August 2015 The Booster Redux

The Booster Redux Pittsburg High School 1978 E. 4th Street Pittsburg, KS 66762 Vol. 98, Issue 3 www.boosterredux.com

Friday, Aug. 21, 2015

Drama Camp PHS Theatre department presents “High School Musical”

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Trina’s Thoughts Cecil the Lion causes an uproar Page 3D

Senior Emma Stalnaker fills out paperwork in preparation of the year during Enrollment on Aug. 5. School will start at 8:10 a.m. intead of 7:40 a.m. Photo by Abby Harris

BETTER LATE THAN EARLY High school institutes new start time change MEGAN MUNGER @DragonsTwirler

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0 more minutes to sleep or 30 more minutes to wake up--both are now an option due to the recent change in the school start time.

School now starts at 8:10 a.m. rather than 7:40 a.m. due to the majority of both students and staff being in favor of the change.

“We’ve been looking at the early start time since I’ve been here as an assistant principal, back in 2008, and the question always comes up as to why we’ve started so early,” Principal Jon Bishop said. “We took it a little more seriously this year and had some conversations with students about it. We also did a full staff survey [regarding the start time] and of the 53 staff [members] that returned the survey, about 80 percent were

The later start time was made very much in favor of the later start, so it was a no-brainer that official last May. “There just wasn’t enough this is what we needed to do.”

Changing the start time was time to make a big announcement not a particularly difficult thing about it [before school ended],” Bishop said. to do, “We had finals according going on and to Bishop. everything.” “ W e Consider ing t o o k it was not the idea announced to the until the end board of of summer, education all forms of and they communication [didn’t were being have to - JON BISHOP used to get the rule on information out it]. They just had to say ‘we support to the students.

“I’ve been putting out stuff that,’” Bishop said. “It wasn’t a political-type thing to try and on my personal twitter page move it, it was just what is best and the kids can follow me,” Bishop said. “I’ve done a School for our kids.”

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IT WASN’T A POLITICALTYPE THING TO TRY AND MOVE IT, IT WAS JUST WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR KIDS

FRESH CUTS FOR A FRESH START Victory Life Church hosts back-to-school haircuts

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JOSH LEE @iAmTheJoshLee A large waiting room, refreshments and a room full of beauticians are not things that are usually associated with a church.

However, on Monday, August 10, the Victory Life Church hosted its eighth annual BACK2SCHOOL event from 3 to 8 p.m.

The church’s pastor, Donnie Talent, saw the event give over 500 haircuts and receive over 1,200 people just this year.

“We started in a little salon with just three beauticians, and this year we have around 25 beauticians,” Talent said. “About four years ago, we outgrew every salon in town and so we moved it out here and started holding [the event] at the church where there is more property.”

In the first year of the event, Talent didn’t have many expectations for the program.

“I never would have thought that [the program would grow to be so big] in a million years,” Talent said. “We just took one year at a time, and when one year was a success, we sat down after every event as a church and we said what worked and what did not work, and we try to improve it every year.”

Despite initial doubts it had about the program, the Victory Life Church nurtured BACK2SCHOOL into something its members see as an important part of the community.

Gary Wolgamott, social sciences teacher and Victory Life Church deacon, has been a part of the planning committee for BACK2SCHOOL ever since its first year and believes the event is a great opportunity to give back.

“We just want everybody to know that somebody out there does care, and it is our community, so that is why we have gotten more and more of our community involved,” Wolgamott said. “[The event] is an outreach, but it is also a community getting-together.”

Because BACK2SCHOOL is more than

Reach and I’ll do another one. It is on channel 21. I’ll send out an email, and just try to get it out to as many people as possible.

We especially want to get it out there to the [students] who have jobs so that they can plan accordingly.”

By changing the school start time, school now runs 30 minutes later, ending at 3:25 instead of 2:55.

“Because we end later now, not every student likes it because they want to go to work at 3 o’clock, or whatever,” Bishop said. “However, if they take care of business the way they are supposed to, they will still be out at 2:57 because students get out of Dragon Time if they’re a junior or a senior.”

To be eligible to leave during

out with the old, in with the new PHS acquires new weight room equipment Page 4D

SEE Start time PAGE 2D

just an opportunity for people to receive free haircuts, Talent called in different parts of the community to be a part of the event.

“The police, the fire department, the university, all of those come together and make the event something more than just haircuts,” Talent said. “The impact is always getting people to connect with each other.

Once you get that, you make an impact.”

Junior Caleb Dial, who attended BACK2SCHOOL for the fourth year, enjoyed more than just the free haircut and food at the program. “[Pittsburg] is a pretty good community,” Dial said. “It is not that they are just giving you a haircut and you leave, you get to come here and have some fun with the family.”

However, despite all the planning and outreach, none of the event would be possible if not for the beauticians who volunteer five hours of their time to give free haircuts.

Beautician Chelsea Yates, who has been volunteering for BACK2SCHOOL since its first year, believes she is giving something valuable to the community through her work.

“I feel like it is a great thing because people are happy, they get good haircuts, and it helps families because some of them cannot afford them,” Yates said.

Helping the families who attend the event was the original intent for BACK2SCHOOL, but Talent believes the event also helps to make a lasting impression on the community.

“We have a great community,” Talent said. “When you have a great community, things just come together. We have a lot of kids that come to this event, and in five, seven, ten, fifteen years, they’ll be moving.

But they’ll always remember back to their community days and they will remember that Pittsburg had a great community. That is one of the fundamental pieces that is etched into people’s minds.”

girls golf Participation increases for upcoming season Page 4D

2 NEWS

Friday, Aug. 21, 2015

drama program hosts first summer camp as fundraiser MADDIE BADEN & KALI POENITSKE @MaddieBaden & @Kali_Poenitske s the last few weeks of summer were winding down, theatre director Greg Shaw, along with 15 drama students, were developing the production High School Musical Jr. for 31 younger students to perform.

“There was not a lot of middle school options for kids,” Shaw said. “With our program, I wanted to give more opportunities for our young students.”

This ten day camp began August 3 and ended with two performances on Aug. 14 and 15. Camp kicked off at nine in the morning and lasted until four in the afternoon, totaling 55 hours that were put into the camp.

Those involved in the camp mastered scripts, lyrics and choreography all in two weeks.

The purpose of the camp was to prepare middle school actors for future high school productions.

“From my perspective, I wanted to get to know the middle school kids and know who is coming up here,” Shaw said. “I wanted them to get the opportunity to work on a show like we do at the high school.”

Seniors Will Jewett, Alli Baden and Macy Frasco were the choreographers for the show. It was different for them to choreograph instead of being in the spotlight.

“We have to tell the kids what we want, instead of other people telling us what they want. We have to portray to them what we want them to portray on the stage,” Jewett said. “It really gave us a different perspective because usually we are the ones being taught, but in this situation we got to be the ones teaching.”

The choreographers met numerous times prior to rehearsals, which added up to ten hours.

Along with the choreographers, many other high school students put their time into the production. Some students include: seniors Derek Brumbaugh and Ryan Amick, juniors Aspen Lloyd, Morgan Grotheer, Coral VanBecelaere, Lydia Winters and sophomore Natalie Harris.

Some underclassmen performed the musical on stage. A few of those students are: sophomore Cassie Hurt-McLarty, freshmen Katie Painter and Dominic Stefanoni.

Painter has four different roles in the musical. She plays science decathlon moderator, a girl named Jamie, a cheerleader and a brainiac. Painter believes that this camp will benefit her and her high school acting career.

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“This play was put on in only a couple weeks, [so] it taught me that a good show doesn’t necessarily need months of preparation,” Painter said. “It also helped me to catch on and memorize faster.”

Due to the turnout, Shaw believes that he will continue to direct junior camps in the years to come.

“Anytime we can get kids on stage, it is going to benefit their ability. They have to learn to use teamwork and collaboration,” Shaw said. “It is a really great start to what I hope is a program that continues.”

Gloria Montes

New Link Crew program starts school year successfully @gmmathew13

Freshman Katie Painter rehearses for the opening night.

Photo by Macy Frasco Info compiled by Ivan Walter Photos by Macy Frasco & Kaitlyn Kidd

cassie quick

Jill Stanley

andrew brennon

eric flaton

Biology, Phys. Science New Teacher

Dragon Den Leader Taught elementary at Humbolt

Technology classes Student Teacher at PHS last year

English 9 & 10 Coaching Girls Basketball

Anatolia ruiz

matt Butler

Kyle Stanley

chuck boyles

krystal henderson

Spanish I Former ESOL teacher

Algebra Formerly at PCMS

Science classes Formerly from Yates Center

Audtiotrium Tech Director Formerly at Memorial Aud.

FACS classes Taught FACS at Iola

better late than early

A new freshman orientation program called Link Crew has been established to help underclassmen make a smoother transition into high school.

Also called the transition year, ninth grade is pivotal to a student’s success, thus the importance of an easy adjustment for freshmen.

“There are many studies showing that freshman year is critical to a student’s high school and postsecondary success,” Assistant Principal Rhonda White said.

A group of upperclassmen were chosen as Link Crew leaders to mentor incoming freshmen and accustom them to high school.

“Link Crew’s purpose is to foster positive relationships between freshmen and student leaders,” White said. “The leaders will be the key component to this program’s success.”

Junior Annie Cortes became a Link Crew leader to prepare underclassmen for change.

“I decided to join Link Crew to better myself and help [the freshmen] through their new experiences and changes in high school,” Cortes said.

Junior Karla Arana-Vasquez also joined Link Crew to advise freshmen on the difficulties of high school.

“Transitioning into high school is intimidating because of the new courses, faces, and environment, and I want to help the freshmen be prepared for all of it,” AranaVasquez said.

Link Crew leaders received training on how to mentor and conduct group activities before school began.

“The Link Crew leaders attended a two-day training in early August,” White said. “There will also be a Link Crew training in Wichita in November that they will attend.”

This is not the only change administration has taken to better the high school experience for first-years.

“Many changes have contributed to improving the freshman experience, including adding the Freshman Foundations class and introducing Kristin Thomas as the freshman advocate,” White said.

Freshman Brooklyn Hellwig believes Link Crew will have a positive impact on her transition. “[The program] definitely makes the transition to high school easier,” Hellwig said.

“I’m probably going to feel more comfortable here.”

News briefs Written by Kailey Curtis

pictures

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1D Dragon Time, students must meet cer tain criteria involving grades and behavior.

With school getting out later, another change has been made--this one involving the buses.

Buses will pick up after school around 3:30 so there will be a five-to-seven minute window before the buses get to the high school. This allows kids to be able to visit their teachers before depar ting school.

“They also won’t have to worr y about that big transfer down at the middle school because the middle school will be the first to be picked up.

[That will] be ver y good because there used to be a lot of people at the middle school and it was [so cluttered],” Bishop said. “They will star t being able to take [the students] on their routes straight from the high school rather than having to sit 1015 minutes, so even though the buses may not be at the high school right after school, [the students will] actually spend less time on a bus because they won’t be [transferring at the middle school].”

Due to the change in bus routes, moving the high school star t time up by half an hour has a positive impact on other par ts of the district.

“The middle school must be ecstatic because it is just their kids getting on and going,” Bishop said.

“They don’t have to wait for a high school bus that got lost in the traffic, which is a huge benefit.”

Another benefit that comes from the later star t time is the change in club meeting times.

“Most of the clubs will run before school now.

The buses will star t dropping off at or a little after 7:30 so if you have a club meeting it will probably be star t at 7:40 or 7:45. That doesn’t mean clubs cannot meet after school, it just means that kids that are in spor ts and stuff have a chance to be [involved with those activities],” Bishop said. “Also, if you need to get here a little bit earlier, that will be fine and plus, traffic won’t be as bad at that time.”

Amidst the changes and adjustments, something that will remain consistent is the structural time.

Second oppor tunit y breakfast will still be after first hour and after-school tutoring will be available

Starting off on the same level

GINA MATHEW

new teachers

Sophomore Advocate Former mentor at FSCC

www.boosterredux.com SECTION D

3:30 to 4:30.

“Schedules don’t change besides for the fact that ever y thing is 30 minutes later [in the day],” Bishop said.

By star ting later, administration is hoping to see some added benefits on the student’s behalf.

“My hope for it is that it helps kids get better about being here on time. This is by no means a cure for tardiness and we may find out that kids act the same and still have the same amount of tardies. However, you take away the excuse piece a little more because they [can’t really] pull that card anymore and say ‘well it’s too early,” Bishop said. “Also, I hope that it helps our student body be a little healthier and get a little more sleep as long as they know how to manage their night activities a little bit better.”

Along with Bishop, senior Shelbi Heikes thinks that star ting later will help boost per formance.

“We’re definitely going to be more aware in the mornings,” Heikes said. “I feel like there’s going to be a lot less sleeping in the first hour classes. I think the tardies are also going decrease a lot because ever ybody is accustomed to that 7:40 star t time and just to have that extra 30 minutes [will help out a lot].”

Like Heikes, Superintendent Destr y Brown agrees with the change.

“I’ve always thought that the high school should star t later and I think that [by star ting later] it is going to be better than it was before,” Brown said. “[Most teenagers] don’t care how late they go in the day, it’s the mornings that are hard.”

With all the positivit y toward the later star t, there is a slight downside.

“We’re going to have a handful of people who don’t like it but, hopefully, they will be professionals about it and students will be professional about the fact that this is a decision based on what is best for [our students and staff],” Bishop said. “[There are also people that] will say ‘well, [students] will just stay up later,’ and that may be true for some people, but regardless, there is something to be said about waking up when the sun is up a little bit verses just the stars.”

School pictures will be taken all day in the auditorium on Wednesday, Aug. 26th, along with all sports pictures.

Band - main gym - 7:30 A.M. tennis - soccer field - 2:30 P.M. Golf - Soccer Field - 2:45 P.M. Cross Country - Soccer Field - 3:00 P.M. soccer - Soccer Field - 3:20 P.M. Volleball - Main Gym - 3:30 P.M. Cheer/Dance/Football - hutch field 3:30 P.M. - Fri. Aug. 28th

dance The Purple & White Dance will be on Friday, August 28th at 9 P.M. in the commons area. The theme will be white out, and make sure to bring glowsticks!

senior pic info The deadline for accepting senior pictures to go into the yearbook will be Friday, Dec. 4th. Student Publications will not accept any pictures after that date. The photo submitted must be a vertical headshot, apply to school dress code, and be in color. Your photo should be sent through email or as digital photos on a CD to Emily Smith, who can be reached at esmith@usd250.org.

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Booster Redux staff and policy Editors-in-Chief Alli Baden Morgan Plank Megan Munger Molly Graham

Design Editors Kailey Curtis

Staff Maddie Baden Meghan Baker Connor Balthazor Alivia Benedict Lily Black Justin Blythe Katy Brown Nicole Burk Trinity Butcher Mataya Cook Sophia Graham Ashley Henderson Journey Jaramillo Joshua Lee Gina Mathew Dante Menghini Trina Paul Kali Poenitske Madisyn Robison Sherrick Rogers Jadyn Stewart Caleb Stradley Patrick Sullivan Jake Webb Julie Wilson Kaylah Wilson

Adviser Emily Smith

The Booster Redux Pittsburg High School Student Publications 1978 E. 4th St. Pittsburg, KS 66762

PHS Student Publications Department and newspaper class produce The Booster Redux.

Please call us with comments at 620235-3200. The Booster Redux’s purpose is to inform, educate, enlighten and entertain readers fairly and accurately in an open forum.

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www.boosterredux.com

OPINION

Friday, Aug 21, 2015

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social media phenomenon Famous lion causes uproar TRINA PAUL @trpaul1998 This summer, Americans were f looded by numerous news stories ranging from gay marriage to presidential debates.

As a countr y, we became divided in regards to some of this summer’s most controversial topics. Yet, one news stor y brought many Americans together; the stor y of Cecil, the Lion.

Cecil was a 13 year old lion in captivity at the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.

According to the New York Times, he was considered the star attraction of the park until Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, killed and beheaded the beloved lion. Palmer repor tedly paid 55,000 dollars to two African guides to help him slay the lion.

The killing of Cecil ignited outrage in the U.S. People took to social media to express their anger by writing heated Yelp (an online site that allows consumers to review businesses) reviews and making a Facebook page, “Shame Lion Killer Dr. Walter Palmer and River Bluff Dental”.

Yes, Cecil the Lion was loved by many and killed horrifically, but did his death really warrant the attention it received?

If you are one who eats meat, or even wears goods from animals (notably leather and fur), the death of Cecil should not have been considered notewor thy to you. Ever yday, animals in the food industr y are kept under appalling conditions. According to a Huffington Post ar ticle, cows that were used for their leather at a slaughterhouse were “bound by all four feet and tossed on their sides onto the filthy, blood-covered f loor.”

Somehow, we are willing to cast a blind eye on the atrocities right in front of us and instead focus on the death of a lion.

I will, however, acknowledge the dissimilarities between cattle and lion.

African lions are endangered, while cows are not. Cows are used for their meat, or skin, while lions are utilized only as hunting trophies.

Art By Alivia Benedict

Yet, do these differences really allow us to mourn a lion and not the animals we knowingly consume and use ever yday? I do not believe so.

As humans, we are not able to distinguish whether the suffering of a cow being slaughtered is worse than that of a lion being murdered.

I am glad we have found a rallying point for animal rights, but focusing on one lion killed in another countr y is unfair and hypocritical of us. A doctoral student in Zimbabwe wrote in the

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New York Times “do not tell us what to do with our animals when you allowed your own mountain lions to be hunted to near extinction in the eastern United States.”

I am not justifying the actions of Walter Palmer. What he did was horrific, and there should be consequences.

Rather than terrorizing this one man for his actions, we should take a moment to think about how our own actions affect the animals that remain around us.

Focusing on one lion killed in another country is unfair and hypocritical

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-TRINA PAUL

Art By Alivia Benedict

Great for most but not all: late start effects smarts MORGAN PLANK @momoplank The new star t time, like any change, will, no doubt, have mixed reviews among the student body. This change will have its benefits and disadvantages for each student, depending on their daily schedule.

Although, a majority of students are probably jumping for joy at the oppor tunity to gain extra sleep.

However, for those select students that are involved in an activity that requires early morning par ticipation, this change only makes for a longer day. In some instances, the star t time for these early morning practices or activities cannot be adjusted for the later star t to the school day.

There are also those students who have no control over what time they are dropped off in the morning due to their parent’s work schedule. Unfortunately, extra sleep is not an option for them.

Not only does this 30 minute change affect the morning, but it affects the whole day and it affects ever yone.

With school not being dismissed until 3:25 and spor ts practice immediately following, the day is only being extended. This means getting out of practice later in the evening due to no designated end time,

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students will star t on homework later and go to sleep later.

In addition, when athletes and scholars leave school early for out-oftown games or academic tournaments, they will be missing additional class time.

Missing more class time puts stress on students to find extra time to meet with their teachers and learn the material they missed.

But, while school is being pushed back, club meetings are being pushed for ward. They will now be before school, again, which draws additional students to the school early. So, instead of staying after school, they will be arriving around the school’s previous star t time.

The extended afternoon will also have an impact on those students with afterschool jobs.

While 30 minutes might not seem like a large block of time, it can mean a lot for a student that depends on work hours after school. They may now need to work later in the evening to pick up additional time, which makes their day even longer.

Despite the disadvantages for some students, a large por tion will greatly benefit from the additional sleep and later star t time. This will allow these students to be more aler t and focused on schoolwork, which will, hopefully, lead to success in the classroom and decrease the amount of tardies.

I feel The late start time affects all ll LANK students -MORGAN PLANK

staff editorial

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linking the divide: new mentor program starts the year off right THE BOOSTER REDUX STAFF @PHSstudentpub Most ever yone can recall their first day of freshman year.

Walking into a school full of upperclassmen can be, at the least, terrifying. Link Crew was designed to help easily transition the freshmen class into their high school career.

Link Crew is a mentor program

that pairs 10 freshmen with two upperclassmen. The mentors gave tours on freshmen orientation day and were introduced to their 10 freshmen. The mentors will continue to monitor and assist their freshmen throughout the school year.

We feel that Link Crew will be a positive program for the freshmen, along with the junior and

senior leaders.

For freshmen, this new mentoring program will provide a way for them to become more comfor table, familiar with the school and offer a solid foundation for a successful high school experience.

For the leading juniors and seniors, it will offer them an oppor tunity to lead in a professional

manner, have the full responsibility of connecting with underclassmen, and be a positive inf luence.

All in all, we believe that Link Crew will offer this year’s freshmen class a less stressful passage into high school without as much fear and anxiety while offering a more enjoyable freshman year and overall high school experience.

4 SPORTS Out with the old, in with the new

Friday, Aug. 21, 2015

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bringing flags back Color Guard returns with marching band MOLLY GRAHAM @molllygraham

Weight room acquires new equipment JOURNEY JARAMILLO & ASHLEY HENDERSON @JourneyButcher & PHSStudentPub

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or over 25 years, students participating in the school’s weight program were training with handmade equipment. But due to multiple donations, athletes welcome new, multipurpose equipment.

The need for the equipment became apparent to Brannon Kidd, assistant principal and activities director, when the safety of the handmade equipment was in question.

“The way the weight room was laid out before, it was very jam-packed with equipment. You were limited with the amount of kids you could get in there in a safe manner,” Kidd said. “A lot of the old equipment was built by coaches or maintenance staff here in the ‘80s.”

The new equipment consists of nine multipurpose racks that will allow athletes to execute at least 15 different exercises in one location. Five of the racks, called double racks, were purchased, with the help of donations and the application of grants, from the company ProMaxima.

These five racks allow two athletes to train at the same time with the same rack and retail to around $12,000. The other four single racks were donated from Pittsburg State University.

Because the new equipment allows numerous workouts in one area, the weight room was reorganized and cleaned out. Head football coach Tom Nickelson believes this new layout will allow athletes to get more out of their training.

“The new racks allow us to get a safer, faster workout and created enough space in the weight room to do all agilities without having to use the gym,” Nickelson said. “This will allow us to get everyone a quality workout during the school day.”

Senior volleyball and softball player Abby Harris was thrilled to see the change.

“The new equipment is a lot more complex than before,” Harris said. “In the past we had to move all over the weight room to do different lifts and workouts. With this new equipment we can stay in one spot and perform several types of lifts and

Junior Caitlyn Burdick finishes up a set of split-leg squats on a new weight rack. Photo by Kaitlyn Kidd

many other exercises.”

Along with more space in the weight room, athletes are enthusiastic for the switch.

“Change can bring momentum and a fresh feeling with it. I like the momentum the new weight room gives us going into the season,” Sophomore Chase Johnson said.

Harris, after using the handmade equipment for her whole high school career, was glad to see an

update.

“I really appreciate getting new things in the weight room. There were a lot of racks that were rusting and were becoming very rickety,” Harris said. “Everything hadn’t really been deep cleaned in several years and it was great to walk in to an updated clean weight room. With new, cleaner equipment I think more student athletes will be compelled to try out weights.”

Last April, junior Tatum McManis was only hoping to become a member of the reinvented Color Guard team. Now she has spent the past summer remembering choreography, perfecting routines and learning how to keep count with music, all while spinning a flag.

“I joined Color Guard looking for an activity to be passionate about,” McManis said.

Color Guard is being reintroduced under the supervision of band teacher Cooper Neil, with the help of St. Mary’s Colgan band director Valeska Lauderdale and under management of junior Megan Munger, who is current Feature Twirler.

The Color Guard team is made up of four girls: McManis, juniors Jordan Wildermuth, Adia Johns, and sophomore Hailey Denton.

Although Munger is managing and coordinating the team, she will not be performing with them. Instead, she is helping to plan events and practices while assisting the team with choreography. She helps enforce structure and organization and works with Neil to find ways to improve the team.

“Being in charge of Color Guard has definitely been a challenge for me due to the fact that I am super busy,” Munger said. “But it has helped me grow as a person, and I look forward to another awesome marching band season.”

Munger and the rest of the girls met two-three times a week this summer for two hour practices. During this school year, they will be continuing their rehearsals. Three mornings a week they will work individually as a team and two mornings a week they will be with the rest of the band.

“It is definitely a lot to learn, and it is pretty fast-paced, but they are handling it well,” Munger said. “Aside from the work and practices, something else that I think they get out of Color Guard is close-knit team bonding. They support each other in everything they do and ask each other how they are doing outside of practices, which I feel is a wonderful thing.”

GIRLS GOLF PARTICIPATION RISES TO A TEE LILY BLACK @PHSstudentpub he girls golf team has been working to gain new members since last season, and has successfully expanded since then. “...I tried to talk with girls that had already played to let them know that I was going to be coaching and then had it in the anouncements early in spring and tried to have meeting and talked to some... girls that I knew that played golf but they already had another spor t, Mr. Kidd had given permission so that... they could duel and play both spor ts,” science teacher and golf coach Mar y Packard said.

“I am looking for ward to the high school team because it is a way for me to make some friends as I enter a new school with many new people,” freshman Amanda Bourbina said.

Bourbina also enjoys the emotional aspect playing golf offers her.

“It is ver y soothing. To hit a small, dense ball over 150 yards with a club is quite a feeling of strength,” Bourbina said. “It is completely unique, you surely have to have patience when playing, though.”

Junior Logan Lord also enjoys necessar y techniques while

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playing.

“I like golf because it is challenging and it teaches you to be patient and to not get down when you hit a bad shot or have a bad hole,” Lord said. “I have learned you have to just forget about it and move on and be ready for the next shot.”

Lord star ted playing golf at a young age, but did not choose to join the golf team until this summer.

“I played junior golf at the Crestwood Countr y Club and at Four Oaks in 4th 5th and 6th grade,” Lord said. “I didn’t decide to play golf until the middle of July.

I decided to join because I wanted to tr y something new.”

The girls on the team also play golf outside of school.

Lord is one of those girls and frequently plays at other events.

“My mom and I have played two or three times in a breast cancer awareness tournament at Crestwood,” Lord said. “When my whole family goes out, we often go just for fun.”

Bourbina had played golf at Pittsburg Community Middle School last year and developed a love for the spor t.

“I did play golf last year and I had progressed quite a bit in a

Junior Gracie Lopez lines up a shot at Crestwood Country Club during the 2014 season. This upcoming season will be Lopez’s third year playing golf. Photo by Miranda Moore

year. I know the high school golf team is a lot more advanced than the middle school’s,” Bourbina said. “I really want to advance in my playing performance because it is something I have really fallen in love with.”

Unlike many other spor ts, golf is a spor t that can be continued throughout high school and after playing it after if you choose to, and

Bourbina is counting on that.

“Golf is definitely not a spor t you hear about ever yday. It is unique and something you can play for a long time, even in your older years,” Bourbina said. “So, eventually, I hope to progress and get a lot better than I am now. Someday I hope I can teach my kids to play.”

athletes tackle tough competition Football players travel to college recruiting camps JOURNEY JARAMILLO & ASHLEY HENDERSON @Journey Butcher & @PHSstudentpub Over the summer a handful of student athletes attended spor ts camps to increase visibility for college recruitment. Among these students were juniors Elijah Harris and Trevor Kent along with seniors Sherrick Rogers, Will Mengarelli and Zack Roark.

These students attended camps to learn new skills and gain exposure to colleges. Some attended only one camp, while others were able to be present at several.

Kent attended camps at K-State,

Arkansas, Iowa State and Minnesota.

He also got the chance to attend Notre Dame, which was an invite-only camp.

Although different training separated the two, Harris was in attendance with Kent at the camp at Minnesota.

Roark got the chance to go to the camps at K-State and South Dakota State with Mengarelli. He was also able to attend the Illinois State camp along with Rogers.

Whether it was physically, socially or even mentally, the camps proved to be beneficial to these students. “[I believe] going to these camps

[helped] my future by getting me on more colleges’ radar,” Kent said.

“Hopefully [going to these camps would have] gotten me noticed so that I can earn a scholarship.”

In attending these camps, the boys ran a variety of different drills and skill tests, from shuttle runs to passing and blocking as well.

“It was an amazing and humbling experience,” Rogers said. “I learned a lot of [different techniques] and skills.”

Although camps were meant for learning new drills, they also gave the students different experiences they

were able to enjoy. “[Going to the camps] was fun and I worked hard and got a little better,” Mengarelli said. “I think it [has really] benefitted me because [ever ything we did] will help me during games to be a better football player.”

According to the students, attending these camps showed them what it is like to play at the college level.

“I learned a lot of new things in the drills that we did,” Harris said. “I think it will benefit in my exposure to colleges and also how I train for this upcoming season.”