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Christmas Volume 52, Issue 4 December 2011
5
The Face Behind the Words
8
Junk in the Trunk
12
The Kings Have Taken the Court
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December 2011
Students Help Children in Need
l Bishop Kelley students give money and gifts to Catholic Charities Angel Tree project this holiday season BY MADDIE YOUNG Breezeway Staff Writer Waking up Christmas morning in anticipation of all the presents ready to be opened is one of the most exciting feelings for a child. For many, numerous gifts are expected, but for others, Christmas morning doesn’t always mean presents. In 2009 Bishop Kelley joined the Angel Tree program sponsored by Catholic Charities. Similar to the Angel Trees seen at malls sponsored by The Salvation Army, Kelley students give money and gifts to them. Everyone helped is registered with or a client of Catholic Charities, which serves approximately 250 families and 800 children.
“It is a Catholic agency that needs the support of the parishes and schools. I think the biggest reason [we participate] is that we are a diocesan high school and Catholic Charities is a diocesan agency and so we want to support their efforts,” Mrs. Stich said. With the help of all the students, Bishop Kelley provided 60 children with gifts this holiday season. Once assigned a kid, first block classes began bringing in money or items on the child’s wish list. Some classes decided to bring in money then assign a designated shopper to pick up gifts. “My class did a great job collecting money for the angel tree gifts. By Friday, we had $160. I went to Target and got our girl a few outfits, three books, two baby dolls, a floor puzzle, and a board game. I had a lot of fun going out and shopping
for the angel tree. It felt really nice to go out and help someone in our community,” junior Allison Newson said. The purpose of participating in Angel Tree, like many other charities, is to help those who need it and Mrs. Stich feels that as Christians “it is our responsibility to share what we have. It’s not an option.” Students also feel the importance of reaching out. “We are so blessed that we should share our blessings with others. By donating money or gifts you are brightening a kid’s Christmas and providing them a present to unwrap, when otherwise they likely wouldn’t have anything to open,” junior Kaela Little said. The Kelley students see the importance of giving, especially during the holiday season, but Mrs. Stich also hopes they get
Dress Code Exposed BY ARIEL MACKEY Breezeway Staff Writer Imagine you are walking down the main hallway and spotted, Mr. Pratt makes eye contact with you. This morning you chose to wear your shorter skirt and illegal socks and now you have to pay the price, literally. You are called into the office to kneel down and get your skirt measured. Now you owe $5. “We tried to really communicate what we needed as far as skirt length at orientation this year but still ended up with a lot of short skirts as school started,” Mr. Pratt said. Although some girls think the main office is out to get them; the office actually just want you to follow the dress code. “The last thing we want is to have to issue fines or remove girls from class. Even having to check skirt lengths in the office is cumbersome and something we would rather not do,” Mr. Pratt explained. With the coming of the second semester, the administration will once again try to right the wrongs of
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the ladies with short skirts in our school. “Unfortunately I forsee another fairly strong disciplinary reaction coming on this issue with fines and removal from class fully in place until the problem is rectified.I would think simply reminding our ladies of the policy should take care of it before we have to result to disciplinary action. If there are other ideas out there, I would be glad to hear them,” Mr. Pratt stated. As students with a uniform, some take advantage of accessories to express individuality. Scarves, necklaces, earrings and headbands are among the accessories that are appropriate for school. “Not only are scarves comfy and warm, but I love to spice up my uniform a little bit so I look different than everyone else,” senior Haley Poarch said. However, there has been a recent rumor that scarves were not allowed with the uniform. “There is no current policy on scarves, however if they start to become a distraction or take away from dress code we will go to no scarves during the school day,” Mr. Pratt explained. The most troubling topic to the administration is free dress. The administration would like to clarify their
something out of the experience. “I think it is a good way for everyone in the class to get into the giving spirit of Christmas instead of just focusing on the receiving part. I hope it is a way for students and teachers to look at this as a community effort to benefit others,” Mrs. Stich
“We are so blessed that we should share our blessings with others.” -Mrs. Stich
l Pratt clears up dress code rules
stance on leggings. Free Dress Dress Code Policy states: “Tunics or other cover-ups of appropriate length should be worn with leggings or tights.” This means that if your skirt, shirt, or hoodie is not the same length as your uniform skirt, it is too short. “Lead them not into temptation,” Fr. Kerry Wakulich explained. Many teachers teachers have a straight forward attitude toward our dress code. “If you wouldn’t wear it without leggings, do not wear it with leggings,” Ms. Bailey McBride said. With the oncoming rain and snow, girls may feel the need to wear trendy shoes such as Uggs or rain boots. Both these shoes are acceptable, however, “Rain boots may only be worn outside. Black or brown boots such as uggs may be worn with the pant legs on the outside, not tucked in. Boots may not be worn with skirts,” Mr. Pratt explained. Lastly, blankets are not a part of our dress code. Although it is very cold outside, when one dons a blanket people may confuse you for a hobo. “Blankets are not acceptable outerwear. Students may not move about campus wrapped in a blanket,” Mr. Pratt said.
Breezeway
2011
The Bishop Kelley Year in Review BY MICHAEL DUKE
Breezeway Staff Writer
January
February
March
April
Snowpocalypse and Br. Anthony arrives
Once Upon a Mattress
Spring Break mission trip: St. Louis
Prom and Br. Alvaro visit
May
June
July
August
State Champions:
Class of 1961 50th anniversary
Selected sports move to 6A
Mr. Feilmeier and new faculty members arrive
September
October
November
December
Hudson is fixed
Volleyball 6A State, Homecoming, & Okie Earthquake
The Nearly Impossible Task is completed
New Bishop Kelley Mascot
Boys & Girls Soccer, Baseball
and Graduation
bkbreezeway.com
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December 2011
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,
Revealed BY ISABEL DOBRIN Breezeway Staff Writer Earlier last month, The Breezeway staff asked students to fill out a survey regarding all things Christmas. In the survey, students were asked to name their favorite Christmas movie and song and then their favorite place to see light displays. Unanimously, “Elf,” “Jingle Bells” and Rhema took first place in their respective categories. Then, students were also asked to describe what they thought was the true meaning of Christmas. The responses? Each individual and more abstract than the last. “To spend time with loved ones,” and “the birth of Jesus,” were both thrown in the mix, and even the “I’m Jewish,” response was used. As Catholics, we are in the season of expectation for Christ, or Advent, but in what is supposed to be a time of preparing for the coming of Christ into history, society has created a consumerist season instead. “Our culture doesn’t experience Advent, [it] goes directly to Christmas,” Father Kerry Wakulich said. “[People] go to a distorted form of Christmas, a materialistic form, not a spiritual form.”
Wakulich pointed out that the hype about the Christmas season now starts on Black Friday. “For most of our culture it’s about buying presents and throwing holiday parties. It should be about our Lord, about Him coming in the flesh,” he said. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, during Advent “[The Church] makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior’s first coming, the faithful renew ardent desire for his second coming.” That doesn’t quite mean preparing by camping out in front of Best Buy for days to get an Xbox. It means preparing spiritually and emotionally. “We should hold off on celebrating Christmas until it’s actually here and we should be ‘examining our lives to see what in our hearts is a barrier for Christ to enter’ as the Pope has said,” Wakulich explained. The Catechism states it in the plainest of words: “He must increase but I must decrease.” Christmas, at the end of the day, is more than holiday songs and movies; it is Christ, born in the flesh, and a time for all of us to remember and prepare for His first coming. “If we prepare for it and experience it, we’ll come to know the true meaning of Christmas: God entering salvation history,” Wakulich said.
Jackets Cause a Racket l BK Students Battle Faculty on which Jackets Are Acceptable BY TAYLOR GAJAN Breezeway Staff Writer You head out the door in the morning and it’s so chilly you have to scrape the ice off of your car. You put on your favorite BK football hoodie but that just does not seem to cut it. You are still shivering. So you grab your Northface. As you walk into the main building to first block you run into a teacher “Go put your jacket in your locker,” she says. You have to walk all the way to the other side of the hall and you end up being late to class. This happens to many BK students daily. It is so cold outside we should be able to wear other jackets over our uniform into the building and cafeteria. Especially if we forgot a jacket while it’s snowing outside and our only option is the jacket we left in our car.
For many students, the problem isn’t about uniformity, it’s about keeping our bodies from frostbite. The variety of jackets in our school store will never be as good as the jackets in our closet. I’m not saying that we should be able to wear cardigans and blazers over our school shirts or girls should be able to wear sweatpants under our skirts, but I think that we should be able to at least wear our “warm” jackets in the cafeteria without having to put them on a table or in our locker. Many times I have worn my jacket into the cafeteria and a teacher has caught me and told me to put it on the table and he said next time I had my jacket he would make me put it in my locker. If I put it in my locker then I would not have a jacket to wear in between classes when I go outside. The purpose of wearing a jacket would be pointless. Students should be able to wear their other jackets into the cafeteria or into first block as long as they take them off during class.
Photo by Max Sanders
Bishop Kelley High School 3905 South Hudson Avenue Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135 (918) 627-3390 Ext: 174 The Breezeway welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed, but The Breezeway will withhold names upon request. The Breezeway has the right to accept, reject, or edit any letter at any time and will not run personal attacks. Non-bylined editorials are the opinions held by The Breezeway staff but are not necessarily the opinion of the adviser or administrators. The Breezeway provides an open forum for students and staff and strives to present news in an unbiased and timely fashion. The Breezeway has the right to accept, reject, edit, or cancel any advertisement at any time. Ads which the staff accepts are not an endorsement of the paper, the staff, the adviser, or the administrator. Some material is courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/ MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service.
Breezeway Staff Maddie Young- Editor-in-Chief Max Sanders- Art Director Isabel Dobrin- News Editor Taylor Gajan- Sports Editor Ben Herndon- Online Editor Todd Fernandez- Feature Editor Bailey McBride-Adviser
Cover Photo by Max Sanders
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December 2011
The Face Behind the Words l Does @BKProblems cause @BKTrouble?
BY TODD FERNANDEZ Breezeway Staff Writer Twitter is a social networking site, but you probably already knew that. Many students have Twitter, but probably already knew that too. But did you know that there are three students that go to Bishop Kelley who run a Twitter account that unveils the truthful woes of being a Kelley student? And that the three who run this Twitter walk the halls the same halls you do everyday and eat the same chicken on Wednesday as you have eaten? Perhaps you have seen them in the hall, even talked to them, and had no idea. Do you know who @BKProblems is? @BKProblems is a Twitter account created by a Kelley student that privately tweets the ups and downs of being a BK student. “I created @BKProblems just because you see everyone mentioning a problem in their tweets and it’s just a good place for everyone to come and share a common problem,” the creator of @BKProblems said. @BKProblems was originally run by only the creator, but now it is a group of three students. The creator got help to keep the account up and running from some of his/her friends. “Though I’ve known who the original creator is for quite awhile, I was just recently given the password to @BKProb-
lems. They(the creator) decided it was too much for just one person to keep up so they entrusted a couple people to keep the secret and help keep the account running,” a contributer of @BKProblems said. The Twitter account has caused many laughs and smiles to Kelley students and teachers alike because of the truth behind the tweets. “When I first saw @BKProblems on Twitter I read the first few tweets and was laughing hysterically. My first thought was ‘what genius came up with this magical idea’,” sophomore Danny Slagle said. “I think it says a lot about our school when the biggest problem someone has is that their socks are the wrong ones,” said Bishop Kelley President Fr. Brian O’Brien. Though tweets can be humorous and true, some students have tweeted to @ BKProblems about specific teachers. And the same members of the faculty are not happy. “Even though I find most of them funny, I do not like the ones that personally attack or make fun of teachers, it’s just rude and insensitive. Students need to realize that what they post on the Internet, especially tweets and Facebook posts can get them in trouble,” Brother Anthony Elfering said. As for Dean of Students Jeff Pratt, @ BKProblems as a Twitter account is not a problem. It is some of the tweets that have caused reason for concern.
“I don’t have any serious concerns with @BKProblems. I just don’t want any students to make a poor choice on what or when they write and get in trouble. Students should not be making entries during the school day. They should not make any remarks that would publicly disgrace BK. Students should not make any disparaging comments about faculty, staff or other students. Any legitimate concerns that students have should be taken to an administrator and we will do our best to correct the situation. Twitter is not the place to have those discussions,” Pratt said. @BKProblems assures that the Twitter account is “surely not meant to offend any faculty members.” “I’ve personally heard a teacher talk about @BKProblems and they seemed mad that the account even exists,” @BKProblems said. “We simply say what everyone is thinking.” And that is exactly what @BKProblems does. Tweet subjects can be anything from illegal jackets to walking to the STC in the rain. Any problem, big or small, students have about Kelley probably has been or will be tweeted by @BKProblems “Our problems are what makes us us,” junior Juanita Torres said. Besides being entertained by the tweets, students have also enjoyed another thing about @BKProblems: trying to find out who it is. “It’s kind of exciting!,” @BKProblems
said about being the account, “It hasn’t been hard to keep the secret at all for me and we keep the secret pretty well.” Students often point fingers at people they think it is. Sophomore Danny Slagle has had many fingers pointed at him for being @BKProblems. “When people ask me if I’m @BKProblems, I laugh and wish I could say it is true because I would have loved to come up with such a great idea,” Slagle said. “I think it’s a lot better if people not know who it is because it gives it more of a mystery. Who knows? It could be me.” Not very many people know the true identity of the man/women behind the account, but he/she has been tempted on various occasions to let out the secret. “It is very tempting every day especially when people mention it,” @BKProblems said. “The only person I’ve told is my sister and one other Bishop Kelley student who will remain nameless.” How long will @BKProblems last? Will the Twitter account affect the studentteacher relationship over social networking sites? Will the secret of @BKProblems ever be let out? Only time will tell for these questions. And although tweets poke fun at the school, @BKProblems is still a Bishop Kelley Comet. “Even though this account is made solely to discuss the problems with Bishop Kelley, every school has it’s problems,” @ BKProblems said. “This account is just for fun, I love my school! #cometpride.”
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Christmas what’s
?
YOUR Christmas Movie favorite
Holiday What is on Kelley’s playlist this Christmas?
*Survey out of 418 votes
l When it comes to holiday entertainment BK students perfer movies that make them Ho!Ho!Ho! and Ha!Ha!Ha!
63%
24%
PLAY
Jingle Bells 113 Votes All I Want For Christmas 56 Votes Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer 35 Votes
13%
Copyright © New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
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Breezeway
Classic CHRISTMAS Recipes Preheat oven to 325 degrees Mix egg, butter and water in bowl *1 box Red Velvet cake mix (recommend Add cake mix Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts if desired ed- Duncan Hines) Spread batter into a 13x9 baking tray *3/4 c. butter- after melted Bake 35-40 min. *1/2 c. water While brownies cool, mix walnuts into frosting. *1 large egg Cover entire pan with frosting or frost each individual *1 c. Semi-sweet chocolate chips* brownie as they are cut
Peppermint Mocha Blossoms
Preheat the oven to 375째F. Lightly grease your baking sheets, or line with parchment, and set aside.In a * 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft ened large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and * 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar espresso powder until light and fluff y. Beat in the eggs, * 2 tablespoons instant espresso pow der one at a time, and then add the van illa and peppermint * 2 eggs* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extr act extracts. * 1 teaspoon peppermint extract Meanwhile, whisk together the flou r, cocoa powder, * 3 cups all purpose flour baking soda, and salt in a separate bow l. Gradually add * 1/3 cup cocoa powder the flour mixture to the creamed mix ture until the dough * 1 teaspoon baking soda comes together. * 1/2 teaspoon salt Roll tablespoons of the dough into balls and coat * About 1/2 cup granulated sugar to coat cook- with granulated sugar. Plac e on the baking sheet and ies bake for 9-10 minutes. * Approximately 4 dozen Candy Can e Kisses, Let the cookies cool on the baking shee unwrapped t for 2-3 minutes before pressing a Candy Cane Kiss into the center of each cookie. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Courtesy of mykitchenaddiction.com
Gingerbread Truffles
* Betty Crocker Gingerbread cake mix * Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box * Vanilla Icing * Vanilla candy melts * Vegetable Shortening
bkbreezeway.com
Follow instructions on cake mix box Once the cake is done and cooled mash it up with a tub of vanilla icing. When it is well-combined, use the #60 scoop to scoop it into balls and chill for about 45 minutes. While the cake balls are being chilled, melt the vanilla candy and add vegetable shortening Dip the cake balls into the vanilla candy melts and allow to harden* Courtesy of bakelab.blogspot.com
!
ON
LIGHTS
Red Velvet Fudge Brownies
l Bishop Kelley sudents light up their holidays by taking in these displays
#1 #2 #3
Rhema 286 Votes My Neighborhood 112 Votes
My House 58 Votes
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December 2011
in the
Junk Trunk BY TAYLOR GAJAN
Breezeway Staff Writer
Inky Ajanaku’s friend, fellow senior Logan Young, commented on her car contents. “There’s a ripstick in there, a fencing helmet and a black curly wig. There’s some pretty weird stuff in there. It’s like a messy child’s bedroom. One time I took her ripstick from her car and she drove off and left me while I was using it on the street.” -Logan Young on Inky’s car
“I have a penguin blanket that I made in Mrs. Bender’s class for the sweat shop activity. My mom always said keep blankets in your car incase your car breaks down! I have a magazine for reading pleasures. I have lots of Crystal Lite that Inky gave to me for my birthday to spice up my water. My car is basically a trash heap. Everyone tells me to clean it out but I never do.” -Ali Nutt
“I have three tires in my car becasue my car has broken down three times in the last month. I had to drive around without hubcaps for awhile. I used to have a Budda statue that I rubbed for good luck before every test but my mom made me take it out. I have work out clothes for training for the Marines. I have a Diet Coke that gets me going in the mornings and trash because I’m lazy.” -Kat Floyd
“I have a pair of hockey skates because my grandpa gave them to me on thanskgiving and I haven’t taken them out. I have a sweater and slacks from coaching the powder puff game, jumper cables (that came in handy for Margo, Ellis, and Andy), and a bag from Manchester vs. Barcelona game that I went to in Barcelona this summer.” -Scott Ritchie
“I have knitting needles because I made the [god’s eye] in Spanish class and I like to look at it every day to remind myself that I made that. I have a tiger because Inky was Mike Tyson for Halloween. I have a stereo because it fell out of my car into the trunk. I have a coffee cup because I am a coffee junkie. I have a camo hat for those days that it starts to rain. My family likes Kentucky so that’s why I have the hoodie.” -Paige Mcllroy
“It came with a built in picnic table in the trunk. It’s always messy and I throw everything I own in it. The polka dotted shirt was from thrift store day. The packet of 5 hour energys was used for Search and Senior Night. The glow-in-the-dark dinosaur was from my toy from Wendy’s. I have a vase in it because my mom asked me to take it to Tony’s Flower Shop but I never did so it broke.” - Colleen Fox
!
Order Up BY MICHAEL DUKE Breezeway Staff Writer
Friendly faces, hot coffee, and the aroma of cinnamon rolls percolating throughout the restaurant. Savoy is the perfect example of the old fashioned, family owned restaurants that you see in movies. Restaurants like this are unique, and are becoming harder to find. Savoy opened in 1954 under the Kelamis family. Four generations and thousands of cinnamon rolls later, the Kelamis family is still in charge. “I can see my family going to eat there every Sunday after church. It has a very comfortable feel to it,” Savoy enthusiast Ariel Mackey said. Savoy’s goal is to stay traditional, and they have gained recognition from many critics for that simple philosophy. “Much of our food is homemade, including all the varieties of bread served in the restaurant,” Evan Kelamis, Savoy representative, said. “Savoy has routinely been voted best breakfast in Tulsa by various local and state publications.” Savoy has many popular dishes that keep the regulars coming back day-in and day-out. “Bacon and eggs ($8.60) is probably the most popular
Savoy: Old Fashioned Dining breakfast dish. Our biscuits and gravy ($4.75) and pancakes with homemade syrup ($4.75) are also quite popular,” Kelamis said. However, one item has gained particular fame across town. “Our cinnamon roll ($3.20) is the single most popular item on the menu,” Kelamis said. What seperates Savoy from other restaurants is their comfortable atmosphere. You will often see many of the same faces returning to Savoy every morning. “Savoy is, hands down, the best place to enjoy breakfast. The friendly atmosphere makes Savoy very enjoyable,” junior Ben Herndon said. Kelamis credits the ownership with that familiarity. “One thing that sets Savoy apart from other restaurants is that the owner, Bill Kelamis, personally runs the day-to-day operations. You will often see him visiting with guests,” Kelamis said. Savoy offers a variety of dishes, ranging from their famous cinnamon rolls and biscuits for breakfast to chicken fried steak ($8.50) and baked ham ($8.90) for lunch. Every dish is the product of a family recipe that has been perfected since the restaurant opened in 1954. “Utilizing premium ingredients, each product is handmade in small batches, using original recipes that remain unchanged since their creation,” Savoy’s website states. Whether you have a nostalgia for the old family run
diners or you simply want to have a high quality meal, round up your family and friends and head to Savoy for a superb breakfast or lunch. “Savoy is unique from other restaurants,” Herndon said. “I strongly encourage others to find out for themselves.”
Photo by Michael Duke
The Savoy restaurant, located at 61st and Sheridan.
Can You Find these Christmas Words? I S E J A T B Z C K S H M Z G R E I N D E E R W N H B F V E W H M W Q N K N M S U J L M O T K I R O G K L N R F D O B Y I A T C G F H N Y L V S J N E I P I A G Q Z U D G U M R T G P E W G W E W W E L S N K E Z Y D A C L L C H Q I D L V P M J V U T P T R Z F E R P F S X Y I K H B E U R E E N M B Z H B D L G M Y I D L H N A O T Y H H N W A E O P R Q S D P T M O R R H M X T G I P O K S I U O K G D Z D A F B H S T T O F C U H I P X X B O J T U S G E N Z I M J K G G O H U U D E O V R O U F E M F X U D F Y N L A V I O Y T W S C A Y E Y R O L C P X Q Y E Z A C D Z C S G B A M W Z L U A J A T C I W P Q H M H A V O E Q E V X J A S M O G U Y S C A S Y G M R I R L Y P P W H M E H E L H T E B I K Y J C F N F I A O P X S I C M Z B Y T F M H C M T G H N R X R T P A I Z B W E P E Y O U V P X Y I H C A P K G E F G X H H G L V R Q Z B S P X G V O O Y L I M A F U G N D O O M N O W P N X S I I P B L U C R Q M Y W M Y R T N I F A M B Q I I T R M S I P V H S O I V A T V R G K A T F G J S A N T A A D J A S L X F X Q F M O G V C S M R B N R N F U T A S J H L B H E O X W O E T U B T F G M L N N C K Y L P Y B D U R B Y V G Q U T G M M X D X K Z N G H Q X E M W L Q T Z M J Y L D N N T G J M O D G P Z R K C
bkbreezeway.com
S U S E J M W R R E O X M J Q V L H P W T A T O A
BELIEVE BETHLEHEM CHRISTMAS EGGNOG FAMILY HOLIDAY HOPE HOTCHOCOLATE JESUS
JOY MISTLETOE NATIVITY NOEL PEACE REINDEER SANTA SLEDDING WISEMEN
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December 2011
BK’s Impossible Task Gains National Attention: School receives feeback from across the country BY ISABEL DOBRIN Breezeway Staff Writer Bishop Kelley’s nearly impossible task to write 100,000 holiday cards to troops deployed in the Middle East has not only inspired students, parents and faculty members, but also communities around the country. A school of less than 1,000 students attempted something so simple, yet caught the attention of a nation and sparked an unprecedented amount of positive feedback. Producers of “Canteen Spirit,” a documentary filmed in 2004 about the efforts of the North Platte Canteen, sent a letter of congratulations to the school, along with a copy of the DVD to celebrate the accomplishment. “We were pleased to read about your post card writing campaign for our troops in the Middle East,” Mary Jane Winquest, director of communications at Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, wrote. Marc Kaschke, mayor of North Platte, Neb., also hand wrote a letter to Mr. Feilmeier expressing his gratitude to the BK community.
“I am glad to see that the story of the North Platte Canteen had an impact on the students at Bishop Kelley. The Canteen was a special moment that showed the best our nation has to offer and was arguably one of the greatest volunteer efforts in U.S. history,” he said. Diane Snider, a retired school teacher from Oklahoma, articulated her thanks on behalf of her community in Abilene, Texas. “We have Dyess Air Force base in our community of 120,000, so we are keenly aware of the sacrifices they and their families make and also aware [of] the impact of your students’ efforts to support the troops,” she said. Bishop Kelley alumni have communicated their approval as well. Through letters to the school, a phone call to the front office, or posts on various social networking sites, graduates have spread the word about Kelley’s accomplishment. “I am so proud to be a Comet! What an incredibly daunting task you all took on,” Vicky Adams, principal at Saint Catherine School, wrote to Father Brian O’Brien. Sarah Shreder, class of 2011, took to Facebook to share her respect for the achievement.
“I am so proud of my alma mater Bishop Kelley for achieving their goal . . . they have truly embodied the spirit of the Christmas season,” she said. The simple act of writing cards to U.S. soldiers not only touched the local community, but also a national one. A woman named Myra Strandberg from San Diego learned about BK’s effort from a local news cast and decided to make a request. Her nephew, Corporal Michael Fox, lost both his legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while deployed in Afghanistan and has survived numerous surgeries since then. Strandberg wrote to BK asking for a few personal cards to be mailed to a mailbox set up for Fox in Escondido, Calif. Mr. Oberste, dean of student activities, was also contacted by a principal at a school of 250 students in Tennessee who wanted to participate in a similar task. “We are donating our ‘Once Upon a Town’ books to them to help,” he said. “It’s amazing the ripple effect we have created. [The task] started out as a great thing that just got better and better and turned into something so monumental. It shows how much we can accomplish.”
Blazek’s Quips and Quotes Book Goes Digital BY ISABEL DOBRIN Breezeway Staff Writer Mr. Michael Blazek, esteemed English teacher, is famous for many things: his movie posters, his rubber duckies, his sarcastic sense of humor and finally, his pocket size composition book. Rather, the contents of his composition book. Blazek keeps a record of funny quotes he’s heard by students in class or students in the halls. Basically, anything students say, anywhere, is fair game for his records. What students don’t know about Blazek’s humorous tradition, however, is that it started in 2005 with a not so humorous situation. One of Blazek’s friends was diagnosed with a neurological condition known as Aphasia, a condition “in which the person has an inability to comprehend or express him or herself in spoken or written language,” he explained. Blazek’s idea to document quotes created a way to cope with the illness. “Laughing is preferable to crying in response to any illness or tragedy,” he said. And so, “There is no light in the mailbox,” and “I need to blow my teeth,” were the first of many mangled sayings and misused words to be docu-
mented in “the book,” as Blazek’s students proudly named it. Blazek then took the humor aspect of the quotes to another level when he began documenting his students’ funny sayings from class. “Usually they are malapropisms and puns,” he said. Ben Pratt, senior, didn’t know that his quote, “Father Wakulich is like a tornado of holiness” made the book until he was interviewed about it for this article. “We were talking about the argument of predestination and free will and Father Wakulich was going crazy with all these holy terms on the white board,” Pratt said about his entry. He is also proud of it, as most students are. “Most students like going in the book. But some are embarrassed so I quickly put them in the book, don’t make a big deal about it, don’t repeat it, and then after some time has passed, we both can look back and laugh,” Blazek said. Some of his students even purposely say things to get an entry. “I can easily hear a rehearsed quotation. Also, I have a rule, really the only rule, that I have to hear the quotation personally, the first time it occurs. No, ‘say that funny thing you said’ or ‘John said the funniest thing.’ It has to be live,” he said. A quote by graduate Kristen Ritchie from 2007 is
still rightfully at the top of Blazek’s Most Humorous list. Her famous “I ask God for . . . what’s the word I’m looking for? Focus,” is still a favorite. Other favorite quotes include alumnus Jordan Taubman’s “I have a photographic memory and my favorite book is ‘Catch 21,’” or Matt Kleyman’s, class of 2011, “Mary Wollstonecraft was a feminist . . . one of those corset burners.” Blazek even has a few pages devoted entirely to faculty quotes. “Of course, teachers are in the book, too. Anyone I am around might be a contributor [or] victim. Most teachers find it as humorous as students do,” he said. The book has been filled with so many quotes throughout the years that, over the summer, Blazek went digital with it. “The miniature composition books fall apart being carried in my back pocket 24/7, 365 [and] copying them into a new book is a pain in the butt,” he said. Students and faculty members should consider another aspect of the digital switch, which Blazek considers to be an advantage: “[The book] is searchable and [could be] available anywhere there is an Internet connection.” Victims, look out.
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December 2011
The Kings Have Taken the Court BY BEN HERNDON Breezeway Staff Writer
Now that Bishop Kelley girls volleyball won State, it is time to focus on another type of volleyball: King of the Court. King of the Court is the boys volleyball tournament that is open to all grades. Playing is already under way and each team is fighting for their spot in the finals which was Wednesday, Dec. 14. Campus Minister Jerri Berna, or coach Wads as she is called by many people, created King of the Court for all boys to participate in. “I made it because I received a lot of questions about it,” Wads said. “There was a mutual interest in it between the girls and boys. I can tell the boys are very excited about playing volleyball.” Only nine teams are signed up to play, and each has one goal in mind: to win. The rules are exactly the same as girls volleyball; however, the net is set at almost 8 feet for the boys, compared to almost 7.5 feet for the girls. Each team is exited to play, no matter how difficult it may be. “I was really excited when I heard about boys volleyball,” junior Andrew Wood said. “I finally have a chance to show off my volleyball skills.” Even though one team may have a powerful hitter, or all tall people, it takes certain skills and attributes to win. Teams cannot rely on one person to win an entire tournament. “The winning team needs chemistry together,” Wads said. “They have to understand that everybody has to do their job so they can be successful.” “I think that my team, the Volleyballers, has what is takes to win it all,” junior David Hayes said. “We have a great mix of talented people along with tall people so we will definitely win.” All competition aside, every player is excited to just have fun and play with their friends. The players really enjoy being on the court instead of watching and cheering from the stands. The boys teams do not have all of the talent as the girls did, but they certainly picked up a thing or two from watching. “The boys do not understand how hard it is to play volleyball well,” Wads said. “Before King of the Court, they just watched. They now know that volleyball is harder than it seems because it takes a lot of practice and correct technique.” Every team had the chance to play each other in a pre-tournament game designed to see how each team stacked up against each other. There were two brackets in which the best and worst teams played. All teams played a total of four games and based on how many they won, how many points they scored and how many points were scored on them, they were ranked from best to worst. “Even though we are only ranked second in our bracket, I know we can do our best,” junior Anthony Molinar said. “I am not going to let our seed discourage me. My team and I will persevere and win.” No matter how bad each team wants to win, only one team can come out victorious. Team Honeybadger came out on top, Mystery team got second place, and The Tropics finished in third place.
Top: Team Honeybadger after winning the tournament. Middle: Mystery Team happy after their second place win. Bottom: The Tropics valiently achieved third.
The Boys of Fall BY MADDIE YOUNG Breezeway Staff Writer The loss to MacArthur in round two of the playoffs closed the door on this years football season and the high school career of the seniors. Even though players and coaches alike wanted to win district and state, Head Coach JJ Tappana still views this as a successful season. “Winning doesn’t equate to success,” Tappana said. “I’m happy with the number of games won and how we played.” After an early loss to McGuiness, the team came back the following week with a win over Coweta which showcased the full potential of the team and continued with wins the rest of the regular season. All of this success is due to the hardworking players but more specifically the offensive line who was the “heart beat of the team,” Tappana Said. On Dec. 11, the annual football banquet was held to acknowledge key players and to honor the seniors. On the most coveted awards, The Angelo Prassa Award, was given to senior Colton Craig. “Colton Craig was the biggest sellout. He bought into Bishop Kelley and everything that came with it. He’s a BK football historian. He just loves the game,” Tappana said.
l Football season wrap up and seniors plan for next year
The Angelo Prassa Award is given to the most dedicated senior who played out of love for the program as a whole and not for themselves. “I was so surprised, I didn’t expect it. It’s an honor to be among the others who won it,” Craig said. Craig, with the rest of the senior class, made a “good group of boys that were fun and lovable,” says Tappana. Even though this door is closing, for some seniors, like Frankie Arndt and Nick Clark, a new door is opening. Though he has not committed yet, Senior Frankie Arndt is looking to playing football at a school such as Columbia, Harvard, Brown or Dartmouth. “I want to play at an Ive League so I can get the benefits of a great education while playing a sport I love,” Arndt said. With increased competition on the field comes more challenging academics and senior Nick Clark, who is looking to play at NSU, doesn’t let that sway his opinion. “Balancing a sport and academics is always difficult but I’d be willing to make sacrifices to play in college,” Clark said. The departing of this year’s senior class clears the way for next years seniors and Tappana has no doubt they’ll fill the shoes, especially with help from juniors Cory Bright and Austin Morris. “The seniors were great this year and we’ll definitely miss them but we feel comfortable assuming the leadership role,” Morris said.
Kid in Red Makes Videos for Orange BY TODD FERNANDEZ Breezeway Staff Writer
How far does your fandom for your favorite team go? Do you watch every game each weekend? Do you yell your voice out in the stands at the stadium or do you scream from your couch with your TV in front of you? Do you argue with rival team fans why your team is the best and superior to all others? To the average fan, this is the extent of their fandom. But a Kelley student takes his passion for Oklahoma State University a step further. Senior Matthew Douglas creates promotional videos for OSU and his videos are predominately about OSU’s athletics. “Promotional videos or something that gets people fired up,” Douglas said. “I usually do promotional for sports, I can promote anything you want me to. I promoted OSU’s new uniforms, I was the first video out with the new uniforms.” Douglas got into video making because his dad had worked in the television business. He thought that making videos sounded like a fun thing to do.
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“My dad did this type of work, and I was kind of interested in some of the OSU videos done over the years. I thought I could give it a shot and one up ‘em,” Douglas said. Oklahoma State was able to find Douglas’s videos through social networking and the Internet. “I sent [them] to some of the players and coaches through Twitter, and they re-tweeted it to all their followers. I also emailed it to the president of OSU, Burns Hargis, to the athletic director Mike Holder and a couple of other media relations guys. And they kind of spread the word for me through social networking sites, Youtube, Facebook and Oklahoma State blogging sites.” Douglas’s videos have been featured in different areas online. “Mostly on Oklahoma State and OU blogsites and Foxnews.com. A bunch of people emailed me and asked if they could use it on their site. I’d have to approve it and then it would just spread,” Douglas said. To create the videos, Douglas uses Windows Movie Maker. He gets all his material, photos and videos, from Google, Oklahoma State.com and the
videos from the Oklahoma State Athletics site and Youtube, he said. “I could use photos or videos. I’d cut, and paste it on and then measure the time measure. I can switch up the transitions between the videos, or slides, and put words in them and certain music and stuff,” Douglas said. Besides athletics, Douglas has also done a video for a fraternity at OSU. “I did a video for the Lambda Chi house at Oklahoma State. They hired me to do it and it was about the upgrades on their new house. So that the people that were coming back could see the upgrades to the house. And I got paid for it,” Douglas said. Douglas thinks of himself as “probably the biggest OSU fan at Kelley.” He has attended every OSU home game since 2004 and virtually “all his tweets are about OSU,” senior Maddie Young said. “There’s no OSU fan that can one up me in spirit or knowledge of athletics,” Douglas said. With his love for Oklahoma State and his skills for movie making, Douglas has been able to contribute back to his favorite school by more than just being a fan.
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