2014 GHS Voice Issue 4

VOICE

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New Trend at GHS

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What are they

for?

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Car of the Month Page 8

Page 8 The Voice

Volume XI, Issue IV

November, 2013

ghsthevoice.webs.com

All-State Participants

Changes In All-State New System of Auditioning Leaves Room For Improvement Cudly / Staff Writer

Every year, the best, most talented arts students from Nebraska get together to perform several different prepared Photo by Shane Ernst music pieces in front of highly recognized David Beran-tenor-choir directors, parents and friends. The AllState honor choir and band judges get Alex Coldiron-tenor-choir several auditions and then chose the best Cody Jackson-tenor-choir auditions to perform in the highly prestiLogan Langholdt-alternate gious group. Several Gretna High School students were selected for this honor.

Five seniors, six juniors, and two sophomores made All-State, and five students were alternates.

Senior David Beran is the only person in Gretna High School to have made it into All-State choir all three years. He is very proud and excited to be chosen as a part of All-State choir again because it is a very prestigious honor. He was nervous Photo by Megan Monismith waiting to see the audition results; the Cal Switzer-trombone-jazz band stress of being the first person to make it all three years was immense.

Nathan Ray-flute-band “I am not quite sure what I want to Amelia Ashley-clarinet-band be when I grow up, but making it all three Sophie Lottman-clarinet-band years will look very good on scholarship applications.” said Beran.

RJ Dechow-tuba-band This year, however, the process of seSummery Murray-horn-band lecting these talented students changed Shayna Hansen-oboe-orchestra dramatically. All-State choir and band would send judges around Nebraska, to Alyssa Derks-bassoon-orchestra specific schools, where students had to Michael Stage-clarinet-orchestra show up at their specific time, perform a Ryan Anderson-trumpet-orchestra blind audition in front of the judges, and then go home and wait for the final reTrace Mannewitz-alternate sults. This year the auditions were video Kaitlin Jansen-alternate taped and sent in to the All-State organiJon Rippe-alternate zation so students did not have to travel to different locations.

Thomas Matya-alternate

A person wanting to audition had to make an account on Accepted.com and fill out an ample amount of information about themselves, the school, and the teacher. Then, with a picture of himself or herself attached to the information, the person saved their file and prepared for auditions. When it is time for auditions, the music teachers Mr. Andrew Norris and Mr. Pat Ribar had to set up cameras and recording devices and waited for the students to audition. After every student audition, the recordings were put on iMovie, and then downloaded onto the previously mentioned website. The new way of auditioning was supposed to be faster and more proficient, but that was not the case. Students across Nebraska had countless troubles getting the website to work, and eventually, the website crashed because of all of the people trying to get on it. Even with all of the troubles, Mr. Ribar thinks that the audition process was better for everybody.

“It was a lot safer. The students who tried out felt a lot safer. They knew the area where they were singing, and they knew that they had a few times they could do the audition, and then submit their best one. The proof I have that people felt safer is that nobody scratched their audition.” said Ribar.

Nebraska is so far the only state to have so many problems with the new audition process. The Nebraska State Bandmasters Association has decided that next year will be the deciding year, to see if the state will stick with the new technology or go back to the old way of auditioning.

“I was super nervous about the new audition process because I was successful the last two years with the old way,” said David Beran, senior.

“All-State is a whole weekend with people like you, practicing music,” said Alyssa Derks, senior. “I love it.”

“I was focused on color gaurd for most of marching band season, but all the hardwork I put into practicing paid off,” said Sophie Lottman, junior.

Photos by Hope Cudly

“I want to go into musical theater, so making All-State will enhance my musical resume,” said Cody Jackson, senior.

GHS Hits the Play Button For New Technology Six New Televisions Adorn the Commons and Cafeteria This Semester Perina / Staff Writer Lately GHS has had an upgrade in the commons/cafeteria area. Six televisions have been hung up around the perimeters, but they have not been used for anything quite yet. Right now they only occupied in the commons but when GHS expands the administration plans on adding more around the school.

Every morning around 7-7:50 AM students gather in the commons area to wait for the bell to ring. Each morning should be more productive, which is the reason the new televisions are hung up, the televisions are to serve a purpose to inform students.

“There are two major reasons for the use of the televisions,” said Mr. Roger Miller, Principal “One reason is so announcements can flash across the screen during lunch, study hall, passing period, and early in the morning and after school in the commons.”

Participating in the audience at a Gretna Dragons football game is exciting, but so crowded. Musicals and plays that are performed in the theater also get a bit cramped.

“Reason number two is that the tele-

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visions will be used to stream events to the common areas, for students to enjoy the game or musical without the crowd.” said Mr. Miller Mr. Miller strongly states that the commons area will be used if and only if it is too crowded in the stadium, theater, gym or any other place student activities are held. If the commons area is used the students may go purchase their tickets and then enter the building to enjoy the program. Administrators will be throughout the building to ensure that the students and building are safe from any harm that may occur.

“The televisions will be working by December and if they are not working then they will for sure be working by the second semester,” said Mr. Miller There are rumors going around that the televisions are going to be used for the Gretna Student News. Mr. Miller put those rumors to rest. The student news will actually be broadcasted during homeroom on the boards.

School activities will become less crowded and announcements will be flashed across the screen when the televisions begin to work. Students will have the opportunity to participate in activities in a safe way.

November, 2013

Mr. John Heckenlively

Photo by Angel Perina

News

Staff Editorial:

Foreign Language Clubs’ Membership Requirements Restrict Students

“Those Who Can’t Do, Teach”...Not True Usual ‘Safe Route’ is More Challenging Than it is Perceived Ames/A&E Editor

Teaching is an art that I believe too many people overlook. Many individuals may think that becoming a teacher is a “safe route”, and that teaching takes no real talent. This is a flat out lie. Teaching professionally is hard work, some of the hardest work that I’ve ever seen done, and takes a great amount of skill. The saying that “those who can’t do, teach” is not true whatsoever.

It is not enough to know about the subject; teachers must be

able to find a way to successfully communicate the importance of the topic to the student. If the student does not want to be there, does not want to learn, or does not care about the subject, he or she is not going to learn anything.

Unfortunately, this is where some teachers may stop the process of trying to get to students. The goal of a teacher should be to educate a student in any way possible, even if that means changing lesson plans.

Students must be committed to putting work and effort into what a teacher has to say. This is not because teachers are always

correct, but rather than keeping an open mind and being willing to learn is a key concept that is a necessity in life. Not retaining information about a certain topic is not always the teachers fault- students must put the time into learning it.

Teachers of all kinds have my utmost respect: it’s a hard job.

I have a much greater respect for the teachers in my life than almost anyone else- they make a difference. Remember and respect your teachers, they may not be perfect, but the right ones are there for one reason: they want to help you.

The Voice Editors:

Jeff Glassburner/Editor in Chief Liz Schmidt/Copy Editor Lindsey LaMountain/News Editor Kylie Holman/Op/Ed Editor Mallory Kraynik/Art Editor Samantha Hannigan/Sports Editor Charlie Ames/A&E Editor Jade Naber/Features Editor

Staff Writers: Becca Human Jacob Dart Hope Cudly Angel Perina

Advisor:

Gretchen Baijnauth

November, 2013

The Voice is a bi-monthly publication sponsored by Gretna High School. The Voice is located in room 623. This year is the 13th year of the publication’s existense. Reader response is welcom. Any student or staff member wishing to contribute materials will need to submit a letter to the editor within the deadline: however, final publication is at the discretion of the staff.

Letters should be less than 400 words and signed. Editorials are solely the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of The Voice staff or Gretna High School.

Hola. Hallo. Hello. GHS is granted with many cultural experiences including two language courses, global travel opportunities, German exchange students, and foreign language clubs.

However, Gretna does put a limitation on the involvement of students with the ruling that only current Spanish or German students can be admitted into the clubs.

This has caused students to pose the question “why?” The obvious answer is that the teachers do not believe that it would be fair to allow anyone and everyone to participate.

The club advisors decided that without this restriction there would be too many members. However, various scholars enrolled in a Spanish or German class their first years of high school.

A majority of colleges and universities only require two years of foreign language, so that is the maximum many students take. This does not always mean that the student is lazy and only wants to do the bare minimum, though. The restrictions of a seven-period school day make it difficult to schedule in a yearlong class all four years. So, the teenagers with an actual interest in another language may not be able to take the class. This means that they will also not be allowed to be in one of the clubs.

Judging by the attendance of members in these activities, it is clear that the issue is not the lack of room.

So what is the issue? If a student displays enthusiasm towards Spanish or German, they should be accepted.

A way to cut down on the amount of members, yet allow passionate students to become a part, would be to create a requirement of attendence at one activity the club sponsors during the year.There are multiple benefits the school will reap from changing this regulation.

High schoolers always hear about how being involved will help us enjoy ourselves now and in the future. These clubs are a way to meet multitudes of people from all different grades and unify GHS. Foreign language clubs also allow students to experience new cultures through food, language, and art. If not for purely the premise of now, the extra markings these associations will make on our transcripts and resumes will allow Gretna students to be more competitive for college acceptance and scholarships.

Hopefully in the near future the rules will be modified in order to allow students to become more cultured.

Until then, Adios, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye.

Opinion & Editorial

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TEACHER CONNECTIONS As Gretna grows in size, so do the connections between people. At GHS the staff might not have been here all that long but they have ties to each other that are greater than teaching in the school. Here are just a few of the ways the teachers connect.

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M r N l .

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M e b h . w c Mrs Mrs. S Mrs. Benzel t to Peru . s r e en s Siem o o l a urn both w m mond h c s h hig Mr. Ha ching Raybo . d r n M a a and . Ryan te d te lynn. s r r a t M s .

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Ms. Lehan’s son Andy graduated in 2003 with Ms. Andrews’ daughter Marybeth and Mr. Hotovy’s son Eric.

Mr. Hotovy’s other son Nate graduated in 2000 with Mrs. Legacies’ daughter Alice and Ms. Lehan’s son, Ben. Mr. Burgett was baby sat by Mrs. Kraijeck who was taught by Mr. Marik.

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November, 2013

Ch Mr. C Mr. riste ahil Jep n, M l’s g r Mr sen, rs. Od and Luc s. M an ki o hsi cC d M risio ds h ng the a er, skil r. Dep , Mr. ad M G l, r. th an Br u H Mr. e ne S sta d D Mr. N e as and f e o p t Mu Muel hew f in puty orris each n, 201 of Ma , Mr ers.

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Ms. Koch’s daughter graduated with Mrs. Turpen’s son. Mrs.Turpen is also the mother of Ms. Janke. Ms. Janke was taught by Ms. Carraher who’s office neighbors Mr. Mace’s. Mrs. Lottman shares an office with Ms. Ricchardi whose mom was friends with Mrs. Gaebel’s motherin-law in highschool. Mrs. O’Neill’s son, Kyle, graduated in 2008 with Mr. Duin’s son, Jimmy. Mr. Duin’s daughter graduated in 2006 with Mrs. Haney’s son Scott. Mrs. Filmer is on the Gretna Neighbors with Mrs. Doolittle whose daughter, Angie, graduated in 1989 with Ms. Andrews’ son Billy.

Mr. sam Heard Heck e time went to D e oan as M nlively as Mr. e at H r e g oe s. G c k Koh the e s to nliv o ld les, e e t he ly. M ns Mr Mr. r.

Beh s. Oliv tien, M same ney. er, M chu rs. B Mrs. rch Mr ar rs Hube r, M . Behne . Ockan ber, Mr Schw . rs y d abe . Cala , Mr. Ho er, an d br all atte etto, a ffman, nde n d G d Mrs. HS.

In-Depth

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Handy Huckleberry Help Nylin’s Useful App for Sophomores Schmidt / Copy Editor In English 10 CP classes, students are tackling Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. To assist students with the challenging quizzes, tests and dialect, sophomore Zack Nylin came up with a great idea. Nylin used an online app builder called theappbuilder.com to organize a way for students to access information about the novel. On the site, he gathered information from the novel and Spark Notes and organized it into different sections.

On the app, students can read summaries for each chapter to help for the upcoming quizzes teachers give about the sections in the book such as the setting, major conflicts, themes and motifs throughout the novel. Although this app contains various information regarding the book, teachers believe it should not be a subsitute for reading.

“I believe reference tools [like Spark Notes] can be helpful,” said Mrs. Ockander, English teacher. “My tests

go beyond Spark Notes, but it is a great guide to understand the plot.”

If individuals are on an iDevice, one can click the podcast button on the bottom bar, and this will redirect the student to the iTunes store where the audio book can be downloaded.

“The main point of why I built this app is to help myself and my peers while we read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” said Nylin. “I believe it has helped my peers. If you visit my app, it gives you great information and hooks you up with the audio book.”

The app is not in the app store, because it is web based, but students can view it through their browser. If any students needs a little extra help on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, check out Nylin’s app at myapp.is/ huckleberryfinn. “[Apps like Nylin’s] are great tools,” said Mrs. Kari Bulrign, Media Specialist.

“It should not keep you from reading the book though. It’s there to help you understand. I believe Spark Notes is great; you just have to use it the right way.”

These are a Few of My (New) Favorite Things Students and Teachers Find a Creative New Hobby in the Fiber Arts Mrs. Schweitz poses with her own handmade scarf

Photos by Becca Human

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Human / Reporter

November, 2013

In a world of rushed deadlines, stacked-up assignments, and busy schedules, it is important to find a hobby that is relaxing and relieves stress. Some find solace from the whirlwind of life through reading, music, or computer usage. Now, a new trend is starting to sprout for some students. More and more people around GHS are starting to invest their free time with the fiber arts.

“I’ve been crocheting since my sophomore year,” said Jena Burns, senior.

“I enjoy it because it’s relaxing, and it’s a good way to spend my downtime.”

Knitting and crocheting are two different forms of fiber art that have become a trend recently. While both include making clothing or blankets out of yarn, there are differences between the two styles. Knitting requires two needles, while crocheting uses a hook. Crocheting tends to be the more forgiving of the two.

“Crocheting is easier to fix if you mess up,” said Mrs. Kristy Schweitz, math teacher, who includes crocheting on her list of hobbies. “If you mess up on knitting, it ruins the whole project.”

To many students, knitting or crocheting do not seem like viable activities to spend one’s free time. It

is generally considered to be an older hobby, not a newer trend. However, modern-day knitters see a lot of positive aspects to their activity. The product that comes at the end of a project is one big bonus for several fiber artists.

“Mostly, I make scarves and hats,” said Mrs. Schweitz. “I like that you get to wear what you make, so you have something at the end of the project.”

Any number of items can be made by knitting or crocheting. Popular creations include scarves, blankets, hats, and earmuffs. All different kinds of colors or types of yarn can be chosen by the creator, another great aspect of making things personally.

Although learning how to knit or crochet could take extra time or resources, investing in the activity can be beneficial in more ways than one. Those who take part are able to spend some time relaxing in an unconventional way and end up a creation of their own.

Some teachers and students are interested in creating a club devoted to learning how to knit and crochet and having a fun environment to get together and make their own unique creations.

Anyone investigating further into opportunities like this can end up with a creative and relaxing new hobby.

Feature

Bowling club members will hopefully be team players

NSAA Regulations Stop Bowling Club From Being an Official Team Sport

Photos taken by Jacob Dart Top: Sempecks facility is where the GHS team practices.

Botton left: The boys strike a victorious pose after a great practice.

Bottom right: Team mates patiently wait the out come of their bowl.

Dart/ Reporter “Sorry I can’t..... I’ve got bowling!” A common excuse used by many bowlers that introduced this phrase here to GHS. As for the bowling club, the school is trying to prepare its members for a shockingly new ‘era’. It was time to spice things up a bit. So what better way than to make bowling a team sport, not just a club. Exciting right? The bowlers thought so too.

“It’s not a team yet,” said Mr. Roger Miller, principal. “That’s not up to us to decide.”

Bowling is indeed not listed under the sports categories. The NSAA is in charge of those decisions.

“It’s not a sport?” said Crystal Korth, junior. “When my sister and I played last year, we used to compete around Nebraska. Never outside the state, though.”

The bowling club and its inhabitants indeed have yet to make it a sport, even though they competed in Nebraska. The NSAA allows school sports to be competitive outside of the state, but that does not stop our bowlers.

“Every Tuesdays and Wednesdays we’d [the bowling club] meet after school at Sempecks,” said Austin Hillman, sophomore. “And we would practice for a while. It was just a relaxing and calm environment.”

Along with the bowling team, many other students gave solid arguments as to why their alleged sport should be made so.

“It all comes down to the NSAA’s decision,” said Mr. Miller. “As for now, the bowling club is not a registered sport outside of the school.”

“You really have to commit to it,” said Korth. “I think my favorite part about bowling was laughing with my friends.”

“I think it would be great to be recognized as a team,” said Hillman. “But I don’t think it’s one of our top priorities.”

As far as the bowling club is concerned, a team acknowledgement would be a great idea to look into. But for now, they will just stick to practicing at Sempecks, getting better and better for that moment to come. Keep up the hard work.

Good Job Fall Sports For All Your Hard Work This Year

Photos submitted by yearbook Marching Band Pre-Football Game

Jacob Becker during Boys Tennis

Rachel Smith and Elizabeth Csipkes during Girls Golf

Amanda Young, Hanna Ehmke, Hannah Brandon, Natalie Mickelson, Sara Rahmanzai during Volleyball

The Senior Softball Girls

November, 2013

The Football team line up

Sports

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Observing Teenage Social Behaviors Science Behind the Judgement of Normal vs. Abnormal Holman/Op Ed Editor People do crazy things when they think no one is watching. Private dance parties, bursting out in song, and maybe an unrecognized good deed. However, others use this assumed idea that no one is paying attention to act like nuisances in public. Besides being in the comfort of one’s own home, there is usually someone around to notice our erratic behavior.

However, there is something about

social behavior, good or bad, that makes us watch. The human mind is, by nature, curious. Humans want to observe others and absorb information. The first thing people do when we see something is process the visual and categorize it in our brains with similar situations. Humans people-watch and notice others’ behavior: normal or not normal? “Have I ever seen someone reading in the library? Yes.” Normal. “Have I ever seen someone unicycle through the parking lot in a banana costume? No.” Not normal.

We base these judgements on past experiences or lack thereof. It is human nature to want to watch others and judge whether their behavior is “normal”.

There might be some discrepancies over what is considered “appropriate” and “inappropriate” behavior in public.

While some might think that shouting Shakespearean sonnets at random passers-by is romantic, others might find it a bit disconcerting. A key element to remaining publicly acceptable is keeping the decibel level below a dull roar. Happy-squealing about a friends’ newly dyed hair is an obnoxious and eardrum-piercing social intolerance.

Respecting the sanity and tolerance levels of our fellow human beings is the epitome of acceptable social behavior.

As humorous as shoving a friend into an unsuspecting herd of people seems,

from the perspective of the herd, there is little humor in this situation. Going out in public without the fear of becoming a human bowling pin should be an undeniable social expectation.

Normal social behavior varies from person to person. However, there is a simple basis for what is acceptable.

As long as come-ons are shouted to willing parties, volume is not shocking, and shoving is not being commenced, the general public is happy. Part of the human experience is being an individual, being socially acceptable, and watching while the balance is tested. When in doubt, do not. Or do, I am a journalist, not a cop.

Car of the Month: Rollin’ Coal

Glassburner/Editor & Chief Photo Credit: Jeff Glassburner

This beast is equipped with four hundred and twenty five horsepower.

This truck is a 1996 Ford F-250 Powerstroke diesel.

Ben Karloff has had this truck for a year.

He drives it wherever he goes, and it is fast, loud and rolls coal.

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November, 2013

A TS 6-Position Chip that controls the power being put out has been added by Karloff.

It is a 5 speed manual transmission with a four inch straight pipe and no muffler.

Arts & Entertainment