should live. It’s a road better left untraveled.

Help is always available to those who need it. Do not hesitate to seek help from an administrator, counselor or friend.

Cutting occurs most often with girls/ women between the ages of

It usually starts when the cutter is between

13 30.

and

and

10 16 years old.

7

8

Danielle Peabody | Editor-in-Chief

Feature

Echoes

Transgender student works for acceptance Middlemist staying busy with GSA, mock trial, other activities

By Suzanne Peterson Reporter “Everyone has the right to be who they are. Just because someone is a little different, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t like them,” Tomi Middlemist ‘15 said.

Middlemist is a transgender, meaning he was born physically as a girl, but considers himself a boy. Middlemist is involved in many activities ranging from Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) mock trial, drama, and College Access Program (CAP). He also likes law, and reading fiction.

When he becomes older, he wants to be a prosecutor.

“I always kinda knew I was (a boy) since I was a kid. I never felt like the other kids. I knew something was wrong. My brain wanted to be a boy, but everyone told me I was a girl. I read about being a transgender online, and, I saw that it’s normal.

I’m not a weird freak of

nature,” Middlemist said.

Middlemist explains that everywhere he goes, he is trying to figure out where his place is. Being a transgender, Tomi has to make adjustments. When in the public, Middlemist avoids using the restroom at all costs when with family, but if he is with his friends or by himself, he uses the men’s.

“I can’t do P.E because the school won’t let me use the boys’ or girls’ locker room. I have to take Independent P.E. When I use the restroom, I have to use the nurse’s restroom, or the handicapped restroom.

Sometimes when I have to use the restroom, they are locked. Because I have to hold it in, I have even developed kidney infections, since I can’t go to the boys’ or girls’ bathroom.”

Aside from not being able to use the restroom, or take a certain class because of his sexual orientation,

Middlemist says that some people are accepting about him being a transgender, but some feel the need to point out.

“I have a problem with that, because I never know who has a problem with it (being a transgender) so it’s hard to be myself. In some of my classes, kids have an argument of my sexuality, and some teachers even allow it.”

Middlemist says that his extended family tries hard to accept this, but his immediate family has put him in a neutral category.

“My earliest memory of me wanting to be a boy was when my mom and I were in an argument. She said, ‘You know you’re a girl right?’ I said ‘physically yes, I may be, but I’m actually a boy!’

My mom thought I was joking. I said, ‘Sorry, but I think I was supposed to be a boy.’ It’s just something you know!”

Someone who doesn’t

judge Tomi is his girlfriend, Deahnna Dreher ‘15.

Middlemist and Dreher met in 8th grade, and have been dating for almost seven months.

“I would say Tomi is a fun, loving guy that likes to help people when they need it,” Dreher said.

“People give us ton of crap for dating. We might be standing in the hallway close together, not even kissing, and they say, ‘lesbian’ or ‘dyke.’ We just ignore them. Teachers even treat us differently. Some yell at us for standing close together, while the couple next to us is making out. They aren’t going to change us because they said something. I don’t see why it matters. We are in love. I don’t see why we can’t enjoy ourselves.”

Dreher has advice for people who are negative about their relationship.

“People don’t always need to judge people on what they see.”

Students stress with AP tests approaching

By Britteny Johnson Reporter All around the school, students are preparing themselves for the everdreaded Advanced Placement tests. With the pressure of doing well on the students’ shoulders comes the pressure to study, study, study. This may prove to be difficult for some though.

Some students may find it difficult to remember certain pieces of knowledge due to the fact that they had an AP class the first two trimesters of the year.

Teachers such as Beth Rips, English, may have after school study sessions to help the AP students from those second trimester classes.

“I’m thinking about doing something starting in April to prepare for testing.

Maybe once a week after school to look at the way the test is constructed, do practice questions, and write an essay like one that will be required for the test,” Rips said.

For some though, they have the final part of their AP class during the third trimester. The teachers of these classes may be taking the weeks before the test to help prepare the students.

“We will have some review, but I hope to be doing work on it as we go.

Like the mid-term we took

was questions that have been on previous AP tests,” said Robert Kinney, Social Studies teacher.

Each of the individual AP tests are $87 a piece, this may put pressure on AP students to do well. Students are taking initiative and studying on their own as well. They are going out and finding resources to use to better their education of the AP subject. They are using tools such as Cliff Notes that explain the material in simpler, easier to understand terms and phrases. Not only do they explain things in simpler form but they have reviews, practice tests, and graphs to help one understand the material.

“It’s really helpful because it gives a run down of how the test is actually going to happen. It gives you statistics about what they think will be on the test,” Michelle Capulin ‘14 said.

The AP tests will begin on Monday, May 7 and will continue until May 18. There are 32 different AP tests offered this year. Of those 32, Abraham Lincoln will have students participating in 11.

Students will be having quite a ride as they approach the tests this year due to the new trimester system. Stress, mixed with super study, and after school reviews will bring for an interesting final trimester.

Photo by Hayley Hochstetler

“Like”our Facebook page!

ALHS Echoes

Entertainment

Echoes

Lauren Myers | Entertainment Editor

Students Awarded for Art and Poetry

9

Creativity. Imagination. Determination. Perseverance.

“Art is a shadow of what a person is thinking...a small glimpse of what they hold inside. Little secrets, regrets, joys...every line has its own meaning.”~Sarah, Los Cerros Middle School, 1999

Maranda Orth ‘13

By Suzanne Peterson Executive Reporter Maranda Orth ‘13 was always interested in drawing when she was little. All she has to do is look at a picture, or be inspired and the creativity just flowed out from her.

“I like to see how things turn out. Usually when I have nothing to do, I look up pictures online, and try to draw them. My past art inspires me to do (more) art. I look back and say I want to do better than my first drawing,” Orth said. “I’m self-motivated.”

Youth Artist Showcase Winner of 2011. “I won $500 for the Bluffs Art Council. I was shocked! I spent the money on buying Photoshop software.”

Orth enjoys many things, but she has four favorite activities she likes the most.

1.) Photography. “I like capturing images and moments in life. I always carry my camera around.”

2.) Video production. “I love making funny videos, and look back on watching memories, instead of looking at pictures.”

3.) Snowboarding. “I have done snowboarding for five years. I snowboard at Mt. Crescent, and Copper Mountain in Colorado.”

4.) Soccer. “I’ve been playing for a really long time. I’m on varsity, an my position is forward.”

The types of art that Orth likes doing the most are pencil drawing, painting and water color. She enjoys drawing people, animals, and drawings based on her own photos. Orth also plans to attend Iowa State and go into graphic design.

Photo By Shannon Holmes

Patricia Harte-Maxwell ‘15

By Suzanne Peterson Executive Reporter Patrica Harte-Maxwell ‘15 is a freshman who writes poetry. With beginning to write poetry in 7th grade, Harte-Maxwell explained the whole class had to write poetry. At the time, everyone was against writing. Now, with a totally different outlook about poetry, HarteMaxwell’s poem, “Poet Emotion,” earned a Honorable Mention among 191 entries in the Scholastic Art & writing Awards contest.

“I just feel like in poetry, I can explain something a little more in depth. Once I stared to read and write more, I realized that poems didn’t have to rhythm, or have meaning. It can be about raw emotion, or even getting through life.”

While interviewing Harte-Maxwell, she recited her favorite poem that she has written.

The Trees They sit, they wait. I come, I hear, they whisper, they whisper, they yell. The wind, carries songs, the browns, the greens, they whine, I’m gone. ~Patricia Harte-Maxwell Harte-Maxwell has also won awards such as the Silver Key, Write Touch Imagination, and a few awards for art. “(I write poems about) life. I inform others of what happens to me on a normal or abnormal day, or why I think something is wrong.”

Harte-Maxwell plans to continuing poetry, even though she would rather be a college professor for English.

“I’m interested in writing and teaching.I like being able to express myself, and help others express themselves,” Harte-Maxwell said.

With Advice to others, Harte-Maxwell says others should “Definitely try new things. Try to inspire others, as well as yourself.”

Photo By Hayley Hochstetler

10

Lauren Myers | Entertainment Editor

Entertainment

Echoes

Pinning it down

The many uses for social media site

By Melanie Krohn Copy Editor Exercise plans and recipes, do-it yourself decor and nail polish designs, inspirational quotes and humorous graphics: finding all of these things in one place may have seemed like a long shot a year ago.

However, a new website makes sharing and locating all of this possible. Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media websites in the world, attracting up to 13 million visitors a month and reaching this amount within

only ten months. It allows its users to browse “pins” by category, search for them, or view the pins their friends have pinned recently also.

A user can pin items to their own personal boards and organize the pins how they want them.

High school students can be found frequently perusing pins and pin boards. Many of the pins cater towards women and teenage girls.

Some use it for “fitspiration” to get new ideas, workouts, diet plans, and catch phrases to help them slim down and adapt to a healthier lifestyle.

Others have found many DIY

(do-it-yourself) projects and fashion ideas on the site.

“It gives me a lot of ideas of things that I can bake and do-it-yourself projects, because I’m not a very crafty person,” Elle Cooper ‘12 said. “It’s also good for finding hairstyles and clothes.”

Pinterest has also been found useful by companies looking to develop their brand more, teachers who share and find new ideas, and fashion designers wanting to show off their new clothing and style developments.

It also can be used for networking, as Mindi

Richardson, administrative assistant, has found out.

“I love Pinterest. I think it is wonderful to share ideas, and pick up ideas and recipes from others,” Richardson said. “I have a family board now which my cousins and I from Kentucky share things back and forth. I also use it a lot for things around my house, and quotes are my favorite part of it.”

Although Pinterest may seem very female-oriented, there are men who use it. In the UK, 56 percent of Pinterest users are male. According to What’s Next Marketing, guys can use Pinterest effectively

by following specific boards, not entire users. By following boards instead of users, one can cut down on the amount of unwanted content they see and specify what exactly they’d like. So if guys didn’t want to see wedding ideas and shoes popping up all day, they could follow a humor, food, or travel board from their female friends.

Pinterest is not cut out for all males though.

“I never plan on getting it(Pinterest) because it’s too mainstream and it involves corporations. It’s all about them little shops that makin’ America,” Evan Giles ‘13

said.

The use of social networking sites seems to be limitless as Pinterest has introduced yet another new style of sharing information.

As it caters to many people of all ages and demographics, Pinterest is the next new thing to join on the web.

Statistics gathered from: http://www.onsecrethunt. com/2012/02/pintereststatistics-infographic.html

Commentary

Musings from the Joslyn

Art museum offers something for all

By Kevin Dickey Design Editor High school students often remark that there is nothing fun about the metro.

Others comment on how they wished they lived somewhere more exciting or cultured.

I find these complaints peculiar as the metro is rich with place to go and things to see. One such place here in the Omaha area is the Joslyn art museum.

The pink marble building also houses a large number of works from other time periods and artists. The building is divided into to a series of collections, moving clockwise from the entrance will start you on a journey through the history of art.

The first room is a collection of Ancient art, busts and vases from Greece, Rome and other past civilizations.

The sense of Mediterranean history fills the room.

The next rooms consists of European art. Gallery visitors should expect to see every thing from paintings such as William Adolphe Bouguereau’s Return of spring, and Across the Meadow by Claude Monet to the sculpture of a teen ballet dancer by Edgar Degas.

Moving through the founders room to the rest of the collections visitors will find themselves, closer to home. The Eastern portion of the main building is filled with art from the Western hemisphere. Art that adorns these walls will echo with the viewers. Latin American, American Western, and Native American are all

themes that are explored.

Expect to see sculptures of buffalo to paintings of Midwestern farms and prairies.

If you still have time to explore the museum the next place to visit is the Scott Pavilion. The Scott Pavilion is home to the contemporary and special exhibits, as well as a massive blown glass sculpture made by Dale Chihuly. Currently the special exhibit on display is “To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum”.

To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum, is an exciting look at the process of mummification and funerals in Ancient Egypt.

One of the main pieces of the exhibit, the mummy of Demetrios, a rich citizen of Egypt during Roman rule, will be on display along with a coffin inscribed with passages from the book of

the dead and Canopic jars used to house the internal organs of the deceased.

The temporary exhibit opened Feb. 11 and will run until June 3, and displays artifacts from both the wealthy and the common side by side. Expect to see every thing from richly embellished sarcophagi and gold trinkets to simpler means of burial made with clay. This exhibit is sure to hold the attention of anyone who steps inside.

Hopefully you have a new found excitement for art, museums and the metro and will consider visiting your local galleries. Remember to be courteous and respectful when at the museum. Let your imagination run free and question every thing.

Absorb the styles and color pallets of every thing from 500 b.c.e works of pottery to more modern painters such as Jackson Pollock. But always remember, have fun.

Photo by Christian Schlater

Echoes

Blake Willadsen | Sports editor

Sports

11

Busting the bracket

Containing this years madness at the NCAA tournament

By Blake Willadsen Reporter

Selection Sunday is the start of one of the roughest assignments for a college basketball fan. Filling out your bracket can be a battle.

Picking a champion will require a significant amount of studying. You will sweat, some feelings might be hurt, and you might need to learn some discrete mathematics.

In the end, having the bragging rights over your friends and associates is well worth the struggle. You may have to set school work aside for a few hours (or nights), but shouldn’t it be about time to get your priorities straight.

The first place to start when preparing your picks is your immediate resources.

Get in contact with your crazy Uncle Steve and compare notes. His years of experience and records will help you see the biggest upsets. Fill out some mock brackets with friends during math class...I mean whenever it’s appropriate. Talk to your neighbors or your coworkers. Ask your teachers.

Ask the kid wearing a Seton Hall jersey that sits next to you in Lynx Read. Everyone has a little bit of insight.

It is very important not to procrastinate. This is the biggest assignment of the year! As soon as the Selection Sunday special is over, the studying starts.

Of course, the first logical place to start is the 24 hour coverage on ESPN. Then

No pads, no helmet, all muscle Club rugby team brings together CB schools

By Amanda Peters Ad Staff Rugby is one sport that many people may not know much about. Many schools don’t have an actual rugby team so students have to make due with what they have. Some go out and find their own ways to expand their sports knowledge.

The game starts with a coin toss that determines which team will kickoff first.

The kick must go at least 10 meters and land in bounds.

If the opposing team’s forward catches the ball, the forward then immediately attempts to run the ball to their corresponding goal line.

It is very similar to football.

The most unique detail about the game is called the scrum. According to “rugby-

sidestep-central.com”, the scrum is when “eight players from each time bind together in their own 3-4-1 formation in a crouching position. The two formations engage each other head on to form a single mass off 16 players.

The ball is then put into the tunnel between the opposing formations and each team attempts to get control of the ball with their feet.”

Although these rules are very important, according to Sean Barrett ‘13, “[The most important rule is] no forward passes.”

Most students like rugby because it’s not like anything that they’ve ever done.

“It hasn’t been around [in Council Bluffs] for very long,” Alec Maher ‘12 said.

Not only is this sport unique, it’s a way to bring all kinds of people from different schools together. The club

is open to everyone in the Council Bluffs area. Most boys are from AL, TJ, and SA. “[I like] the camaraderie and meeting new people. It’s fun playing with kids from other schools,” Sean Barrett ‘13 said. Rugby really has become a place for students to try something new with some new people.

As of right now, it’s just a club sport. Coach Gary Williams, a teacher from TJ, has been involved in rugby for a big portion of his life and wants to spread the joy of the game to students as well.

“Our goal is that every high school team in the Omaha area is certified,” says Williams. Williams started playing rugby while he was in college at the University of Minnesota in 1973 and has been coaching high school since 1998. Williams

is accompanied in coaching by, retired Omaha GOATS (an Omaha rugby club team) player Dave Jeck and current Omaha GOATS player Jesse Pauley. Williams describes the practices as a fun learning experience.

“Our practices tend to include simulated games and drills used to prepare the players for the game. We don’t have kids that grew up with rugby, so everyone learns the game,” Williams said.

No matter their experience, Williams wants to make sure that everyone has a part in the game. One might ask, how to join? Well according to Maher, “Just come to a practice or talk to someone who’s involved.”

The practices are held Tuesdays and Thursdays at Cochran Park at 3:45.

you have to go deeper, like a bracket within a bracket (Bracketception?). Scour the forums and message boards.

Figure out what players can lead a team to fame and who is fake.

If you get the opportunity it never hurts to actually go to some games too. Watching a team on television is a great way to analyze their potential, but the best way to get to know what a team can really do it to watch a team live. There are some quality teams that are not a far drive. Creighton, Iowa State, and Iowa have been competing with the top teams in their conferences and will be worth watching in their conferences respective tournaments.

Don’t count out any source. All information is good information. Be wary of potential band wagoners.

After some of his past picks it’s hard to trust President Barack Obama--a Final Four with all number one seeds?

C’mon, man! That has only happened once in the entire history of the tournament.

Granted that was the year it happened. Still! The odds are much better to not pick a single number one seed.

If you still feel like you need more info there are a few abstract alternatives that might be able to help.

When trying to predict the future why not consult a professional? Vegas is a good place to start. When all else fails it’s time to hit the math books. Finally, years of high school level

arithmetic will come in handy. A Professor at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, (and former stat guru for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks) Wayne Winston has used “Mathletics” to help determine the winner of the NCAA tournament for years. This method helps fans not only predict the final results, but can help predict prospective upsets in the early rounds of the tourney.

That might come in handy after last year’s destructive run by the underdog VCU Rams.

The list doesn’t stop there. Villanova in ‘85, the ‘86 LSU team, George Mason in 2006. Upsets will continue to happen as long as a team can make the tournament. Just ask our friends at the University of Northern Iowa. If you’ve run out of places to find answers then see a shrink.

Sadly, no one can guarantee you a perfect bracket. Really it all boils down to luck though. Only a select few select a perfect bracket.

Surprisingly enough, none of them have a Ph.D.. Only 4.7% of the more than 5.9 million that played in ESPN’s Tournament Challenge picked the Connecticut Huskies to win it all. This is why the most important step is to fill out more than one bracket.

Getting it right the first time is pretty much impossible.

Make a variety of brackets.

Just remember in the words of Reese Bobby, “If you ain’t first you’re last!”

12

Sports

Devon Jefferson | Sports editor

Echoes

On the right track New coaches, new season, new plan for Lynx Coach Flanagan

New Track Coaches Biographies

By Krystal Hopkins

Victoria Holcomb

Reporters

With the upcoming track season, there are some changes in the line up. After nine years head coaching track, science teacher Bart Witte is hanging up the stop watch. Kirn social studies teacher Alan Jenkins will be the head varsity boys track coach. He is a long time coach in both basketball and football, but has not had a varsity head coaching position before. Along with Jenkins, track is also

•Played basketball, track, and softball at the varsity level for all four years of high school.

•Plans to bring her expertise to the field events (hurdles).

introducing three more new coaches; Kathy Stottlemyer, the girls and boys throwing coach, Justin Kammrad, sprint & long jump coach, and Traci Flanagan, the assistant for both boys and girls teams and hurdles coach.

Many people involved in this track season are wondering what changes might come from having Jenkins as the head coach.

“One of my main goals is to create a team atmosphere in a sport that is often seen as individualistic,” Jenkins,

Coach Jenkins

•Played football, basketball, and track in high school.

• Plans to bring more of a team atmosphere to an individualistic sport.

boys head track coach, said.

“We plan to be supportive of each other, regardless of the event that we are participating in. We will train to win conference championships and prepare ourselves to compete at the state level in May.” Jenkins is a positive addition to the team in many of the players’ opinions.

“He coaches me in basketball and football; he’s a great coach I had him in 8th grade too, he knows how to get the job done,” Brandon Colpits ‘14 said.

Coach Kammrad

Coach Stottlemyer

•Played football, basketball, track, and baseball.

•Plans to make mental toughness and physical growth team virtues.

•Played basketball, gymnastics, softball, and track.

•Plans to teach the fundamentals of throwing to boys and girls as well as build a good foundation.

“He expects a lot out of you, I think practices will be a lot more work than they have in the past but I think it will benefit when it comes to the track meets.”

There are many other coaches that add to the overall success of both the girls and boys track team.

Flanagan started coaching track two years ago at Elkhorn High School. In the past she has coached girls Cross Country as well as JV girls Basketball, and she is now coaching track.“I love track! I think it is a sport

that takes heart and a lot of guts. I also feel that some of the hardest working athletes here at AL are involved in track,” said Flanagan.

Another addition to the team includes Kammrad the sprint and long jump coach.

He has coached both football and baseball in the past. As an athlete himself, Kammrad ran sprints in track, to match his position the track team.

Kathy Stottlemyer is the new girls and boys throwing coach. With a countless number of sports she participated in during

her high school and college years, she will be great asset to the team.

“I plan to bring my experience throwing to the team and build a good foundation for both the girls and guys,” said Stottlemyer.

Overall with Witte leaving and the addition of the four new coaches, the track team will have some adjusting to do. However with the combined experience of Stottlmyer, Jenkins, Flanagan, and Kammrad the track team should be well prepared for the season.

Athletes preparing for spring sports season

By Christina Rivera Reporter

With spring around the corner bringing warmer and sunnier days, students are now taking advantage of the nice weather to begin preparing for spring sports.

From soccer, to track, baseball, tennis, and golf starting up, students are conditioning to get in shape in their free time.

“We have been having open gyms two to three times a week,” Emerald Santon ’14 said.

Santon has been preparing by working on

her footwork and building endurance. With practice she expects great outcomes from her soccer team.

“This season I expect us to win a lot of games and I know all the girls are going to work as a team, not individuality,” Santon said.

Megan Cheney ‘12, who also plays on the same team as Santon, hopes to make it to state this year, but with the help of everyone despite any differences the player may have toward each other.

“We need to have more respect for one another and when it comes to practice the attitude needs to drop.

Get over it. We are a team,” Cheney said.

Cleo Harris’ 12, varsity track runner for four years,

said he has put a lot of hard work in improving himself and his team as a whole. “(I hope for a) pretty good season,” Harris said.

“There are a lot of fast kids out there.

He has been doing a lot of sprints to increase his speed and hopefully make it to state this year.

“Our coaches are very motivational,” said Emma Preston ‘14, track runner. “(They use) encouraging words and I’m looking to push myself.”

This year it seems like the goal for most sports is making it to state. Zach Clark’13 expects to go to state with his baseball team as he works on getting his “arms stronger.”

“Try hard and be (at practice). Don’t jack around,” Clark said. For Tennis player Alex Crowl ‘12, working outside of practice and staying on the court as much as possible is his way of preparing for the upcoming season. He plans to win conference like last year and make it to the second day at state. For any sport, the team has to build confidence, strength, and push their bodies to new limits if they want to achieve success. ”It takes desire to push yourself and beat your time.

Believe you can do well and stay true to that.” Preston said.

All spring sports begin March 12.

Taylor Volentine ‘13 practices for the upcoming tennis season with a partner.

Photo by Danielle Peabody