January 2015

Charlie hebdo

The Booster Redux Pittsburg High School 1978 E. 4th Street Pittsburg, KS 66762 Vol. 98, Issue 6 www.boosterredux.com

Opposing viewpoints over satirical cartoons

Page 3D

Survivors’ story Herzog, Newcomer, bell reflect on car accident Page 5D

dedicated: kyle smith Smith takes advantage of offseason opportunities Page 7D

Friday, Jan. 30, 2015

tackling more than the stage Theatre students put in time for upcoming performance JOSHUA LEE @iAmTheJoshLee

A

fter many hours of practice and work, junior Will Jewett will be standing on the stage in front of an applauding audience at the end of a musical performance.

“It’s just that feeling when you’re on stage, and you know everybody is watching. It feels good,” Jewett said.

With an upcoming performance of the musical “Guys and Dolls,” thespians have been rehearsing after school, on weekends and sometimes over school breaks to prepare for the production.

The thespians rehearse every day after school from three to six, and many thespians spend their own time after school to prepare for the performance.

“We casted right after we finished our last musical, “Loserville,” and ever since then I’ve been in the book, memorizing lines, researching Sky Masterson, the character I play,” Jewett said.

But as with all musicals, lines and acting aren’t all that goes into a production.

“We’ve had our choreographers come down, Mollie and Maggie Stevens, to teach everyone the choreography for all the big production numbers,” Jewett said.

“We had a unique way of learning our dances, because over Christmas break, Mollie and Maggie would come down, because that was when they were most available.

We would go in for a whole day, from nine to five, and learn a few dances. We’d come in the next day and learn some more, and the next day to learn some more.”

With all of the time being put in to the production, however, some students have had difficulty balancing their time with other activities they are involved in.

Theater director Greg Shaw has already had to make a few sacrifices because of the thespians’ involvement in other activities.

“Obviously, we’re sensitive to any time there is another competition or another event going

Performing on stage, junior Will Jewett poses in his costume during the previous musical “Loserville”. Jewett was also cast in the upcoming performance of the musical “Guys and Dolls” that will be Feb. 11-14. PHOTO BY MADDY EMERSON

on, and we’ll take a step back,” musical rehearsal and then dance Shaw said. “But, we’re getting [at the YMCA] is from seven to close to that time where for the last nine, so I get an hour for dinner two weeks before our show, I really break,” Jewett said. want everyone to make our show In addition to dancing some as much of a priority as humanly nights, Jewett coaches gymnastics possible, because it’s push time.” other nights at the YMCA, meaning And with the date of the that his weeknights are completely performance occupied.. approaching, However, Jewett has even with been spending a minimal much of his amount of free own time time to spend, preparing for Jewett doesn’t the production. mind all of the “Personally, hard work.

I spend time “It’s really on weekends fun, and I with lines and definitely don’t dances, just mind all of the because that’s time this all when I have takes because the most free it’s all definitely time,” Jewett worth it in the - WILL JEWETT said. end,” Jewett With all of said. the activities that Jewett is involved Jewett is not the only member of in, it makes sense that he only has the theater program spending time time on the weekends to put in and work into something that is work for the musical. important to the performer.

As a member of the National Junior Ethan Ortiz is also a Honor Society, student government, member of the theater program, but theater, encore, dance, gymnastics, works behind the scenes to make and tennis, Jewett has to plan out sure that the shows run smoothly. his daily schedule to make it all Part of the tech crew, Ortiz works work out. outside of school to make sure that “My schedule is set up to where the set and the stage transitions run right after school to six is for smoothly.

“

It’s also always rewarding to get the applause, of course, but also to know that you’ve left people walking away with a certain feeling and impression.

”

pilot program perfecting technology for chromebooks New computers issued as science, English departments test out Google Chromebooks KATY BROWN @katylady22

A Hunting In depth look at Hunting and how it works Page 8D

s technology is being implemented into the classroom, an update is needed. The school is striving to put a new learning technique into place with the trial of Chromebooks.

The test period for Chromebooks is being tested by four teachers, science teachers Mary Packard and Stuart Perez, social science teacher Gary Wolgamott and English teacher Kristy Uttley. These teachers are working the problems out with the Chromebooks in their own classroom to make it simpler for their students in the next school year.

“I think the pilot is going well. The whole purpose of it is to see what kind of stress the Chromebooks are going to put on the system and work that out with only [four] teachers as opposed to seventy teachers,” said Uttley.

Uttley also believes that using the Chromebooks is going to be helpful for students.

“I think the students benefit so much from the addition of being able to incorporate videos and music and research on the internet into classic literature that it just makes it so much better,” Uttley said.

Although more technology is being

implemented, most teachers are hoping to use it as a device to help teach, rather than teach only through technology.

“Technology is a supplement, it’s not a method of teaching, but it’s supplemental to teaching. It’s a tool,” Perez said.

The Chromebooks are still in the pilot study, but seem to be working out well, according to students and teachers.

“I think they’ve been used to the best of what we have so far, but they’re still in the testing stage,” sophomore Karis Mengarelli said.

The Chromebooks introduce more ways to learn as well. Usually students learn through lectures, taking notes and with worksheets but there are more ways with Chromebooks.

“It allows the student different modes of gaining information, other than just hearing it or having to write it down,” Perez said.

This program may continue into next year, when each student would have their own Chromebook they could take outside of school. The feedback to this is positive.

“I think it would give students more access to technology and be able to learn better and take school outside of school,” Mengarelli said.

“This year, we’ve had to tear down the set for ‘Loserville’ and start building the set for ‘Guys and Dolls’ immediately,” Ortiz said.

Because members of the tech crews cannot work on the stage and the sets during rehearsals, they have to work from six to nine during school nights.

“We’re staying with the thespians during their rehearsals to run the stage now that we’re two weeks away from the musical, and we’re staying after to build and work on the sets,” Ortiz said. “We’re almost done, but we still have a lot to work on.”

With over ninety students involved in the production, the musical brings all those involved together through all the work involved.

“It is a lot of time and a lot of work, but it doesn’t feel like that when we’re all together as a group having fun,” Jewett said.

“It’s also always rewarding to get the applause, of course, but also to know that you’ve left people walking away with a certain feeling and impression. With a social issues play, you’ll leave people thinking, and with an upbeat musical, you’ll leave them happy. It’s always a good feeling.”

The musical will be performed on Feb. 11-14 at 7 p.m., with an additional performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14.

new policies implemented for current semester Garzone, Kidd supportive of new tardy, grade policies JOSHUA LEE @iAmTheJoshLee

T

he new 6, 9, 12 and 1, 3, 5 rules are part of a new policy that is in place this semester, and they are here to stay.

According to Assistant Principal Chris Garzone, the tardy policy was implemented because of the excess amount of student tardies that were being reported.

A sixth tardy will earn a student one In School Suspension (ISS), a ninth tardy will earn a student three in-school suspensions and a twelfth tardy will earn a student five in-school suspensions.

Up until the beginning of this semester, the policy involved either Friday Night Schools (FNS) or lunch detentions as consequences for tardiness. But with the implementation of the new policy, Garzone hopes for the best.

“The overall goal is to get kids to class on time. [This allows] teachers to get class started on time and use all the minutes possible for the academics,” Garzone said.

However, the new tardiness policy is not necessarily permanent at this point.

“We have not officially adopted this, but we are piloting this,” Garzone said. “And the reason that we are doing this is because we had close to nine hundred tardies last semester, and we were looking for ways to try to decrease that number.”

Garzone believes that this system has been working well so far.

“I have seen a decrease so far in the number of tardies, and mainly for the kids who are habitually tardy, I have seen [the number of tardies] decrease,” Garzone said.

This policy for tardiness is not the only one that is new to students this semester. In addition to the tardy policy, an academic grade policy was adopted at the beginning

continued onto page 2d

2 NEWS

Friday, Jan. 30, 2015

www.boosterredux.com SECTION D

Student government resolution Opposition to the implementation of the most recent tardy policy Author: Executive Council VP Miranda Moore Sponsors: Samantha Warren & Regina Winemiller

Whereas USD 250’s vision is to “…inspire [stu-

Raising their hands, sophomores Katy Brown and Lydia Winters vote on the new tardy policy proposed by Student Government.

PHOTO BY DEVON COULTER

Stugo makes changes New changes proposed to tardy policy MEGAN MUNGER @DragonsTwirler

S

tuGo has recently made changes in the way that they run things and one of those changes is improving the communication gap between the students and the administration.

The idea for change was a rather quick process and the source of inspiration came from an alum.

“Reece Burns, who was the executive president last year, came and talked to [StuGo]. He explained that as a student government, we have the ability to voice our opinion on the things that happen, which could be anything from opposing a policy to suppor ting an action that a club took,” said senior executive vice president Miranda Moore. “We were ver y excited and ver y receptive to the idea of writing resolutions.”

During the weekly meeting on Jan. 27, they passed their first ever resolution, which regarded the tardy policy.

On Jan. 28, Moore and executive president Priscilla Ruiz held a meeting with the administration to discuss the resolution.

“Just from what I’ve read from the resolution, it’s really thought out and a lot of concerns were brought for ward. We were aware of all of [the concerns] before the StuGo resolution but, we are happy that the students want to have a discussion about it,” principal Jon Bishop

said. “Star ting next week, we want to [really] bridge that gap. We want StuGo to get involved in looking at the handbook. It may not change some things but, at least they can have some conversation about it.”

5 StuGo members with attend a meeting next week with the MTSS committee, where they will discuss things in fur ther detail.

Along with the resolution, StuGo has became more formal government wise.

“The student leaders Miranda, Priscilla, Will, and Suhani have done more than I have. My role is just to suppor t whatever decisions they come up with. It’s really more on them,” StuGo sponsor Samantha Warren said. “It’s supposed to be student government so they should be the voice of the school. I was really proud of them because this was their first thing that they wanted to do that could potentially get them in trouble or have some [backlash to it]. I’m proud that they were willing to do that.”

The organization is taking multiple steps to reach their goals and is embracing the changes.

“For a long time, student government has been used as a committee for homecoming or spring f ling and we haven’t really been doing anything government wise,” Moore said. “I am really happy to have this initiative to push the envelope and hear opinions from our fellow peers. We want to tr y to make something happen and make this school and district a better place.”

Whereas

A new tardy policy was implemented in January only allowing five (5) tardies throughout eight (8) classes for the entire semester, punishable by In-School Suspension; and

Whereas

Only four minutes are allotted between periods in crowded hallways with spread out cla s ses and lockers; and

Whereas Passing periods are encouraged to be used for personal matters, such as going to the restroom, filling up water bottles, exchanging books, etc…; and Whereas

Students see more benefit in taking an absence for a class than being tardy and receiving ISS; and

Whereas

Consistency of the enforcement of the tardy policies by teachers is questioned by the s t udent body; therefore

Be it Resolved that the Student Government Association of Pittsburg High School announces our opposition to the new tardy policy in conjunction with the current four minute passing periods and urges the administration to reevaluate the length of time between classes, and Be it Further Resolved that this Resolution shall be forwarded with respect to Mr. Destry Brown, Superintendent of USD 250; Mr. Jon Bishop, Principal; Mrs. Rhonda White, Mr. Chris Garzone, and Mr. Brannon Kidd, Assistant Principals; The Booster Redux High School newspaper; and posted on Student Government social media including Twitter and Facebook.

S.T.A.R. program takes rank

news briefs Debate

New army program promotes development of skills

Joseph Mathew & Ethan Hawn 9th Place - 5a State Debate

GINA MATHEW

Forensics Ethan Hawn: 1st place USX, State Qualified Joseph Mathew: 3rd place USX Haley Uttley: 5th place USX Gina Mathew: 6th place USX Jason McDonald: 1st place FX, State Qualified Sebastian Johns: 5th place FX Kaylie Duncan: 5th place OO Haley Uttley: 4th place OO Sebastian Johns: 6th place OO Jahlannis Jones: 6th place Inform Joseph Mathew: 1st place Inform, State Qualified Ethan Hawn: 2nd place Inform, State Qualified Isaiah Harris & Alex Riley: 2nd place Duet, State Qualified

@PHSStudentPub At the start of the new year, there are bound to be changes. One new change this year is an addition to the extracurricular program: Army S.T.A.R Club.

The S.T.A.R. (Students Taking Active Roles) Program is a partnership between Pittsburg High School and the U.S. Army. Modeled after ROTC, this program was created in order to provide students with leadership, citizenship, and character development skills.

“We are the first school in Kansas to be able to say that we have an Army S.T.A.R. Program,” said the club’s faculty advisor, Kristin Thomas. “The club was started because we wanted to make sure there are clubs to meet the interests of as many students as possible.”

Using the expertise and resources of local U.S. Army soldiers, the program will develop skills that will enable and encourage students to take active roles in their own life, within their families, school, and community.

The club is not only for those interested in enlisting. Staff Sergeant Jonathan Jeffers quickly dismisses the idea.

“At no point ever will we try to recruit you. Being a student-led organization, we are here just to give direction and mentorship,” Jeffers said.

However, the S.T.A.R. Program doesn’t complete-

New policies: tardy and academic continued from page 1d of the semester.

Athletic Director Brannon Kidd hopes that the policies will help students to perform better in the classroom.

“This semester we ended up having six or seven kids that were ineligible because they hadn’t passed five classes the semester before, and that is KSHSAA regulated,” Kidd said.

“Our academics have to be a priority, even with our fine arts and our athletics and all those extra things.”

Already three weeks into the semester, Kidd believes that this policy has been working well and will be kept as a permanent solution.

“I haven’t had any complaints yet. Any complaints I get will be

dents] to achieve excellence, both academically and socially…” and Pittsburg High School’s third core belief states all members will be treated as equals; and

after this week when we may have some kids that are failing and will be suspended from playing or competing. I’ve even had some kids come and tell me that they like [the policy] because it makes it a priority for them to do well in their classes,” Kidd said.

However, Kidd does acknowledge the difficulty with receiving such a policy.

“It takes some time to get used to it, not only for the kids but also for the teachers. They’re going to have to be held accountable to make sure that their grade books are up to date,” Kidd said. “There is still some tweaking that still needs to be done, but right now, I think it’s going pretty

smoothly. It’s definitely here to stay. I presented it to the board, and they were all very supportive of it.”

Though adapting to these policies is a difficulty that the administration has anticipated, the best is expected to come from better grades and fewer tardies.

“My biggest hopes are that we don’t have any kids that are ineligible [for activities] within the semester,” Kidd said. “I’m hoping that one, we create an expectation for the kids to keep their grades up and to take their academics as seriously as they do their extracurriculars, and two, that they have the opportunity to perform and to compete any semester that they want to.”

ly discourage its members from joining the armed forces. Senior Sydney Lenati is already enlisted and scheduled for leave in June.

“I kinda figured the S.T.A.R. Program would give me an upper hand whenever I get shipped out to basic training. It’s going to focus on mostly leadership roles, but it will have a military element to it,” Lenati said.

The program’s curriculum will explore military history, phonetic alphabet, rank structure, military time, physical fitness, first aid, and many more concepts.

As far as eligibility, any student committed to academic excellence, desiring to be a part of a team, and willing to do their best can participate.

Lenati is excited for what’s in store for the S.T.A.R. Program and welcomes anyone showing an interest in joining.

“We’re still accepting new members. It’s going to be an amazing program and if we can get enough people, we can turn it into a class.”

The Army S.T.A.R. Program is scheduled for weekly meetings but, with a big enough turnout, Thomas hopes to shift the program to the classroom.

“We’re very proud to have [this program]. Our administration was very excited to get it. We are anxious just to get started and see how it develops,” Thomas said.

Key club volunteers at local museum Key Club, Art Club, Dulek help keep history alive

BY JOSEPH MATHEW @JMath06

On Sat. Jan. 24, the PHS Key Club decided to help out at the Crawford County Historical Museum. It is located off Highway 69, nor th of the Four Oaks golf course and south of Home Depot.

According to its website, The Crawford County Historical Museum houses “one of the largest collections of ar tifacts, historical displays and educational material in Southeast Kansas.”

Mark Dulek, curator of the Museum and substitute teacher for PHS, believes that the Museum has a lot to offer the surrounding community.

“The historical ar tifacts it contains and the stories they represent link the ar-

ea’s past to the present, so that museum visitors can understand the hardships and achievements that previous citizens under took to bring us where we are today.”

Despite the Museum’s cultural significance, it has recently been struggling to acquire funding.

“Currently, we find ourselves competing with new museums and other groups in the area for the tax revenues. As costs rise and more money is needed to remain operating, there is less money available.”

That didn’t stop the members of Key Club from volunteering their time to assist the Museum.

Whether it was tidying up the schoolhouse and grocer y store, updating showcases, or polishing

windows, the Key Club volunteers helped out in any way they could.

“They did more quality work in two days than any other volunteer group I have worked with at the museum, and are to be commended,” Dulek added.

David Su, Secretar y of Key Club, didn’t just enjoy helping out a wor thwhile cause.

“I found a lot of really cool ar tifacts that I didn’t know existed so close to home. It’s full of surprises.”

Key Club, as well as Ar t Club, plans to return to the Historical Museum to continue helping out.

Admission to the Crawford County Historical Museum is free for any prospective visitors.

SECTION D

Booster Redux staff and policy Editors-in-Chief Alli Baden Josh Lee Morgan Plank

www.boosterredux.com

OPINION

Friday, Jan. 30 2015

3

To press or not to press?

The grey area of using the freedom of speech

Managing Editors Molly Graham Miranda Moore Coral VanBeceleare

Design Editors Reagan Rink Kailey Curtis

Copy Editor Megan Munger

Online Editors Kailey Curtis

Staff Katy Brown Maddie Baden Meghan Baker Alivia Benedict Lily Black Morgan Burns Ashley Henderson Ethan Hawn Journey Jaramillo Josh Jarvis Gina Mathew Joseph Mathew Trina Paul Kali Poenitske Ivan Walter Jake Webb Kaylah Wilson Lydia Winters

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.

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ETHAN HAWN @ethanhawn888 Maybe this has happened to you: you’re sitting in class and somebody makes an offensive statement. You almost can’t stop yourself from reacting to it, but your better judgment prevails, and you let the person’s statement or action slide.

This is your “filter” in action.

Of course, we all have the capacity (and the right) to say what it is that we want, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we should.

This is not an attack on the freedom of speech. However, with this natural right and freedom, we should use discretion.

Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical publication that was recently terrorized by Muslim extremists in response to an onslaught of suggestive and offensive cartoons. Charlie Hebdo’s publications depicted the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in sexually explicit, pornographic situations, as well as calling the religious leader stupid, oppressive, and homosexual.

Charlie Hebdo’s publications do not exclusively criticize the Prophet Muhammad; their drawings oftentimes poke fun at the Catholic and Jewish faiths as well. The publication is considered satire, so much of what they publish is not to be interpreted seriously. However, because the paper is also considered an atheist publication, they openly defend their attacks on religion.

The freedoms of speech and press are crucial to a functional society. We, in the United States have constitutional amendments securing our rights of speech and press. Likewise, France’s government secures similar rights for their citizens. Additionally, both countries defend separation of church and state.

With that said, the Charlie Hebdo publicists are perfectly within their legal right to publish whatever content they choose, but whether they should or not is debatable. Just because they ‘can’ does not mean that their overt attacks on religion are justified.

In order to create a peaceful environment for international cooperation, people will be forced to look past cultural and religious differences, and choose not to persecute others for their beliefs. Just because you disagree with someone else’s faith does not mean you should attack them for it.

The Middle East has been an area full of political tension for decades. Resolving political issues and defusing threats from extremist groups will never occur by continuing patterns of American

and European arro-

Joeseph Mathew @jmath06 If the name Charlie Hebdo means nothing to you, then you should probably watch more of the news.

Charlie Hebdo is the name of a French satirical magazine. It’s been in the international headlines as of late because on Jan. 7, radical Islamists had stormed the building, killing 11 cartoonists and one French police officer in the process, after it published offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Charlie Hebdo had been no stranger to controversy. The cartoonists of the magazine received death threats by email and phone regularly, but they had never taken them seriously. In 2011, the office in Paris was fire-bombed after publishing a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad.

Following the tragedy, French civilians and cartoonists united under the phrase “Je Suis Charlie.”

I am Charlie.

The magazine found inter-

ART BY ALIVIA BENEDICT

gance that are intended to offend other cultures for their ways of life.

Shortly after the attack on Charlie Hebdo, they released a “Survivors’ Issue,” with (yet another) depiction of the Prophet Muhammad on the cover.

It was at that time that one of the founding members of Charlie Hebdo openly criticized their slain editor for “dragging the team” to their deaths.

In no way were the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo headquarters an appropriate or proportional response to offensive cartoons, and the terrorism that the world has seen in France is despicable. However, at a time when extremist tensions are high, publishing content with the intent to offend only ignites tensions and strengthens movements of violent response.

national support as well.

Hollywood superstars like George Clooney and Jared Leto showed their support for the cause on the Golden Globes red carpet.

However, some have criticized the magazine. They argue that the cartoons are too offensive, and a terrorist attack was inevitable because the magazine simply “crossed the line.”

Even Pope Francis came out in a statement against Charlie Hebdo, warning “one cannot make fun of faith.”

Let me preface this by stating--I have a lot of respect for the faith of Islam.

However, the Charlie Hebdo controversy is not an issue of Islam. It’s an issue of free speech, specifically satire.

As controversial as the French satirical newspaper may have been, no justification exists for the terrorist attack that killed so many innocent lives.

Defending Charlie Hebdo doesn’t make me anti-Islam. And I don’t need to be anti-Islam to be pro-satire. If there’s

black lives matter: racisim isn’t dead Racism is still in effect through police actions against blacks

anything that I’m anti- about, I’m probably anti-people who try to constrain satire.

Satire is the middle child in the Freedom of Expression family. No one ever pays it much attention. But it is indispensable to society, for it allows us the opportunity to criticize established traditions and beliefs. Charlie Hebdo takes pride in being an “equal opportunity offender of religions, groups and individuals.” If the magazine feels an issue needs to be tackled, it will tackle it wholeheartedly.

Anti-satirists, here’s a news flash.

Trying to force other people to respect Islam won’t actually make them respect Islam. Rather, it will only give off the perception that Islam is such a dangerous religion that any criticism will spark an act of extremist terrorism.

As the Independent notes, “Insulating a religion from criticism—surrounding it with an electric fence called “respect”— keeps it stunted at its most infantile and fundamentalist stage.”

Long story short, if we cordon off Islam from social commentary, we will be incapable of changing the Islamophobic mindset rampant in western Europe.

This whole situation isn’t anything new. When Salman Rushdie published The Satanic Verses in 1988, Muslims condemned the book for its blasphemous portrayal of the Prophet. The then-Supreme Leader of Iran even issued a fatwa calling for his death. Ziauddin Yousafzai, though a devout follower of Islam, came to Rushdie’s defense. He defied his friends, exclaiming, “Is Islam such a weak religion that it cannot tolerate a book written against it? Not my Islam!”

The Prophet Muhammad began his teachings around 600 AD. This means Islam has survived more than 1,400 years of human civilization and progress.

Considering its resilience, it should be able to withstand even the most grotesque criticism in 2015.

Before I leave you, know this.

Stéphane Charbonnier was an editor and cartoonist at Charlie Hebdo.

Affectionately known as “Charb”, he was one of those 12 people killed in the recent terrorist attack.

In a 2012 interview, Charb had responded to threats made to the magazine over its representations of the Prophet Muhammad.

He said, “I’d rather die standing up than live on my knees.”

Je Suis Charlie, indeed.

Staff editorial:

CHROMEBOOKS

MOLLY GRAHAM

It is sickening that when caucasian people are found guilty of committing seemingly horrendous Earlier this month, we were given a day off of crimes, those crimes are justified by the saying that school in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr., these individuals were bullied or had past mental the leader of the African American Civil Rights issues. Their accomplishments are listed and it is told Movement. We were taught about how he fought for that they were college bound. But when Brown was African American rights until the day he died. murdered by a police officer after raising his hands in It is sickening that almost 52 years after King gave surrender, he was described by so many as a “thug.” a heart-wrenching speech entitled “I Have a Dream,” People said he had nothing going for himself and we are still seeing, all over the U.S., occurrences of would have eventually ended up in jail. horrible social injustices involving race.

After Wilson was not indicted for the murder of Jared Loughner, a caucasian male, murdered six Brown, the people of Ferguson, and many other citpeople in 2011, including a United States District ies, such as New York City, Dallas, Boston and Los Court Judge and a nine-year-old little girl, as well Angeles, started protesting. Some of the people proas severely injuring a United States Representative, testing burned the American flag. After news of this according to an article written by The Washington made its way from person to person, some people Post. He was apprehended alive by police. were outraged that someone could have done Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African such a thing.

These people were more American male, stole cigars from a angry about the burning of a piece of convenience store and shoved the workcloth than the murder of an ing clerk, according to NBC News. He essentially innocent, was fatally shot 12 times 18-year-old man.

by Darren Wilson, a cauI am disgusted casian Ferguson police to be living at officer. Wilson was not a time that indicted.

African James Eagan Holmes, Americans also a caucasian male, are still killed 12 and wounded being dehu70 people in a movie manized and theater mass shooting, prosecuted for according to The New York something as Times. Just minutes after little as the color firing shots and fleeing the of their skin. theater, Holmes was appreIt is horrifying that hended, alive, by police murderous police offiofficers. cers are walking free Tamir Rice, a 12-yearand, by some, being old African American praised for partaking in male, was, according to what is almost a legal an article written by Vox, a genocide. general interests site, shot I am ultimately heartand killed by a police offibroken that African cer, who fired shots within Americans are having two seconds of arriving on to protest just to remind scene, after a dispatch call was people that their lives made notifying on-duty officers matter.

ART BY ALIVIA BENEDICT that a “young black male” was playing And to the people who with a gun. The gun was described by the bystander think that racism is dead: open your eyes. As long making the 911 call as “probably fake.” This incident as caucasians are continuing to derogatorily use the happened in Ohio, a state that allows open carry of n-word, as long as people do not care about the lives firearms. of black individuals, as long as the KKK is still active, Eric Garner, an African American male who had as long as African Americans are scared for their asthma, according to Time, was killed by a chokehold lives because of police officers, the people who are performed by Daniel Pantaleo, a New York police paid to keep others safe, as long as one of my best officer, because he had been selling individual cigafriends, who is African American, is strangely looked rettes. Garner repeated the phrase “I can’t breathe” at while walking into the grocery store with her cau11 times. 11 times. Pantaleo was not indicted. casian mom, racism is not dead. @molllygraham

Staff takes a look at new technology being implemented in the building THE BOOSTER REDUX STAFF @PHSstudentPub Currently the high school is involved in a pilot program concerning the testing of Chromebooks. The purpose is to test the viability of going to a one-to-one initiative next year, where every student receives an electronic device.

In accordance with USD 250’s goal to give students 21st Century Skills, this is a great step towards effectively teaching students how to utilize technology for their benefit and giving them the skills to succeed in an ever-changing technological world.

Also, with the usage of Canvas, a learning management system similar to what Pittsburg State University uses, the school is giving students the opportunity to become familiar with programs they will be using during higherlevel learning.

Students on our staff are taking classes that utilize the new Chromebooks. They feel that the opportunities that the Canvas program has to offer is really substantial to their ability to learn in and outside of the classroom.

This new technology that we have received is very beneficial to our students and allows them to have more opportunities to succeed.

We applaud the district and our administration as they continue to find ways to improve our education through technology.

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Killing the competition Despite technical difficulties, Unity exceeds expectations Josh Jarvis @JJarvis52 With the Assassin’s Creed franchise releasing a game every year, I become less and less excited for each new title.

I used to line up at GameStop at midnight to get the game as quickly as possible. After years of the same, I got tired of the stealthy old-world simulators. Ubisoft released Assassin’s Creed: Unity in November.

Now in January, I decided to finally try the game out.

I noticed a few minor problems almost instantly.

Due to its massive scale and packed environment, the game will lag at times, but only periodically.

Also, the loading times can be horrendously long. The solid black screen in between scenes has me on my phone for more than a minute on occasion.

Other than that, I haven’t experienced any problems with the game’s performance.

When I was able to focus on the main story instead of the technical bugs I was surprised by its impressive nature.

The French Revolution, the second revolution in the series, did not interest me like the previous games.

Another revolution seemed to me like a copy-and-paste version after the American Revolution in Assassin’s Creed III. However, the enormous French world is fantastic, and the story of Arno and the bloody massacre fighting Louis XVI can be exciting and pleasingly difficult.

The streets are filled with hundreds of furious citizens, though these citizens seem to all be related as I notice the exact same models standing beside one another.

The difficulty seems a bit extreme but I enjoy the challenge and the opportunity to prove my skills as an assassin.

As far as the gameplay goes, it is another Assassin’s Creed game featuring the same controls and missions but with new targets and a few more handy tools. The combat system has updated to make enemies more aggressive and harder to parry, and the parkour system has been enhanced to make control of the assassin easier while scaling buildings.

A new addition that really improves the game is the story-based co-op availability.

If necessary, I can call up some friends and attempt a side quest rescuing an ally as their extraction squad. This co-op version of multiplayer is much more enjoyable than the deathmatch style from previous games.

PHOTO COURTESY OF http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Acunity.jpg

Another step forward for the rehashed gameplay of the franchise is the addition of numerous methodical options during key assassinations in the story.

While pursuing a target in a fortified cathedral I had the option to steal keys in order to gain access to back entrances, kill certain supporters to draw out my target or to charge in throwing caution to the wind. It really felt like I was a unique assassin that controlled his own path.

I was hoping Arno Dorian, the French assassin, would surpass previous assassins in terms of likability and personality. During his younger years, Arno is passionate and exciting. As he matures, Arno loses his fire and becomes more of the emotionless assassin that I’ve grown to know.

While the character might be a little disappointing, the customization options available for your assassin are

plentiful and more in depth than ever before. I spent hours trying to accumulate enough money so I could finally buy more advanced weapons, armor and upgrades.

The skills progression system feels more like a roleplaying game and creates a need for putting in hours gathering experience to level up Arno so he can gain abilities and perks.

So, while the story is intriguing at times, Arno can take a little of the fun out of being an assassin. When not playing the main story, the gigantic world of revolutionary France gives plenty of opportunities for distraction. Even if the massive atmosphere gets boring there is still the option of hopping online with a friend (or three) and sneaking around Paris revolting in a group. Assassin’s Creed: Unity is more than enough for a nice getaway.

STRANGER THaN THEY THOUGHT George Lucas’ newest animation does not live up to past accomplishments ivan walter @ivanthehoss56 George Lucas does it again. Except this time, it’s not one character ruining a movie, it’s all of them. Now I will be honest, I didn’t expect a whole lot out of this movie. From the ver y star t of the movie you are told that there are two sides of a forest, a good and a bad, that are separated by primroses. These primroses are the key to a love potion that has been forbidden by the evil Bog King. The movie then cuts to the main character, Marianne, who is supposed to marr y this Elvis like warrior named Roland. She sings a song or two, then she sees Roland kiss some other girl and proceeds to transform from a white lace-clad princess into some kind of dark makeup wearing leather clad warrior in about thir ty seconds.

Seriously, one minute she can’t hold a sword, the next, she’s Luke Skywalker.

Then she wants to claim that she will never love anyone again, but it’s obvious she will fall for someone.

The rest of the stor y is an adventure of sor ts that I won’t ruin for you but, the outcome won’t surprise you.

I figured it would be just another kid’s movie about a fair y kingdom, but little did I know that more than half of the film’s dialogue would be covers of famous pop songs.

This movie is an attempt to grab the Pitch Per fect and Glee fans by incorporating pop songs as dialogue to help tell the stor y.

The stor y itself isn’t much, but then the way they tr y to sing as their dialogue is just bizarre and quite

honestly a bit annoying.

And, it would’ve been better if maybe the singing was halfway decent, but no, they couldn’t even get that right. The voices didn’t match the music styles and fell shor t on bringing out the emotion that was tr ying to be por trayed through these song snippets.

Other musical car toons, like Frozen for example, have their own original songs that are tied right into the stor y and help to make relevant plot points. They don’t throw in Kelly Clarkson and Bob Marley songs that only seem to distract from what little plot there is.

I really liked Pitch Per fect and even appreciate what Glee has done to show how all people are more than just a cliche or stereotype. Both of those shows give depth to their characters.

Jocks can be expressive. Beauty queens can be gay. Disabled kids are included and appreciated. No one in these shows are made up of a single dimension.

Strange Magic seems to tr y to go down this path but never gets the message right.

The strong female character is quickly subver ted by herself and her father. Marianne’s father is not suppor tive at all. He tells Marianne that her sister is being too f lir tatious, but in the same sentence tells her she needs to settle down and get married to a man who cheated on her. The Bog King hates love, because he’s a cliche evil person. It’s all ver y one note.

If you were planning on seeing this movie, I would strongly advocate against it. It was a waste of a night that could have been spent on something more interesting, like learning the kazoo. The only reason you should want to see it is to laugh at the poor quality of this film.

STRANGE MAGIC

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PHOTO COURTESY OF http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjA0NjU3MTU5OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMTYyMDQ3MzE@.

Graphic By: Reagan Rink

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/RussellWilson _ _vVikings,_ _ s November4 _,_2012.jpg

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road to recovery: survivors’ story MEgan munger @DragonsTwirler aking up on the cold ground, clueless, unable to move.

“My first thoughts were ‘what am I doing here and how did this happen?’” freshman Autumn Bell said. “Then, I saw the police officer and he [explained it all] to me.”

On the morning of Nov. 3, Bell was involved in a car wreck that resulted in the death of junior Noah Kirsch. In addition to Bell and Kirsch, three other juveniles were involved, two of which are high school students, sophomore Preston Herzog and freshman Hannah Newcomer. At the time of the wreck, none of the passengers were wearing their seatbelts.

Both Bell and Herzog woke up on the scene but, Newcomer did not.

“I blacked out and woke up at the hospital,” Newcomer said. “I didn’t really know what happened and I was shocked [after I was told].”

All three students suffered injuries and were taken to Freeman Hospital in Joplin.

“I had a cracked rib and a collapsed lung,” Bell said. “I was [only] in the hospital for a couple of days.”

Bell suffered the least of the injuries and returned to school a week and a half after the wreck, much sooner than Herzog and Newcomer did.

Both Herzog and Newcomer were in the

W

At the seatbelt assembly, sophomore Preston Herzog speaks to the school about the consequences of not wearing your seatbelt, having first hand knowledge of it. PHOTO BY MADDY EMERSON

destined for disney Ashley henderson & journey jaramillo @phsstudentpub On Thanksgiving day, junior Devon Coulter decided that she would make a commercial and enter it in the Show Your Disney Side contest.

She recently learned that she was one of the 20 winners out of 2,500 people that were entered. As a reward for being a winner in this contest Coulter won a trip to a convention that would take place in Disney World. She left for the trip on Jan. 15 and was there for four days.

Coulter learned about this contest after seeing a first look commercial at the movie theatre. This is her first time being involved in something like this. “[Being there] felt good and it was a neat experience,” Coulter said. “It was really exciting and I got to do a lot of once and a lifetime things.”

There were about 100 people at the convention in Disney World including the 20 winners. At the convention, the winners were asked to take a place in the parks and show off their Disney Side. In doing this, the winners were being recorded expressing themselves by doing the things that they enjoy.

Then, the video was uploaded to Youtube for the Show Your Disney Side channel.

In making her commercial, her step-father acted as her cameraman and director. Coulter had to borrow her mother’s wedding dress to use in the commercial.

Her commercial is about a couple on their wedding day that have already started leaving, when the bride remembers that she forgot some-

hospital for roughly two weeks, and following that, they both spent six weeks in recovery.

Herzog was in a wheelchair until he was able to walk, and Newcomer spent those six weeks in a neck and back brace.

They returned to school six weeks after the wreck, four weeks after Bell returned. Herzog had compression fractures and a dislocated hip while Newcomer broke her sternum, neck and back.

“It was hard being at home everyday for six weeks, but I got through

“

funeral due to their injuries and their hospital stay. However, Bell was able and attended.

“My cousin was there [which helped me],” Bell said. “[His death] was sad and painful.”

Even though the wreck was almost three months ago, the loss of Kirsch is still present and, according to school psychologist Beth Stockard, that is completely acceptable and normal for all of the students who were affected.

“Unless you’re a person who has a psycholog-

it kind of woke me up and made me realize that i needed to change nge for the better.

”

- HANNAH NEWCOMER

it,” Newcomer said. “I’m a stronger person now because of it.”

For all three of them however, the injuries were not the worst part.

They all agreed that the loss of Kirsch was greater.

“It was sad because he was a really good friend.

He wasn’t family but, he was really close [to me] so it still hurt [a lot],” Newcomer said. “Not being able to see him [or talk to him] makes me regret ever getting in [that] car. I know that there is nothing I can do about it because what happened, happened. I am pretty sad about losing Noah though.”

Neither Newcomer nor Herzog attended Kirsch’s

ical disorder and cannot feel things emotionally then you will have some sort of guilt [or grief],” Stockard said. “How a person deals with that though, depends on [the situation at hand]. If [a person] is part of an accident then it’s more traumatic so [that process] is going to be harder for them.”

In addition to the injuries, the loss and the guilt, Newcomer, Herzog and Bell all have learned a few things from this experience.

“It made me realize that I need to make better choices,” Newcomer said.

“I never thought I’d get [into] a wreck and [then this happened]. It kind of

woke me up and made me realize that I needed to change for the better.”

Like Newcomer, Herzog feels the same.

“It’s made me more perceptive and aware,” Herzog said. “[I’ve learned] to watch who I get in the car with and to buckle up.”

Considering none of the passengers were wearing seatbelts, they are extremely lucky to be alive, according to School Resource Officer David Petrey.

“I wasn’t there, so what I know is what I’ve read in reports but, I think that they would’ve been a lot safer if they would’ve stayed in the car. They were very lucky that they weren’t hurt any worse than what they were, and it is very surprising that they came out of it as well as the did,” Petrey said.

“I’m surprised that they weren’t killed because I’ve [worked with] many rollovers as a trooper and it’s very rare that [the passengers] walk away.

They’re very lucky and I’m thankful that they did walk away.”

Along with Petrey, all three students are thankful to be alive. They are also thankful to have made a full recovery in only a few months.

“It took awhile for me to be able to talk about it, because I’d never had something like [this] happen to me before and my dad thought the worst of me,” Bell said. “It was hard because it was a hard situation. I’m just thankful that we’re all okay.”

Coulter wins video contest, awarded with trip to the place where dreams come true

thing. In the commercial, the couple pulls back up to their house and the bride runs inside. The groom sits in the car for a while waiting for his wife. All of a sudden, you see her come running out of the house with all of her Disney stuffed animals. Then, she loads them up and the couple is on their way.

“Filming this commercial was pretty fun,” Coulter said. “I just couldn’t wait to see how it would turn out. I think it ended up looking good overall.”

Coulter has been a big fan of Disney all of her life and hopes that one day she can make all of this a part of her future.

“I have been interested in Disney forever,” Coulter said. “I hope to work with them someday [because] everything about it is fascinating.”

Coulter’s close friend sophomore Lydia Winters has been a supporter in her Disney dreams for a long time. “[Devon] worked really hard in making her video,” Winters said. “For as long as I can remember Disney has always been something that she has loved.

Coulter is also very interested in a future career in screenwriting. She believes this contest will have benefited her. “[Being involved in this contest] will look good on a college application, since I want to go into that type of field,” Coulter said.

After having this experience, she has decided that she would like to begin making videos about her work and uploading them to her own Youtube channel.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KATY BROWN

Rules of the Road The Basic Speed Rule

Example:

This law states that no person can drive a vehicle any faster than is reasonable and prudent to the actual hazards then existing.

Fourth Street has a speed limit of 40 miles per hour, but the road is slick and icy. Your speed is 30 miles per hour but you slide off the side of the road and hit a parked car. Even though you are driving under the posted speed limit, you can still be cited under the Basic Speed Rule

*Info compiled by Kansas Highway Patrol

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Sitting in the bed of a truck, senior David Su particpates in an extra ciricular event by helping out the Wesley House during the Horn of Plenty food drive. This is one many events Su participates in. PHOTO BY BILL LACKAMP

setting The standard for involvement Senior student stays busy being involved in multiple extra circular activities meghan baker & ashley henderson @MeghanBaker11 rying to tackle homework, school involvement, and a social life may seem overwhelming, but senior David Su is up to the challenge.

Su started joining multiple clubs his junior year and decided to continue through his senior year. It was not a goal of his to join multiple clubs, but rather, Su has many interests and discovered there were school clubs that coincided with his interests. He got information about clubs through school announcements and other students.

T

Su is currently involved in ten different clubs including forensics, national honor society, scholars bowl, debate, Spanish club, art club, philosophy club, psychology club, key club, and science club.

“I’m busy Tuesdays and Thursdays for club meetings, and then Wednesdays for debate,” Su said.

Being involved in school may indicate socialness, however for Su this was not the case. Although he may be more reserved, he still leaves a positive impression on his club sponsors.

“I’m sort of antisocial and I’m trying to get away from that to meet new

people and do more stuff,” Su said.

Involvement didn’t just help Su get over shyness, but it is also benefitting his future. Su has been given chances he would not have had if it were not for joining school clubs.

“These clubs will help with my people skills, meeting new people, and having new experiences,” Su said.

PHS offers its students a variety of 26 total clubs and organizations, and out of all of them philosophy club is Su’s favorite. He is president of philosophy club, which means he gets to start topics the club discusses. They meet once a month for about an hour

in Ruth Wood’s classroom.

For Su, being too busy is not an excuse to try less. He still puts full effort into his activities. “[David Su] always has insightful input to strengthen and make things go better,” Art club sponsor Rebecca Lomshek said.

Lomshek is not the only sponsor that has noticed Su’s involvement.

Key club sponsor Lynn Shultze agrees Su is a helpful addition to the club “[David Su] is a really nice, creative, empathetic person who likes giving back to his community,” Shultze said.

playing Beyond the Field Students in percussion get more opportunities to show off skills Meghan Baker @MeghanBaker11 A unique opportunity to continue the marching band atmosphere during football games was given to eight drummers for basketball season.

“We have such a large percussion section [and during] concert band they don’t get a whole lot of the same activity that they do during marching band season because there just aren’t parts for everybody,” band director Cooper Neil said.

With the winter drumline available this year, the percussion section has even more

performances, giving mester which is somethem an opportunity thing that I felt I didn’t unlike any that they do very well last year,” Munger said. have had before.

This is the first time In addition to the percussion section, sopho- in school history that there has more been a feature In this kind of winter t wirler performance [the drumline, Megan but the Mungmusic] would be s e a s on e r well thought out, isn’t the t wirls great sticking, only thing at half great sound, flats that is t ime go all together. different. w it h According w inter -ETHAN ORTIZ to junior dr umEthan Ortiz the type of line.

“I really like twirling performance and sound with winter drumline of the performance is because I get to stay different due to the difconnected with the ferent atmospheres.

“In football perforband during second se-

“

”

mances it can be loud, obnoxious, it can have this large sound,” Ortiz said. “In this kind of performance [the music] would be well thought out, great sticking, great sound, flats go all together.”

So far, the Winter Drumline has performed at one basketball game. They hope to perform at one or two more and it is not stopping there.

“Percussion ensemble will take a piece to district solo and ensemble festival,” Neil said.

“If they win a one there, then they will advance to state and perform there.”

Grasping his symbols, Caleb Dial plays his instrument during one of winter drum lines. The winter drum lines were introduced this year during the basketball games to add in extra playing time for the band students. PHOTO

BY ABBY HARRIS

THESPIANS ATTEND CONFERENCE TO ENHANCE 32 theatre students learn, audition and compete at the state level Maddie Baden Kali poenikske @MaddieBaden @Kali _ Poenitske For three days, 1,200 thespians shared one auditorium, and came together to grow in different aspects of theatre.

This took place at the annual Kansas Thespian Conference on Jan. 8-10.

“My favorite part of conference was being around all of the thespians,” freshman Cassie Hurt-McLarty said.

“And seeing a bunch of people that actually like theatre and are willing to deal with other crazy people.”

Theatre director Greg Shaw, along with 32 students, attended six workshops during the conference.

Students could choose from 100150 different workshops

which ranged from acting to dance to improv to technical theatre.

One class that stood out to Hurt-McLarty was a playwriting class.

“It was my favorite because it was fun to see an interesting group of people with creative ideas, and we all got to share ideas,” Hurt-McLarty said.

During the conference, students could participate in group or individual competitions such as the lobby display contest and the tech olympics.

The Drama Club placed first in the lobby display.

This is the sixth consecutive year winning this award.

“We try to do very well [in this event] every year and we have had some success in it. That’s kind of exciting,” Shaw said.

In individual competiFor the first time, the tions, such as the Lighting conference held audiTechnical Theatre Com- tions for an all-state mupetition, junior Jack War- sical, James and the Giring received third place ant Peach. Students from and junior Jon Commons all over Kansas were able placed to audifift h. tion.

The tech “ T h e The auditions t e a m idea of the were intense. placed state show We had to have s event h is that the a prepared song most talover a ll, and had to sing which is ented kids the highfrom all in front of three est they over the judges, who have ever state can always looked finishe d audition,” angry. in the Shaw said.

-JACK WARRING competiWarring tion. auditioned for the show During the night, stu- and received the part of dents participated in late the centipede, which is night events such as the one of nine lead roles.

Creative Costume Con“The auditions were test and speed charades. intense. We had to have Students who competed a prepared song and in speed charades made had to sing in front of three judges, who always it to the semi-finals.

“

”

looked angry,” Warring said. “With the school shows you know who you are auditioning for, but you don’t know who these people are or what they like and what they don’t like.”

Commons tried out for the tech crew and was one of four to be chosen.

Out of 63 students auditioning, only 24 made it into the cast and crew.

Rehearsals for the cast and crew will be at Century 2 Convention Center in Wichita starting in April.

“In June they will spend a week [rehearsing]. They will also spend three weekends during the school year [in rehearsal]. Next year at conference they will put it on stage,” Shaw said. “They will also adjudicate it for nationals,

which are in Nebraska during the summer.

Eighteen months from now, hopefully, they will qualify and will be performing in Lincoln, Nebraska in front of 10,000 plus students that go to the national conference, and be one of the 20-25 shows.”

After all the events, and competitions, that took place are completed, Shaw was pleased with the outcome and growth of the thespians.

“We feel very fortunate to be able to take the time away from school and get to go do those things,” Shaw said.

“We know that it’s hard, but we really think that 100% of our time away is educational and that’s why we pick that one event every year to make sure that we attend.”

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sports

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7

smith puts in work Junior basketball player focuses on favorite sport MORGAN PLANK @momoplank asketball is not just a winter sport for junior Kyle Smith; it is a year-round sport.

Smith ended his freshman and sophomore year as a three-sport athlete, but before his junior year he decided to focus solely on one sport: basketball.

[I decided to give up my other sports] so I would have more time [for basketball],” Smith said. “It gives me another chance to work out and play on travel teams.”

Throughout the year, Smith plays on two traveling teams, the Gunners and the SEK Stars.

In addition, he is pursuing a third team, the OKAN Outlaws. However, they do not play during the school season.

Smith has been around the game his whole life and has played basketball since the age of six.

“Growing up I was around it more than I was any other sport and I feel like that is why I like it more,” Smith said.

“Basketball is just different than any other sport. When I play other sports, I feel like I have to do it, and when I play basketball, I want to do it.”

Smith puts in around two and a half hours every weekday on his own, in the offseason, honing his skills.

“I usually go to the middle school and work out with the middle school coaches,” Smith said. “I do drills with Coach Hanson and Tim Simpson. We have defenders, we

B

Playing against Louisburg, junior Kyle Smith crosses over on an opposing team player. Basketball never stops for Smith, who practices every day of the off season.

PHOTO BY ABBY HARRIS

work a lot on dribbling, post moves and shooting.”

During the season, Smith continues to find additional ways to work on his skills.

“He is going to take advantage of any opportunity he can get. If we have a practice that is on the weekend or over break, he is almost always one of the first guys here to get extra shots in and to work on his game,” said Kiley Roelfs, head boys basketball coach.

“He loves the game and he wants to be really good at it.

Anytime the gym is open, he is going to be the guy in the gym trying to get something

done.”

Roelfs believes that the hard work Smith has put it is evident on the court.

“He did work on his game a lot this summer and I think it is showing in those skills he has improve d on. When you do that, when you -ELIJAH improve those skills, you tend to just be a more confident player and I think you can see that

“”

shooting for success Girls basketball team work as family to achieve wins lily black @PHSstudentPub Girls basketball started out the season with five wins in their first nine games. They also have won two out of five games in the SEK League.

“The team has been successful this year, because the players we have out for the team are hard-working, dedicated, and passionate about improving and being the best they can be,” head girl’s basketball coach Kim O’Bray said. “They hold themselves and Focusing on the basket, senior Katy Short gets ready each other accountable.” to shoot a free throw against Labette County. The Last season, the team did not do as well as Grizzlies defeated the Dragons 52-44 Jan. 16. “It was they hoped, ending the season with a record disappointing because we were winning in the first of 6-15, but this season they are making half and we just fell apart during the second half,” Short said. PHOTO BY MADDY EMERSON more progress.

“We mesh more than we did last year. We play together [more] instead of as separate “Rashell Yockey is helping John Seal people,” senior Katy Short said. “You could coach our incoming freshmen players, as say we work harder as a family.” well as assisting with the jv and varsity playWith the team doing better this season, ers, too.” they are also bonding more, and not just in With the team winning more this season, school, either. they are also working harder.

“We really concentrate “The team puts a lot of on the aspect of becomeffort into practice. They ing a family,” sophomore come every day with the Logan Lord said. “Its really goal of building on their helped us play on the court strengths and getting bettogether,” ter at their weaknesses,” Along with the changes O’Bray said. “This is one of that the players have implethe hardest-working groups mented this year, the coachof girls I have had the priviing staff has also changed. lege of coaching.”

-LOGAN LORD “There have been a few The team is working tweaks and additions to some of our offen- harder this season, and it is paying off. There sive and defensive sets and tactics this year, are eight games left this season, not includjust as there are every year.” O’Bray said. ing sub-state and state.

“Probably the biggest change is that we have “The team has grown big time considertwo new coaches on staff: Keith Matlock is ing we only won six games last year to being my lead assistant, which means he assists 6-5 [this year],” junior Ashlee Beitzinger me with the varsity team, and is the head jv said. “That is a big step for us and we are coach,” O’Bray said. hoping to keep going and to keep winning.”

“” We really c o n c e n t r at e on the aspect of becoming a family.

confidence level in him.” Roelfs said. “Anytime you have a player like that, it can be contagious. I think guys see that, a varsity basketball player and a leader on your team doing those extra things, and I think it gets younger guys energized and thinking about doing the same thing as well.” youngHARRIS er Smith’s teammates look up to him as a key member of the team with a crucial role.

When Kyle is doing good, everyone feeds off the energy he makes.

Sports briefs

WRITTEN BY MORGAN PLANK

JV wrestling Dylan Prince and Devron Duncan took first in their divisions at the JV wrestling tournament on Jan. 24. Tomorrow the team will travel to Fort Scott.

Varsity wrestling The varsity wrestling team has placed seventh, tenth and fifteenth in various tournaments the past two weeks. Tomorrow they will be traveling to Chanute for an all day tournament.

“I see Kyle as one of the leaders on the team. When Kyle is doing good, everyone feeds off the energy he makes,” sophomore Elijah Harris said.

“He is very unselfish when he plays and he’s always thinking about his teammates. He is an easy teammate to play with.”

Smith’s goal for the season is to make First Team All-SEK. However, his long term goal is to play for a Division 1 college and continue play at the professional level.

“It’s something that I want to do for the rest of my life, I love playing the game,” Smith said.

homecoming

spirit week days Monday school spirit day

shrine bowl Senior Sage Mahnken has been selected to the Shrine Bowl that will take place July 25 in Hays, Kan.

Frosh girls bball The freshmen girls team is 8-4.

Last week they took first place in the Columbus Tournament. Their next game is Feb. 6.

Frosh boys bball The freshmen boys team is undefeated with a 13-0 record.

On Tues., they clinched a double overtime win against Paola. Their next game will be on Feb. 6.

JV girls bball The JV girls team is 7-4. The next time they take the court will be Feb. 6 versus Coffeyville.

JV boys bball The JV boys are 7-3 with their next appearance being Tues. Feb. 3 at home. Tip off will be at 4:30.

varsity girls bball The girls varsity team has a record of 6-5. They will be playing tonight at 6:30 in Carthage against Republic. They will be returning there Sat. to play their last game of the tournament.

varsity boys bball The varsity boys team is 2-9 with wins against Joplin and Chanute.

Their next game will be home Tues. Feb. 3 versus Riverton. The team will take the court at 7 p.m.

Tuesday throwback Tuesday

Wednesday class color day

Thursday hat day

Friday dress like a kid day

8 SPORTS

Friday, Jan. 30, 2015

www.boosterredux.com SECTION D

Senior Year Statistics:

more than just a hunt Students, teachers spend free time embracing the outdoors waiting for the perfect shot

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MIRANDA MOORE

ALLI BADEN @AlliBaden

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t is 4:30 a.m. on a Saturday, but sophomore Josh Newport is wide awake. He is preparing himself for a full day of hunting.

He gets dressed, grabs his gear, then heads for the woods in hopes of harvesting something big whether it be a turkey, duck, or deer. Sometimes he is successful, other times he comes back empty-handed.

For each different type of hunting, there are different tags, a specific permit for each animal that is killed, that are needed in order to hunt. For deer hunting, a deer license for a year or a lifetime tag is required. In order to duck hunt, it is necessary to obtain state and federal tags, and a hunting license. But with plentiful hunting grounds and a wide variety of animals, students and teachers take advantage of the ability to hunt animals in Kan., especially during the winter time.

“I enjoy just the appreciation of the outdoors, nature and the time to be able to be out there and reflect,” math teacher Kris Mengarelli said. “It is pretty cool when you are sitting there and the whole world wakes up, it would be quiet and then the birds start singing and the sun starts shining and then you start seeing deer moving.”

According to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, the extended white tail deer season ends tomorrow and duck season has been over since Jan. 25, but the white fronted geese and elk seasons are in full swing. Although, deer season is senior Lucas Redd’s priority, he believes that duck hunting gives a hunter a higher success rate in terms of animals shot.

“With deer hunting, you might not see anything one day and you might see everything the next. And duck hunting is hunting with your friends more and you can shoot a lot of birds most of the time,” Redd said.

-KRIS “For me [ducking hunting is more successful] because I am a picky deer hunter. I do not just shoot anything, I bypass a lot of deer each year and as far as ducks, we kill a lot more ducks than we do deer.”

Redd also believes that weather can play

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an important role when it comes to hunting.

“If it is windy and cooler out, the ducks will fly better and same with the deer. Every single hunt you have to base it off the wind direction that way they do not smell you,” Redd said.

Mengarelli believes the hunt is not always about the prize, however.

“I think sometimes hunters have a bad rep for being blood thirsty animals when in fact they are way beyond that, I do not worry about the trophy,” Mengarelli said. “So for me, I appreciate being out in creation and seeing those things.”

Redd also agrees with Mengarelli.

MENGARELLI “For me personally, it is not always about the kill of something. I just enjoy being out there and watching nature come to life. Most of my best hunts have been empty handed,” Redd said.

According to Newport, however, meat is the main reason for hunting animals.

I enjoy just the appreciation of the outdoors, nature and the time to be able to be out there and reflect.

”

“[After we shoot them] we clean them and get the meat that is used mostly for food,” Newport said.

Along with using animals for meat, people also hunt in order to control the animal population, according to sophomore Kolton Darrow.

“This is a big issue,” Darrow said. “[For example,] coyotes. If you do not control the coyote population, that will drive the deer population out completely. So we have to kill certain things to keep everything in line.”

When hunting different animals, different techniques are used in order to lure an animal in, but they all share one common ground, patience.

“If you are deer hunting, you are sitting up in a tree, if you are duck hunting, you are sitting in a duck blind, it is all lots of patience,” Darrow said. “It is kind of doubtful, if nothing shows up or if nothing flies in.”

And for Mengarelli, the way he looks at being patient is what makes his hunting trip successful.

“I think if you are out for a successful hunt, as in killing something every time, you will be disappointed,” Mengarelli said. “But if you are out to enjoy being outside and seeing what is out there and enjoying nature then it is easy to be patient.”

hunters versus anti-hunters Hunter’s perspective on the common misconceptions JAMES CLARK @James_Clark16 have been hunting almost all of my life. Over the years I have learned about the political world of hunting from watching television shows and reading maga-

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zines. One object that stands out is the number of anti-hunters against hunting. Numerous anti-hunters criticize the hunting world on a daily basis.

These anti-hunters believe that hunting is just a violent, mur-

derous form of recreation. Critics believe that all hunters are doing is killing off populations of wildlife for pure joy.

Well that is where you are all wrong.

We are not murderous. Only poachers

madison vogel Written by Kaylah Wilson Design by Reagan Rink

Girl hunter shoots down stereotypes Hunting is not just for boys and if anyone can break that stereotype, it is freshman Madison Vogel.

“Girls can hunt [along with boys].

When [boys] think that they can [hunt] better, it is not [necessarily true],” Vogel said. “Girls like me, we hunt when we don’t play sports or when it’s deer season so we’re [just] as good as [boys].”

Vogel has been hunting for as long as she can remember, starting at six years old.

“My dad is really big on hunting and he would always take me with him,” Vogel said. “I just followed in his footsteps.”

Vogel is not afraid to get out there and get dirty.

“I recommend it, but if they’re more city girls and kind of prissy I wouldn’t,” Vogel said. “It could get kind of gross when you gut and [everything], but I would recommend it definitely.”

Vogel’s father taught her how to hunt and she hunts regularly with him. She enjoys it and plans to continue hunting.

“I like the adrenaline after you shoot,” Vogel said. “It’s always fun to be in a deer state, to see what you get and see what you need to work on with your shot.”

Crouching in knee-deep water, senior Austin Sievert patiently waits for birds to come within shooting range. A man-made marsh located by St. Paul, commonly referred to as the refuge, refers to nearly three hundred acres of land free to hunt by anyone with the correct permits. “I like hunting at the refuge because even if you never fire a shot, you will always see ducks because they are thousands out there,” Sievert said. “But it’s annoying because it seems like they know when hunting hours are over and come out and fly over you just to taunt you.” PHOTO BY MIRANDA MOORE

are murderous because they take game illegally.

As hunters, we harvest game for our own individual and even family need. While out hunting, hunters pursue game in a fair-chase manor. Fair-chase hunting is hunting wild animals, with no high fences and in a legal method.

Even when we are hunting, hunter’s worldwide are donating to wildlife conservation through the purchase of tags and permits.

Conservation is one of the most effective methods of wildlife restoration not only in Kansas, but the whole world. Hunters are the reason most wildlife populations are thriving, because our money goes to provide the wildlife with a safe environment. Conservation helps build up wildlife refuges and helps purchase and restore public wildlife areas. Both of these areas provide a home for all kinds of animals and a safe environment to grow and mature.

These areas also provide hunters with a place to go to harvest nature’s creation for their own need.

Notice I said harvest, we do not kill, we harvest.

Harvesting is just like any other farmer in the United States; just like crops, we are harvesting game for our bodies

to consume the beneficial nutrients of fresh meat.

Being able to obtain fresh meat from nature itself is one of the most pure treasures. There are no preservatives and the meat is the healthiest cut if prepared correctly. With hunters taking pride in harvesting game in a fair-chase manner and obtaining fresh meat, we often speak negatively towards processing and slaughterhouses.

That steak you had for dinner, it started in a cattle yard, where hundreds of cattle roam through the muddy trenches to troughs once or twice a day and await their death sentence. The cattle are then slaughtered and doused with chemicals to make the meat safe and lasting. The meat is then packaged and sent to stores so that you can happily eat an animal that never even had a chance.

Is that what you antihunters want?

Hunters take pride and passion in what they do.

Seeing these methods of gaining meat only makes us even more active in the hunting world.

So next time you think about protesting against hunters, look around you. Take a trip out to Big Brutus and witness what all hunters have given to you.