Volume 3 Issue 3
February 26, 2013
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Back to the Future Sadie’s By Tess Harms Editor-in-Chief When January rolls around, the air is full of girls sharing how they asked that super cute guy to the dance in February. Guys are thinking of how to respond to the creative way the pretty girl asked. Sadie’s has come to West. The theme for Sadie’s this year was Back to the Future. It was created by the sophomores in student council. “We came up with the theme in one of our Sophomore StuCo Meetings and we were just brainstorming, and then someone said, ‘Back to the Future,’ and we all stared in amazement and said, ‘YES,’” said sophomore Patrick Gomez. Gomez was in the ticket and flyer committee. His committee went around campus posting the posters and flyers about the spirit days and the dance. They also designed the tickets. Student Council started prepping for the dance as soon as second semester started with commercial making, poster painting, and so forth. Conitinued on page 6
Learning to Go Green
By Chevaya Silaski Entertainment Editor
Photo credit: sistersgrinn.wordperss.com
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Photo credit: Tess Harms
Environmental students are learning how to keep the world looking beautiful and clean.
The world is starting to go green and WCTA’s Environmental Sciences is the place to be for the change. Under the guidance of Jeffrey Gromny, students have the ability to learn about different environmental factors in their surroundings. “I am very pleased with everyone this year,” said Gromny. Environmental has taken over helping with the greenhouse, from watering and replanting plants to keeping the turtle pond under control. The Earth Club is making the school a greener place with the recycling project. continued on page 5
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Opinion
Missing the high school experience? By Aleigh Blake Reporter Students that attend WCTA sometimes miss the high school life. WCTA doesn’t have the same high school experience as public high school. We all miss something Some of the High School experiences that WCTA students are missing out on are football games, prep rallies, and a lot of sports.. Freshman Hailey Calhoun plays soccer for Palo Verde High School. “I miss that WCTA does not have is sports.” said Calhoun. Junior Katie Gorczyca swims, runs, and cycles for Centennial High School.
“I like WCTA because it seems [like] we get more freedom.”
“I miss the football games, sports to compete in statewide and competitions,” said Gorczyca. “I would want more spirit with the sports and sport games to go and watch. We don’t have these things because we are a magnet school.”
However, there are benefits and advantages with coming to a career and technical academy. “I like WCTA because it seems [like] we get more freedom and the teachers seem to trust us more,” said Calhoun.
Freshman Hailey Calhoun enjoys the freedom of West, but wishes that there were sports.
With every high school comes things that are liked and things that are not liked. Does that mean that we miss the high school experience? Just because, sports aren’t a part of WCTA right now does not mean that students are missing out. There are after school clubs and activities that add to the high school experience and students can still participate in sports for their zoned school. There is no perfect high school. Photo credit: Bridget Mijares
Has twitter taken Bieber Fever to the extreme? By Haddar Ben-Shimon Features Editor
were saying about Bieber was true, so they just jumped to conclusions. Then, they started cutting themselves. It just goes to show how rash people can be, and it’s astonishing how they could do all of this over a pop star.”
When pictures of Justin Bieber smoking weed showed up on the internet Bieber fans posted pictures of themselves cutting on Twitter. The #cut4bieber was started as a joke but it seems that some girls are taking it seriously. Everyone knows who he is, many people either like or dislike the 18 year old singer of the hit song “Boyfriend”. A new hashtag started on Twitter on Jan. 7, 2013. . It is called #cuttingforbeiber - a supposed protest against the superstar’s alleged drug use by way of self injury. “The fact that some girls are willing to physically harm themselves over some guy they’ll never know in real life is sad and absolutely absurd,” said sophomore Amy Schlanger. #Cuttingforbeiber trended quickly with Twitter users posting photos of self-harm and some taking the hashtag another way by posting photos of themselves cutting paper. “I believe that a student will turn to cutting himself or herself because they’re feeling so much pain and so much stressing their lives that they don’t really know how to deal with it,” said counselor Mary Darby. Nobody is completely sure as to whether the photos of arms gashing with blood are from the Internet, or of actual users harming themselves. “Well, I think that it is utterly ridiculous to be quite honest,” said sophomore Sabrina Close. “First of all, they didn’t even have proof that what they
Most are likely just Google Images, but some users are probably actually cutting themselves. “By cutting themselves, they tend to want to… I feel that subconsciously that they want to scream out to the world, ‘I need help, I need someone to take notice of me, and I’m in trouble.’ I feel like it is a way that they come forward and say ‘I need someone to take my hand and help me through this’, even though they may not... on the surface, they may not think that’s why they are doing it, but I think subconsciously they are,” said Darby. For this reason, many have begun to tweet rude statements about how self harm is pointless. “I don’t doubt that some users did actually cut themselves ,” said Close. “Some people are extremists who, no doubt out of their love for Beiber, did decide to cut. Self harm is pointless for it won’t solve anything though I am not trying to offend those who view it as their only option.” It’s not just the cutting that’s pointless, it’s the whole hashtag that is pointless, and the Twitter user that made this hashtag has already done something similar before, creating a hashtag called #baldforbeiber after getting false evidence that seemed real that Justin Bieber had cancer so fans would shave their heads. “Honestly, I think Twitter is a waste of time,” said Patrick. “People want to know what other people are doing and sometimes, I just think there is such thing as knowing too much about someone.”
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Opinion
Fiscal Cliff: the money of the nation By Brett Bialik Assistant Editor-in-Chief So, how did you spend your New Year’s? Congress spent it bickering and being useless. For years we the government has been throwing money around and now the United States is in a debt of about 58 trillion dollars according to the U.S. Debt Clock. In the summer of 2011, house speaker, John Boehner, met with President Barack Obama to make a deal on taking care of this debt. In exchange for a delay, the debt limit was raised. Now, the debt limit would be like taking a credit card over your spending limit, then buying a new one. The debate was delayed, causing a Fiscal Cliff, which brings us to New Year’s Day. A deal was made by the senate and later passed by the house. They decided to raise taxes on those making 400,000 dollars per year, and they added debt by giving tax breaks to eight corporations. In March, it starts all over again. We have the Debt Limit and a group of mandatory cut known as Sequestration. The debt limit is the total amount of money that the United States
Photo credit: CBS News
Congress met on January 1, 2013, to make a discuss and decide what would happen with the taxes and the debt of the nation as many of the tax bills expired with the new year. government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, and other payments. Not raising the limit would be catastrophic, and would put us back into a recession. We have to raise it, but we also have to do things to lower our debt. Cuts need to be made. According to Boehner, “the tax issue is resolved.” The government has many programs. Now we could just raise the limit, but, that would simply add longevity to the issue. We as a country cannot simply have these monetary ‘showdowns’ all the time. We need to form a budget, something that has not been done since 2009. We need reforms, not promises of reforms. We need action, not words.
They decided to raise taxes on those making $400,000.
Perfection is overrated
Photo credit: Jordan Contreras
By Tess Harms Editor-in-Chief Every day of high school, girls wake up and pick out their perfect ensemble. They put on their makeup and style their hair until it hangs just right. Girls make sure that they look amazing before they walk out the door. Society pressures us to look perfect. On the cover of a magazine there are highlights talking about new diets and ways to get a flat stomach in six weeks. Girls discuss their weight and how they wish they could shed those extra pounds. Gaining weight is like an apocalypse for most. Is there too much focus on appearance? Girls worry constantly about whether they gained extra weight, if their makeup is messed up, or if they will fit in with what they are wearing. The stigma that is put on girls to look like they stepped out of a magazine is causing psychological and dangerous diseases. According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health close to 8 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder. One in 200 females suffer from Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia Nervosa has the highest fatality rate of mental illnesses. People that suffer from anorexia take in as little food as possible and exercise as much as they can. They starve themselves to death without realizing it. In their eyes they see themselves as fat and ugly even though in reality they are skeletal and inches away from death. People that develop eating disorders cannot stop even if they want to because they become addicted to their disorder. Most models for magazines have eating disorders, as do some celebrities. Karen Carpenter, a famous singer from the 1970s, died from anorexia in 1983. French model, Isabelle Caro, died in 2010 from anorexia. Demi Lovato went to rehab for bulimia in 2010. It is clear that the mentality that “thin is better” is plaguing celebrities in the media. According to a survey done by the Girls Scouts of America nine out of 10 American girls, ages 13 to 17, have at one point felt pressured to be skinny. According to We News sixty percent of girls from grades fifth to twelfth say that their ideas on what size and weight is acceptable are influenced heavily by the magazines they read.
The pressure that is put on girls to be perfect has resulted in several girls around the world suffering frop eating disorders. A healthy BMI range for women is between 18.5 and 24.9. A BMI below 16 is considered to be starvation. In 2006 Madrid, Spain put the first restriction on BMI’s in models for Madrid’s Fashion Week. In the first year alone Madrid turned away thirty percent of the models that had previously taken part in the event, according to CNN. The value placed on how much way a girl weighs is evident by the advertisements for weight loss programs and diet pills that haunt magazines, the television, internet, and malls. Models are rail thin and its showing in average day society as girls feel that by following in their steps and making themselves scary thin that they will be seen as perfection. Perfection is associated with how much people weigh. It is a sick and distorted mindset that is quickly increasing and causing more and more girls to feel pressured to be rail thin. This new pressure is killing more and more teenagers as they envelop themselves in dangerous eating disorders. Starving oneself or purging constantly can quickly put someone on the verge of death. No one is perfect. Everyone has a different body shape. There should not be any pressure to be a specific size or weight. This mentality is deadly and it needs to stop.
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News
Deadly Air in China
Lance Armstrong Confesses
China’s air quality is so poor, fashion masks are becoming a trend, and the government has to limit how much you can drive your vehicles.
World famous cyclist Lance Armstrong finally came clean about doping in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in a hotel in Austin, TX on Mon, Jan. 14.
Due to the lack standards and no regulations on industrial factories, businesses, or vehicles, smog has overtaken the cities with an average index rating of 300 micrograms per cubic meter.
After denying that he had not been doping during races for moths he finally admitted to it.
By Carmelle Wasch Reporter
Smog readings over 150 are considered unhealthy, and readings over 300 are hazardous. The average rating of 300 has caused some serious problems, and air quality levels have spiked up to 755. The toxic cloud of smog has caused major industrial setbacks; authorities closed 103 factories on Tuesday, as well as taking 30 percent of public vehicles off of the roads. Air filters and face masks have recently spiked in popularity, also spurring other economic intercourse and new inventions. Officials trying to limit smog output have restricted citizens from driving their cars more than 6 days a week. Every weekday from Oct. 10, 2012, to Jan. 8, 2013, certain drivers were now allowed on the road based on their license plate numbers that officials chose. Air quality has recently become so bad, that people have been encouraged to stay home and stay indoors. If residents go outside, it is recommended that they wear face masks. For those who are taking the government’s advice by staying indoors, home air filters are becoming a popular buy. According to ABC World News, over 9,000 children have been treated at the local pediatric hospital in downtown Beijing for respiratory problems such as bronchitis, asthma, and pneumonia. Schools have even been cancelling after school and outdoor activities to try to limit exposure of children to the smog, especially because of the recent spike in respiratory problems. The smog is so thick and covers such a large area; it is expanding across the entire eastern seaboard of China. The smog is fast moving because of coastal winds, crossing the East China Sea into North Korea and South Korea. The small island nation of Japan has also been seen with the beginning of a smog cloud over it from China. Winds are pushing the toxic gases and air out over the ocean and into other nations, which are all concerned about the health risks of this fog.
By Martin Renteria Reporter
Doping is where athletes use illegal steroids or ways to enhance their performance. Armstrong was accused of blood doping, which is where the athlete boosts his/her oxygen flow by boosting the number of blood cells in the body. This form of doping can be done in two ways. One way is for the athlete to take his blood out and store it until he has a major event, and then give himself a transfusion. Another way, that is more new among performance enhancers, is taking the drug, erythropoietin , which stimulates the body to produce more blood cells. No matter what form of blood doping is used, they are very illegal and banned from all sporting events. For over a decade the cyclist had been telling a lie. Armstrong apologized to his staff at his charity when he finally came clean on Monday. He was stripped of all his Tour De France titles and lost many of his endorsements. His charity was even shut down after the U.S Anti-Doping Agency accused Armstrong of lying about the doping scheme. The interview with Oprah took place a couple of hours after Armstrong’s apology. Oprah went into detail when she asked him about the doping allegations he faced when he went through the Tour De France races. The next day Oprah had appeared on CBS this Morning to talk about the interview she had with Armstrong.. On the show she had said that she was expecting Armstrong to come out and tell the truth in a different way than he did on Monday. “Lance knows everything that happened,” Frankie Andreu, one of Armstrong’s riders, told The Associated Press. “He’s the one who knows who did what because he was the ringleader. It’s up to him how much he wants to expose.” Armstrong plans to compete in triathlon games but until then he will be banned. Many people think Armstrong’s confession is not done, and that people want to hear more from Armstrong about the confession. Frankie Andreu told The Associated Press that Armstrong didn’t just ruined his friends lives, but the lives of people who looked up to him.
Photo credit: New York Times
Right now, if Lance Armstrong comes completely clean about doping to the U.S. Anti-Doping Angency then he could possibly only be banned from competing for eight years. Currently, he is banned from competing for life.
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News
May the world hold more peaceful times By Mike Ghazar Reporter
The world was marked safer since 2009 stopping the global peace index was published by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The peace index attempts to measure world peacefulness. Somalia is the least peaceful country as they are still in their civil war, which has been ongoing for 22 years. Syria has seen the biggest drop in peacefulness, going from being ranked 77 to 116 and then to 147. However, Sri Lanka went from 126 to 103rd after their civil war has ended. The Philippines have increased the most in peacefulness. Iceland, for the second year, remains the most peaceful country, followed by Denmark, New Zealand, and Canada in fourth. Iceland has lowest murder rate in the world of .03. Only one person was killed last year. Norway has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time. This happened after the 2011 Norway attacks. The United States is ranked in the middle of the peace index. It ranks 88. As the world turns toward being more peaceful, violence is still very prominent in the world. Maybe someday, there will be peace throughout all nations. For that to happen, fighting would need to cease though. War would need to be resolved. Murders would need to stop. Massacres would need to cease and desist. May the future hold more peaceful times.
Learning to Go Green
phenomena in the community from water filtration to landscaping and mapping of animal habitats. Environmental also is in charge of the campus clean up to make sure that the plants stay alive and healthy. Furthermore, the students have multiple opportunities to talk with people from other countries to help come up with creative and initiative ways to help with environmental problems in the world. On Feb. 18, 2013, students went to the Springs Preserve to talk to Egypt representative about ideas on ways to preserve and improve the Photo credit: Tess Harms water quality of the Nile River. All in all this year and in years continued from front page Gromny has been helping his students to get involved past Environmental Sciences is at the in the community by means of helping to find environmental top of its game and still going up.
Photo credit: Kyle Saca
The Superbowl
The Ravens got the ball first and on the first play of the game the kick returner, Jacoby Jones, returned the ball 108 yards for the touchdown. Then something we have never seen in the Super Bowl occurred. In the first 2 minutes of the 3rd quarter there was a power outage and it lasted for 34 minutes.
By Martin Renteria Reporter and Lon Halverson Reporter
After the power was switched on so did the 49ers. They scored 17 unanswered points and held the Ravens off to only 7 points in the 3rd quarter. It was turning into an actual game.
The time that all football fans have been waiting for all year has finally come. Super Bowl XLVII consisted of the AFC champions the Baltimore Ravens, and the NFC champions the San Francisco 49ers. The Baltimore Ravens came off a 3-win streak beating the three of the toughest teams in the AFC. While the 49ers came off a 2 game win streak beating the Packers in the Divisional-Round and the Falcons in the championship game. The Baltimore Ravens was one for the history books. They started off their season 5-2 before going into the bye week. After that they went 5-4 in the last 9 games finishing the season 10-6. The Ravens came into the Super Bowl as the underdog and were expected to lose by 4 points. The Ravens ignored the critics and came into the Super Bowl with dignity. They shut down the feisty 49er offense and even held off the defense and only allowed 6 points in the first half. The second half came with a lot of surprises.
In the 4th quarter the score was 28-23 with the Ravens still leading. The Ravens scored twice and the 49ers only once. The score was then 34-29. The game came down to the 49ers scoring on the last drive of the game. It was fourth down on the Baltimore 5-yard line. The 49ers had to score or they would lose the game. Colin Kaepernick missed his receiver on a very debatable call on whether or not the defense was holding. The game ended with the Ravens giving the 49ers the safety and leaving the game with a final score of 34-31 with Baltimore coming on top with their second Super Bowl. “The blackout was the cause of the 49ers great comeback. It allowed them to refocus and get there mind straight,� said junior Josh Mckibbin.
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Features
The truest love there is in the world By Chevaya Silaski Entertainment Editor
Photo credit: Bridget Mijares
Animals will never abandon you. They love you to the end of the world and back. No matter what you can always count on your beloved pet to be by your side through everything. All across the world people are celebrating this amazing holiday with the love of their lives; those that you will know will never hurt or betray you, your pets. Whether they are as some say “pure breeds” or the always-popular mutts’ pets rock this world. They are always there when you need them whether it’s to listen to you rant and rave,
Staff:
Lon Halverson Tess Harms Editor-in-Chief Alexis Harris Sebastian Labadie Brett Assistant Ethan Lee Bialik Editor-in-Chief Sydney Moral Braxton Pendleton Haddar Ben-Shimon Features Editor Martin Renteria Carmelle Wasch Chevaya Entertainment Silaski Editor Minnie Malazarte Bridget Mijares Alyssa Stewart Opinion Editor Ryan Munoz Nic Taylor Aleigh Blake Reporter Randy Thammavongsa Kenny Choi Reporter Mike Ghazar Reporter Fawn Canady
Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Design Design Design Design Design Advisor
Editorial Statement:
The WCTA Newspaper is a student-run newspaper. Students research, collect information, and write the stories that are published. All opinions and views published in the newspaper are based on the writer’s own personal opinions. These opinions are not of the staff, student body or community. If you have any complaints please email Tess Harms, Editor-inChief, at tessh327@westcta.ccsd.net or Fawn Canady, advisor, at fcanady@westcta.ccsd.net. If you would like to submit a comment, suggestion, question, or inquire about placing an ad in the paper you can email tessh327@westcta.ccsd. net or fcanady@westcta.ccsd.net. We value your input.
Mission Statement:
or to hold close on a cold night. All across the world pets are the new best trend from the handbag dogs and kittens to the slithering serpents nobody can deny that they love their animals. “I have two dog and I’ve had them for seven years,” said sophomore Kelsea Sweeney. In the U.S. alone nearly 164.6 million people own animals and that’s just cats and dogs! Along with that animals are also being used for therapy as well. There are even shows on Animal Planet that show the amazing things that animals can do; form birds that can tell when you are going to have a seizer to cats that can stop robbers. “My most memorable moment with my pets is when my brother did ‘acrobatics’ them and did flips with the cats and tricks,” said junior, Andrew Weston. Along with all that there are those people that have had animals all their lives and those people are some of the healthiest there are. Research studies have shown that animals can make a person less stressed. It has even been proven that being with an animal can lower your blood pressure. “Yes, I think animals are a human’s companion. They help people’s moods and make them feel better on bad days,” said freshman Rachel Bloom. So animals truly are the perfect companions, for cuddling, talking to, or reliving a stress filled day, there are always there and everyone knows deep in their heart they will never betray you.
The purpose of the WCTA Newspaper is to keep students updated on current events that are happening around the school, community, country, and world. The goal is to promote academic and extracurricular activities, student achievements, and the experience of going to WCTA. A key part of Wrangler News is upholding and exemplifying the West CTA core values. It is important that Wrangler News sets an example for the entire student body of WCTA and the community of Las Vegas, Nevada. That is the mission of Wrangler News.
Photo credit: Tess Harms
Continued from front page “I’m more excited about this year’s Sadie’s than I ever have been because Student Council got to plan it, and today (February 6) we broke 200 tickets sold,” said senior Student Body President Elsie Powley. “This is an all-time record for our school’s Sadie Hawkins, and I couldn’t be happier with the success we’ve had in this as well as the awesome participation for the spirit days.” WCTA held Sadie’s on Sat., Feb. 9, from 6-9 pm. Students were allowed to bring dates from other schools as long as they filled out the necessary paperwork. For many it was a night to remember in their high school experience. For student council, it was a hard-earned accomplishment that took hours of planning, prepping, and production to make it memorable for the student body. “It [was] overwhelming at times because it is a lot of work, but it’s worth it in the end,” said junior Alison Brady, who worked in the decoration committee for the dance. While student council was creating the dance and figuring how to decorate the cafeteria, girls were thinking of adorable ways to ask their dream date to Sadie’s. “I love that girls get to ask the guys because we only get to once a year, and it just makes Sadie’s even more fun,” said Brady. Sadie’s was a huge success. It was a memorable night. Some students even enjoyed going to the Imagine Dragon’s concert at the Hard Rock after the dance. All in all, it was a great night.
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Features
Visiting the Eldorado Mine By Tess Harms Editor-in-Chief and Brett Bialik Assistant Editor-in-Chief On Friday, Feb. 1 photography students took a field trip to the Eldorado Canyon Mine, located a mile outside of Nelson, NV. Students took pictures of the abandoned mine town and took a tour of the mine, learning about the history of the gold mine that was once the best place for mining. In 1854 gold was discovered in the Eldorado Canyon. By 1860, 500 men were mining. There were three mines in the Eldorado Canyon. The photography class visited the Techatticup Mine. The Techatticup Mine is 600 ft deep divided into six 100 ft levels for mining. In the beginning they would take ore down to the Colorado River, 5 miles from the Techatticup Mine. In 1900 they figured out how to pump water up to the mine to process the ore. The mine was abandoned in 1964 due to water that had filled up most of the mine during World War II when all gold mines were shut down. Today the mine is toured, photoshoots and music videos are shot in the area, and canoe tours of the Colorado River are given. The purpose of this field trip was for students to use their photography skills, learned in class, in a setting commonly used by professional photographers, and to learn about some Nevadan history. “It’s one of those things that you only get to experience every now and again ,” said sophomore Weston Bennett.
Photo credit: Thomas Wagner
Photography students took a field trip to Eldorado Canyon to learn about the history of the Techatticup Mine and take pictures.
Photo credit: Thomas Wagner
Photo credit: Gia Macazarte
National Merit Scholarship By Carmelle Wasch Reporter
The National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes outstanding students who take the PSAT/NMSQT test with scholarships of up to $2,500 and other selective merit scholarship opportunities. WCTA is fortunate enough to have had two qualifying semi-finalists students in our ranks, one of them becoming a finalist. Seniors Charlotte Miller and Marcy Brown both performed outstandingly on the PSAT/NMSQT. Both girls are in the Environmental Science program here at WCTA. “I’m really excited, and it’s opened so many more opportunities for me that I wouldn’t have had,” said Brown. “I’m really excited to represent our school in this way. I’ve been getting letters from universities about all the different things they offer for us [semi-finalists and finalists].” Brown is a now a finalist in the NMSQT program—the final stage before receiving her scholarships. Brown plans on attending college for Plant science or Environmental science, with a minor in Precision Agriculture or possibly Spanish. This highly driven senior is applying to eleven colleges. Her top three schools are: Cornell University, Oregon State University, and Juniata. Charlotte Miller was a semi-finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program. “I was kind of surprised. It was just a great feeling knowing that I was one of the top test takers”, said Miller. “I want to be a vet. I’ve always loved animals, and working with them is one thing that I dream of doing.” She plans on applying to the University of Washington, Washington State University, and Oregon State University. Her top majors are zoology and pre-vet. She has gotten a few letters from universities acknowledging her outstanding achievement, including the University of New Mexico. “I just want to be happy and successful in life,” Miller said when asked about
any other aspirations. The National Merit Scholarship Program began in 1995, in which high school students take the PSAT/NMSQT test to qualify for merit-based scholarships. Most sophomores are required to take the test, but juniors have the option to retake it and have the chance to qualify for the NMSP. About 1.5 million students take the test each year. Of those contenders, about 50,000 students with the highest scores qualify for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program. “For finalists, I think you can receive up to a full scholarship,” said Jaison McElroy, the nursing and sports medicine counselor. “UNLV offers a program where all of your school will be paid for.” There’s no set amount of scholarships that you can receive by qualifying for the NMSQT. Sponsors all have different amounts of money that they are willing to give the students who qualify. For UNLV, a finalist or semi-finalist can be eligible for a full scholarship, as long as the student puts UNLV as their first school choice. The tuition is approximately $21,000 a year, and the President’s Merit Scholarship is the highest scholarship a student can receive. Other universities and colleges also offer these types of scholarships for finalists and semi-finalists. “I know some people say, ‘Oh I want to get out of Vegas’, and I understand but if I’m looking at this and I have a chance to qualify for a full-ride, versus going out of state and racking up debt, then that’s an easy decision”, said McElroy. About 15,000 finalists are notified in February of their standings and are given certificates, and the chances to win the Merit Scholarship awards. Winners are based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments—without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.
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Entertainment
Great celebs that died in 2012 By Sebastian Labadie Reporter Last year, several celebrities passed away for one reason or another including: Ray Bradbury, Dick Clark, Whitney Houston, and Neil Armstrong. Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, IL on Aug. 22, 1920. He and his family moved to Los Angeles and Bradbury graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1938. His first published short story was called “Hollerbochen’s Dilemma”, and he also published four issues of his own magazine in 1939, called Futuria Fantasia. Ray Bradbury was best known for his award winning novels The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451 and Dandelion Wine. He died at the age of ninety one after a long illness. Dick Clark was born in Mt. Vernon, NY on Nov. 30, 1929. Dick Clark started in the entertainment business working as the weatherman and news announcer at his uncle’s radio station. After graduating from Syracuse where he worked as the disk jockey on the school’s radio show, he moved to Philadelphia and worked at WFIL radio station. He was a co-host of Bob Horn’s Bandstand. After his co-host left he made the show extremely popular and when it was picked up by ABC it became America’s Bandstand. He also had a primetime show called The Dick Clark Show. After he moved to Los Angeles he started some very successful shows like The $25,000 Pyramid and TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes. One of the longest running shows he ever did though was Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve which aired every year since 1972. His last appearance on the show was in 2012. He died of a heart attack in Santa Monica, CA on April 18, 2012. Whitney Houston was born in Newark, New Jersey on Aug. 9, 1963. Whitney began her singing career as a teenager singing with her mother at nightclubs. In the 1980s she became a fashion model appearing in many magazines like The Cosmopolitan and Glamour. She signed a recording deal with Arista and released her debut album called “Whitney Houston” with them in 1985, which was number three in America.
She also got into the movie business starring in the hit movie The Bodyguard in 1992 and in the movie Sparkle which premiered in 2012. Houston never got to see the airing of the show for she died on Feb. 11, 2012, from a drug overdose in a Beverly Hills hotel. Last but not least, Neil Armstrong, who was born on Aug. 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He went to University of Southern California and got a master’s degree in Science in Aerospace Engineering. Armstrong is known for being the first man to land on the moon on July 21, 1969. He died on Aug. 25, 2012, from complications of a bypass surgery that was given a couple of weeks beforehand. Each of these celebrities left their mark on the world, whether it was placing an American Flag on the moon or singing at the Grammy’s. They will forever be remembered as legendary cultural icons.
Best & Worst of 2012 By Alyssa Stewart Opinions Editor Categories Best
Worst
Song
“Little Talks” Of Monsters “Somebody that I Used to and Men Know” Gotye
TV Show
The Walking Dead
Rob
Movie
Django Unchained
Battleship
Music Video
“Gangnam Style”
“Problems”
Dance Move
Gangnam Style
Twerk
Photo credit: filmofilia.com
By Braxton Pendleton Reporter Texas Chainsaw 3D Director: John Luessenhop Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Tania Raymonde and Dan Yeager Rating: R
As a sequel to the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Texas Chainsaw 3D brings a whole new twist to things you wouldn’t expect. Texas Chainsaw 3D takes place in Drayton, Texas where a woman named Heather (Alexandra Daddario) travels to with friends after she finds out that she was given a random mansion by her grandma that she didn’t know about. Upon her arrival, Heather finds out that she’s related to Leatherface (Dan Yeager). However, their family reunion
takes an incredibly ghastly turn. This movie has a gripping and intense plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat or cowering in the sleeve of your date. If you are into scary movies that will keep you up at night, then this is the movie for you. The mystery and chilling horror scenes can be graphic but make Texas Chainsaw 3D, is the film to see.
Photo credit: Gia Macazarte
By Ethan Lee Reporter Warm Bodies Rating: PG-13 Director: Jonathan Levine Main Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich, Rob Corddry Warm Bodies is the story of a zombie who falls in love with a human. Now this isn’t to say this movie is bad, it’s endearing and cute, but it doesn’t really hold its own in the comedy department. It is at the very least original, has a lot of new ideas and breaks a lot of new ground. It doesn’t get stuck in its love story and it doesn’t set limits on itself because it’s a zombie movie. That being said it doesn’t take it’s really good ideas far
enough, and gets stuck in a plotline that’s interesting for maybe the first twenty minutes of it. It was a pleasant surprise to find that the first twenty minutes or so of the movie are really pretty good, sharp dialogue, great soundtrack, and funny lines. Unfortunately the only thing that really persists through the movie, the humor gets watered down into nonexistence. It does have something for everyone to enjoy so it’s a safe bet if you’re just looking to kill some time, just don’t go in expecting The Notebook or Dawn of the Dead because it doesn’t deliver fully on either side of the spectrum.