2017 GHS Voice Issue 7

THE VOICE

April 2017

THE VOICE TV

4 STUDENT MODELS 6 SENIOR MAP

LOVED TEACHER’S LAST YEAR TEACHING

MR. MARIK RETIRES AFTER YEARS OF EDUCATION SERVICES

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BY JESSICA BLUM

retna High School knows of a man that resides on the second floor, room 737. This man has dedicated 53 years of his life to teaching multiple generations, keeping kids engaged and passionate about science. Not only that, but he has been a significant part of the GHS sports as well, coaching basketball, cross country and track every year. He strives to keep passion involved in our daily and future lives.

“Keep on enjoying what you are doing and be happy,” Coach Mr. Joe Marik said. “That is why you choose what you want to do.”

Some students took the news as a shock because this talk of retirement has been a question for a few years.

“I was a little shook at first because I thought he would be here until I graduated,” junior Jillian Brion said. “He has been teaching for 53 years, though, so I decided it was probably good he retired and enjoyed life with his family.

He means a lot to me. I can only hope that I’m still nice and fun at his age and have the same outlook on life as he does.”

He has been known to not only greatly affect the lives of his students in the classroom, but he has affected those lives on the track and field as well. Senior Emily Romano will always remember Mr. Marik, a crucial part to her sports schedule.

“As a coach, Mr. Marik was always the one who took pictures of us while we ran at the meets,” Romano said. “Every time we ran by him, he would always yell encouraging words at us, such as ‘Go get her!’ or ‘Keep going!’ and ‘Keep it up!’ When we weren’t running, I could always count on Mr. Marik to make some kind of joke or jokingly pour water on me when I was laying on the ground claiming he saw a bug. I was sad at first because he was such an important figure in my running career, but then

I realized I’m not going to be here next year anyways, so I was happy for him.”

As long as his students are present, Mr. Marik can be found throwing every experiment and knowledge he knows our way, exposing the true nature of science in every new way possible. His favorite part of the job has been the rewarding feeling he gets because it is something he loves to do. Mr. Marik, with 53 years of experience in teaching, is a rare gem of our community.

“His passion for teaching is his most admirable quality,” Mr. Miller said. “He is always the first one here and the last one to leave. His passion has kept him going. His retirement will be hard for him at first since he has worked so long and so hard, but it is hard not to respect that passion.”

Coach Mr. Spencer Stednitz has had the honor of working with Mr. Marik for 14 years.

Every step of the way has come with new obstacles and tasks that they love to accomplish together. His love for the subject is evident in each new expectation and experiment he performs.

“When I started at Gretna High School, I thought I knew what it meant to be a good teacher,” Mr. Stednitz said. “I was wrong.

Watching Mr. Marik taught me how to really connect with my students and make sure that they understand the concepts I was trying to teach. I know that I am a better teacher because I got to teach with Mr. Marik. I am proud to call him my friend and colleague. I will miss teaching and coaching with him every day.”

No matter what he is being a part of or leading, Mr. Marik has balanced the formulas to earn the achievement of job well done. Gretna’s “Papa Chem” will not be soon forgotten, but honored. Thank you, Mr. Marik, for your great educational services all these years!

NINE PLANETS HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED

Support from the Sidelines A very important job for coaches is to be a factor from the sidelines, cheering and motivating with every turn of the legs. Mr. Marik has done this and more, hugging Mazie Larsen (18) as she earned yet another medal from an outstanding performance last year. Mr. Marik will be leaving a big hole in the staff of Gretna High School. Submitted photo.

Then and Now From about 1965 to 2017, coach and teacher Mr. Joe Marik has been greatly and completely involved in serving the Gretna community. From the time the first photo on the left was taken to the time when the right photo was taken, Mr. Marik has made and been the center of countless memories for generations. It does not take long to realize that everyone in Gretna either knows about Mr. Marik or knows someone else who knows Mr. Marik.

NASA PROVES “ANOTHER EARTH” IS CLOSER THAN WE THINK

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BY RUTHIE ISAACSON

magine if in 100 years, Earth was not the only planet we could live on.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration recently discovered seven inhabitable planets orbiting around the same star.

“If we find a way to make it to this system it could in fact change our lives,” freshman Josh Human said.

On Feb. 22, NASA released a tweet saying, “Around a nearby, cold, small star we found seven rocky Earth-size planets, all of which could have liquid water - key to life as we know it.” Since then, these planets have taken over the news and the web.

“This is cool because number one we might be able to find aliens,” science instructor Mr. Harders said. “Or number two we might be able to move there if we kill our planet at some point.”

Information concerning the planets is limited until we launch the James Webb Space Telescope in 2018, a more sensitive telescope that can reveal crucial details. Until that technology is used, scientists can only guess at what the planets look like based on their distance from a star and their location in outer space.

“The star itself is a lot smaller than our sun, a lot more dense which means it is cold,” Mr. Harders said. “Around that star there are seven planets orbiting.”

The possibility of living somewhere else other than Earth is a foreign, yet exciting idea. However, not all seven planets have an environment that could sustain human life.

“Three of the seven planets are located in the habitable zone, or the ‘Goldilocks’ zone,”

Human said. “This means that life could exist on these planets and maybe we could even live there.”

If given the choice to travel out of our solar system, would you? Although a new adventure awaits, the outcome is uncertain and for many people, a deal breaker.

“I do not know if I would ever try and go visit these planets,” Human said. “It would probably cost a lot of money to send humans there and it would be very risky and dangerous.”

On of the reigning problems with living on these alien planets is the distance. The system where the seven planets are located is called TRAPPIST-1 and is 39 light years away. Currently, the farthest a spacecraft has traveled into space is about 0.002 light years. It would take NASA’s fastest spacecraft, the New Horizons, 817,000 years to travel to the seven planet system.

If we did manage to send people there it would take 39 light years to get there,” Human said. “We would have to master cryogenics or some other way to get people there without them dying of old age on the way.”

Compared to our solar system, the TRAPPIST-1 system is very small. Their star is 12 times smaller than our sun as well as cooler.

“Because the star is so small, the planets’ orbits are also small,” Human said. “In fact, all of their orbits can fit inside of the orbit of Mercury.”

The odds that planets similar to Earth exist were always high, but finding them in the billions of lightyears of outer space seemed almost impossible. Now that they have been discovered, the possibilities of space travel are endless.

Experiments Mr. Marik shows his Advanced Chemistry students how to do the experiment for the day. He is the only instructor for the class so it is unknown who will be teaching next year if it is even offered.

Rewards Scratch and sniff stickers are offered to students who do well on tests in Mr. Marik’s Chemistry and Advanced Chemistry classes. Students who score a 100 on the tests get the most stickers

2 April 2017

News

Volume 3 Issue 7

COMPETITORS HOPE FOR THEIR CHANCE TO WIN

FRESHMEN COMPETE AGAINST OTHERS TO WIN AN OPTAMISM CONTEST

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BY KJERSTIN CRITCHFIELD n a recent assignment, freshmen students were asked to write a four minute speech on “What the World Gains from Optimism.” The assignment also hit two birds with one stone as it overlaps with the Optimist Club’s competition. Each year they host a contest with a scholarship for the state winners. As a competitor moves up through the contests, they come closer to achieving a $25,000 scholarship to the college of their choice. Some of the competitors are looking forward to their future and considering the benefits that winning this contest can bring.

“For awhile I was planning on going into the field of science, specifically physics, which would involve a lot of writing and thinking,” freshman Patrick Osborn said. “However lately, after doing speech team and partaking in the optimist speech competition I have been considering careers that involve more public speaking. Whatever it is that I do in my future, I will probably end up having to do a considerable amount of writing.”

Writing skills are important for everyday lives and sometimes writing can come easy while for others it is hard. For some, writing on a certain topic can be a struggle, but the topic “What the World Gains from Optimism” had many falling in love with it, including English instructor Mrs. Liz Rhodes.

“I think it is important for not only me but also my students to think about optimism and its effects,” Mrs. Rhodes said. “It offered a variety of interpretation from the students and they were able to stylize and share their opinion.”

Public speaking is one way to share opinions, but most students hate it. Freshman Evelyn Theall used to be one of those people but now because of her experience on speech team, she is comfortable doing it.

“I think everyone should join public speaking,” Theall said. “I used to hate public speaking, but because of speech team I now love it.”

Theall and Osborn are both on speech team, in fact they are partners in a duet.

Their piece has brought many laughs and even a first place trophy. They work hard and both go to extents to prepare for a presentation, even though it can be hard at times.

“Writing for the contest was not easy for me,” Theall said. “I am not typically an optimistic person but I am working on it.”

Even though writing does not come easy for some students, teachers encourage students to write and increase their abilities. This contest provided opportunities to experiment and demonstrate the student’s skills but also competing can come with benefits.

“I always encourage kids to participate and at least try,” Mrs. Rhodes said. “By at least trying they can grow and achieve and make more connections and possibly do it forever.”

Photo of Maeya Gydesen by Kjerstin Critchfield

Photo of Paterick Osborn by Kjerstin Critchfield

FIRST 100 DAYS OF TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY

THE DECISIONS THAT TRUMP HAS MADE SINCE TAKING OFFICE

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By Katie Stukenholtz n Jan. 20, Donald Trump took the oath of office and became the 45th president of the United States of America. Right from the start, President Trump was eager to begin. As of March 6, he has signed 15 executive orders, according to the Huffington Post.

Only hours after taking office Trump signed an executive order to ease the effects of the Affordable Care Act. A few days later, on Jan. 24, he signed another order. This one was to move forward the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines.

One of the reasons he did this was to create jobs, and he also stated that if they were to be built U.S. steel should be used. The very next day President Trump signed two more executive orders. One was to fulfill his campaign promise of building a wall along the southwest border of the U.S. The other one was a directive to make deporting illegal immigrants a priority.

Some of his more recent executive orders include two that were signed on Feb. 28. The first one urges the Environmental Protection Agency to review the current rule and contemplate limiting protected waterways to larger bodies of water.

According to the Huffington Post many farm groups are glad to have this rule

limited as they felt it was a federal land grab. The other executive order he signed established a President’s board of advisors for the HBCU which stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The order will serve to provide better funding and make education a priority for the Trump administration. The most recent executive order signed by President Trump was on March 6. After he signed an order prohibiting people from seven different countries from entering the U.S., it was taken down by federal judges. Trump then returned to the idea board and came up with a scaled down version of his idea.

This order banned people from coming to the U.S. from six different countries if they lacked a visa.

There are some people who do not agree with how President Trump has been behaving himself throughout his presidency so far. Junior Madison Buss agrees with President Trump on some of the issues he is addressing but is not a fan of how he has been acting.

“Economically I agree with him on some things, so if he just voiced it with more class then maybe I could stand him and be okay with him,” Buss said.

Although President Trump has created some controversy in signing his various

Acting fast President Donald Trump has signed 15 executive orders. He signed the first one only hours after taking office. The most recent one he signed on March 6th. Submitted photo.

executive orders, he has done plenty of other presidential activities too. He has spoken to a number of different officials. According to Fox News, on Jan. 28, he spoke with five different world leaders. They were Russian President Vladimir Putin, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Not only has he spoken to various world leaders, he has met with quite a few of them too. Some of the ones President Trump has met with include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. President Trump has had many public appearances and some people who are of the same party as Trump feel as if he did not handle himself properly.

“Trump signed an executive order to strengthen the military,” junior Ethan Williamson said. “Trump Plans on raising taxes for the rich. I think that is great.”

Since he has President, Trump has made some big decisions to change the United States. He has been hard at work doing what he and his administration believe is the best.

Volume 3 Issue 7

April 2017

OpEd

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THE CRAZE BEHIND HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGEST NAMES SHOULD BE STOPPED RIGHT NOW WHY WE SHOULD STOP BEING OBSESSED WITH CELEBRITIES AND PUT OUR FOCUS ON PEOPLE WHO TRULY DESERVE THE FAME

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BY OLIVIA KAHLER

CARTOON BY BROOKE SMITH

he media has made it really easy for people to idealize celebrities.

They are presented as glamorous and flawless, which makes people look up to them, and hope to be like them. However, underneath the makeup artists, personal trainers and dieticians, what is a celebrity really, and why do people fantasize them so much? Having an idol is nothing to be ashamed of and it is no reason to be criticized, but I think it is essential that kids are aware that they are just as capable as someone with a big name.

It has always puzzled me why celebrities have been so glorified. I mean, after all, they are really just regular people.

Sure, they have talent and are lucky enough to make it big in Hollywood, but that does not mean they should be praised as much as they are. There is talent everywhere we look, we do not have to turn on the television or search Twitter to find it.

There are people all over the world that have talent, but they may just not be lucky enough or care enough to make a famous name for themselves. For example, students win awards at competitions and are granted scholarships all the time for things like sports, show choir or dance. It is not exactly easy to be granted achievements like that, but often times awards and

praises like that are overlooked by others.

Kids do not always look up to their peers because they know them personally or do not consider them worthy simply for the fact that they are of the same age, but that should not be the case.

Of course, celebrities are talented.

They have to be in order to be so widely known and to land big roles in movies or sell platinum albums. It just makes more sense for people to observe the people around them and aspire to their achievements rather than to the stars that will never know quite how many people look up to them and who those people are.

It is crucial for people to understand this so that they give people credit that actually deserve it.

Little kids look up to celebrities because they want to be like them someday. It is fun for a child to pretend that they are on stage with millions of people gawking at them and cheering for them, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, it is important that at the same time, kids know that they have the ability to make something great of themselves as well. They don’t necessarily have to become famous in order to achieve that. It is important that people notice the talent around them as well in order to give praise where it is necessary instead of only recognizing the big Hollywood names.

WARM DAYS RESULT IN MORE PROBLEMS HOLLYWOOD DRAMA AFTER 2017 OSCARS

WHY THESE SUMMER-LIKE DAYS ARE NOTHING TO CELEBRATE FIGHT FOR WHOSE VOICE MATTERS HITS NEW PEAK THIS YEAR

BY AMANDA MINCKLER

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nybody who has not been living under a rock for the past month or so knows that the weather has been unseasonably warm for this time of year.

People have been rejoicing over the 70 degree days that have occurred, and even though it is refreshing after blistering cold days, it is nothing to be happy about. This summer-like weather is an occurrence that we should be worried about because it is a major effect of global warming. It is supposed to be 20 degrees no matter how much we do not want it to be. Seventy degrees in February is dangerous to our planet and the animals to inhabit parts of our planet that rely on cold winters.

Animals like polar bears are suffering because their homes are melting. It can also cause problems with crops and plants in certain regions. When there is a hard frost and then time where the plants are given the environment to bloom early, crops can be damaged or lost. This change in climate can also cause pollen season to be longer

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE SCAN HERE:

BY KYLE HARRIS and more intense which is a major issue for people with allergies.

Yes, random bursts of warm weather can happen without any connection to climate change; however, looking at the bigger picture one can connect many warmer seasons to climate change. This past January has been the third hottest in history. These high-temperature days are just more proof that the overall temperature of the earth is raising due to greenhouse gasses and many other factors.

Warmer temperatures like this will become more and more common if we do not do something to change the track the earth is on. So, on the next day it is unseasonably warm, remember what the true effects of those days are and think about how to fix it. Focus on recycling more, saving gas, saving energy, using renewable energy and avoiding anything that could lead to more deforestation. Together we can work to make the earth “healthy” again and have our normal winter return no matter how nice this weather is.

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nother awards show season has come and gone. The red carpets have been rolled up and Sunday nights have returned to their state as a cultural wasteland. The annual nail in the coffin comes in the form of the Academy Awards, now more synonymous with real life drama than film. Despite personal opinions on this year’s Oscar winners, it is refreshing to see a program that still has the spine to award who they deem best, without bowing to the whims of viewers or the results of ticket sales. To adjust the almost 100 year old system, even in a minor capacity, is a slippery slope to award shows concerned more with ratings and representation than with celebrating art based on its merit.

Ratings for the Academy Awards have been on a downhill slide for the last nine years and as a response, the pressure to jazz up the ceremony for increased eyeball to screen attendance is palpable. Many do not bother tuning in, citing a lack of awareness for the nominated films. Viewing despite a lack of knowledge is more than acceptable; it should be encouraged. The Oscars are not just a fun night for the audience to root for their favorite films, but an opportunity for lesser known art and artists to be thrust into the spotlight, introducing the world to new voices and a higher standard of entertainment. Great films like “The Artist” filmmakers like Alejandro Iñárritu and important stories like that of “Spotlight” all found audiences through the Academy awards. Shows with less Controversy hit a peak last year when people took to Twitter with tweets labeled. #OscarsSoWhite in response to a lack of minority nominations, especially for diverse fan favorite “Straight Outta Compton.” To say that “Moonlight” only

Up For Debate The 89th Academy Awards marked the end of the 2016 awards season. The show upset a large number of people and raised new questions over representation in Hollywood. This years winners join those of the past in films most prestigious club Photo by Gary Hershorn/ Reuters

won best picture as a response to this is a malignant simplification that seeks to compare an overly processed blockbuster like “Compton” to an artistically dominant piece like “Moonlight.” If an attempt was made to reward inferior movies for higher ratings it would not be done so on the behalf of a film that grossed only twenty two million dollars.

The most important takeaway from the wrapping up of this awards season is that these plaques and trophies are nothing more than hollow congratulations to the nominees. They offer a fun night to reflect on the year’s entertainment but have little impact on the future of their arts.

4April 2017

Feature

Volume 3 Issue 7

STUDENTS SHOWCASED AT OMAHA FASHION WEEK AS WELL AS BY PHOTOGRAPHERS STUDENTS EXPRESS PRESSURES AND QUALIFICATIONS OF BEING A MODEL FOR DESIGNERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS IN OMAHA

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BY HAILEY HALSTEAD hile sitting in classroom, there are people, who have many different sides to their life. A few of us may not know these sides, some of those sides are modeling. It is just knowing the right people at the right time, such as when a designer, Miranda, decided to select people she knew from GHS to model for her.

“I knew the designer,” freshman Lydia Yost said. “She had asked models from Gretna to be in the show. I thought it was really cool and would be a fun opportunity so I tried out to be her model.”

Not just everyone could just start modeling right away. There are many different requirements to be a model.

“For starters you have to be 5’9” or taller,” sophomore Kaiya Russell said.

“The designers want you to walk with confidence and it is not as easy as it

sounds.”

Although modeling has certain requirements, time is not one of them. It takes little time, but lots of hard work.

“It doesn’t take much time,” Russell said. “I’m a student athlete, so I’m used to working around it.”

A support system can help manage time. They can not only help with time but they can help with making one stronger.

“There is a photographer that I shoot with a lot,” sophomore Thomas LaMountain said. “I wouldn’t say he’s my biggest supporter but he is my biggest motivator. His name is Terrance Tryon and he is always driving me to be better and stronger.”

A few models see a future in the modeling business. They think it would be fun, but it means that one must be able to find more opportunities out of the little ones their are available .

Showtime Kaiya Russell (19) walks on the runway for the 2017 Omaha Fashion Show. Russell modeled for another GHS student, Miranda Hansen (18). She is also a student athelete at GHS.

“I would love to continue to do it I had a really good time,” Yost said. “It would just be a matter of if I had more opportunities.

If I did I would definitely do it again.”

Modeling can help one’s self confidence and esteem. It just depends on who the models are modeling for and what the other models are like.

“Modeling gave me way more confidence than I had previously,” LaMountain said. “It has helped me so much with my self esteem.”

Modeling makes one know the value of hard work and dedication. Modeling can mean that the models have to push past the people who do not approve.

“It is hard to do modeling because everyone is so strict,” junior Samantha Yates said. “They are judgy and always think that everyone needs a certain body type.”

The opportunities that open up

for modeling are very slim. When the opportunities open up the models jump at the opportunities.

“There are so little opportunities I feel like and I would like to be involved in more things like Omaha Fashion week,” Yost said. “So I feel like it is really hard to be able to put yourself out there, if that is like something you are interested in.”

Some models think that it is good to get out there. It may be hard, but with determination it is possible.

“Yes,” Russell said. “It is a challenge in a way, even if you do not think you can do it. It is worth trying because you never know.”

Modeling pushes people’s limits, but for the few people who are willing to take on that challenge, it makes them strong and confident. For those who are willing to give it a try it is worth all of the effort and time they must put in.

Supportive Students Sami Yates (18) and Anna Pick (18) show of their dresses made by Miranda Hansen (18).

Both walked at Omaha Fashion Week this year. “It is hard to do modeling because everyone is so strict,” Yates said.

LEARNING MORE BY TEACHING STUDENTS A LOOK AT WHAT STUDENT TEACHING IS REALLY LIKE AT GHS

BY REIS BUTLER

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ursuing a degree for teaching requires many classes and hands-on tasks. One of the requirements for college students in this field is student teaching.

They must complete this before becoming a certified teacher. A student teacher may observe a classroom at first, but as time goes on, they will engage the students and do the same as a teacher would do.

Student instructor Ms. Emily Brumond, student instructor Mr. Colin Frye, and student instructor Mr. James Myers are student teachers at GHS. “Right now I am full time teaching,” Mr. Myers said, “doing everything from grading to lesson planning.”

Mr. Myers is doing the work of a teacher, making plans, grading homework, etc. Mr. Myers is doing the teacher’s work

MS. EMILY BRUMOND essentially, but at the same time learning things along the way.

“Every week I create the lessons and warm ups,” Myers said, “and I frame questions I think the students will ask me on homework and grade everything out.”

In the beginning easing into the job is what happens a lot of the time. After that transitioning period however there has to be time when a student teacher has got the foothold and has to begin climbing the rest of the way.

“When I first started teaching it was easing my way into things,” Mr. Myers said, “and after that I went into it full swing.”

That is the experience of being a student teacher, not waiting to get the all clear and to take the initiative to start teaching the class alone.

Ms. Brumond is also past the first

foothold and is now climbing the way teaching and learning from students.

“It’s actually really great working with the students” Ms. Brumond said “I’m doing things like grading and overall it’s been fantastic” Becoming a student teacher means a lot to Mr. Myers and Ms. Brumond. They love the job they do and enjoy doing it every day.

“You know you want to be a teaching when working with kids all time,” Myers said, “You can be trained and taught, you have to be flexible, you never know until you’re in the classroom.”

Being taught in a classroom is not everything, but it just does not compare to actually being in the classroom working with the students. Being a student teacher in school is way different then it is in

MR. COLIN FRYE

MR. JAMES MYERS

college.

“It’s pretty different than college, it’s a lot of work,” Mr. Frye said “but it’s worth it when working with the students and being able to help them out.”

Student teachers when first starting out should think about next year and if they will have a job planned. When the student teaching year is over having a job that can be fallen into easily should be an important matter.

“Not as of now,” Mr. Frye “ but I am on the job hunt and searching as of now.”

Being a student teacher is not just learning about how to teach, it is learning about the students that walk and learn throughout the school every day, and to accept that tomorrow is always a new day with fun, exciting, and very interesting new adventures.

Volume 3 Issue 7

Indepth

FOUR YEARS OF MEMORIES FOR SENIORS

LAST SEMESTER FOR SENIORS IS QUICKLY COMING TO A CLOSE

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BY COLIN KITSON

eniors are in their last semester of high school and will be done with high school soon. They have spent four years together, they have some unforgettable memories.

There are two memories that have stood out, one of them is “Tom coming,” and the other one is winning state basketball both last year and this year, making the boys basketball team back-to-back champions.

The seniors have spent three years at homecoming, but for their final homecoming, they decided to make an alternative homecoming at senior Tom Kienow’s house. It adapted the name “Tom coming.”. “Tom coming” took place in Kienow’s shed and the word got around that Kienow was throwing a homecoming when a tweet got out on twitter and it was spread verbally.

“Tom coming was an alternative homecoming that we had put together in 12 hours. We had everything that was at the school’s homecoming but we just did it in Tom’s shed,” senior Kade SpainHower said.

The seniors did not want to have their last homecoming at the school, they wanted to make it memorable. They knew they would remember it more if they had it in Kienow’s shed.

“Everyone wanted our senior

homecoming to be a special one to remember and no one in our class wanted to go to our school one. So at least 30 seniors came out to my house and helped me throw together the best homecoming I have experienced,” Kienow said.

Kienow had no clue how it got to be so big, he did not think there would be a lot of people but he was wrong. Kienow was on the football team so he did not have much time to set up just before because he had a game to play.

“Honestly I have no idea how it go so big, I thought it would not be that big of a turn out but when I got into my shed after the football game there was some big black dude just walking around, he was a guard for the shed and I was thinking to myself ‘holy guacamole,’ there must be at least 250 kids in my shed,” Kienow said.

Another big memory for the seniors last year was winning boys state basketball.

The last time they won state was in 1986.

It was an incredible memory for both the boys and GHS students. “It was very big winning last year because we missed out on it by just a little bit every year,” senior Ryan Samuelson said.

As the buzzer sounded during the final game of the 2016 season and Gretna had the lead at the end of the game, the whole team ran to center court and jumped

up in excitement knowing they had just won a state championship. The team was confident going into the tournament that they would win.

“Everyone was very happy that we had finally won another state championship and I expected us to win anyway because of how good we were in the regular season,” Samuelson said.

All in all, the seniors have had so many memories for being in the high school for four years; these are just two of the memorable ones. Having a homecoming that was one to remember and then capturing the state title for boys basketball two years in a row was huge. The seniors will be sure to remember that for a very long time.

April 2017

5

Sweet embrace In celebration Zach Imig (17) and Ty Duin (17) hug after winning the State Championship.

As the clock ran out, Gretna earned their second straight boys basketball championship. Photo by Emily Parkinson

Moving on The boys basketball team pose proudly after winning the EMC Conference Championship. The win marked the third time in a row that the team has won the EMC Championship. The win help push the team into the state tournament and toward the state title. Submitted photo

HONORING OUR SENIORS ONE LAST TIME THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF THE CLASS OF 2017

CRUNCH TIME TO FUND COLLEGE TUITION SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINES FAST APPROACHING

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BY KENZIE PAVELKA

eceiving scholarships is essential for many seniors planning to attend college.

College can get expensive depending on where students choose to go.

There are a huge variety of scholarships that students can apply for including full rides, or even just a simple scholarship that will help out students as they pay for their books and other things needed to make their college learning experience the easiest.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 37% of students attending a four year college have received a scholarship of some sort. Scholarship types range from athletics and technology to writing and video content. Scholarships are such a necessity because depending on what scholarships the student receives, they could go to an outstanding, out of state college and not have to worry about debt in the future. Scholarships are huge because they can give students the opportunity to study what they want at the university that is best for that career.

Senior Alex Petrigash was lucky enough to receive a big scholarship that was awarded to her unexpectedly. She was offered a full ride scholarship to Gillette Wyoming College for show choir. Petrigash found out that she was selected to receive this scholarship because the director of the Show Choir and Choir at the college came up to her and offered her the full ride, asked for her information, and went from there. She was offered this scholarship as

a sophomore.

“I decided to take the full ride scholarship to Wyoming,” Petrigash said.

“I made this decision because they are letting me study whatever I am interested in, as long as I’m in the choir and show choir.”

Receiving scholarships is a huge accomplishment for some students. They could open doors that some students never thought about, and change their perspective on what they plan on studying.

Being awarded for all of the hard work that they have put into school is finally coming back to them. Petrigash had not yet applied for scholarships of any sort, because she was only a sophomore and did not know what she wanted for her future, so this opportunity took her by total surprise.

“It means the whole world to me, knowing that I am truly lucky to receive this scholarship and I am going to do everything and anything I can to make sure I am showing to them and my family that I actually deserve this and how hard I have worked for this,” Petrigash said.

Every student has the choice of deciding if they even want to attend college or not. In her case, Petrigash was not completely sure if she even wanted to go to college before the full ride scholarship was presented to her. Now she is set on attending Gillette Wyoming College and planning on studying business.

“If I had to choose who is my biggest influence in my life that helped me make this decision to go to college, it would have

to be my dad and step-mom,” Petrigash said. “Because as much as I told them that I didn’t want to go to college right away, they always pushed me to make sure I made the right decision.”

Senior Garett Ostdiek-Wille is planning on attending the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa this fall. This decision was based off of his wonderful college visit and the cost of attendance. He had applied for many scholarships and was shocked by the number of scholarships he received and how big they turned out to be.

“It is always very enlightening to receive scholarship money,” OstdiekWille said. “The school is essentially partially paying for you to attend because they believe you will be valuable to their student population.”

Students almost always have a person in their life who has been their main influencer. For some, it might be their parents, and others may have been influenced by past teachers or coaches.

For Ostdiek-Wille, his dad is the person in his life who has always been his main influencer.

“My father has been the biggest influence on me because he would always tell me he was not going to pay for my college at all and I must get scholarships to afford the price of education,” OstdiekWille said.

Scholarships for seniors are extremely important because they can allow students to do anything they want to without having to pay nearly as much as they usually would.

Standing proud Wearing a new T-shirt from her future college, Alex Petrigash (17) is all smiles. Petrigash committed to Gillette Wyoming College after receiving a full-ride scholarship. Petrigash’s involvement with show choir earned her a free college education at Gillette. Submitted photo

Big deal Surrounded by her mom, current coach and future coach, Alyson Miller (17) signed to play tennis at Midland University. Miller is one of several students who committed to college to play sports in order to receive substantial scholarships. For many students who commit, being on a sports team allows them to afford to pay for tuition. Submitted photo

6 April 2017

Indepth

Volume 3 Issue 7

Volume 3 Issue 7

Indepth

April 2017

7

8 April 2017

Indepth

Volume 3 Issue 7

PERFORMING AFTER THE CURTAIN CLOSES CONTINUING ON WITH COLLEGIATE SPORTS SENIORS PLAN TO FOLLOW THEIR PASSIONS FOR ATHLETICS

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BY BEN BICKEL

MUSICIANS MAKE DECISION TO KEEP PLAYING DURING COLLEGE

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BY CASSANDRA KOSTAL

ven after the final curtain closes on the last performance of their final year in high school, several GHS seniors have already made plans to continue on with performing arts at the collegiate level.

For some, the performing arts will just be for fun, perhaps with a few credit hours thrown in. For others, however, they plan to continue performing for years to come.

“I want to continue with performing arts in college because I get the most enjoyment from it out of anything that I do,” senior Nick von Rentzell said. “I hope, in the future, I will be able to compose my own music and perform what I create.”

In order to pursue his dream career, von Rentzell has chosen music performance as his intended major and will be attending Nebraska Wesleyan University in the fall.

Even though he will be sure to create several new performance memories in the future, the memories von Rentzell made while in high school will not be easily forgotten.

“My best high school performance memory would have to be one at our final show choir competition at Grand Island,” von Rentzell said. “At this final competition, the host announced, “Best male soloist is... from Gretna Revolution-”, and I fell out of my chair in disbelief, shedding tears all the way up to the stage, holding up my accomplishment for all of Gretna. It was a dream come true.”

While von Rentzell will continue his passions by majoring in the performing arts , several seniors are also planning to keep playing their musical instruments in the band at their future college. Some of them are even planning to earn a major for their instrumental abilities.

“I’ve always been passionate about music and I really can’t imagine going through college without it,” senior Josie Lowe said.

Lowe plans to double major in Health Sciences and Flute Performance. She will attend Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she has been offered a $17,000 per year scholarship for her involvement with the Drake band.

For other senior band members their dedication to their instrument is not as strong. While they are still planning to participate in their university’s band, they

will do it simply because it is what they love to do.

“I have enjoyed the environment, atmosphere that surrounds band, and I wish to continue that in college,” senior Sam O’Rourke said. “The friends I have made while in band are amazing.”

O’Rourke is planning to attend the University of Nebraska-Omaha and will double major in both mathematics and international studies. While she is just looking to play her flute for nostalgic reasons, others are choosing to continue with band as a significant aspect of their education.

For others, while they also do not plan to either major or minor in musical performance either, they display even greater dedication to their passion for playing their instrument. For some, they will continue to play, even if their school is not designed to cater to the performing arts.

“I enjoy playing and being able to challenge myself through difficult music,” senior Anna Allen said. “I intend to major in civil engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.”

Due to the small size of the band program at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Allen has not been offered any scholarships for wanting to play the oboe in their band. Catering primarily to majors in the field of math and science, Allen will be tackling two extremes while attending college.

While in high school, all of these performers made countless memories that they will carry with them as they continue on into the next chapter of their lives. With new experiences still ahead, they will still cherish their most special memories.

“My best memory from band was right after our last performance of our marching show this year,” Allen said. “It had been my best run of the whole year and was a great way to end my high school marching career.”

Whether or not they plan to continue on professionally within the field of performing arts, all of these seniors will forever treasure the experiences that they have had. Wherever life takes them, they will always remember how they felt while performing for an audience on stage or on the field.

Above: Instrumental futures Focusing intently on their music (l-r) Anna Allen (17), Sam O’Rourke (17), and Josie Lowe (17) display their respective instruments. All three are planning to keep playing while in college.

While O’Rourke and Allen only plan to continue playing for the fun of it, Lowe will be double majoring in both Flute Performance and Health Sciences. Photo by Cassandra Kostal Top: Center stage Standing in a pink suit, Nick Von Rentzell (17) performs with the Revolution show choir during the Primetime competition at GHS. Despite the season coming to an end, Von Rentzell plans to continue with the performing arts in college. He will attend Nebraska Wesleyan University and major in music performance. Photo

by Cassandra Kostal

his year’s graduating class has many athletes coming from all sports. There is a great deal of student-athletes that are heading to a college to continue their athletic careers. Four seniors have decided to continue their careers in sports.

Senior Mallory Yost was a volleyball player for GHS. She played middle blocker and is now headed to El Paso, TX to play for the University of Texas El Paso Miners.

She committed in January 2016 to play volleyball for UTEP. “I was considering four schools,” Yost said. “Northern Colorado, Point Loma, Washburn, and Texas El Paso. I liked UTEP the best because the campus is really nice and everyone there was really nice.”

UTEP is home to 23,000 students and their volleyball program is a division one school. The UTEP volleyball team also just graduated a middle blocker and is looking for someone to step up into the position and Yost is hoping she can be the final piece to the puzzle.

Another student at GHS decided to pursue soccer in college. Senior Trysten Whitted signed with Midland University in Fremont, NE to play soccer for the next four years.

“I want to keep playing in college because I have a passion for the game of soccer,” Whitted said. “I feel like it is way different than high school soccer and more competitive and I feel like that I will enjoy that.”

Whitted has played soccer since he was four years old and after a short period of not playing during middle school he started playing again in high school.

Midland University is ranked #13 in the country in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) division losing in the national tournament last season.

Among these athletes is senior Ryan Samuelson who is entering his final season of baseball this spring. Samuelson has committed to Concordia University in Seward, NE and intends to start playing baseball there right away.

“I’ve played for about fifteen years now,” Samuelson said. “I knew I wanted to play college baseball since I was in middle school.”

The Concordia University Crusaders is also a NAIA school and is also working on building success in the upcoming season.

Another Concordia University commit is senior Kamryn Horner. Horner ended her last season of softball in a silver medal at the state championships. Horner expects to be apart of the team quickly after taking the scholarship offer they gave her.

“I have always dreamed of going to Concordia,” Horner said. “So when I got the offer I knew it was meant to be.”

Horner is expecting to do a lot of pinch running and is hoping she can find herself playing in the outfield as well.

“I switched back and forth between not playing and playing,” Horner said. “But in the end I couldn’t let go of the game.”

Horner along with these other senior athletes shares a passion for her sport that she is not willing to let go of and wants to continue her career in college. As Yost, Whitted, Samuelson, and Horner have finished or are finishing their last seasons at GHS, they are also looking forward to the journey they have to continue in college.

Proud commitment As her parents and coaches look on, Kamryn Horner (17) signs to play softball at Concordia University. Horner signed with Concordia after receiving a substantial scholarship offer from the school. During her last year as a Gretna Dragon, Horner and her team earned the silver medal at the state tournament. Submitted photo

Family matters Surrounded by their families, current coaches, and future coaches, seniors Tysten Whitted (17) (left) and Mallory Yost (17) (right) commit to the college of their choice. Yost plans to attend the University of Texas El Paso to play volleyball. Whitted will play soccer while attending Midland University in Fremont.

Submitted photo

Volume 3 Issue 7

Sports

9

April 2017

SOCCER MOMS, BACKBONE OF TEAMS BEHIND SCENES, MOMS ACCOMPLISH MANY TASKS TO HELP

BY ABBIE WESELY

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Number One Fans The moms, as well as former Gretna players, tailgate before the state soccer game. The girls placed second in the tournament last year. “I enjoy making the season memorable for the players,” Mrs. DeRouchey said. “It is a very short season. It goes really fast.” submitted photo

Feed the Dragons A few moms had a t-shirt made for Mrs. Tanya Gifford. She has coordinated the food orders for all away games for the boys soccer team. She has done this job for three years. submitted photo

occer moms are not all about mini vans and juice boxes.

While the players have to be successful on the field, it takes more than just practice to bring the team together to win. Of course the GHS soccer players are giving it their all, but they often need help with the coordination of smaller details and events. This is when soccer moms save the day.

“I help organize communication between the coaches and the players and parents,” junior Sarah Karloff’s mother Mrs. Julie Karloff said. “I also help with uniforms, team apparel, team meals and scheduling of events. I try to take care of all the extra stuff so that the coaches and players can focus all of their attention on being successful on the field.”

Stereotypical soccer moms are always there to enthusiastically cheer on their child, but the moms of GHS soccer teams do much more than that. They are constantly helping to make sure the activities run smoothly and that the players have everything they need to play their best in every single game.

“I personally have been a part in photography for the team,” senior Cole DeRouchey’s mother Mrs. Mary DeRouchey said, “as well as team/ parent apparel, helped with team dinners, managed the Kicks for a Cure event, helped do locker signs, player banners, player buttons and state sign ordering and hosted a team dinner and a breakfast.”

The moms’ involvement with the team is crucial for many reasons. Without them, the players and coaches would have to scramble to organize team bonding and other various activities.

“I have helped with anything from sending emails, game-day sandwich orders, team apparel, team dinners, making banners, locker signs, state goodie bags, senior gifts and organizing the team banquet,” senior Jackson Burmeister’s mother Mrs. Kelli Burmeister said. “The

best thing about being a soccer mom is watching my kids play the sport they love and I enjoy hanging out with other parents who have become great friends over the years.”

Because of the dedication and support from soccer moms, the players are able to enjoy themselves more during the spring season on and off the field. They can attend team bonding and other events without having to organize it themselves. There are rewards for both the players and the parents.

“For me personally, it has been a lot of fun to get to know the kids and parents through helping with the team,” Mrs. DeRouchey said. “The majority of the parents all step up and help and are appreciative to the parents who have some extra time to help. I have many great memories.”

While the players are forming friendships, the moms also enjoy watching games, helping with events and visiting with other parents. Their unconditional support for the team has lasting results which benefit the players and parents alike.

“I have been lucky enough to be a team mom for all three of my children,” Mrs. Karloff said. “The teammates on my children’s teams have turned out to be some of their best friends. The experiences of playing soccer have created memories that will last a lifetime. I am overjoyed to have played a supporting role in the process. When the team has success, I feel like I have played a part in their accomplishments. The players do all the work on the field and I try to take care of most of the duties off the field.”

When a person thinks of a “typical soccer mom,” they picture the mom that brings the best snacks to soccer tournaments, but times have changed.

The GHS soccer moms have been a huge part of the sport, and they should be acknowledged for everything they do to help the team play their best.

Behind the Scenes Mrs. Julie Karloff (right) and Mrs. Mary DeRouchey (left) collected donations for signs at a Kicks for a Cure game. All the money was donated to the foundation. “The players do all the work on the field and I try to take care of most of the duties off the field,” Mrs. Karloff said. submitted photo

10 April 2017

Sports

Volume 3 Issue 7

GHS RUGBY TEAM RAISING FUNDS STEP BY STEP

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BY AJ SPAINHOWER

BY JACEY HAMMER

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hrough challenging practices and remarkable accomplishments, track coach Mr. Spencer Stednitz has been with the distance runners through it all. A new time has come, and the 2017 track season will be coach Stednitz’s last season in Gretna.

“Next year is going to be very different without coach Stednitz,” junior Mazie Larsen said. “He is a great coach that always makes practices fun. Whomever takes his spot has big shoes to fill.”

Coach Stednitz has spent the last five track seasons at GHS. He is unaware of whether or not he will be coaching at Elkhorn South, but he will be teaching there next year.

“I have no idea if I will be coaching track at Elkhorn South,” coach Stednitz said. “Coaching isn’t something I will get to choose to do. It depends on whether or not it is available.”

Because of coach Stednitz’s departure, a new coach will join the runners on the track. The head coaches Mr. Scott Swanson and Mrs. Ashley Hall are still unaware of who is filling that position.

“Every coach brings new ideas and philosophies,” coach Hall said. “We will be eager for the new coach, but will miss Mr. Stednitz’s dedication to the sport.”

The distance runners include the athletes that compete in the 400, 800, 1600 and the 3200 meter dashes. Coach Stednitz always has his athletes working hard in

their daily practices.

“He has worked hard to get the distance runners into the best shape possible for the upcoming track seasons and provides workouts during the season to maintain their endurance as well as to work on speed and strategies for meets,” coach Hall said.

“He has great connections with his athletes and will be missed as part of the track staff.”

There is still time for coach Stednitz to make a bigger impact on Gretna athletes.

The change next year will be difficult, and track will be hard without Coach Stednitz.

“It’s honestly really sad to lose coach Stednitz,” Larsen said. “We are losing a great coach that meant a lot to the program.

I am excited though because we have a good distance team this year that can hopefully earn him multiple state qualifiers for his last season.”

Larsen’s main goal for the season is to achieve new personal records in all the races she participates in. Coach Stednitz shares the same goal for all of the runners this season.

“I look at each season as it is, so I don’t consider this my last season at Gretna,” coach Stednitz said. “I hope every athlete I work with this season has the opportunity to run a personal best.”

Sweat and dedication is filled into the athletes training. Coach Stednitz has them working hard, but it will be worth it as they walk off the track with him at the end of the season for the last time.

Putting in Time and Effort Through five years of coaching track and field at Gretna High School, Coach Mr. Spencer Stednitz has earned many awards.

His help and the athletes hard work is what led to their success. Coach Stednitz’s encouragement has assisted the athletes to manage winning many races and compete well in their events. photo by Jacey Hammer

Rain or Shine Samuel Rowland (19) practices hard to make sure when meet time arrives he is at the top of his game, and Coach Stednitz is standing by. No matter the weather, kids and coaches alike push through the pain to keep the blood flowing and the legs turning. photo by Jacey Hammer

GRETNA WRESTLERS BRING HOME GOLD FROM THE “CLINK”

he Gretna rugby team has been working and improving every day since they took state in 2014. The Rugby team’s coach Jake Pedersen passed away on Jan. 22, 2017. The passing of the coach has affected lives of not only the players, but the whole town of Gretna, which has encouraged the team to stay focused and keep improving day by day.

“We need funds to help get us back on our feet,” senior rugby captain Alex Irwin said. “When our head coach passed away, it shocked the whole team and definitely hurt for a while, but it gave us the drive to want to win for him. We also want to get another title for the team that he started.”

To be able to continue on their way to success, the team is in need of funding for travel. To help raise funds, the team is selling cookie dough individually. With the money they raise, they plan on traveling to Sioux Falls and hopefully Kansas for a rugby tournament. With the funds they receive, the team also plans on getting a new set of jerseys.

“The team is trying their hardest to earn money,” junior Jake Edie said. “We need the funds to be able to travel to tournaments and get new uniforms.”

Rugby is a sport originated from football. It involves the playing of two teams, each with fifteen players. The ball being played can be kicked or thrown to the other end of the playing field in attempt to score. With the funds they raise, the team plans on buying new equipment and uniforms.

The money we raise will help with a lot of things,” Edie said. “The team helps to get funds by selling cookie dough and taking any sort of donation. This will help pay for the uniforms, although we don’t get to keep our individual ones at the end of the year.”

Any donations will help benefit the Gretna Rugby team. The team is working hard together to get as many funds as they can and will know the total amount raised at the end of March.

THREE DEVOTED ATHLETES EARN CLASS B INDIVIDUAL STATE TITLES AFTER PERFORMANCES

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BY BROOKE SMITH

aturday, Feb. 18, Gretna went three for three in their championship matches at the CenturyLink Center, giving GHS three Class B individual state champions for the second year in a row.

Schmidt, Bruner and Arnold all placed and medaled at the state tournament in previous years, yet they had all fallen short of earning a state title. This year the three wrestlers reached their individual goals and were rewarded for all of their dedication and hard work with a gold medal.

“It feels really good to finally get it done,” Schmidt said. “I was pretty devastated after failing my first two years, and I feel relieved that I finally did it. A lot of hard work in the room during practice and on my own every single day paid off.

I definitely outworked everyone at my weight this year by far.”

Schmidt, Gretna’s 113-pounder, wrestled four matches at the state tournament, ending his season with an undefeated record of 51-0. His finals match ended in a 6-0 decision against a freshman from Skutt Catholic High School.

“I was expecting to be nervous before my finals match,” Schmidt said, “but I actually stayed pretty calm. I knew the match was over once I got a takedown and back points, I just had to focus on keeping

my pace up. After it was over, I was super pumped. That match was one of the few times I have ever showed any emotion after winning.”

With another year of high school wrestling ahead of him, Schmidt has the same goals for next season, to win State and dominate every match he is in. Yet, for the two senior state champions, their wrestling careers have come to an unforgettable end.

“I was feeling raw, unfiltered, joy,” Arnold said. “The only emotion you can feel when a journey that started six years ago comes to such an exciting end.”

Arnold, the 285-pound wrestler for GHS, wrestled 53 matches this season after missing all of last season due to a football injury. He faced many struggles early on this wrestling season, making him realize that with support and hard work, anything is possible.

“My coaches kept on pushing me to become a state champ,” Arnold said, “and when I would get down, they would be right there to help me realize that my dream was still alive.”

Earning the state title was not an easy feat for Arnold. His emotions were high before his finals match with the realization that all of his hard work had lead to this moment, but he was prepared to defeat his Skutt Catholic rival. Yet during Arnold’s

finals match things did not start out in the most ideal way, his opponent managed to get Arnold to his back, nearly pinning him. The excitement only increased when Arnold dramatically got a reversal to steal the pin and become a state champion.

“I knew I wasn’t going to allow myself to get pinned in the state championship,” Arnold said, “and I felt him get a little high so I knew if I hit the move hard enough, I could reverse him. It was an unbelievable feeling. After coming so close to defeat only to win, just made it that much more emotional. I had planned to do some cool celebration, but when I got up all the emotions hit me at once and I could not even stand.”

As for Bruner, the Dragon’s 195-pound wrestler, his experience was quite the opposite. His finals match ended in an intense 3-2 decision against the number one ranked senior from Boystown.

“I wasn’t nervous at all,” Bruner said, “I was just excited. During the match I never really thought about anything. It wasn’t until after the third period that it became suddenly real, I was in shock, I couldn’t believe what I had just accomplished.”

Overall, it was an extremely successful season for the GHS varsity wrestling team, bringing lots of hope to the program for the upcoming years.

With Will, Comes Way Omaha United was no match for Caloway Soucek (18) last season. The boys are looking forward to another strong year, ready for any conditions they may face. The season has yet to begin, but it is just around the corner. submitted photo

In the Face of Adversity Taking him head on, Alex Irwin (17) rushes through Council Bluffs with the ball tucked away. Gretna is known for taking each team seriously, preparing fully for every opposing force that stands in their way of the title. This year, they will have a fire as motivation to play for their former coach, Jake Pedersen. submitted photo

Volume 3 Issue 7

April 2017

A&E

LIGHTHOUSE PIZZA ON 74TH AND PACIFIC

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AFFORDABLE, DELICIOUS PIZZA IS MUST TRY FOR EVERYONE

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BY JADYN ANDERSON s a food lover on a low budget, I am always looking for new restaurants to try out. My ultimate goal is to find a place with low cost and high quality. On this particular quest for food, all I did was take out my phone and look up “cheap good restaurants in Omaha.”

My attention was grabbed by a restaurant named Lighthouse Pizza. I am an avid pizza eater, and the fact that it is considered “good” and “cheap” by Google gives it an A plus in my book. I decided to check it out and see if it would land a spot on my list of go-to restaurants.

I looked at the address and then put 1004 S 74th Plaza Omaha, NE 68114 in my Google Maps and enjoyed a nice car ride of about 20 minutes. I do not personally see 20 minutes as too far of a drive, but if I was looking for something quick and easy this would not be my first choice. They are open on Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 3pm, and 11am to 10pm on all other days. My whole view of the restaurant changed when I arrived. Lighthouse Pizza has a drive-thru. This made me so incredibly pleased. I did not even have to go inside and interact with people while I had my hair up and was in sweats. There was a disclaimer by the drive-thru stating that all pizzas were made to order and to expect a wait of at least five minutes. I was completely willing to take that chance.

I looked over the menu and noticed a nice variety of pizzas. There was the option to either get a full pizza or a nine-inch slice. I got one slice of the Thai Chicken pizza and my friend ordered one slice of the BBQ Chicken pizza. We waited in the drive through for a short five to ten minutes. I was content with the wait time.

I have waited longer in the drive through at

places like Taco Bell and Raising Cane’s, so I was not at all upset that I had to wait five minutes to get freshly made, fancy pizza. The employee handed me our slices in simplistic, yet stylish cardboard boxes.

The logo was printed on the front. Before opening the boxes I thought to myself that they seemed a bit oversized for just one piece of pizza, but this was not your typical slice of pizza. When I ordered the nine-inch slice I failed to comprehend just how large a nine-inch slice of pizza really is. That single slice of pizza was larger than my whole head. I opened the box and basked in the glory of the incredible pizza. The delicious smell immediately permeated the air in my car, and it felt like heaven. I got home as quickly as possible (without speeding, of course) because I could not wait to try it.

With each slice came a little cup of ranch. I am not sure what exactly this ranch was because it certainly was no normal ranch; however, I could not seem to put my finger on what it was. I grabbed a fork because there was no way I was picking it up without making a monumental mess.

The first bite met, and surpassed, my expectations. The crust was the perfect amount of crisp and it was not greasy at all. The flavors of the pizza all melded together in one smooth note that greeted my taste buds happily. I cannot emphasize how amazing the crust is. I am not usually one who loves the crust, I just tolerate it, but this crust was a blessing. I have no complaints about the composition of this pizza.

Overall, I had a great experience at Lighthouse Pizza. It was not a long drive, there was a drive through, and the quality of the food was spectacular. I recommend it to all pizza lovers, and I cannot wait to try other types of their pizza.

A Big Surprise I never expected the slice of pizza to be as large as it is. Each bite was packed with deliciousness and the crust was amazing. Lighthouse Pizza is a place that I will keep going back to, whenever I have the time and a craving for pizza. Photo by Jadyn Anderson

An Added Bonus Lighthouse Pizza features a surprisingly quick drive-thru. The fact that it has a drivethru makes me love it even more. It is easily accessible and I do not have to get out of my car to get amazing pizza. Photo by Jadyn Anderson

Cute From The Inside Out The pizza slices came out in their own individual pizza box. These boxes are not your typical cardboard pizza box, they are cute and stylishly designed.

Photo by Jadyn Anderson

STUDENTS PREPARING TO PARTICIPATE IN AND HOST DISTRICT MUSIC COMPETITION

STUDENTS INVOLVED IN THE ARTS SEE WHERE THEY FALL ON SCALE OF GOOD, EXCELLENT AND SUPERIOR IN THIS COMPETITION

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BY ALLIE JANULEWICZ

istrict Music Contest (DMC) is a music competition that Gretna is hosting this year, and there will be about 20 other schools that are involved and competing. DMC will last for three and a half days, and it is on April 19-22. There will be no school only for GHS on Friday, April 21. There are many different musical related categories students can enter in such as instrumental, orchestra, different bands, Show Choirs, etc.

“DMC is good for students to see where they stand,” Show Choir director Mr. Pat Ribar said. “Music is so goal oriented and students can see their rating of what they participated in and they can see what they need to improve on.”

Even if a student does not receive a high grade in what they competed in, they know what to do better next time and they know what to improve on. There is first or second place, but participants will get a rating of either superior, excellent, or good.

A student not only receives their place of what they got, but also a great experience and advice on what they can do better from professional judges.

“At DMC, there are judges that not only give written comments and scores, but some talk with students,” Mr. Ribar said. “There is high tension already, so

they might give them a little session and tell them what they need to work on and what they did good.”

Every student will get a different experience from DMC. Students can grow from doing DMC, and after all of their practicing and preparing, they will not be disappointed. Because there are many other schools there, it is awesome for students to see how people from other schools play and compete. They get the chance to see other school’s music styles.

“The most fun thing about DMC is the fact that you can hang out with friends and watch performances of other people,” junior Troy Scheer said. “It is a blast to listen to people from schools across the state. Plus, making music is a ton of fun.”

Because of all the people, there is tension but also a fun vibe in the room. It is a lot less stressful for students when they are surrounded by their friends who can help relieve any stress they might have.

“You can feel the tension of people getting prepared,” Show Choir director Mr. Brandon Shostak said. “There’s a lot of activity all the time. You see people practicing, warming up, and getting ready.

It starts really quickly and then it’s done so soon.”

Students can start preparing for DMC months prior to when it takes place, and they can take private lessons. Some spend

a month and a half practicing and preparing music for DMC just to make sure that they are really prepared. Some students will take private lessons and the school offers weekly lessons. Usually the student will practice on their own time. DMC auditions were held on Tuesday, March 7 in the band room and there were over 48 entries. Over 100 students from Gretna will perform at DMC. “Usually when I am preparing for something as large as DMC, I practice for 30-60 minutes a day for several months,” Scheer said. “While this is a little over the top, and is not necessary, the average band student will still practice the same amount of time a few times a week as well as have lessons with private tutors or directors every week. Needless to say, a lot of preparation and work goes into the performances at DMC to make them as good as they can be.”

Many students like Scheer can see improvement as they practice not only for DMC, but after. They are every dedicated and want to go to DMC because the school can only take a certain number of students.

“This helps students show their measure of growth,” Mr. Shostak said.

“Students will definitely get something out of it. They see what they did great in and what they need to work on. It’s a good experience because you can see other

schools and their music that they play.”

Every students gains a different experience from DMC. They grow from knowing what to improve on, and after all the practicing and preparing they do, it can be great for them to compete with other schools in Nebraska.

“I have always enjoyed DMC, but that is not to say that it is not stressful,” Scheer said. “As with any competition, there are many people (including myself often times) that are nervous for their performance, but everyone does really well year after year.

Needless to say, DMC is a time to make music for friends and family and to become a better musician in the process.”

All of this would not be able to happen if it were not for the parents. The parents play a big roll with the musical programs at our school.

“There are a lot of small details and work that’s done by the parents,” Mr, Shostak said. “The never ending thankless job- the parents are always a tremendous help. They’re the people behind the scenes and they just help a ton. The parents make it run a lot smoother.”

District Music Contest starts on April 19 and ends on April 22. A students can enter to see how they score in what they enter for and can understand how they can improve. DMC can help a student know what they need to work on for the future.

12 April 2017

A&E

Volume 3 Issue 7

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST MOVIE REVIEW UNEXPECTED FIND IN STORE BOOK AISLE WHAT MAKES THIS CLASSIC ANIMATED DISNEY TALE MAGICAL QUICK TRIP TO WALMART ENDS IN LITERATURE ADVENTURE

I

BY LAYNE STALEY

n a world of talking objects, a forgotten castle and a beast who must find true love, comes a fantastic tale full of action and romance. Disney fans are ecstatic over the upcoming release of the live-action Beauty and the Beast film; however, the older, animated version cannot be forgotten. This Disney film is a classic story filled with great jokes, gorgeous scenery and heart-wrenching moments that people of any age can enjoy.

The story starts with a narration about a prince who turned away a beggar women who needed shelter. The women was actually a beautiful enchantress who placed a curse on the prince and the castle for his selfish and vain attitude, turning him into a beast. She tells him that he must learn to love someone and gain her love in return before the last petal of an enchanted rose falls. Then the story shifts to a pretty town girl named Belle. Belle does not really fit in and has always been different from everyone else. She has brilliant ideas, stands up for herself and loves to read. Her character is a model that all women should look up to because she is strong-willed, but also kind-hearted. When Belle’s father goes missing, she rushes out to look for him. What she finds is a gloomy castle where her father has been imprisoned by a terrifying beast. Belle sees how sick and frail her father is, so she offers to take his place. Naturally, the beast agrees because who would not want to live with a pretty girl rather than a sick old guy. Over

time, the Beast begins to give Belle more freedoms, and they are even able to form a relationship.

Overall, Beauty and the Beast is a magical tale. The music in the film fits nicely and the writers have won many awards for their work. The song “Be Our Guest” is a fun and lively tune that showcases the magical objects and “Beauty and the Beast” is a softer song that brings the entire ballroom scene together. Every little girl knows the words and sings along with these tunes. In addition to the music, the theme of the story is another part that makes it so great. What people can take away from this film is that appearance is not everything because true beauty lies within.

Although Belle was the prettiest girl in town, it was her intelligence and kindness that made her so stunning. Even though the prince was turned into a beast, Belle still found things to love about him. This is one of the better movies in the Disney Princess Collection because of this strong message.

It is one that children, teenagers and adults can relate to.

On March 17, Disney is coming out with the live-action version of this animated classic. The film has Emma Watson starring as Belle and Dan Stevens at the Beast. It is expected to be a musical that follows the Broadway play version and the animated movie, but Watson will definitely be singing in it. The storyline is also expected to follow the original. If it is anything like the original, fans can expect an experience they will never forget.

Photo by Layne Staley

W

BY MASON HJERMSTAD

hile gazing around the book aisle in the local Walmart searching for a Valentine’s Day present for my mom, I spotted a flash of color out of the corner of my eye. I pulled the cart to a stop near the bookshelf and picked up “Carve The Mark” by Veronica Roth. The blue cover appeared to be bleeding dripping starlight and the silver letters gleamed like metal in the sun. I smiled in glee and, without even stopping to look at the price, nestled it into the cart and took off for the checkout. This could be my present to my mom, but she would have to wait until I was done with it.

What first drew me to this book may have been the cover but the cherry on top of the cake was the fact that Veronica Roth was the author. I had fallen in love with the Divergent series when I read it in middle school and I knew anything she wrote would be magnificent. I was not disappointed as I pulled the paper cover off to find a wonderful hardcover underneath that made me even more excited. The hardcover is a beautiful navy blue with the map from the story carved into it. I almost burst with anticipation upon showing off this wonderfully crafted book to anyone I saw and I had not even read it yet. This book is quite literally a war among worlds as it is centered around the workings of multiple, human inhabited planets. The book switches between the point of views of the two main characters, Crya Noavek and Akos Kereseth, children of very different families whose lives seem to always connect. The book centers around something called the current which is sort of the energy of the universe. It flows through each planet and every person creating what they call “currentgifts.”

These gifts are created as the current flows through them and each one is unique, sort of like a superpower. It is amazing how many different ideas Roth creates with these gifts and how unique they are from anything I have seen before. The characters also breech a certain level of complexity

that only Roth could create with such ease.

Everything has meaning and how each character is formed affects how they live.

Each piece of information given to us is like the piece to an intricate puzzle that you have to configure in your own mind. I loved doing this puzzle even with the loads of information given, Roth figured out ways to keep it light and interesting. The extent she goes to tell this story through her characters is outstanding and the depths she reaches with the plot are deeper than I would have originally expected. I can honestly say that it was hard for me to put this book down and even harder to keep the details to myself.

Even though the whole story itself was great, the thing I loved most about the book was how Cyra was shown to us. Usually the leading lady is beautiful yet unaware of her beauty and this overly perfect person acting as though they are not. However, Cyra is far from perfect and knows this and so does everyone else. She is beautiful and knows it but her beauty is impaired with her “currentgift”. She has been given this gift of unimaginable pain and is still so strong.

Most of her life she has been enveloped in this darkness that hurts others around her but everyone seems to forget that it hurts her as well. The first person to really understand Cyra is Akos and this is truly fitting considering he seems to have the ability to take away not only her external pain but her internal torment as well. She is not a conventional nice girl and has made a lot of mistakes in her life and she owns up to all of them. Cyra, for me, was the largest point of originality in this book and applaud Roth’s ability to create such an intricate female lead in this book.

Overall, this book was an exceptional read and I am so glad I saw it on my short trip to Walmart. However I am thrilled that the library has now added it to their collection as well and can not wait for Mrs. Kari Bulgrin to read it so we can discuss together. It is going to be a long and painful wait for the next book, but it will be well worth it. Until then, I will reluctantly hand this novel off to my mom.

MUSICAL JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT NOW IN PROGRESS

STUDENTS OF ALL GRADES GET READY FOR THE BITTERSWEET ENDING TO THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THIS SEASONS PRODUCTION

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BY ANGELA GAHAN

ithin the walls of GHS there is a place where creativity runs wild, students transform into completely different characters, and the boring rules of school are discarded. This scene can be found in the choir room and auditorium during the rehearsal of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”

For the seniors, it is bittersweet to be performing for the last time. As they look back to their first musicals, seniors reflect on the people and performers they used to be and how far they have come.

“I have been lucky enough to perform next to state and national winning performers, and to learn from them,” senior Dawson Langholdt said. “ I learned about music through band, but choir and musical gave meaning behind words and melodies that express new emotion in each phrase. I grew to read and love music; finding feelings behind it and learning to portray those emotions in a real fashion. I believe that I have grown as a leader and a performer. I feel like I gained confidence in myself to tackle problems while helping

others get to where they need to be.”

Freshmen look forward to the growth and maturity they will experience as they go through three more years of performing.

Being a part of musical enables people to become more confident as well as enhance their stage presence.

“I hope to grow as a performer by being comfortable taking more risks and having more fun when I’m on the stage,” freshman Patrick Osborne said. “As an actor this means adding more energy to my character to add to the scene and help the story move along in either a humorous way or a dramatic way. As a singer I hope to accomplish gaining more confidence. This should come pretty naturally as there a few songs where I’m part of a small group of people on stage singing so we will all have to project so that all the audience can hear it.”

The whole cast takes major strides to becoming better performers through the production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. After school practices can run until ten o’clock at night but the end product makes it all worth it. Some underclassmen may find the

environment imposing and the seniors intimidating, but in reality, practices are meant to push the performers to be the best they can be, and the seniors are there to encourage the underclassmen in the cast.

They just want to be strong role models.

“So far, my freshman musical has been better than expected,” freshman Kristin Ralston said. “At first I was a little nervous about how it would all work out, but after going to many practices, I love it! I’ve learned that no matter how hard you think it is to learn a dance move or a harmony part in a song, it will only become easier with practice.”

Not only does musical change people as performers, but it can also influence who they are as people. Seniors say their growth in character from freshman to senior year is exponential.

“I couldn’t act or dance to save my life my freshman year,” senior Brenna Zollman said. “I had singing on my side, but I really had to work to get where I am now with acting and dancing. I just had a lot to learn in terms of acting but being in four years of One Acts and Musicals taught me what I needed to learn to become the actress I am

today. As a person I think I’ve become a lot more confident. My freshman year during musical I believed in myself but I was like, ‘I can never be as good as the leads,’ so I just kept to myself, but I’ve really come out of my shell in the two shows I’ve done since freshman year.”

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is a musical that has no spoken dialogue; it is completely sung.

This musical is based off “A Coat of Many Colors” which is a Biblical story found in Genesis. Its family friendly storyline, quality themes and catchy music has made this choice in musical a good one.

“People should see this show because it’s a blast,” Zollman said. “Everyone knows this story but they’ve never seen it told this way. It has an inspiring message and there’s at least one character in this show that everyone can relate to.”

“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” will run from April 6-8. It is bittersweet for seniors to be performing for their last time and an exciting moment for freshmen. The future is bright for the whole cast and they will accomplish amazing things in their careers to come.