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PATRIOT SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL • APRIL 2013 • VOLUME 47 • ISSUE 08
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STAFF ALMA VELAZQUEZ Editor-in-Chief Design
Casey lee Managing editor Sports OLIVIA FEATHERS News CALVIN FREEMAN Opinions HANNAH STRADER Features RACHEL ROSENSTOCK A&E DEREK FUHRMANN Copy JULIA LARBERG Photography HUNTER YOUNG Web SHELBY JOHNSON Ads
Writers LUKE HOLLAND HAYLEIGH CHUDIK
APRIL ISSUE
14
NATHAN THIMMESCH MIGUEL PALOMINO GARRETT MOULD GRIFFIN ZELLER TRIVETTE KNOWLES
has the party gone too far?
AMBER FELKINS ROLA ALASMAR GEORGIA DUBOIS KAYLIE STABLER Photographers ETHAN STONE SUSAN NGUYEN DEZARAE DUFFEY JULIE FALES Adviser
MISSION
The Patriot is a newsmagazine
that aims to objectively present the facts concerning Shawnee Mission South High School, as well as connect with readers on issues affecting the student body. Staff members reserve the right to express their views in the Opinions section. These pieces are labeled and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff, except the Lead Editorial, which represents the views of editors. Under the First Amendment and Kansas Law, The Patriot staff is entitled to freedom of the press and neither the school nor district is responsible for any content or coverage. The staff encourages letters to the editor, but they will only be published if signed. The editor-in-chief reserves the right to refuse or edit any letters for reasons of grammar, length, and good taste.
photo illustration By dezarae duffey
04 06 07 09 10 * 11 14
NEWS
Four senior girls group up for the spring solo and ensemble festival Discrepancies over school traffic laws are put to rest
OPINIONS
Where should parents draw the line in protecting their kids?
15 16 17 18
Editors take a stance on the subject of academic cheating Senior rants about atrocious driving habits in the parking lot
FEATURES
Read about ethical dilemmas: the difficulties of drawing the line between right and wrong South teens share their views on high school partying and illicit behavior
WANT MORE? * cover story
20 21 22 24
A&E
Previews about the latest YouTube exclusive videos and series Read about the latest music, movies and other bits of pop culture Students and teachers debate the morality behind illegal downloads Pacesetters and Southettes prepare for their annual spring showcase
SPORTS
Spring sports begin despite the late snow and inclement weather Junior draws the line between friendly competition and disruptive fights on the Relive the boys basketball State victory in Topeka
SPOTLIGHT
VISIT WWW.SMSPATRIOT.ORG for polls, staff columns, and pictures
TOC
03
mark your
CALENDAR
-MoKan-
all-star game - 4/12 - 6pm - main gym -
d i v i 4/18: 7pm show n 4/19: 7pm show e 4/20: 2pm matinee r 7pm show s
spring play di
v i n e r s
APRIL 25 & 26
Extravaganza
7:00 PM
PROM 04 NEWS
SENIORS GIVE FINAL PERFORMANCE
BY RACHEL ROSENSTOCK After putting in four years of the hard work and dedication that it takes to form a group everyone told them would never work, seniors Nicole Kakareka, Elizabeth Wheeler, Jackie Garba and Andy Herrmann have reached the final year for their ensemble group. “It’s really just us playing music for fun, and that’s what it started out as,” Herrmann said. “It turns out we actually sound really good together.” With Garba on clarinet, Herrmann on bassoon, Wheeler on baritone and Kakareka on French horn, the musical grouping should not work well together, as mixing woodwind and brass is not traditional, but each year they prove disbelievers wrong at Regional and State performances. Each year at the State contest, the rating is on a scale of one to five, and the lower the number, the better. “We made a 2 sophomore, a 1 or 2 freshman year and 1 last year,” Garba said of
their State scores. P r a c t i c i n g almost completely independently from band class, the group meets every Friday throughout the year to work on music, and when performances near, two or three times a week. Last Tuesday the group performed at the solo and ensemble concert, playing songs they had been working on all year. “We try to get better at the notes and the dynamics and everything like that. We’re just trying to make our music better,” Kakareka said. The musicians hope some underclassmen will step up and continue their legacy of an odd musical combination, and offer help and encouragement to any considering it. “Just go for it. If you ask Mr. Adams, he will tell you our instrumentation should not work at all, they don’t go together,” Garba said. “But we make it work every year. So I would say don’t worry about what you’re playing, just work hard.”
PHOTOS BY ETHAN STONE
8 pm 5/4/13
Top left: Senior Nicole Kakareka plays the French horn. Top right: Senior Jackie Garba. Bottom left: Senior Elizabeth Wheeler plays the baritone. Bottom right: Senior Andy Herrmann plays the bassoon. Bottom: The ensemble rehearses on a Friday afternoon for the recital.
ACADEMIC GROUPS GO TO NATIONAL COMPETITIONS BY LUKE HOLLAND
T
he AcaDec and Forensics teams have both qualified for their respective national competitions. Coaches Stan Stern and Natalie Ashley, respectively, will be preparing their teams over the coming weeks as they study and practice for Nationals. The Academic Decathlon team qualified for Nationals by winning State in January. This will be the 13th consecutive year that South has qualified for the National AcaDec competition. However, many students are still unaware of the concept of the team and what they do. “The students study information on the theme for the year,” Stern said. “The competition consists of 10 events relating to art, music, literature and history, as well as broader studies of science, math and economics. They are also required to give a speech, interview and then write an essay.” The team is led by seniors Claire Thomas and Tegan Jarchow in the studies of Russia, the theme for the 2013 competition. They
are both studying on their own as well as leading the team in group studies every Tuesday. “Our meetings are mostly practice tests and studying art music basics in PowerPoints,” Thomas said. The National competition will be held April 24-27 in Minneapolis. Meanwhile, the Forensics team is preparing for their competition in Philadelphia over Memorial Day weekend. Similar to AcaDec, many students are unfamiliar with what goes on in Forensics. “Forensics is basically competitive speech and drama, and it is a class offered on two different levels,” Ashley said. She also stressed that it has no correlation with certain crime lab departments from a popular television show. Four students have qualified for Nationals so far. Senior Mason Owen will compete in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate, sophomore Riley Brennan in Declamation, and sophomore Casey Owen and junior Nels Carlson as a team in the Public Forum Debate.
The team meets every Thursday to prepare for weekly competitions that the students enter over weekends. Ashley thinks that these competitions help sharpen and train the students, especially for Nationals. “To prepare them, I sign them up for more competitions to keep them up in their speaking and debate skills,” Ashley said. These students, as
While the transition from three cookies to two caused some commotion, imagine no cookies at all.
“If the USDA regulation passes, and we can’t have outside vendors, the pizza and sub line will be gone, and all the chips - even though they are baked chips. All snack foods will be gone,” food service manager Jane McKinney said. The USDA is currently seeking public comments on the proposed standards. For more information, visit the USDA website at usda.gov and voice your opinion on the subject at regulations. gov by April 9. Make sure to provide a comment, and let the USDA know what you think.
“
F O R E N S I C S IS BASICALLY COMPETITIVE SPEECH AND DRAMA, AND IT IS A CLASS OFFERED ON TWO DIFFERENT LEVELS.
—forensics coach Natalie Ashley said well as others, have been training and practicing throughout the school year and will appreciate support throughout the remainder of the school year and especially as Nationals approaches.
USDA GUIDELINES TO CHANGE
BY GARRETT MOULD
T
he USDA recently proposed a set of nutritional standards aimed to cut down on unhealthy snack foods, and to help children and high school students deal with obesity and other health issues. Under the proposal, any food sold in schools must be a fruit, vegetable, “wholegrain rich” grain product, or a combination of food which contains at least one-fourth cup of fruit or vegetables. That means the pizza line, cookies and ice cream would be gone, as well as student run bake sales.
“
IF THE USDA REGULATION PASSES, AND WE CAN’T HAVE OUTSIDE VENDORS, THE PIZZA AND SUB LINE WILL BE GONE, AND ALL THE CHIPS EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE BAKED CHIPS. —food service McKinney
manager
Jane
AP
89
by the
stats
dollars per test
students who took AP tests last year
433
238
tests taken by students last year
scale on which tests are scored
1-5
1-5
scale on which essays are scored
s p i t teachers from your
start preparing for AP tests during the second semester, at least by spring break use a study book such as the Princeton Review or Barron’s doing well on an AP test can save hundreds of dollars in college check www.collegeboard. com/apcreditpolicy to see what credit colleges will reward specific scores
NEWS
05
SCIENCE OLYMPIAD SETS DISTRICT RECORD BY QUALIFYING FOR 29TH STRAIGHT STATE COMPETITION BY NATHAN THIMMESCH
G
oing to State is commonly viewed as a large accomplishment. Going to State for 29 years? Virtually unheard of, unless referring to Science Olympiad. The team has qualified for State every year since 1984, when the State tournament for Science Olympiad started, and they are the only team in the district’s history to do this. Preparation for the April 6 competition is the first step that the team takes. Studying for their events is one of the most important aspects of that preparation. Sophomore Regina Yan mentions what goes into preparing for the competitions. “You have a partner to do each event with, so we’ll just have little partner groups. My partners and I do have these study nights where we get
food and we just sit there and read,” she said. After preparation, the team goes to compete in various events. Yan also recalls what the competitions themselves are like: the atmosphere, the ups, the downs, the stressful points and the more relaxed points. “[Competitions are] a little stressful because we’ve gone to State every year for 30 years. We got disqualified from some events, we got last place in some others, so it was stressful. But when you’re actually doing it, like the ones I’m doing, I pick them because they’re fun and I like doing them,” she said. “[Towards the end of the competition] they had this medal ceremony and you had to wait for three hours before that, just sit there and chill, and I mean it’s boring but fun in a way.”
For each test a student takes, they score points based on their answers’ accuracy and quality. “[Scoring] depends on the tests you take. I usually do Disease Detectives and there are different point values for the different questions you get right. Then you get a certain number of points for winning and then once you reach a certain number of points collectively as a school, that determines if you get to go to State or if you qualify or not,” junior Ben Bernard said. Despite all the stresses, however, Science Olympiad can be a fun experience to all those who participate. “I got my friends to do it with me so it’s kind of like merging learning and fun together, as cliché as that sounds,” Yan said.
CONFUSING TRAFFIC LAWS ARE CLARIFIED
BY HAYLEIGH CHUDIK
T
he blare of sirens and flashing lights in the rearview mirror is something no one wants to experience. Even though most likely at some point everyone will get pulled over, the longer it can be avoided the better. A lack of knowledge of even the most minute traffic laws can cause tickets and in some cases accidents. Junior Carter Stokes knows this first hand. “[I got pulled over] for turning into the wrong lane,” Stokes said. Many drivers are unaware taking a wide turn is illegal. When taking a turn, drivers are supposed to turn into the closest lane. The only time it is legal to turn into the far lane is when an immediate turn in the opposite direction would directly follow the first turn. Despite how scrupulous the enforcement of these laws may seem, most traffic officers don’t expect people to know all of the laws. “There are numerous traffic laws- almost too many to be familiar with,” Leawood Police Officer Mark Chudik said. According to ftpersonalinjurylawyers.com 33 percent of crash fatalities are caused by speeding. People forget that any speed over the speed limit can result in being pulled over and sometimes can result in a ticket. While most officers won’t stop people for doing five to 10 miles over the limit, it just depends on the officer and what they think warrants a stop. Another main problem with speed is people who forget to account for bad weather. “You have to remember the basic speed laws and [be aware of them] when you’re going too fast for conditions,” Chudik said. When roads are wet or icy, drivers must drive under the speed limit to be safe. When it comes to your life, it is always better to be safe than sorry. So if every driver takes a driving test at some point or another, why are so many people unaware of basic laws? Officer Chudik believes that with so many traffic laws it would be impossible to make a test with a question about every law. Unfortunately this does not bode well for teens, who are just learning to drive. “I don’t think [the questions on the drivers test] have helped my driving at all,” Stokes said. To avoid tickets and possible injuries, drivers should inform themselves as much as they can. Chudik thinks that tips to driving safely are basic rules that everyone knows but just forgets. “No tailgating, keep your eyes on the road, and seatbelts,” Chudik said.
06 NEWS
how to handle the parking lot BUS LANES parent pick-up lanes student & parent exit
student exit
the
DEBATE
PRO by miguel palomino
N
obody likes Nazi parents. If you don’t know what a Nazi parent is, they’re parents who are complete dictators in their kids lives and set unrealistic rules that they expect teenagers to follow. I’m not sure if it’s denial that their kids are growing up or they think they know what’s best. Parents who like to control every aspect of their kids lives are actually hurting their kids instead of helping them. As we reach adolescence our minds begin to change and mature getting ourselves ready for adulthood. The things we experience as teenagers, the screw ups and the successes, all shape the kind of adults we become. We need to be able to make our own mistakes and learn from them. It’s
I
live in what some people would consider a strict household. If I’m caught drinking, smoking, doing drugs, missing curfew, or getting bad grades, I’m cut off. There goes my phone, my car, my computer, and my social life. These consequences are a quick and easy motivator to stay in line, but not everyone has them. With rules like these, I honestly believe someone is less likely to get high or drunk. Not only are there repercussions to bad behavior, but there can also be rewards. For example, if parents know their kid is going to behave, they’re more likely to give them more freedom and be less overbearing. Without any rules or guidelines in a household, parents are enabling their kids to make bad decisions, making them less likely to make good decisions in the future. At some point, life is going to get real and these kids with no authority to answer to will have to grow up and learn how to handle it on their own. An interesting fact, according to a 2005 American Medical
should parents be more lenient and less overprotective?
important for parents to let their kids off the leash or at least extend it, so they can make to transition to adulthood. Our parents won’t be making the decisions for us after we move out and are on our own in the world. For teens that have those parents...(you know what I mean) they’ll find themselves in shock after they move out that they have to be responsible for themselves and make their own decisions. Parents that are more lenient with their kids on rules and decisions give them a preview on what life’s like as an adult. If we make mistakes now, it’s not that bad, because we have our parents there, but when we make mistakes as adults you’re on your own.
A friend once told me that kids with strict parents are the best liars. Their parents are so strict they have to make up a backup excuse for their first excuse and everything needs to sound solid. There is no room for error and it turns into a string of lies. In the end, teens with strict control will end up resenting their parents for trying to hold them back and not letting them experience their teen years to the fullest, reasonably of course. Lenient parents share a sense of mutual trust with their kids. They understand that people our age need to start making our own decision and need space to grow for our future independence.
: WORD T E E R T S E H T ON
“I think leniency makes better trust with the parents.”
—Junior marilyn ogan
CON By hannah strader
Association (AMA) survey, is that two out of five teens say that it is easy to obtain alcohol from a friend’s house. One in four teens say their parents have given them alcohol or have attended a party where minors were drinking in front of their parents. I personally can say I’ve been to parties where this is the case, though I didn’t partake in getting drunk myself. While these parents aren’t bad parents, I sometimes find myself questioning what kind of person I would be if my parents had the same views on alcohol. My parents themselves don’t drink, so it’s never been a heavy influence in my life. Because I’m not often around alcohol, I don’t come into contact with any other “bad” things like marijuana or drugs, but if my parents did occasionally drink or didn’t mind my drinking, would I be different? The answer is that I probably would be. At this point I’ve made my parents sound strict and maybe even mean, but I actually think they have perfected the balance
between being a friend and being a protector. For example, even though I do have some pretty intimidating consequences, I get rewarded for my good behavior. My parents trust me to go on trips completely alone, like my spring break trip to Chicago. Because of my good grades, my car and phone are paid for. I know I’m fortunate to have a family that will do these things for me and not everyone has that. Unfortunately, I have some friends that I worry about. Their parents are great people, but they’re lenient on certain things that could set their kids up for bad decisions in the future. I know there are a lot of kids who think they’ll never outgrow their forever young, consequence free attitudes, and I am legitimately worried about what will happen if they don’t. Lenient parents are great, but maybe to protect us in the future, less leniency can teach us how to make better decisions on our own and set us up for adulthood.
“I think it should depend on previous offenses and how well the kid can be trusted.”
—senior ben strobel
“I think for girls being more [over protected by their parents] makes them worry and for guys pushing them sometimes makes them work harder.”
—freshman mimi deluca
OPINIONS
07
PROM for pennies
“
IT ALL SEEMS SO UNIMPORTANT, BUT WE DON’T GET TO EXPERIENCE THESE THINGS THAT OFTEN AND SO ALL OF THESE LITTLE THINGS ARE WHAT MAKE PROM SO SPECIAL
junior encourages all upperclassman to attend prom by hayleigh chudik
A
s Raiders are given the opportunity to go to at least two dances a year. Every student is invited to go to Homecoming in the fall or WPA in the winter and if you’re lucky, you could also have the option to attend other dances like StuCo Ball or Cheerball. While Cheerball and StuCo Ball may be what you call “exclusive,” the most prestigious dance of high school is Prom. Only available to juniors and seniors—unless you are an underclassman fortunate enough to be asked by an upperclassman-— Prom is a distinguished dance that every girl (and some guys) look forward to. I don’t know about you guys, but for me it’s the long dresses. But this is the only dance where 99 percent of the dresses will be long and that’s pretty exciting. Also it’s at Union Station! How cool is that? It beats the school cafeteria any day. And there will be a photo booth! How can you pass up a free photo booth? It all seems so unimportant, but we don’t get to experience these things that often and so all of these little things are what makes Prom so special. As someone that has chosen to forgo some dances so far in my high school career, I get that dances aren’t for everyone. I know they can be lame, and honestly who wants to spend all that money when most dances are at best mediocre. However, Prom is not
three
prom FAQs
OPINIONS
08 OPINIONS
just another Homecoming or WPA. I think everyone should go. How else would you spend your May 4 evening? Obviously it’s pretty pricey, and most high schoolers get paid minimum wage or don’t have a job at all. A Prom dress can easily cost $200 and shoes could be another $100. Not to mention getting hair, nails, and possibly makeup or a spray tan too can cost a pretty penny. But who says girls have to pay that much! We only have two chances to go to Prom, so don’t let money be the reason you stay home. Borrow a dress. Find an older
Q: A:
sibling’s dress or a friend’s dress and you’re set. You don’t know who to borrow from? That’s where Facebook stalking comes in handy! Look through old Prom albums and you’re bound to find something you can wear for free. Don’t stress over shoes. Odds are your dress will cover them so who cares! Wear a pair you wore freshman year. Trust me, no one will notice besides you. Do your own hair and makeup! Put your Pinterest boards to good use and find an easy-but-cute way to style your hair and do your makeup.
Too pale for Prom? Instead of spending $50 on a spray tan or increasing your chances of skin cancer by using the tanning beds, a bottle of self tanning lotion will set you back a mere $10 or less. But don’t go too crazy, orange is not tan. Prom doesn’t have to empty your wallet. It should be a fun time, not something you dread because you know you’ll be broke when it’s all over. Prom is a right of passage for us high schoolers so get excited! I know most of us girls are eager to be asked, so boys don’t be shy. You should want to go too! Prom is for everyone, even though girls clearly get more excited. Paying for a suit, dinner, and tickets can easily add up quickly. But fortunately there are ways for boys to save money too! Websites like LivingSocial or Groupon regularly offer great deals on local restaurants. Deals are usually something along the lines of “Buy One Get One Free” or “$50 Worth Of Food For $30.” The same for dresses goes for suits. Borrow. Instead of paying for alterations, ask a family member! Almost everyone has a Grandmother or Aunt that can sew. If you don’t have a family member, find a friend who does. The dance is something for us all to enjoy so everyone should do their best to be there.
How much will Prom tickets cost for me and my date?
Q:
When and how can I get my hands on tickets for Prom?
Q:
When and where does Prom take place?
Ticket price is $30 per person so it would be $60 per couple.
A:
Ticket sales will be April 22 - May 3 during lunch and before and after.
A:
The date of Prom is May 4 and it is at Union Station from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
STAFF EDITORIAL:
is there any form of academic cheating that can be justified? W
hether our teachers choose to believe it, choose to accept it, or choose to ignore it, academic cheating is everywhere today on the smallest and largest of scales. When cheating hits its high point, then it’s tough to find someone who is willing to say it’s OK, but when it’s small enough to ease the daily stress load, then it’s even more difficult to find someone who wouldn’t be OK with it. Not many students would be willing to admit it, but they’ve probably cheated in some way or another (and probably more than just once in their high school careers). Whether you “compared answers” last minute before class to avoid getting a zero on that worksheet or wrote that tough formula you couldn’t remember on your hand before a quiz, cheating happens at an uncontrollable pace. How wrong is it though? Students, especially those in honors and AP classes, are constantly pounded with homework assignment after homework assignment. Furthermore, a lot of these students don’t have the luxury of just going home right after school, sitting on their rump, and immediately knocking out their work. Most students who are responsible enough to handle being on the AP track also apply themselves enough to get a job or participate in a variety of clubs, sports and activities. These things take up a lot of time and while that is what they signed up for it does raise the question, is it really that wrong to take the shortcut now and then? Is it that much better for me to have that book read before the exam tomorrow and get three hours of sleep or should I just glance at Sparknotes? I know Sally finished this worksheet in 4th hour, and I’ve got an essay and a book report to finish, so couldn’t I just peek at her paper before I get to class? The problem isn’t even that students are too lazy and just don’t want to complete the work, the problem is that there is so much tedious work that it just takes up time and doesn’t necessarily yield a positive result. It’s the little stuff like this we see in high school now more than ever because students are getting bombarded with more homework than generations before us. These kids are now expected to excel in their classes and in out of school activities and sometimes there literally is not enough time in the day to do it the cut and dry “right” way. These little forms of cheating are completely necessary because if you don’t do it you only have a few other extremely unappealing options. Those who think this kind of mindset is absolutely unacceptable and refuse to cut the little corners have a few choices. They can make the decision to take zeros on their assignments because they have too much “good character” or pride to cheat. They can skip practices or activities
09:10
in which they have made previous commitments. They could sacrifice an enormous amount of social time. Or they could just take all the easier, lowstress classes and breeze through high school which would, in turn, result in being almost completely unprepared for college. There’s really no good choice. Teenagers have expectations to meet whether it be to achieve a 3.5 GPA or hold up a promise to mom and dad that you won’t get anymore “incompletes” on your grade updates. There isn’t enough time to do it all “right” and if you don’t participate in some of the smaller, more innocent, timesaving forms of cheating then you’re falling behind because let’s face it, sometimes the busy work just needs to get done.
THE VOTE IS IN: NINE OUT OF TEN EDITORS AGREE WITH THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS EDITORIAL.
WE VALUE YOUR VIEWS. if you wish to respond to this editorial, please submit it in the form of a letter to the editor. These may be submitted in person to Room 195 or e-mailed to almaighty@gmail.com. Responses may or may not be printed in the next issue.
OPINIONS
09
Driving me crazy
senior shares views of etiquette on the road
photo illustration by ethan stone
by nathan Thimmesch “Get to the car fast.” “Hurry up.” “Get outside quickly today.” These are texts my sister will often receive from me on a daily basis. Why do I want her to (basically) sprint out to my car? So that we can leave before the majority of the students, because I abhor driving in the South parking lot. For several reasons, I hate driving in the parking lot. First, plenty of people think that they own the parking lot and don’t understand that they must share it with other students. Second, THE ZIPPER. No one seems to understand the zipper (and parents are by far the worst offenders). Last, teenagers are just reckless when they drive (and I don’t count myself as an exception). It doesn’t help that everyone is so eager to get home after school, or that so many students simply want to leave school for the day, no matter where they’re going. I’ve noticed that plenty of people don’t really want to share their space in the parking lot. For example, there are basically eight lines of cars in the parking lot, and the problem with this is that NO ONE IS WILLING TO LET ANYONE IN FRONT OF THEM. Those who are already moving in the outgoing lanes are especially averse to letting people from the interior of the lot into their lane. I can understand the desire to leave school for the day. But trying to leave without letting anyone in front of you just makes it harder on everyone else, and not to mention how much more dangerous it can become. I’ve seen it countless times at the upper exit: the left lane will stop to let cars out, but the right lane won’t. So a student trying to leave (especially one trying to get into the right lane) has to slowly inch out in front of the left lane to force the right lane to stop and let them go. This runs the risk of sticking the front end of your car out in front of someone who is in such a hurry that they just slam into you. Luckily, I’ve never witnessed a
10 OPINIONS
wreck at this part of the lot, though it isn’t at all hard to imagine how there could be one. This is also the part of the lot where the zipper idea is almost never obeyed. “The zipper” is just a fancier way of saying every other car. One car moves forward in the outgoing lane, then the next car stops to let someone out of the upper exit, then they go. Repeat. It’s that simple, but the amount of people I see going without letting someone go in front of them is ridiculous. And without a doubt, parents are the worst offenders. To the parents who may be reading this: PLEASE obey the zipper. Unless your wife is having a baby or your husband is in surgery, you cannot tell me that you don’t have time to let ONE person in front of you. Just one. I’m sure you were all students once. Imagine what it’s like to be a teenager again and wanting to leave school for the day. Please respect the zipper. It’ll make your life and someone else’s life so much better. Lastly, teens are reckless. I am one. I should know. We gun it to make it through the light before it turns red and realize, Oh, hey, I probably should’ve stopped. We habitually speed without realizing we’re going five, 10, 20 over the speed limit. We blast our music without much regard for those around us and provided multiple distractions while we’re driving. I am guilty of all of these things. However, when in the crowded South parking lot, I try to tone these things down. I keep the radio on a lower volume, I’m constantly checking my mirrors, and I’m using my brakes almost to a degree of paranoia. However, this makes me feel significantly better about driving in the parking lot. One of the most common driving tips I’ve ever gotten is this: drive as though everyone else is an idiot. And that’s what I do. If people would try to just be courteous about driving in the parking lot, even if that meant something as earth-shattering as letting ONE person in front of you, it could make everyone else’s life a little bit easier.
5 p o T ING
ANNOY HABITS G DRIVIN
01
TAILGATING
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NOT EASING INTO A STOP
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NO BLINKER TURNING TOO FAST OR TOO SLOW USING YOUR PHONE
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n high school, students are faced every day with complicated decisions, whether they realize it or not. Classmates may ask to see homework or Google answers to worksheets. Because this is such a common occurrence, it has become less frowned upon and more acceptable, at least in the eyes of the students. In the eyes of the education system, however, these are serious offenses. As teenagers, these gray areas in our moral compasses don’t stop there. On the weekends we’re flooded with invites to parties, hookah bars, and small get-togethers where drugs or alcohol may be present. It’s easy for many teens to gain access to these things and some parents are even OK with it. Does that make
it right? What about movie hopping or paying the wrong price for a movie when using an electronic kiosk? They don’t pay that close of attention when they’re ripping up movie stubs, so why should we have to pay extra for their lack of attention? Can we justify keeping change we know the clerk accidentally calculated wrong? The decisions teens make when facing these difficult subjects can have a huge part in who they become later on in life. These small decisions help form our moral compasses later in life and can decide what our personalities as adults may be like.
L A R MO PASS M O C 01
Your favorite movie in theaters just leaked on the internet. You...
02
Your friends want to go to a hookah bar but you’re 17. You... Cross your fingers you don’t get carded.
A. Download and burn to DVD. Scour the internet in search B. of a stream. what scum would do C. Wonder such a thing.
A. B. Come up with an alternative. C. Isn’t hookah a drug?!
04
05
A. B. C.
everyone A. Tell should know.
A friend tells you a secret, but it’s something you think someone else should know. You... you think
one trusted person in the B. Tell hopes of solving your dilemma. C. Keep your mouth shut and ignore it.
RESULTS
Your morals are borderline. While you may not be a saint, you’re not Satan, either. Depending on the situation, your stance will change and you’ll evaluate your decision from there. While you’re flexible, you know where to draw the line.
mostly Bs
At McDonald’s, you receive the wrong change. You... Slip it in your pocket. It’s not your fault they can’t count. Keep it, but question yourself the rest of the day. Politely explain their mistake and give what’s owed to the employee.
03
The car in front of you is going 20 in a 45 mph zone and you can’t pass. You...
down the window and give A. Roll them a piece of your mind. B. Internally curse and turn up the
C.
music to distract you. They’re the ones passing me...
06 A.
You forgot to finish your English worksheet from the night before. You... Borrow someone else’s and alter wording a little on the answers. Ask someone if they can help you quickly before class starts.
B. hand your worksheet C. Shamefully over, unanswered questions and all.
You, my friend, are a saint. Always taking the moral high road, you’re considerate of others and keep in mind what your parents taught you. You may not be known as the most outgoing or dangerous of your friend group, but you know how to stay out of drama.
QUIZ
By HANNAH STRADER
mostly Cs
AN INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
11
Your morals are a tad questionable to say the least. While none of these things are necessarily harming others, a re-evaluation should maybe take place. Try to be more understanding of the situation of others and take an easy.
mostly As
E
SE
W N
NE
50 SHADES S S W
BY MIGUEL PALOMINO AND GARRETT MOULD
MONEY
K
ids are taught by parents never to steal, and to always be honest when it comes to money. But a common stereotype for teens involves recklessness with money, economic ignorance, and in some cases, delinquency. Like most stereotypes, this depiction is inaccurate for a majority of high schoolers. Various influences exist that can shift moral choices, whether they’re as innocent as movie hopping, or something more severe, like stealing from a store or money from their parents. What is it about bad things that give some people a rush and keeps them coming back for more? A study done by the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention shows approximately 25 percent of shoplifters are kids, 75 percent are adults. Fiftyfive percent of adult shoplifters say they started shoplifting in their teens. What changes the black and white frame-of -mind parents teach their kids to the morally gray one that makes room for stealing? “I didn’t even think about [stealing],” junior Jane Doe* said. “It was a sudden thing, like an impulse, and I didn’t think about the consequences that could come out of it and I regret it.” Eighty-nine percent of teens say they know other teens who shoplift. Sixtysix percent say they hang out with those teens. “A lot of my friends steal and only two of them have gotten caught,” Doe said. Is stealing stealing? Or is it wrong only because there are harsh consequences for it? Movie hopping is another morally ambiguous activity where a person leaves from one movie and sneaks into another without paying. This trend is what prompts some movie theaters to use assigned seating. Technically speaking, movie hopping is stealing. A person is watching a movie, taking in that experience, and not paying for it. But then again, they did already pay an exorbitant amount to see one movie. Why not just sneak into another? This is generally where the lines begin to blur. “You’re already paying $10 to see a movie once,” junior Abe Lopez said. “It’s OK to see another.”
ACADEMIC etting through each seven hour school day can be a struggle, but throw
G
in sports and a job, and it can become overwhelming at times. Students often look for new ways to balance their schedule, but sometimes cheating seems like the only way to keep up with the demanding classes. Extreme forms of cheating like stealing answer keys or changing grades on the teacher’s sheets are obviously punishable, but what about the gray areas? Is working with a friend cheating? What about using Sparknotes? Using Adderall, Vyvanse and other ADHD medications? Are they study tools, or a form of cheating? Students all had differing opinions about cheating. “I don’t believe in ‘cheating’; it’s all fair game. You gotta do what you gotta do,” junior Hunter Ahrens said. Certain forms of cheating have been around for years, but using ADHD medications to study is fairly new. According to a CNN study, over 30 percent of college students illegally use these “study drugs.” The medication is meant for those who suffer from attention deficit disorder, but is being abused by students without the disorder as well. “I used to take it because it was fun and gave me a rush. Recently I used it for a track meet and school to help me pay attention. I was surprised that it actually worked, but it really did,” junior Douglas Wheelwright* said. It might seem like a scene out of the movie Limitless, but for those without ADHD, the drug can have serious side effects. “There are some severe disadvantages. If you don’t know a lot about what you’re buying and using, you could be in serious trouble. You need to know your dosages. Only take it periodically, so you don’t get hooked,” Wheelwright said. There are so many options when it comes to cheating, and it’s likely that there will be more in the future. The real question is if cheating is worth the possibility of getting caught.
12
FEATURES
* Names have been changed for anonymous sources
S of ethics T
a look at tough moral decisions and gray areas
exting and driving. Drinking and driving. Speeding. Crashing. These are just a few afflictions teen drivers succumb to. For a typical high school teen, driving is the window to freedom, a faint glimpse of adulthood. While not all teens are bad drivers, it’s safe to say good drivers in their age demographic is pretty low. In the end, inexperience and recklessness cause people ages of 16-26 to get into more wrecks and makes their insurance higher. When it comes to driving, the laws that are followed and the ones that fall into the gray area vary from person to person. One thing that particularly falls into the gray area is speeding. There is no particular rule on how far over the speed limit a person should go. Some people decide to go five and over, others decide 10. Ultimately it’s all up to the individual. “I always told myself five over, unless you’re on the highway, then it’s 10 over. I don’t really abide by that. I tend to go a lot more over. I think teens like to do adrenaline rush things [like] speeding and racing; more adrenaline,” senior Emma Gariety said. A study done by Allstate Insurance shows 69 percent of teens use their phone while driving, and 13 percent of that is texting. Some teens are in a hurry to drive to school, practice, work, etc., and in their fast paced lives, teens don’t have the time to wait till they’re off the road to check their phone. “I think that we’re just always running late and don’t know how to be on time,” junior Sydney Moore said. Another reckless behavior for a person of any age is drinking and driving. Since teens first become aware of the recreational use of alcohol, they are told by everyone that drinking driving is bad, yet statistics show 10 percent of all accidents are due to drunk driving. The reason for the drinking and driving for teens is most of them just need to get home after a party and don’t want to get in trouble with their parents for being late. “I had to get home, the risk of getting into an accident or getting pulled over is less than the risk of getting in trouble with my parents,” junior Harry Tomlinson* said.
PHOTOS BY ETHAN STONE AND DEZARAE DUFFEY
TRAFFIC
SOCIAL
F
riends all know that keeping each other’s secrets is important, and one secret gone viral can cause tremendous problems. But when is it acceptable to tell someone a secret they aren’t supposed to know? “If they tell you a secret, keep it,” junior Andrew Zahnd said. It seems easy enough, but it’s not always that simple. There is often an enormous gray area. If something serious comes up, is it OK to tell someone? “It depends on the severity of the secret. If someone is thinking about hurting someone, or themselves, you have to tell someone,” junior Hunter Ahrens said. The decision to keep a secret or tell it can still be difficult when regarding things that aren’t life or death situations. For example, if someone confides in you that they’re having trouble with their family, is it justifiable to tell a concerned friend? Twitter and Facebook have also caused a handful of problems among students. Subtweets, which are tweets directed towards someone without actually mentioning them, have become popular, and also brought along many problems. “If you have a problem with someone, you just have to call them out in person, go up to them and start calling them out,” Ahrens said. Subtweeting can take on a second meaning as well when a Twitter or Facebook user blatantly discusses someone with the knowledge that the person they’re talking about doesn’t have an account on the social networking site they choose as their medium. Sometimes these tweets or statuses can be seen as harmless and are easy to shake off, but on other occasions, they can start wars. Statuses like these often start out with one person tweeting about another, but usually end with multiple people taking sides. Bottom line is they rarely end with laughs and new friends.
FEATURES
13
under the influence partying hard without consequences
By ROLA ALASMAR
I
n a world where over three-fourths of high school students have consumed alcohol and about 40 percent have used drugs, according to cbsnews. com, there is no doubt that everyone is well aware of how many people around them have probably participated in some sort of illegal activity. For many students, it just provides a good time on a Friday night when there’s nothing to do and consequences just don’t seem threatening. Whether or not certain forms of illegal conduct are OK, even though they are illegal, is a bit of a gray area for high school students. “As long as you’re in a safe environment and with the right group of people, drinking and smoking isn’t really that bad as long as you can handle it,” junior Jack Rooney said. He believes that teenagers are just curious at this age and it’s just something to experience. It seems that this view is pretty common. Sophomore Russel Rivinski* agrees that there is nothing wrong with doing drugs or drinking. “I think that drugs and alcohol are not nearly as bad as we’re taught. Just don’t be stupid,” Rivinski said. Although many people feel this way, several students would not condone the use of drugs and alcohol, as they believe they harm your body. Junior Sophie Tapko and freshman Anna Audley both agree that teenagers should not use illegal substances and that there should be greater consequences for people caught doing it. Despite their opposition to drugs and alcohol, they don’t find everything illegal to be necessarily wrong. Tapko and Audley both agree that it’s OK to do things such as sneaking into movies, even though it is still against the law. So where is the line between illegal activities that are OK to do and those that shouldn’t be done? “Sneaking into movies is not really going to have an impact. You’ll forget about it eventually. In 20 years it’s not going to matter,” Tapko said. However, Rivinski believes that sneaking into movies is immoral, because for the people who work
14 FEATURES
at the theater, it’s their livelihood. He says that you would be hurting the people who work there, which shouldn’t be OK. As opposed to drug and alcohol use, where the only harm can be done to yourself. “If you’re doing something that isn’t hurting anybody else it’s OK. As long as you’re not threatening someone else’s livelihood or life and the only bad thing could happen to you. I think we should have the right to put ourselves in jeopardy,” Rivinski said. The gray area continues to grow when entering the concept of consequences for illegal actions. When it comes to sneaking into movies the worst that can really happen is that you’ll be asked to leave. One thing that Rooney, Rivinski, Audley, and Tapko can all agree on is how easy it is to get drugs and alcohol, and because of this, the fact that anything bad could possibly happen may slip your mind. It has been drilled into students by parents, teachers, and health classes to stay away from drugs and alcohol, and everyone has seen or heard about people dealing with consequences such as fines, rehab, or even death. However as teenagers, many students have that mindset of “that won’t happen to me.” Although for most people that seems to be true, for others, consequences that may once have seemed unlikely have become a reality. Junior Warren Thorpe* had to spend time in drinking school. He said that even though he no longer does drugs and doesn’t drink as much since then, drinking school may not be what others imagine. “[Drinking school is] more of a money scheme rather than an actual program to get you to stop drinking and stuff,” he said. Thorpe says that it has made him more cautious because it’s not worth spending the thousands of dollars for it. Junior Roby Ducrocq has also experienced repercussions of drinking and doing drugs. “I’ve been on probation since 8th grade and have been to rehab a couple of times,” Ducrocq said.
According to Ducrocq, people in need of help do not receive enough treatment. “People get a couple of months treatment like group therapy or something and then they relapse. They should get more treatment than they’re provided with,” Ducrocq said. Nonetheless, Ducrocq has been sober since January. According to him, a lot of people use drugs and alcohol either to cope with things or just because they’re bored. “You have got to find something else to do. The only way to cope is to be sober. Using is usually the root of the problem but it only helps momentarily. Once you realize it you can start dealing with today,” Ducrocq said. So when it comes to drinking, doing drugs, or other types of illegal conduct, there’s not really a clear answer of what’s OK or not. For many people, “illegal” and “wrong” don’t really seem to be associated. Whether or not something is OK just depends on the person and the situation. “It depends on what it is and where you are, just like there’s a difference between speeding down Metcalf and speeding in a residential neighborhood. That kind of thing should be taken into account more,” Rivinski said. Although what’s right and wrong can be complicated, many students seem to have their own views figured out. When it comes down to it, whether someone uses drugs or alcohol is their own decision. “I feel like anyone can be drinking or smoking. Like the preppy people, emos, there’s people from every stereotypical group. It just depends on the individual,” Rooney said. So for everyone, whether a stereotypical drinker or smoker, someone no one would expect to do anything illegal, or someone who thinks people need to find something else to do on that Friday night, the gray area of right and wrong may never be clear. * Names have been changed for anonymous sources
photo ILLUSTRATION by dezarae duffey
YOUTUBE TOP10 There’s more to YouTube than music videos, people falling and the latest trending cats. We’ve compiled an A-list of top notch series, shorts, and even a few films. BY GEORGIA DUBOIS & ROLA ALASMAR Jake & Amir:
now
WATCH this
Meet Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld. Two average guys living in New York City, working alongside each other, much to Jake’s disdain. Jake is “the regular guy,” and being around Amir, his seemingly un-intelligent co-worker, is not Jake’s idea of a good day. It’s never a normal day at the office whether they’re playing monopoly, hanging out with famous rappers, or having pregnancy scares, every day is one to remember.
Jenna Marbles: One girl, a couple of dogs, and a camera was all it took for “JennaMarbles”
to become a household name. With new videos made every week, 26-year-old Jenna Mourey never seems to run out of ideas. Getting millions of views with videos such as “How to Trick People into Thinking You’re Good Looking,” “Interrupting Adele,” and “Things I don’t Understand about Girls,” Jenna Marbles has something for everyone.
The Whitest Kids U Know: Created by film students Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger, Sam Brown, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter, The Whitest Kids U’ Know will have you truly realizing what comedy is. With skits from their TV show, such as “Opposite Day,” “It’s Illegal to Say...,” and “Classroom,” all easily available on YouTube, you’ll wonder why they’re not more well known. British YouTubers: Marcus Butler. Caspar Lee. Sam Pepper. Jack Harries. Four boys. Young. British. Comedic. And highly relatable. Devoting their time to making videos that you’ll start watching and then find yourself wondering where the time has gone. Everything from their “Things We All Do” videos to their unicycling adventures around the mall will leave you wanting more. Ted Talks:
All of the information of the internet, coupled with the wisdom of your grandparents, delivered via the technique of your teacher, in the style of the future. The videos offer a variety of presentations for anyone with an interest in nearly anything. With tickets to the actual conferences going for upwards of $7,000, a front row seat at the comfort and convenience of your computer is an unbeatable value.
The Kid: A heartwarming comedy between a mother, a son, and the man who raised the boy,
this film is a can’t-miss piece of history that opens a well-hidden portal to the multitude of Chaplin’s works hidden away in some corner of YouTube. Films like “The Circus” and “Modern Times” are available for anyone to watch. A clip of the final speech of his movie.
The Vault: Part of what makes The Vault unique is
the talented ensemble composed entirely of college students, many of whom film their piece half a nation away from the low-budget project. The plot is based around a reality game with 150 players, locked into separate rooms, in a “vault” of sorts, for an undisclosed period of time. The rooms are designed in confusing metaphors and puzzles, and the players must figure out what the game is and how to win it before the time’s up. The Vault was created part time by a couple of guys with a few cameras and an idea, only makes the series more commendable.
Key and Peele:
The comedy duo, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, has gained attention as they upload their original skits to YouTube. These clips are not only comedic, but intelligent and fresh. Their comedic higher-viewed videos like “Substitute Teacher” have drawn viewers to videos with more serious content, like “School Bully” or “Party Games” which are able to comically and appropriately address some real issues.
The Onion: The best news satire videos, always available for you to get the latest on events
that actually didn’t happen, or commentary and parodies on those that did. Whether you’re dying to know the latest updates about the duck plague or want to know what’s going on with Lance Armstrong, The Onion’s got it. Guaranteed to give you the latest “news” while providing you with a laugh in under five minutes.
VIDEOS:
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE STRANGER THAN FICTION HOT CHICK THE RUNAWAYS SPUN NO GOOD DEED CHARADE ANIMAL FARM WHICH WAY HOME PLAN 9 FROM OUTERSPACE KING CORN
CHANNELS: WIMP.COM VIMEO MY DAMN CHANNEL STICKHAM BLIP DAILY MOTION
HottieBoombaLottie:
Hidden in the free films section of YouTube, a gem is found. A cinematic masterpiece about a boy, Ethan, hopelessly in love with his dream girl, Madison. He and his cousin’s cousin, Cleo meticulously devise plots to steal her back from Ethan’s brother. Directed, written, and starring Seth Packard, in a style reminiscent of Wes Anderson, and equipped with one of the best soundtracks, HottieBoombaLottie is a comedic experience not to be missed.
15
A&E
reMIX
MOVIE: THE HOST
reviews of the latest in pop culture
MOVIE:
SPRING BREAKERS
BY MIGUEL PALOMINO I’m still not sure what the point of this movie was. The first 20 minutes is just people partying, booze, nudity and dubstep. Faith (Selena Gomez) spends her time bored at church jacked up on Jesus and the other three: Brit(Ashley Benson), Candy(Vanessa Hudgens) and Cotty(Rachel Korine) smoke weed in their dirty apartment. The four girls face a devastating challenge; they don’t have enough money to go party for spring break. Of course the sensible thing to do is some lines of coke, steal their professor’s car, and rob the Chicken Shack, then burn the car. I’m not sure how much money was at the Chicken Shack, but apparently it was enough to pay for the party bus, drugs, food, hotel room, Mopeds, and more drugs. The four girls have an awesome spring break partying and along the way, Faith finds herself. It’s really stupid. Eventually, they get arrested for narcotics and since they spent all their money, they can’t make bail and have to go to jail. Most of the time they’re just wearing bikinis, I guess nobody at the jail thought of giving them something more sensible to wear. After their hearing (they were wearing bikinis there as well) Alien, an upcoming rapper/gangsta, bails them out. Long story short, Alien is really creepy, so Faith leaves the group but the other three stay with Alien, become gangstas and shoot people up. The cast as a whole did their best with the crap material they were given. Franco shines playing Alien by successfully creeping me out, but I’m not sure what was the point of this movie. If you want to see a ridiculously dumb movie, then watch Spring Breakers.
16 A&E
BY Hannah Strader Sometime in the not too distant future, the Earth no longer belongs to humans. Instead, their bodies have been taken over by parasitic aliens, known as hosts. The remaining humans, known as the resistance, are two extremely attractive men who live in a cave. It is Melanie Stryder’s job to make out with them. OK, so there’s probably a bit more of a plot in there somewhere and maybe some other people are in the cave, too, but you don’t really notice it. I swear. And for those of you who are worried about this being another Twilight, trust me, Stephenie Meyer has matured from that. Instead of a simple love triangle, we now have a love hexagon going on. Not only is there the simplistic love triangle of one girl, two boys, but there are TWO PEOPLE inside her head. Also, can I just say that Wanderer, Melanie’s host, has never even been established as male or female. It is up to the audience to assume that because it’s in a female’s body, that must be its gender. So basically Bella... Oops... I mean Melanie, is in love with this Edward character... er... Jared, and then her body is taken over by a parasite everyone wants to kill named Wanderer or Renesmee (I don’t remember which movie I’m reviewing at this point) and she falls in love with Jacob / Ian. By the end of the movie, you find yourself conflicted by Wanderer’s existence. You want her to live because you kind of grow to enjoy this character, but you also want her to die just for plot’s sake. It’s all very twisted and complicated and angsty and there are feelings all over the place. At one point Melanie and Jared are sitting beside a fire and she literally utters the words, “When you touch me... I don’t want you to stop.” Yikes. But I know the real question you want to ask. “Hannah, where does this movie rank in comparison to Stephenie Meyer’s gorgeously written and extremely riveting book?” The truth is that I first read The Host in 2008 when it was first published and forced myself through twenty-something chapters of a main character talking to a voice in her head while she sat in a cave. The eighth grade version of myself was extremely bored, longing for the wonderful story-telling of the Twilight books. My literature choices have improved since then, I swear. All in all The Host wasn’t entirely terrible. It’s kind of a guilty pleasure, I won’t lie. My feelings toward this movie are similar to those I have for the entire Twilight saga. It was entertaining, funny in some parts, but extremely cheesy and unrealistic. First rule of Stephenie Meyer: Don’t talk about enjoying Stephenie Meyer.
MUSIC:
THE STROKES BY LUKE HOLLAND The new album by The Strokes, Comedown Machine, released March 25, is a huge disappointment. Though I am usually pretty accepting of indie bands, the blend of alternative and techno style that the Strokes presents is just sloppy. Let’s start with the good. There’s some catchy tunes. “80’s Comedown Machine” is obviously an all right song, seeing as how they thought it a decent candidate to name the album after. The funky guitar track in “Partners in Crime” is interesting, though the vocals soon ruin even that. The vocals are just horrible. Julian Casablancas whines throughout the entire album, shifting awkwardly in and out of forced falsetto and raspy screaming. This was all right in “Reptilia,” the song that introduced most eighth graders who played Rock Band to The Strokes, but it gets really old, really fast. Now for the musical creativity (or lack thereof). Most tracks consist of predictable loops and tiring drum tracks, with some interesting, fast, but overall ugly guitar bits. They have crossed the fine line between originality and just plain awkward. One last thing: Is it just me, or does the beginning of “All The Time” sound like a direct ripoff of ’80s one-hit wonder A-Ha’s Take On Me? I would not recommend buying this album. If you’re a fan of fast-paced indie music that is the closest you can get to ingesting hallucinogens through the ears, then by all means listen to it for free on Spotify. But all in all, the album in its entirety would best be described as a Letdown Machine.
MUSIC:
LIL’ WAYNE BY TRIVETTE KNOWLES I Am Not A Human Being II is the biggest disappointment of 2013. Great things were expected when Lil Wayne announced he would be making a sequel to I Am Not A Human Being, but again fans were left unsatisfied. Only about five songs out of a 17 track CD are worth listening to more than once. Some songs you question what Wayne was thinking when he allowed the public to hear this atrocity. A new trend that Wayne has decided to cover with every bar would be the topic of oral sex. It seems as if he can no longer go more than one minute without referencing a different example of how he loves to pleasure ladies. Not everything is wrong with the album. Some verses are stunning with quick upbeat tempos. Some guest appearances from artists such as Big Sean and Detail benefit the songs with a little variety that Wayne can’t always display. Sadly the debut singles are the best tracks on the album. Most people will listen to many songs of the album due to it being Wayne, but for no other reason. A combination of rock and rap is something Wayne never ceases to collaborate. At least three songs have an unsuccessful rock vibe that feels unbearable to listen to. With the likes of “Back at You” and “Hello ft Shane Heyl,” these are arguably the worst songs on the CD but not far behind “Wowzerz ft Trina” and “God Bless Amerika.” Why he felt the need to misspell those words baffles me, but Wayne is a trend setter so what Wayne does goes. Even a diehard Wayne fan would have to recognize the sudden dropoff in talent with this poor demonstration. Now we can only hope Wayne will reach the title of best rapper again.
FELONIES for MELODIES the risks of downloading illegal music By Georgia Dubois
A mere decade ago, you could identify music gurus by their tell-tale stacks of discs that cycled through their well-used portable CD player. Before that was the walkman and the age of cassettes. And previous to that, record players and radios reigned. Throughout the past century, many a well-versed music connoisseur could invest hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on a satisfying collection of music, until now. In the present day, it’s not uncommon for a teen to have a bank of thousands of songs without having spent a cent. Back then, Itunes was barely beginning to catch on. Pandora and Rhapsody were in their early stages, and ideas for programs like Grooveshark, 8tracks and Spotify hadn’t even been conceived yet. It was only a matter of time before domains like Napster and Limewire dominated the new wave of piracy. The passing of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act in 1998 signaled a crackdown for the filesharing online. But with marketplaces like iTunes or Amazon not available yet, “illegal downloads” were rampant. “The only real option was file sharing on Napster,” Daniel Goode, who was caught in 2000 for music downloads, said. “I think the fines were $150 per song, but I wasn’t fined for every song. If I remember correctly the total fine was $8,000.” Now fines can reach tens of thousands of dollars per song. When charges were first being filed for illegal downloads, they were common and brought up often. The government was trying to send a message that the internet wasn’t a lawless zone. Now online piracy is
“When you pirate....you get four times the quality at half the storage space. I’m not going to pay money to get inferior quality.” -junior Harrison Jones*. so common it’s hard to track. Millions of songs are downloaded every day. “[I download] innumerable amounts every week,” junior Harrison Jones* said. Convenience, quality and cost are just a few of the reasons why multimedia piracy has become somewhat of a cultural standard. “Paying for it was a big hassle,” junior Angela Ebert* said. Quality can also be a factor in why people choose to download from the internet instead of purchasing it through traditional methods. “When you pirate....you get four times the quality at half the storage space. I’m not going to pay money to get inferior quality,” Jones said. “I wanted to hear the songs, and they don’t sell [all] cds at stores, and both iTunes and other online services have been susceptible to losing creditcard information to hackers, so there’s identity theft risks” But as common as pirating is, modern downloaders may be biting off more than they can chew: federal infringement laws enable labels to charge up to $150,000 per pirated song, and serious enough charges can amount to jail time. Considering that many music piraters own extensive libraries of illegitimate music, these charges can and do add up quickly. These charges all seem a bit extensive
for a track that most likely costs between $0.69 and $1.29. Especially when one takes into consideration that a even a popular artist will make at most 14 cents to the dollar, while their label will sweep up over 50 percent of the profits, and the music distributer will grab the rest. So, if little of the cost will directly support the artist you’re listening to, is some of the moral reasoning against downloads irrelevant ? “No matter if it supports the artist or not, illegal downloads are illegal for a reason. So much of this generation is about taking advantage of the system; if people followed the rules, the artists would probably turn more profit,” sophmore Susan Shaw* said. Not everyone shares the same opinion. “I see the argument, but it’s from people thinking from an old fashioned perspective, and they’re not realizing that the artists make money from live performances anyways,”Jones said. In early spring of last year, congress decided to take a stronger stance for internet regulations. Launching the infamous SOPA and PIPA acts was interpreted as war on the free internet. The legislation put virtually anything on the internet under their jurisdiction, and nearly everyone in violation of the acts, with the possibility of prosecution. Though these acts offered little by means of longevity, they set a precedent for a federal position that could arguably police the internet. “I wouldn’t suggest anyone illegally downloading online. It’s very traceable.” Goode said. * Names have been changed for anonymous sources
MUSIC BY the NUMBERS
20
million Spotify users
4,549,020
$80,00 fines or more per song downloaded
Spotify plays per month needed for an artist to make minumum wage
65%
of each iTunes sale goes to record labels
8-14
cents go to the artist from iTunes
17
A&E
Around the world dancers perform their annual show
BY AMBER FELKINS
At the Heritage assembly on Thursday, March 28, Pacesetters and Southettes gave students a preview of their Extravaganza performance. Pacesetters danced to Go by Pitbull, while Southettes performed to Carry On by Fun.
PHOTOS BY JULIA LARBERG
18 A&E
Every year, spirited individuals come together to dance and show off what they’ve got and what they’ve learned to help raise money. They call this Extravaganza. “It’s to show everyone what we’ve been working on all year,” sophomore and Southette Alex Higginbotham said. Southettes, Pacesetters, and Southlanders came together and decided on the theme of Raider Around the World. These dancers are going to show the audience what’s it’s like to leave and come back home to Shawnee Mission South. “The theme is traveling around the world, we have a bunch of different songs. Coming Home by J. Cole featuring Skylar Grey is our last song,” senior and Pacesetter Captain Nicole Richardson said. Tickets can be purchased for $5 from a Southette or Pacesetter before the show, and are $7 at the door. Ticket purchases will be available from
the individual dancers until April 25. Proceeds go towards new costumes, equipment for the dance teams, and future competitions. Tech people also receive some proceeds from the ticket sales at the door. Coaches, parents, and the team members come together to create new dances and routines, to help set up, and help each other for support. “There’s a lot of work that goes into planning extravaganza. We have a set schedule that we follow. We learn new dances every week and review on Fridays,” Richardson said. Opening night is Thursday, April 25 and an encore show will be the following night on the 26. The show will start at 7 p.m. both nights in the auditorium. “It’s a fun thing to do. It’s the last thing seniors get to do as apart of the team. Extravaganza usually does really well for us,” freshman Kara Pringle said.
DRESSING
WHAT YOU SEE:
2 9s THE
HAIR BOW diy Using a large bow in an updo can offer a vintage look. Adding gems or other trinkets make it more noticeable.
SHOES gojane.com These hybrid loafer-saddle shoes make for a chunky twist on a classic. Leopard print detailing provides a bold eyecatcher.
DRESS forever 21 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pretty in pinkâ&#x20AC;? has never looked so dark, with a high collar and a blackbird pattern. Collars and buttons are a recent revival in dresses.
WHAT IS DRESSING TO THE NINES? The Patriot holds a monthly competition to find fashionable students around the school. On the 29th of every month, The Patriot photographers will be in the cafeteria during 1st and 2nd lunch to photograph anyone willing to enter the competition. The winner each month will be featured on this page, and the second and third place winners will be on SMSPATRIOT.ORG, along with other finalists. The competition is based on creativity, variety and individuality and anyone is able to enter.
PHOTOS BY JULIA LARBERG
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SOPHOMORE GABII BALLESTER
photos @
SMSPATRIOT.ORG
A&E
19
briefs: spring sports by derek fuhrmann
photos by julia larberg, ethan stone, susan nguyen
baseball
track & Field
Most anticipated game of the year: The East game, we owe them from last year. Expectation of Season: Everything, we have experience, so we know what we need to do. Stand Out Players: Jon Prueter and David Brown pitching. Austin Gianolla in the infield and Evan Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien in the outfield.
Expectation of Season: Our expectations are always high! Stand Out PLayers: We have some returning State medalists that we expect to step up and improve this season and lead the team. We also have some new athletes that we hope can steadily show improvement in their events.
jordan david
Coach JJ wannamaker
girls soccer
softball
Most anticipated game of the year: Shawnee Mission East or Olathe East. Expectation of Season: We definitely have the skills to make a run in the State tournament. Stand Out Players: Amanda Schwabauer, Megan Stollstiemer, and Jo Jones.
Most anticipated game of the year: Definitely the East Game! Expectation of Season: Make it to Wichita and win 10 Sunflower games! Stand Out Players: Justice Scales, Hannah Sears, Abby King and Maggie Reid.
lily johnson
girls swimming
hayden roberts
boys tennis
katya jones
Most anticipated game of the year: Our swim meet at League. Expectation of Season: To qualify for State and to bring another State championship to South! Goals for the year: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hoping to become a stronger swimmer and to improve my swim times.
kevin kochersperger
Most anticipated game of the year: SM East has some strong players. Expectation of Season: To do well at State and improve as a team. Stand Out Players: Griffin Zeller, Ben Bernard and Raj Selvaraj
boys golf Joe harvey
Most anticipated game of the year: East. They have the best equipment, coaches, etc. Expectation of Season: Our goal is to have two or three qualify for State. Stand Out Players: Andrew Barton and Parker Ling.
unwanted weather F
or the first time in years, spring sports have been at a huge disadvantage going into their season due to a completely uncontrollable factor. The weather. Kansas weather has always been unexpected, but this year it dropped snow at the worst possible time, the week of tryouts. Teams struggled to have tryouts inside and some teams were forced not to hold tryouts at all. It got even worse when the district announced snow days that same week, putting another halt on tryouts. With so many teams moving inside, space was limited. Baseball occupied most of the gyms, while other sports such as track, softball and soccer struggled to find a place indoors. So many teams inside meant a lot of trading off space and adjusting tryouts to indoor conditions. The week after tryouts most of the snow was gone and teams slowly but surely started making their way outside, eager to start their season. The weather started feeling warm again. Then, during Spring Break, we were hit with yet another snowstorm. Practices over break remained inside, and the snow ultimately put a halt on most teams first games.
20
SPORTS
by casey lee
acceptable player conduct junior gives opinion on how far is too far by calvin freeman Sports are emotional. They can bring out the best in people, but they can also do just the opposite. Controlling these emotions is a big part of the game but sometimes we let our competitive nature get the best of us. Some emotions we feel from sports are great. Those tears of joy after winning a championship or that feeling you get after a big win are irreplaceable sensations. Nothing can beat what you feel when you know that you worked hard to accomplish something and you finally completed the goal you set for yourself. But these aren’t the only kinds of emotions that make headlines in sports today. Whether it’s cussing someone out or charging the pitchers mound with a bat in your hand, we’ve all seen the extreme cases of anger in sports at their finest. And while they might be fun to watch they show us that sometimes our enthusiasm can be focused in the wrong direction. These kinds of actions are unwelcome in most sports and are usually followed with suspensions and other punishments to make sure that it doesn’t happen again, and rightfully so. However, I’m not about to sit here and tell you how awful it is for someone to yell at a referee or say that the player who throws the unsportsmanlike elbow is so out of line that he’s ruining sports, because if you really think about it, he’s not really ruining anything. People care about sports. The fact that we can get so caught up in a game that we start throwing punches or tossing out cuss words sounds silly but it’s this intense passion that makes sports great. These small spurts of intensity that run through a coach or a player are often deemed unacceptable but it’s these outbursts that can
have the power to fire up a team and bring a group together to perform at their best. Very few, if any, great sports stories ended with an emotionless, dispassionate team. That being said, there is a pretty clear line that is crossed far too often. When someone gets a black eye or a concussion because of an overaggressive play, sure that’s bad. When a coach or player says something obscene to the opposition or an official, well it’s certainly not OK. But when bones are broken or careers are ended because someone was mad or “too passionate” you’ve got to ask yourself, did this happen because they were so fired up and they wanted to win or were they acting out of spite? Even when the issue isn’t physically harming someone, when a player gets too worked up and gets a technical foul, or gets a red card, or gets ejected from a game then even if they didn’t actually hurt someone they’re still hurting their team’s chances of winning. People might say that there’s a fine line between what’s OK and what’s unacceptable when it comes to how you act in a game. To be honest the line shouldn’t be that hard to see. If you’re hurting your team or if you’re seriously injuring someone because of a dirty play where you couldn’t control your emotions then you’re no longer in the right. Nevertheless, passionate players are the kinds of players we need in sports. That’s why this problem can’t just go away. The best players will always be passionate about the game they’re playing and with that comes the occasional enraged action. The day we stop worrying about players being too aggressive is going to be the day we start worrying about getting the best performances out of these players.
PHOTO BY JULIA LARBERG
kicking for a cause by calvin freeman
Every year the Shawnee Mission South Soccer Program hosts its annual JV Soccer Tournament as a fundraiser for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society of Kansas City. The tournament is in honor of a former soccer player, Brandon Clendining, who passed away from Leukemia in the fall of 1991. To raise money, the tournament holds silent auction items up for bidding. Over the years the tournament has raised over $50,000 to help people dealing with Leukemia/Lymphoma. The tournament will be this weekend at the SM South stadium.
PHOTO BY GRACE PRITCHET
sports
21
sweeping state
BY GRIFFIN ZELLER/Casey Lee
O
ne of the most memorable ways to finish your senior year is with a perfect 25-0 record and a State Championship. After winning Sunflower League, and continuing with a perfect season, the Raiders were a favorite to win State. With a 46-40 win over the Lansing Lions, the Shawnee Mission South Raiders captured their first State Championship since 1990 and completed the first perfect season in South’s history. South dominated the competition even winning by the largest margin of victory in Kansas 5-A State basketball history with a 82-38 victory over Salina South in their first State game. They blew out almost every opponent they played, including Shawnee Mission West, Shawnee Mission Northwest and Olathe North. In a close
22 SPORTS
photos by mike abell game they beat the No. 5 ranked Olathe South. When the boys played in the Dodge City Tournament in early December, they swept the competition and brought home a first place trophy. “The feeling is unreal, something that will stick with you forever,” junior Nick Oliver said. Concluding the State Championship game the Raiders received many postseason awards, including a prestigious number 34 ranking in the nation. And seniors Josh Pedersen and Jake Caldwell, sophomores Dainan Swoope and DeAngelo Bruster, and junior Devin Newsome all received postseason awards from the Wichita Eagle and the Sunflower League blog.
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sms
Spotlight
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Showing his competitive edge, sophomore English teacher Drew Baranowski pulls ahead in the SMS hot dog race, representing relish.
photo By julia larberg
It’s fun to do school spirit things. I think the students get into it and like to see the teachers being real people and being self-depreciating and making fun of themselves. —sophomore English teacher Drew Baranowski