2015 GHS Voice Issue 6

THE

voice

In Depth

G r e t n a H i g h S c h o o l’ s M a g a z i n e

History of Valentine’s Day Love in 6 Words Candy Infograph Awkward Gifts

Page 10

Growing Pains Page 19

Military academy nominees Page 16

Hard work pays off Page 17

Raising the Minimum Wage Page 3

February 2015

News

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Contents

Flu Epidemic Infograph

By Brenna Zollman

Minimum Wage

By Jacob Dart

2014 In Review

By Samantha Hannigan

By Becca Human

Speech

By Jenna Glassburner

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By Layne Staley

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Emily Newcomb

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Awkward V. Day Gifts By Kayla Calvert

By Olivia Kahler

By Cassandra Kostal

Love in 6 Words

Indepth

“We Are not ourselves”

A&E

By Corban Critchfield

Standardized Tests

Military Academy

Sports Updates

Back to the Future

By Nick Mefford

Feature

By Amanda Minckler

Sports

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Indoor Girls’ Soccer

The Media’s Impact

Op Ed

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By Jon Dormady

By Maddy Perkins and Amanda Nelson

History of Valentine’s Day

By Angel Perina

February 2014

Infograpic by Brenna Zollman

News

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RAI$ING THE MINIMUM

W A G E

By Jacob Dart

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or the majority of student employed workers, minimum wage jobs were a teenage obligation used to pay for

such things as gas, clothes, and more until more financially stable employments rolled in. As 2015 arrives, the wages for many students have increased from $7.25

per hour to $8.00 per hour as of January 1st, 2015, and may even rise to $9.00. This will take effect January 1st, 2016.

The arguments for a raise in the

Timeline Of Photo by Robert Sabo/New York Daily News

Flappy Bird soared to the top of the United States App Store charts, landing the number one spot on January 17th.

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On February 2, the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos played in Super Bowl 48, becoming the most watched event in United States history.

From animal rights violations to speculation about the judgement calls, controversy surrounded the Olympics held in Sochi, Russia this past year.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in late February as military forces were transported in a “stealth invasion.”

On March 8, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared along with its 239 passengers and crew.

February 2015

wages point out many great ideas. A good fact to take in when debating the topic is that raising minimum wage will put more money in the American citizen’s pocket, and allow them to save money, support their family. This in turn means that less people need to rely on government support.

There are people who oppose minimum wage though. Senior Reid Gahan, despite not working for a minimum wage job, disagrees with the argument to raise it.

“I currently have three jobs that pay above minimum wage,” said Gahan.

“However, with the minimum wage increase my wages would have to increase to keep up with it. I strongly oppose a minimum wage increase because it will only increase inflation, which in effect leaves the wages at the same rate.”

There are both pros and cons that come out of a minimum wage increase.

First, government programs for those who suffer from poverty would have to be limited or reduced, because these same people who are making minimum wage are getting paid more. This, could lessen taxes paid by other Americans. This is huge for the argument on increasing minimum wage. Another pro for the argument of raising the wage is a term called economic stimulus. This means that employees have more money to spend, and this gives back more money

to the economy.

There are, however, several problems that arise with a minimum wage increase.

These arguments ride on the fact that employment rates would be worse than they were when the wage was lower. As argued, a higher minimum wage would be troublesome for employers because if they are forced to increase their workers’ wages, it would result in them having to have to hire less employees and add to the already rapidly increasing unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is at 5.6% as of December 2014, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Corey Mayer, senior, feels strongly that an increase in the wage is not a good thing. In fact, even with more money in his pocket, Mayer hasn’t been able to adjust to this situation positively at all.

He believes that with a higher pay, the annual wages for the middle class would mean less.

“People think that if you increase the minimum wage, everything will get better,” said Mayer. “At first yes, but then companies will have to increase the price of products due to increasing labor cost.

Before January, I was the second highest paid crew member, and now every other crew member makes the same amount of money. I won’t lie when I say I work extremely hard, and other employees hardly work, and it does not feel right that I am making the same amount of an

employee who works half as hard as I do.”

More money in the pockets of the employees means more money out of the pockets of the customers. Essentially, people who don’t work minimum wage jobs are having to spend more money for their goods.

A lot of the people who argue no for a higher wage are generally the people who don’t work minimum wage jobs, and have to spend extra money. Although some argue that most of these people have children who work minimum wage jobs, so they have nothing to complain about. They are giving to their children’s generation, and don’t have much to worry about financially anyway, considering most of these adults’ jobs pay above minimum wage. Another point in favor for the argument of a raise is that most teenage employees who work 40+ hours a week earn barely enough money to support themselves, bordering just below the threshold of poverty. This is according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

No matter how it is looked at, minimum wage going up has shown good and bads. A majority of people do not have any problem with it at all, taking into account that many of these people wouldn’t have much of an effect to having to pay more. Whether on the side of a higher wage or not, it cannot be argued that it has been shown to present both positives and negatives.

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Ebola hemorrhagic fever came on the radar in March 2014 in the African country Guinea.

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Coming in with a splash, the ALS Ice Bucket challenge phenomenon began midsummer.

On August 9, unrest sparked on the night following Michael Brown’s death and continued in the following weeks.

Since the withdrawal of troops from the Middle East, the terror group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has taken root.

Since the terrorist attacks years ago on 9/11, rebuilding the World Trade Center has been a major priority. The construction of the final tower was completed and opened on November 3.

News

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a standardized society

how many tests could a high schooler take if a high schooler could take tests

By Layne Staley

Each state in America spends approximately $1.7 billion on standardized testing every year. These assessments have become a common method in schools to test students on their learning abilities and comprehension. They can be used as a comparison for scores against other school districts, a way to see how well a teacher is instructing, or to help a teacher see what areas his or her students are struggling in. On average, it costs $34 per student for each standardized test. At GHS, where there are about 950 students, the amount of money spent on testing can be expensive. While there are a few benefits to standardized testing, it is arguable that all of these assessments may not be worth it.

One way standardized tests are flawed is because of the lack of effort from some students. To some, any test is a big deal, and they try to do well on them. On the other hand, some see them as a joke.

Before practically every standardized test, the teacher informs the class that their test will not be counted as a grade, but they should still try their best. Many students take this as an opportunity to fill in random answers, so they do not have to work hard and to get finished faster. There are some that will try to make patterns or a smiley face out of the bubbles in their answer sheets. Because of this, it is difficult to actually evaluate how well students are doing on their tests if they did not attempt it.

Another problem with standardized testing is it takes account of how well a student performed on a test in one day.

Someone may have gotten in a fight with their parents the morning of the test, had a hard time going to sleep the night before, or recently had a tragic family incident. These outside factors can cause major distractions when attempting to take a test. When people have other

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things on their mind, it is senseless to expect them to be able to concentrate for long periods of time and still score well on assessments.

An issue that also occurs when determining scores for standardized tests is that not all of the questions do an accurate job at deciding a person’s intelligence. They do not allow students to think deeply about matters and instead give simple answers showing basic knowledge and understanding of a subject. Teachers make sure to teach students things that will be on the test. Many of the questions on the test, however, are not based off of what is learned in class, but on application of knowledge already given. The questions also do not give a clear view as to how a student would use their abilities and skills

outside of the classroom and in a real life situation. If standardized test questions do not test the right information given, then they cannot give a precise judgment of a person’s intelligence.

Students at GHS must take a few standardized tests throughout the school year. Here it seems that sophomore year is dedicated to taking them more than in any other. They’ve taken ITBS, the asset tests, and the Aspire. These test do not accurately measure a student’s intelligence levels or learning skills, so they may not be worth the money that the school district is putting into them.

Changing these tests to help students understand where their strengths are and making them align more with the ACT are ways to make these expensive tests worthwhile.

Percentage of Students That Try on Standardized Tests Data collected from 50 students from a variety of grade levels.

Full Effort some effort no effort FEBRUARY 2015

We The People With the inception of the American Constitution and the Bill of Rights, enormous power was given to the common man and his ability to speak out. With it, many could share their thoughts with others through the evolving media system that quickly spread throughout the United States.

In the centuries following the First Amendment, the power of the media has grown to be all-powerful presence in the culture and thoughts of the average citizen. In modern times, it is impossible to escape the constantly blaring headlines or briefs that bombard people at every second. The news media of America holds great power over the opinions and thoughts of many Americans. But is it truly using such influence with responsibility and control?

The media of the modern day has inherited the great wealth of power to sway the nation from its beginnings long ago. And with that comes the danger of abusing it. The media holds the unique ability to change opinions on a mass scale or to inform in any way they choose. Given recent events in the American homeland, one questions whether they have been doing that in a responsible and careful manner. Take, for example, the recent Ebola crisis in October of 2014. Whilst the majority of the expert virologists and government officials were attempting to explain how unlikely an epidemic in America would be, they were drowned out by the speculative uproar coming from news corporations such as Fox, MSNBC, and CNN. Hours spent focusing solely on the grizzly details of the panic in Africa, coupled with the unsubtle accusations at the ineptitude of the government actions spread fear and uncertainty across America. While it is not my intent to imply that the government should control the media, in fact my opinion is far from it, the irresponsibility of the

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media resulted in much more attention and panic than the “crisis” was due.

Recent responses to the Ferguson police case and riots were lacking as well. Say what one will about the police case and the uncertainty behind the events that took place that fateful night.

It is unlikely that any will know fully what happened behind it. However, the riots that erupted following the failed indictment on the officer involved have been filled with a swarm of media exploitation and rage. News stations swarmed to the scene in glee, often with mixed angles. Some would run into the midst of the looting, only to be chased out by threats of violence and personal damage. They would then proceed to spend the hours of airtime afterwards “reporting” with glee on the barbaric damages the opposing side caused. Others would ignore the entire riots as if they did not exist, refusing to even attempt to acknowledge any of the riots or looting going on and instead on the ramblings of “experts” on the subject while completely ignoring the human side of the decision, both the

peaceful and the destructive. Both sides of the media failed to follow up on their responsibility of informing the public correctly. Neither gave the many peaceful demonstrations anything more than glance before diving into their onesided “news” broadcasts.

The fact that news in recent memory focuses so much on sensationalism is worrisome to many. That is the basest reason for the bastardization of the media of today, a focus on the evil and chaotic nature of the world. It’s not so much a news broadcast as it is several minutes of actual reporting followed by hours of blind speculation to whip the public into either a fury or a panic. News has a great responsibility to cover happenings in the world. Its duty is to inform the public in a careful manner. Playing as yet another tool of propaganda for the political agenda is not why the media and free speech was given so much power centuries ago.

Only be realizing the full weight behind their words and how much the public relies on them can the media begin to rebuild its reputability.

Most Common Sources of News for GHS Students and Teachers

Data collected from 30 students & teachers

Percent

By Nick Mefford

Media’s Effect On the World

Opinion

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ready for the new season preseason indoor practices start for girls soccer team

Makenzie Burmeister runs up the field with the ball to pass it along and help lead the team.

Photo by Amanda Minckler.

The team spent the practice cheering each other on and coaching themselves. Coach Behney was not even in the room for most of the practice. Photo by Amanda Minckler.

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By Amanda Minckler

ast year, the Gretna Girls Soccer team took the State Champion title. Now, the girls are preparing for their upcoming season.

Soccer takes a great deal of running, but in reality the preseason contains no conditioning. The training, however, is not as much for fitness as it is for technique.

“Conditioning is a waste of time, as they get conditioned by playing and because the game rewards technical players,” said soccer coach, George Behney.

The preseason helps the players polish the technical skills for the

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upcoming season, and it certainly helps with conditioning. Even though the team is not required to come to the after school training two times a week, about twenty to twenty-five show up. Since the preseason training has no conditioning, they just get the ball on the field and start playing.

“It is two times a week, and we just scrimmage,” said Jayden Lindley, sophomore.

The team practically coaches itself as they cheer each other on and help one another. The fitness aspect of it comes during the games.With all the new freshmen another key part of the preseason is getting to know the new players.

Abby Furley(17) watches as she cheers on the rest of the players. Photo by Amanda Minckler.

“It is a good team bonding,” said Makenzie Burmeister, senior.

“It helps everybody get ready for the it [the season] technically and physically.”

The team will not work if the players do not work together. The incoming freshman can use this training to get to know the team.

Making the relationships stronger is an important aspect.

“The relationships formed between upper and lower classman are important,” said Coach Behney.

“It [the preseason training] allows them to work together.”

The team hit the ground running to prepare for this year and will hopefully make it back to state.

February 2015

Highlights Wrestling

This year so far the wrestling team has won or been runner up in every tournament or dual they have participated in. They have worked hard and proved their hard work by winning EMC duals at Waverly and just recently winning their dual against Ralston and winning in Underwood, Iowa. “I look forward to districts”, said Tom Kienow, sophomore.

Girls Basketball

The Girls Basketball team has striven to improve fundamentally and get better as a team this season. The team has great leaders on the court and help shoulder some of the responsibility. “EMC conference tournament is in the near future,” said Coach Jon Swanson. “This team enjoys playing together and the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Cody Riepl(17) shoots for a layup at an after school practice. The boys practice every day either before or after school, unless they have a game. Photo by Roy Thompson.

Boys Basketball

Preparing for an upcoming tournament, Kobe Everson( 18) and Cody Everhart(18) practice on wrestling moves. Photo by Amanda Nelson.

Jada Ruff(16) searches for an open teammate to pass to during the girls varsity game against Nebraska City. Photo by Amanda Minckler.

The team this year has been working hard and that hard work has been paying off. The team has won majority of their games and look forward to having a good rest of the season. “I look forward to seeing how well we do in districts”, said Isaiah Workman, junior. “Also, if we get to the state tournament.”

Swimming

The team trains really hard with morning and after school practices six days a week with two a days three times per week. They have broken six school records. This is the second year swim team has been offered at GHS. “Getting to know the new swimmers is something I look forward to,” said Samantha Coufal, senior. “I also look forward to competing in more meets.”

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Isabel Dammermann(15) swims the backfly during a meet in Beatrice. Photo by Sam Coufal.

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changes over time

How valentines day has evolved over the centuries

By Angel Perina

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ebruary is the month of love; the month of Valentine’s Day is a time to flourish one’s significant other with hugs, kisses, roses, chocolates, and cheesy cards. Valentine’s day dates back to the 5th century and is related to a martyr named St. Valentine who was a priest.

Throughout history, Valentine’s Day went from a day to get rid of injustices, to a Pagan holiday, and then in the end of the 5th century, Valentine’s Day became the holiday that we know today.

Saint Valentine lived in Rome and was a priest who would wed couples. The ruler at the time was named Emperor Claudius. He made the assumption that young men were better soldiers when they were single, because they didn’t have the worries of family and children. Claudius outlawed marriage all throughout Rome to make sure men stayed single. St. Valentine saw the injustice in this new law and still helped young couples get married in secret. Eventually, the Emperor of Rome

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found out about his illegal actions and sentenced to death. Rumor has it that St. Valentine sent out the first Valentine’s day message. While in prison he sent a letter to young woman that he had fallen in love with and signed it saying “From your Valentine” a common phrase still used today.

Valentine’s Day was first a Pagan/ Christian festival called Lupercalia. The festival was to celebrate fertility and the god Faunus the god of agriculture. The day has not always been February 14, the festival took place on the 15th of February. During this festival of religion each woman would put there name in a urn. After each name was submitted, a man at random would walk up to the urn and draw a name. These two people would then spend the next year together, and hopefully they would then fall in love and produce children. The festival of Lupercalia is referenced in the William Shakespeare play Julius Caesar.

During the play the feast of Lupercalia is commencing, during the feast Mark

Antony is reminded to touch Calpurnia, Caesar’s’ wife for it will make her fertile.

Lupercalia was then outlawed for being un-christian.

Valentines day shaped into the holiday that we know of today during the late 5th century after Lupercalia was outlawed and Emperor Claudius fell out of power. During this time Valentine’s Day was made to be on February fourteenth, because it is the day that birds are believed to mate, creating it a day of love. Valentine’s greetings date all the way back to the middle ages, but written Valentines became popular after the 1400’s. The oldest known Valentine dates back to 1415. The poem still exists today; it was a love poem written by Charles the Duke of Orleans.

It took a long time for Valentine’s Day to become the holiday that we know today. Valentine’s Day began with a martyr, transformed into a pagan festival for fertility and that is how February 14th became the day of hearts and love.

All Info was gathered from History http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day

february 2015

Valentine’s day by the numbers How Much America Really Spends to Show Affection

By Amanda Nelson and Maddy Perkins

224 million -- The estimated number of roses grown for Valentine's Day. $18.6 billion -- The total spending that will be reached by

Valentine's Day.

$1.6 billion -- The amount people will spend on candy. $4.4 billion -- The amount people will spend on diamonds, gold and silver.

$4.52 -- The average amount pet owners spent on their pets

on Valentine's Day in 2012.

6 million -- The number of people who expect or are planning a marriage proposal.

29% -- The percentage of people who will type a romantic text message.

151 million -- The approximate number of cards that are

exchanged on Valentine's Day.

64% -- The percentage of men who buy flowers for Valentine's Day. http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/13/living/valentines-day-statistics-btn/

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That was awkward • STudents around ghs share their previously embarassing stories

By Kayla Calvert

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alentine’s Day is the time of year to bring out those smooth moves to impress the opposite gender. If you already have a significant other, well you better remember to pick up a sweet treat or flowers to remind him/her how special they are. While some experience Valentine’s Day as a romantic, blissful holiday, these students’ awkward experiences made the holiday one to remember, or more so to forget.

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• “My ex made me solve an equation to tell me he loved me,” said Jamie Goblirsch, senior.

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• • “My boyfriend surprise ordered me two dozen roses and broke up with me a week later,” said Hannah Ehmke, senior.

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“In 4th grade, [a boy in my grade] put a heart shaped box of chocolates in my locker,” said Callie Hawkins, junior. “The weird part was he awkwardly watched me open it. Then I went home and ate them all.”

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I kept receiving random gifts from an unknown admirer. On Valentine’s Day, I found out it was some guy in Arkansas, and I had to change my number. I kept all the gifts though.”

-Kaitlyn Everson, senior.

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“In seventh grade we went to the Pizza Machine, and a boy won me a bear,” said Kassidy Otteman, junior. “I didn’t want [him to give it to me] so I ran away from him. He ended up putting it in my backpack and I didn’t see it until three days later.”

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Mr. write?

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six words to describe the love lives of ghs students

By Maddy Perkins and Amanda Nelson

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“Coffee is always there for me.”

-Kassidy Vavra, junior

• • “I don ’t -Tyler have a love Kudla l cek, ju ife.” nior • 14

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• “Lov -Luk e is a lie e Vo and gel, juni evil.” or

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“My girlfriend’s always mad at me” -Mr. Jacob Jadlowski, social studies teacher

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“We still love each other exclusively.”

-Mrs. Nancy Turpen

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“It’s non current ly exis t that ent .” so th -An at’s ony mou s

“What i • s a love life exactly? ” -Kacie S charf, sophom ore

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• “ I • don • -Ch ’t have risti an C a love l hilto ife.”

• n, se nior “The best thing in my life.”

• -Jake Edie, freshman •

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Military academy nominees John Roll and Christian hadden nominated for military academy

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By Cassandra kostal ilitary ambitions are often taken into consideration by many boys and girls at a young age, but hardly followed through with. Often, they are just cast aside. But for a select few, acceptance into one of the nation’s military academies is not just a dream.

“I’ve always wanted to serve in the military,” said Christian Hadden, senior.

“It’s also just a really great college and it’s free, so the combination of all these things make it a great place to go.”

Beginning at a relatively young age, Christian’s goal was to some day become accepted into the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Spanning the duration of several years, this goal has never faded.

“I think he was ten,” said Mrs. Kristy Hadden, Christian’s mother. “One night there was a show on the Military Channel about the different military academies and he watched it and that night he says ‘Mom, I really think I’d like to go to West Point.’”

Christian shares his goal of attending the academy at West Point with fellow GHS senior, John Roll.

“Going to West Point has been a dream of mine since middle school,” said Roll. “It appeals to me because I’ve always had the urge to serve in the military and it also has a great academic program.”

While the ambition required to reach for such a goal may come easily, it is not that simple. From achieving the required grades and ACT scores to taking a candidate fitness assessment, the process is quite daunting.

All this is done to simply increase the odds of being considered for application by the admissions officers at West Point.

“I help as much as I can,” said Carole Carraher, guidance counselor. “I write recommendations, proofread and help spice up their essays, and prepare them for interviews.”

In order to be considered for a position at West Point, applicants have to reach out to their state’s senators and congressmen

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who must nominate them first. These nominations are not treated as light matters by those who administer them. Each representative interviews the applicant to determine whether or not they are worthy.

“The nominations are taken very seriously,” said retired Maj. Gen. Roger Lempke, USAF. “They could be our future officers, so we choose only the best.”

As the Director of Military and Veterans Affairs for Senator Deb Fischer, Maj. Gen. Lempke, along with a seven member team, sorts through all the applicants and recommends the most worthy for Senator Fischer to nominate for the one of the academies.

“I also had to apply to West Point,” said Roll, “which was multiple essays and lengthy questions. It was a very long process.”

The rigor and stress associated with simply applying to West Point only multiplies upon acceptance. Not only is each academy an institute for military training, each one is also a center for a higher level of education. Courses are specifically designed to challenge the minds and bodies of the cadets. This is taken into consideration when choosing applicants.

“We look at academics, such as their GPA and ACT scores,” said Maj. Gen.

Lempke. “If their ACT score is below twenty-seven then they will probably have some trouble getting in.”

To make sure this truly is the path they want to take, those interested in applying, or those who have already begun the process, are able to attend a summer camp to experience West Point first hand. The camp is designed to give students a glimpse of academy life. Whether it increases their desire to attend or not, applicants will at least know what is going to lie ahead if they are accepted.

“We go there for a week and it’s supposed to give you an idea of what it’s like to live there and go to classes there,” said Hadden. “It’s a lot different from a normal university.”

If accepted to attend an academy such as West Point, cadets are then required to serve five years before being able to choose whether or not to turn this opportunity into an entire career. Choosing to stay in long term could result in heavy sacrifices, for themselves as well as their families.

“Sometimes as a parent it’s hard to think about your child potentially going into harm’s way,” said Mrs. Hadden. “But I think just the fact that he wants to serve and his desire to serve, I’m totally okay with it.”

Christian Hadden, senior, stands with GHS alum Kyle Rhodes at West Point. Rhodes is a sophomore at West Point.

John Roll, senior, (far right) stands with other West Point Military Academy nominees.

February 2015

Hard Work finally Pays Off

Emily Newcomb is awarded a scholarship that makes Her Dreams A Reality

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By Olivia Kahler

umerous students apply for scholarships every year. Only some are lucky enough to be granted enough to make a significant difference in their future plans. Senior, Emily Newcomb, knows first hand just how life changing and impactful such a scholarship can be.

Newcomb was awarded the Horatio Alger Association Scholarship. She is one of only one hundred six students who qualified on the national level.

“It was the happiest moment of my life so far,” said Newcomb. “I cannot explain how amazing it feels to have all of the hard work throughout the years actually pay off.”

Such hard work includes a total of four hundred forty hours of volunteer work. Newcomb also had to write four essays for her scholarship, and include past employment and class records.

After completing this assignment, she earned about twenty-two thousand dollars towards her degree.

“I’ll be majoring in Biochemistry,” said Newcomb. “I know I am going to be a pharmacist of some kind.”

Biochemistry involves a vast knowledge of chemicals, such as certain medicines, and how they react with the people who they are prescribed to.

This field of science is used in genetic engineering, like agriculture, along with the medical field.

“Currently I am leaning toward nuclear pharmacy,” said Newcomb.

“It involves mixing chemotherapy for cancer patients. I really want to make an impact on someone’s life.”

Cancer treatment is being further explored upon each and every day, a study that Newcomb would soon like to embark on herself. This massive scholarship is sure to help with reaching these goals.

“This scholarship has definitely

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Photo by Laura C. Photography

Photo by Laura C. Photography

made Creighton more of a possibility for me,” said Newcomb. “With scholarships and projected financial aid, I am very close at full tuition. I’m still applying for more scholarships in order to minimize the cost even further. The less debt, the better.”

College tuition is an extremely easy way to rack up debt. Newcomb’s scholarship is sure to make way for many possibilities in her future. Without so much loan debt, she can focus more on school, rather than how she may need to pay it off.

“I just really want everyone to know

Photo Submitted

that it is possible to achieve what you desire with a little work,” said Newcomb.

“I have been told countless times that the odds are against me, that I’d never win a national scholarship.”

Newcomb plans to attend Creighton University this coming fall. She looks forward to earning her degree and achieving her dreams.

“A person can dream big but a person is also able to achieve big,” said Newcomb. “I’m just a strawberry-blonde girl in Gretna, but I won a national scholarship. It is possible with a little work.”

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Back To Today

What Back to the Future II got right about 2015

By Corban Critchfeild Art by Jade Naber

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n 1985, “Back to the Future II” premiered. It forecasted the year we are in, 2015. In 1985, Microsoft Windows 1.0 was released along with the first website (symbolics.com).

Movie writers projected the changes 30 years of technological advances would bring. With this guessing game, it is interesting to see what the movie writers got right.

In the scene when Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) tries to get away from Griff ’s gang, he spots some girls riding hoverboards. and borrows one and tries to get away.

Believe it or not, hoverboards are real today. Tony Hawk was invited to ride on one made by a company called Hendo Hoverboard.

When Griff says, “Hey bojo, those boards don’t work on water,” he actually was meant that for today too. The board has to be above metals called non-ferrous metals (metals that don’t contain any iron at appreciable amounts). A single board will cost $10,000 and it will be available for use on October 21, 2015.

“Back to the Future” also predicted the Kinect for the Xbox One and the Xbox 360. When Marty is in the restaurant, he see two kids turn on a arcade game called Wild Gunman and he shows them how to

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play. One of the kids says, “You mean you have to use your hands, that’s like a baby’s toy.” The Kinect uses a 3D scanner called light coding, in which it employs a variant of image-based 3D reconstruction.

Even Skype

was foreseen in the movie. When old Marty is talking to his friend, he is talking to him on a TV in a different area of the country while he relaxes on his couch.

Skype has been added to many devices such as computers and iPhones but now it has been added to the Xbox One and the Playstation Vita.

When Marty gets out of the time

traveling machine, he steps out of the car and puts on new shoes that tie themselves. Although we don’t have these yet, Nike is preparing to make shoes that tie themselves. The sneakers will be an updated version of the limited edition 2011 Nike MAG. They won’t be hitting stores immediately.

When Marty gets to 88 mph, he travels to the future to find out he’s flying in the wrong lane of traffic for the flying cars.

Now, we have a prototype in for the first flying car. A company c a l l e d Terrafugia is making a gasolineelectric hybrid with a range of 500 miles.

It will seat four people comfortably and fit in a standard, single-car garage.

On the ground, it relies on an electric drivetrain, so it won’t have to be filled up. The batteries can be charged by plugging it in at home. Once in the air, the gasoline engine charges up the batteries for driving.

What will happen when it is 30 years later from now? Will all the houses be solar powered, could we have the Iron Man suit, or maybe learn how to defy gravity? We may not have a movie to project it for us, but we have our imaginations. Thirty years from now, we will see what we got right.

February 2015

Judges Ready?

GHS Speech Team Gears Up for Competitive Season

A

By Jenna Glassburner

lthough second semester has only recently begun, one of Gretna’s most popular activities is in full swing. The Speech team, which proudly boasts around 45 members, have been writing, cutting, and rehearsing their speeches to prepare for their weekly competitions.

Speech competitions are comprised of multiple speaking and acting events.

Competitions are set up using a round system: Six people are in a room for each round, and they each give their speeches.

The judges then rank the speeches, those ranked highest advancing on to compete in a finals round. Every week, hours are dedicated to perfecting speeches.

“I try to practice every day,” said Summer Murray, senior and member of the GHS Speech team. “I sign up for practices with a coach, and they give me notes about posture, hand gestures, and character development. I also practice for my parents or to the wall. Just before a round I make sure I know where all my rooms are so I’m not stressed about trying to find them. Then if I need to,

I’ll tune out the competition and run through my speech in my head before I perform.”

Gretna’s historically strong performances in Speech have led many students to qualify for State competition by placing in the top four of their event at the district level. Last year, Gretna was the Class B Runner-up at State. Murray, as well as Grace Kimnach, senior, and alumni Luke and David Beran (‘14), advanced to Nationals and competed in Chicago. The high standards set by Gretna Speech challenge students to continue to improve their events, striving to achieve their personal goals for the season.

“Sophomore year I broke finals two times, and last year three times, so my goal is to break more than that this year,” said Murray. “Gretna can only take two people from each event to Districts. There are a lot of incredibly talented people doing Humourous Interp this year, and I will be working as hard as I can to make the district team.”

The GHS Speech team will compete almost every weekend until the State tournament on March 26.

Photo by Jenna Glassburner Acting Out: Summer Murray (15) practices her Humorous Interpretation piece. Part of being apart of the GHS speech team is many hours of practice in and outside of school.

Growing Pains Book Review: We Are Not Ourselves

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By Becca Human

f the thousands of novels being published each year, most focus on one theme, character, or length of time. However, the novels that branch out to tell multiple stories tied together under common themes are the ones that can make the biggest impact. “We Are Not Ourselves” by Matthew Thomas is one of these books. The story follows Eileen Tumulty, the daughter of struggling IrishAmerican immigrants, who decides from a young age to pursue the cosmopolitan American Dream. She marries Ed

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Leary, a promising scientist who has the potential to give her what she has always dreamed of. However, as they move up in ranks of their professions, have a son named Connell together, and move into bigger houses, something starts to go wrong with Ed. He is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease extremely young, making him entirely unpredictable. The novel follows the journeys of Eileen, Ed, and their son, exploring themes like family, disease, and cultural identity.

Matthew Thomas is a master of character development. By incorporating small, seemingly unrelated scenes

Photo by Becca Human

throughout the novel, he ties together a larger picture that greatly builds each character. The point of view transitions from Eileen to Connell, showing differing perspectives of the same situation and displaying how different people react to the disabling of their family member.

I hugely enjoyed “We Are Not Ourselves”. While it is a lengthier novel, the story draws readers in with its peculiar language and unique characters, and eventually, the characters are too well-developed to abandon.

A&E

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The

voice

Editor in Chief: Roy Thompson Managing Editor: JAcob Dart Copy Editor: Becca Human News Editor: Amanda Minckler Op Ed Editor: Sam Hannigan Feature: Amanda Nelson Indepth: Maddy Perkins Sports: Layne Staley A&E: Brenna Zollman Reporters: Jade Naber, Olivia Kahler, Kayla Calvert, J.J. Jungjohann, Corban Critchfield.

Reporters (Group 2): Jenna Glassburner, Angel Perina, Nick Mefford, Jon Dormady, Cassandra Kostal, Katie Stukenholtz.