November 2014 Vol. 94, Issue 3

2

What’s inside

Arts

With the new release of Taylor Swift’s “1989” album and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” movie, see why the entertainment world is booming.

the pylon

Py

6

In Depth

As Thanksgiving and Christmas break approach, many students will catch up on their favorite TV shows. Check out some of best features and top shows on Netflix.

Senior Hayley Sydow

Powder

Puff

12

Congratulations to the Blitz-Chix for taking the Powder Puff Football Championship. Check out top photos from the tournament on our back page.

Vol. 91, Iss. 3 • Salina Central High School www.chspylon.com • November 25, 2014

Potpourri: a one way

“Students are mistakenly taking potpourri thinking it’s not as bad as other drugs- that it’s safer and won’t harm them.

We’ve found here that it’s just as bad, if not worse.”

-Dr. Herrington, Emergency Room Co-Director at Salina Regional Health Center

Page 4

Photo Illustration by Lindsey Wood / The Pylon

Junior Casey Campbell lies on a stretcher as two EMTs load him into an ambulance to demonstrate the lethal effects of using potpourri.

2

November 25, 2014

Fine Arts

fall one acts in progress

Editor-in-Chief Bailey Driver editor@chspylon.com

The highly popular and anticipated fall one acts are upon us, and the student directors are expecting nothing but success from their casts. These high-energy shows will be performed on December 4 and 5.

Status Quote Bailey Driver news@chspylon.com

Business Team Phoebe Edson & Jeniffer De La Cruz business@chspylon.com

Student Life Jera Richardson & Sydney Koch studentlife@chspylon.com

Opinion Emma Norris opinion@chspylon.com

“

Sam Highsmith

“Drugs are Bad”

“

“

“

Ben Koenig

Hannah Schroeder Christian Jacobs

“Superheroes”

“Ring of Mayhem”

“Odds Are”

Sports

“

Hannah Schroeder feature@chspylon.com

Staff Reporters Paige Hieger & Casey Knoth

“

Feature

I’m super proud of my whole cast, and I think our show will go well.

Movie review: ‘Mockingjay- Part One’ marks end of trilogy

news@chspylon.com Lindsey Wood, Christian Jacobs & Sarah Brown photography@chspylon.com Casey Campbell, Jake Bellerive & Sydney Koch video@chspylon.com

Copy Editor Hannah Schroeder

Cartoons Alexis Karabinas J.D. Garber, Adviser jd.garber@usd305.com (785) 309-3578

The Pylon wants to hear your opinion The Pylon gladly accepts contributions from guest writers on any subject. Please email your submissions to editor@chspylon.com.

The Pylon is the official student newspaper of Salina High School Central. It is produced entirely by students of the newspaper production class, daily on chsPylon.com and monthly in print.

Email your letters, preferably limited to 500 words, to editor@chspylon.com. Submissions must contain a full name for inclusion and we will contact you to confirm that you are the author of the letter. Letters may be edited for clarity.

I’mlooking forward to seeing the outcome of my cast’s hard work.

Taylor Swift breaks records

By Grant DeMars The Pylon

Photography

Videography

I’m really excited to work with my cast and to see what we can accomplish.

“

Fine Arts Grant DeMars arts@chspylon.com

My cast is doing great. It’s nice to look at a show and think, ‘this is mine.’

“

Connor Martens sports@chspylon.com

Review by Grant DeMars The Pylon For the last few years, kids and young adults of various ages have been reading “The Hunger Games” trilogy, and have anxiously awaited the arrival of the films based off of them.

The first two movies from this action-packed trilogy, “The Hunger Games,” and “Catching Fire,” were smashing hits, breaking sales records and selling out in countless box offices. The successful past of these motion pictures has created high expectations for the release of its newest film, “Mockingjay- Part 1.”

This film finds heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), after she has literally broken the annual Hunger Games forever after her victory in the Quarter Quell. Now, Everdeen must fight to save her best friend,

Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), as well as the whole futuristic nation of Panem. The districts of Panem plan a revolt against the Capitol, and look to Everdeen, a symbolic Mockingjay, to be their leader. Don’t get your hopes up though- the exciting and action-packed revolt doesn’t happen until part two.

After viewing “MockingjayPart 1,” fanatics of the trilogy may find themselves leaving the theatre disappointed. The product of splitting this book in two results in being a longwinded filler, with only small, short bursts of action and suspense. These short bits of action are refreshing, however, since most of the first part is strategic planning for what will occur in the second part of the movie.

The last minutes of “Mockingjay- Part 1,” give the audience a small tease of what will happen in the film’s second part. Promising them a magnificent grand finale, “Mockingjay- Part 2,” will premiere at an undecided date in 2015.

Lastly, may the odds be ever in your favor, as you wait for the striking conclusion of “The Hunger Games.”

We are all used to hearing the backstory of Taylor Swift’s constant breakups, but this one is far from normal. Taylor Swift’s newest album, 1989, seems to be her official break up with country music.

It was a risky move for Swift to release a pop album as it is a brand new style, sound, and attitude for her.

Inspired by her move to New York City, 1989 contains upbeat, electronic, and commercial pop beats, rather than her previous acoustic, country twang. This extreme change has been Taylor Swift’s best move, and it has taken the world by surprise.

Senior, Olivia Atherton was a Swift fan before 1989, but she is very impressed with Swift’s new style. Atherton says, “Her album is raising the bar for a new era of music.

It’s up to other artists to keep up with Taylor and her new sound.”

1989 has become the fastest selling record in 12 years.

It is the first album in 2014 to sell over 1 million copies in it’s first week of release.

The album was predicted to sell 650,000 copies, but it has

greatly surpassed that with a whopping 1.287 million.

A major contribution to album sales is Swift’s decision to remove her music from Spotify; causing more people to actually buy her album.

Swift is a strong believer in the value of music, and believes that allowing listeners to stream music for free is undervaluing their art.

There has been recent debate, however, on whether this was a moral decision or a business strategy to make more of a profit from her new music.

Either way, Swift’s newest release, 1989, has been nothing but successful. With her new sound and attitude, Swift has created one of the most successful albums in the country by topping charts and conquering challenging records.

November 25, 2014

The Status Quotes

The Status Quotes was created to publicize students’ new lingo and interesting hallway conversations. The following quotes were heard around the school during random times of the month from Pylon staff members.

“Everybody needs a black grandma.” -tall kid resembling Harry Potter “I think I deserve a gold card because I’m a golden child.” -cocky female “I’m about to go 0 to 100 real quick.” -skinny white kid with Jordan’s

“I can’t get dreads yet because my grandma doesn’t want me to have them in our family Christmas picture.” -boy with long ratty hair

“Tweet jackets are my life.”-confident boy “It’s a blazer, bud.” -boy with confused look

*uses Flamin’ Hot Cheeto as toothpick* -freshman

“The first time I ever snapchat someone I have to look good because I don’t want to look like a troll.” -small girl that looks like an elementary student

“Oh yeah, he smells bad.”

-critical, preppy white boy “Well, he does fart all the time.”-small white girl

“Let me work my magic a little more.”

-short, heavy set boy

3

“This kid is eating like a horse- big teeth and everything.”

-girl with thick glasses

“This Asian girl is singing and I’m over there not being able to breathe.”

-petite concerned girl

“Quit being a sassafras.” -petite girl with a loud personality

“Feel those biceps tighten up? Mhm, feels so good huh?” -ratty blonde haired boy

“These bathrooms smell like DONK.” -plump girl

“Did you dye your hair? It looks awful.” -girl with greasy brown hair

“I’m such a rebel. Like seriously guys, I never ask my mom to do anything.” -hick with long hair

“What, you don’t think I would wax it off?” -male

“You know you’re supposed to have a gallon of water a day?” -boy with braces “So you can fill a swimming pool of urine?” -dorky boy in KU windbreaker

4

Novemeber 25, 2014

Student Life

CAFFEINE DEPENDENT Senior Nick Shaffer became addicted to caffeine his sophomore year

By Bailey Driver The Pylon After staying up late to finish homework from a long day of school and practice, senior Nick Shaffer wakes up and heads to the coffee pot. Unlike the typical teenagers who religiously drink Red Bull or Mountain Dew, Shaffer prefers a cup of black coffee every morning to start his day.

“I started getting hooked on black coffee my sophomore year.

I depend on that caffeine to get me going every morning. While everyone is in class sleeping, I’m wide awake,” Shaffer said.

While caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant that can improve alertness, it’s also habit forming. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, about 73 percent of children have some kind of caffeine daily.

“It seriously makes you productive if you’re willing to get used to the taste. It actually tastes good after you start drinking it,” Shaffer said.

Caffeine has no nutritional value. In large doses, it can cause nervousness, fatigue and dehydration.

“Lately, because of basketball, I’ve been cutting back on how much coffee I drink because it dehydrates me,” Shaffer said.

88%

of students drink pop and/ or coffee

77%

of students drink energy drinks 70 students were randomly surveyed in M5 on November 14

Caffeine is considered a mild diuretic, meaning it causes consumers to urinate more frequently. This can lead to dehydration, which is especially dangerous for athletes due to the amount of sweat that is lost during practices and games.

According to kidshealth.org, experts consider 200-300 mg of caffeine a day to be a moderate amount for adults, while teens should try to limit daily caffeine consumption to no more than 100 mg. Common caffeinated beverages such as Monster and Red Bull exceed daily caffeine intake recommendations by 60 mg.

Consuming as little as 100 mg of caffeine a day can lead a person to become caffeine dependent.

“Sometimes it just depends on how much sleep I get, but lately I’ve noticed I become more drowsy and less energetic without drinking coffee in the morning,” Shaffer said.

Photo illustration by Lindsey Wood/ The Pylon Junior Casey Campbell, along with members of the Salina EMT demonstrate the steps taken for a potpourri reaction.

Suffocating Stimulant

Potpourri: legal substance but not safe for students

By Hannah Schroeder The Pylon Just because a substance is legal doesn’t mean it’s safe.

Salina police and emergency responders have witnessed firsthand the dreadful effects of K2 and other types of potpourri in the last 4-6 weeks. In October alone, EMS received 15 calls of potpourri hits gone wrong, according to Salina Drug Task Force Detective Matt Halton.

Potpourri is a synthetic version of the chemical found in marijuana, technically known as a cannabinoid. It has presented problems before in Salina, which were brought to light in the raid of The Grind in 2011. However, cannabinoids are showing back up as an increasing trend among Salina teenagers.

Although potpourri is known as a synthetic drug, it’s side effects are anything but synthetic.

“People mistakenly take potpourri thinking that it’s not as bad as other drugs, that it’s safer, that it won’t harm you. But we’ve found here that it’s just as bad, if not worse,” said Emergency Room Co-Director Dr. Herrington.

Research has shown potpourri to cause blackouts, increased heart rates, seizures, and even death among users because of unregulated chemicals and unapproved substances.

However, despite known dangers caused by ingesting potpourri, the substance is still sold legally in Salina.

“Lately, we’ve acknowledged two stores that are selling some form of potpourri.

We also have other cases coming in, but we don’t know exactly the location, whether it’s sold in other stores or by individuals on the streets,” said Halton.

Potpourri is produced, often, in clandestine laboratories (warehouses, various homes) and is extremely difficult to control. The chemicals added to potpourri are not originally meant for consumption, which is why they are not illegal.

“The problem is that there’s no regulation,” said Moreland.

The products bought and sold in stores are often tampered with by producers and can cause serious repercussions.

“You’re reliant on your drug dealer, and

“A lot of people think that, after the one big drug bust, the problem has just gone away and everyone has stopped doing it. But people just aren’t talking about it anymore,” Shawn Moreland Central Resource Officer

that’s something that becomes dangerous, if not deadly,” said Emergency Room CoDirector Dr. Swisher.

Because of the lack of regulation, dealers are able to change their potpourri recipe at will and are not accountable to health codes. Packages are labeled “product not meant for consumption” to avoid lawsuits, but they are portioned in grams, insinuating that they are intended to be ingested. The problem is, since potpourri is not “meant for consumption,”

any substance can be added to the formula.

“It’s like picking up an open can of pop and taking a drink. You don’t know what’s in it,” said Swisher.

Authorities are making effort to outlaw the substances often found in potpourri, but they seem to always be a step behind.

“They are making individual drugs illegal instead of the entire class,” said Herrington.

23%

of students said they do drugs

29%

of students said they have inhaled vape

77%

of students said they don’t do drugs

71% 70 students were randomly surveyed in M5 on November 14

of students said they have not inhaled vape

5

November 25, 2014

Student Life

Bringing Beard Back December Defining

Senior Colton Carney gets photographed twice a week through his No Shave November progress Monday, Nov. 3

Friday, Nov. 7

Are you participating in No Shave November?

“I wish I could shave my neck, that is the worst part.”

Colton Carney

32%

Week 1 Monday, Nov. 10

Countdown to popular upcoming events and dates

6 9

Days until Cyber Monday Days until Central vs South wrestling and the first swim meet

&

Friday, Nov. 14

“My usual grooming techniques are trimming my beard 2-3 time a week.”

Colton Carney

One Acts start

Week 2 Friday, Nov. 21

Monday, Nov. 17

“I would do No Shave November again next year.”

Colton Carney

68%

Days until the first girls’ and boys’ home basketball game against Junction City

24

Black Friday

Stores will open on Thanksgiving anywhere from 6 p.m. till Friday with low prices

Price: $97.00

Dre Beat Solo HD Drenched Headphones

Sears will be opening at 6pm on Thanksgiving day with a popular item in demand, the Air Hockey Table.

Price: $299.99

ESPN Air Hockey Table

Playstation 4 games will be at unusually low prices at Target opening 6pm Thanksgiving day.

Playstation 4 Games

Ipad Air 2 Starting at $399.99, Flat Screen TV anywhere from $199.99 and up

Retail, Trophies, Plaques & Awards

Cyber Monday ONLY

30

Senior RaShun Allen

On the Monday following Thanksgiving online retailers continue exceptional deals

FREE SHIPPING + FREE RETURNS

Days until the first day of Christmas Break, the premiere of “The Gambler” and the first South vs.

Central Basketball game

Price: $25$49.96

Cyber Monday FREE SHIPPING

10

70 students were randomly surveyed during M5 on November 14.

Week 3

Beats will be a popular item at Target, opening 6pm Thanksgiving day.

File photo Junior Reagan Basinger and Sophomore Riley Rundell

FREE SHIPPING + FREE RETURNS+

BOGO sale including buy one get one free

File photo

Days until Christmas

6

7

November 25, 2014

In depth

NETFLIX

Professional Time Wasters the average student spends

5 hours per week watching Netflix

It’s been sweeping the nation and the world. All your favorite shows instantly available at the click of a button.

what you should be watching

this adds up to

20 hours per month

which means the average student spends

200 hours per school year watching Netflix

70 students were randomly surveyed during M5 on November 14

our methods:

29%

of Central Netflix subscribers watch on their TV’s

26% of Central Netflix subscribers

the best shows to binge watch, according to students:

1. “The Walking Dead” 2. “How I Met Your Mother” 3. “Breaking Bad” 4. “Orange Is The New Black” 5. “The Vampire Diaries”

aired: October 2010 - present length: 5 seasons genre: horror aired: September 2005 - March 2014 length: 9 seasons genre: sitcom

aired: January 2008 - September 2013 length: 5 seasons genre: crime Netflix Original Series length: 2 seasons genre: comedy

29%

of Central Netflix subscribers watch on their phones 16% - other

let’s just give thanks...for netflix

need a break from overbearing relatives during Thanksgiving? well, here you go. your to-do list • make sure you’re untraceable • binge watch your favorite Netflix shows (multiple seasons preferred) • eat food

1997 year launched: 1998

year founded:

2003 one million subscribers beginning of online streaming: 2007 2009 delivery of billionth DVD 13 million subscribers 2013 now 50 million subscribers

Netflix’s streaming service accounts for 34.2% of all web traffic.

sweetest features max-

it’s like Siri, but for Netflix max was launched in the summer of 2013 as a way to help indecisive users to find something they want to watch. It operates like a game show and “learns” from user preferences, making finding a show easy.

variety- watch anywhere, anytime

70 students were randomly surveyed during M5 on November 14

what you’ll need • a pillow • a blanket • at least 3 bags of popcorn • a safe room • a TV, computer or phone with Netflix installed

Netflix started as a service where customers could order their DVD’s to be shipped to them in the mail.

-Statista

September 2009 - present length: 5 seasons genre: fantasy

watch on their computers

a little history

some more binge-watches • Grey’s Anatomy (10 seasons) • Gossip Girl (6 seasons) • The Office (9 seasons) • Psych (7 season) • Criminal Minds (9 seasons)

by the way shoutout to USD 305 for making me go over my data this month because I couldn’t do the research for this feature on the computers at school.

alternatives amazon- Amazon is similar to Netflix. It

streams instant video. however, the price from standard to prime service includes a 60 percent increase.

hulu-

Hulu is a newer service (2007) and is the same price as Netflix, however, it has ads even with the premium version.

on demand- On Demand has all the new

movies, however, it gets extremely expensive because users pay for every movie for 24 hours each.

Netflix still offers a DVD shipping service, as well as an app for the majority of smart phones and tablets, a web player, and an application for most gaming systems.

the look- navigation is made easy

Netflix’s elegant layout makes it easy to search and find any movie or show the user desires, as well as offering high-definition streaming quality.

6

7

November 25, 2014

In depth

NETFLIX

Professional Time Wasters the average student spends

5 hours per week watching Netflix

It’s been sweeping the nation and the world. All your favorite shows instantly available at the click of a button.

what you should be watching

this adds up to

20 hours per month

which means the average student spends

200 hours per school year watching Netflix

70 students were randomly surveyed during M5 on November 14

our methods:

29%

of Central Netflix subscribers watch on their TV’s

26% of Central Netflix subscribers

the best shows to binge watch, according to students:

1. “The Walking Dead” 2. “How I Met Your Mother” 3. “Breaking Bad” 4. “Orange Is The New Black” 5. “The Vampire Diaries”

aired: October 2010 - present length: 5 seasons genre: horror aired: September 2005 - March 2014 length: 9 seasons genre: sitcom

aired: January 2008 - September 2013 length: 5 seasons genre: crime Netflix Original Series length: 2 seasons genre: comedy

29%

of Central Netflix subscribers watch on their phones 16% - other

let’s just give thanks...for netflix

need a break from overbearing relatives during Thanksgiving? well, here you go. your to-do list • make sure you’re untraceable • binge watch your favorite Netflix shows (multiple seasons preferred) • eat food

1997 year launched: 1998

year founded:

2003 one million subscribers beginning of online streaming: 2007 2009 delivery of billionth DVD 13 million subscribers 2013 now 50 million subscribers

Netflix’s streaming service accounts for 34.2% of all web traffic.

sweetest features max-

it’s like Siri, but for Netflix max was launched in the summer of 2013 as a way to help indecisive users to find something they want to watch. It operates like a game show and “learns” from user preferences, making finding a show easy.

variety- watch anywhere, anytime

70 students were randomly surveyed during M5 on November 14

what you’ll need • a pillow • a blanket • at least 3 bags of popcorn • a safe room • a TV, computer or phone with Netflix installed

Netflix started as a service where customers could order their DVD’s to be shipped to them in the mail.

-Statista

September 2009 - present length: 5 seasons genre: fantasy

watch on their computers

a little history

some more binge-watches • Grey’s Anatomy (10 seasons) • Gossip Girl (6 seasons) • The Office (9 seasons) • Psych (7 season) • Criminal Minds (9 seasons)

by the way shoutout to USD 305 for making me go over my data this month because I couldn’t do the research for this feature on the computers at school.

alternatives amazon- Amazon is similar to Netflix. It

streams instant video. however, the price from standard to prime service includes a 60 percent increase.

hulu-

Hulu is a newer service (2007) and is the same price as Netflix, however, it has ads even with the premium version.

on demand- On Demand has all the new

movies, however, it gets extremely expensive because users pay for every movie for 24 hours each.

Netflix still offers a DVD shipping service, as well as an app for the majority of smart phones and tablets, a web player, and an application for most gaming systems.

the look- navigation is made easy

Netflix’s elegant layout makes it easy to search and find any movie or show the user desires, as well as offering high-definition streaming quality.

8

November 25, 2014

By the

numbers

The following numbers represent bowling, a new sport offered this year.

Athletes & Sports

WINTER DEBUT:

With much of their team returning Boys’ Basketball is the front runner for a return trip to state, winning season

81

the number of KSHSAA schools that participate in bowling

3

the number of holes typically found on a bowling ball

294 the number of square feet in each lane

12

the number of strikes it takes to bowl a perfect game

Girls’ Basketball

Lindsey Wood / The Pylon

Senior Marysa Bradshaw dribbles as she looks down the court.

The girls’ basketball team has faced doubt from others as of late. After losing some key seniors from last year, they are looking to surprise many with their play.

Expect dominant play inside and intense defense to lead this team to a winning season.

Boys’ Basketball

Lindsey Wood / The Pylon

Sophomore Brayden Neuschafer works his way around a defender.

The boys’ basketball team is ready for action. With size, speed and good shooters, the squad won’t be easy to defeat. Expect to see players of all ages on the court throughout the season as there are talented players throughout the program. These guys strive to go even further this year than last.

4

the number of pins struck by the ball on a strike

Boys’ Swimming

30-60 the number of seconds it takes for a ball to return to the bowler

5

the number of bowlers that compete in a meet for each team

Eli Berner / The Pylon

Wrestling

Sarah Brown / The Pylon

Sophomore Aaron Nesting comes up for a breath while swimming breaststroke.

Senior Dayton Will fights to control his opponent.

The boys’ swim team, although few in numbers, have the tools it’ll take to put together impressive relays and individual events as well. They will take multiple relays to state this year and thrive on the leadership of their veteran swimmers.

The wrestling team will have a very strong season led by a very solid group of upperclassmen. Look for them to take quite a few wrestlers to state.

November 25, 2014

Athletes & Sports Local athletes to benefit from fieldhouse

Salina’s first field house brings excitement for town

By Paige Hieger

after we traveled with our kids across the Midwest,” said Brian Richardson, partner with Occupation Performance Center.

That is what tends to happen with a lot of Salina parents; they travel to get better

The Pylon While many people think solely of the profits that could come from the development of a fieldhouse in downtown Salina, freshman Ethan Speer dreams of how he will have the time and place to perfect his game. Many current students won’t be here when the field house opens in 2017, but Spear will.

“I am sure once the field house opens I will be in there all the time trying to improve for the future,” Speer said.

On October 28, city officials had a meeting to discuss the details about bringing in a fieldhouse consisting of four courts suitable for basketball and volleyball, and two turf indoor fields for football and soccer.

“About four years ago, I approached the city staff with the concept of building a multi-use recreational facility. I was inspired

“I am sure once the field house opens I will be in there all the time trying to improve for the future.”

Ethan Speer Freshman competition to improve their children’s ability, while spending their time and money in other towns.

The fieldhouse will allow the city of Salina to hold bigger tournaments that will

bring in people from all over the Midwest.

It is expected to bring in a lot of money to downtown Salina.

“It will benefit downtown because in between games, families will go to Blue Skye or Santa Cruz instead of wanting to go all they way to a big chain restaurant across town,” said head girls’ basketball coach Geoff Andrews. The downtown foot traffic will help family owned businesses thrive and want more to come about.

Not only will the fieldhouse benefit downtown, but it will improve athletes in Salina.

Junior Keisha Hamilton said, “Student athletes won’t have to worry about trying to find gym space when all team sports are trying to practice.”

A new fieldhouse will definitely allow students to improve on their own time, as well as benefit the downtown as a whole.

Basketball brings hype for everyone

By Casey Knoth The Pylon As fan and sophomore Dade Douglas enters the building, the Brick House is being dusted down and polished for game time which will take way in only a matter of time.

Players are lacing up their shoes and preparing themselves. Fans are prepping their voices that are ready to be heard. Basketball is on its way and it’s time for the fans to fill the gym with screams and chants.

Nowadays, student sections are becoming more creative and filled with spirit at games because students love to get rowdy to support their team from start to finish.

“I really like the sway at the beginning of every basektball game,” said senior Ty Brull.

The time between the

starting lineup introduction and the “I believe that we will win” chant is what students, parents and players live for.

“I’m pumped the moment I walk through those double doors,” said Douglas. “I love to hear our fight song after mustang victories.”

The energy and excitement for the game begins instantly and lasts until the final buzzer sounds.

Any player loves getting the adrenaline rush from fans cheering on him/her. “I get really pumped when we have a huge student section and they are all standing and cheering us on,” said junior Keisha Hamilton.

Basketball holds a different atmosphere than other sports at Central. It is a great way for fans to get involved in the live action.

What’s your least favorite word?

Garret Campion Boys’ Basketball Shane Davis Boys’ Swimming Kyle True Wrestling Morgan Hauserman Girls’ Basketball Wes Nelson Bowling

“failure”

By Dade Douglas

1

Guest Writer

show up physically

2

3 4 5

turn your “outside voice” on

wear maroon and white get your game face on

know all of the chants

Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?

If you could have any type of animal as a pet, what would it be?

“Mr. Maring”

“pygmy marmoset monkey”

“swag”

“Monica Valtierra”

“miniature red panda”

“yuppie”

“Mark Wahlberg”

“saber-toothed tiger”

“YOLO”

“Emma Watson”

“spider monkey”

“a cuss word “

“Ray Park”

“a cat”

Flat-rate tuition.

Pittsburg State University •

student section

On the Spot

Athletes in the mix

www.pittstate.edu

5 STEPS to perfecting an intense

Pittsburg, Kansas

More than 150 programs.

9 The Dolton Digest Morgan Dolton Freshmen

Making the team isn’t everything No matter who makes the team, we’re all looking forward to another exhilarating season of basketball.

The last second shots, and of course crushing South, are just days away and the anticipation is killing me.

Whether you’re cheering in the stands or playing, it’s almost time to see what the next couple months will bring.

For some of our players, however, the feeling of nervousness and anticipation is a little different.

Just recently, team tryouts lead to a moment of panic as many found out, through an envelope, if they would be playing this season or not.

While they waited to open the envelope, which enclosed the letter that would determine the next four months of their basketball career, some felt intimidated to say the least.

Before some opened their letters, they took a moment to remember the last couple weeks, spending hours at the gym perfecting their shot.

Every day of tryouts they felt sick to their stomach - fearing the worst. The whole time they were thinking, “Will I make the team?

What do the coaches think of me?”

They even got up at 5 a.m. to attend the morning practice on Tuesday. That takes dedication.

Yes, they received donuts after practice but who wouldn’t prefer an extra hour of sleep?

The past couple of nights, they have iced for hours from the constant soreness and pain from the intense running Coach Andrews or Finch had them do.

And to put it nicely, most of them hate running.

Every day they felt the eyes of the coaches glued to their back, watching their every move. They prayed the coaches didn’t see the free throw they just missed.

And just then reality sets in...“what will it be like if I can’t play this season? I even bought new shoes for this.”

After giving a hundred percent what is there left to do?

Seems like a simple basketball tryout just becomes a life lesson.

Maybe you could have hustled more, made one more layup, or even made that threepoint shot you attempted.

Either way, the sun will rise and the Stangs will play on Dec. 5. And some will run out on the court and some will cheer them on from the stands.

10

November 25, 2014

Editorials & Opinion

rules Pandora Drools VS Spotify #Pahlslon

The

By Hannah Schroeder

Q and A time with the one and only, Mr. Pahls.

Q:

How much time do you spend grooming your beard each day? What does your grooming consist of?

A:

“10 minutes grooming and 5 minutes combing it.

I wash and condition it with moisturizer.

Then I brush it. Every day.“

The Pylon

Spotify is the highlight of my life.

It is extremely diverse and virtually unlimited. It’s always changing: adding music and discovery features, updating the computer, phone, and web players, and becoming more convenient for customers.

Think about it. Pandora chooses songs for you based on the artists you like.

It’s generally free, but it has annoying commercials, which you can get rid of for a fee of $4 a month if you upgrade to Premium. The service Pandora offers, however, goes no further than simple internet radio. It is extremely limited.

Here are some outstanding things about Premium Spotify: Users can listen to all the latest tunes, all the time. Even though some artists choose not to put their new albums on Spotify until a couple months after release, the songs are worth the wait because, well, not all of us can afford to buy 1989 (T-Swift’s new album) and all the Sam Smith songs everyone keeps randomly discovering. It adds up to a lot of money after a while, and broke high school/college students can

definitely benefit from a total cost of $10 a month.

Spotify users can make as many playlists as they want, for as many occasions as they want. I personally have a happy playlist, a sad playlist, a love song playlist, a girlpower playlist, a chill playlist, a workout playlist, a road trip playlist- the list goes on.

I use them all. All the time.

Spotify is also amazing for music discovery. It has a “Browse” option that enables users to listen to playlists designed by professionals to match moods, occasions, and even the current state of weather.

Browse is a great way to discover new music and find tunes to fit the situation.

Offline playlists are also available in premium Spotify. Another down side to Pandora is that it uses cellular data all the time. Run out of data? Sorry, you can’t listen to music in your car anymore, even though you pay for premium Pandora. With premium Spotify, however, users can create offline playlists so they can listen to their favorite tunes even in places where there is no phone service or when they are trying to conserve data.

Even if you don’t want to pay, free Spotify is still better than free Pandora.

Users can pick their favorite songs, put them on personalized playlists, and listen to them on shuffle. The only differences from Premium are that you get 6 skips, some commercials, and random songs inserted into the stream while listening to the playlist. The inserted songs are, of course, personalized, and also provide a great music discovery venue. Not to mention that a “radio” setting similar to Pandora is available on Spotify for those who prefer not to pick their own music constantly.

With Spotify, I get to listen to virtually any song I want to hear, whenever I want.

It’s like having every song on iTunes compressed into one app, for much less money a month.

14%

of students said they prefer Spotify

Q: A: Letter to the Editor: Flouride is good

What do you use to groom your beard?

“I use beard oil. It smells like peppermint.

I make it myself. It has lavender in it and some tetri, which is good for hair growth.”

Grant DeMars / The Pylon

Mr. Pahls demonstrates how he grooms his beard daily.

Q: A:

What is your favorite article of clothing that you own?

“I own some sweet Calvin Klein boots.”

Q:

If you were in a talent show, what would you compete with?

A:

“Juggling.”

Q: A:

What is your favorite dinosaur?

“Is it cliche to say T-Rex? They are hilarious. They were built for corn on the cob.”

Q: A:

If you were a color, what color would you be?

“Black. It is classy.”

By Hannah Janzen Guest Writer Fluoride in the water has many benefits and enriches the lives and health of people across the United States. This past election, it was voted to keep the fluoride in the water. I think it is a great thing to have it in the water. Just by drinking water, you can keep your teeth in tip top shape, even if you don’t go to the dentist, and don’t have annual checkups.

It has been proven that fluoride dramatically improves our oral health, and prevents mouth diseases such as oral cancer and gum disease. According to apa. org, fluoride reduced tooth decay by 25%.

It just amazes me that you can keep your teeth healthy just by drinking water.

Fluoride is especially useful for people who don’t go to the dentist and don’t

have annual checkups. Many people have never gone to the dentist, and don’t plan on going. The fluoride in the water is saving their teeth from falling out, because even though it is a small amount, it helps tremendously. You can have a lifetime of fluoridated water for less than the cost of one dental filling. And by drinking the water, you will prevent those mouth diseases, and prevent having to spend money on the treatments. The fluoride also is saving our city money that we can be spending on more useful and needed things.

Without the fluoride, think where we would be. Kids would already be developing mouth cancer and tooth decay from their lack of dental hygiene, and many adults would be losing their teeth.

Knowing that the fluoride is there puts ease to many people who can’t afford

70 sudents were randomly surveyed during M5 on November 14th.

annual visits to the dentist.

Fluoride is useful for both children and adults, and they only have to drink your water to get it. Anyone can drink it at, school, work, or even at home. It is proven to be safe and effective, so why not use it? We are lucky to have fluoride in the water because it is an effortless way to keep your teeth and mouth healthy.

Washington Irving / The Pylon

Cartoon by Alexis Karabinas

6steps to hibernation over Thanksgiving Break The right way to spend your break

By Emma Norris The Pylon

Thanksgiving break is filled with great food, football, black Friday shopping, crisp weather, family time and 6 glorious days of freedom. That’s 8,640 minutes that you could use to totally waste time. Spend those minutes eating junk food, binge watching Netflix, using all the blankets in your house, and just hibernating. Maybe even get a friend to share these lazy days with.

Hibernation is a state of inactivity that is characterized by low body heat, slow breathing and heart rate, and low metabolic rate. In other words, during hibernation, you sleep through the whole winter with a stomach full of food.

It’s a much needed break from school, so spend it the best way you can possibly think of.

All you have to do is follow those six simple steps and you will have the best Thanksgiving break of your life.

1.

By Bailey Driver The Pylon

Hit up your local grocery store to invest in your favorite junk foods and guilty pleasures.

2.

Style your favorite sweat pants, sweat shirt, and fuzzy socks to ensure maximum comfort.

Collect all the pillows and blankets in your house and construct the perfect fort.

3.

4.

Create an assortment of animated Disney movies for entertainment as you stuff your face while reclining on your oasis of pillows and blankets.

5.

Make a “Do Not Disturb” sign to hang out side your fort.

6.

Enjoy your six days of hibernation.

Editorials & Opinion 11 is the music app to use Kudos November 25, 2014

Pandora

By Emma Norris The Pylon When you want to listen to music, where do you go? Pandora, of course. Pandora is the best app to use when you want to listen to music. It is the ideal app and will give you the best listening experience. You can listen to any music by simply typing in an author, title, or album name. Then it not only gives you songs for whatever you typed in to listen to, it gives you similar music as well. Pandora is perfect for any mood, because you can choose whatever radio you want based on whatever mood you are in.

Pandora is way better than Spotify because you don’t have to take the time to create playlists, and search for songs.

Spotify is just difficult to use. You have the option to make your own playlist, but without a subscription, you can’t even choose what song out of the playlist to listen to. You have to wait for it to come on with shuffle. A subscription for Spotify Premium costs $9.99 a month. And without the Spotify Premium, you can’t even listen to

your music when not connected to wifi.

With Pandora, you can still get all the good stuff without paying for a subscription. If you do want a subscription, you can buy Pandora One for $3.99 a month. With that you can get no adds, fewer interruptions and additional skips per day. But you can get everything without spending any money. Plus, you can always listen even when your phone isn’t in a wifi zone.

You get the lyrics to every song with Pandora. You will never not be singing along. It is a great way to learn every word to every song you will hear.

Pandora is very convenient. When you open the app, whatever radio you had previously playing automatically starts playing again. All you have to do is click on the app and your music just starts playing.

That is nice. Then, if you want to go check your Twitter while listening to music, you can because the music will continue to play even if the app isn’t open.

With the new Pandora update, you can have an alarm clock that wakes you up to your favorite radio. You can also share

and rate your favorite stations with people around you through social networking cites.

Along with the wide variety of music you can listen to, you can have up to 100 stations and fill that 100 with your favorite singers, albums, or even time periods. For instance, you could listen to songs from everyones favorite era, the Summer of 2010.

Music isn’t the only thing you have to listen to. You can connect to local radio stations and listen in.

Pandora is clearly the best way to listen to music. It will not only give you the music you want, but it will give it to you in a convenient, easy-to-use, inexpensive and ideal way.

62% of students said

other they use other music apps

of students said they prefer Pandora

24%

Staff Editorial: Where’s our school pride?

By Bailey Driver The Pylon Walking down the hallway, I glance at the destroyed school property and wonder where our school’s sense of pride has gone.

I hear profanity and vulgar comments made without hesitation and I almost feel embarrassed to say I go to school with some of these students. When has it ever been acceptable to vandalize property that isn’t your own, especially property that represents your own school? When has it ever been acceptable to drop the f-bomb and make inappropriate comments that can be heard from the other end of the hallway? The graffitied bathroom stall doors, engraved classroom desks, broken lockers and ripped up bulletin boards represent our school’s students, teachers and administrators. Our students’ behavior in the hallway reflect our school’s morals, and not in a good manner. It’s not okay that our school is being represented like this. Students’ lack of respect and pride doesn’t represent Central as it should be.

Although the term vandalism seems extreme, there’s simpler forms of it that occur in our school on a regular basis. For example, I remember earlier this year signs were posted on the doors leading to the courtyard asking students that ate outside to make sure their trash was picked up and thrown away.

I was surprised and a little disturbed when I saw the sign because I didn’t realize it was necessary to inform high school students to pick up and dispose of their trash after they were done eating. Little to my dismay, I looked closer and saw a stray lunch tray full of scraps lying on a picnic bench beside a knocked over carton of milk. A few days later, the sign that once told students to pick up their trash read, “No food allowed in the courtyard.”

A more recent display of disrespect occurred at the seniors’ mandatory Josten cap and gown meeting during ELO. Randy Johnson, the representative, started the meeting by asking students to put their phones away and listen so important information wasn’t missed. After asking nicely the first time, Mr. Johnson had to make several more comments regarding students’ disrespect as he presented. Following Mr. Johnson’s comments, several boys sitting towards the back of the auditorium thought it would be funny to yell “penis” to arouse some laughter from other students as Mr. Johnson continued. We all know the meeting could have been half as long if he wasn’t such a chatty, personable guy, but that didn’t give

students the right to talk over him and use their cell phones. Although he’s worked with Central students for many years, we should want to represent our school with prideful behavior and respect to outside visitors.

As a teenager, I understand that “kids are going to be kids.” Some think they have the right to do as they please and ignore any authoritative power that tries to correct their actions. Typically, when a teacher or administrator intervenes, students respond by fighting back. Students wouldn’t fight back if they couldn’t get away with their poor behavior. A school-wide standard needs to be set by leaders of the school to promote S.P.I.R.I.T. As freshmen, the S.P.I.R.I.T acronym is shoved down our throat for the first two months of school and then we never hear about it again. Upperclassmen, teachers and administrators need to set good examples for other students to follow so this behavior is not encouraged. As a human being, I understand that we aren’t always going to be perfect and that we slip up; however, we can start representing our

“It is not okay that our school is being represented like this.

Students’ lack of respect and pride doesn’t represent Central as it should be.”

Bailey Driver The Pylon

school with some pride.

Prideful behavior starts in the hallways.

There could be visitors walking in the halls and no one would even notice because of the obnoxious behavior that is displayed. As students, when visitors are in the building we should want to represent Central as the best school in Salina. The yelling, play fighting, cursing and PDA have become a norm in the hallway. It’s gotten to the point where teachers are supposed to keep track of how many times they have to ask students to watch their mouth or take off their hat.

Honestly, I’m embarrassed for our school.

Having to ask a high school student of these things should be completely unnecessary, but it’s something teachers and administrators have to be conscious of daily. As a result, I’ve noticed that some fed up teachers just

hide out in their classrooms to avoid it all completely. Teachers should take advantage of their power and inform troubled students that as a high schooler their behavior is not acceptable. Teachers have the ability to be some students’ only positive influence in their life; still, several teachers continue to hide in their classrooms so they don’t have correct student behavior.

A few weeks ago, the hallway near the concourse and library leading to the big gym reeked of weed. I was completely baffled at the thought of students thinking it was even remotely okay to smoke weed during school.

Conveniently, during this incident, Mrs. Rector was being followed around by a Salina Journal reporter for a story involving the typical day of a principal. I can’t imagine the thoughts the reporter was facing as he smelt the stench of weed lingering throughout the hall- definitely not anything positive.

As a school, we have so much more to offer: academics, athletics, band, choir, theatre, art, debate, SADD, journalism, forensics, robotics, FFA, StuCo. Central is supposed to represent Salina as a community, and we’ve lost pride in that. Our behavior should display a passion for being a mustang and attending Central.

It’s easy to criticize when you feel as though you’re an outsider looking in. Not every student acts in this manner and there is a vast majority of students that display leadership throughout our school, but not enough. I appreciate the efforts the Climate Committee, StuCo, SADD, teachers and administrators contribute in encouraging positive, leadership-like behavior, but something else needs to be done. I’m not saying that these efforts need to be stopped, but everyone needs to realize that this school is losing its pride. No one wants our school to be represented by hallways that reek of weed, students that nonchalantly throw around vulgar language, damaged property or teachers that could care less about enforcing rules. As a school we need to stop going through the motions and truly make Central a positive environment.

Student behavior can’t be controlled off of school campus, but student behavior can be controlled on campus to represent Central and Salina in a prideful manner.

9 12 out of

Pylon staffers said student behavior lacks school pride

& Call-

outs

The following Kudos and Callouts are instances where our faculty, students or others get either praised for doing a good job, or called out for dropping the ball. These are made by the opinion editor with help from other Pylon staff members, teachers, and students.

Kudos:

-This new season of Grey’s Anatomy is incredible.

-Sparkling grspe juice. Way better than actual alcohol.

-The mathletes got first at state.

Way to go, ya nerds.

-Carol Lee Donuts. You make my morning.

-Low gas prices. Woohoo! Go get your gas now before they rise again.

-One Acts are coming up soon.

-Three words: Powder. Puff.

Football.

-Can’t wait for all these Black Friday sales. I ‘m gonna buy myself something rull’ nice.

-All the parks and rec basketball boys for already starting practice for their big season. #grindtime -Got nothing to do in the Winter? Go out for bowling. It is going to be so much fun.

-Spaghettios are the greatest thing.

-The Sophomores for being tough and only losing to the seniors by one touchdown. V.S. ROCKS. -Seniors for being victorious in Podwer Puff.

-Anyone who supported Powder Puff. It was cold as frick and you still came to watch.

-The school’s tomato soup for actually making me want to eat school lunch.

-DQ’s Blizzard of the Month is amazing every month.

-It’s almost turkey time. Love me some Thanksgiving dinner.

Callouts:

-Random people who screenshot Snapchat stories. Why. -Buffalo Wild Wings hurry up and open. I want wings.

-That kid walking in front of me in the hallway that dropped his trash and didn’t pick it up.

-It is freezing outside and like a sauna inside the school. I don’t know what weather to dress for.

-Couples that make out in the hallway. Just stop.

-People who are already listening to Christmas music.

Slow your roll.

-Taylor Swift for taking all her songs off of Spotify.

-Snapchat for trying to make “snapcash” a thing. I’m sketched out.

-Girls who participate in No shave November. Shave your legs and pits. Don’t be a sasquatch.

-Teachers for the excessive amount of homework we are getting right before break.

-Sequels. You will never be as good as the originals.

12

November 25, 2014

Photo Story

Hayley Gunelson / The Pylon

Hayley Gunelson / The Pylon

Sophomore SumJai Kounnavon, as part of the chain crew.

Junior Jetta Greene out runs several seniors.

Eli Berner / The Pylon

Sophomore Emma Cain prepares the Victorious Secret offense for a play.

Lindsey Wood / The Pylon

Members of the Victorious Secret celebrate after a score.

Eli Berner / The Pylon

Senior Bailey Driver celebrates after scoring a touchdown.

Football

Lindsey Wood / The Pylon

Junior Casey Campbell calls out directions to his team.

Eli Berner / The Pylon

Sophomore Casey Knoth eludes several seniors.

Hayley Gunelson / The Pylon

Freshan Elisa Backes gets pumped to play.

Seniors defeat Sophomores to win Powder Puff Hayley Gunelson / The Pylon

Hayley Gunelson / The Pylon

Freshman Karley Benson gets ready on Defense.