Jmagspring2015

J-Mag Spring 2015 issue

Features 4-8 Opinion

9-11

Reviews

12-13

In-Depth

14-17

Sports

18-22

2015 Second Semester Journalism

Kiley Banks, Jazmyn Tosspon, Vanessa Klamt, CiCi Sheeks, Areos Seoane

Kenzie Eklund, Emma Wagner, Luna Peters, Talon Azevedo, Richard Richardson, Lexie Huff

Regan Myers, Viven Steenstra, Emma Wagner, Grace Moore

Anthony Whalen & Hannah Minor

Breanna Pinedo, Nick Smith, Grace Moore, Josh Crawford, Hunter Kellgren

Jennifer Higgins, Advisor

Features

High school life made unique Filipino, flute playing, chemist; Sadie Abbott makes the most of high school Written and photo by Kiley Banks School, band, sleep repeat. That’s what sophomore Sadie Abbott said she does 5 days a week. Abbott is 15 and a flute player on the marching band.

“I love band, but it can be a lot of hard work,” Abbott said.

When she’s not here, her favorite thing to do is listen to music, sleep or hangout with friends.

“Me and my friends love to jam out to music our favorite is country. And school makes me tired so i always end up falling asleep early” Abbott said.

All of Abbott friends seemed to say she’s very fun and interesting.

“She’s shy when you first meet her but after that you can’t get her to stop talking!” Sophomore Jennifer LeHew said.

Her teachers also seemed to say she’s very sweet and fun.

“She doesn’t talk much but we she does she is very polite and always helping in class,” History teacher Art Smith said.

A very unique thing about Abbott is that she is from the Philippines and she would love to go visit there one day.

“I would love to go learn about all the culture there. I can speak some Filipino but not a lot, I think it would be cool to see where my roots came from.” Abbott said.

Sophomore Sadie Abbott (right) talks to sophomore Kaileigh Heuszel in Advisory. Abbott enjoys talking to Heuszel about Chemistry. “ I like that she’s so happy talking about something she loves doing,” Heuszel said.

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Abbott is also very interested in Science.

“I’m in theoretical chemistry and Biomed. Biomed is my favorite but I’m good at both. Science is very interesting to me.” Abbott said.

Abbott has big plans in the future too.

“I want to move to California and work for something with science out there I would love to live somewhere warm, with palm trees and the ocean.” Abbott said.

Abbott is not involved in any other school clubs or sports besides marching band, which she plans to carry on through her high school career.

“I’m thinking about looking into the theo chem club next year, because there are some very interesting things that they talk about.” Abbott said.

Abbott’s favorite thing is that it was very easy making friends here because mostly everyone here is very friendly.

“I like that there are groups you can be friends with completely different types of people and you don’t have to stay with a certain group.” Abbott said.

There are some things that Abbott doesn’t like though.

“I hate the drama but that’s just high school I guess that comes with not being in a certain group you have people who don’t like that so they cause fights it just gets old,” Abbott said.

Features

Preparing for the future Freshman has sights on college already

Written by: Jazmyn Tosspon Photo by Kenzie Eklund Getting to know someone can be one of the hardest things about being in a large high school. As a freshman, Taeler Martin is beginning four years of nonstop school.

She is happening to be starting it of right being in advanced classes.

“One of my biggest accomplishments is my grades; I’m very proud with how far I have come,” Martin said.

Colleges look at grades throughout students’ whole high school career. To most people college is a major goal to accomplish. Martin has set major goals for herself in the future.

“My plan is to attend Florida State because the history on the school is known to be amazing! Plus it is in Florida and who wouldn’t want to live in Florida,” Martin said.

A good portion of teenagers are known to be very talkative and so called “ignorant” which is normal for this age. Martin, on the other hand, is very quiet and is the type of girl to only really talk to her friends.

“She is a great student and always gets done what she needs to get done,” freshman Grace Moore said.

Many people always have that one thing that nobody would expect. Sometimes things that are found out about

people that really show the potential they have and what kind of person that makes them.

“She is very shy and different than others, which makes her the person she is. She is actually obsessed with Elvis!

She honestly believes he is still alive and that she will marry him!” freshman Hannah Minor said.

High school isn’t all about just sitting in a desk and listening to a teacher talk for 45 minutes. There are also extracurricular activities which shows much about a person.

Clubs and activities are a huge role at Liberty North High School.

“As a freshman I am involved in 3 clubs which are Stuco, Mock Trial, and FCA. I’m nowhere close to being athletic, which leads me in the direction of clubs for colleges to look out. I’m way more focused on school than sports,” Martin said.

Freshman Taeler Martin studies for her Spanish test. According to Martin, she loved taking Spanish. “She is a very hard worker and always gets good grades on her tests which makes me work harder as well,” sophomore Amber Ray said.

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Features

Life Is Full of Decisions How a teenager pursues his Plan B and, along the way, jazzes up his life with music Written by: Vanessa Klamt Photo by: Losha Johnson As a senior in high school, Nick Rubinetti is about to pass his last year of school with flying colors. During four successful years, he balanced being a member in a band, keeping his grades up and being involved in school activities.

“I was a football manager last year. It was pretty fun. It had ups and downs, just like everything in life,” Rubinetti said.

As his greatest accomplishment in life so far, he is proud of graduating high school with all A’s and B’s. When he was younger, he had different plans for his life but along with growing up, he learned that some plans are just not going to work out.

“I want to go to UMKC because of their really good engineering program. With its great reputation, I am sure I will succeed also later on in life,” Rubinetti said.

Focusing on the future while still being in high school can be hard. Rubinetti looks confidently into the future and knows which of his strong points he wants to follow.

“I see myself working either at an engineering firm or with music equipment in ten years. Later on, when I am in my forties, I can imagine travelling with my family. I always wanted to go to Venice, Italy because almost half of my family is Italian,” Rubinetti said.

Next to his career his music and creativity is also important to him. He is into Heavy Metal and Rock music. Until last year he played in a band with his brother.

“I played the bass guitar in our rock band called God’s Reject. We broke up because we had some arguments among each other,” Rubinetti said.

After playing in the theatre last year, students at Liberty North paid more and more attention to the music of God’s Reject.

“Their music is really good. Nick and his brother did a great job performing at the school last year,” Sophomore Kiley Banks said.

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Bringing his music to another level, he also likes to listen to music in his free time and enjoys going to concerts with his friends.

“The happiest moment in my life so far was going to the concert of Black Veil Brides. I am really into their music and I will never forget this night,” Rubinetti said.

Rubinetti describes himself as artistic, generous, but also complicated.

“It is hard to understand me sometimes. My mood changes with the situation but mostly I am really nice to people,” Rubinetti said.

Well, as a teenager being moody is not surprising. And his friends like him for who he is, no matter if he has a bad day sometimes.

“He is very outgoing and creative, that is what I like about him. He is not afraid to be himself,” Junior Taylor Nystrom said.

Rubinetti plays the guitar in his band ‘God’s Reject’.They broke up last year but he continues to play. “Music is an important part of my life,” Rubinetti said.

Features

Sophomore Dani Davis works on an assignment in history. This was one of her favorite classes during the school year, because she loved the friends she made in it. “I really enjoy working with other people,” Davis said.

Spiking the Stress How a sophmore balances three important responsibilities in her life with ease Story and Photo by Cici Sheeks High school can of course be very stressful, with homework, friends, and sports. Somehow, sophomore Danielle (Dani) Davis is able to balance volleyball, homework, and her job at TJ Maxx without breaking a sweat.

“I’m usually too busy to hang out with friends, or do anything- with the exception of volleyball- since I got a job. I work on weekends and it takes up a lot of my time,” Davis said.

Davis has been playing volleyball for four years now. After the school season, which is from August to October, she participates in competitive leagues outside of school. Two times a week she practices at Parkville, and at least twice a month she participates in tournaments against other volleyball teams in the area.

“I chose volleyball because it looked fun. I love making friends, and I have made a lot of them on both the school team and the competitive team,” Davis said.

On top of volleyball, Davis started working at TJ

Maxx earlier this year. Most of her time is spent working after school and on weekends. Being very social, when she was filling out job applications she was drawn more toward jobs that would give her the opportunity to work with other people. Davis enjoys working with others, and figured working at a clothing store would give her a good opportunity to work with others.

“I get discounts there, on top of the alreadydiscounted price. I also really like being able to help and work with people. I just like people in general,” said Davis.

The person Davis talks to most of the time is her boyfriend, Christopher Rogers. He described Davis to have a very funny and sweet personality. She is known to be a very friendly person, and has many friends.

“She has a lot of friends, and is overall a very friendly and outgoing person,” Rogers said.

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Features

A “Grade A” Eagle Senior Gabriella Terrell shines through her school activities

Written and Photo By Areos Seoane One of the many students that attend Liberty North high school is senior Gabriella Terrell. Terrell does several things with in her school and is important to it like any other student.

“I have been in choir since I was in 8th grade, I have always enjoyed singing, like I was the person who always sings in the shower.” said Terrell.

Terrell has been a part of choir for a while and her enjoyment is not the only reason as to why she keeps on taking it every year.

“I really like all the teachers I’ve had for choir, they are all really funny.” said Terrell.

Being a part of choir is one of her many interest. Another one is her love of cars, most people don’t think too much of girls liking cars but Terrell loves them and wants to get more time to discover their insides.

“I haven’t always been into cars but when my mom remarried I found my love for them with my stepdad.” said Terrell.

Like any other teenager in this world Terrell also enjoys spending time with her friends whenever she can.

“We usually like to go out to eat somewhere and catch whichever movie is on at the moment.” said Torry Nathan.

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Gabriella Terrell (centre back) is a proud member of choir. She learned of her love for cars when her mother got remarried. “Most of my time out of school is spend with my friends,” Terrell said.

What’s Society’s Definition of Being Pretty?

Being pretty is every girl’s dream. All that a girl wants is for everyone to look at them and say “Wow, that girl is gorgeous.” Little do they know they are already beautiful. Society has taken over our minds and warped what girls think being pretty is like. Stereotypically pretty girls have long hair, clear skin and a nice body. Girls all around the world lose confidence because beauty magazines, models, and actresses portray that to be pretty you have to obtain all the characteristics that are equivalent to being a barbie. There are numerous amounts of beautiful women that don’t fit the projected image that we’ve been taught to idolize, yet women still try to change the way their bodies were meant to be in order to look like the edited magazine models and perfect movie actresses that are in our favorite movies and tv shows. All in an effort to be looked at as pretty. Girls of every age need to understand that everyone contains beauty in their own unique way. The size of your waist or the length of your hair doesn’t get to decide whether you’re pretty or not. The most beautiful thing a girl can have is confidence in herself. To be confident in yourself shows that you don’t let physical characteristics take you over. You are able to feel comfortable in your own skin and don’t constantly worry about what other people think about you. When you feel safe in your own skin you find yourself to be happier and have a better time in everyday life. You are able to focus on what you want to do in your life rather than focusing on making yourself pretty for other people. To be pretty is to be confident.

Opinions

Column by Kenzie Eklund

Evolution vs. Creation: What’s the Real Truth?

There are many different beliefs as to how our world was created. The two main theories are “The Big Bang Theory” and Creationism. Some people would say that there is a lot of evidence supporting the theory that God created Earth and humans, such as the retelling of His story (also known as The Bible), pictures, songs, etc. People who believe in God believe that He is all around and that He works in mysterious ways. For example, the Bible starts out with the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1, which says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” For a Christian, this verse offers proof that God created Earth and shows that there was not just some big poof into the universe. For others, there is “The Big Bang Theory”, which states that the universe was in a very high-density state and then expanded. According to Wikipedia, if the known laws of physics are extrapolated beyond where they are valid there is a singularity. Modern measurements place this moment at approximately 13.8 billion years ago, which is thus considered the age of the universe. After the initial expansion, the universe cooled sufficiently to allow the formation of subatomic particles, and later simple atoms. Giant clouds of these primordial elements later coalesced through gravity to form stars and galaxies. “The Big Bang Theory” also goes along with another theory, which is evolution, and that includes the natural and artificial selection theory. Evolution is change in heritable traits of biological populations over succession generations successive generations. According to Wikipedia, the Evolutionary Theory processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organization, including the level of species, individual organisms, and at the level of molecular evolution. This theory mainly is that we came from different organisms and that we evolved into what we are today. For example, humans come from apes and humans evolved to what we are today. The overall question to both of these theories is how do particles and molecules and stuff like that just pop out of nowhere?

Column by Emma Wagner

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Opinion

Column by Talon Azevedo

Netflix and its problems

Column by Luna Peters

The Magic of Reading

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Why is Netflix losing so many shows? First it was Good Burger, now SpongeBob Squarepants. Netflix has passed the line--I can’t live without SpongeBob Squarepants. I mean Netflix is losing so many shows and it is really destroying their reputation for me. I hope that Netflix is to bring some of these shows back and then I would love Netflix again.

It shouldn’t be that hard to get SpongeBob Squarepants on there; just make a deal with Nickelodeon and work some of your magic, Netflix.

Just please don’t lose too many other great TV shows like SpongeBob Squarepants. I know you lost Viacom but come on Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, it shouldn’t be that hard to bring back Spongebob; you don’t have to bring back the whole entire series--just seasons one to four is fine. Just make sure you get my favorite episode back “Survival of the Idiots.” Please just try your best, Netflix.

I can’t believe you lost to Amazon, Reed Hastings. Amazon Prime sucks, how could you let this happen? Why couldn’t you have put in a little bit more money into the deal than Amazon did, Reed? I mean you’ll probably just gain all that money back from the people that use Netflix right?I mean, to me, you are being just so selfish.

You’re still losing to Amazon, Reed. What a shame. but don’t worry Reed, I’m not going to stop using Netflix just because Spongebob got taken away from you. You still have some of the most popular TV shows still, so I guess that’s ok. Spongebob is love, Spongebob is life.

“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.” When Dr. Seuss said this, he wasn’t wrong. When lost in the pages of a good book you can find yourself in another world.

Reading is my favorite thing to do. I have had my nose in a book almost constantly ever since I first learned to read. Reading is by far the best thing to do. Reading is amazing because of all of the different kinds of books there are. When looking at a book, I do not see a book. Instead I see another world to explore. You can do things in the pages of a book that you would not normally do.

For example, you could find yourself battling an army of ogres in C. S. Lewis’s Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. You could find yourself uncovering a thief in Carolyn Keen’s The Bungalow Mystery, the third book in the Nancy Drew series. Or you could find yourself in a battle to the death with other teenagers in The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Every book has a different story to tell.

Some people don’t like to read, and would rather wait until they can watch the movie. This is understandable as the movies are usually very good, but in my opinion the book is almost always better. Movies just don’t hold the same magic that reading does.

When you are reading a book you can imagine what you think the character would look like based on the description, and you get the chance to really judge the characters based on their thoughts, opinions, and actions.

When reading a book you get different experiences and see different characters that make you use your imagination as you decide what they look like and judge the way they sound and act. You get to find yourself in other worlds that cannot be compared to anything else. Books really are magical.

The Little Things

Column by Lexie Huff

Put Down the Phone

Opinion Features

When I was a kid, my world was begging to be line leader, coming home with some weird grass stain on my knee, and pretending I could fly while on the swings at recess. When does rolling down a hill lose its magic? What defines the lines of the simplistic life of a child and the complicated life of an adult? Life can get stressful with homework, deadlines and work but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on the little things. At some point yes, we all have to grow up. But since when does that mean we’re not allowed to have fun?

As a senior I have had my fair share of struggles throughout the last four years. As freshmen we all go through that awkward, “I want to hangout with the cool kids while still wearing my favorite Spongebob T-shirt” phase. Sophomore year we establish friend groups and, for the most part, stick to them until graduation. This is also the year we all tell ourselves that even if we screw up, we still have junior year to make up for it. And as a result to that theory, junior year seems to be the hardest. You have to make sure you are on the right track to graduation; your counselor becomes your best friend because they’re always pressuring you to fill out as many scholarships as possible. And please, do not for any reason put off your ACT until the last minute it will only cause you problems later on. Finally you drag yourself into school your senior year. With all the stress and pressure from the previous year all you will want to do is go home and go to bed. So you do, you start skipping classes and taking midday trips to Sonic. It’s all fine and fun for a while, you might survive first semester that way if you did your junior year right. But before you know it you’re in the middle of second semester with three F’s.

Now as I prepare to graduate and move on to college, I am reminded of the simpler days, naptime and milk and cookies. When my biggest worry was which one of my friends to sit by on the bus. I wish I could go back and slow down time, just two more hours of story time with my mom at night. I guess what I’m trying to say is I know the four years spent here aren’t always the best but don’t rush through them. Enjoy the little moments you have while you can, adulthood isn’t going anywhere and it’s a lot closer than you think.

Texting and driving is something that is so dangerous. Everywhere you turn, there’s a teenager with a phone. When you pull up to Liberty North, you see hundreds of cars. Teenager, cars, and texting is not the best idea . According to AT&T’s drivers survey, 97% of teens agreed that texting while driving is dangerous, yet 43% doing it anyway. Now take AT&T’s driver survey and give that survey to your school. The results will be pretty much the same.

That’s roughly 43% of your school driving dangerously.

Now 43% is not the whole school, 43% is not even half the school. But 40% of teens say they have been in the car with the driver used a cell phone. Therefore, the driver’s life is in danger as well as the passenger, and everyone else who is on the road driving. The most recent National Occupant Protection Use Survey finds that women are more likely than men to reach for their cell phones while driving.

In our senior class (Liberty North High School), there are 163 boys and 172 girls. I would recommend all girls to put their phones in the backseat as soon as they get in the car before they start driving. If your driver decides to pull out their phone, you immediately let him/her know our lives are in danger. What if the driver says it’s not a problem? 77% of young adults are very or somewhat confident that they can safely drive text. Texting younger adult drivers claim it’s easy to text while drive. But here’s the problem: teens who text while driving have spent approximately 10% of their driving time outside of lane. They need to do away with it in all 50 states. Don’t text and drive, or use your phone while driving.

Column by Richard Richardson

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Reviews

Even the Silence are Trying to Forget Written By Regan Myers

The new doctor Capaldi can end his reign on TV now. Doctor Who used to be very enjoyable until we got the new doctor. Not only does his less than par acting skills ruin the job, but the horrible story plot with him does too. He is too melodramatic about everything that happened to him and contemplates too much about whether he is a good man or not.

Can we just go back to the amazing doctors like David Tennant, Matt smith, and Christopher Eccleston. These doctors all had good storylines, were quippy and sarcastic, but they still had a nice side to themselves.

They were so engrossed in their characters that you forgot that they didn’t have two hearts. All Capaldi is good for is being a horrible babysitter with all of Clara’s students. I hope they have good insurance. Doctor Who made a big mistake when they hired Capaldi and made his script.

Ever since then the viewings have dropped and nothing interesting has happened yet to make anyone flip on their TV to BBC and watch the new doctor.

Picture courtesy of Best Daily

A Story to Last a Lifetime Written By Vivian Steenstra The movie Radio is a true story based off of a man named James Kennedy

Picture courtesy of Roger Bert

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(Cuba gooding Jr.) but is called Radio because of his love for radios. He loves football and goes by his high school everyday to watch them play but has never gone to the high school because of his special needs.

Cuba Gooding Jr. did a terrific job at the role he played! The way he changed his body movements to his character was amazing. The characters story was so sad and heartfelt. I have to say I don’t cry in many movies but this movie made me cry more than once. He just captured exactly what it would be like if the audience would’ve saw the story in real life. I can’t get over how much I wanted to take Radio home and just take care of him and love him even though it was a movie and Cuba wasn’t actually Radio in real life. Ed Harris did a wonderful job playing the football coach of the high school Radio was supposed to go to. He obviously tried not to show emotion as the character but you could tell he was very saddened by Radio’s story. I loved how caring he was for Radio and never felt bad for him he just wanted to take care of him and save him from people who didn’t understand Radio because they never tried to. The emotional roller coasters involved in this movie were spectacular there were parts where I wanted to punch a wall and parts where I wanted to ball my eyes out and yet there were moments when I was truly smiling. This movie would be great for anyone I believe. I learned so much and hope other people can love this movie they way I do.

Reviews Exotic Food in KC

How many exotic food restaurants are in KC? Written by: Grace Moore Kansas City is most known for their mouth watering barbeque, which distracts many from the Brazilian Steakhouse right down the street. Em Chamas is an “all you can eat” buffet. However, it is not the buffet that you would usually think of. This restaurant allows the customers to get up and go retrieve their side dishes from the buffet and come back to be served their main meal. The waiter’s and waitress then come around with a variety of meats on a stick that the consumer may choose to have. The workers will continue to come and serve the customer until they flip over a chip that signals that they are full. This restaurant is located in The Tulleries Plaza and has been opened since February of 2007. The co- owners names are Sam and Nick Silvio who happen to be family of some students that attend Liberty North High School. I enjoyed my experience of dining at Em Chamas very much. The service was very good and friendly. I do not think that my water glass ever reached the bottom. Also, the way that they set up the restaurant was very neat. I loved how they put their side bar in a convenient place for all customers.

The layout plan was clearly very thought out. Another reason I liked the restaurant was how different it was than your typical friday night eat out place. Everyone there is dressed up and clean cut. Their dress code is on the higher end, and recommend buyers that come to dress nice as well. On top of that, the stone work on the outside and inside of the building just added to the fanciness of the facility. The food was very high quality, but pricier than most. Overall, I would suggest this place to anyone looking for a filing, date night meal.

Em Chamas is definitely on my top five list of where to eat restaurants in Missouri.

Brazilian Steakhouse Meats

The Fault In Our Stars Movie Cover

Romantic or Life Threatning?

What is one word that describes “TFIOS”?

Written by: Emma Wagner

Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shialene Woodley) had cancer since she was 13. She was originally diagnosed with thyroid cancer but it spread to her lungs. Not only is Hazel trying to live the normal life of a 16-year-old girl, but she is also struggling with what it will be like for her parents after she dies. While Hazel attends a church support group for cancer survivors, she meets a boy that is one year older than her, Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort). While Augustus had a type of cancer that causes him to lose his leg and wear a prosthetic, it also has a survival rate that is much higher than Hazel’s death sentence. From the first day that Hazel meets Augustus, the two are practically inseparable. The basis of their relationship ends up being Hazel’s favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. She requires Augustus to read it and in turn, he requires her to read the book that is the basis of his favorite video game. Hazel relates to the character in her favorite book, Anna, because Anna has a rare blood cancer.

Augustus and Hazel bond over the book because both of them have a burning desire to find out how the story ends because the author stops the book before providing a conclusion on what happens to each of the characters. Augustus joins Hazel’s pursuit of the book’s author, Peter Van Houten (Willem Dafoe), to provide the answers that they need. Augustus even uses a wish foundation to fly him and Hazel to Amsterdam, where the author lives, to talk with him in person. While Hazel is the one that is doomed to die, Augustus ends up telling Hazel that at his recent scan, the doctors discovered that his entire body is filled with cancer. Hazel spends the last months of Augustus’s life caring for him and loving him. This movie is a romantic and wonderful movie for all teens and most likely, you will end up crying through the whole thing, it’s that sad. This movie is a huge hit as well as the book written by John Green.

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In

Depth

The Classics; Bookworm’s dream or student’s nightmare?

Classical literature and its place in the classroom Written and Pictures By Anthony Whalen In the Comm Arts classroom, all literary genres are present. From the poetry of Mia Angelou to the Fantasy of Stephen King, LNHS students are exposed to a variety of different writing forms. However, one that stands out in both intricacy and difficulty to some students is the genre of Classical Literature, ranging from William Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe to F. Scott Fitzgerald and Mark Twain. While their words speak of life at the time, they can be some of the most frustrating writers, and that can spawn the question of whether they are still relevant in the classroom.

“I feel like it is a responsibility of schools to teach classical literature, that students become more well rounded readers through it, and it makes them more culturally literate,” Comm Arts teacher Mrs. Taylor said.

Every core Comm arts class reads at least one work of classical literature a year, with Freshman reading Romeo & Juliet and To Kill A Mockingbird, Sophomores reading Of Mice and Men, Julius Caesar and Fahrenheit 451, to Juniors Reading Huckleberry Finn, The Crucible and The Great Gatsby, then finally with Seniors reading Oedipus and Othello.

“I think (reading classical literature is) a good idea because kids can learn history and classical literature from those writers,” Junior Logan McCune said.

However, while some students may simply enjoy the genre, others think its essential for students to know what they are reading before it can be considered important.

“I think its good if the kids understand the language behind it, they might not fully understand what they are

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reading when it comes to classical stuff,” Senior Rachel Kirch said.

When it comes to all students having a solid understanding of classical literature, the burden falls onto the teachers who help the kids through the works, and an appreciation of the writings being taught can only help the students.

“I love teaching classical literature. I like students to see how timeless it is and its neat for them to see that issues today aren’t new and were around in those times,” Comm Arts teacher Jennifer Bilen said.

Some students can go as far to say that the books from the past generations would be more helpful to read than the modern novels seen today. “(I think classical literature) gives students deeper thinking skill than other books that are just popular now,” Sophomore Paige Garrison said.

Despite the, others believe there are also major benefits to reading the more recent literature.

“Honestly, more recent literature is easier to connect to.

The writing is more accessible, and the characters in it are more relatable to students,” Taylor said.

Although it is thought that, the question on which truly connect to students overall can be somewhat more difficult to answer.

“I think it all depends on what you’re reading, some books teach better than others. Like, if I were to read the shining compared to Shakespeare, I’d learn different stuff,” Kirch said.

While importance and the underlying messages classical literature portrays are harder to argue against, the best way

In

Depth

to get it into student’s heads is certainly debatable.

“I think it would be a lot better if we did translations, like when we were reading Romeo and Juliet we did translations and that helped me understand it a lot better,” McCune said.

Rather than translating, other students would like to go further with immersing themselves in the story.

“I’d say Acting out some scenes would be really cool. I think that would help kids understand them better, like if they read something they wouldn’t understand they could act it and understand it more. It really helps the student if they relate to it by acting it out, I think,” Kirch said.

Classical books LNHS students read: Junior Kenizie Wistrom reads Huckleberry Finn, a novel from classical American writer Mark Twain. Twain’s acclaimed novel was written in December of 1884 and has sold around 200,000 copies yearly. “I like reading classical literature because you can experience what it was like to live in those time periods and you can see new perspectives in literature” Wistrom said.

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In

Depth

Trading is the Trend Nameless nude pictures circulate throughout social media Written and Photo by Hannah Minor Many have come across a new fad that is circulating through teens. Inappropriate pictures are the trend. 22% of teenage girls have reported seeing or sending a picture. It seems most teens don’t realize the consequences until they have happened.

“It can affect you majorly. It will affect everything that goes on in your life. Sending a picture of something inappropriate can lead to bullying. People will find out no matter what. It’s not a secret,” Freshman Mikayla Moulder said.

It looks as if one of the main consequences is people thinking you’re something you’re not.

“People might try to approach you if they think you are that kind of person and ask for similar favors,” Freshman Sullivan Nevins said.

Bad image seems to be a main concern for those that have sent a picture. Word in schools spread quickly it looks like. “it makes people take advantage of you and it can give you a bad image if word gets around that you did that it can give people a bad first impression of you,” Nevins said.

If a picture is sent, the consequences seem to be only evident after the situation is encountered.

“Your life is forever ruined because once that picture is sent you can’t take it back. You can’t trust someone enough to send those pictures,” Moulder said.

Bullying seems to be a problem in the lives of those who have sent pictures also, “It can affect you majorly. It will affect everything that goes on in your life. Sending a picture of something

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inappropriate can lead to bullying and people will find out no matter what. It’s never a secret,” Moulder said.

Some who have sent or received pictures have been charged with possession of child pornography or even had to register as a sex offender.

“The person that had the picture and the people who were seeing it could get caught with child pornography,” Moulder said.

It seems most kids can’t help but to share everything.

“People are going to see you and be like woah, i’m sharing this with everyone,” Freshman James Moreno said.

It seems that another concern is how people will view you in maturity.

“People won’t take you seriously,” Nevins said.

Not only does it seem to affect your current state but it could also appear later in life.

“Lets say you want to get a certain job and your boss find out you sent that picture. You probably won’t get that job,” Moreno said.

Finding a job is an important milestone to most. Sending an inappropriate picture might make a potential boss decline the position.

“It will haunt you for the rest of your life. Let’s say it popped up randomly in 30 years, you are going to have to explain yourself.” Moulder said.

Fun

Page

Sudoku: The rules of Sudoku are simple: fill in the empty boxes with numbers until every row has the numbers 1-9. every column has the numbers 1-9, and every box has numbers 1-9. None of these may have the same number twice. Have fun playing this popular game.

Let the Games Begin!

Tic-tac-toe: The goal of tic-tac-toe is to mark three squares in a row before your opponent. Typically one player would be X, and the other would be O. X will always go first. Take turns writing letters on the board until someone has three in a row. This can be done vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

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Sports

Fourth And Final Year For Four Leaders Varsity Girls Basketball Took On The Season As A Family Written By Breanna Pinedo Picture By Angel Rogers

In past seasons the Varsity Girls Basketball team had few seniors. Ending with four who had completed four tough years in the program, this was their year to get focused. This year the team claimed to have a special bond. Junior Brooklyn Barnett had a lot to say about this seasons team and their connection overall.

“I’m sad for the season to be over because the team this year is really close. Last year we didn’t really lose anyone, so this year it’s special,” Barnett said.

Senior Ashley Rose claims to have had a lot of good leadership in the past, which has helped her learn the ways to lead the team from experience.

“This was our fourth year in the program so we’ve seen a lot of good leadership. Overall our team was great and we got along well,” Rose said.

Although the teammates are sad for the season to be over, Junior Annie Woody already has an idea of what they will be working on to prepare for next season.

“To better ourselves for next season we will have post season workouts and in the spring we can work on getting shots up. And then we’ll have workouts all summer along with preseason next year to get back in shape and really start focusing,” Woody said.

While the girls’ basketball season just ended, they are preparing for the next. Through this they have a few tips and pointers for the upcoming members a long with current members that they have gained through experiences of their own along with those of the current seniors and alumni.

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“My biggest tip to upcoming members would be work as hard as you can and don’t be afraid to make mistakes at practice. Those mistakes will just make you that much better for games and you’ll be more prepared and feel more comfortable putting yourself out there and giving it your all,” Barnett said.

Along with their senior leadership, the team also created goals each game to work on at practice and better themselves for the next game.

“We really focused this year on not having as many turnovers and just really executing our movement. We worked a lot on listening to what the coaches had to say,” Barnett said.

Lizzie Stark goes for a freethrow. Varsity Girls Basketball won against Park Hill High School.

“Don’t take it for granted. Live in the moment I know its cliché but work hard you never know when it will be your last game,” senior Ashley Rose said.

Sports

Shooting For Fun Trapshooting is the Next Big Sport

The trapshooting team practices every sunday at KCTA (Kansas city Trap Assosiation.)

They recently competed at state competition.

“I couldnt ask for a better team and facility to practice at,” Junior Colby Rooney said.

Written and Photo by: Nick Smith Trapshooting is the state’s fastest growing high school sport with more than 6,000 athletes representing 380 schools, according to Susan Miller, the supervisor of the Liberty North High School Trap team.

“About 50 percent of our kids have never touched a gun before they joined the league,” said Miller. “Now these kids have a passion for shooting sports or for hunting.”

According to the league, trapshooting is one of the three major sports of competitive clay target shooting sports with a shotgun. In trapshooting targets are launched from a single machine.

“It takes a lot of practice and skill that not all kids have” junior Gage Keil said, the top shooter of the Liberty North High school team.

“Everyone gets to compete equally on the same playing field and everybody’s score counts,” Keil said.

“And that’s something that’s extremely important to the league, to the shooters and basically it’s the draw.”

Colby Roony, a junior at Liberty North High School,

has been trapshooting for three years and admits the sport is tough.

“It’s a challenge,” Roony said. “You can prove yourself every time you go out there and shoot.”

Every athlete must have a firearms safety certificate.

The league stresses “safe and responsible handling and storage of firearms and ammunition” as its first priority.

Tanner Kapp joined the Liberty North Trap team after playing football.

“It’s different and I stuck with it,” Kapp said. “This sport is a lot more fun and competitive than I thought, and I’m never going to stop shooting as long as I live.”

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Sports

Liberty North’s Varsity Baseball At It Again Eagles Hopes To Have Another Record Breaking Season Story by: Grace Moore | Photo by: Bruce Kaplan Winning streaks are very rare in the sports world. For instance the Royals. They were known as underdogs the whole season and then in the postseason, they came out of nowhere and shocked the world. They finished first in their league and second in the World Series. Our varsity baseball team has experienced their own fairytale winning streak. Last year they won 19 consecutive games in a row. They ended up finishing the season with a record breaking record of 27-5.

“It’s exciting, we’ve been going since January, so everyone is just ready to go. We have been practicing hard this week trying to get ready for our Jamboree this upcoming weekend. There is a lot of competition that will be there, but it should be fun,” senior Ryan Hinkley said.

In Liberty North’s conference, there is very tough competition.

For example, there is Staley High School who finished in the Elite 8 last year. Also, there is Fort Osage who is considered a gritty team as well, that finished the 2014 year with a winning season.

“Every year the baseball record has gotten better and has progressed. It will be very difficult to continue that pattern this upcoming year considering how well we did last year, but all of us are willing to try,” Hinkley said.

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On all baseball teams there are positives and negatives. There are things that the group does very well and that they can reply on. Then there are parts of their game that are considered weaker than the other aspects.

“There are many strengths that I think our team will have this upcoming season. Our most reliable one I would have to say would be our hitting. Our weak point for our team will be pitching. It’s not they we don’t have people who don’t know how to throw because we do, it’s just that we might not have enough,” junior Jake Bartshe said.

Different teams have different ways of doing things. For instance, preparing players for their games through warm ups can look unlike other schools teams depending on the coaches style. Some teams believe more in offense, some defense and others believe in an equal amount. Also, there are different coaching philosophies that vary from one coach to another.

Usually, the team is a reflection of the coach and his abilities to get them to where he thinks they can be. “ I try to let the kids play. We coach them up the best we can, but ultimately it’s the guys job to go out there and make plays and win ball games. We have great seniors that we lean on to lead our team in the right direction,” Coach Stegall said.

The Liberty North’s boy’s baseball team pose for a picture after winning the Northland Tournament for a second year in a row. They beat across- town rival Liberty. “It was a great feeling to win this tournament considering that we were not predicted to even make it this far,” senior Blake Moore said.

KC Sports On The Rise

Sports

Kansas City looks to expand their sports teams by adding a hockey team Written and Photo by Josh Crawford Hockey has been on the rise in professional sports for sometime now. Expansion teams have come in and teams have moved to very deserving cities, but where is the next expansion team going to end up? So no other city other than Kansas City would be the perfect place for a new team to add to the Midwest magic that happens here in our hometown.

“I think they could have a great team, because Kansas City is a great sports town no matter how good they are, and will support them. We have the sprint center so they could play there, and I would say it would be a pretty good market. We just need a wealthy owners to go in on it.” sophomore Drew Hutton said.

Kansas City has a rich history in sports. Although teams here may not always be the best, no one can argue the support hometown sports will get every season. Kansas City has a minor league team out of Independence that holds the longest sell out streak in their league to prove this point. Their winning ways also do help out a lot.

“I think it is great that they are doing good. I really like watching them succeed and even though they are a lower division, the atmosphere is great even in independence.”

Hutton said about the Missouri Mavericks.

The closest thing that Kansas City has to NHL hockey is the St. Louis Blues, which has a lot of support across state.

“I love the blues, I have been to a couple games, it was a great experience getting yelled at by drunks, if we got a team here we could have a good rivalry with the Blues,” Hutton said Although the NHL may not be the most well known league, hockey is sure on the rise.

“It’s not as high but it definitely has die hard fans. With hockey getting bigger I think It will get to the level and if Kansas City gets a team it will definitely become bigger here,” senior Jackson Jones said.

So obviously the hype is here, and Kansas City wants something big and exciting, but how do we get a team here?

The St. Louis Blues held a game against the Calgary Flames at the Sprint Center, on September 13, 2014. The NHL has had talks in bringing an expansion to Kansas City because of the flourishing sports season. “I think it would be a fun time to go to the games at the Sprint Center. It’s a perfect place for hockey. We would prbably be raw because KC sports are the best in the world,” junior Nate Palmarine said.

“I guess just show that we want a team here keep selling out the pre season games. I think we have a good chance” Keegan O’Dell said Kansas City can definitely handle a team here. Sports here in the past have showed that Missouri takes their sports to heart and KC sports are widely supported.

“I love it here. Even though teams may not be good, stadiums fill up, and its just better when we win. KC sports are on the rise,” O’Dell said.

The Mavericks are selling out games, the Blues are supported state wide, but when it comes down to it, why do people love this foreign game so much in a country that is traditionally baseball, basketball and football?

“It’s very physical and always intense, for first time watchers it an be hard to understand though. But other than that once you get the hang of it, it is a lot fun, and every game can go either way with low or high scoring, you never know, all you know is someone is going to get hit hard and I love it.” O’Dell said.

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FOREVER R

Sports

YAL

The Royals make a postseason run, winning 9 straight postseason games Written by and photo by Hunter Kellgren From being a Wild Card late inning win, to an AL pennant winter, to a World Series contender, the Kansas City Royals are coming into the 2015 Spring Training with high expectations.

“They have looked awesome, they could not have looked any better. I am excited to see what they produce this year,” senior Jackson Jones said.

They are currently sitting in the first spot in the Cactus League with a 9-1 record.

“During their first game they hit back-to-back-to-back dingers, so obviously they are ready for the season to start,” senior Douglas Martin said.

With Billy Butler getting traded to the Oakland Athletics this year, the Royals were looking to add on to their already accomplished team.

“Getting rid of Butler was perfect. He didn’t do what he needed to. He wasn’t clutch when he needed to be. Didn’t produce what all of the other Designated Hitters were producing,” junior Logan McCune said.

They have had some additions to the team. For example, they added Kendrys Morales, Alex Rios, and Edinson Volquez.

“The Royals picked up what they lacked last year. It will be a great addition,” Martin said.

According to Team Rankings, they have the Royals with a 100% chance of making the Playoffs, with a 47% chance of making it to the World Series, and a 10% chance of winning the Fall Classic.

“The AL Central is definitely a lot more competitive now. I like the chances of the Royals going to the playoffs back-to-back years,” Martin said.

They are projected to do just as good as they did last year, if not better. They are the favorite to win the AL Central.

“I think they will finish first. The Detroit Tigers will finish second. Kansas City will be AL Champions two years in a row,”

McCune said.

There were some well-known names available for free agency.

But, the Royals didn’t decide to make any “big time” offers to the “big time” players. For example, Victor Martinez, Jason Giambi, and Adam Dunn.

“Royals are a small ball team, they don’t have a big budget to spend on big players. They are more about development over big spending,” Martin said.

They led the teams with stolen bases. They had one of the lowest homeruns in the although their runs were in the top half of the league.

“After our historic run, it just proves that we are a good enough team without the big players. No need to spend the money when it is not need,” Jones said.

Upcoming games at the K Fri, 5/15 Sat, 5/16 Sun, 5/17 Tue, 5/19 Wed, 5/20 Fri, 5/22 Sat, 5/23 Sun, 5/24

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Yankees Yankees Yankees Reds Reds Cardinals Cardinals Cardinals

7:10p 6:10p 1:10p 7:10p 7:10p 7:10p 6:15p 1:10p

Royals are in first place in the AL Central.

Last year they made a World Series run that no one was expecting. “It’s always a great day at the Royals with the family,” said senior Jackson Jones said.

What kind of cereal are you?

1. At a party, are you...

A. rocking the dance floor B. chatting with your friends C. I don’t go to parties

3.When you are feeling down you…

A. listen to some music B. call or text my BFF C. do something to keep myself busy– if I am occupied, then I won’t be thinking about it

If you chose mostly Bs you are Fruit Loops. You are a social butterfly. You are fun and outgoing. You know all kinds of people and you have many friends. Your life is a mix of a dozen different flavors that all seem to fit somehow.

2.After school you are usually…

A. trying out a new activity B. over at a friend’s house C. working at my job

If you chose mostly As ,you are Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You are a party person. You love to get out on that dance floor and bust out your own original dance moves. You aren’t afraid to be different because you know that inside everyone is different. Your style is unique and it is all yours.

If you chose mostly Cs you are Honey Nut Cheerios. You are as busy as a bee. You don’t have time for parties, which are too loud anyway. You are hard working, and at the same time a fun person.

You can be a little shy, but you still manage to stand out in a crowd.