{
EAGLE’S VIEW
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NorthNationMedia.com
LIBERTY NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
Issue 8 || Volume 1 || SEptember
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Table of Contents
lifestyle Tattoo Trends Men’s Fashion
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Opinion Saturday School Staff Columns
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Eagle's Life Mission: Homcoming
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indepth New Stadium Projections
a&e
The Return of TV Shows Review
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20 22
Spotlight New Faculty
#MyPAGE
Check out the latest buzz
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sports Softball Spotlight Soccer Spotlight Coaches Spotlight
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28 29 30
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On the cover Cheerleader Joanna Restivo rallies the crowd prior to kick off at the Truman versus Liberty North football game.
Catherine Hemenway: Editor in Chief Grace Moore: General Manager Kendall Steinmetz: Design Editor Anthony Whalen: Web Editor Isaac Keller: Business Manager Brandon Ditsch: Social Media Manger Frank Anthony: Photographer Emma Libby: Photographer Kari Tott: Photographer Claire Gibson: Photographer Mattie Seley: Section Editor Kayl Auch: Section Editor Paige Nicewarner: Section Editor Evan Hellner: Section Editor
CiCi Sheeks: Section Editor Kenzie Eklund: Section Editor Shea Prather: Reporter Kenzie Thompson: Reporter Jake Mendoza: Reporter Ingrid Weaver: Reporter Daniel Harper: Reporter Precious Bennett: Reporter Kaylen Aldridge: Reporter Morgan Winkle: Reporter Claire Henry: Reporter Zack Zell: Reporter Kathleen Harner: Reporter Karlee Kent: Reporter
Cover and table of contents photos by Kari Tott
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letter from editor
Eagle Culture
Letter From
the editor)
As I was describing Eagle’s View recently to an editor of a different high school paper who had not yet picked up a copy, I was asked, “So, how is Eagle’s View any different from other high school newspapers?” This took me off guard. What is special about our paper? Is it the creative use of fonts, the beautiful photos inside each issue, the thin paper that we print on? Yes, all of these things set us apart, but that is all they do. They do not make the pages come alive in spirit as the people within the pages are able to do. It is the culture of Liberty North that rings bells of individuality, collaboration and inclusiveness everyday. Teamwork is a major theme throughout this issue. On page 12 Student Council President, Jake Stouffer talks about how nothing could be accomplished without the teamwork of the organization. Likewise, on page 28 the softball team comes to the same conclustion that they work best as a unit. I encourage you to read through this issue with the mindset that this is Eagle Culture. We soar together.
Catherine Hemenway Editor-in-Chief 17 4
816-781-2260 ClassyChocolate@KC.rr.com 816-792-3959
328 S. 291 Hwy
Cardinal Hill golf course 781-5329 Historic Downtown Liberty
18 Hole Golf Course Call Us For Tee Times 925 North Lightburne Liberty, MO 64068 Craig Palm, General Manager cpalm@orion-mgmt.com (816)-781-6522
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Lifestyle
Trends Tattoo Story by Morgan Winkel // Photos by Claire Gibson Design by Kenzie Eklund
“I have a angel representing
heaven, reaching up to heaven. The roses are going to be purple to represent my mom’s disease. I also have a tree that represent life and growth, with 5 crows around it for my family”
senior Sierra Crow
“ I have the ocean on my right arm because I grew up in California and went surfing before school. It has Dory and Nemo also on it. I got the tattoo when I was 26”
english teacher Matt Mitchell 617
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“I got a medicine wheel with feathers tattoo when I was twenty one years old at KC ink. It is a Native American symbol representing the importance of God, family, youth, and country.”
math teacher Adam McCully
“My cousins and I got a family tree on the same spot on our arms and by the same artist at The Mercy Seat.”
senior Qwenton Ryan
Think Before YOU Ink “I have a sulfur sun with a Jesus fish in the middle. I got it because my mom didn’t want to get one alone. When you are twenty years old you don’t think about getting back hair or being out of shape.”
History teacher Jared kenealy northnationmedia.com
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lifestyle
Dapper In Denim Mens Fashion Story by Daniel Harper // Design by Kenzie Eklund After getting the right pair of jeans, many people are stuck with what to pair them with. Depending on the type of jeans, some styles and colors of shirts may fit better than others. “If you’re wearing a light wash pair of jeans, generally a darker color t-shirt to contrast with the color of the jeans. If you’re wearing a darker pair of jeans, a white t-shirt would look pretty good,” Junior Mateo Roman said. While some preferred colored t-shirts, other guys prefer a different type of shirt or something to go over it, like a jacket or a pullover. “I like longer jackets and longer shirts. Urban Outfitters has a line called Feathers and they’re basically these long feather shirts that go down longer in the back and are much looser,” Junior Zeke Arant said.
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JEANS THAT WASH AWAY EXPECTATIONS
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Photos by Claire Gibson // Story by Daniel Harper Design by Kenzie Eklund
n a world where people can pick and choose so much, it is no surprise that jeans can come in many different styles. With so many variations, Liberty North students have come to know their preferences for what washes they like. “Ripped jeans are cool, but I don’t really like the ripped jeans that come ripped or anything. They can look cool, I guess, but what’s the point of buying jeans that are already ripped?” Junior Zeke Arant said. Other people care more about the quality of the jeans more than the specific color of the jean. There are a lot of ways to make denim, but selvedge jeans are typically considered higher quality. “A selvedge jean is a kind of denim that is woven on a shuttle loom, which is essentially an old kind of loom in ye olden twentieth century that would finish the ends of the seams inside of the pants with a thread, as opposed to tying them or in some cases warping them around each other,” Sophomore Harrison Frawley said. While not everyone has selvedge jeans or rips in their jeans, no matter how people wear their jeans or what wash they choose, ultimately it’s up to the individual what their personal style is. “If you like the way it looks, just wear it. I mean, it doesn’t really matter what people think,”junior Jack Crisman said.
"The French Horn is the best because it doesn't have a real brassy sound to it, and it's really good for slow songs. It can also be considered as a high brass and a low brass instrument so its really good for everything" freshman Emma Reiser said.
Photo courtesy of Emma Libby.
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Opinion
FROM OUR STAFF SATURDAY SCHOOL We thought about it. There aren’t any.
CONS T
PROS
KARLEE KENT
o know the cons of Saturday School, you just have to look at a high school student’s responsibilities. High school students can have a job, play a sport, or have a lot homework and barely get any sleep on top of that. Saturdays are for catching up on sleep, praticing your sport, or for plans you can’t make on weeknights. Also, students might need or want to make a little money on the weekends because they’re busy during weekdays. With Saturday School, that’s probably not going to happen. This also might mean that students will lose out on getting sleep they need because they didn’t get it during the week when they had homework or practice all week. Students also will have to cancel plans they already made. Some students might already have made plans with their friends and those can be made up, but they could also have family obligations they can’t get out of. Many high school students also have jobs and when they sign up to work a specific shift, they can’t change it on a short notice because they have something for school. This might count against the students for not being able to make Saturday School. Finally, school on a Saturday also means that kids just might not show up. If they don’t care about getting so many tardies,will they care about missing a few
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Opinion
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LETTER JACKETS VS CLASS RINGS Emma Libby
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ou know the saying, “High school is the best time of your life”. Whether or not this is true for all, it is an important time that deserves to be remembered. There are many opportunities to obtain various “souvenirs” from this significant time in our life. Two of the most popular and recognized pieces of memorabilia are letterman jackets and class rings. While you of course can purchase both of these items, the high costs may force you to make a decision between the both. For me, the choice is rather obvious: letterman jackets are the way to go! First of all, they are a much more practical choice. The jackets are very large, warm and comfortable. This not only will come in handy in the winter, but they can be worn year long around school, considering North is basically always an igloo. The jackets are also much easier to keep track of. If you are like me, you definitely take this into consideration. I did not purchase a class ring my sophomore year, but if I had, I could almost guarantee you that it would be gone by now. So much for a “lifelong keepsake”! I also feel that a letter jacket shows off yourself and your accomplishments much more than a class ring. You earn your letters from activities where you have worked hard to go above and beyond. On the other hand, you don’t need to earn anything to receive the class ring or any of its embellishments. Letter jackets are the most practical, comfortable, and stylish option!
Kari Tott
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lass rings have been a tradition for generations through generations. Class rings are something you can wear for a life time, a letter jacket is made for more of a “going to a high school football game” kind of thing. A class ring is something less dramatic to wear in the long run. You don’t want to wear your letterman jacket when you are a grown adult but a class ring can allow you to still wear a piece of high school in your everyday adult life if you please. A class ring also can represent everything you did in high school, not just the sports. You can only receive a letter in so many clubs and sports. For example, if you have devoted your whole high school and even middle school career to student council or National Junior Honors Society and that’s all you did you cannot receive a letter, therefore no jacket and that can be a little frustrating because you devoted your whole school carrier to those clubs, but you can put it on your class ring. The class ring in my opinion is the better and wiser choice for the long run and it more worth the money you apent on it.
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eagle’s life
Student Council IS BACK AT IT PREPARING FOR MISSION: HOCO
Student Council puts in many hours of work in preparation for homecoming Story by Mackenzie Thompson//Photos by Kendall Steinmetz//Design by Mattie Seley
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lright stop, COLLABORATE and listen. and dinner places. While Stuco juggles this Student Council is back with a brand same stress as well, they also have to make new Homecoming theme-it possible. Mission: Homecoming. “Teamwork and collaboration is at the base “I think the fact that we can always host of Student Council and nothing would ever unique Homecoming activities and have get done without those two key things.,” the types of themes that other schools can’t senior Jake Stouffer said. recplicate is fun and unique,” Stuco Advisor Student Council may just look like a big Lindsey Plaster said. group of people who always wear Now is the time when people the same shirts around the first rush to get a date, the dress day of school. But what seems “Teamwork and and figure out the details. like a club to everyone, feels collaboration is at But, have students ever like something completely the base of Student thought about how much different to the members. preparation has to “Stuco is a group that Council. Nothing would happen on Stuco’s part? promotes leadership and ever get done without “There is a lot that goes teaches youth to find their those two key things.” strengths and weaknesses into hoco week, so as a senior Jake council we work to make sure to become better people,” that it goes as best as it can,” junior Garrett Williams said. Stouffer said. senior, Julia Muchow said. So while students look foreward Vanilla Ice explained to dancing along to Ice Ice Baby, collaboration pretty well, but as big as these hardworking kids have been spending Student Council is, they still have to work their time planning, decorating, laughing as a team. They have to cooperate and agree and having fun in their own way and getting with each other. ready for Homecoming. “It takes about a few meetings to come “I would describe Stuco as a family, and up with a Homecoming theme and usually that’s cliche, I know, but I guess it’s an meetings are an hour long. Sometimes, it’s organization where we can have professional hard to agree on one theme or topic,” senior experiences and be goofy and that’s why I Lexi Nardini said. love it,” Stouffer said. Usually as October rolls around, students are talking with their friends about groups
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“The executive team gets together and we brainstorm ideas. Then, we go through and decide how the theme could connect to decorations and spirit themes,” senior Lexi Nardini said.
Homecoming Week Dress-Up Days: Monday, October 3 Mystery Monday (Detective Attire)
Tuesday, October 4 Double Trouble Tuesday (Opposites Day)
Wednesday, October 5 Well Dressed Wednesday (Black Tie Attire)
Thursday, October 6 Take a Clue Thursday (Class Color Day)
Friday, October 7
Fight or Flight Friday (Hoco Shirt/Groutfit Day)
Senior Julia Muchow works diligently to paint a poster promoting homecoming. “Our committees work together to plan all the events,” senior Holly Haines said.
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eagles life
What’s poppin’ behind the curtain? The cast of the musical, Mary Poppins, are hard at work preparing the best show for the student body. Story by Claire Henry and Daniel Harper // Photos by Claire Gibson // Design by Mattie Seley
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f all the plays and musicals to cross Liberty North’s stage, Mary Poppins is certain to be a supercalifragilistic performance, for the students watching and those involved. “I really love performing, and I really love Disney so this was a good mix for me. It’s like an eight and a half on the ten scale of grand production. It’s three times the show that Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat was. We’re stepping up our game a lot,” junior Emmy Caywood said. The Disney musical is new to Liberty North, but not theater, allowing the performers to get involved in the classic. “You get to see more of what it’s like to participate in a professional musical,” freshman Sienna Snead said. Based on the 1964 film, directed by Richard Eyre, Mary Poppins came to the stage in 2003 and has been a large scale production ever since. “I think it’s going to be really cool so see everyone on stage doing professional dance numbers,” junior Ashleigh Erickson said. Right now, the students are still in the rehearsal stage of the performance, preparing for the debut on November 17 and the following two days. “Right now we’re working on a lot of dance numbers and a long of the songs rather than some of the scenes between other people. Come see the show!” Snead said.
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OUR NEST
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE UPCOMING STADIUM Photo by Kari Tott
• • • • • • • •
THE NEW STADIUM WILL INCLUDE: HOME GRANDSTANDS WITH A PRESSBOX VISITOR STANDS STADIUM LIGHTING CONCESSIONS BUILDING RESTROOM BUILDING ENTRY PLAZA WITH A TICKET BOOTH SCOREBOARD northnationmedia.com
the new stadium costs
$2,582,500 and will seat
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in depth
Photo Courtesy of Hollis and Miller Architects
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“I believe it will add value and a sense of worth in our players, because a facility represents what is important to our school and community," head football coach Ken Clemens said. northnationmedia.com
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indepth
Building Pride Story by Zack Zell // Design by Kayl Auch
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nstead of driving to downtown Liberty on Thursday nights, students could just walk over to the stadium. With plans for two prospective activity complexes being built in Liberty, the community is beginning to buzz about potentially having their own home turf. “Hopefully if donations come in quickly and we get started with the planning process, then we’re hoping to have this complete by fall of 2017,” Building Pride commitee member John Sprugel said. Events at the high school will be able to fit 2,500 on the away side, and 750 on the visitors side. Since North’s complex would be a community changing project, it would become a public place where there will be community events. “I think it will totally change the look of the campus, these are going to be large complexes at each of the high schools, and the idea is to have as many events and activities at the home campus, helping school spirit, attendance, and having events at the campus which is something that has needed to happen for a long time,” Sprugel said. Having a new stadium complex will make for a true home game atmosphere. With having a real student section, it would be conformed to the school. “We wouldn’t have to go to William Jewell for our home football games and I think we would have more school spirit knowing that we are playing on our home school and it would encourage me to go to more games and show even more school spirit,” sophomore Jordan Richardson said. Eagles home games are currently at William
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Jewell, leaving the football team, band, and color guard without a home field to practice on. Having an addition to the athletic complex at North would increase the school pride and have a complete change of atmosphere. “By giving us that feeling of driving up to the school in the morning seeing the stadium and being able to play a true home game playing for our school on our home field not at a random college” junior Chris Hampson said. Playing true home games would help the aspect of the student sections and up the prestige of North’s campus. The stadium design is supposed to be aesthetically pleasing and match the school campus. “It would be good for the students and the players, and new students would be able to see something that they’ve never seen before like our own stadium at a high school,” freshman Koltin Foster said. The stadium complexes will be something different to see for incoming freshman, seeing a stadium at a high school campus is uncommon for Liberty North students. While Liberty North still has a long way to go, once the stadiums are done, there will be more public community events, such as football and soccer games “The community holds Liberty North, and all of Liberty Public Schools, in high regard and this will only add to that sentiment. The facility on campus would provide countless students, parents and community members with the opportunity to make many lifelong memories at a place that is already very special to many.” assistant principal Chris McCabe said.
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"By giving us that feeling of driving up to the school in the morning seeing the stadium and being able to play a true home game playing for our school on our home field not at a random college," junior Chris Hampson said.
"It would be good for the students and the players, and new students would be able to see something that they've never seen before like our own stadium at a high school," freshman Koltin Foster said.
Photo Courtesy of Hollis and Miller Architects northnationmedia.com
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A&E
Well, Look Who's
BACK
The Fall of 2016 is filled with the return of some of TV's best shows Story by Precious Bennett // Design by Evan Hellner // Photos by Frank Anthony
American Horror Story September 14
Empire September 21
“I heard Lady Gaga was on it. It’s weird and entertaining. Every season, the theme gets weirder and weirder. Some of My dad got me into the show. It’s interesting and it doesn’t make sense in my opinion, but that’s what keeps the plot is good. There’s always family drama, which isn’t always a good thing, but it’s me watching.” sophomore Henry Murphy interesting to watch.” -Freshman Michaela Alaniz
NCIS
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“I haven’t really watched the show since season 1, but I enjoy the show because the characters are really funny and I love the way that they interact with each other to solve problems.”– Sophomore Ellie Allman
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Grey’s Anatomy September 22 “I watch Grey’s Anatomy because I think it’s very interesting. The gore doesn’t bother me. I find it pretty cool, actually. There’s always drama with the characters, which makes it more intriguing.”-Junior Amber Barron
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The Walking Dead Arrow
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“I watch the Walking Dead because it’s a gruesome tv show that includes drama, killing zombies, and a lot of October 5 annoying humans to stand in the way of Rick’s group. “I started watching because I like the actors in the There are also lots of moral dilemmas that make you show. I really enjoy the action sequences and the think about what you would do different after you’re plot.” - Sophomore Kim Nguyen done watching the show.” - Junior Clayton Breshears
Flash
October 4
“My brother suggested it to me. It has a lot of weird, dark humor and it’s very action packed.” - Sophomore Ashley Marks
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Supernatural October 13
“The show is really suspenseful, it changes almost every season and so it’s new content every time.” -Sophomore Eleanor Carlile
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A&E
REACH for The Sky
Respect, Excellence, Accountability, Community, and Honesty being brought to life Story by Kaylen Aldridge // Photos by Frank Anthony // Design by Evan Hellner
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espect, Excellence, Accountability, Community, and Honesty, or REACH for short. Posters with this acronym are hung all around Liberty North High School. Most people do not fully know what it means, but the Sculpture I class is trying to change that.
“The arms are in response to the Liberty North High School ideals that we are to live by as equals. The students partner up, cast their arms, and they then put symbols and drawings on their own arm to describe who they are and what they reach for, “ Sculpture teacher Chablis Brendel said. The REACH arms were not an originally planned project. The idea for the arms did not come to Brendel until she heard the acronym said out loud by principal Dr. Martin Jacobs. “Last year, at the beginning of the year, I had a completely different lesson planned when Dr. Jacobs was giving the video presentation about the student handbook. It just kind of hit me that we have these posters around, but I think that sometimes
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people think that those kinds of things are cheesy or corny. The fact of the matter is that it is what we all want to live by. I wanted to bring more awareness about the importance of those words,” Brendel said. The students are able to personalize their arm to their original style and draw symbols that reflect them as a person. “I had a lot of tapestry looking things with circles. I had yin and yang in the middle of mine because I thought it looked cool and a Hamsa symbol on it. I put an eye on the wrist part too. It was really fun to draw all the symbols because I’m better at drawing than I am at sculpture. It was cool that one of our first projects was something fun and creative like that,” sophomore Lily Brown said. This school year is only the second time the Sculpture class has done this project, but it seems to have left a lasting impression on the students.
“This project is a really fun one for us to start off the year with because it’s a way for us to represent ourselves and show everyone what’s unique about us,” senior Riley Wolff said.
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Stranger Things (are Wonderful)
Netfilx's "Stranger Things" has been getting much acclaime from fans and critics
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Story by Precious Bennett//Design by Evan Hellner//Photos by Frank Anthony
tranger Things made its awaited Netflix debut on July 15, 2016. The show is set in the 80s in Hawkins, Indiana. The plot follows the disappearance of Will Byers, and a telekinetic girl by the name of Eleven who helps Will’s friends in the search of finding him, while the boy’s older brother, mother, and the town police chief begin their own investigations.h Stranger Things is a show that truly lives up to its hype. I’ve never watched a show where every episode got crazier. Each episode thickened the plot. The plot of this show is so well put-together and every decision impacts what happens next. I found myself falling in love with each character, but still being able to recognize their flaws, which is something that all good characters should have.
This show will take you on an emotional rollercoaster like no other. You’ll feel happiness, confusion, sadness, and rage so deep that you’ll literally feel like throwing your laptop out of the window. You’ll see characters you love making decisions you hate. Your heart will be racing in your chest as you anxiously await what happens next. After each episode, you’ll find it extremely difficult not to watch the next episode. The first season is only eight episodes long, but don’t worry! Season 2 will premiere in July of 2017. If you’re an active Netflix user and you’re looking for a new show to binge watch, I most definitely recommend the mindboggling adventure that is Stranger Things.
Stranger Things can currently be veiwed on Netflix’s streaming service. “It is weird and mysterious. It’s similar to American Horror Story but more scary. It’s a strange thing,” sophomore Hillary Sandusky said.
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Spotlight
NEW
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TEACHER
SPOTLIGHT
lisa Oliphant I teach special education. My favorite thing about teaching is building relationships with students.
ryan DAHM I teach Physical Science and Biology.
I'm really passionate about my family. I love spending time with them.
I have a lot of pet peeves, but my biggest one is probably intentional irresponsibility.
I have a dog named Jax and a kitten named Stella.
I DJ as a hobby and I am obsessed with sports. My favorite show is the “Walking Dead” or “Breaking Bad”.
Andi MorrIS I teach Art Foundations at Liberty North and Graphic Design at Liberty High. I love when students find a hidden passion in art. My favorite hobby is International travel. My favorite food is Italian.
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New eagles Staff Take Flight at North Story by Claire Jones and Jake Mendoza // Photos by Emma Libby // Design by Paige Nicewaner
Kate Dowden david Fulkerson john STECHER
I teach Government and Economics and Honors American History.
I teach Trigonometry Probability & Stats and Geometry.
I’m a dog and a cat person.
My hobby is playing soccer. I've been playing since 2nd grade.
I started teaching because I wanted to do something that would involve interacting with people.
What makes North unique is that the staff really goes above and beyond to be friendly.
I teach online learning classes. My favorite movie is “Remember the Titans”. My hobbies include coaching volleyball, running, and spending time with my family. At the end of the day I love seeing my volleyball players.
I love Joe’s BBQ.
I went to KU and UMKC.
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Social Media
#MYPAGE INSTAGRAMhh
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edition
photo by Claire Gibson northnationmedia.com
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Sports
Soccer
SPOTLIGht
Story by Kathleen Harner // Photo by Kari Tott // Design by Cici Sheeks
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chievement is definitely in store for the Liberty North Boys Soccer Team this fall season because they have a good work strategy. The boys are on the field until 5:30 everyday working on improving their skills while enjoing the game itself. “Early in the season, we do more intense training, technical training, and fitness tactical stuff. Towards the middle of the season, we start tapering and focus more on game strategies,” Coach Art Smith said. Some of the boys on the team enjoy the intense physical training, such as running, because they get more out of it that could benefit them in a game. “I like the running part
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most about soccer and all the physicality. Playing the full 80 minutes adds skills because you need to stay focused,” junior Zach Schipper said. This year, several of the boys on the team are freshmen. However, most of them have a lot of preexisting soccer experience which could give the team an advantage in the long run. “This class is the biggest and most skilled class of freshmen we’ve ever had. It’s exciting to watch this class lay down the foundation so we can take the next step as a soccer program,” Smith said. The freshmen and sophomores also have a good foundation to build off of because of the
upperclassmen leadership. “I like being on this team because my teammates are good on and off the field. I like the leadership the upperclassmen have and our coach is very encouraging,” sophomore Cameron Davis said. Despite all the encouragement on the field, the coach also encourages the boys to give back to the community while off the feild, and do other team building activities. “We’ll do cookouts, haunted houses, go to Harvesters, and have team dinners. Family is important in our program- guys coming together and being apart of something bigger than themselves,” Smith said.
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Softball
SPOTLIGHT
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Story by Shea Prather // Photograph by Claire Gibson // Design by Cici Sheeks
he softball team here at North is off to a great start. With it being about three weeks into the season the girls have an impressive ten-to-four record with many games ahead. At the end of August the girls traveled down to Columbia to compete in the Battle tournament. Although they did not come back with a championship win, some good did come out of it. “The Battle tournament is always so much fun for us. It’s a great bonding experience because you really learn a lot about each other over the weekend. Obviously we try our hardest to win every game, but sometimes it just doesn’t go
our way. So even though we got second, we still played well as a team and it was a great start to our season,” senior Bri Holdshoe said. Softball season can be busy for the players, having to balance softball with schoolwork and other obligations. With having about three games per week, the girls have little time to relax and get their mind off things. “I love playing softball so much, but when we have so many games in a week it can get exhausting. It can be hard balancing softball and schoolwork, but I do good about making sure I get everything done on time.
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I wouldn’t change a thing about it though because softball season is so much fun,” junior Kelsey Templeton said. The softball team had a strong season last year and hope to continue that this year. Although the team lost five seniors last year, they still hope for a promising future because of the talented younger players. “I see us having an awesome season because overall we have a very talented team. We all work well together and get along really well. I’m excited to see how much we grow as a team throughout this season,” freshmen Jayme Jackson said.
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Sports
Coaches
Spotlight
Story by Karlee Kent and Ingrid Weaver//Photographs by Emma Libby//Design by Cici Sheeks
Katie Dowden Volleyball can teach players self-disipline, how to mange time, and establish a strong work ethic. All of the important lessons Coach Katie Dowden learned playing volleyball growing up was enough to make her want to coach it. “One of the things that I loved about playing when I was growing up was being able to apply so many life lessons to that sport,” Dowden said. Volleyball might be very important to Dowden now, but she wasn’t always just a volleyball player. “I was a swimmer long before I played volleyball. My high school didn’t have a swim team at the time, so I was swimming club year round and picked up volleyball just kind of through middle school,” Dowden said. Dowden got the opportunity to really get into volleyball when she stayed after one day in middle school. “Kids were asked to stay and play against the faculty and that’s kind of where I got hooked. Being involved with athletics and sports in general has always been something that’s huge for me,” Dowden said.
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Mark Warner Often times, once you’re commited to a sport, it travels with you throughout your life. Swimming has always been such a big part of Coach Mark Warner’s life that it just seemed natural to coach it here at North. “Swimming is something that I’ve always been a part of growing up so when I wanted to look into coaching. It was just kind of a natural fit. It’s probably the sport that I know the most about,” Warner said. Warner has been coaching for about ten years now, but before that he was a swimmer himself. “I’ve coached in Liberty since 2007 and I coached at Park Hill for one year before that. In high school is when I took swimming seriously. I started swimming when I was about six. That was kind of my main sport in high school,” Warner said. Warner started swimming at a young age and now his own kids have started swimming as well. “We got our kids into it, just doing summer leagues. All three of my kids have been doing it as they’ve grown up,” Warner said.
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Check out these Eagle coaches who are in full swing with their season
KEN CLEMENS Football is all-around an important part of high school life. For Coach Ken Clemens, football isn’t just another high school sport; it’s about teaching athletes valuable life lessons that can be applied on and off of the football field. “I think like a lot of coaches the impact that the sport had on my life and my development as a young man encouraged me to try to do those things for other young men, ” Clemens said. Coaching football isn’t a new thing for Clemens, and neither is the sport of football itself. Before being a coach, Clemens was also an athlete. “I started playing football in third grade and played up until I was 23 years old, so I played several years of football and then I became assistant coach at my alma mater, Oak Park High School,” Clemens said. Football isn’t only about winning or losing. The game itself teaches athletes hard work and dedication to the sport. “I like the hard times that become really good teaching opportunities for the young men, and developing some values in them that hopefully can last a lifetime,” Clemens said.
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ZACH OSBORNE Soccer might not be as popular as football, but it still plays a big role at Liberty North. Coach Zach Osborne has been with the Liberty North soccer program for six years, but he wasn’t always set on playing or coaching soccer. “My background with soccer is not a huge one. I’m a big fan of the game and I grew up loving the game, but I only played recreationally growing up. My whole family plays tennis, actually,” Osborne said. Although tennis was a big part of his life, Osborne decided to coach the soccer team while teaching at Liberty North because of his interest in the sport. “My favorite thing about coaching is probably the relationships with the guys. I like watching that evolution, especially a player that comes in as a freshman and leaves as a senior. Even seeing guys when they come back after a couple years. I really enjoy that and I think that’s pretty special,” Osborne said.
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