The Stampede
Spring into sports CMR athletes approach season with high expectations
c.m. russell high school great falls, mont. april 16, 2015 vol. 49, issue 9
An open forum for student expression
www.rustlernews.com
The Stampede
The Stampede staff strives to produce a publication that is relevant to the CMR student body while maintaining journalistic standards. We help to provide a free exchange of ideas and establish a student voice in the school community.
2014-2015 STAFF
CONTENTS 1 - Cover photo by Peyton Fulbright 2 - Table of Contents NEWS 3- Peyton’s column, STEAM Expo 4- New principal 5- Toni Calloway, Science Bowl, FFA OPINION 6- Editorial, Laura’s column 7- Religion FEATURES 8- Rustler rides 9- Saturday school CENTER 10-11- CMR odd jobs FEAURES CONT. 12- Childhood memories 13- Pluto ENTERTAINMENT 14- Cinderella review and modern fairy tales 15- Students with the Great Falls Symphony SPORTS 16- Softball cheers, Lindsay’s column 17-Track and field 18- Foreign exchange students in tennis 19- Rustler Athlete, Stats BACKPAGE 20- Defining moments
editor-in-chief peyton fulbright
online editor tony lynes
visual content editor tom gruner
news/opinion editor laura marsilio
features/ entertainment editor olivia rudio
sports editor
lindsay martinez
advertising manager jaylynn mitchell
staff
drew brennan jesse whiteman elea roberts katelyn smith allison hanson april hummel nate johnson shannon o’neil sarina calaman amanda cornwall carli dieruf tamara miller clara mcclain jara wilkinson iris kaiser
adviser
beth britton
principal
dick kloppel
TOP LEFT & BOTTOM LEFT: Freshman Kobe Rowe and senior Edin Agamenoni rehearses with the Great Falls Symphony on March 28. Rowe and Agamenoni were chosen as the junior and senior winners in the Montana Association of Symphony Orchestra’s concerto competition. MIDDLE: Freshman Tucker DeBolt throws javelin on April 8. TOP RIGHT: Junior Connor McAllister runs the 4x1 relay on April 8. BOTTOM RIGHT: Coach Ryan Anderson tells JV girls discus throwers the rules during the JV Meet on April 8. Photos by Tom Gruner.
Editorial Policy
The Stampede -- produced by journalism classes at C.M. Russell High School -- is a public forum for all voices on campus. These voices include the students, parents, faculty and the community at large. The opinions and views in this publication are not necessarily those of the Stampede staff, the student body, CMR employees or the school administration. The Stampede strives to cover the news accurately and fairly; however, when a mistake is made, a correction will be printed in the following issue. All writers are responsible for the content of their articles. Editors will edit all copy to be free of plagiarism and libel, and all writers will double-check their facts before publication. Letters to the editor and guest essays are welcome. Letters are limited to 200 words, and essays 350 words. All submissions must be signed and include a phone number so authenticity
can be verified. The editors and/or adviser reserve the right to edit all letters for grammar and spelling as well as content that may include profanity, be libelous, obscene or not meet general editorial guidelines. Anonymous letters are not accepted. Submissions can be dropped off in room 326 or e-mailed to: stampede@gfps.k12. mt.us. The Stampede maintains membership in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association, the Journalism Education Association and Quill and Scroll. Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/KRT Campus High School Newspaper Service.
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NEWS
3
Students attend 5th annual STEAM expo Stampede, staff win
Editor-in-Chief
peytonfulbright
by olivia rudio, features/entertainment editor On April 11, the Great Falls High School gymnasium was full of posters, orange vested judges and fluorescent mice. Tom Cubbage’s AP biology class was one of many displays at the STEAM expo last weekend, when nearly 200 kids shared their Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math projects. The kids conducted their own objectives, research and experiments that they shared with the judges at the event. And while the AP biology class from CMR wasn’t sharing a project, they had one strong objective. “We’re teaching kids about DNA,” junior Josh Botti-Anderson said, standing in front of a display about the genetics behind getting mice to glow. “It’s kind of trying to get kids interested in science.” “There’s better things to do on a Saturday, but there are worse things to do on a Saturday,” junior Shay Spring said, also mentioning the added bonus of a little extra credit the group would receive for presenting at the expo. Murray Metge’s freshman science students faced similar incentives to present their research projects that day. “We get 40 extra credit points,” freshman Cadie Brannon said. “If we didn’t do it here we would have had to present in the Commons,” her partner Peyton Schliep added. All freshman science students taking Metge’s class were required to compose a research project with the end product being a display for the STEAM expo. “Everyone had to ask him to see if the idea was OK, not simple, (but) complex enough to be measured. Then we started experiments, research and
statewide awards
by jesse whiteman, staff writer Fourteen members of the Stampede staff along with advisor Beth Britton and video production teacher Brian Crosby went to the University of Montana for the annual High School Journalism Day on April 9. All 16 people attended classes put on by the University. The following list displays the places and awards won by writers and the paper as a whole.
Category
High School Journalist of the Year
TOP LEFT: Freshmen Sara Carbis poster displays her research on the psychological effect of fast food packaging. BOTTOM LEFT: Mice huddle together on Tom Cubbage’s DNA display. RIGHT: Brooke Crabtree sits with her presentation on the variation of force that can be absorbed in football helmets. Photos by Olivia Rudio.
research paper,” Brannon said. The research paper extended from the students’ science class and into their English class with Kelly Parsons. “I’m kind of glad it took up two classes,” freshman Gage Hilyard said. Hilyard’s project explored the reaction between bacteria and Splenda. “I liked doing the experiment; growing the bacteria was cool,” he said. For his experiment he grew bacteria in petri dishes by stamping it from a bacteria source and placing the petri dishes in an incubator. “I had four samples and a control,” Hilyard said. “It took me like a week to get the results,” His experimental results concluded that Splenda cannot kill bacteria, but from his research he learned that it can kill stomach bacteria. Above all, he said he learned not to procrastinate and the importance of meeting deadlines. Freshman Nelly Islas said she also
A lot of times, being a person really sucks. Our day-today existence is filled with mundane activities that none of us want to do, but in reality they really aren’t that bad. However, in our heads we build up the belief that these tasks are worse than they are. We take for granted the fact that we have it pretty great to be a human being instead of one of the other countless animals that exist in our world. For example, waking up is terrible basically every single day, but the fact that we can sleep indoors, in beds and under blankets is awesome. The fact that we can store food so we don’t have to get up as the sun rises to go kill our breakfast is quite convenient. We know we can usually eat as soon as we’re hungry. We aren’t left to worry and wonder if we’ll ever be able to eat again. So while the early afternoon sunshine is practically painful to wake up to, it could always be worse. Another perk of being a human? Opposable thumbs. Are you holding this newspaper right now? If so, give those digits a shout out for making your life a lot more enjoyable.
learned this lesson when her grades started dropping due to her conflicting work schedule. “It was hard to coordinate my time, [but] you learn that school comes first rather than your job,” Islas said. Once she learned to manage her time, she said she was able to pick her grades back up and had a lot of fun working on the project. “We found that a hydrogen peroxide and vinegar mix is a lot more effective than big name brand cleaning products,” she said. For her experiment she also grew bacteria in petri dishes. “Those things were nasty,” Islas said. “It smells like a dying dog.” Despite the unpleasant process, Islas said she is happy to have had the experience, even after having to present in front of the judges. “It’s uncomfortable, a little awkward. They ask you a lot of questions, but that’s when you realize you know what you are talking about.”
Place Name
Peyton Fulbright
Pacesetter
Second
The Stampede
Website
Second
rustlernews.com
Newspaper Design
First
The Stampede
Sports Event Coverage
First
Olivia Rudio
Sports Feature
Third
Peyton Fulbright
News Writing
First
Peyton Fulbright
Feature Writing
Second
Shannon O’Neil, Elea Roberts
Photo Illustration
Second
Peyton Fulbright
Photo Illustration
Third
Peyton Fulbright
Feature Photography
First
Peyton Fulbright
News Photography
Second
Peyton Fulbright
Sports Feature
First
Peyton Fulbright
Sports Photography
First
Peyton Fulbright
Ad Design
Second
JJ Mitchell
Editorial Cartoon
First
Shannon O’Neil
Enterprise Reporting
Second
Tom Gruner, Iris Kaiser, Elea Roberts, MacQuaid Brennan, Nate Johnson
Bathe Your Own Dog
Don’t even get me started about conversation. While other animals have their own languages, the languages of humans are by far the most amazing and in-depth. We speak so many languages around the world, and all of them are more complex and contain so many more possibilities than any other animal could ever come close to. Take that, whales. As any form of life gets older, its body begins to fall apart. Vision gets worse, strength goes away, memory decreases, and injuries happen easier and don’t heal as quickly. In the wild, that means it’s time to die. You’re being weeded out. But in our human society, that’s just called middle age. We’ve advanced so far that we’re able to tell nature where to stick it Grooming by appointment and keep living longer than we should. Sure, that doesn’t help Owner/Operator Ruth Johns overpopulation problems, but I’d rather have that issue than have to look forward to a short life. As much as we all love our cats and dogs or wish we Open Daily 1100 Smelter Ave. NE could fly like an eagle, just be happy with the human you are Mon-Sat 10-6 Black Eagle because it won’t get any better than how you have it now. Sun 10-4 453-9963
4 news
4.16.15 The Stampede
“I probably knew that at some point Mr. Kloppel was going to decide to retire. I felt like it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, so I decided to go for it. It created a lot of internal thought for me. I love East. There was lots going through my mind, but it seemed like the right fit at the right time,” he said. While at East, Parsons believes he was able to gain experience that will help him when he returns to CMR next year. “The staff [at EMS] has been supportive in helping me learn to be an effective principal,” he said. Parsons also says that Kloppel was “such a great mentor” for him while he was an AP, and that he “owes a lot to Dick Kloppel” for showing him what it takes to be an effective administrator. Kloppel says that out of the three candidates who interviewed for the position, Parsons was the right choice for the job. “There were two candidates that would have done this high school a fabulous job. They each had a very different style, but Kerry brings an aura, a presence to the job that outshone the other candidates,” Kloppel said. Parsons believes that he has a very similar administrative style to Kloppel. “We’re very similar in terms of the philosophy of shared leadership. It’s too great of a responsibility to do all on your own, so you must surround yourself with people who can do their job. I’m not a micromanager, East Middle School principal and 1984 CMR graduate Kerry Parsons will officially become the new principal on July 1. Photo by Peyton Fulbright. but you need to be able to support and address issues that arise, and I do that,” he said. Kloppel agrees, but says the largest difference between the two is Parson’s sense of tidiness, something Kloppel is the polar opposite of. “There are a ton of similarities. I think he’ll do such a good job because of the similarities. I don’t think his desk Montana State University-Northern. Parsons was hired as will ever look like mine, though. When he first started as by peyton fulbright, editor-in-chief On a warm August morning, only a few weeks before a biology teacher at CMR in 1994. In 2006 Parsons became an AP, at the end of the day there was never anything on the 2014-2015 school year started, Principal Dick Kloppel an Associate Principal at CMR under Kloppel until 2013, his desk. He’s very organized,” he said. Kloppel believes that Parson’s experience as an was in the building working and preparing for the school when he went to EMS to replace Shelly Fagenstrom as administrator at a middle school combined with his past year. When he was asked if it was his final year, he didn’t principal. Parsons recognizes the significance of returning to his involvement with high school activities has prepared know what to say. him for the responsibility. “If you would have asked me last year at this time if former high school. “It’s going to be a great opportunity. It’s a great high “He’s not only an excellent manager, he’s a strong I would have retired, I probably would have said yes. So school with a rich tradition. It has a great staff, most of instructional leader. On the activities side, as a student, in I guess I’ll just have to wait and see,” he said at the time. Eight months later, Kloppel has decided to retire and which I know, and a great student body. It’s surreal to be college, and as a coach he’s always been heavily involved. He’s also totally familiar with the building already. Most will be replaced by Kerry Parsons. Currently, Parsons is picked,” Parsons said. Although he had only been at EMS for two years, of the things I do, he already does, just on a different the principal at East Middle School. Prior to working at EMS, Parsons graduated from Parsons just couldn’t turn down the opportunity to come magnitude. His learning curve will be nearly flat. He’s the complete package.” C.M. Russell High School in 1984 before going on to back to CMR.
Kerry Parsons to replace Dick Kloppel for 2015-2016 school year
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news 5
4.16.15 The Stampede
Calloway wins Science Bowl, FFA to go to nationals DAR award by nate johnson, staff writer When senior Toni Calloway was offered an opportunity at receiving a scholarship, she never thought she’d be winning an award. Calloway was offered to write an essay in the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Good Citizens and Essay Scholarship Contest, explaining how she met the society’s four main qualities: patriotism, service, leadership, and dependability The Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 and is dedicated to “promoting patriotism, preserving American history, and securing America’s future through better education for children,” according to their official website. She was given only one hour to write her essay, and she claims that she felt the pressure, as she does not do great with timed writes. While Calloway did not receive the scholarship, she was awarded by the DAR, and feels a great sense of pride in receiving this award. “It’s not like they hand these out to everybody,” she claimed, adding that it makes her feel good about herself, and it makes CMR look good. Calloway said that this award helps build her self-confidence, and it will look good on resumes and college applications, so it will help her a lot in the future. It’s not every day that a CMR student wins an award from a national organization, and Calloway recognizes the award as a great accomplishment, claiming that earning this is “self-rewarding” above all else.
by jesse whiteman, staff writer A final question was raised. A final buzzer was rung. A final point was scored. And C. M. Russell’s Science Bowl team won the regional competition. Upon winning the Western Area Power Region, made up of Montana and northern Wyoming, the team and the two coaches, Karen Spencer and Josy McLean, earned a trip to Washington D.C. for the national competition, the team’s sixth appearance in 22 years. The competition takes place Apr. 30-May 4. The team consists of juniors Brandon Barnes, Joshua BottiAnderson, Nirupa Gadi, Luke McEntee, and senior Linda Li. The atmosphere at the competition, according to team captain Gadi and her teammates, was incredibly emotional. “Linda cried, I teared up,” Gadi said. “Linda was straight up crying. Everyone was excited.” “We beat them on the last question. If we wouldn’t have gotten the bonus, we would’ve lost,” McEntee said. “We worked really well as a team on toss-ups.” The team triumphed on the last question over Helena High School after three other encounters. For preparation, Spencer said that since Science Bowl has no prior competitions until regionals, the team competes against itself. They work on buzzer speed and studying previously used questions. “We just run questions,” she said for a two team dress rehearsal. “It’s always a tough thing choosing the two teams.” A split decision for some students was whether to compete at the regional competition or attend prom. “We ended up having to recruit a few kids,” Spencer said. “It’s a lot of fun; we could be a whole lot more serious.” Another team making a trip to nationals is FFA, chartered in 2009, under the direction of Jodi Koterba. They will compete in Louisville, Ky. Oct. 28-31. The team travelling so far are juniors Matt Ammons, Haley Darlinton, Josh Meyer, Reena Roberson, Samantha Morris, Reanna Shular, sophomore Carter Storrusten, freshmen Katrina Roberts, Ben Kaul, Mary Brown, and the sole senior Katie Lamping. The year-round season has three remaining state level
ABOVE: The Science Bowl team. BELOW: The FFA Agriculture Issues and Agri-Science Fair teams. Photos courtesy of Karen Spencer and Jodi Koterba.
contests. “There’s 27 state level competitions throughout the year based on different career fields,” Koterba said. After placing first in a career field, a trip to nationals is earned. Koterba said that an estimated seven people will earn FFA’s highest honor, the American Degree. To earn this award, one must have taken three years of Agriculture Education, invested $10,000 into work, and have 50 hours of community service. Koterba added that she is proud of her competitors and has made a goal from it. “All of our graduates are productively employed or in college,” Koterba said. “My goal is to get kids jobs.”
LGBTQ youth to participate in silent protest tomorrow
by iris kaiser, staff writer Students across the country are cutting out posters and preparing for the big day. Information packets are traveling throughout the school and whispers are being exchanged. The Day of Silence is almost here. Founded in 1996, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) Day of Silence is a national day of action in which students across the country vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment in schools. For students across America, the Day of Silence is the only time their voice is heard. Being a freshman in high school erases one’s voice as well. Many students feel no one really wants their opinion because those ideas are brand new. Add homosexuality into the mix, and you’re basically silenced for the next four years. Freshman Elijah Sundstrom said he has a hard enough time with classes and homework, not to mention the insults he still gets, despite coming out years ago. “I’m a queer student, and so are a majority of my friends,” Sundstrom said. Sundstrom is taking part in C.M. Russell’s first official
art by iris kaiser
Day of Silence event. He said he views most of the school being respectful about it, but he is concerned that it won’t go over well with others. He explained that this event is important to him because, as a queer student, he does have a hard time with acceptance, and that a lot of his closeted
friends who came out didn’t receive good reactions. “I know what it’s like to be silenced,” Sundstrom explained. He isn’t the only queer student being silenced. Sophomore Grace Rabe may be cute and tiny, but she’s got a lot to say. Rabe explained that partaking in the event has quite a personal reason behind it. She said she experienced the name-calling and harassment when she first started questioning her sexuality, and that she still does. On top of all the short jokes, Rabe is targeted with insults involving her sexuality, especially since she’s now in a relationship with another queer student. She said that she doesn’t even notice the insults when the two are together. She said that she feels the Day of Silence will help others realize that LGBTQ discrimination is a major problem, especially at the high school level, and she hopes that others will find the courage to speak up against the bullying. “LGBTQ people need a voice,” Rabe said.
OPINION
6
English student looks forward to fourth quarter philosophical classroom debates
Parsons to take charge as principal July 1, has already earned respect
Let’s put it simply: adjusting to a new principal will not drastic differences from what we are used to now. We can only hope that Parsons will be as loved and be easy. One thing to lessen the burden however, is the fact respected in his first few years as principal as Mr. Kloppel that our next principal has been here before. Current East Middle School Principal Kerry Parsons is currently. When Parsons was an associate principal, he definitely will take over as principal of CMR on July 1, as Principal Dick Kloppel retires after 15 years in charge of our school, gained respect for his ability to handle situations and take care of our school, and we believe this respect should carry and 45 years in education. Parsons graduated from CMR as part of the class of over into his years as principal. We know adjustments can be hard but we urge our students to give Mr. 1984, taught as a biology teacher at CMR from Parsons as much respect as is given to Mr. August 1994 to June 2006, and was an associate From Kloppel. Remember, he’s having to adjust too, principal from August 2006 to June 2013 under Mr. point of view coming back to a school he hasn’t been at for Kloppel. two years and being the top administrator will Parsons is known by many members of the faculty, although he is a familiar face only to next year’s be no easy task, and we at the Stampede know that he seniors, who were freshmen during his final year as a CMR deserves respect for doing so. associate principal. That being said, we have no doubt that Parsons will The fact that Parsons is well-known around the school earn students’ respect. He is a reasonable man, and was will certainly help the adjustment, but there will no doubt great in his role as associate principal. be some changes. We all respect that Parsons will have a So, from the Stampede, along with all of the Rustler slightly different way of going about his business than family, we would like to welcome Kerry Parsons back what we have grown accustomed to with Kloppel, but we into our school, and we wish him the best of luck going believe that CMR will retain its great environment, with no forward as principal of CMR.
News/Opinion Editor
lauramarsilio
OUR
Meninism is probably one of the stupidest ideas to ever come out of the Internet next to memes and bronies. The movement known as meninism was originally started as a group of men who supported feminism and the idea that women should have equal rights. Now, thanks to the Internet, it has become a global sensation of complete ridicule. To these so-called “meninists,” women are seen as inferior instead of equal. Since when is equality a sin? A lot of people think only about extreme feminists who believe that men are inferior. Instead, the real definition is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. Not fitting the classic, ideal 50’s woman seems to be something that some men still find surprising. Let’s get this straight: I don’t know how to cook, I hate cleaning, and the last time I wore a dress I changed
half way through the day because I couldn’t sit the way I wanted to. The fact that meninists believe that women exist only for men is appalling. We’re people, not robots. If it was the other way around men would feel the same we do. Women don’t tell men that their “bro tank is showing your shoulders and it’s distracting the ladies.” Men don’t get judged for showing “too much skin” or eating an entire bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos while watching Netflix all day. If a woman shows up in sweatpants and a T-shirt she is seen as lazy and improper, whereas if a man were to do so it’d be considered casual. The idea of meninism does not only make fun of feminism, but it also destroys the idea that men can actually be sensitive. Instead, as a society, we have made it bad to be a girl. Statements like “you throw like a girl” or “you run like a girl” should not be insulting.
by nate johnson, staff writer Personally, I have never enjoyed an English class. Not a single one. These classes are quite possibly the most boring moments of any day. That being said, the end of this year may just change my opinion. Now I don’t mean any offense to any of my English teachers. I’ve never had a problem with any of them, but I just can’t stand all the essays, writing, and seemingly pointless reading. At the start of the fourth quarter, I’m starting to think it may just get better for my last two months of high school. Walking into Mrs. Cleveland’s classroom might have not been my favorite part of the day earlier this year, but I have a feeling I will be looking forward to my second period English 7-8 class for the rest of this year. During fourth quarter, we are going to be having philosophical discussions in class, which I believe will actually be interesting. Instead of the usual reading, writing, analyzing, and yawning, our entire class will be engaged in discussions of deep thoughts with no solid answer, sharing our ideas and opinions on our own beliefs, morals, and even ourselves as humans. Philosophical thought is the best way for a person to learn about themselves, and philosophical discussions deepen a person’s self-awareness by exposing them to multiple other people’s opinions and views on life and morals. I believe that these discussions are great for seniors as we go further on in life, as we need to be able to selfreflect and examine everything in our lives. Whether these seniors plan on going to college or joining the work force, philosophical inward thinking will help with any struggles they face. While it may not be the most conventional method of teaching, I believe that this will not only increase or education now, but will also help us learn about ourselves and the world. If these so-called meninists saw our track and field girls they’d be impressed because most of these girls could easily beat their meninist behinds. The fact that not just women, but a lot of other minority groups, are still fighting for equality is wild. The world shouldn’t be like that. It’s 2015, people. Thinking that only straight white males should have no worries is wild. The constant mimicry of this movement, or any, seems to just be an outcry of what these people are lacking: confidence and self-esteem. No one human is superior to another. In a Breakfast Club-like fashion, we may have our brainiacs, our super athletes, and our artsy kids, but in the end everyone is good at something and everyone deserves the same rights. Putting someone down just to get a reaction is not right. Especially when that thing is completely and utterly stupid.
The Stampede 4.16.15
opinion 7
Belief in God results in evil, hatred Religion and spirituality provide hope, love, peace and moral guidance species similar to us, including chimpanzees. It by drew brennan, staff writer “With or without religion, you would have good is almost as if we are just the updated version, people doing good things and evil people doing evil thanks to evolution. Religion, as evolutionary biologist Richard things. But for good people to do evil things, that Dawkins describes it, is a virus. It is passed from takes religion.” –Steven Weinberg Weinberg, a theoretical physicist, is spot on generation to generation. I believe it is worse with the previous quote. The utter and complete to tell a child that he or she will go to hell if he baseless belief in a God or gods has led people to or she does not follow the word of God than commit evil acts in the name of God throughout it is to physically abuse a child. The lifelong mental effects are far more detrimental to an history. Most wars, condoning slavery, Islamic individual’s mental health. There are countless extremism, witch burnings, mass suicides, 9/11, examples one can find to support this assertion. “Religion is capable of driving people to such ethnic cleansing, the inquisition, the crusades, the KKK and priests raping children all have dangerous folly that faith seems to me to qualify as a kind of mental illness.”- Richard Dawkins occurred because of religion and faith. You can tell a child about Santa Claus and Faith is the suspension of critical thought. The suspension of critical thought along with the tooth fairy and they will believe it, same as explanations found in a holy book that is God. Believing in God is an everlasting state of no more than superstition is delusion, and adolescence, making one incapable of accepting religion is mass delusion. There is nothing scientifically proven things such as evolution. The word theory in a scientific sense is more dangerous than mass delusion because the people will believe anything and can justify quite different than in everyday conversation. anything. It is their faith. You cannot question it. For example, it is a theory that the earth revolves around the sun or That is where the evil lies. that gravity holds us on the Religion has a different “I am against religion ground. Evolution is also idea of proof than those who a theory, one which has champion reason over faith. because it teaches us an overwhelming amount The Bible is not proof. The to be satisfied with not of evidence that increases book was written more than understanding the world.” annually. The “missing link” a hundred years after Jesus has been found over and supposedly died, and we do not over again. Homo habilis and even know who wrote most of Homo erectus are two clear it. Just because the church tells us Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote the examples of where we came from. Rejecting gospels does not mean that it is true. They were evolution is sheer ignorance and stupidity. Paul Hill murdered an abortion provider in written anonymously in third person. The Bible is a story of an all-powerful God 1994 because he believed he was doing the right sending his only son to be born of a virgin and thing for God. Homosexuals every day are persecuted then killed for our sins. But most high church leaders will admit the story of Adam and Eve for something that science tells us is not their is symbolic. That means God sent his son to be choice. Why would they choose to be hated by killed for symbolic sin. That makes absolutely so many? Even worse, there are thousands of homosexuals of faith who cannot accept who no sense. The lack of actual historical documents and they are because of their faith. Religion attempts to halt scientific relics left behind by Jesus makes it difficult to progression such as stem cell research, believe he ever existed. In my mind, a man walking around something that is hurting absolutely nobody. performing miracles with droves of followers The breakthroughs that religion fights to stop should warrant every scholar within a thousand are real miracles, no thanks to God. In the United States, atheism and nonmiles to write down the activities of Jesus. But theism is growing. Close to half of the world’s still, we have next to none. The story of Jesus is copied from countless population is non-theist, and that number religions in the Mediterranean area that had been is expected to grow alongside the rise of the around for thousands of years before Christ. It awareness in evolution. The age of reason is comes from where most ancient stories come upon us. For now the churches of the world will from: the stars. 12 disciples, 12 zodiac signs. The three kings are three stars that point to the spot continue to rake in millions of dollars from in the sky in which the sun “dies.” As winter willing followers, and religion will spark goes progresses the sun keep goes farther down hateful murder and war in the Middle East and in the sky, and on Dec. 25 the star stops going elsewhere. “I am against religion because it teaches us to down, it “dies.” Three days later it begins to go higher into the sky. It is “resurrected”. Sound be satisfied with not understanding the world.”Richard Dawkins familiar? Never stop looking for the truth, which I find it interesting when people tell me that morals come from God. So what they are means real evidence. Ask how we got here, implying is that without God people would not why. Serve others and yourself, not God. If murder and rape as they please. It is a ridiculous we all search for honest truth I believe we can argument considering we can observe morals in abolish religion and the evil that comes with it.
Richard Dawkins
by olivia rudio, features/entertainment editor Religion isn’t for everyone. Water is wet. The earth is round. The pope is Catholic. For a person to practice religion such as Christianity and strive to emulate the merits of Jesus Christ is not evil. They are not delusional in adhering to Christianity either because people practice religion to engage in a spiritual quest, not necessarily as a history lesson. Although most modern historians consent to the fact that Jesus existed historically based on Christian and non-Christian texts alike, it’s ok for one to deny his existence because it still can’t undermine his (or any other peace pushing religious figurehead’s) value as a spiritual figure. To refute the point that there are no relics of Jesus to prove his existence is just silly given that the man hardly wore shoes. To live without material possessions or wealth was kind of his thing. Instead, Jesus practiced love and compassion for everyone, including his haters. And to me, that’s the most important teaching of Jesus. For many, religion is considered to be the foundation upon which people establish their moral values, but to claim people turn to religion only for a moral compass is a misunderstanding of the spirit of religion. People turn to religion for moral guidance, it’s true, but they also turn to it personally for hope, love and peace. The history of mankind has been and always will be class struggle. In the era before Jesus, the Romans under the Herodian dynasty were crucifying thousands of Jews for questioning the authority of the tyrannical elite. This caused many Jews to turn towards the idea of the Messiah to arrive as their one beacon of hope. He embodied their personal struggles in his strong likeness of the miserable lower class at the time. He denounced wealth, laws and possessions and encouraged people to define for themselves how to live a righteous life. Leonard Schlain suggests in his book “The Alphabet Versus the Goddess”, that Jesus recognized the issue of the literate elite, often lawyers, interpreting the Torah “forcing ordinary folk to seek advice from men trained in legal arcana.” He further acknowledges that this “excessive legalism empowered a select, priestly class of men.” A priestly class of men spitting out Bible verses at the humbled illiterate isn’t exactly what Jesus had in mind when he came to be the Messiah for the poor, suffering Jews. I think this insight is valuable because it gives context to the state of Judaism at the time in history when Jesus shows up and why he didn’t allow his teachings to be written down and instead encouraged his disciples to memorize his teachings. By committing his teachings to heart, the disciples could communicate the spiritual message by sharing with others rather than the telling others a restricted interpretation through the linear nature of the written word. This is why the story of Jesus isn’t written until a hundred years or so after his death; and thus a new class of literate elite rose up to subject the rest of the illiterate population to their rules. This shows the bad associated with religion really isn’t about religion at all, but rather about the endless struggle between privileged and the poor, the mighty and the meek, and the almighty socioeconomic trend that disfavors whatever subculture or group that emerges against that of the norm. Therefore praising or serving whatever religion or belief system you chose isn’t evil. Punishing people for what they believe in of spite of your own, is cruel. It’s bad when Christians do it. It’s bad when atheists do it. It’s bad when democrats or republicans do it, too. Whenever any ideal gets institutionalized, there is great capacity for evil. And it’s important to be aware of that, but not with a blind hate and perpetual ignorance. To conclude, there are two distinct differences between a religious/ spiritual truth and evolutionary truth. Evolutionary truth presents scientific insights about our physical world. A spiritual truth is something we believe personally as humans to be true as we explore the physical world. In my opinion, both are important and both should be pursued. But if we are to pursue the further realms of collective scientific and spiritual knowledge as a human race—we first have to figure out how to get along.
FEATURES
8
From the
driver’s seat
Rodriguez shares the meaning behind his car
Features Editor
oliviarudio
Top: Senior Christian Rodriguez sits in style on his 1997 Jeep Cherokee named Henry. Above: looking into her rear view mirror, senior Ashleigh Lehotsky looks at her array of decorations, the main one being her Hawaiian Warrior Helmet. Right: Modeling with his 1999 Ford Crown Victoria, also known as Queen Vicki, senior Caleb Kindler strikes his favorite pose. Photos by Katelyn Smith.
by katelyn smith, staff writer What started out as a lumberjack looking Hank soon turned into senior Christian Rodriguez’s pal Henry. “He didn’t really look like a Hank to me at first. Hank is like a tough lumberjack name, and he isn’t like that so I named him Henry,” Rodriguez said. “It’s simple.” The 1997 Jeep Cherokee, otherwise known has Henry, was a birthday present as a congratulations for Rodriguez getting his license. “I got Henry the summer going into sophomore year,” Rodriguez said. “He’s my way of changing things up.” Adding stickers to Henry has become a way to make the old family car feel just like new. “I like the look of the stickers,” Rodriguez said. “It’s been my way of changing things after being in Great Falls all my life.” The collection includes his Montana wrestling sticker, the turtle sticker he got from Hawaii, and his favorite and most recent sticker in the collection: U.S. Navy. Like Rodriguez, senior Ashleigh Lehotsky enjoys the Hawaiian touch. “I have a Hawaiian theme going on. I have my pineapple air freshener, my Hawaiian seat covers, and my Hawaiian warrior helmet,” she
Recently comedian John Oliver ran a piece called “Government Surveillance” on his show “This Week Tonight.” The piece focused around the Patriot Act and the fact that the revisions previously provided for the act are going to expire on June 1. In the piece he interviewed Edward Snowden. Despite the fact that most Americans recognize his name, Snowden remains misunderstood by most Americans, oftentimes being mistaken for Julian Assange of WikiLeaks. Snowden actually didn’t leak any information to the public. Instead he shared classified National Security Agency documents that he believed to be in the public interest with journalists who he let break the news. Oliver calls attention to the national ignorance about who and what Snowden did and furthermore encourages the nation to have an open discussion about government surveillance in the United States. Oliver’s piece is laden with crude humor in his crafty attempt to get to the hearts of the American people on this issue, but nonetheless I think he deserves tremendous recognition for his journalistic
said. Her favorite decoration in her car, Hawaiian warrior helmets, or also known as Makaki’i or Makini, were worn by some priests during ceremonies, and in Lehotsky’s case, hanging from her rear view mirror to provide not just decoration but protection. “It’s made with real chicken feathers. It used to be green and yellow, but over time sitting in the sun all day it turned the whole thing yellow,” she said. Along with Lehotsky, Rodriguez has his favorite touch to his car. “It’s my favorite for multiple reasons. I mean I’m joining the Navy so it’s important to me,” he said of the new sticker Having something important means having the responsibility to take care of it. “With my car being a Jeep I go off-roading a lot, and I end up getting stuck every time,” Rodriguez said. “Me and Henry get in tons of trouble when I think about it.” Junior Caleb Kindler found himself in a troubling situation when it came to naming his new ride. “Her name is Queen Vicki,” Kindler said. “Since my car is a Ford Crown Victoria, Queen Vicki made sense.” Taking a look inside Kindler’s car, there isn’t much to see. But a few objects do stand out, including a dried up rose in the back window, a “I milked a goat” ribbon on the rear view mirror, and a cop mirror on the side. “When me and Ashleigh went to the fair on a date, we saw this booth where people were milking goats,” Kindler said. “And Ashleigh was like let’s go do it! So I did it, and the guy working there called me a natural goat milker. She also got me that rose that’s in the back of my car; it was from a singing Valentine.” The majority of questions Kindler receives about his car have to do with the extra mirror on the driver’s side. “I got my car eight months ago,”he said. “I’m not really sure the back story behind the mirror besides it was on there when I bought it. Queen Vicki has treated me well so far.”
endeavor, and here’s why. At the beginning of the piece, Oliver notes in regards to the NSA controversy, if you want to do something evil, put it in something boring. This holds true as most Americans will cast their attention only to quick and easy ‘sound-byte’ type media. Unfortunately, most major news media outlets are aware of this and have made adjustments for the most part to water down their coverage of actual news to improve their ratings. It’s a shame sometimes to see how big issues like this that are important for informing the public get swept under the rug in exchange for ways to cheaply entertain the public. Oliver is brilliant in that he manages to do both. In the span of less than five minutes he has Snowden explain quickly and simply to his viewers, the capabilities of each of the NSA programs. Despite the fact that the show is unconventional news media filled with crass humor and foul language, Oliver includes more newsworthy substance in a 30-minute program than can be seen 24 hours on some broadcasting news stations.
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features 9
The Stampede 4.16.15
Opportunities to help students succeed by clara mcclain, staff writer For students struggling in any of their classes, there are plently of opportunies here at CMR to get the help they need in order to succeed.
ASAP
ASAP (After School Assistance Program) is an afterschool opportunity for kids to come in and get their homework done in a distraction-free environment. Terri Jones and Jamie Williams, media specialists, run ASAP in the library on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30. Sometimes on Wednesdays and Fridays, the media specialists keep the library open if there aren’t teacher meetings going on, and it depends on how badly they want to go home on Friday. Williams said the most interest shown in this opportunity usually spikes around the end of quarters and semesters, but right now the numbers are fairly low. A handful of students, around 8-20, come in every night to finish homework and make up assignments. Jones said that she enjoys being able to help the teenagers with their work even she jokingly admits that she can’t really help with any math homework. Williams is glad that a few math teachers usually mill about the library after school, helping out with what they can. This program isn’t just for students struggling or falling behind in their classes. For the most part, students come in when they want a quiet place to focus on their homework without distractions such as social media, Wi-Fi, and screaming siblings.
SATURDAY SCHOOL
Most people assume that Saturday School is just a place for kids who are failing their classes and are assigned to come by a teacher. What they don’t know is that anyone who needs extra help can attend. Teacher Murray Metge is a big advocate of this weekend opportunity for students, saying “I use it because it’s an opportunity where it’s quiet.” “Kids think it’s for discipline, and when I’m at Saturday School I have more students there for academic reasons,” Metge said. He was adamant about the fact that it’s not just a place for students who act out in class. Instead, it’s free from distractions. As a science teacher, he knows how hard it is for some students to focus in the afternoons when there are more distractions and people are getting tired. When a student is tired, they don’t want to solve math equations or do a science lab, he said. It’s held on almost every Saturday, except for around holidays. It runs from 8:1512:15, making it a great opportunity for morning people.
LATE-IN
For most students, the late-ins are simply an opportunity to get coffee before first period and not be late. For math teacher Mike McLean, it’s time when students are getting help and taking missed quizzes or tests. While he loves the idea of the late-in, McLean thinks that they’re too infrequent to be of any actual use to the students or the teachers. “I think [the late-in] helps in math more than other areas,” he said, adding that
art by shannon o’neil, staff wriiter
most kids choose to sleep in and skip this opportunity. One of the biggest things that bothers McLean is when kids don’t seek help when there are so many ways for them to come in and talk to him about what material they don’t understand. He stands by the fact that if kids reach out for help, he is willing to offer it when he is available. McLean enjoys the extra time he gets at the late-ins to work more with his students, ensuring that they understand what he’s teaching.
MATH LAB
Struggling in math class and don’t want to ask your regular teacher for help? Luckily for you, there are math labs that offer aid in these dark times. Sophomore Hannah Pate can attest to how helpful they are. “I need extra guidance in math and having Mrs. Bjornstad to help is wonderful,” Pate said. A lot of students think that math labs are a punishment for people who can’t focus in class, or are falling behind. “You could still focus in class and not understand a word your teacher has said,” Pate said. She thinks that more students should take advantage of the opportunity to get the academic help they need. “It’s more of a resource here at CMR that we should use if we are struggling, or even if we feel as if it could help us academically,” Pate explained.
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12 features
Childhood Memories “ Carshows. It created my love for cars.” - Bryan Wilkes, 12
“ Gettin thrown over my neighbor’s shoulder and him running around like a crazy person.” -Tana DeBolt, 11
“Using my Barbie video recorder to record my baby sister and I singing. Mostly from her Barney soundtrack.” -Brittani Halvari, 12 “ We were painting my grandma’s house and I got paint on Drew’s face and he took a five gallon bucket of water and dumped it on my head.” - Christina Brennan, 11
“My first motorcycle ride, when I was three years old I wanted to go on a ride so my grandpa sat me between him and my grandma and we drove up to Ulm and back down to the airport, and being three years old I found it kind of cool.” - Terryn Premo, 10
“ Building forts in the basement of my old house and playing Super Smash Bros., on Nintendo 64.” - Jared Dickson, 12 “ When I was about 7, I got a remote control jeep. I played with it the whole time we were [living] in flordia.” - Sarah Clark, 12 “When I was little my mom used to take me to have my nails done every two weeks. I think thats why I get my nails done now!” - Carli Dieruf, 11
The Stampede 4.16.15
Stampede Picks “Everytime my mom would take me out of school to have lunch with me. We would have girl days.” - Elea Roberts “My dad used to drive me down to the park in a little red wagon, and one time he took me out and put me on his shoulders and hit my head against a tree.” -Shannon O’Neil
“ In the summer I always went into my mom’s tomato garden, and I would pick the little green tomatoes that weren’t fully ripe and I would draw faces on them and make families out of them. My mom would always get really mad at me.” - Tom Gruner, Photo Editor “Taking family trips!” -Allison Hanson “Me and my cousin were getting pulled by a four wheeler on a sled, and my uncle took a sharp turn and I fell into a garbage can, in my snowsuit.” - JJ Mitchell, Buissness Manager “Taking fish from the pond by my house and watching them multiply into hundreds in the hole that my dad had dug during the summer.” - Drew Brennan
“ In our house in Germany, I was in the second grade, and me, my brother and my sister would wrap up in big blankets and roll down these big wooden stairs we had.” - Katelyn Smith
“ Sitting outside in the mud and buiilding cities with my Hot Wheels.” - Ms. Beth Britton
Page by April Hummel
13 features
4.16.15 The Stampede
Pluto Status
Photo
Status
Amanda Cornwall
About Born February 18, 1930 Went to Sky High Lives in Kuiper Belt From Kuiper Belt
Friends
Photos
7 hours ago
Truth is, Pluto; I think you’re really cool. You’ve always been my favorite planet despite what everyone else says about you. All this talk about whether or not you’re a “real planet” is ridiculous in my opinion; you’ve always been a real planet and you always will be. I mean, you were born in 1930. You’ve been a planet for 85 years. I feel like more people should respect that. And the fact that you’re -370 degrees, give or take a few degrees, shouldn’t even be considered. Yes, you’re a little cold, but you warm my heart. That astronomical union or whatever it is was seriously wrong to judge you. They say it’s because you’re so small and so far away, but size shouldn’t matter. So you’re a little small and a little distant. Who cares? And they say you haven’t “cleared the path around your orbit.” No one even knows what that means, so who are they to judge you? It’s perfectly OK to not want to be near others and do your own thing. That shouldn’t mean you automatically get excluded. I mean, I read on Wikipedia that you’re the largest known object in the Kuiper Belt and that one full day for you takes 153 hours; how amazing would it be to have that many hours in a day? Seriously, I swear I wish I had that much time to do the things I need to do. Also, you have FIVE moons. FIVE. We only have one, and it’s not even that great. It’s literally called ‘moon’ Yours are called Charon, Nix, Hydra, Kerberos, and Styx, and that is so much better than ‘moon.’ Not to mention that you’re actually being visited for the FIRST TIME this year on July 14. That’s one of the longest trips NASA has ever undertaken, and it’s so we can learn more about you. I know you lost your planetary status in 2006, and now you’re just classified as a plutoid, but don’t worry. According to one of NASA’s websites, a bunch of scientists are fighting to get your planetary status reinstated. It seems like this generation took your loss of status as a personal offence, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten. Hang in there, Pluto.
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Comment
Chat Jeremy Comstock
Do you think Pluto is a planet?
I do not care about the status of Pluto, I try not to worry about things that have no affect on my life whatsoever.
Damon Johnson No, Pluto is not a planet. It’s so far out you can’t in any way reach it, it’s just a rock out there, pretty much.
Chris Hibbert Hibbert doesn’t think anything. By definiton it is a dwarf planet. It hasn’t cleared the orbit around its debris.
Josie Walters Yes. Well, because it’s like, I think it’s because it’s just like other planets. Yes, it’s small, but it should still be considered a planet.
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ENTERTAINMENT
14
A modern day fairy tale
Charming • • •
Modernized Cinderella fails to meet present day standards
men and women. And while “Cinderella” did modernize in small ways, it wasn’t enough. Ella’s “kindness” got in the way of her courage when it came to her step sisters and step mother, almost to the point where it didn’t seem like she had any sort of backbone, something a modern woman would hardly be able to live without. Additionally, the relationship between Kit and Ella was almost unbelievable, making the authenticity lackluster. It may have been more than love at first sight in the original, but it wasn’t far from it. My generation is no longer full of girls who are waiting for someone to save them, nor are the men only waiting for the love at first sight moment with their princess. We are strong, independent people who can stand on our own without always having the influence of outside sources overshadow our own. Yes, these pressures may be real, but they are not always front and center. I find it sad that “Cinderella” hasn’t changed. I find it sad that it took having a black President before we got a black princess, and I find it sad that Elsa, while being the only princess without a man, is still portrayed as coldhearted. I’m not asking for a Grimm brother’s “Cinderella” or a Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”. I understand that while our generation may not be the target audience for these new fairy tale movies, we are raising a new generation with what we put into them. Blood and gore may not be the best approach to raising 6-year-old girls, but maybe having a relationship that seems realistic or a girl who isn’t a size zero would be a good place to start.
The pros and cons of this year’s retold fairy tales
by elea roberts, staff writer As someone who grew up with Cinderella, I often found myself imagining the castle, the dress and, most importantly, the shoes. I pretended to wait for my perfect man and hoped my mom’s van would magically turn into a horse drawn carriage, but unfortunately many of these ideals were simply fantasy ending with the sudden realization that glass slippers would probably not suit me. Growing up with Cinderella made me think that she would grow up with me, but she didn’t. The newest adaption of “Cinderella” is true to its original Disney form. All of her dreams come true because she remembers to “be kind and have courage.” The writers occasionally added a scene of intrigue, such as the much needed encounter between Cinderella and her prince before the ball. The butterflies added to her dress and shoes as a way to remember her father were also a subtle way to let her have more character. The movie was filled with fantasy, as it should be, but while many “fairy tale” movies that have been made in the past decade have been modernized, I don’t feel as if Cinderella was. Many viewers will say this does the movie justice and that the lack of change allows it to be a classic. While in some ways I agree, I also was completely blindsided by the movie’s lack of change when I watched it. The change for animation to live action seems to suggest a more modern, adult atmosphere, which probably caused my expectations for “Cinderella” to be as high as they were. Between “Into the Woods” and new animated movies such as the over-hyped “Frozen,” Disney has stepped up to the plate in finding ways to make its movies more appealing to adults and more empowering to
• • • •
Cinderella
The special effects Kit and Ella’s encounter before the ball The use of butterflies in Ella’s dress as a tribute to her father Richard Madden Giving Prince Charming a name Letting Kit stand up for himself “Be kind and have courage”
•
The pace at which the relationship between Kit and Ella takes place Richard Madden without a beard The narration The overly cheesy ending Cinderella not standing up for herself The missing “Bibbidi-BobbidiBoo” segment.
• • • • •
Into the Woods Charming • • • •
AGONY Dealing with the subject of adultery The narration Prince Charming“I was raised to be charming, not sincere”
Charming • • • • • •
Ugly •
• •
Somehow managing to make Chris Pine look unattractive Cinderella’s dress The baker’s wife’s awkward death scene
Maleficent
The modern day take on the plot Trying to subtly tackle the subject of rape Angelina Jolie’s cheekbones Not letting Prince Phillip wake up Sleeping Beauty Showin the love of an adopted “parent” Seeing Umbridge not being evil
Girls take over Thespian positions for 2015-2016 by tamara miller, staff writer Being involved in drama since one’s freshman year can have a big impact, and for junior Kathleen O’Dell being nominated as the new Thespian treasurer for the 2015-2016 school year was a great accomplishment. “I’m happy about it. It’s exciting to be in a leadership role for the department,” O’Dell said. At her side is junior Anna Evans, the new vice president for the Thespian officers. “All of the current non-senior Thespians voted for us to take office,”
Ugly
Evans said. “It feels really nice because it gives me a chance to prove why I’m involved in theatre, and I can show people how much I truly care for the department.” Evans has many goals she wants the Thespians to achieve. “We are hoping to raise money with fundraisers and the plays we are going to do,” Evans said. “We have a lot of things we can get done with all of the people we have involved so it should be a lot of fun.” The new president is junior Kaylee Osentowski. They will serve in the leadership positions until the end of their senior year, when a new set of officers move in.
•
•
• •
Ugly Please explain why Maleficent has her trademark horns Sleeping Beauty as the narrator, this isn’t your story Aurora The three godmothers’ failed attempt at humor The lackluster relationship between Maleficent and Aurora’s father
Officers President - Kaylee Osentowski Vice President Anna Evans Treasurer Kathleen O’Dell
entertainment
The Stampede 4.16.15
15
CMR musicians get chance at GF symphony by drew brennan, staff writer It is not a common occurrence to see a freshman in high school who plays full time in an adult symphony, but that is precisely what C.M. Russell High School student Kobe Rowe has done. Rowe and senior Edin Agamenoni were both winners in the Montana Association of Symphony Orchestra’s young musicians contest. The prize, along with cash, gave both of them the chance to play in front of a large Great Falls audience with the symphony. “It was a blast, but I was pretty nervous. It definitely helped having the whole symphony on stage with me,” Agamenoni said. Agamenoni practices his bassoon three hours a day, nearly every day, with the hopes of playing professionally. “I was pretty shaky when I was on stage. My solo was about nine or 10 minutes long, which is really long to stand up in front of a huge crowd. I played it so many times before that it was second-nature. I did pretty well. I only missed a few notes,” he said. The instrument he crafts tunes with,
Senior Edin Agamenoni (above) and freshman Kobe Rowe (right) were winners in the Montana Association of Symphony Orchestra’s young musicians contest. They played solos with the Great Falls Symphony on March 28, 2015. Photos by Tom Gruner.
the bassoon, can be more expensive than a nice vehicle. “I have been accepted to a few schools now. My first choice is Northwestern University in Chicago,” he said. Rowe’s entire life plan as a freshman revolves around his musical talent. After playing the violin for 10 years he is now playing with the Great Falls Symphony. “It’s really cool to be in a group where the director can say something and everyone understands. In high school the teacher has to explain a lot more,” he said. Playing with more experienced players has taught Rowe that it is OK to make mistakes as long as you keep going. “I want to go to school for music performance, which is a really competitive field. I would also like to do music education and teach at a high school or a middle school,” Rowe said. “I have conducted some with my friends and I enjoy being the leader.” Rowe will appear on stage with the Great Falls Symphony during its final concert of the season on April 25.
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SPORTS
16
“Get up in that green train! Jump on! Jump on!”
“Our team is what?Red hot!” “Courtney does it cooks it in the oven! She’s hot! Rip a shot!”
Softball cheers help team stay loose, have fun
by lindsay martinez, sports editor Fans heading to the Multi-Sports complex this spring for a softball game will see many different teams visiting Great Falls and many different types of weather, but there will be one constant among all those games. That constant will be the cheers the Lady Rustler softball team performs each game. Prior to the start of each contest, the team performs one cheer characterized by chants of “Heyyyy!” and players clapping their hands. Once the game gets going and the home team is at-bat, more cheering starts. Yells of “Rip a shot!” are heard from the dugout and the fencing on the dugout, shakes and rattles to encourage hitters. Cheering is an important part of the softball culture at C. M. Russell High School. The team enjoys doing cheers both before and during the game. “A lot of the cheers are passed down, so when we were little we heard U-14 and U-12 girls doing them,” Quinn Hartman said. “When we got older, we made it our goal to make new ones,” added the senior pitcher and first baseman. “When you get in there, it’s just kind of to keep us loose,” Hartman said. She also explained that head softball coach Lindsey Gustafson likes the team to cheer so the players don’t get too tight. TOP: The varsity softball team gathers around home plate to greet a runner Sophomore catcher Katie Huisman also sees the coming in to score March 28 at the annuall softball jamboree. ABOVE: Junior benefits of cheering. Courtney Schroeder lines up to swing during a win against Helena Capital on the “We cheer a lot because it helps us forget about
Sports Editor
lindsaymartinez
same day. CMR won three games and lost one on the day. Photos by Josey Quinn.
Last month our paper featured a page about teen sleep issues and technology addictions. Getting to bed early enough isn’t really an issue for me, and I figure I get much more rest than most of my peers. However, I’ll admit that I do have a bit of an obsession with a certain gadget. In the last couple of months, I’ve been playing solitaire games on a little device for a lot of nights while lying in bed. I think it helps me get to sleep and relax after cramming sports practice, dinner, and homework into the previous few hours. The trouble is I always think I can’t go to sleep until I’ve won a game of solitaire. Sometimes I get so sleepy that I probably miss more moves than I make. Still, my competitive nature just doesn’t want to give up and go to sleep without winning. So there I was one night, pushing the buttons and scanning for moves when I got to thinking about a couple things. What if there are lessons to be learned from this game that I’ve been absentmindedly playing for so many years? I’d already discovered a while back that it is not possible to win every hand. I think I win maybe only one out of every eight games (don’t think I’m bad at cards, the game just isn’t easy.) Even though I can’t win every hand, I can lose every one by missing a move here or there or making the wrong choice when I have options. Not every game is winnable, but every game can be lost. Forgive me if I sound like a “Debbie Downer,” but I think this is the reality in life, too. Not everything can succeed, but everything has the capacity to fail. That’s what makes life interesting.
past errors and it pulls us together as a family,” Huisman said. Cheering takes place every game during the season, but it is not exactly a serious activity in the Lady Rustler dugout. “When we’re in the dugout we act like idiots, but it keeps us loose,” Hartman said. Hartman’s fellow senior McCall Enott agreed. “We’ll get really goofy and that’s when we play the best because we forget about our errors and just have fun. Quinn likes to rap,” said Enott, a centerfielder. Although she is known as one of the most spirited players on the team, Hartman said she couldn’t pick one single favorite cheer. “I really like the ones where we make up rhythms with our hands and our cleats,” she said. “It’s the best when you get a pitcher rattled.” Hartman explained that other schools around the state can be loud in the dugout, but they don’t necessarily have organized cheers like the Lady Rustlers. So far, it seems like the cheers are working, as the softball team has had a strong start to their season. The squad collected three wins in four unofficial games at the jamboree March 28. Since then, the team has beat both Helena schools, Flathead, and Bozeman. The only loss came to Glacier April 3. “I think we’re doing pretty well,” Enott said. “I think we can improve on some things. Communication is our biggest thing.”
Success is no guarantee, and when it does come it is exciting. The second thing I think I have observed from my nighty solitaire games is that you need to have lots of cards on the board if you want to win. Sometimes I can use up all the cards in the piles through moving cards, but I never get a King to fill in the empty spots. Without a lot of possibilities out there, there’s not much you can do. Next, one of the most important buttons on the game is the tiny one that says “new game.” That reminds me that nothing is set in stone. If I don’t like how things look with the cards, or I can’t find any more moves, I can always restart with a fresh batch of cards. Finally, once I’ve won the game and the cards start going automatically to their suit piles, I wonder how many points I am going to get. My high score is 713, where I get five, 10, or 15 points for moving a card, lose 10 for going through the entire main pile, and lose two for undoing a move. I’ve learned not to worry much about losing points, though. The important thing is that I make more positive moves than negative ones. There’s no use in focusing too much on trying to avoid losing points. So what does this have to do with life? I’m not sure I’ve completely figured it all out myself. My idea is that maybe if people looked at life as a solitaire game more often they could be happier. I don’t need to win to go to sleep. All I need to do is turn the game off and remember it was all for fun.
sports 17
4.16.15 The Stampede
The Circle of Track
Coaches, team members discuss new opportunities for improved season
Running into the season
Jumping for a better track
by sarina calaman, staff writer and jj mitchell, business editor by laura marsilio, news/opinion editor Coaches Gary Lowry and Branch Brady are new to the track On a windy day running on the track can be compared to being coaching staff this spring and are thrilled to be a part of the Dorothy caught up in the tornado from “The Wizard of Oz.” program. It’s for that reason that sophomore Shelby Phillips has “The coaches are really good ladies and guys,” found herself preferring the track at Memorial 0 C 1 a rrie y, t Lowry said, adding that he gets along with all Stadium to the one on Pride Field. a n Lyc ett, Gin of the coaching staff. “The Great Falls High track is the better n 10 yde Lowry hasn’t coached since 2005 due track because it has real rubber,” she said. a r B to his daughters playing softball, and The track was built after the he said he truly has missed being construction of C.M. Russell High around track. School. It’s used daily by gym “I’m glad to be back, and classes and sports teams such it will be fun to be around as football and track and again,” Lowry said. field. Without the dirt, the His goal going into this likelihood of dust being season is to get more kids kicked up by the wind out for track and for his would decrease. athletes to finish strong. The track may not Like Lowry, Brady be as old as CMR is, has coached before. but it still has a good Brady led the cross amount of wear on it, country and long according to members distance track teams of the track team. This from 1974-2002 wear, however, is not before Doug Darko only from its age, but came to CMR. also the treatment In his 30 years by the students and of coaching, Brady faculty who use it. has won 15 State “It’d be awesome Championships with [if people took] a both track and cross little better care of country. He said he it. We don’t need to hopes that in all of his necessarily renovate runners he makes a it,” Phillips said. difference. Although a better In the past 11 years, he track is an idea for the hasn’t coached at a school, future, money is the but he has helped runners biggest hurdle for the individually. He really likes district. to help out kids, he said the “Getting an actual reason for him coming back is rubberized track would be nice, because he missed being at CMR. but I know there are financial “I saw the opportunity and I took problems [with it],” she said. the chance,” Brady said. With these ideas Phillips believes the Like Brady, biology teacher and track could be improved, and that future coach Nathan Gregier expresses common students would be able to use the field instead understanding when it comes to distance of that at GFHS. The track is still usable, however. running. “I do understand that the Great Fall High track is He has coached for nine years with former coach great, but there’s no problem using ours,” Phillips said. Laurel Neumann, 9 Darko, but he never worked with Brady. He said that it is For junior Madi Rowe, a new and enhanced field could mean different coaching with Brady, but they have a close relationship. more home games on an actual home field. “He coached me in cross-country and track when I went to CMR,” said Gregier, “I think it’d be cool if we could have [sports events] there,” she said. who was recently named CMR’s head cross country coach. Rowe has been a part of the track and field team since her freshman year. After three They work very well together, with Gregier and Brady shaping the same rules years, she hasn’t found that many injuries occur on the field, just that there are possible and holding the same expectations for the distance runners. additions that would make it more usable. Gregier’s experiences with the sports he has played has created a desire to coach “It’d be nice to add a long jump pit,” Rowe said. certain events. For the athletes it would be nice to be able train in one facility and be able to see what “Sports were a big part of my life when I went to school. I made friendships that all the events do, instead of only seeing the events at meets. “It’d be a better facility if we had an actual track. It would also be more utilized by the I still keep in contact with, and I really couldn’t imagine life without sports.” [students in] gym and the throwers.”
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18 sports
4.16.15 The Stampede
rs o i n Se on the court Favorite Memory: My favorite memory would have to be all the team time I’ve gained over the past three years. At all the matches and even practices I’ve had a lot of laughs and our teams is like a big family so that rocks! Advice to new players: My advice would be to go out there and have fun because that’s what this sport is all about.
Lindsy Pyette
Kyla
Foreign exchange students hit the courts as CMR tennis team members
the big differences between playing at home and at CMR is that at home she said practices lasted only an hour. “I work out three hours here. One hour for aerobics and two hours for tennis,” she said. Karl Reuther, a foreign exchange student from Germany, has been playing tennis for about three years. “I needed a sport. I was so bored without one. I don’t really have a target right now with tennis. I’m having a lot of fun though playing with my partner,” Reuther said. Sara Beite from Sweden tried out for the tennis team, but she said she was worried that she wouldn’t make varsity. “I didn’t like how I had to stay at school till six. I liked tennis, but it was hard to play on the courts when there are so many people there,” Beite said.
Jacob
Favorite Memory: My
Bernhardt
by allison hanson, staff writer Being on a competitive tennis team isn’t anything new for foreign exchange student Lucia Barbeito. She has plenty of experience as she has been playing since she was 11. “I love to play tennis,” she said, adding that it is her way to escape from everyday stress. Practice is the hardest part about the sport, according to Barbeito. “[At home] I used to have practice three days a week, [while here] we have practice every day,” she said. In Spain, “everything was about technique, while here it’s about games,” she said. And while she admits that players normally think mostly about themselves, that’s not the case for her. “When I play… I worry about the other people I’m competing against,”she said. But once Barbeito goes home she said she will not be returning to the game of tennis. One of
Campbell
Lucia Barbeito, a junior foreign exchange student from Spain, serves against a Cut Bank opponent April 2. Barbeito is one of two foreign exchange students on the varsity tennis team. Photos by Peyton Fulbright, Caitlin Soltesz, and Becca Rutledge.
Why I join: I’ve been in tennis since 5th grade and it’s always been something I’ve loved to do so when I got to high school it was great to be able to play on a team. (In Texas we had tennis teams in middle school.) Best thing about it: The best part about tennis is the camaraderie we all have for each other, supporting each other while we’re playing.
favorite memories come probably from sophomore year with a couple of things. The “Nest” - circle of trust and jokes with our coach. Also, playing tons of football and baseball with the Billings kids stands out. Why I joined: I joined in the first place because I had played since I was like eight or so and my sister played so I figured I might as well go for it. I wanted to play at the high school level for something fun and competitive to do.
Martinez
Lindsay
Best Part:
The best thing about tennis is enjoying the spring weather with friends on the court. Tennis is a fairly laid back sport that I can have a lot of fun with. I also like how it is so different from other sports. After high school plans: I want to keep playing tennis recreationally in the future but not in a varsity level in college. I may try out for the club team at college or play intramural.
Ian Deboo
Begining experience:
I started my freshman year because my friends got me into it.
Advice to new players: Get started earlier, the earlier you start the more fun it is and you get to know the team better.
4.16.15 The Stampede
How well doyouknow your
Rustler Athlete? by peyton fulbright, editor-in-chief You see them on the field. You seem them in the halls. You see them going to practice, but how well do you actually know them? C.M. Russell High School has one of the most prestigous athletic programs in the state, made up entirely of student athletes. Although they get attention from the media about their games, wouldn’t you like to know what they are really like? In this monthly feature, three in-season athletes will be profiled in a brief Q&A about their personal life.
What’s the most embarassing thing to happen to you?
It was my first punt. The snap was to 10 yards, and I was standing at about 14, so it bounced and I couldn’t get on the ball fast enough to get my punt off. Right as I was going to hit it, the rusher crushed me in the face and knocked me down. I felt so bad and thought the coach would never let me punt again. But my next punt was pretty good, so the moral of the story is don’t give up on your dreams, kids.
Who is your biggest role model in life? Coach Lowry and Coach Johnson. Lowry was a very personable coach, he was someone you could just talk to. But Coach J believed in you. They motivate me to be a good person.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to deal with? The transition from being homeschooled to public school. It was seemingly daunting.
Jacob Bernhardt, 12 What’s the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to you? We were down in Oregon for this big tourney, and I was on second base and my teammate hit me in for the go-ahead run, meaning we were tied, and I tripped on third base, face planted, and couldn’t get back to the base and was out.
Who is your biggest role model in life?
Quinn Hartman, 12
My biggest role model in life would be my two older cousins. They played CMR softball seven years consecutively before I got here, and my cousin went on to play college softball, so I always looked up to them.
Are you playing softball in college? I have decided not to. It was a tough decision, but no Montana college has an engineering program with a softball program, so I decided to look to the long term.
sports 19
RUSTLER STATS To start the season, the girls tennis team won 17
of their 18 varsity matches March 28 Against Flathead, the softball team scored 13
runs in just four innings of offense April 3 With an April 2 toss of 117-0
feet, junior Shana Cosby won the javelin against Flathead On April 2, senior Ethan Zaremski ran a time of 11.92
seconds to win the 100 meter dash Junior Cali Modglin ran the 100 meter dash in 13.25
seconds, earning the girls win
20
The Stampede 4.16.15
What is your funniest memory? by shannon o’neil, staff writer The most memorable moments in a person’s life are often the funniest ones. The times in their lives where they spewed milk out of their nose or had to run to the bathroom to pee because they were laughing so hard. Moments like that are usually relived between friends and family. Laughs are exchanged and the story lives on to be told another day with different people. These stories are often really great to hear. These four students have built up enough pride to share their embarrassing or funny tales.
Brady Bridgeman,12
Skylar Cherry,11
“When I was younger my family had a cat and [one day] we freaked out because we thought we lost him. He was gone for three or four days. [We found out that] he was just locked in the food pantry and he ate, like, everything in there. And after that, he was never really the same.”
“On [choir] tour this year, I was in the back of the bus because I’m a senior and so you know we get priority over where we want to sit [and] we got really bored because we didn’t really want to watch any movies and stuff, so we started to do rap battles. It was really funny just hearing different people, like quiet people, that you never would have expected to do stuff like [a rap battle] and to start rapping and we got some pretty funny stuff [from the quiet people]. There was Jacob Bernhardt, and all he could rap about was Skittles because we were eating Skittles; [we had just received] some. It was a really good memory because it was really when we started to bond as a choir.”
Hannah Kubert,12 “So my friend Miranda came over to my house to spend the night and we were eating Oreos and like dipping them in milk. I dropped my Oreo and was like, “Oh shoot I need a spoon [to get the Oreo out]” and Miranda said, “Don’t you grab that spoon that’s cheating.” So I grabbed a fork to get my stupid cookie and ate it and I must have made this really weird face because she started laughing and her face turned red, so then I started cracking up and I still had an Oreo in my mouth. I ended up sort of snorting the Oreo up through my nose because I was laughing so hard and I walked around the corner to swallow it and came back and laughed even more. It was pretty bad.”
Cooper Lott,10 When I was eight, my mom put me in time out, so I went up to my room. My mom forgot about me [and so] I took off all of my clothes except for my underwear and went downstairs to get food. Then I went back upstairs and [put] on a cow costume, but the costume was from when I was three or four, so it was super short. I then went downstairs to get milk while my mom was on the phone [and she started] staring at me.