Craze Issue Three: Perspectives

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CRA Z

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THE PERSPECTIVE ISSUE

issue 3 | vol 5 | december 2013


table of

CONTENTS 4

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express yourself

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intelligences

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me and my selfie

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playlist: daily life

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room tours

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profile: teams

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notebook: holy wars

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teachers watch

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review rumble

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a day in the life

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insane crown posse

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quiz: a new look

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revived vinyl

52

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calendar

30

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making a family

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monthly picks

FACEBOOK

8-TRACKS

PINTEREST

A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS... This issue, Craze sought out to capture the personality and perspectives of students all across our school. We examined the less loved corners of Westside and found a new appreciation for the way we express ourselves and the things we spend our time on. As we created this month’s magazine, we also came to realize that our staff was (almost) grown up. We’d created two issues focusing on our potential and our goals for the year, and it came time for us to stop wondering about our staff identity and time to start showing you who we are. We kept this in mind as we wrote this issue, incorporating ourselves and our own perspectives whenever possible. Hopefully you’ll find a bit of yourself here too.


contributors to this issue...

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EDITORS 1) 2) 3) 4)

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Editor-in-Chief: Eva Phillips Managing Editor: Lia Hagen Design Editor: Allie Laing Photo Editor: Ally Stark

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STAFF 5) 6) 7) 8) 9)

Estella Fox Tommy Huerter Camile Messerley Sarah Lemke Kirsten McCormack

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10) 11) 12) 13)

Audrey McCann Abegale Headlee Aren Rendell Jenna Hynek

adviser: Jerred Zegelis


EXPRESS YOURSELF story and design by allie laing, photos by abegale headlee and ally stark

Being in high school is all about finding out who you are. For example, I’m known as the short blonde girl who walks around in skinny jeans and oversized winter sweaters and has enough boots to last a lifetime. I always have my nails painted a different color to match my outfit, and I’m called Big Al by almost everyone who meets me because... well, that’s who I am. Whether it's clothes, shoes, tattoos, handwriting, or even nicknames, we are each a big collage of things that make us us. Every little thing you do and say expresses who you are. Whether you have glasses, red tinted braids, or wear washedout jeans, you are simply you. With this in mind, we went around Westside High School to find students who express themselves in unique ways. pictured from left to right: Bryan Jimenez-Villanueva Shayna Sterling Jamaal Conway-Smith Alexandra Mitchell Julian Bingman Alajia McKizia

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opinion: artful selfies

ME, MY SELFIE, AND I a second look at the meaning behind the duck face story and design by eva phillips

This year, duck-face experts and mirror pic masters have finally received the recognition they deserve for the countless hours spent finding the perfect angle, the most flattering lighting, and the right washed out filter. Awarded the title ‘Word of the Year,’ selfie has been officially added to the Oxford Dictionary. While the term selfie is specific to our generation, the desire to document our lives through artwork and photography is timeless. From stone age cavemen who painstakingly etched images of themselves into the walls of caves to Vincent Van Gogh’s vibrant pastel self portraits, the selfie movement has been around since the beginning of mankind. There is a common belief that selfies are solely a product of narcissism, giving them, and our generation, a bad rap. However, these self portraits are a form of expression and an outlet for today’s youth to present themselves to the world. Today capturing an image of oneself can be done with the click of a button, but it wasn’t always this easy. Before cameras made photographers out of the everyday person, portraiture was a job reserved for artists. Photographers in the late 1800s went through the effort of building elaborate set ups full of mirrors and timers just to capture an image of

themselves. Painters such as Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, and Rembrandt spent hours in front of a mirror, examining each bump and curve of their face to create their masterpieces. The time and effort these artists put into self portraiture shows that there’s more to self-portraits than narcissism. Artists use self portraiture as a method for things such as introspection, social commentary, humor, and more. For example, Frida Kahlo’s elaborate paintings show how portraits can capture complex emotions. Her posture, facial expression, and scenery each add to the feelings expressed in her work. This is not so different from how we use our selfies today. While our digital self portraits may not seem as profound as those of Frida Kahlo, they still serve a similar purpose. From pouty faces to elated smiles, selfies portray to our followers how we’re feeling, whether that’s sassy, upset, or funny. Surrealist painter Salvador Dali shows this more comedic side of portraiture. Images featuring his iconic mustache and crazed eyes communicate humor and a sense of absurdity. They show that he doesn’t take himself too seriously and he’s not ashamed to show is goofy side, just like many ridiculous faces we send on

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Snapchat and Twitter. By looking at selfies through an artistic lens, we see that there is more to these images then they are credited for. As adolescents we struggle with how we want to appear to the rest of the world. Whether people use selfies to portray themselves in an idealistic way, natural, or humorous way, it’s the way they want to present themselves. We should never be ashamed of taking a selfie. If Frida and Salvador did it, why can’t we? Having a good hair day? Take a selfie. Felling frustrated with the amount of homework you have? Take a selfie. Want to show the world how you can cross your eyes while raising one eye brow and making a duck face? Take a selfie. These photos are autobiographical, a visual documentation of our day to day lives. Rather than writing them off as a result of a digital culture or a narcissistic generation, why not look at them as art? While they may not be hanging up in the Guggenheim or being sold for thousands of dollars, they’re meaningful to us and to our friends and should be cherished. So next time you’re taking a selfie, think of it as a self portrait. Channel your inner Frida Kahlo or Salvador Dalí and send your artwork out for the world to see.


photos from left to right: Melisa Rana, Patryk Bogdanski, Andy Worhal, Emily Glazer, Frida Khalo, Vayda Kirshman, Max Night, Hadiah Kedwaii, Khanah Nguyen, Sam Wilkinson, Vincent Van Gogh, Addie Encell, Salvador DalĂ­, Ava Bowman, Jacob Thomas, Luke Biggs, Olivia Robino Patrick Sawyer, Pablo Picasso

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feature: room tours

ROOM TOURS

a peek behind the doors of westside students story and design by kirsten mccormack, photos by kirsten mccormack, sarah lemke, and ally stark

If I ever had to explain my room to someone, I would say that zebra print covers half the space, and it’s painted a bright purple that I will have to live with until I make the time to redo it all. Never knowing that my 7th grade self would regret this later in life, I did it anyway, and thought it was the greatest idea ever. Even though I won’t change it anytime soon, it still

somehow reflects me. For example, purple is my favorite color and not only that, but it is the color of my birthstone. Coincidence? I think not. Besides that, the zebra print shows another side of me; aka I’m a little crazy sometimes. But who isn’t? All of us teenagers are. Our room’s are our private space, the place where

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it’s okay to be who you are, and you know you won’t be judged because of it. During this rebellious stage of our lives, it’s important we have a place where we can express this phase. In this room stalking adventure, we show four different people who express themselves throughout their room, and make it their own.


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5 4 ARADIA MCCLEAN 1

These are my Maps of Middle Earth. I got them out of my copies of the lord of the Rings, the original. They’re from my original paperback releases from the 50s. My mom had them and they’ve just been around.

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My copius amounts of my terrible drawings that are really old.

3 Hades. He is my baby, I found him when I was walking home. [He was] in the side of the street and I heard him yelling and he fit into the palms of my hands. His eyes had just opened and I bottle fed him and everything. So, he’s my spoiled brat. He doesn’t have a split pallet or anything, it’s just his nose, and he’s missing a tooth. 4

That I made for humanities. It’s the yggdrasili. It’s the universe tree where all the world’s are on the branches.

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I hang up the flowers so they dry out, and this way the pedals don’t fall off. My mom and I used to dry flowers a lot when I was younger, we also pressed them too.

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feature: room tours

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CASEY CALLAHAN 1 “Most of the things in my room I make, I made the table. I will find things randomly and put them all in my room.”

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“I like buddha, I

think he’s pretty cool. I also like skulls which are lined up all near each other.”

3 “I have a lot of necklaces and I really like big hats. I took my senior pictures in this hat.” 4

“When I was grounded

one summer, I just started painting on my walls. I started with the squid and I didn’t really know what else to do. So I just started doing random things and moved on from there and did the owl. I didn’t even have a plan, I just started doing dots and thought they would look cool. I went through this doodling stage when I was a sophomore and that’s when I did it, it just looks like a big doodle.”

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feature: room tours

1 STEFAN DRINCIC 1

“I never stop changing my room. I’m always adding or taking down stuff. I’d say it

represents me in a way. I’m always changing and improving myself, and I do that to my room also.”

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“I wanted to cover every inch of wall with posters but I didn’t have enough for some places so I just used the griptape from an old board.”

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“I’m a pretty big xbox fan and me and my friends just play xbox and chill on my love sack. My love sack was a Christmas present and I usually just sleep on that instead of my bed.”

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“My parents didn’t want to get me a tv and I was complaining about wanting one. We had a projector that we used for family movie nights and stuff so I just took it one weekend and they never really asked for it back, so it’s mine now. I play xbox and watch tv on it and stuff.”

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feature: room tours

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TAG RYAN 1

“A lot of the things in my room, I steal. Everything in my room, the Beatles poster, which is an original from The White album, drum kit, speakers, cables, almost everything in there is either stolen or borrowed. The way I run my life is take what you can.”

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“That’s a soundboard. An interesting story behind that: I work at a venue in Benson called the Pizza shoppe collective. They have live music in there and my main job is to run those. We got a new board a couple years ago and that’s the old one.”

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“That guitar, the Fender, is probably one of the only things in my room that I’ve ever paid for. I spent an entire summer working up for that. Its a Jaguar 2008 but it sounds really, really beautiful. The amp it’s leaning up against [was built by] a friend of mine, Dane, when he was 15. [He} built the bottom amp from scratch, and it sounds really good.”

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“That guitar, is my personal favorite, it’s a 56’ Gibson ES225, which is a very rare guitar. I asked my friend Danny Dueling if I could take it home for a couple days, and I just haven’t returned it since. I love it, it sounds great. I used it at All State and for recording.”

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“One of my most prized possessions, is an original copy of Abbey Road from the UK, first pressing. I inherited that from my stoner uncle on christmas. He gave me two massive crates of vinyl. Including some other albums. I’ved loved it ever since.”

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notebook: holy wars

from the notebook of...

EMMA SHERMAN an excerpt from her novel “Holy Wars” Ghost and I finally reached Northbend. A high barbed wired and electric fence surrounded the immense complex. He whistled, gazing at it with sad looking eyes and pure fascination. The biggest problem with ghosts was their memory. When they went across the first time, the memories were repelled, not being allowed into the realm of the dead, but when the ghost cross back to the living world, some memories came back while others found psychics, others disappeared, and some of them found a new calling as someone’s vivid dream. Ghost obviously remembered his life of being poor—hell, everyone on Isla would be homeless if the city wasn’t a building. Those memories were easy to get back and it was general knowledge that most people here worked in factories that produced weaponry for the rest of the world and I’m sure Ghost knew how to make his fair share of deadly weapons. I did doubt however, that he remembered what living in one

of these Concrete Cities. I sighed and pushed him along to one of the gates where beaten looking men in loose fitting jumpsuits with slick black guns stood in the crow’s nests on either side of the gate. Isla had always been a crappy place to live. People were underfed, clothes were hard to come by, wages were poor, and thousands to millions of people could be crammed into a single Concrete City. The cities would expand downward and when there was nowhere left to go, civil wars would break out every few years as means of population control. Civil executions were held often too. They had their own sick sorta cult that was unique to each complex. All of them would torture citizens to death during these civil executions. The victim would be hung enough to break the neck so they couldn’t move, but not dead, or chained by their wrists from the ceiling of the building’s heart. From there, they were stoned, burned, lashed, whipped, beaten, stabbed, sometimes even

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penetrated depending on the situation. It took any amount of time from a few seconds to a few months for the victim to die. I’d seen one of these while doing some undercover-ish work for the Masters in Slew. The people in the complexes had nothing to look forward to except for their savage wars and executions, so the bloodlust was almost contagious when it swept over the entire city like a disease. I’d almost gotten caught in it before remembering my situation and quickly leaving before I was hung—they liked to kill of outsiders first. Since no one ever visited, they generally just picked a random person off the street, usually young so they’d last longer and the screams and fighting would be more intense. I grimaced and stole a look to Ghost. He was staring at me. He finally whispered, “Dude. What the hell is your deal?” The other problem with ghosts coming from their poor memory was the fact that they were easily distracted by everything and so you could tell them one thing


one minute and it’d be past them sooner than it started. As such, Ghost totally forgot about the memories I’d accidentally shown him, forgetting how easily he got into my thoughts. I sighed, “Let’s get this over with, huh?” “What’re we doing here anyway? That guy might not even be here. You came to Isla for me, didn’t you?” “Yeah, but his kind tend to like lighting the fire to set off wars. I bet he’s somewhere around here. Slew’s the worst of these. I’m sure off that.” Ghost snorted in laughter. “What?” “Are you pulling my chain, Si? Slew is like Chuckminister compared to where I live.” “You remember?” Ghost took his normal position, folding his arms behind his head, that easy grin showing on his face again. “Hell yeah. I’m from Powdress. Ever seen a rat the size of a press?” I shook my head. Ghost had started to slowly intimidate me with his many stories about Isla. I’d never seen a normal rat before I was dragged into this whole “my soul belongs to a double-headed snake demon” game. “Used to be my neighbor. He was a necromancer and wanted to take down our Board, so he used the magic to try and kill them. Little did he know that magic corrupts any medium it’s put in, even if it’s just a magic user.” I shuddered and Ghost

started wildly laughing. The guards waved us through, only after I drew up some power and influenced to do it. Citizens of Isla were very prideful and rash when the subject was over their home and what they let into it and out of it. People here had it hard before the invasion by the antichrists, so it was no news that none of them could see Ghost. They didn’t like having things like him in their cities, so they shut them out, so they weren’t tainted anymore, which meant no one here had the spiritual energy to see Ghost. I was in and out of tangible and not being tangible because the narrow halls were crowded enough by the sea of dirty and worn people, but there were stalls selling junk or rotten (but the only decent things these people could get) food. Some people plowed into me, others went right through, and some were mix. Ghost seemed used to the pushing and was having fun starting fights. Ghosts were particularly shy, but loved making mischief. He would focus energy to his hands so he could touch without being seen or anything. He pushed a young man into an older man. Both of them were stained with soot and oil and all sorts of grime, looking exhausted, but Ghost managed to use some of his ability to convince the man he was angry enough to pick the bone dangling

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in font of him. Ghost switched between the two, whispering little quips and fake memories into their minds. He finally seemed satisfied as men, women, and children tearing each other apart blocked the hall. Good God, Islans. He manifested next to me, gleefully clapping his hands and happily squealing, “Hopefully I’ll have another ghost to bug in the next few minutes.” He returned to his relaxed pose, sighing and dropped his head back into his hands. I sighed, “Do you have a setting other than “trouble”.” He smiled goofily at this, his dead eyes suddenly lighting up with a scary intensity for doing nothing but causing trouble. “You could try to find one, but I doubt it. Hey! Is that the guy we’re trying to find?” He pointed through a woman wrapped in a tunic of rags, forgetting I couldn’t see through people like he could. I sighed and glanced around her as she kept her head down, walking through the both of us. The man made eye contact with us. Yes, he was the one I was trying to find. I laughed horrendously, drawing attention from those that could actual interact with me. Ghost let a small smile spread back across his ghostly face, satisfied that I’d start to cause just as much trouble as he tended to.


music: aren vs. estella

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REVIEW RUMBLE 2013 putting the beat back into music reviews story by estella fox and aren rendell, design by lia hagen

W-w-w-welcome to Review Rumble 2013! Presented by Craze Magazine, this brawl’s goal is to find out whose music comes out on top. In one corner, we have Estella Fox, Craze staff photographer, Lance managing editor, and certified sarcasm master. Estella’s writing ability comes from observing storytelling during her month long Grey’s Anatomy

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marathon, and she’s bringing that skill to the ring tonight! Aaand in the other corner we have Aren Rendell, Craze contributor and Lance Editor-inChief. Aren specializes in preppy sweaters, good grades, and PAIN. The topics of discussion tonight are: In Rainbows by Radiohead, Wake Me Up by Avicii, Reflektor by Arcade Fire, and Magna Carta... Holy Grail by Jay-Z.


music: aren vs. estella

in rainbows artist: radiohead release date: oct. 10, 2007 genre: alternative rock ESTELLA’S GRADE

AREN’S GRADE

Estella:

There are very few albums I would listen to everyday for the rest of my life. In Rainbows by Radiohead is one of them. This near-perfect album contains a vast array of elements and layers and could hardly be summed up with words. There are a variety of styles present, from the gorgeous sound of a picked guitar in “Faust Arp” to the electronic-drum heavy “15 Step.” Not only does this album bring passion and character into the music, but the lyrics are so powerful that they are considered an art by themselves. “No matter what happens now / you shouldn’t be afraid / because I know today has been / the most perfect day I’ve ever seen,” lead singer and songwriter Thom Yorke sings at the end of the album on the song “Videotape.” In Rainbows is a prime example of an album with a wide variety of music styles that still maintains cohesiveness. Its deep, soulful lyrics and memorable sounds make this album one of the best of all time.

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Aren:

This album has something going for it. I love the music, but it also has something going against it. I hate the singing. The beat and instruments make it bearable, but only if my only other option were to listen to a Ke$ha album. I will give Thom Yorke credit: he really can wail. I have never heard better wailing. However, I don’t want to hear wailing. I want to hear singing. The music of the album is (mostly) polished and layered. Radiohead combines sporadic beats in a smooth, drawn out way that impresses me. It’s easy to latch onto the music. The beginning of every song is so good... until Yorke takes to the microphone. I will give the album this: “All I Need,” “Jigsaw Falling Into Place,” and “Faust Arp” are good songs. Yorke changes his singing voice and gives the album three wins out of ten tries. You can give this album a shot, but I don’t recommend it.


wake me up artist: avicii release date: june 17, 2013 genre: electronic, country ESTELLA’S GRADE

AREN’S GRADE

Estella:

There are some sure-fire ways to get on the radio. The most prominent two that I’ve noticed is to have: 1. Vague, accessible lyrics and 2. At least one ‘drop’ in the song that would translate well to any night-club. “Wake Me Up” by Avicii is an example of this style that shows little to no artistic merit. Some truly phenomenal songs have come from the merge of two genres. “Wake Me Up” is not one of them. This song sounds like a coked-up Mumford & Sons meets a 20-something guy with an electronic piano. The song doesn’t fit together at all, and to make it even better, there is that all-too-expected ‘drop’ in the song with a hook that any 5-year-old can dream up. Even the lyrics have absolutely no redeeming qualities. “Wish that I could stay forever this young / Not afraid to close my eyes,” he sings. Yeah, you and every other living being on this planet. The singer goes on to say, “Life’s a game made for everyone /and love is a prize.” I don’t know how these lyrics work together at all; they just seem to be thrown in there as an afterthought for rhyming purposes. “Wake Me Up” proves once and for all that people can get on the radio without actually having talent.

Aren:

I will admit that I’m generally unfamiliar with the work of Avicii, but the one song of his that I have heard, Wake Me Up, is among my top five favorite songs of all time. I love everything about it, from the relatable lyrics and impressive vocals to the relaxing background music. The majority of Westsiders, myself included, probably don’t know who they are. High schoolers are, in a sense, lost in life. Luckily, we have adults there to bring us down to earth and tell us what we have to do to be successful. They also prepare us for the possibility of failure. Avicii touches on all of these issues. He talks about young people being “lost,” living life like a dream, and why both of these things aren’t so bad, contrary to what many adults say. Honestly, I don’t think words can do this song, or my love for it, justice, but I’ll try. When I’m sad, I listen to this song. When I’m happy, I listen to this song. When I am choosing which song to play first, it’s always this song. If you haven’t already heard this song, download it, turn up the volume, and enjoy.

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music: aren vs. estella

reflektor (single) artist: arcade fire release date: sept. 19, 2013 ESTELLA’S GRADE

AREN’S GRADE

Estella:

Arcade Fire’s highly anticipated single “Reflektor” was nothing short of a masterpiece. It was produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy with backing vocals from David Bowie, so it hardly had room to disappoint. Even after seven minutes, you’re left wanting more. “Reflektor” doesn’t quite fit in any generation of music. It’s a sleek, upbeat, and timeless song that anyone can enjoy, and the lyrics add to its depth. “Trapped in a prison, in a prism of light / Alone in the darkness, darkness of white / We fell in love, alone on a stage / In the reflective age,” sings lead singer Win Butler. The song also features Régine Chassange, Arcade Fire vocalist Win Butler’s wife, and Haitian percussionists Willinson Duprate and Verrieux Zile to take the energy to another level and elevate Murphy’s percussions. “Reflektor” is the result of brilliant artists coming together to make one unforgettable song.

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Aren:

Nope. This song lacks both things you need for a good song: good music and good singing. It’s also seven minutes. I don’t have the time or interest to listen to this song. The singing is soft and drowned out by the unenjoyable music. The music lacks the flow I look for in songs. I suppose it is unfair for me to review this song as I, in general, do not like when singing is drowned out by the music. Since I am reviewing it, though, I can honestly say it’s a terrible song.


magna carta... holy grail artist: JAY-Z release date: july 4, 2013 ESTELLA’S GRADE

AREN’S GRADE

Estella:

Throughout the years, Jay-Z has been widely regarded as a ‘screw-the-system’ rapper. However, his new album, Magna Carta... Holy Grail, was first released exclusively to Samsung Galaxy users, effectively demonstrating his dedication to solely making money in the system. This was the foreshadowing of how the album would play out. MCHG is a lazily thrown together album expressing the fiscal irresponsibility of one man. The lyrics are far from relatable. There are few truly thought provoking songs because the whole album about Jay-Z making more money than you. “House like the Lourve or the Tate Modern /Cause I be going ape at the auction,” Jay-Z raps in the middle of “Picasso Baby.” Throughout the whole album, it is apparent that he could not care less about his fans. He just sees them as consumers who can make him richer. MCHG is by far one of the most disappointing albums of Jay-Z’s entire career, and it proves that the 44-year-old Jay-Z is struggling to stay relevant with his dated views on rap.

Aren:

Jay-Z is my favorite rapper, and Magna Carta Holy Grail is the best album of the year. I was expecting a disappointing album from the rapper known as Hova. He’s 44 and has a daughter. I’d think he was a little distracted, but I didn’t hear any distraction here. This isn’t Jay-Z’s best work, but it is in the top five out of his 15. This is equivalent to a “best” album for most artists. It really does have everything: a major radio hit, rapper-bashing, ego, and, of course, a terrible collaboration with Beyonce. Holy Grail was one of the summer’s top songs. Jay-Z proclaims himself the “modern day Pablo” on Picasso Baby, telling other rappers it is “Hov time.” I wouldn’t expect anything less from JAY Z. Then Jay-Z gets personal. In the song “Jay-Z Blue,” his worries about fatherhood show a soft side to Jay-Z. This shows how confident he is with his status in the rap game and that he doesn’t care if he gets attacked. He will always come out on top. In the rest of the tracks, he accomplished a difficult feat: moving rap forward while staying classic. This album is just another victory for the rapper from Brooklyn.

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opinion: pageants

INSANE CROWN POSSE our obession with perfection story and design by sarah lemke

I opened an email that ignited a flame inside of me. My disgust for pageants was awakened when the 2014 Miss Nebraska Teen USA Pageant application was emailed to students through TechSpot. I was hoping for a scholarship competition disguised as a “pageant” in order to appeal to teenage girls. After all, what sounds more appealing than winning a full-ride, four year scholarship to Lindenwood University, cash prizes, a new wardrobe, and travel opportunities? I was extremely disappointed when I opened the attachment. To be considered for entry, you must send in a headshot, a three line description of yourself, your ambitions, and the name of your school. I can’t get to know a person from this little information, and it makes me wonder how they could choose contestants out of the whole state using only a few words. Simply put– they can’t. It seems as though a large portion of your eligibility comes from your physical

appearance, seen in the required headshot. I decided to “enter” and see if a girl with a non-stereotypical pageant appearance would be accepted. I filled out the application honestly and sent in my headshot expecting to be rejected. After reading the rules and regulations, I noticed the pageant’s fundamental principles. Competitors are judged in three different categories, all weighed equally. These are: personality interviews, poise and beauty in an evening gown, and physical fitness in a swimsuit. Still, don’t go thinking there’s going to be attractive teenage girls strutting around in slinky bikinis. All teen contestants must wear a one piece suit, though generous cutouts are accepted. The next day, I received an email from a Vanbros and Associates representative, the company who operates the Miss Nebraska USA Pageant, thanking me for my interest and asking several more questions,

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including information about my family, school, greatest accomplishment, and my favorite places in Nebraska. Again, I answered honestly. I was surprised that I wasn’t asked about my future education plans or GPA. Then again, I was pseudo-applying for a beauty pageant. I shouldn’t have expected much. Vanbros and Associates, located in Overland Park, Kansas, chooses the competitors for pageants in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. I was being chosen to participate by a company whose CEO is a middle aged man that has probably never competed in a pageant. This man and his company’s desire for a profit could determine the course of a young adult’s life without ever considering their wellbeing. 24 hours later, I opened my email to find another email from Vanbros. I was greeted with “CONGRATULATIONS!” I’d been accepted as a contestant! I could be


the next Miss Nebraska Teen USA. Attached in the email were the consent forms and information. Hidden behind the pink swirls and stars on the PDF were a required $195 registration fee and $900 pageant fee. These fees help pay for two nights at a hotel, a three day rental of the Rose Theater stage, and probably coffee for the hard working employees of Vanbros. Unfortunately, the $900 pageant fee doesn’t cover any of the tools you’ll need for the pageant. Victory Mohamed, a pageant coach interview on NPR, listed off a slew of suggested additional costs. A decent gown will be at least $500. Making a good first impression on the judges will cost you about $200 for an interview outfit. If you want your swimsuit to take the show, you’ll also need to take around $300 out of your pocket. However, we can’t forget about the $100 in makeup you’ll spend and the optional $300 an hour coaching sessions. When going into a pageant, you need to be prepared to spend upwards of $810. The money required and to participate is ridiculous. Making young women feel obliged pay loads of money for a chance at the crown and scholarship is deceiving and manipulative. Because this is a staple in the pageant industry, it makes materialism acceptable. Sadly, this is where my pageant career ended. I sent the company an email alarting them. “Vanbros, I send my regrets. I will not be able to compete in the Nebraska Teen USA Pageant for monetary reasons. Best Regards, Sarah Lemke” Although I am extremely grateful, I will not be reapplying next year. While I will never be a pageant queen, this did give me the opportunity to question our society. Pageants, not just locally or those produced by Vanbros, claim to improve young women’s lives, success, and self-confidence. I can’t imagine a worse way to promote such important things than through pageantry.

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Being compared to others is harsh enough as it is, but being compared to other girls while standing center stage in a swimsuit sounds like hell. Regardless of gender, teenagers should be concerned with intelligence and depth rather than appearance. These pageants promote the exact opposite message. After all, twothirds of the Miss Nebraska Teen USA pageant is based on looks: physical fitness and beauty in a gown. Filing teens into “acceptable” and “unacceptable” pageant categories hurts their growing self-confidence. Loving and respecting one’s self takes time as an adolescent. In fact, it probably takes more time than it did in past years due to the pressure society puts on women and men to be perfect. White teeth, tanned skin, toned muscles. No one can live up to the standards pageants and society advocate, whether they’re doing it intentionally or not. The pressures today are endless. With this constant exposure to “ideal images,” it doesn’t surprise me teenagers today are taking action to fit to the standards. According to dosomething.org, 44 percent of girls and 15 percent of boys in high school are attempting to lose weight, and anad.org says that 47 percent of girls between 5th and 12th grade want to lose weight because of photos they saw online. The images, movies, and pageants we’re all exposed to are hurting our adolescence population. I understand that this is a scholarship opptunity that can change a teenage girl’s life. A full-ride scholarship could take the weight of financial worries off her shoulders and allow her to graduate with a degree she might have not earned because of financial reasons. Still, regardless of the amount of money being offered in a scholarship or competition, we as individuals, a community, and as a society need to think about the impact they might have on our youth. The stress and pressure put on today’s teenagers is impossible to hide from, and it’s breaking us.


music: vinyl

Records cover the wall of Saddle Creek Shop downtown. This shop is owned by local label Saddle Creek Records.

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VINYL IN THE DIGITAL AGE holding onto an outdated medium story and photos by camile messerley, design by eva phillips

It’s a nice Sunday morning in 1960. Your parents dance together while grandpa reads the newspaper and grandma plays solitaire. Your mom stops dancing for a moment to ask you to flip the record. Using only the tips of your fingers, you carefully flip it, move the needle to the first track, and let it go. While music is timeless, the way we listen to it has changed over time. Still, despite today’s digital age, there is a rising comeback of the vinyl record. Modern musicians are not only releasing

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their albums on iTunes; they’re releasing them on records. People are investing in vinyl again for the same reasons they were fifty years ago: to listen to their favorite new band. With this increasing interest in vinyl, Omaha based label Saddle Creek Records, has opened up a record store in downtown Omaha. The shop’s manager Nate Welker thinks he knows why people still hold on to the outdated medium. “Despite the rise in digital music, there is still a desire for a


music: vinyl

tangible product by those that care about the art,” Welker said. “Vinyl exists for these people.” English teacher Eric Sayre is one of these people. After spending many years collecting and grooming a collection of over a thousand albums, he has formed a personal connection to the sound of his records. “My first musical experiences were with vinyl, and it’s always held a special place in my heart,” Sayre said. “A good, brand new record has always sounded better and purer than a CD.” Today it has become so easy to

just skip and shuffle through an album, but vinyl prevents this. This is another reason why Sayre loves it. “I think great music shouldn’t be relegated to the background, and I think that vinyl brings it to the

[VINYL] ALWAYS HELD A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART. -mr. sayre

foreground,” Sayre said. “I think it is a deliberate experience. You can’t just hit shuffle. You have to go, put it on, and you can hear it as the

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needle drops. It’s more present in the environment.” For Sayre, music on vinyl is something that has and always will be more than just a new song. Flash forward fifty years, and your brothers and sisters are dancing to the sound of an iPod docked on a speaker on the counter. They stop for only a short minute to ask you to hit repeat on their favorite song. Music will always be heard one way or another. In the digital age, many assume that kids only listen to music digitally. However, this is not the reality for senior Lissa Deonarain.


“Led Zeppelin on vinyl is one of the most beautiful things ever because that’s the way it’s meant to be produced,” Deonarain said. “On CD’s it’s mostly the remastered stuff, and it just sounds too clean and normal, like modern music.” Deonarain understands the differences of sound quality and purposed and how the sound makes you feel something different. For her, music should be listened to in its intended format. This makes her rare amongst teenagers today.

It’s undeniable that most people convenient and cheap, but they get have moved on from the medium. the job done. Fine china is brought Nate Welker, manager of Saddle out on special occasions, looks Creek’s record store, has seen this better, and is made to impress.” happen. Despite working at a record Still, even if it is not as store, he’s also made the change convenient in a world filled with with the rest of society. technology, vinyl lives on. It grows “On a daily basis, 99% of my older and better with every needle listening is digitally, mostly through drop, giving you an experience Spotify.,” Welker said. “This is separate from any MP3 or CD. mainly for convenience’s sake. to see more on vinyl vs. Listening to vinyl vs. other means digital, check out WTV”s is the difference to paper plates man on the street. and fine china. Paper plates are

RECORD STORE CLERK our favorite tracks for a saturday afternoon

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opinion: family

BLOOD AND WATER what it means to be a family story and design by lia hagen

I remember the first time I accidentally called a friend ‘mom.’ In my Valley, Nebraska middle school it was the faux pas of all faux pas. Not only had I, a chubby and overexcited twelve year old, demonstrated once again that I could hardly control my own actions, I’d also proved that I was nothing more than a baby. Middle school was the age of shoving away from our parents and our elementary school images. To cry out for your mommy during this formative time was essentially telling everyone in school that you still needed to wear pull-ups to bed. I also remember one of the first times I realized that I considered a friend to be more family than my own. It was a journey that was expedited when my family moved to Texas. Throughout my teenagerdom, my living situation has been constantly shifting. At

best my former family situation was nicknamed unstable; at its worst, it was a borderline illegal catastrophe. When they left, I was sent to live with my aunt. Her job required a lot of travel, and she’d hardly wanted to raise her own kids, let alone me. I remember sitting alone in my empty house before the move, staring at the rooms that used to be filled with children. I found myself considering the people that remained for me. I began putting them into the roles of those I’d grown up with. Tess, the bubbly elementary school sister, was easily replaced by a friend with similar optimism and bright blonde hair. My moody preteen sister Anna was any of us on a bad day. I even found myself lamenting the end of a friendship with a girl who could’ve been perfect for my sister Grace, who my mom calls ‘sensitive’ and I call ‘incredibly

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annoying.’ It wasn’t just consciously that I was replacing my biological family, however. I was constantly finding myself seeking comfort and familial affection from those around me. My friends, teachers, and advisers all played a key role in making me feel safe and comfortable. They were no longer mere stopgaps for the absence of my own family. They became a new and more meaningful one, built on mutual love and willingness to be together even without the bonds of blood. One week during my sophomore year, a simple flu rendered me incapable of caring for myself. I wallowed in my bedroom, trashcan overflowing with used tissues and seasons of Avatar: the Last Airbender on repeat. Though self pity was probably more of the disease than my actual germs, my perceived suffering was great.


Every task became horribly difficult. I moaned in anguish as I moved to open my DVD drawer and wore my filthy pajamas when I walked to the local gas station for cookie mix, Diet Pepsi, and Advil. (These are, of course, the three most important cures for a sick teenager). My aunt was in the next room the entire time, but I found myself ignoring her despite her proximity. Lying on my bed with a churning stomach and a headache, the only people I could think to ask for were my friends. I don’t know when it happened, but they’d somehow replaced my more traditional family in every aspect. I wanted their comfort, whether it be in the form of hugs, cool hands on my overheated forehead, or smiley faces on my phone screen. More than anything, I just wanted them around. I could picture them rolling their eyes at me as they forced open my drawer, a smile lurking under the surface. I wanted them to tuck me into bed or share leftovers with me on my tiny kitchen table. Throughout my entire flu bout, I never once thought about my biological family. It’s true that many would think it should be my mother or siblings helping me when I was sick, but they were far from my mind. As friends insisted I drink my fluids and get a lot of rest, my family remained oblivious. This was merely a particularly obvious example of my everyday reality. For me and many others, high school is the time to form our own identities and our own communities. It’s a more

organic transition than the ones we attempted to force in middle school. Back then we were picturing the characters of our favorite television shows and books and trying to imitate their quirky and unconventional lifestyles. Today, the adoption of aspects of those lifestyles is normal. With high school comes the ability to drive, less rules, and an unprecedented amount of independence, and with that comes the inevitable distancing from your biological family. This separation is something that flies in the face of everything we’ve been told growing up. We’re taught by every form of media that blood is thicker than water, and when every dysfunctional sitcom family learns this lesson at least twice a season, it becomes hard to ignore. In our society, the prevailing belief is that biological family should come over all else. However, this perspective is inherently flawed, especially when you remember that not everyone has a unilateral family experience. In fact, many families are toxic environments for teenagers. Whether they be intentionally abusive or merely incapable of being a competent parent, mother and father don’t always know best. Still, even teenagers with incredibly loving families find themselves growing distant. We spend our entire weekends with our friends and whine when we’re given curfews or told to come home. For many, the teachers or coaches we spend most of our time with become surrogate parents. For my part, I’m more likely to call my debate coach dad than my actual father.

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Finding new people to love is not a betrayal of the old ones. In fact, striking out on your own and building new communities for yourself is a normal and healthy part of growing up. High school is the time for us to find ourselves, to play at adulthood. We’re becoming our own people independent of those who raised us, and that means developing bonds independent of our families as well. Blood may hold together family bonds, but the communities we build for ourselves are held together by things that are arguably as long lasting. As sitcoms are so fond of reminding us, you can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family. However, I don’t see that statement as something that proves the value of biological families. To me, it’s exactly what’s so amazing about the entire alternative family phenomena. You and your parents are stuck together for better or worse. You and your friends, however, found each other. Teenagers in these communities are there for each other not because of some ingrained sense of duty but because we want to be. It’s because we love and respect each other. We all have our own issues, but we choose to stick together because of affection that we formed independently of any social contracts. Nowadays, I’m not embarrassed to call my friends my family, accidentally or otherwise. Instead, I’m proud of the community I’ve built and the family that I can truly call my own.


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MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

story and design by audrey mccann, photos by camile messerley and coutresy of abby hack

Intelligence is a concept created by man and judged by an IQ score and standardized tests. However, what really is intelligence? There isn’t a completely conclusive way to measure intelligence. There are many theories on what intelligence is and how many types there are, but this article focuses on the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. In 1983, Howard Gardner came up with the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This led to all of those annoying tests your guidance counselors made you take. Nine major types of intelligence were proposed: linguistic, logical, musical, bodily/ kinesthetic, spatial, naturalistic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and existential intelligence. These concepts allow those of us who are not math whizzes to be considered geniuses in our own right. After all it definitely took quite a bit of skill for Van Gogh to paint Potato Eaters, even if he did

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cut off parts of his right ear three years later. The famous physicist Albert Einstein struggled with speaking and felt that he was an outsider when learning the strict Prussian curriculum, and Walt Disney didn’t finish his high school education, but still built an empire out of a mouse. Not to mention that neither Bill Gates nor Steve Jobs finished their Ivy League education. Everyone has their own ideas of what is smart. We all see different people when we think “genius.” Some think of Tony Hawk, and others of The Beatles. We all think of intelligence differently, and this allows us to discuss new ideas and make ourselves smarter. With this in mind, we sought out several students from Westside who have discovered one of their intelligences and embraced it. Take a look at what they are doing to prove Gardner right.


feature: intelligence

MUSICAL INTELLIGENCE learning more than songs through music Steadying her violin between her shoulder and chin, junior Jennifer Ahn tosses her long black hair over her shoulder and focuses on the tuning pegs. Her violin is held firm while she draws her long horsehair bow across the strings, turning the pegs until she finds the right pitches. This is a regular task for Ahn as she has already made a huge decision and chose to commit her life to furthering her musical education. Students who are musically intelligent, like Ahn, are able to distinguish pitches, and tone. These students can create and recreate music. They are also very aware of other sounds that students who do not possess this quality will not notice. These concepts can be taught, but are also a natural talent. Musicians such as Ahn needed to understand these concepts from an early age in order to stay motivated and not become frustrated. Most nights, Ahn is faced with the tough decision of choosing between finishing her homework and being able to complete violin practice. Since Ahn sees a musical career in her future, it is crucial that she spends enough time on both of her priorities. She needs both in order to earn a college scholarship. “Another difficulty I face, especially this year, is travelling to receive lessons from famous violin pedagogues,” Ahn said, “Since the ones I am studying with on an irregular basis live in big cities such as Seattle, Austin, and most recently Chicago, it often becomes difficult for me to balance between my musical life and schoolwork. Somehow, though, I manage to make it all work, even if it means having no time to have a social life or have some leisure time.” Ahn struggles with finding this balance, but using her music as a way to express herself and focus on something she is passionate about helps her find peace within her daily struggles. Music is not an alternative

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to academics for Ahn, but she learns a lot from the music she studies. All musical pieces have a rich history, and Ahn takes great pleasure in learning about these histories. We have also all heard our teachers say “math is a part of everything,” and music is not excluded from that statement. The complex rhythms and notes of Bach’s Sonata Number One, which she played an excerpt from when she performed at TedxLincoln, offer a math lesson themselves. Clearly, Ahn is a good student in all of her academic endeavors and possesses self- discipline most high school students can only dream of. Most believe that learning is a life long experience, and Ahn is apart of that majority. “With both academics and music you are never done learning.” Ahn said Ahn needs to push herself to further her knowledge in both areas of her life in order to be as successful as she would like to be. She sees herself teaching or performing in the future. This would be after using her passion for the violin to inspire a college major and completing her higher education. Ahn has already begun to work with younger students through a program an early music learning program, Violin Sprouts, Ruth Meints, one of Ahn’s professors. This is just the first step in Ahn’s musical exploration, and she plans to continue learning and playing the violin her entire life. Finishing the last song and making one last notation in her music, Ahn places the delicate, wooden instrument back into the case and settles in to study for her next test.


KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE dancing her way to the top

Possessing the bodily kinesthetic intelligence is something that allows certain people to be able to learn through movement and gestures. For some this helps, during soccer practice the many attempts of a bicycle kick helps you learn how to do it. For others they would rather read up on the subject before an attempt, but those who posses a predominantly kinesthetic intelligence are ready for action. Lacing up her pointe shoes and walking into the studio, she places her delicate hand on the barre and begins her warm-up exercises. Soft-spoken sophomore Abby Hack has been dancing for many years. A one year member of the school’s varsity dance team, and an attendee of weekly studio lessons, she has dedicated her life to the art. Hack is enrolled in lessons at the Jewish Community Center she focusses on ballet, pointe, jazz, and modern dance. “My studio that I go to is not a competitive one,” Hack said. “It’s like a school that focuses on technique and really self expression, as opposed to competition.” Hack believes that the ability to express emotion while dancing is a form of intelligence. While trying to perfect a pirouette, she is forced to learn about herself in ways she wouldn’t have to without dance in her life. She learns life lessons such as valuing perseverance and pushing herself to places she didn’t think she could go. These are lessons Hack doesn’t think she would learn them otherwise. She is also glad she learned these lessons early on, because they carry over into her academic life.

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Using dance as a creative outlet has paid off for Hack. It helps her relax and relieve stress, and she is still learning about other cultures while doing so. “I did an African piece, I did an Indian piece, an Israeli piece, a Spanish piece…” Hack said. This helps her learn more “schoolish” concepts while still being able to express herself. For a student as dedicated as Hack, it is important that she never stops learning and is always keeping an ear out for new information. “It sounds kind of cheesy, but I learn about myself and what I can do.” Hack said. While she may not be learning as many “self lessons” in school, she values everything about her academic education. Hack makes sure she spends enough time at the studio, but she doesn’t let it distract from her other priorities. Using dance, as well as other movements is a technique that many people with a bodily kinesthetic intelligence. Hack finishes her last pirouette she unlaces her shoes and heads out of the studio. She’s relaxed and ready to study for Honors Lit and get a good night’s sleep before dance team practice the next morning.


tunes: sarah’s playlist

DAILY TUNES

hanging out with Sarah Lemke


OFF THE SIDELINES appreciating westside’s many teams story by allie laing and lia hagen, design by allie laing, photos by ally stark and sarah lemke

This year, every Westside student has become intimately familiar with our most popular sports team: Varsity Football. We’ve heard about their wins, their losses, their stats, and their traditions. While we are proud of our athletic success this year, we thought it was time to give a few other teams their well deserved spotlight. They may not always be practicing for spectator sports or competitive activities, but they are always working their hardest. Shining a light on these alternative activities is important in order to gain a more thorough understanding of our school and the students

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inside of it. Some Westsiders find writing an eight minute speech about racism more interesting than a touchdown; others would rather be cheering for a goal than make it themselves. These interests join together to create a complete picture of our school, of our loves, thoughts, and opinions. With this in mind, we present to you these profiles. We’ve chosen three teams that are vital to our school but often not recognized: the Cheer Team, the Robotics Team, and the Debate Team. While this may be the only time their members will ever be seen on a baseball card, they’re always worth your attention.


profile: varsity cheer

VARSITY CHEER TEAM Behind every great football season is a great cheer team. They keep the spirit alive, smiling through hours of cold weather and tired feet. Without them, the student section would be as dead as Prep after the playoffs.

Annie Bradford

Cora Watanabe

HEIGHT: 5’3 GRADE: Junior AGE: 17 BIRTHDAY: September 28, 1996

HEIGHT: 4’9 GRADE: Senior AGE: 18 BIRTHDAY: November 20, 1995

“You’re never fully dressed without a smile.”

“My specialty on the cheer team is that I can tumble.”

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Madeline Holmes

Hannah Smith

HEIGHT: 5’6 GRADE: Junior AGE: 16 BIRTHDAY: April 14, 1997

HEIGHT: 5’6 GRADE: Junior AGE: 16 BIRTHDAY: February 21, 1997

“I always try to stay positive when practice becomes challenging.”

“I always try to show commitment to the cheer squad.”

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profile: robotics

ROBOTICS TEAM Only robotics combines advanced knowledge of math and science with real world creations. Here they don’t slave over theoretical forumulas or hypothetical scenarios; they put their knowledge to use and make something great.

Alex Zimmerman

Jordan Estee

HEIGHT: 6’ GRADE: Junior AGE: 16 BIRTHDAY: May 30, 1997

HEIGHT:6’ GRADE: Junior AGE: 17 BIRTHDAY: June 27, 1996

“I drive the robot at competitions and lead the building process.”

“I do a majority of the scouting at competitions.”

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Cory Jansen

Ben Frazier HEIGHT:5’7 GRADE: Sophomore AGE: 16 BIRTHDAY: April 2, 1998

HEIGHT: 5’10 GRADE: Junior AGE: 16 BIRTHDAY: May 22, 1997

“I do stuff from changing motors to actually building the robot.”

“I help program the robot to make it drive.”

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profile: debate

DEBATE TEAM While we’ve all given speeches in class or even participated in a mock debate, it’s rare to find people brave enough to talk in front of others for two hours. The Westside Policy Debate Team are those people.

Charie Payne

Renee Stewart

HEIGHT: 5’7 GRADE: Senior AGE: 17 BIRTHDAY: March 24, 1996

HEIGHT:5’4 GRADE: Senior AGE: 17 BIRTHDAY: November 20, 1996

“Using spoken words for my performance is my expertise.”

“It’s all about connecting personal identity to everything you do.”

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Peyton Wells

Lily Saker

HEIGHT: 5’5 GRADE: Junior AGE: 16 BIRTHDAY: December 29, 1996

HEIGHT: 5’ GRADE: Freshman AGE: 14 BIRTHDAY: June 17, 1999

“My expertise is having the ability to win technical parts of debates.”

“I give consistently awesome speeches.”

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feature: teachers watch

THE REACTION

westside teachers react to some of the most popular vines story and design by tom huerter, photos by abegale headlee

Over the last year, Vine has gone from a little know social network to one of the biggest. It allows people to make repeating, six second vignettes. An elite few have found fame on Vine, including Westside’s own Jack and Jack. However, while teens are entertained, Westside teachers may have a different opinion. Craze ventured into Westside’s IMCs in search of opinionated teachers to get their reaction to the new social media phenomenon.

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From music to fashion to art, people’s tastes and opinions are obviously affected by their age. You would never see a 60 year old in short shorts and a crop top listening to Lady Gaga, just like most teenagers wouldn’t wear a pant suit and listen to classical music. The age gap is clearly seen through vine. What makes teens die of laughter leaves teachers in shock. Watch as these teachers ask themselves, “did that really just happen?”


THE VINES

all these vines can be found on our vine account, CRAZE Mag

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Streak-Free Shine

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2

Don’t Eat Jimmy

5Scared Mom

3

I Want You To Stay

6Got You Back 45

Is He Srs


feature: teachers watch

MR. PREISTER Everyone at Westside knows the infamous laugh of social studies teacher Jon Preister. That laugh was as loud as ever while watching the vines. He giggled throughout, never knowing what to expect.

That must be fake!

MS. PEITZMEIER Shocked the entire time, math teacher Beth Peitzmeier had no idea what she was getting herself into. She found the vines funny, but she was mainly in disbelief.

That is so naughty!

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MRS. SZEJK Spanish Brandy Szejk thought she had seen it all, until she saw these vines. With her eyes nearly popping out of her head, she watched all the vines and laughed all the way.

Is he serious?!

MR. HODGSON English teacher Matt Hodgson is hard to phase, and this held true as he watched. He found the vines strange and funny, but his only reaction was light laughter.

That was mean!

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movies: documentaries

A DAY IN THE LIFE a behind the scenes look into someone else’s world story by jenna hynek, design by jenna hynek and abegale headlee We live in a world full of opinions. Everything we see is influenced by of our thoughts, from highways to shopping malls. We also live in a time when anyone considered abnormal is essentially exiled. Here is a look at some people who have managed to cope through an opinionated and judgmental society. These movies show a day in their lives.

THE MAN WITH HALF A BODY director: Kerry Bierley release date: 2010 In a local town of West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, the kids spend their summers laughing and playing. The freedom in the air leads to children starting a competitive game of hide-and-seek. The quiet fills the neighborhood as the hidden avoid the seeker. Suddenly, there’s a thump, thump, thump of sneakers pounding on the concrete. This thumping never came from Kenny Easterday. Director Kerry Brierley released the film, “The Man with Half a Body”, in 2010. The documentary tells the story of Kenny Easterday and his family as they deal with Kenny’s struggle of having no lower body, realizing hardships can be both a blessing and a curse. The hardships of Kenny’s childhood were numerous, unable to play games with the other children and his appearance caused a roadblock to many friendships. Overall the film was very well done, a sneak peak into a life that most of us couldn’t imagine living. The film shines light on Kenny’s mother, Sharon Easterday. She brought emotion to the film, she cried during scenes but also smiled at others. The emotion she demonstrated expressed how hard it was on the family not just Kenny. Since Kenny shows little feeling, his mother is the one who brought depth to the film. Kenny’s independent nature shows the world that anyone can take care of themselves; just a matter of perseverance. Overall the film was very well made. It took us into Kenny’s past, present and what the future has to offer. The scenes show his struggle as well as the independence he has. It was an eye opening experience that I was glad to be a part of.

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AN ORIGINAL: DUCKUMENTARY narrator: Paul Giamatti release date: 2010 A newborn child is constantly soothed by its mother’s heartbeat. This is no different with ducks. We may only see them as brainless animals to hunt but they are actually complex animals that have lived through centuries. The film “An Original: Duck-Umentary” is narrated by Paul Giamatti and was released in 2012. The narration set the scene dramatically, making you feel like you were among the ducks. While the film would be dry without him, the videography was also amazing. The details show a secret life of creatures we often right off with just glance at. This behind the scenes look give viewers something that we have never scene before. The outstanding videography tells the story of a duck’s life from start to finish. The high quality paints a picture, making the amount of time and effort put into the documentary are obvious. Without this sort of craftsmanship, the movie wouldn’t carry the same depth as it currently does. After this, it is very clear that ducks are not mindless animals. With a mix of narration and film work it highlights the best in the animals. It is a film that is particularly directed towards families. Educational, dramatic, and entertaining, this is a film for any age. Hopefully everyone has a chance to watch this movie as it’s a great look into a life of an animal which we don’t have the chance of living.

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interactive: quiz

A NEW VIEW

take a closer look at the world around you story, design, and photos by abegale headlee

The minute you leave your house every morning, you’re bound to stumble upon new people and experiences. Unfortunately, we don’t always appreciate these new finds. We are all consumed by and

focused on what we are doing at the moment. Still, going through life distracted means you may miss that rare beautiful sunrise or the changing color of the fall leaves. This quiz will challenge you to pay attention

and take a closer look at the world around you. See if you can determine what these fifteen images are. It may make you take the time to see your surroundings in a new light. See answers on page 54

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events: calendar

DEC. / JAN. story and design by lia hagen

Monday

Sunday

Don’t let the snowfall get you down. Enjoy your winter break with this month’s events.

Tuesday

8.

9.

10.

15.

16.

17.

Jun Kaneko’s STACKED @ Kaneko 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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23.

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29.

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Narnia @ The Rose Theater 2 p.m.

New Year’s Eve

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Wednesday

Thursday

11.

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Boho-Chic Mixed Media Art @ Smiling Turtle Art Spot 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Cursive w/ Criteria @ The Waiting Room 9 p.m.

18.

19.

Friday 13.

Saturday 14. Poetry Bash for Teens @ OPL’s Main Branch Library 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

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Winter Break Begins

The Envy Corps @ The Waiting Room 9 p.m.

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1.

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Christmas

First Day of Kwanzaa

Monster Jam @ the Mid-America Center 7:30 p.m.

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Ballet Nebraska’s The Nutcracker @ The Orpheum Theater 2 p.m.


interactive: our picks

CRAZE’S FAVORITE THINGS THIS MONTH we love aroma’s coffee

our favorite study tunes

get inspired by the international story a day group

check out think geek for cool gifts

humans of new york

read Divergent by Veronica Roth

see the cool things people create

omaha’s new outlet mall

our favorite movie this month

answers continued from page 50... 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Towel Chandelier Bar of soap Lace dress Guitar

6. Paint pallet 7. Alarm clock 8. Chair with blanket 9. Plant 10. Candle stick

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11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Picture frame Crash symbol Broken iPhone Piano Ring


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