the Issue 5 | Volume 38 | March 2017 | Gardner Edgerton High School | Gardner, Kansas
b MEET THE STAFF: EDITORS IN CHIEF JACYLN ADAMSON BROOKE BOYER COPY EDITORS SAVANNAH COX NIKITA DRAKE STAFF WRITERS JAQUI CAREY CHUCK CLARK
LILLI CLARK MADELINE OWENS MALYNN PIERCE HAYDON WYANT
CONTENTS:
4 7 8 NEWS
Time capsule Break-in
EDITORIAL
Hats should be allowed in school
OPINION
Trump and executive orders
IN THE KNOW:
Current local, world news in brief By: Chuck Clark and Madeline Owens
Local restruant experiences tragedy
New solar system discovered
Gardner Edgerton High School alum killed in two-car accident
A shooting at Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe left one dead and two injured. The event occurred at about 7:15 p.m. on Feb. 22. According to Fox 4 News, the man said the suspect of the shooting, 51 year old Adam Purinton, started using racial slurs and calling two of the victims ‘terrorists’. Two of the men shot, including the one who died were engineers at Garmin, are originally from India. The third man stepped in to stop the attack, but he was shot in the head. Purinton was drinking at Applebee’s in Clinton, Mo. when he was arrested about five hours after the shooting, said The Kansas City Star. According to Fox 4 news, Srinivas Kuchibhotla died from the gunshot wound inflicted on him. A recent peace march took place around the block of the Ball Convention Center in Olathe, to honor and pray for healing for those affected by the shooting.
The history of the universe was changed forever on Feb. 23. NASA discovered a new solar system, consisting of seven planets. Three of these planets have the right temperate zone for alien life to be possible. “Maybe a few people who don’t think there are aliens might think maybe there are, but I don’t know if it’s really going to change people’s minds,” Earth and space teacher Drew Smith said. They also have resources to have oceans. “No other star system has ever been found to contain so many Earth-sized and rocky planets, of the kind thought to be necessary to contain aliens,” said Independent.co.uk. “It just makes it more likely that there are other worlds that are like Earth. So I guess people who already think there are aliens, it might be more evidence that they are right,” Smith said.
A car crash in Linn County leaves two dead, one of which is Gardner Edgerton High School alum Issiah “Jamon” Pendergrass. According to KCTV5 the crash happened at 4:13pm on Feb 18 on Linn County Road. A 1993 Honda Accord was heading southbound when the driver failed to stop at a stop sign and rear ended a 2001 Ford Expedition. Both vehicles were sent into a ditch and the Honda crashed into a utility pole. A passenger of the Ford, Trisha Vail, was killed while the driver of both vehicles and an infant passenger of
the Ford were taken to the hospital with injuries. While Pendergrass was wearing his seatbelt, Vail was not. Pendergrass was a graduate of the class of 2016 and a friend to many who still go to our school. “Jamon was the epitome of a free spirit and just a kind soul,” senior Mason Brooks said. According to Brooks the driver of the vehicle Pendergrass was in was a stranger to him. “I think it’s a good lesson in the sense that if you’re going to get in a car with someone you should know them,” Brooks said.
9 12 13 FEATURE
ENTERTAINMENT
Scarlett Letter
Spring break day trip
Teacher extracurriculars
ACTIVITIES
Rocketry club
Ping pong
Ten years later Students create time capsules By: Jaqui Carey
Students had their first opportunity to participate in the creation of a time capsule on Feb. 11, at the annual Winter Royalty dance. The idea for the capsule came from senior Sydney Deitz with the support of family and peers including members of StuCo. “I wanted everyone to have their opportunity to leave their mark,” Deitz said. “Senior year is coming to a close for me, and I wanted to make sure that I had something to look back on that I did for my high school and everyone.” Deitz has communicated with wood shop teacher Marc Hines to see if his
class would make boxes for each class’s time capsules. “Nothing is official yet but we plan on having boxes with brass plates that includes each class’ year of graduation on it,” Deitz said. The plan is that each time capsule will be opened at the graduating class’s ten year reunion. This is the first attempt the high school has made at something like this. Students can add a note, old photographs, a personal questionnaire for their future selves and many more things. Other students have put newspaper articles, old high school t-shirts, or old movie or concert tickets. “I put some pictures of
me and my friends and my ‘wife’, Faith, because I know I am going to remember my friends but I won’t remember the certain times we were together in those pictures,” senior Jacob Casey said. Freshman Payton Outler said that she would put a positive note in her time capsule saying “stay strong” as well as putting something that is related to softball because it’s family. To contribute to your classes time capsule, bring items to either Sydney Deitz or Katie Zahner in room 309 during seminar by Monday, April 17.
What would you put in your time capsule?
“I would put my favorite pair of Jordans because I like shoes and they could probably be worth a lot of money one day.” -sophomore Andrew Adams
“I would put a picture of me from now and a list of my goals for the future. I would also include current situations I’m in and important dates.” -junior May Haengkham
Three men wanted after school break-in The investigation into the burglary and property damage of the interior of the school is currently ongoing. According to Principal Mark Meyer, the school was broken into around 1:30am on Sunday, Feb. 26. Video retrieved from the school’s security system shows three male suspects approximately between the ages of 1825. Meyer believes that the three men entered through a perimeter door. A couple of teachers noticed the damages on Sunday in the early afternoon. They immediately notified Meyer and Assistant Principal John Duncanson who contacted the police at 12:03 p.m. “There was a large amount of surprise because it’s not something you anticipate happening in a school environment,” Meyer said. He said he has seen the community react in a variety of ways; from anger to disbelief. Some of the USD 231 Elementary schools have shown their support by sending signed posters from the kids. Meyer describes it as a “unifying incident” even though it is an unfortunate situation.
Most of what was discovered in terms of physical damage was broken glass and holes in the sheet rock. The main office and kitchen received the most amount of damage. Many classrooms were also targeted, but there has been no obvious pattern to the rooms that were hit. Meyer suspects the men targeted rooms that were simply the most convenient. He says the damage is extensive enough to be considered a felony, but he does not know what charges will be pressed. According to a Gardner Police report it is unknown at this time the dollar amount associated with the damages. The Gardner Police Department and Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigators are processing the crime scene and working with the high school staff to determine the full extent of the damage and any loss of property that may have occurred. As the day went on Sunday, it became apparent that the crime scene investigators would not be done collecting evidence to get the place cleaned up and
Book keeper Louise Adamson’s office was hit the hardest; the men threw all papers out of her desk and broke into the safe. There was no physical damage done to the office though. Photo by Louise Adamson.
safe for students by Monday. This caused the school board to make a last minute decision to cancel school on Monday, Feb. 27. On Monday, only staff were allowed inside the building. Investigators needed the staff’s help to look for potential evidence. Since police were unaware of what was in each teacher’s room before the break-in, they needed assistance from the staff to report what, if anything, was missing from their classroom. By noon Monday the school was declared clean and safe for students. “We all consider this place to be a home away from home and it almost feels like they’ve attacked you even though they haven’t. It’s just property. Property is replaceable. People aren’t,” Meyer said. A company came out on Monday and re-keyed the entire facility in order to prevent future break-ins. The school is in the process of replacing the glass and walls that were damaged. From here on out the school intends to leave more lights on so that if it were to happen again, the suspect(s) would be easier to identify. “Right now we have temporary fixes like boards on the windows,” SRO Scott Hofer said. “The school will go through their insurance company to get things fixed as soon as they can.” The motive of the breakin has not been determined. Hofer suggests that the men were possibly looking to steal items and disrupt school. “I believe there are only three people who know what the motive was and
they have not been identified yet,” Meyer said. Local residents on Facebook have suggested the possibility of the situation being a senior prank. Meyer shot down the preposition immediately responding that there is obviously no prank involved when the intentions were to cause damage. “The one thing we don’t want people to feel is unsafe, this is a very random incident,” Meyer said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” The entire investigation has been turned over to law enforcement. Many people have called in with possible names and clues based off of a few press release videos. Hofer admits that they currently have people of interest, but he cannot release any additional information at this time. According to a Facebook post from the Gardner Police Department, one of the suspects left traces of blood on one of the windows. Police believe it was probably an injury to the hand or forearm from breaking a window and that the injury should still be visible on the suspect. If anyone has any information at all that may seem helpful, they are to contact the Gardner police department (913-856- 7312) or the TIPS hotline number (816-474- TIPS (8477)). Any information leading in an arrest can have a reward up to $2,000. “If the student is here [at school] they can come to me. If they are at home they can call the police or tips hotline,” Hofer said.
5
NEWS
By: Brooke Boyer
Trump’s cabinet nominees
President Trump nominates people to serve in his Cabinet during his presidency By: Savannah Cox
President Donald Trump is in the process of choosing his Cabinet for the next four years of his presidency. He started appointing, officially, as soon as the election was over and is finishing appointing the positions that remain. According to WhiteHouse.gov, established in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, the Cabinet’s role is to advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member’s respective office. Before the nominees can officially be in the Cabinet they must be approved by the Senate. According to AM New York, the vote requires a simple majority. It is very different from the appointment of Supreme Court Justices, which requires an approval of at least 60 sen-
ators. The senate must confirm over 1,000 positions in the executive branch. When a nominee is selected they must go through a background check and be cleared by the FBI. The nomination is first reviewed by a Senate committee and then is referred to the full Senate and a simple majority must be met. Many of Trump’s picks were chosen due to financial reasons. They supported Trump in his campaign and gave him money. Some were also businessmen and women that also worked with Trump before he ran for office. Most of Trump’s picks had a personal connection with him throughout the election. They are either businessmen and women, who work with the government or support him financially.
A look inside the Cabinet Secretary of State: General James Mattis Attorney General: Jeff Sessions Secretary of Treasury: Steven Mnuchin Secretary of Education: Betsy Devos Secretary of Health & Human Services: Tom Price Secretary of State: Rex Tillerson Secretary of Homeland Security: General John Kelly Secretary of Veteran Affairs: David Shulkin Secretary of Interior: Ryan Zinke Secretary of Agriculture: Sonny Perdue Secretary of Commerce: Wilbur L. Ross Secretary of Labor: Alexander Acosta Secretary of Transportation: Elaine L. Chao Secretary of Energy-designate:James Richard Perry Secretary of Housing & Urban Dev.: Ben Carson U.S. Trade Representative: Robert Lighthizer Director of National Intelligence: Daniel Coats Director of Management & Budget: Mick Mulvaney Director of CIA: Mike Pompeo Administrator of the EPA: Scott Pruitt Administrator of Small Businesses: Linda E. McMahon UN Ambassador: Nikki Haley White House Chief of Staff: Reince Preibus
Are you interested in writing, photography, or graphic design and want your voice to be heard?
Apply to join The Blazer staff! For more information contact:
NEWS
Lindsey Ross Gardner Edgerton High School 425 Waverly Rd, Gardner, KS 66030 913-856-2640 rossl@usd231.com
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Come see Ms. Ross and pick up an application in room 613.
Handbook policy restricting hats needs revision Agree 11
Disagree 0
The current hat policy restricts all students from wearing hats inside the building. The handbook specifically says “outdoor clothing such as headgear, sunglasses, gloves, etc are to be removed upon entering the building and stored in the locker or other designated area.” However, many students still wear hats inside dismissing the rules set into place in the handbook. The handbook says if a student violates the dress code then they could receive a level one referral
which could lead to a thirty minute detention. “Hats are not a distraction to learning,” junior Makenna Christensen said. “I know of like two teachers out of the whole staff who would say something to a student wearing a hat.” This is true, many teachers already dismiss the policy and allow their students to wear hats in their classroom. However, not all teachers do. In order to compromise with the current policy and those who are more lenient, it should be shifted so that students can wear hats in the hallways and cafeteria without fear of repercussions. This would leave each teacher to determine if it is appropriate in their own classrooms. This method
currently works efficiently for cell phones and backpacks. “Students are going to wear them anyways regardless of the policy,” senior Savannah McDonald said. All students should be allowed to wear hats that are traditional and non-distracting. A baseball cap or a beanie is no more distracting than say a sweater. There is a tremendous difference between a baseball cap or beanie and a hat with a propeller on the top of it. A propeller hat would obviously cause a lot of attention to it, and that’s not what students are intending to do with a shift in policy. Many students wear hats when they have a bad hair day or just got a bad haircut.
Betsy DeVos endangers education By: Nikita Drake
With a tie breaking vote, Vice President Mike Pence officially made Betsy DeVos the Secretary of Education during Trump’s presidency. Not only is DeVos completely unqualified, her plan for education will lead the public school system into a prominent regression. DeVos has never attended a public school. For all of her formative years, she was enrolled in the Holland Christian Schools in Holland, MI. The whole school revolves around God, which for a private school is fine. The problem is DeVos wants to carry these ideas into public schools around the nation. “Our desire is to confront the culture in ways that will continue to advance God’s Kingdom,” DeVos said in an
interview with The Gathering. This is a clear violation of the first amendment. In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that school lead prayers in any public school was taking away the freedom to religion. So, while individual prayer is acceptable, any prayer that is required of all students is not. Just like the separation of church and state, the separation of church and public schools is just as important. Furthermore, the former Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, focused on uniting the education system federally to benefit students. He was determined to strengthen public schools through national laws, DeVos, however, supports taking away power from the national government with charter schools.
Charter schools are not funded by the federal government, which means that they do not have to follow federal education laws. The schools rely on state laws to determine what they can and cannot do. They do not have to teach a certain curriculum or even hire certified teachers. Charter schools are a step in the wrong direction. In order to have any growth as a nation, we must have national standards. Schools must teach subjects that have merit and educators who are educated themselves. Education as we know it will forever be changed with DeVos’ beliefs. The nation must unite to show that we value proper education and fight against any radical laws that endanger our right to knowledge.
“Students should be allowed to wear hats because I don’t always brush my hair,” senior Faith Keffer said jokingly. If the policy was shifted, students would be able to cover up those bad hair days and express themselves in the matter of their choosing. As long as the hats coordinate with other handbook rules, such as no vulgar or inappropriate content, then there should be no issue wearing them in public “I think at certain times it is disrespectful to wear it,” junior Makenna Hutchinson said. “I was taught to take it off while eating and during the national anthem, but I think we should be able to wear them when it is appropriate.” 2016 Editorial Policies The
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publication of Gardner Edgerton High School, printed by Osage Graphics in Burlingame, KS. This is a student publication and may contain controversial matter. Gardner Edgerton School District No. 231 and its board members, and employees disclaim any responsibility for its content; it is not an expression of school district policy. Operating as an open forum, students and editors are solely responsible for the content of this student publication. Opinions represent the views of the individual writer, not the staff as a whole, with the exception of the editorial. Letters
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OPINION OPINION
The staff editorial represents the opinion of The Blazer staff.
With the stroke of a pen
Panic over president’s executive orders unwarranted
By: Jaclyn Adamson
OPINION
Despite the numbers that Outrage was sparked the republicans have in the most over Trump’s order house, the new president, to restrict immigration into Donald Trump, had issued the country and enforce many executive orders in more ‘extreme vetting’. Achis short time in office. It cording to whitehouse.gov, seems like everyday CNN the order’s official creed is and FOX are reporting on protecting the nation from new orders albeit from two foreign terrorist entry into different perspectives. the United States. There are Both parties have opin- many subcategories withions on the amount and in this bill, but the main content of Trump’s orders. idea is to keep out refugees Even those who are try- from seven specific couning to keep an open mind tries in the Middle East and about the new president strengthen the general borhave some opinion on how ders around the country. his first few weeks in office After a great deal of protesthave been. Cabinet picks ing, debate and a few resigand Russia scannations of high dals aside, the level officials, Between executive orders Inauguration day a federal judge have been a huge and the end of halted the ban. factor in Trump’s January, Trump It was deemed administration. signed two less unconstitutionThese orders al and tabled, at than have not been orders least for now. small ones ei- Obama in the “It is one thing ther. The Dakota same time frame. to revise immiAccess Pipeline gration backwas ordered to ground checks, be built even but restricting though protests against it immigrants and even citihave been taking place for zens from entering the U.S. about a year. According to from certain countries is Politico.com, Trump has too much,” senior Ben Wyss also issued a gag order on said. the Environmental ProtecThese orders are extreme tion Agency and the De- and make good headlines, partment of Agriculture that but his supporters appresays they are not allowed to ciate him actually getting share any of their findings things done. All of his camwith the press or the Amer- paign promises are becomican public via social media. ing administration realities. This administration is al- Trump has issued almost 30 lowed to believe whatever memorandums, proclamathey would like about cli- tions and executive orders. mate change and the state Most of them have to do of the environ- with preventing violence in ment but to the justice sector and procensor an en- tecting the country with tire agency is a stricter immigration laws. step too far. These have been hot button
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of the executive order diissues the past few years. “Although I may disagree lemma. In the early 1900s, with President Trump’s presidents were signing one stances, I appreciate that he almost everyday, but it was is working to fulfill his cam- not covered as much. Now paign promises,” Wyss said. that there are news stations devoted to 24 The amount of executive Franklin D. hour news covorders placed Roosevelt holds the erage, anything by presidents records for most they can get their hands on, they has actualexecutive orders will report. The ly been on with 3,522. That is a left and right methe decline. The division yearly average of dia have analyzed each and every and ego that 290.8. order. Trump wrecks Conis fulfilling his gress can make campaign promit difficult to push legislation through, ises but there are a limited but there are still thousands number of people that acof bills read and debated tually took those promises every year. Executive orders seriously. These orders affect evcan be pushed with just the stroke of a pen and yet they eryone in the United States are not utilized as often as and even those who are trythey could be. Maybe be- ing to enter. It affects those cause they also face more who are pro Trump and those who ‘do not have a intense media scrutiny. The media is a huge part president’.
Executive orders by president per year
Graphic by: Jaclyn Adamson Information from thirtyfiveeight.com
=
Lincoln
Kennedy
Clinton
Bush
15 executive orders
Obama
More than a label: By Madeline Owens
Among high school students, 44 percent of girls and 15 percent of guys are attempting to lose weight. According to DoSomething. org, over 70 percent of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks. Worrying about how you look can get very dangerous, and lead to mental disorders such as anorexia or just having low self esteem and low self respect. Junior Blake Suarez knows that things are looking down for teens when it comes to self image. “For anyone who is feeling down about their weight, I feel like you should know it doesn’t matter if you weigh 5 lbs. or 500 lbs. If you want to lose weight then do it,
like that’s all on you. You are your own person and just be who you want to be,” Suarez said. In fact, Suarez felt so passionately about this that he decided to do something about it. “In the “Scarlet Letter”, Hester Prynne was an adulterer, so they made her wear a scarlet A on all of her clothes, and in the end they realized that she was a better person and she was more than just what they labeled her to be. I thought that was an amazing thing to do, so I was labeled something, so I am going to wear it and show that I don’t care, and that I am more than just what I am labeled as,” Suarez said. Suarez asked his mom to sew a letter F on his shirt so he could wear it to school.
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Junior promotes self acceptance
“The F stands for a name that someone had called me that was vulgar, but it was pretty much joking about my weight,” Suarez said. Suarez has not let people and their opinions stop him from doing what makes him shine. “Do not listen to what anybody says because you have your life how it is and nobody makes up your life for you. I feel like if you want to stay that way and be big and beautiful, then do it,” Suarez said. Suarez participates in school theater and choir. He is currently in the process of writing a book. “My plans for the future
are to hopefully attend a theatre college and have more training with what I can do. I hope to go on and make a name for myself in television, and hopefully just be myself and have fun,” Suarez said. Life has it’s ups and downs. But know that as a teenager your body has it’s ups and downs too physically. “Self esteem plays into how you view yourself. If you don’t love yourself, it’s really hard to be successful at helping other people,” counselor Jason Porter said. Suarez is living proof of this. “You are your own person and you are beautiful no matter what,” Suarez said.
Junior Blake Suarez proudly shows off his shirt. Suarez had his mom sew the letter F on his shirt in response to being labeled as fat. Photo by: Jaqui Carey
What’s behind the
Walt Cochran, Marvin Diener, and Rachel Lee Staff member Marvin Diener is known by many names. He’s mister, coach, and just Diener, but he is also known as an artist. One of his hobbies is painting, and he paints pictures of various things. He started painting about 15 years ago when he began to have free time to do it. “I’ve got pictures of my kids and what they do, and my dogs. It’s not all sports stuff, but most of it is,” Diener said.
That’s not all he does, he also used to ride horses, he plays golf, and he coaches football here at the high school. He is living proof that teachers do have a life outside of school.
David Diener coaches on the football field. Diener is a the offensive coordinator and running backs coach for the football team. Photo by Marvin Diener The football team after their state runner up title was gained. This is one of many of Diener’s football paintings. Photo by Marvin Diener
FEATURE
A.P US History and US History teacher Walt Cochran enjoys photography. He takes pictures of primarily wildlife, but he also takes senior and family portraits, and pet photography. He started the hobby of birding. Birding is where people loom for different types of birds for leisure. After 10 years, he then began to take pictures of his finds. “I enjoy photography and
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fishing as they both incorporate the idea of spending time outdoors, unplugged from society and devices,” Cochran said. He invites people to see some of his work at Groundhouse Coffee, his website www.waltcochranphotography.com, or to like Walt Cochran on Facebook and Instagram. It is a big part of his life and he enjoys his time outside of school.
Coach Diener poses with his dogs. Diener said his dogs are a part of the family. Photo by Marvin Diener
A Short-Eared Owl perches on a barbed wire fence. These Owls are not only native to Kansas but also to Hawaii--they have been known to fly from the Midwest all the way to Hawaii and back at times. Photo by Walt Cochran
GEHS name tag share their unique hobbies
Biology and genetics teacher Rachel Lee specializes in cosplay. Cosplay is short for costume play, it’s where people can make costumes and show them off at special events, primarily Comic Con. She started this hobby when she started college in 2003, so she’s been doing this activity for roughly 14 years. “It’s a fun way to have an artistic way of expressing myself,” Lee said. “It’s challenging in different ways, but then I get to make something pretty.” She shares this with her
By: MaLynn Pierce
friends who also do this, and her boyfriend who stands alongside her in costume. Her hobby is unique, and she said that she truly enjoys it.
Rachel Lee models one of her handmade costumes. She was photographed at Comic Con in 2012. Photo by Michael Strange
Lee and her boyfriend attend a Medievel event in costume. The event was held in 2014. Photo by Malina Attewood
A Merlin sits perched on a tree at Olathe Lake. Merlins are small, fierce falcons that use surprise attacks to bring down small songbirds and shorebirds. Photo by Walt Cochran
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Feature
An owl takes flight over a gravel road. These owls primarily fly at both dawn and dusk. Photo by Walt Cochran
Oh the places you’ll go things to see during spring break By: Nikita Drake
Sea Life Aquarium
Kansas City St. Patrick’s Day Parade
When: March 17 at 11 am Location: Begins at Lin-
wood and Broadway and proceeds south along Broadway to 43rd Street
Admission: $19 open 10am-7pm
Location: 2475 Grand
Penn Valley Park
What: a park with the Na-
tional WWI Museum & Memorial, a theater, courts for tennis and baseball, as well as skateboarding venues Location: 2929 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO 64108
Blvd. Kansas 64108
City,
Nelson-Atkins Museum
Admission: free open Wednesday - Sunday Location: 4525 Oak St, Kansas City, MO 64111
MO
“KC I’m So In Love” mural
Big 12 Tournament
What: take pictures outside Fortuity boutique in
When: March 8-11 Crossroads Location: 1407 Grand Location: Blvd, Kansas 64106
City,
MO
1919 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, MO 64108
Kansas City Topeka
Lawrence
Topeka KS Museum of History
Admission: 9am - 5pm
$8
open
Topeka Zoo
Admission: $5.75 open 9am-5pm Location: 636 SW Zoo
Location: 6425 SW 6th Pkwy, Topeka, KS 66606 Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615
Ward-Meade Park
What: botanical gardens ENTERTAINMENT
with a Victorian style mansion Location: 124 NW Fillmore St, Topeka, KS 66606
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Gage Park
What: park that is popular
for picnics, and has a pool, carousel, gardens and an outdoor concert hall. Open: 6am-10pm Location: 635 SW Gage Blvd, Topeka, KS 66606
Lawrence
Wells Overlook Park
Clinton State Park
What: park outside of What: park with playLawrence with a trail and an overlook Location: Wells Overlook Rd, Lawrence, KS 66046
grounds, disc golf, boating, swimming, camping and trails Location: 798 N 1415 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66049
Spencer Museum of Art
Mass. Street shopping
What: downtown area of Open: 10am-4pm Lawrence with local and Cost: free Location: University of chain stores and restaurants Kansas, 1301 Mississippi St, Location: Massachusetts Lawrence, KS 66045
St., Lawrence, Ks 66040
Rocketry club blasts off this season ing to Ferlo, this time of year is the most adequate season for rocket launching. The meetings are about an hour long and consist of the student’s manufacturing and building their rockets independently. “The rockets are pretty easy to assemble,” Wyss said. “Anyone can do it.” The rockets come in kits that are provided by the sponsors. If the students have any questions or have trouble engineering their rockets, the leadership of the club is always there to assist. “Launch days are always the most fun,” Wyss said. The club uses a drone to record the footage that the rocket reaches “Everyone tries to run off and grab the rockets when they fall back to Earth; it is just a fun and exciting time for everyone,” Wyss said. The rockets are about 20cm long, 3cm in diameter and typically weigh
about 30 grams. They consist of engines that deliver about 17 Newton-seconds of force and burn for around 1.9 seconds. This gives an average acceleration of around 880 m/s, with a max height of 1,700 meters. When accounting for air resistance, the number will be slightly smaller for max height. The club does not participate in any competitions simply because they are the only rocket club in this area. The leaderships encourages any and all students to consider joining the club, even if they have not had any experience with rocket building. According to Wyss, he had no prior knowledge to the activity until he became an official member. “I recommend students joining rocketry club if they want to learn something new or develop their rocketry skills in a fun and welcoming environment,” Wyss said. 1. The top picture shows the rocket kits before they are assembled. The kits are provided by the club. 2. The middle picture displays the rocket before it is decorated. Students are able to decorate the rockets as little or as extreme as they desire. 3. The bottom picture is an action shot of the rocket in the midst of its launch. Club members shoot off the rockets at the end of the meetings.
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Activities
By: Brooke Boyer Rocketry club is in the midst of their second season at the school. The club was started last spring by current seniors Benjamin Ferlo and Benjamin Wyss and chemistry teacher Andrew Kipp. “It was originally my idea to start the club junior year when I cleaned out my bedroom closet and found a rocket kit my mom bought for me 8th grade year,” Ferlo said. He worked alongside Wyss and Kipp to get approval from the school board and to find sponsors. “The school approval process went smoothly, but we had to plan out our own meetings, organize materials, and create presentations,” Wyss said. Gifted teacher Pam Gov gave initial funding for the club. Other funding came from some money earned from Battle of the Brains competition last year. Rocketry club currently has about a dozen students, the same amount they ended with last year. They meet every two weeks on Tuesday and Thursday during the second semester. Accord-
Sparkles, Sequins, Sweat:
Blazerettes explain all their hard work they put in throughout the year
By: Lilli Clark
ACTIVITIES
From the ladies competitions to their pep assembly performances and half-time dances the Blazerettes put in a lot of hard work and dedication to show everyone what they are made of. “We practice 11-12 hours a week,” senior Lauren Haag said. While the team puts in work throughout the week they prepare for numerous things such as pep assemblies, performances at football or basketball games on Friday nights, and their competitions during the winter months. Throughout the school year the Blazerettes perform many different dances, this year the coaches decided to focus on songs and dances that sent a message to each of the dancers and the audience during the performance. “My favorite routine from this year was called ‘Humble and Kind’. Our coaches were sending us a message along with the lyrics since
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they are our mentors,” Haag said. Since the coaches were focusing on sending messages, at the annual light show during halftime of the final home boys basketball game, the Blazerettes used a dance to communicate a message to the crowd. “The message was not to be on your phones all the time and pay attention to your surroundings and the life that you have. Our coaches came up with the idea,” Misse said. When the dancers were done performing they knew that they had gotten their message across when the entire audience gave them a standing ovation. Since the girls have been dancing together for awhile they are all very close with each other and they grow strong bonds throughout the year. “We don’t do it for the medals or for winning, we did it for fun and that we love to dance,” junior Lauren Misse said.
The girls performed at three competitions this year and placed well at all of them. “The highlight of the season are the competitions, but also all of the fun times we get to spend around each other. It is always very relaxing,” Haag said. “We did an additional comp this year and we placed 2nd with our Jazz routine and 1st with lyrical and mixed routines. We won the highest awards at our other competitions along with the sportsmanship award that is given to two teams in the competition.” The girls worked very hard during competition season to show other teams the dedication and hours of work they put in. “At our last competition we got ‘Most Admired’ which is a really big award to get since the other schools vote on it and they voted for us,” Misse said. Even though the competition season is over, the girls still work hard at prac-
tice to get ready for their performances and they will be getting ready for their upcoming Spring show and the three seniors, Lauren Haag, Paige Riggs, and Dani Davis, final performance. “I will miss my coaches immensely. I will also miss the moments I get with each girl and the Snapchats we all take with each other. I have made so many memories over the past 4 years,” Haag said. The Blazerettes are always dancing as much as possible and making sure everyone notices them when they walk onto the stage. “The word I would use to describe my team would be, ‘unforgettable’, because everything we have achieved and done together and the trips as well as experiences. Being on the dance team is the most unforgettable thing that has happened to me and has also been the most rewarding thing to me while I have been here at GEHS,” Haag said.
The Blazerettes pose for a group photo. The team often has professional pictures taken as one of their coaches also runs a photography business. Photo Courtesy of: Shane & Alli Photography
Now serving ping pong
1. only concerned about the person on the other side of the table,” junior Guy Talcott said. Though some members are as competitive as Talcott, not all meet the same level of skill. “We have all different levels of players,” Espeset said. The reason for different levels of players is that it is easy to hit a ball with a paddle, but to master the sport is not as easy. “It’s fairly difficult to play ping pong well,” Abromeit said. Even with a learning curve many people come simply because they like to play ping pong. Others like the competition aspect to the game. “My favorite part of ping pong is beating everyone who steps on the other side of the table,” Talcott said. Others like to come for the simple atmosphere of the sport and watching the others play. Seeing everyone improve is what drives the sponsors to continue coming to the club. “I like just watching everybody playing and having
2. 1. Junior Caleb Frey and Derrick Abromeit participate in a competitive match of ping pong. Abromeit went on to win 11-6. Photo By Charles Clark 2. Junior Matthew Law plays science teacher Drew Smith in a match of ping pong. Smith won the game. Photo by Charles Clark
fun,” Espeset said. But ping pong is not flawless, there are some aspects of the club that people do not like. “My least favorite part of Ping Pong Club is all the time spent fixing tables,” Espeset said. “It takes time away from playing and watching the kids play.” For some people the early start time leads to difficulty getting there on time. Especially Abromeit who lives in Lawrence. “My least favorite part is getting up early,” Abromeit
said. While the main point of the club is to simply have fun there is still a competitive air to the club. This leads to the contention of who the best player in the club is. While Espeset would tell you a tale of a legendary player that only showed up to Ping Pong Club once Abromeit has a different answer. “Currently the best ping pong player in the school is me,” Abromeit said.
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Sports & Activities
By Charles Clark The clicking and clacking of balls against paddles and tables fills the room alongside conversations of competition. The smell of the waxed gym floors of the MAC fills your nose as you walk in. It is early in the morning and you are still a bit hazy from waking up so early. This is the experience of the average Ping Pong Club member. As the Ping Pong Club rounds out its seventh year not much is known about the club, where and when they meet, and how to join. Started in the 2009-10 school year by teachers Derrick Abromeit, Andy Weber, and counselor Mr. Long, Ping Pong Club generally meets at 7am in the MAC on Fridays, with the exception of a few after school dates. The normal early start time leads to the challenge of getting people to come. “The hardest part of getting people to come getting your tail out of bed and making the trip,” Abromeit said. Even with knowing when to come you might be concerned that it is too late to join, but that is not the case. “There is no official way to join, you just show up and play,” club sponsor William Espeset said. Although the club has a very open door policy, they still struggle to get a large attendance with about twenty to forty people showing up on a regular basis. Despite this some are not concerned with attendance. “I don’t really know how many people come, I’m