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GHS Student Racer 3 Page 7
Breast Cancer 4-5 The Voice
Volume XI, Issue I
September 9, 2013
ghsthevoice.webs.com
An Act of Kindness Can Change a Life Dance Sophomore Shannon Sudrla is Honored to Ask Senior Rumors Alex Lynch to Escort Her to His First Homecoming Confirmed Planning Begins for Winter Dance Based on Student Opinions LaMountain/News Editor Rumors have been sprung through the hallways of a dance added to the lineup that is not homecoming or prom. Instead the usual whiteout dance, GHS hopes to provide something new. The student council pitched the idea of a themed dance to Mrs. Anita O’Neil, student council sponsor, after this year’s Homecoming. Specifically, senior Jamie Schuetz brought it up due to conversations she had with the GHS softball team. A member of the softball team, senior Jessica Weishahn, saw her connection as library teachers assistance to further the teams campain toward a new dance. She asked Mrs. Kari Bulgrin, librarian, who loved the idea and sent an email to Mr. Roger Miller, principal, asking about the possibility of a dance. “Mr. Miller resplied ‘never’ but Mrs. Bulgrin assured me that never didn’t necessarily mean no,” joked Weishahn. “Eventually the student council took over and Mrs. O’Neil began working with Mr. Miller.” Although it was the student council’s with the help of Weishahn’s concept, they delegated the responsibility to the post prom parents. The dance could then be a fundraiser for post prom. The theme has not been decided upon and a multitude of information still needs to be determined. The possible themes that were discussed were “stop light” where single people wear green, people in a relationship wear red and people that have a complicated relationship wear yellow. Another was a disco or costume dance, but members were concerned about the possible turnout with those specific themes. A purely casual dance will most likely end up being what happens, though. “Hopefully it can be a Sadie Hawkins dance where the girls ask the guys because that would be very different and cool,” said Schuetz. There will be a DJ at the high school open for all students. Post prom committee will be in charge of finding a date ,which poses a challenge to decide on one night that works for all students. Advertisements for the dance will be posted when the time comes nearer. “It is a good opportunity to get together and put on your boogie shoes” said Mrs. O’Neil.
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Schmidt/Copy Editor
Several students at GHS have been gifted with the sense of generosity and thoughtfulness. But there is one particular student that has gone above and beyond those standards and impacted another student’s life tremendously. Sophomore Shannon Sudrla has been a teacher’s assistant in Mrs. Amanda Siemer’s classroom for two years now. She has developed a strong companionship with each of the students who are taught in the room, but has a special bond with senior Alex Lynch. Lynch has always wanted to go to the high school’s homecoming dance and was very thankful he could attend this year. Being aware out this information, Shannon jumped out of her chair
and asked him to the dance on the classroom whiteboard. “He was speechless,” said Sudrla. As homecoming week progressed, Lynch grew more and more excited about the Friday night dance. Sudrla brought in Armor All so Lynch’s wheelchair could be shined up for the night. “I pimped my ride!” said Lynch. Sudrla and Lynch met each other at the Homecoming dance and exchanged a corsage for Sudrla and a boutineer for Lynch. Sudrla’s dress was pink, and Lynch was extremely excited he was able to wear a pink shirt to match his date’s. Lynch enjoyed his first homecoming experience by doing “donuts” in his wheelchair, which is driving around in a circle and fist pumping to the music. Lynch also loved all the attention he got.
“He is an amazing, sweet and funny kid,” said Sudrla. “He’s also one of my best friends. I wanted to show him that just because he has a disability, does not mean he is different than anyone else and he can participate in any activity that his classmates can participate in. When he told me he wanted to go, I knew he deserved this.” Although this experience not only made a difference in Lynch’s life, but it impacted Sudrla’s as well. It taught her to do things that made her happy and not worry about what others think. GHS students and staff heard about what Sudrla has done and were so happy to see that amount of kindness around the school. “I did it for Alex.,” said Sudrla. “All I wanted was to make a differnece in Alex’s life, but turns out he made a difference in mine.”
Making Homecoming a Night to Remember From the invitation after being together in the base room to Shannan Sudrla pinning Alex Lynch’s boutonniere on before taking a picture as a couple, Alex Lynch and Shannan Sudrla were finally able to take a twirl on the dance floor during the dance.
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Submitted Photos
News
Over-Stressed Students Stretch Their Limits and Schedules
Multiple Responsibilities Lead to Extreme Involvement and Extreme Headaches Human/Reporter Sports practices, marching band competitions, One Act auditions, school clubs, choir rehearsals and out-of-school jobs are all extra-curriculars that can make their way onto students’ calendars. On their own, each of these involvements is valuable and worthwhile. However, when multiple schedules are paired together and added on top of advanced classes, social lives, and home responsibilities, it can prove to be a cause of extreme stress for numerous students. Extreme involvement is often made out to be a good thing. We as students are encouraged to do as much as we can and fill up our schedules with everything possible. When does it become too much? As a student taking advanced classes
while juggling multiple extra-curriculars and a job, I can vouch for the fact that becoming over-involved takes a negative toll on almost every aspect of a student’s life. I can’t remember a time during this year that I didn’t feel the effect of stress on my life, and it’s usually not for the better. From their sleeping habits to their grades to how they perform in extra activities, stress from too many involvements permeates way too many facets of our lives to be ignored. And the basic fact is that everyone is stressed. Talk to anyone and they will talk about how stressed they are. Homework nearly every day, work after school, and tests stacked up at the end of the week pile on the stress. So why is this kind of involvement being glorified? We are told that if we get involved in everything pos-
sible, we’ll have an impressive resume. While this is true, it also remains that being too stressed will detract from every involvement until students perform nothing but mediocre. Missing work for One Act, missing sports for work, and forgoing homework altogether will not prepare us for college. If anything, it will prevent us from ever reaching that point in our lives with our sanity still intact. So what can we do? We as students need to get our act together by slowing down a little. Reserve an elective for a class free of stress or a study hall. Keep one day a week free of anything to focus on except school studies. Make sure that whatever happens, stress does not completely take over your life. Additionally, adults need to do their part and stop praising this kind of over-
work. The constant pressure from adults to do more advanced classes and get involved in everything possible can motivate students in the wrong way. Although these things are said with generally good intentions, they can be harmful than they look. Over-involvement, although it does not sound the part, may be one of the most dangerous things affecting high school students. We need to step back and take a look at what we do with our days. Are the involvements we choose worth the added stress it brings to our lives? By asking ourselves these kinds of questions, stopping the glorification of the practice and finding a way to relax every now and then, we can ensure that we do not lock ourselves into an eternal state of frustration and stress.
Recent Human Development The Evolution of Technology in the World Ames/A&E Editor These past one hundred years have changed the world. It seems like a broad statement, but there is no doubt that everything human beings do today has been or will be changed by the technology of our world. The car, the telephone, and the assembly line are examples that just barely touch the tip of the iceberg of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The question that remains is a simple one: why now? At first glance, this seems like an idiotic thought. But truly think about it- it has been estimated that the earth is over four billion years old and that mankind has been around for the past 150,000 years. That is a huge amount of time, in which case one would think that modern technology could have developed a long time before now. As far as I know, there is no scientific evidence of why it took so long for the human race to create iPhones and Apple computers: we are no more intelligent than our predecessors. What is for certain is that we as a species developed a need for technologies beyond anything that had been created before. And what was this technology, this spark? I would propose that it was the printing press. Of course there were books before the printing press, but never like this.
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The printing press allowed for words to shown to the world- it allowed knowledge to spread like wild fire. It allowed new insight to travel the world, giving human beings new ideas of figuring out life’s mysteries. And that is the whole reason the printing press was the start of the new age: it allowed for communication to become instantaneous. It allowed for human beings to progress in way never thought possible. I believe that the one thing that feeds the human race is communication. It is why I’m so passionate about journalism, and why I love to write music. No matter what the source is, information and creativity are always being shot into the world, making people joyful, curious, rebellious, and full of energy. The printing press is a critical piece of technology to me because it began the start of a new age of communication. It allowed for millions to share thought and emotion, something that I believe people need in order to survive. The whole reason that our technology exists is because someone found a way to spread what they knew. Being able to share knowledge, wisdom, and creativity is what makes us human. The world needed to be able to expand, so it did, just not in the way we automatically think of. It became what we needed it to become: a giant printing press.
Opinion & Editorial
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Clay’s Pit Crew Shows Their Support Dart/Reporter
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October, 2013
Mrs. Nancy Turpen’s grandson, Clay, is participating in the buddy walk coming up on October 12th. He will be representing all of Nebraska in New York City on this walk. We gave tremendous support to Mrs. Turpen’s grandson in the buddy walk. If a business matches the price earned that day, other businesses will try to match that. At the end of the race, the family managed to raise $106,000. Clay has two older siblings in his family. Mrs. Turpen’s aunt attended the walk, as well as Clay’s two parents. As for the buddy walk, Clay, who took part walking through central park, was super pumped for this buddy walk, followed by Mrs. Turpen, who was on cloud nine about all this. “Clay has a brother and a sister,” said Mrs. Turpen. “And they are both excited for him.” Mrs. Turpen couldn’t be happier for her grandson. The buddy walk took place on the 12th of October, and Clay will be on the heels of his feet, or on the edge of his race car, ready to make Mrs. Turpen, along with all of his family, proud. “Clay is 20 months old,” said Mrs. Turpen. “I can’t wait to see him.” Clay participated in the buddy walk just this past weekend and was thrilled to do so. Mrs. Turpen and the rest of Clay’s family walked with him, snapping picture after picture of Clay’s cute little face, strolling down the street in his hotrod of a vehicle. What a sport. “I am very excited for him,” said Mrs. Turpen. “He [Clay] has down syndrome, and was picked with many other kids representing their state, and he was also featured on the channel 3 news.”
A W A R E N E S S W A L K S
Race for the Cure Perina/Reporter
It’s October, the month of orange and black but is also home to the color pink. Every October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Every year, the Susan G. Komen Foundation throws an annual run called “Run for the Cure.” In 2012, the foundation made 416 million dollars and put fifteen percent of the proceeds towards breast cancer research. Cancer takes the lives of many people and the Susan G. Koman Foundation studies ways to eliminate breast cancer. Every October, the foundation puts on events to raise money for research. On October 5th 2013, Omaha had the annual “Race for the Cure” run. Even though it was a chilly, October day numerous people showed up to help raise money for a cure. GHS’s cheerleading team cheered for the runners at the sidelines encouraging them to keep going strong towards the finishing line. Secretary Mrs. Nancy Turpen and Resource teacher Mrs. Diana Goldstein were among the racers that they were cheering for. The GHS cheerleading squad participates at the Race for the Cure every year. Not only do they go to the race for the squad, but also for personal reasons. “My cheer sponsor has a family member who was just diagnosed with cancer, and I felt that I should support her by being there.” said Ellie Clarke, freshman. “Cancer has an effect on everyone.” Mrs. Goldstein’s sister was diagnosed with Breast cancer 18 years ago and still is going strong today. Mrs. Goldstein participates in the run every year to celebrate that her sister is still alive today. “It feels good to come together to solve a cause and to find a cure.” said Mrs. Goldstein “It was heartwarming to see people come together to raise money to find a cure.” The race day had a high of 56 degrees, but all of the cheer team and racers showed up in spite of the bitter weather. This shows that people will do anything to help battle a world wide cancer that affects so many people and their families. “It was really, really, cold!” said Madi Stock, senior. “We stood outside in the wind and rain for almost 2 hours. We all had tons of layers on and our hoods up. We kept cheering just to stay warm.” Mrs. Turpen knows the heartbreaking feeling of knowing someone who has passed from breast cancer. Mrs. Turpen runs in the race each year to remember her neighbors who passed from the tragic disease. “I’ve had two very close people in my life pass from breast cancer.” said Mrs. Turpen. “I was really close to these certain people breast cancer affects everyone; even the people in the community that you live in. Stock, Clarke, Mrs. Turpen and Mrs.Goldstein urge others to participate in the next “Race for the Cure” and to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. “Wear your pink and be a supporter” said Clarke.
In-Depth
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Question & Answer
Testing 10 Americans and 10 Germans to See What They Know About Each Other’s Countries G - German Response A - American Response Q: Which fast food restaurants are the most popular in America/Germany? G: “McDonald’s (x10)” A: “McDonald’s (x2)” “Burger King (x2)” “Wendy’s (x2)” “Subway (x2)” “Do they even have a McDonald’s? (x2)” Q: How often do you think Americans/Germans eat fast food? G: “Every other day.” “Four times a week. (x3)” “More than five times a week.” “Once a week. (x2)” “Twice a week. (x2)” A: “Once a month. (x3)” “Once every two months. (x2)” “Once every two weeks.” “Once a week. (x2)” “Five times a month.” “Not as often as Americans.” Q: Who is the head of America’s/Germany’s government? G: “Obama. (x6)” “No clue (x4).” A: “No clue (x10)” Q: How many states are there in America/Germany? G: “9” “13” “28” “38” “46” “48” “53.” “51.” “50 (x2)” A: “36” “21” “4 (x2)” “30” “20” “9” “47” “25”
Q: What is the most popular sport in America/Germany? G: “Football. (x7)” “Baseball” “Handball.” “Soccer.” A: “Soccer (x9)” “Handball” Q: Who are some famous American/German athletes? G: “Michael Phelps (x5)” “No clue (x4)” “Tiger Woods.” A: “No clue (x8)” “Dirk Nowitzki” “David Beckham?” Q: What is the most popular type of music in America/ Germany? G: “Pop (x6)” “Rock/Heavy Metal (x4)” A: “Pop (x6)” “Rock (x2)” “Classical” “Country” Q: What are some shops in America/Germany? G: “Wallmart (x9)” “The mall” A: “American Eagle (x2)” “Walmart (x2)” “Aeropostale” ”Adidas (x2)” “Forever 21 (x2)” “H&M” Q: What is the difference between cars in America and Germany? G: “The cars are huge! (x7)” “There are so many trucks!” “The cars are very expensive for some reason.” “They hold a lot more gas.” A: “Aren’t they the same?” “German cars are smaller. (x5)” “I know they make Mercedes Benz, BMW, and VW there.” “They drive on the other side of the road. (x3)” Top row left to right: Jule, Izem, Carina Bastscher, Enny Vöge, Kenneth Gutzeit, Enny Vöge, Paul Cordes, Per Voss Bottom row left to right: Ben Vinkavich, Mike, Tim Düsterhöft, Tim Düsterhöft Chantal Seiter, Paul Cordes
Photos by Hope Cudly
German Students Experience the American Dream New Group of Foreign Exchange Students Discover All Gretna Has to Offer Cudly / Reporter For two years, GHS becomes the host of several different foreign exchange students. This year, twenty German exchange students are spending their time in the United States at GHS. When the German students came to the U.S., they were picked up by GHS students at Eppley airport, and then taken to these students’ homes to live with their host families for the four weeks
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they are staying here. Getting used to the American environment is difficult for the German students because there are many differences between the U.S. and Germany. “It is a lot warmer here than it is in Germany,” said Paul Cordes, staying with Jeremy Grundmeyer, junior. “And the biggest difference is the food. It is very fattening here.” The weather is not the only mind boggling change that several German students found when arriving in America. “The cars are so huge here!” said
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Ryka Petersen, staying with Sarah Asche, senior. “And nobody here drives a motorscooter. I drive my motorscooter everywhere in Germany.” While staying in Gretna, many of the German students joined their host families at the GHS football game against Waverly. They got together before the game and had a cookout in the back of Ben Vinkavich’s, senior, truck. “You seem to have chips and soda pop with everything!” said Per Voss, staying with John Rippe, junior. When at the stadium, the German
students tried their best to follow the game, considering they are not very familiar with the game in Germany. “I’ve seen some American football movies so I can follow [the game] a little, mostly I just clap and cheer when everyone else does.” said Cordes. The German students had their own schedules and were trying to navigate the halls of GHS with little to no help. Meeting new people in diverse cultures forms lifelong friendships that are struck between the German students and the students of GHS.
Feature
From Early Forms of Civilization to the Students at GHS GHS students travel around to show off their trapshooting skills and practice Glassburner/ Editor in chief
Submited photos. Jason Sheer poses with trapshooting equipment.
Since the dawn of time, there has been one sport that has been the king of them all. It has existed from day one of civilization, to every passing day in these modern times. The sport of hunting has fed us many different avenues to compete in. One such avenue is the sport of trapshooting. Unbeknown to most at GHS, there are quite a few people on a local trapshooting team, and they travel all around to show off their skills. These competitions analyze how accurate and precise the shooters are. “At high school competitions we shoot sixteen yard targets and handicap targets that are anywhere from 18-27 yards,” said Jason Scheer, senior. “We had an okay year last year but this year we are suppose to be one of the best teams in the state.” To be able to compete at such a high level, much practice time is needed. It is a skill that gets better the more and more time that is spent on it.
“During the high school season I practice two times a week,” said Scheer. “However during the ATA (Amateur Trapshooting Association) I practice from two or three times a week.” At practice, there can be some issues, however. The clays are not free and have to be paid for by the shooters. “I shoot a Perazzi MX8 12-Gauge shotgun, and the ammo is very costly. I don’t even want to try to calculate the cost,” said Scheer. The team has some more meets coming up, and is expected to perform. Scheer in particular has performed extremely well at a national event. “I competed in the Grand American competition in Sparta, Illinois,” said Scheer. “It is the largest trapshoot in the world, and I scored a 199/200 shots. There were hundreds who finished with perfect 200s though.” Trapshooting is a sport that can trace back its origins to the dawn of time. It is a sport that is affecting many students at GHS. While it is new to Gretna, look for the team to compete all season long.
Drag Racing is Anything but a Drag for Speedy Freshman Shelby Hawkins speeds down the asphalt and takes over the race track Naber/ Features editor On a weekend, students at GHS might swing by a movie or shop around. Freshman Shelby Hawkins spends her time a bit differently. Drag racing is a competition between two drivers who reach incredible speeds in a short time and distance. “At first I wasn’t interested,” said Hawkins, “but my cousin was a huge influence in my decision to start drag racing.” By the age of nine, Hawkins was on the track. Years later, she is still speeding down the asphalt. But none of this just suddenly clicked. “I practice every other weekend de-
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pending on the weather,” said Hawkins “Getting school work done on time is a bit difficult.” In nearly eight seconds, Hawkins travels one-eighth of a mile, with a top speed of 90mph. A normal race is against friends, and state competition is set into age brackets. Hawkins races opponents from thirteen to eighteen years of age. The point system is similar to golf. The person with the lowest score in their age bracket wins. “At the end of the year,” said Hawkins “there is a big banquet that is held. The top four racers win trophies.” Racing season is coming to a close. Hawkins is making last preparations as her final competition draws close.
Submited photos. Top photo Shelby Hawkins pauses for maintenance. Bottom photo Hawkins gets ready for a race.
Sports
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Noise Only Leads to More Noise Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Knife of Never Letting Go Review Human/ Reporter Todd Hewitt is not someone anyone would mistake for spectacular. He lives in a small country town, puts up with his annoying dog, and suffers through farm chores put into effect by his surrogate parents, Ben and Cillian. From an outsider’s perspective, nothing is extraordinarily different about Todd and his home of Prentisstown; that is, until their abnormality is exposed. Todd is the youngest in a town where all the women are dead and every thought is exposed to the world in a never-ending Noise. Ideas, wonderings, questions, accusations-nothing is private in a world where every intention is unwillingly laid bare. Written by Patrick Ness, the Chaos Walking trilogy makes a fascinating venture into an imaginative and interesting, yet chilling and bloodthirsty, future world. The plot of the first book, called “The Knife of Never Letting Go”, picks up as Todd stumbles upon something that should have never been found--a hole, a silence in the ceaseless Noise--and the action never stops from there. The book is full of heart-pounding action, realistic characters, and a detailed new world. When I started the first Chaos Walking book, I was unaware of the roller coaster ride the series would take me on. I was invested from the very beginning with the series’ interesting hook: what would it look like if everyone could hear each other’s thoughts? The constant stream of Noise is represented with scratchy and bold fonts, and reading it conveys an eerie sense of creepiness. Some of the descriptions gave me chills.
However, this plot device was not the sole reason I kept reading. “The Knife of Never Letting Go” immediately establishes characters that I quickly became invested in. From Todd to his talking dog to the anomaly he finds in a swamp, each character is unique, realistic, and even relatable despite their futuristic setting. The book is written from Todd’s point of view and masterfully conveys his thoughts, confusions, and questions. It takes advantage of his unique country dialect, which enriches his personality and contrasts him with other characters . The plot itself continues to develop and evolve with each passing page. Twists and turns are this series’ specialties, with many plot twists leaving the readers thinking that things can’t possibly get worse. The next development could either prove them wrong or make things better, but it’s never known which until the end. The three separate Chaos Walking books are all immensely entertaining and thrilling novels. I loved the characters, the themes, and the style of writing. Fans of the Hunger Games series or any kind of dystopian fiction will be overjoyed; Patrick Ness has written a beautifully crafted series that will shock, delight, and completely envelop any reader. The series is getting more and more attention and is becoming more popular. It has an ever-growing fanbase, and a movie is slated to be produced by Lions Gate Entertainment sometime in 2014. All three novels-- “The Knife of Never Letting Go”, “The Ask and the Answer”, and “Monsters of Men”--are available in the school library. Anyone interested should investigate further; this imaginative series will not disappoint!
Ending Causes Stress
Series Finale Leaves Students Without a Hobby Hannigan/ Sports Editor
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Photo Illustation
September, 2013
Five seasons ago a new television show came out about a man who was diagnosed with cancer and needed a quick way to make money. Little did the producers know how big of a hit Breaking Bad was going to be. Breaking Bad just recently ended. Students of GHS are now wondering what to do with their time. “This was the first show that really got me hooked,” said Austin Hillman, sophomore. “It made me think and I really enjoyed it.” Hillman also enjoyed the show because it was a nice change from the usual laid back television shows and was exciting. The show did not only excite and get the students thinking, it also inspired them musically. “This show had an impact on my music writing,” said Sawyer Cooke, junior. “It helped me write music for my band based on the themes.” The man in the show was a Chemistry teacher and used his knowledge for the
worst. Mr. Spencer Stednitz, Chemistry teacher felt that this was a poor representation of the life as a teacher in his field. “Most people think that is what Chemistry teachers do in their spare time,” said Stednitz. “That is extremely false and gives teachers a bad name. I haven’t gone one year without being asked by a student if I can make drugs.” Now that the show is over, students are having to find alternate things to do to occupy their TV watching time. Some students are watching different shows and others are waiting for the spin-off of Breaking Bad to come out. “I think I’m going to watch other shows,” said Hillman. “Homeland, The Walking Dead, and Sherlock are some that look interesting.” This television show was extremely popular and hooked many students as it became must-see TV. Now that the show is over, people will move on, but the premise of the show and the strong interest across the country will be hard to recreate.
Arts & Entertainment