12-20-2013-issue

the

b

p

engal’s urr

Lewiston High School

Lady Bengals basketball undefeated, page 5

Lewiston, Idaho

Ask society a question: Cyberbullying, pages 6-7

Dec. 20, 2013 Vol. 88 No.2

The rebirth of Sadie Hawkins, page 9

2 Contents

the bengal’s purr

Staff Members

Editor in Chief.....................................................................Bree Derry Senior Editors..................................................................Lauren Reitz ................................................................Alex Boatman Business Manager..........................................................Erika Mullikin Ads Manager..........................................................Hannah Sarmiento Graphics Editor and Historian..........................................Angelyn Cox Sports Editor and Social Media Editor...............................Faith Evans Website Editor........................................................McKenna Anderson Distribution Manager...................................................Jessica Clausen Reporter..........................................................................Nathan Creitz Adviser..........................................................................Charity Egland

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Table of Contents 1 Cover Page 8 Advertisement 2 Contents 9 News 3 Op/Ed 10 Entertainment 4-5 Sports 11 Feature 6-7 Spotlight 12 Variety Contact Us Please keep all letters to the Editor at 250 words or under. All letters that exceed the limit are subject to editing. @TheBengalsPurr Facebook.com/TheBengalsPurr Web: www.thebengalspurr.com E-mail: bengalspurr@lewistonschools.net Phone: (208) 748-3126 Fax: (208) 748-3365 Mail: Room 103, 1114 9th Ave., Lewiston ID 83501

Op/Ed 3

Friday, December 20

Purrcussion mckennaanderson webpageeditor

Bass drops and new sounds float melodically throughout the stereo speakers, bumping loudly to a beat that “Can’t Be Tamed.”

Miley Cyrus, an icon recently known world-wide for her excessive “twerking” and scandalous award show acts released her new album Bangerz, Oct. 4. The album mixes different genres varying from rap,

Miley Cyrus: “Bangerz”

to R&B, to hip hop and even love ballads.

The album showed a side of the Video Music Awards performer not to be expected, with songs like “Adore You” and “Maybe You’re Right”, which revealed her softer side rather than exploiting her rear end on a camera and dancing with giant teddy bears. Cyrus shows the world her more wild side, with the song “Bangerz (SMS)” featuring iconic diva Britney Spears.

The record’s variety between songs proves it to be easy listening for anyone.

Don’t Rock The Boat alexboatman senioreditor

Born an only child, I lack the trials and tribulations that siblings share throughout life. However, this August I adopted 30 brothers and five parents, from my participation on the Lewiston football team. For the past two and a half months, my teammates and I endured trial upon trial.

Football, as Coach Shawn Nilsson says, represents life. The more I think about it, the more I believe it. I know this sounds corny, but we went through the best of times and the worst of times. This season, our team experienced a lot of highs and a lot of lows, but we never gave up.

Just like any other family, we experienced yelling and punishment

that adults do with the mistakes we made. As teammates, we experienced great times, a lot of jokes, stories, brotherhood and shared experiences. We even went through some pretty rough stretches that involved shouting and hitting. At the end of the day we remained a family.

I recommend that anyone considering trying out for a team sport should do so. You gain valuable life skills, you make friends that last forever and you become part of a family.

As you move on in life, you and your teammates go separate ways, but you never forget each other. You will always share a special bond that outsiders might not ever understand.

While I will miss wearing the jersey and running out on the field, the things I will miss the most are my coaches and teammates.

Although packed full of high notes and low bass, most songs contain an overbearing amount of repetition. Choruses play over and over again, sounding as if Cyrus stopped caring once she sang through the second verse. This major flaw encouraged listeners to hit the “next” button after hearing the lyrics, “Love, Money, Party” 23 times.

Aside from the repetitive notes and verses, Bangerz’ upbeat sound and bass drops cause listeners to jump off their seats and dance. Audiences, expect to

Where Are They Now?

hear these songs on the radio, at dances and maybe even in an elevator.

From upbeat tunes to slow sounds, Bangerz brings a sense of party to those who listen. However, due to explicit content, the album happens to be not recommended for professional outings or the ears of small children. Downloaded or not, keep an ear out for Bangerz’ rhythm in just about any establishment.

Overall, this album deserves 3.5 out of 5 stars.

of the rise of social media during the 21st first century, dating has died. Suddenly, girls can Facebook-stalk their crushes and boys can simply text girls instead of initiating real conversation.

With the mask of social media taking the place of the traditional dating scenario, the meaning of “boyfriend” and ‘girlfriend’ changed as well. In the ‘50s, boys gave their girlfriends their class rings to announce to the world the seriousness of the relationship.

But now, how does a couple announce that they’re “going steady?” They don’t. Instead of holding the official title of boyfriend and girlfriend, the relationship hangs in limbo. breederry In the 21st century, more and more coueditorinchief ples have “things” instead of going steady.

“Are you a parking ticket? ‘Cause “You may fall from the sky, you may you’ve got ‘FINE’ written all over you!” fall from a tree, but the best way to It’s commonly known that not all men are fall... is in love with me.” So the unexactly ladies men. Summoning up the co- answered question is this: What is a jones to ask a girl to a dance or on a date thing? What does that silly ambiguous can be difficult, and while cheesy pick- word actually mean? Let’s clarify this. up lines are fun, they don’t exactly work.

A thing stands for a common liking of And after the initial ask, the pressure is each other. That’s it. So what happens suddenly increased for the man (ahem, when your partner hooks up with anboy) to execute a perfect, memorable, other person? That’s where the problem giggle-inducing date. Most girls are ex- lies. Due to the obscurity of the situapecting a gentleman who opens the tion, both parties don’t know how to act. door, compliments them, and doesn’t So here we are, in the 21st century, with offer those awkward sexual innuendos. cell phones that are controlled by eye “Can I borrow a kiss? I promise I’ll movement and cars that help steer while give it right back.” And maybe, just driving. With all this technological admaybe, the man-boy will walk his date to vancement, we seemed to have retrothe door (where her family is awkward- graded in at least in the dating world. ly watching from behind the curtain), So let’s clarify this thing situation. and he’ll get the kiss. If all goes well and Nothing is fun or easy when you’re conthe girl’s head isn’t too far in her own stantly guessing where you stand. Guys, derriere, she’ll realize what a catch she when you like a girl, man up and talk has and the relationship will continue. to her in person. Girls, don’t be afraid If it was still the 1950s, or even the to define the relationship (DTR), or 1970s, the couple may date a few more even start the conversation yourself. times, get married and have babies.

“If a fat man puts you in a bag at night, End of story. But recently, this sim- don’t worry. I told Santa I wanted you ple formula for courtship has changed. for Christmas.”

“Is stalking still cute?” As a result All cheesy pick-up lines are courtesy of Gotlines.com

Dating Rules

4 Sports

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Cheerleaders prepare for spotlight breederry editorinchief

“Leaders aren’t born… they are made.

And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal,” said Vince Lombardi, previous football coach for the Green Bay Packers. For the Lewiston High School (LHS) cheerleaders, this leadership resulted from dozens of routines, months of practice and hundreds of sporting events. And while preparing to cheer at football and basketball games, the cheerleaders still worked to perfect their routine for the 2014 district competition at the University of Idaho, Feb. 8.

“This year’s a little different,” said Coach Heidi Hagen. Previously, the Bengal cheerleaders performed at the district competition, but never competed against other teams in order to attend the state competition due to the size of LHS. “We’ve always had our own category,” said Hagen. But in the upcoming 2014 competition, officials combined districts one, two and three. “I’m expecting to go out and do our best,” she said.

In most other high school sports, if a team loses a game its members typically still receive an opportunity to re-

deem themselves in upcoming games, depending on when the loss occurs in the season. In cheerleading, Hagen explained how the performances differed from the average sporting event.

“It’s who performs flawlessly that day.

We get one chance,” she said. For the team, this added a whole new level of pressure. “You’re just so worried that you’re going to mess up. If one person messes up, it affects the whole team,” said Dylon Russell, senior cheerleader.

With academic struggles in the past year keeping him from competing, Russell said he looks forward to his first and only trip to the state competition in March. “This team will have a lot of fire behind them. They have the passion and the drive,” said Hagen.

She started coaching LHS cheer 2008 and last year helped the team to earn fourth place in the state competition.

Even with their hard work and dedication, the cheerleaders never won the state title, but hoped to earn the championship this year with a small junior varsity (JV) group that planned to perform in the competition alongside the larger varsity team.

“We felt like we could build a sounder, more competitive team with less,” said Hagen. Only 10 seniors occupied

10 spots on the team, and all had been there since sophomore year. When combining both the JV and varsity team, a total of 24 cheerleaders hoped to compete. Hagen felt that by joining the two teams in the state competition, the members had an opportunity to build friendship and camaraderie. “We’re legit a family,” said Erika Mullikin, senior.

When competing for the state title, cheerleaders participated in multiple categories. To win the title, they must perfect not only their main performance, but also their sideline cheer and pom dance. For the past three years Highland High School in Pocatello held the state title. “They’re all in sync,” said Mullikin.

With their main performance nearly complete, the cheer team planned to spend time improving their skills.

“We have to be willing to work together [to win],” Mullikin said. Hagen planned for the routine to be complete by Jan. 1, and hoped to perform it at the annual Lewiston vs. Clarkston Golden Throne game Jan. 11.

With nearly two months between the cheerleaders and their state competition, nerves ran high. “Knowing that F. Evans what you do, right there, can cost you the championship, is something else,” Cheerleaders pump up the crowd against Mullikin said. “It’s really intimidating.”

Clarkston Tuesday, Dec. 10, in Booth Hall.

Sports 5

Friday, December 20

Lady Bengals remain undefeated; boys fall short Lady Bengals improve undefeated record to 9-0 Boys basketball defeats Kellogg Wildcats alexboatman senioreditor

F. Evans

Lady Bengals prepared for their home opener against the Lakeland Hawks in the Inland Cellular Shootout Friday, Nov. 22 at Booth Hall.

alexboatman senioreditor

Lady Bengal basketball defeated the Coeur d’Alene Vikings in a league matchup Tuesday, Dec. 17, in Coeur d’Alene.

After a last-second three-point attempt by the Vikings fell short, the Bengals walked out of Jordan Court with a 49-46 victory. Junior Lynzee Wilson led the Bengals with 11 points, while senior Paige Wells added with nine of her own. The Bengals’ guard play dominated the game, knocking down eight of their three-point attempts compared to the Vikings’ two. The Bengals’ post players showed their dominance over Coeur d’Alene’s out-rebounding them 25-12.

With the win, the Bengals improved their already undefeated record to 9-0 and 2-0 in Inland League play. They now control their own destiny in the race for the Inland Empire League title and the right to host the district tournament.

“Going on the road and beating Coeur d’Alene was great,” said Head Coach Pat Teichmer. “We have a great group of kids. They work hard, have great attitudes and have fun.”

With the holidays approaching, the girls plan to take a break for a week and will recommence play in the Avista Holiday Tournament over the weekend of Dec. 27. The Lewist-Clark State CollegeActivity Center plans to host the event, with the Clarkston Bantams, Walla Walla Blue Devils and Colfax Bulldogs.

Lewiston Bengal boys’ basketball defeated the Kellogg Wildcats 5737 Saturday, Dec. 14, and improved their record to a 2-3 season overall.

After the first-quarter buzzer sounded, the Bengals trailed 6-9. For the rest of the game LHS never looked back, dropping 51 points over the next three quarters, while the Wildcats only managed to score 28. Vince Hewett, senior, led all Bengal scorers with 14 points, while junior Kyle Whitlock added another 11 points, nine of which came from behind the arc.

Both teams struggled from the foul stripe, shooting only 50 percent. The Bengals took charge of the game with their 3-point shooting, in which they scored eight 3-pointers. Kellogg only connected with six of their 3-point attempts.

“We have struggled this year at times, but we are still trying to find our identity as a team,” said Head Coach Corey Williams. “I think we can surprise some people in the Inland Empire League because none of the other teams expect much from us.”

The Bengals planned for a break over the holiday season and to recomence for the Avista Holiday Tournament in Booth Hall at 2:30 p.m. over the weekend of Dec. 27. Other teams that plan

to participate in the tournament include the Clarkston Bantams, Walla Walla Blue Devils and Colfax Bulldogs.

“The lack of varsity experience hurts us sometimes, but we are improving and getting better every day,” said senior guard, Jaydan Kaufman.

F. Evans

Bengal boys prepared to play the Clarkston Bantams Tuesday, Dec. 10 at Booth Hall.

Wrestlers possess high hopes for new season chloekirk reporter

The Bengal wrestlers returned to begin a new 2013-2014 season with 18 of last year’s state qualifying wrestlers.

“We have a different feel this year and it seems like we’re going to do pretty good,” said Coach Dan Maurer. Returning state placers included juniors Bryce Parson, first (132 lbs.), Ryan Klemp, first place (145 lbs.), Drake Randall, fourth

place (126 lbs), and Marshall Bowen, sixth place (120 lbs.) as well as senior Johnny Kenyon, second place (138 lbs).

Their first step toward a successful season started off with the Capitol Boise tournament Dec. 14 in Capitol High school. With a rare loss for Parson and Klemp missing due to family matters, the team place fourth in the 32-team Buck’s Bags Invitational at Capitol High.

Sophomore, Trevor Rigney (98 lbs.), junior Reece Baldwin (195 lbs.), and senior Karsen Walker (182 lbs), survived the tour-

nament undefeated with a record of 6-0.

In the upcoming season, sophomore Reese Bergen and Klemp stated that Centennial High proved to be their biggest competition.

“They’re the team to beat,” said Maurer.

Bergen, Klemp and freshman Alex Light hoped for winning results in the State Competition, set for Feb. 22 in Pocatello. “I’m going to be honest,”said Light.“I’m no Bryce Parson, Ryan Klemp, or John Kenyon. My goal is to hopefully win, and I’m going to practice and work as hard as I can to win state.”

In the previous season, the Bengals

placed fourth at the state competition.

This past year marked their fifth placement in state in the last six years, and their fourth straight placement in the top four.

Parson in particular appeared to be fired up about the state competition. Entering last year’s district tournament, he entered with a record of 48-0. However, in the finals in the district finals Parson lost to a player who he previously beat multiple times in the season. The following week, Parson turned around and beat him at state. “Just one little scratch on his record,” Maurer said.

See more sports online at

www.thebengalspurr.com F. Evans

Both juniors Ryan Klemp (left) and Reece Baldwin (right) clinched matches against two Logger state champions at Potlatch Junior-Senior High School Tuesday, Dec. 17.

F. Evans

6 Spotlight

Spotlight 7

Friday, December 20 THE BENGAL’S PURR

Anonymity: Time to ‘ask’ society a question “You should kill yourself.”

“You don’t deserve to live.”

“Nobody likes you, and you should leave town.”

“Why do you even try?”

Comprehending this level of harassment evokes questions of where human morals truly lie. In a world where cowardice and anonymity show connoted signs of weakness, teens use namelessness as a negative source of strength in an expanding social media application (app) called Ask.fm.

On Ask.fm, a social networking site and application popular with older kids and teens, users ask and answer each other’s anonymous questions. The app created as a fun, care-free game turned into a beacon for cyberbullying, and a culprit for multiple teen suicides.

As of April 2012, Ask.fm acquired 5 million registered us-

ers. Just one year later, the site expanded to 50 million users, according to the Ask.fm official Twitter page. The negativity and harshness of the anonymous users on the application concludes the inevitable fact that the app needs to be deleted.

Twelve-year-old Rebecca Sedwick of Lakeland, Fla., killed herself Sept. 9 by jumping off a cement factory tower. According to a police report from Lakeland authorities, a group of 15 girls “terrorized” her for months through online message boards and texts, as well as Ask.fm. One anonymous statement posted towards Sedwick on the app encouraged her to “drink bleach and die.’’

In a statement regarding the multiple teen suicides which involved the site, Ask.fm staff released a statement saying that the app actively “encourages users and their parents to report

any incidences of bullying,” either by using the in-site reporting button, or the website’s contact page. “All reports are read by our team of moderators to ensure that genuine concerns are heard and acted upon immediately -and we always remove content reported to us that violates our Terms of Service,” the statement added. However, in an LHS survey on bullying, 51.9 percent of students reported that they knew a victim of cyberbullying… yet only a mere 19.5 percent reported themselves as victims of cyberbullying. So why the huge difference in statistical numbers?

Due to the severity and sometimes awkwardness of questions users receive, not all teens openly report violations of Ask. fm rules. Whether the lack of reported instances results from fear or intimidation remains unclear.

Some positive compliments

shine through the negativity of majority of the questions asked on the app. However, the negative and degrading posts heavily outweigh the positive ones. No rules or regulations recently added to this terrorizing website make it positive, therefore, the app needs to be shut down. Suicides of troubled, scared and harassed teens ought to be enough to repeal the site…but apparently not.

People argue that the app promotes honesty, and that people use the app as a fun past time.

Also, people argue that in order for others to avoid offense from users on Ask.fm, “Then they shouldn’t create one (an account),” said Lewiston High School junior Lauren Martin.

However, some people create accounts simply for awareness of posts about themselves. In this case, no clear solution surfaces.

Once a user views a harmful ques-

tion, then the damage is done.

Without sufficient safety and bullying rules and regulations, the app holds the power to destroy teenage lives and cause stress or even suicide. Delete the app. Delete the stress. Delete the potential of lost lives.

Ask.fm needs to be shut down permanently, whether the idea proves to be of user interest, or not. The app follows kids to school and to home, making them feel attacked and cornered. Because of Ask.fm, families lost sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins, and grandchildren. Students lost their friends. Teachers lost students. These deaths…are they not enough to shutdown a website and cellphone application?

When honesty transforms to wickedness, what other solution appears than to repeal the phenomenon, and hide the harmful truth? -F.E.

Staff Editorial

How does cyber bullying affect students at Lewiston High School?

The Bengal’s Purr issued a survey to 77 LHS students Dec. 4 regarding cyberbullying. Twenty-eight sophomores, 28 juniors and 21 seniors participated in the anonymous survey.

21 52 Facebook Ask.fm Twitter

percent of students said that they experienced bullying in the past six months. percent of those surveyed knew a victim of cyberbullying.

49 percent of those surveyed reported Facebook as the most harassing social media site.

23 percent of students surveyed suffered from cyberbullying through anonymous questions on Ask. 17 percent of students experienced harassment on Twitter.

Nathaniel Ady, reporter

Why does this matter?

1

Cyberbullying is not exclusive to just computers. With access to a modern cell phone or a seventh or eighth generation video game console (PlayStation 3, XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 4, XBOX One, Nintendo WiiU and Steam Machine), both bullies and victims can participate in the harrasing behavior.

2

Even with administration boards monitoring social media sites for reports of harassment, the public forum allows for multiple users to view the material quickly.

3 definingMerriam - Webster defines cyberbullying as the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a perBecause of how quickly the material spreads, attempting to remove the material can be difficult and nearly impossible.

son, often done anonymously.

Abe Wesselman, reporter

What is your opinion on cyberbullying?

. . . . .

“It makes school less fun.”

“It ruins people’s lives...”

“It does make me mad. If it’s online, people getting bullied should just get off those sites.” “[It makes] me be more careful online.”

“My dog gets bullied on his MySpace.”

Anonymous LHS students

9 News

Friday, December 20

Students embrace winter spirit Crochet club warms chilly season laurenreitz senioreditor

Continuing the 23-year tradition of the Christmas Afghan, Shana Dinges, psychology teacher, planned to raffle the Christmas afghan in the Lewiston High School (LHS) auditorium, Friday Dec. 20.

In addition, the combined efforts of Dinges, crochet club members and other Lewiston residents produced several afghans to be donated to the YWCA shelter in Lewiston.

“They’re really made by any-

one who wants to help,” Dinges explained. The money earned from raffle ticket sales also went to LHS’ dual enrollment fund along with the other afghans.

“They work on the afghans while I work on the Christmas orders,” said Dinges in reference to the orders of hats, scarves and gloves that students ordered this holiday season. Dinges personally crocheted each of the 142 orders, which included “the big seller,” a large number of Despicable Me-inspired “minion” hats.

“My favorite part is always taking the afghan and check down to the shelters because that’s when they [the students] understand how important and appreciated their efforts are,” Dinges beamed.

Members of crochet club worked this holiday season in order to keep the 23-year-old Christmas tradition alive; a task rewarding for those involved.

Students rewarded for winter game abigailkennick reporter

The Bengal’s Purr recognized f o u r students who submitted photos for its first-ever hunting photo competition Monday, Dec. 9.

Black Sheep Sporting Goods awarded mummy sleeping bags to the two first place winners, juniors Kade Woods and Ryan Kiely. Woods submitted a photo of 650-pound, 6- by 5-point elk and Kiely submitted one of a 190-pound, 9- by 8-point mule deer.

In second place junior Jordan Weldy entered the contest with a 604-pound, 5- by 6-point elk and received a $30 gift card to Tri-State Outfitters. Also in second place, sophomore Jesse Watson submitted his photo of a 4- by 4-point whitetail. He received a Tribute Kendama from Black Sheep.

The Bengal’s Purr awarded senior Justin Wuethrich with the honorable

mention, Joe Bengal’s Big Catch. He submitted caught a 36.5 inch steelhead and received a certificate of recognition.

courtesy of J. Wuethrich

Senior, Justin Wuethrich, holds his 36.5 inch steelhead for which he recieved honorable mention.

Change arrives with winter season Student body votes for Sadie Hawkins kinseyrichardson reporter

The LHS senior leadership class planned for the annual Winter Ball to be a Sadie Hawkin’s dance starting at 8 p.m and ending at 11 p.m at the Elks Lodge, Jan. 11.

On Nov. 5, the LHS student body voted on the Winter Ball/Sadie Hawkin’s dance decision. In second hour homeroom classes, students voted on whether they preferred a traditional Winter Ball, an informal version, a classic Sadie Hawkin’s or a formal Sadie Hawkin’s dance.

In the past, the Associated Student Body (ASB) discussed the cost of Winter Ball compared to the popularity of the dance. The main argument against a formal Winter Ball resulted from the cost of attending and conducting three formal dances per year.

Students chose an informal Sadie Hawkin’s where the girl asks the boy to the dance. ASB hopes to save the entire student body money with the informal aspect of the dance. As a result of the informality, students no longer need to purchase corsages, boutonnieres, dresses or tuxedoes.

Cafeteria offers new burger line nathancreitz reporter

Cafeteria staff collaborated with Jody Hoff, Lewiston School District food and health supervisor, to add a burger bar for students, which began Dec. 1.

The LHS food services staff decided to change the sub sandwich line into a hamburger bar each Tuesday and Thursday. The change allows students to pick from a selection of different vegetables, and decide whether or not the cooks add cheese to their burgers.

“We decided to change the line due to the decline, and we believed that

the introduction of hamburgers to line would bring students back to the line,” said Tracy Spedden, head kitchen cook. The decision on the change happened during November.

Hoff also helped with the decision to add the burger bar. Spedden said that when they asked Hoff about the decision she chose hamburger, because she believed them to be the healthiest choice for their amounts of nutrients.

As of Dec. 3, cooks saw a rise in attendance in the line. It remained unclear whether the line would continue after the month of December.

Community discusses freshmen move to LHS mckennaanderson webeditor

Thurs. Nov. 14 the Lewiston School District held one of two meetings which considered the jump from a 10th grade through 12th grade school to the common standard of ninth grade through 12th grade school.

Those who attended included the community members, students, Lewiston High School (LHS) alumni and district staff members to hear about the ideas and concerns of moving freshmen to the high school. Teachers and employees from the district showed up to speak at the meeting including people such as Kevin Driskill, LHS principal; Joanne Greer, Jenifer Junior High principal; and Robert Donaldson, Lewiston School District

superintendent. Each attendee presented arguments regarding why LHS deserved to be a part of the big leagues, alongside 85 percent of the high schools in the U.S. that include ninth graders in their populations.

What about the lack of space at the high school? The big question, currently unanswered, surfaced throughout the meeting: How would the additional students comfortably fit in LHS’s current building? The gathering gave the public insight on the idea of having this kind of change in the community. However, the district provided no concrete plan to move forward in the idea of moving ninth graders to the high school.

Reporter Mary Everett contributed to this report.

10 Entertainment

he adventure continues T breederry editor in chief

Deadly elves and fiery dragons race across the movie screen as dwarves fought to regain their homeland in Peter Jackson’s newest film, The Desolation of Smaug. While the film premiered Dec. 13 at midnight, fans waited in line for not just two or three hours, but even up to 12 or more hours in anticipation for the sequel to The Hobbit, but the wait proved well worth it for some. A mixture between intense action scenes, stunning graphics and developing plotlines produces a movie that not only wowes audiences, but creates a film with enough power to sit proudly by the other Lord of the Rings films.

J.R.R. Tolkien originally wrote a story about the journey of Bilbo Baggins and a company of 13 dwarves who planned to retake the Lonely Mountain, the traditional dwarven homeland. But Jackson adds a whole new level to the tale.

While the story already contains massive amounts of action, Jackson adds a crazed feeling in the scenes involving hand-to-hand combat through his use of camera angles. For a more dramatic effect, he utilizes a swooping camera angle that not only zooms in on the subject, but circles it and surrounds the character in a birds-eye-view.

When discussing graphics, one must first attempt to walk in the shoes of the director. In the scenes involving the dragon, Smaug, the graphics appear superb and realistic. From the blink of his eye to the glow of his fire, Smaug emits a serpent-like evil that has the power to frighten younger audiences. And because of the fantasy that so deeply embeds itself into the story, it seems that almost no choices remained other than to animate most of the movie.

But where Smaug exhibits masterful display

of time and skill, other parts involving the animation fall short. At times, the scene feels almost like watching a video-game.

If audiences wish to see an example of unnecessary graphics, one need not look any farther than the Elvin Gate on the edge of the Murkwood Forest. The gate appears fake and plastic-like, almost as much as the characters themselves. When Gandolf the Grey, played impeccably by Ian McKellen, orders that the ponies be set loose to return to their master, the shot zooms out. The ponies begin to look gray and un-textured, while the characters themselves absorb the smooth look of video game characters.

Other than the over-used graphics, the film proves to be interesting and captivating. With a large personal bias that The Hobbit lacked a plot, and felt obvious with few exciting moments, this particular audience member actually felt entranced with the characters and the story lines found in The Desolation of Smaug.

The introduction of Sarron and his origins not only ties The Hobbit and The Desolation of Smaug to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but adds a captivating twist to the movie as well.

As the swords clash and the dragon breath burns, the tale of The Hobbit continues on. Its sequel, The Desolation of Smaug, serves as a perfect plot clarifier, and adequately ties this particular story into that of the original, beloved, trilogy. While this particular movie only covers the discovery and angering of Smaug, it entrances viewers with semi-fantastic graphics and superb acting. The Desolation of Smaug earned a four and a half out of five stars, though, due to its cheesy and unnecessary use of graphics at times.

THE BENGAL’S PURR

“Gadzooks, Batman!”

Promising video game falls short nathancreitz reporter

DC Comics first introduced the legendary Batman to American households in 1939. The new video game Batman Arkham Origins creates a different storyline original while also sticking to the original.

Batman Arkham Origins, set prior to Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, shows a younger, more refined Batman, who tends to care less about people’s safety, and more about justice. The game also shows Batman’s first time meeting the psychotic and deranged villain, The Joker. In Batman Arkham Origins the player controls Batman, while Black Mask, a Gotham crime lord, hires eight assassins, Killer Croc, Firefly, Copperhead, Deathstroke, the Electricutioner, Shiva Bane and Deadshot to kill Batman. Whoever succeeds in killing Batman wins the reward of 50 million dollars. Madness ensues and the player sets out to stop each assassin before they harm the city.

The core gameplay mechanics serve as a weakness in the game. The character movement appears very fast and fluid when flying around Gotham and even when climbing up the largest towers ever designed. The main problem with the mechanics occurs when the player constantly travels back and forth in the city in order to complete some of the most mundane tasks.

While the fighting proves to be one of the best hand-to-hand styles to date, it feels the same as the previous game and tends to be repetitive, due to the two-button system. The gamer presses X (square on PlayStation) to harm or stun an enemy.

For a counter attack, the player triggers Y

(triangle on PlayStation) in order to harm the enemy before hitting the player.

After a while the game changes to a more stealthy approach as the player climbs atop pillars to hide from enemies armed with guns and explosives. If the player dies, the game requires the player to restart at some inconvenient points, such as atop the pillar that the player had just died on or two to three checkpoint away.

The setting of the game (Gotham), has a lot of potential but sadly fails. The game designers spent many hours creating the city, but the small size and awkward spacing caused traversing the city to become very annoying.

The city also contains the same areas in Batman Arkham City with a slight change in scenery, but the change in the city does not help the game in some points and even harms the gaming experience.

The addition of the boss fights adds a more entertaining experience; after each mission or sequence a boss fight commences, each of them occurs in a different area and has different affect on the player. The eight assassins deliver a very interesting story and keep the player’s attention. After a while though, the eight bosses become the same -- four fast and strategic and four of them brutes. Once the player finds the strategies in order to defeat one boss, the rest of them are beaten in the same war.

Although the game’s story happens to be very interesting and entertaining, the game’s repetition causes many of the aspects to become dull and annoying. Because of this problem, Batman Arkham Origins deserves three out of five stars.

50 years of The Doctor The Reaping nathancreitz reporter

Nov. 23, 1963, families all around the world sat by their TVs to tune into the first-ever episode of the new science fiction show Doctor Who. Little did they know, they watched the first episode of the longest-running, and some even say the best, science fiction show to date.

Exactly 50 years later, new generations all around the world tuned in to watch that same show, for the 50th anniversary episode, Nov. 23.

The Doctor, an alien from the distant planet Gallifrey, travels through space and time to save citizens, cities and planets from mass destruction.

Combatants include Cybermen, Weeping Angels and, worst of all, the Daleks.

The Daleks’ one and only goal throughout the series continued to be to control the entire universe and kill or enslave anyone or thing in their way. In the 50th anniversary special, three of the 11 doctors, the Time War Doctor (played

by John Hurt), the 10th Doctor (David Tennent), and the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith), meet unexpectedly in order to face two evils.

When, the Zygons, aliens who recently lost

their planet, attempt to take over the earth in order to save their race, the doctors fix this problem by having the humans and the Zy-

gons discuss the issue, and saving both species .

The second and most difficult problem the Doctor faces proved to be the time war: the war between the time lords and Daleks for the control of the universe, and destruction of the Daleks.

Excluding the impressive cinematography and special effects, the episode containes a well-written script. Stephen Moffat, writer since 2005, creates a plot that catches the audience’s attention from the start and holds them to the very end. The episode produces multiple emotions ranging from excitement to joy to sadness. The three doctors interact and work together perfectly, and the actors of each perform their characters just beautifully.

While the cinematography and special effects for the 50th anniversary exceeds expectations of the audience members, the TV series’ special effects have the tendency to be cheesy and overdone. Once in a while, the effects even ruin one of the episodes because of how ridiculous they look, and a majority of the actors over-do their parts.

The anniversary special is completely different. It mixes the special effects and costume design perfectly and the effects provide the one episode with the ambiance of a full movie, and the filming and cinematography bring the audience along for the ride.

The 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who amazes audiences both new and old. Because of special effects, cinematography and acting the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special deserves five out of five stars.

succeeds mckennaanderson web coordinator

Despair, poverty, anger, determination: words that describe the sudden rush of emotion felt by a tribute when they hear their names called at the reaping. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, released Nov. 22, brings an emotional appeal to its watchers, unlike the first movie.

As Catching Fire scenes play on, they carry you into the story alongside each character’s life and feelings. The pain, the anguish, the guilt and the fear make the 12 Districts of Panem suddenly feel at home in the poverty-stricken conditions.

Jennifer Lawrence, who portrays Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of the series, delivers her character’s bravery and fear attributes flawlessly, not only bringing her to life, but fiercely showing off her talents as an actress.

Josh Hutcherson plays the role of sweet, loving Peeta Mellark. Hutcherson showes his caring, yet brave side, fighting alongside Katniss in the 75th Annual Quarter Quell (a new rendition celebrating their 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games, containing reaped victors from previous games). Others starring in this film fight on screen for love, freedom and to bring down the Capitol. All

play their roles realistically and passionately.

Catching Fire’s wondrous set includes a $150 million budget, according to insidemovies. com, which allows appealing and realistic visual effects. This came right back to the makers after the film earned $296 million in the first 10 days of opening. The budget forged spectacular costumes, visual effects and the perfect area to set the scene of Panem.

From paper to big screen, the makers of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire bring this story to life in the eyes of millions. Overall, it deserves a perfect score of 5 out 5 stars for creativity, emotional and general appeal and the relativity to the book itself. This movie proved not to be one to miss out on.

11 Feature Students’ extracurriculars draw attention

Friday, December 20

Students bring Kendama addic tion to new level breederry editorinchief Once upon a time, students played with a hacky sack in front of the school doors both before and after school. During the year 2013, the “Kendama craze” struck Lewiston High School students. The obsession began with occasional participation and escalated to daily participation and even occured between classes. Recently, students even boosted the craze to a whole new level, earning themselves a sponsorship courtesy of Bear Paw Kendama. Juniors Jake Muñoz and Joe Rigney and sophomore Trevor Rigney enjoyed a discount on Bear Paw products due to the sponsorship.

“I just started playing it and got way too intense with it and posted it on Facebook,” said Muñoz.

In order to earn the scholarship, the boys filmed themselves with the Kendamas and submitted them to Bear Paw Kendama. Muñoz stated that one either needed to complete a set trick list, or show enough talent via video to be considered for the sponsorship.

The Kendama consists of a wooden ball (called the Tama) attached to a handle (called the Ken) with three cups and a spike. Players attempt to not only land the Ken in a cup or on the spike of the Tama, but also to create new and creative tricks.

“It’s not on purpose. You just keep hitting trick and hitting a trick,” said Trevor Rigney.

Tricks range from simple cup tricks and stalls to more complicated, two-turn lighthouse tricks.

He stated that his longest series resulted in 10 or

11 consecutive tricks. Trevor Rigney, Joe Rigney and Muñoz all played together to form the “Lewiston Kendama Crew.”

“You don’t wanna play Kendama alone. ...It’s the competitive aspect,” said Trevor Rigney. While the ‘competitive aspect’ kept the game fun, he agreed that the game held a certain addiction for him. “You just keep wanting to play and to play,” he said.

Muñoz began playing in June, and reached a semi-pro status just recently. He stated that he spent at least 75 hours playing the Kendama.

“It’s hand-eye-coordination,” Muñoz said. As a result of 75 hours worth of playing, Muñoz felt that his batting skills improved for baseball.

While each earned the sponsorship due to talent, their skills in each aspect of Kendama differed. “Each one of us has an ability of expertise,” said Rigney. “[Jake is] really good at cup tricks, Trevor’s really good at hand rolls, and I’m kinda average at all of it.”

With their sponsorship earned from their hard work and talent, the response from the boys appeared to be mixed. “[I’m] not proud at all,” Muñoz said with a chuckle.

But regardless of the pride (or lack thereof ) that accompanies the sponsorship, the Kendama remains a fun way for the boys to pass the time.

Rigney stated that he plans to continue the Kendama in his spare time.

So to all those on the prowl for a new hobby, try the Kendama and see how it fits. “[Just] don’t post it on Facebook, or any other social media sight where your friends can see it,” Muñoz said with a slight blush.

M. Anderson

Keaton Ross, sophomore, practiced with his Kendama on campus Dec. 18 to pass the time.

Behind the Mask

l a g n e Joe B

joebengal schoolmascot Looking through the eyes of Joe Bengal feels more like looking through the mouth of Joe Bengal. In “purr-spective,” obtaining the position of mascot can only be described as a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Beneath the mask and fur walks an average, everyday student. You pass me every day without knowing the true identity of Joe Bengal. Yes, at times it may feel as though I’m a superhero in a crowd of people, but I try not to grow a big head.

Mascoting offered me the opportunity to dance without a care, entertain crowds and, most importantly, to be a part of something bigger than myself, with school spirit at heart. The roar of cheering and laughter from the crowd and pre-game ritual of walking down 11th Street with the cheerleaders and marching band will be imprinted in my mind forever. When thinking of my favorite moment as sporting Joe, I remember when a little girl dressed as a Bengal ran up to me and grabbed my hand. She told me that she dressed as Joe Bengal for Halloween. I always saw her at the football games but never expected to see to see her dress as a tiger. It brought a smile to my face beneath the mask.

But with the monumental advantages to playing the mascot comes a few uncomfortable disadvantages. Students often smack my butt, pull my tail, poke and prod the suit and constantly ask who I am while Bengal Field’s lights dimin-

See more online.

ish my 20/20 vision.

I cannot tell them my true identity, both by choice and, literally due to the mask.

The goal is to entertain and create smiles as well as laughter among the crowd at every game if possible.

But my knees, feet, and back hurt after every game from walking, jumping and dancing. Because of the suit’s extreme temperatures while worn, in my off time, I experience a vast enjoyment for fresh, cool air that is unable to slip past its thick fur during the sports events.

In order to recover, I use a large ice pack for my back and sleep for 11 hours straight. Even with the pain, I continue for the LHS fans.

Overall, the experience of five months as Joe showed me the value of teamwork with both the cheerleaders and the band, teaching endurance inside and outside the suit. Regardless of what life throws at you, be it a bad day, aches and pains, or tail pulling, the mascot suit brings out my school spirit.

For more news, features, & reviews, visit

www.thebengalspurr.com

12Variety before y a d e h t ‘Twas break...

Christmas of yule igh And the spirit in Lewiston H t n e d i v e y l g in Was overwhelm . l o o h Sc with ere decorated w m o o r s s a l c ach The doors to e , e r be ca e judges would h t n e h w r o f t l ui Anticipation b . e r e gly th heir favorite u t n i d e s s e r d e er The students w s r e t a e sw g of s, daydreamin e s s a l c r i e h t n t i W h i l e t h e y hs ae r . t a e w y w o n s stul their unruly o r t n o c o t d e l g Teachers strug , s t n e d

THE BENGAL’S PURR

Unable to manage their classrooms with prud ence.

When out in the halls there arose such a clat ter,

As the bells rang and the children began to scatter.

To the auditorium they made their way, Off to watch the annual Christmas play.

The students sprang out of their seats upon dismissal, And away they all flew like the down of a th istle.

But they heard Driskill exclaim, as they ra n out of sight, “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a goodni ght!”

RULE On the first day of Christmas my ___(adjective)___ love sent to me: 12 __(Occupation, plural)__ __(Verb ending in -ing)__ 11 pipers __(Verb ending in -ing)___ 10 lords a ___(Verb ending in -ing)___ 9 ___(noun, plural)___ dancing 8 ___(Occupation, plural)___ a milking 7 ___(Animal, plural)___ a swimming 6 geese a ___(Verb ending in -ing)___ 5 ___(Adjective)___ rings 4 ___(Verb ending in ing)___ birds 3 ___(Nationality)___hens 2 ___(Adjective)___ ___(Animal, plural)___ and a ___(Noun)___ in a ___(Noun)___ tree

Ugly sweaters Peppermint mochas

Sadie Hawikins

DROOL Hoodies

Pumpkin spice lattes Winter ball