HARRISONVILLE HIGH School 1504 e. elm Harrisonville, mo 64701 (816) 380- 3273 hhsnews.com
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PRIDE c March 30
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, Bullying envelops students lives
Volume XIII, ISSUE IV
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Story By Kayt Dahn - Editor-In-Chief kayt.dahn@hhsnews.com
Photo Illustration By Alison Krenzer
On February 27, a student opened fire in the lunchroom at Chardon High School in Ohio, killing three students and injuring two. No one at the school had expected it, but with the issues that students deal with daily it is impossible to predict what will overcome them. On February 28, a Kansas City boy was attacked, drenched in gasoline and lit on fire while walking home from school. The police have ruled this as a hate crime. Though HHS has not had first-hand experiences with incidents such as these nothing is to say that it couldn’t happen here. Students have made threats to hurt others or themselves. “Kids make threats to one another, then go to the park or follow someone to their house and then assault them,” said SRO Mike Prindle. Bullying tends to be a direct cause of these incidents. “I see students often that are affected by bullying. I would say about 75% of the students I see are being hurt by someone’s
negative words or unkind actions,” said counselor Carolyn Johnston. The Pride talked to two students here who face bullying. Their names have been changed to insure their privacy and their protection. “Some days I don’t even want to come to school. Some days I have a feeling someone is going to say something and I just don’t want to go,” said Jared. The harassment often affects a student’s day at school. “One of the first times it happened was in the hallway, [he] pushed someone into me and said [a derogatory term for gay men]. [He] said something again going to lunch, he yelled “I hate queers.”,” said Damon. Sometimes it becomes so extreme that students wish to end their high school career. “I had a student that wanted to drop out of school because of it. They had good grades and expectations of college and wanted to throw it away because they did not want to be at school,” said Johnston. Prindle deals with these issues daily, Facebook, Twitter,
MySpace and texting tend to be very common factors. “Administration deals with about a couple of threats a month. Rather they be verbal, from texting, Facebook, or just harassment,” said Prindle. “[They’ll] say I’m going to kill you, or I’m going to beat you up.” Most threats are kept private and just deal with the students involved. Students however will be informed once their safety is in danger. “We’ve had concerns over a student bringing a gun to school which resulted in an search and detaining students, cars and lockers until we knew we didn’t have one on campus,” said Prindle. “Until it becomes a threat on students, it is kept confidential due to privacy rights. Until it is thought to be imminent, then we tell students immediately.” Most threats that are made to students only affect a small selection of students. “It’s generally girl and girl, or boy and boy. Big kid versus little kid. It’s somebody imposing their will on someone who
is weaker,” said Prindle. The HHS student handbook has a strict policy when it comes to bullying. Verbal abuse to another student for a first offense results in one day of ISS, with harassment results in one to five days of ISS. While the first offense of a threat to another student or bullying result in five to 10 days of OSS with the possibility of it being reported to the proper authorities. Not only do these actions result in school or legal consequences, they also cause mental and physical ones. “I’ve felt like I wasn’t good enough. I felt like I shouldn’t be gay,” said Damon. “[I’ve thought] that I’m different and that no one understands what it’s like. I just got depressed.” The resulting impact can make students unable to live a common teen life. “They had anxiety issues and it played a role in their health. They had lost weight and had trouble eating. It was also affecting their family life,” said Johnston. Several students at HHS face bullying on a daily basis
without any idea why the bully chooses them as a victim. “I didn’t choose to be gay and why does it matter if I am? What makes you want to say things like that because it’s not funny,” said Damon. “ I’m gay and there is nothing that I can do to change it, if I could I would.” The comments and actions that are made against students tend to leave a lasting impression. “Freshman year a person… gave me all this crap, like I needed to go die and another said I was going to hell because I wasn’t ‘God’s Children’,” said Jared. “I’ve had people call me a [derogatory name for gay men] and tell me I needed to go to hell. And that the world wasn’t ready for same sex marriage.” Students all over the world hurt others daily without realizing the full impact it will truly have on them. “They know I’m a nice person and they make me a target. I would tell them that they have crushed my dreams that day,” said Jared.
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Career pressures lead to unhappiness
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School district implements schedule changes
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Story By Nick Campbell - Staff Writer nick.campbell@hhsnews.com
Column By Maria SanchezFeatures Editor maria.sanchez@hhsnews.com High school is a place where you are expected to find yourself, or at least find what you want to spend your life doing. Preparing for college brings questions to mind about what path we want to take. We look to the adults in our life for guidance on what to do in this time of transition. As a society, it seems that waking up and going to work in a cubicle is what is expected of us. Why is it we burden ourselves with boring careers and decide to spend our days behind a desk, doing what our parents did and hated? Are we afraid to be happy in a job just because it has become normal for a job to be terrible? According to businessinsider.com, 80% of Americans hate their job. In the movie Office Space, main character Peter Gibbons struggles with his day-to-day hatred for his job; “We don’t have a lot of time on this earth! We weren’t meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements.” Maybe your career choice includes sitting in a cubicle all day; as long as it makes you happy, do it. If you chose a career now and ten years later you are still in that career, unhappy, and uninspired, you can change. You can change your path, because it is YOUR path. Not your friends’, not your parents’, but yours. It is never too late, or in our case too early, to set ourselves up for happiness, instead of failure.
New district calendar changes may affect students and staff in the Harrisonville school district for the 20122013 school year. Parts of the district calendar for the 2012-2013 school year have been changed. In the past the district has granted students an entire week off for spring break; however, next year in March the district could potentially have a five day weekend and a six day weekend in February, if there are no more than two snow days required. “Incorporating more snow days mixed in within the year was crucial and thinking of EOC’s and MAP testing at the end of the year was a big influence as well,” said school board president, Deb Welhoff. Attendance is another issue with the schedule, with attendance dropping closer to the end of the year.
“Being out before Memorial Day is very important. Students get mentally tired after Memorial Day. Attendance drops due to families already having planned vacations and other family activities,” said Principal, Andy Campbell. The calendar committee is made up of teachers and staff from the various schools and district buildings. The committee is chosen by parents in the district. “The committee is the people who chose the new schedule. They draw up a few different schedules and vote on which one they believe looks better and they take into consideration all the important things that impact the schedule,” said Campbell. Students and staff have mixed emotions about the new calendar. In the past years, the staff has had a say in what
Photo By Jamie Hasenyager
they think the schedule will look like. This year was different; the staff did not have a say in the schedule nor did the students. “I like the schedule for next year. I believe that the extra breaks will leave the students and staff more refreshed throughout the year,” said math instructor, Justin Sharp. There are teachers that like it but some of this year’s freshmen that like the schedule this year do not like the upcoming schedule.
“I’m disappointed in the schedule for next year. I like this year’s schedule and the fact that we have to worry about losing our breaks or our break {spring break} due to snow days makes me dislike it even more,” said freshman Jessica Lounsbery. Even though there are mixed emotions about this change, it is inevitable. Though the students may not like it, the district believes it will be in the best interests of everyone.
New TVs raise questions about funding
Story By Lauren Aman - Staff Writer lauren.aman@hhsnews.com Recently students and faculty have noticed new technology being placed around the school. Due to funding from the technology department, HHS received new monitors for communication and security. “Over the past few years we have been working on improving our security and communication across the district. This [the monitors] is just part of that improvement,” said technology director, David Vignery. With the new technology, the district will have access to more features. “The new monitors will allow us to offer a lot more
options to the district. We do have TVs connected to them just like the rest of the classrooms in the district, however, we can now display district information across the network that we hope will improve both communication and security,” said Vignery.
“We will be placing more monitors around the district as we continue to grow this new technology,” - David Vignery -
The new TVs are located in the Commons Area and in front of the Athletic and Attendence offices. Photo By Bailee Sandy
According to Vignery, money for the monitors came from the technology budget that is approved each year. Within the next few years, the technology department plans to bring more advancements into the schools. “We will be placing more
monitors around the district as we continue to grow this new technology,” said Vignery. With the future bringing new technology into the world, the technology department is keeping the district up to date.
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New student club attracts attention Story By Hannah Baggenstoss - Staff Writer hannah.baggenstoss@hhsnews.com
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Seniors Chandler Ham (left) and CJ Dill draw an anime character during a club meeting. Photo By Bailee Sandy
A new student-ran club called Manga Club has popped up at HHS recently. Leader of the group, Special Education, Social Studies, and Social Communication teacher ,Jade Miller, explained that the students of the club celebrate Japanese artwork by having discussions on Japanese art, pop culture, and the Japanese language. “People refer to it as Anime. It’s fun for the kids to do,” said Miller. Junior and founder of the club, Mickey Fox, says that she started the club not only to draw anime with her friends, but also in hopes that one day Japanese would be taught at
HHS. “I thought it would be cool to have a club like that, since it focused on a country so far away. I find this kind of thing interesting. Hopefully if we expand enough, we could get the school to start offering Japanese as a language course,” said Fox. Senior and president Sarah Strobbe thinks the club helps people who have common interests make friends. “It’s just a place where people who like anime can come and hang out,” said Strobbe. Fox thinks a little differently. She believes the club not only socializes, but learns many aspects of Japanese cul-
ture. “We also go over vocabulary and culture so it’s not just a ‘fun club’. Me and the president (Strobbe) try to teach the club and learn as well,” said Fox. A few of the club members, including Strobbe and Fox, go to anime conventions throughout the year. Strobbe and Fox go to two conventions a year: Naka-Kan in February and Motaku in August. “We dress as our favorite characters and eat pocky (Japanese snack food),” said Fox. Miller claims that the club has ideas about how they can showcase their drawings to
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HHS. “For next year, we were talking about [having] a Costume Day and Manga Art show,” said Miller. Fox says that the club is more than willing to showcase their art. “We are interested in doing an Anime/Manga art show, based solely on the work of our members,” said Fox. The club meets after school on Tuesdays. There are no requirements to join the club. The Manga members welcome anyone who wants to be a part of the club.
Column By Sasha GubinaCopy Editor sasha.gubina@hhsnews.com When senior year rolls around, there are many things to consider. Students are faced with expenses which sometimes they are not prepared for. At the beginning of the year, students were presented with graduation catalogs from Jostens, and the amount of money we have to put into these items is ridiculous. I found a website, www.gradshop.com , offering a cap and gown for as low as 13 dollars, yet students have no choice but to purchase a Jostens package which is about 30 dollars. After buying the standard cap and gown, a ‘bling bling’ tassel, and 50 announcements, my total sum amounted to 188 dollars. Some of my friends talked about spending close to 200-300 dollars on Jostens products. How many of you are actually going to use everything you bought after you graduate? The cap and gown are required but you do not have to buy everything. All of the money spent on trinkets can be used for other expenses such as a graduation party, prom, etc. It is much wiser to put money into the things which will leave memories. Buying a class ring or a Letterman’s jacket may seem exciting at the time , but come your freshman year at college, you will find your senior apparel stored far away in your closet. Be smart about your expenses and senior year will be less stressful.
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Out-of-state rivals in-state tuition
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Insufficient lunches leave students hungry Story By Hannah Franz - Staff Writer hannah.franz@hhsnews.com
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Column By Victoria BosticNews Editor victoria.bostic@hhsnews.com As high school students, your next step towards furthering your education may be college. Picking the right college is an easy task for some and impossible for others. The first step is to decide if you are willing to attend school out-ofstate, or if you will only attend an in-state institution. Before you rule out attending school out-of-state, consider it an option. A common misconception is that tuition for outof-state is typically more than in-state. This is true. Colleges give lower tuition to students whose residence is within the state. However, there is a loophole. Some institutions will offer students in-state tuition if their ACT score and GPA meet the scholarship requirements. With a 27 ACT score and a 3.9 GPA I received in-state tuition to the University of Southern Mississippi. My total cost per year will be less than $14,000. The average estimated cost for The University of Missouri for in state tuition is $22,216. There is an $8,000 difference. For me, going out-of-state is working out to be more affordable. While this solution may not be for everyone, it is worth the consideration. Southeastern Louisiana University will waive the additional out-ofstate fees if you have an ACT score of 21 and a GPA of at least 2.25. Going out-of-state is not for every student, but do your research. You might find a more affordable way to further your education.
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Chicken strips and tator tots are offered in the Manager’s Special line in the cafeteria. Photo by Jamie Hasenyager
Every day HHS students file into the cafeteria and wait in line for lunch, often to be disappointed by the seemingly inadequate portions they receive. Many students pay money for extras because they feel the food they receive is just not enough. Others resort to the vending machines for snacks throughout the day. Grumbling stomachs at the end of the day, the rate at which money disappears from many lunch accounts, and vocalized complaints prove that school lunch portions are not enough for many students. Senior Garrett Streit describes school lunch portions blatantly. “It sucks,” said Streit. For many students, purchasing extra food takes a heavy toll on their lunch account balance. Junior Tanner Foerschler spends around
$4.50 on lunch every day after purchasing extras like PopTarts, tator tots and Gatorade. “I go back [through the line] like four times a day and get more food,” said Foerschler. Senior Austin Chase, who spends about $5.00 a day after purchasing a normal lunch, a large milk, and a bag of chips, says even his mom complains about the serving sizes of school lunch. “My mom says she’s paying too much for too little. I have to bring food from home [to eat along with my lunch],” said Chase. According to the National School Lunch Program, school lunch nutrition and portion requirements are made at the federal level, but it is up to the school to decide what is served and how it is served. Meals
must have a certain number of calories, provide one-third of the recommended daily value of certain vitamins and minerals, and be limited in fat. The requirements will be changing next year, and minimum calorie levels will be adjusted from 785 to 750-850. Junior Bryce Youngblood feels that students do not get enough food for what they pay. “I’m tired of spending so much money every day,” said Youngblood. Even if school lunches provide a decent amount of food, certain items are often deemed unsavory or inedible by students, such as the mystery carrots or the extra-crunchy tator tots which cannot be smashed even by a fist. Senior Madison Kusmec feels many students are left hungry after lunch because
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much of the food served is not appetizing enough to eat. “I only eat parts of it. I don’t eat the vegetables because they look like baby food,” said Kusmec. Chase agrees, but eats all the food regardless of its taste. “Even though it tastes bad, I eat it because I’m hungry,” said Chase. Jody Gilbert, the food manager of the high school cafeteria, says the lunch portion sizes are beyond the school’s control. “We’re required by law to serve a certain amount- no more, no less. We’re a portion controlled kitchen,” said Gilbert. Until changes are made at the federal level, students will have to make do with the portion sizes they receive.
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THE PRIDE
Features
New and popular albums arise and thrive.
WZRD
Album: WZRD Genre: Alternative
Coldplay
Album: Mylo Xyloto Genre: Alternative
Kelly Clarkson
Album: Stronger Genre: Pop
New beats Compiled By Maria Sanchez - Features Editor maria.sanchez@hhsnews.com
Tyga
Album: Careless World - Rise of the Last Genre: Hip Hop/Rap
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The Black Keys
Rihanna
Album: Talk That Talk Genre: Pop
Column By Kayt DahnEditor-In-Chief kayt.dahn@hhsnews.com
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Generally speaking, an honor is given to someone who has done something above and beyond, and stands for morals and respect. So why exactly is Rush Limbaugh being inducted into the Hall of Famous Missourians? Album: El Camino For those of you who aren’t Genre: Alternative aware, Rush Limbaugh runs a radio talk show; he is openly extremely conservative and opinionated. Throughout the years he has offended more people than most people would be able to do in a lifetime. Recently, Limbaugh made comments about the contraceptive dispute. While talking about a woman, Sandra Fluke, who spoke out in favor of the bill, he referred to her as two secually derogatory names for women. Missouri House Speaker, Steve Tilley, made the choice to Album: Ceremonials induct him into the hall, as well Genre: Alternative as Dred Scott, who was born into slavery and took a stand against freedom. Only one of these two is deserving. Tilley made a comment stating to “Keep this in mind: It’s not called the Hall of Universally Loved Missourians”. Fair enough. It’s not called that. However, it is still an honor, it still means something, and it still sets Limbaugh apart from the rest of the state’s citizens implying he should be a role model. Personally, I do not see him as a role model, or even a good Album: Bangarang person. No, that’s not just me hatGenre: Dance ing conservatives; it’s me being disapproving of ignorant, crude, Album cover artwork from Amazon.com obscene and vulgar individuals.
The Cranberries Florence and The Machine
Album: Roses Genre: Alternative
Not worthy of state honor
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Skrillex
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COLLEGE PRE THE PRIDE
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Before leaving for the summer and forgetting about college deadlines, take a look at what we’ve compiled and make sure you have everything done. Come August, you will be ready! Compiled By Sasha Gubina - Copy Editor
tips to fill out scholarships Courtesy of the Health Students of America Website- hosa.cccs.edu
1. Keep a portfolio, either paper or electronic throughout your life and start early! It will be a great benefit to you throughout your career and your lifetime. 2. Most applications will ask for your leadership activities, community service, and awards. Go ahead and make yourself a “resume” of your accomplishments that you will refer to every time you fill out an application. 3. Spell out organizations next to the acronyms you use: Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Professionals reviewing your application may not be familiar with the acronym alone. 4. Make lists of your accomplishments - do not put them in paragraph format. 5. Include dates or the years you were involved in a particular activity. 6. Copy the application, and practice filling it out on the copy. This should give you an idea for how to space your information. If it is clear that you will not have enough space on the application form, you may want to attach a resume of activities and note that a resume is attached on the application. 7. Type or Word Process the application. 8. Send it in a large envelope - not folded or mutilated in any way. 9. Follow the Directions. If the application asks for a handwritten essay--hand write it. If the application says attach three letters of reference--don’t attach four. 10. Be sure everything is spelled correctly, and use proper grammar and punctuation. Incomplete sentences and misspelled words do not create a good impression. 11. For certain applications, you may want to add an attachment with an explanation of unusual circumstances. For example, it there has been a family crisis that makes the factual information included in the form somewhat misleading, attaching an explanation could be helpful to the selection committee.
underclassmen:
June 9- ACT Prep class- about a week long, and is a fee based class October- College Fair October- PSAT- around $14 October- PLAN test- sophomores only, around $11 Troughout the year- ACT prep classes are the Tuesday and Thursday before the test
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A+ requirements
*D1 Schools in Missouri do not accept this scholarship. It is geared towards 2 year colleges/technical schoo -Grade point average of 2.5, attendance of 95% -50 hours of unpaid tutoring or mentoring -50 hours of approved community service -Maintain good citizenship and avoid unlawful use of dru
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____ ------ college specialties ____
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As reviewed by 4icu.org
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Washington University- St. Louis- Law Medicine and Business. Size - 13,000. Private. University of Missouri- Journalism, Medicine, Agriculture. Size - 33,000. Public. UMKC- Dentistry, Law, Arts (music, dance, and vocal). Size - 18,000. Public. Saint Louis University- Aviation and Technology, Pharmaceutical. Size - 18,000. Private. Missouri State University- Education and Humanities. Size- 23,000. Public. Missouri University of Science and Technology- Engineering and Technology. Size - 7,000. Public. Truman State University- Arts and Sciences, Business. Size - 6,000. Public. Northwest Missouri State University- Education and Arts. Size - 8,000. Public. Missouri Western State University- Nursing Music and Physical Therapy. Size - 6,000. Public. University of Central Missouri- Education Art and Music. Size - 13,000. Public. Missouri Southern State University- International Studies and Business. Size - 6,000. Public.
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scholarship deadlines
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April 6- Wanda Brown Scholarship- Cass County Resident seeking Nursing degree- $1,000 April 6- Robert D. King Memorial Scholarship- Cass County Resident seeking specific nursing degrees. See application for details- $2,450 April 13- Bob Hodge Achievement Award- $4,000 year 1; $2,000 year 2; $2,000 year 3; $2,000 year 4 April 13- Steve Catron Memorial Scholarship- $300* April 13- Stephen and Virginia Childress Athletic Award- $1500* April 13- William G. and Nettie Z. Deacon Family Scholarship- $1,000* April 13- John and Wanda Foster Construction Trades Scholarship- $500* April 13- Excellence in Academics- $500* April 15- Helen Morse Memorial Scholarship- Cass County resident; preference to FFA/4-H member; enroll in summer or fall of 2012- $500 April 20- Shane D. Voyles Memorial- must attend college/university in Missouri- $500- www.missourilegion.org April 20- Lillie Lois Ford Scholarship- Must have attended Boys/Girls State or MO Cadet Patrol Academy- $1,000- missourilegion.org June 15- Abbott and Fenner scholarship program- $1,000- www.abbottandfenner.com/ scholarships.htm June 22- BigSun Scholarship- online app- $500- www.bigsunathletics.com All scholarships can be found in Mrs. Hendrickson’s office unless otherwise stated. *Is a foundation scholarship, applications can be found on-line by clicking “Apply for a Scholarship” under foundation scholarships on harrisonvilleschools.org
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More than what meets the eye The CCC offers a variety of life skills classes Story By Victoria Bostic - News Editor victoria.bostic@hhsnews.com The Cass Career Center is one of 54 career centers in Missouri. The CCC educates 11 different schools from around Cass County; those schools are Lees Summit, Lees Summit North, Lees Summit West, Belton, Ray-Pec, Lone Jack, Pleasant Hill, Archie, Harrisonville, Adrian, and Midway. All schools other than Harrisonville provide transportation for their students and pay tuition. “[Sending school students] attend three periods a day in a block class, and the rest at their sending school. They receive one and a half credits per year,” said CCC director Gina Smith. The CCC is unlike traditional education. Students spend time using equipment used in industries as apposed to just textbooks. “[The CCC is] hands on. We focus on 21st century skills,” said Smith. Those skills include oral communications, problemsolving, and creativity innovation. HHS senior Mikalah Rea takes classes in the Agriculture program. “I think people view the CCC as a place just for farmers, mechanics, nurses, etc. While really they have classes for anyone, not just specific groups,” said Rea. Belton High School junior, Emily Winchel, is enrolled in one block class. She is at the CCC from 8:00 to 10:24 a.m. “I wanted to take a class at
[the] CCC because I grew up around my family working on cars,” said Winchel. Winchel is taking the automotive class to help pursue her career goal, being a mechanic. Ray-Pec High School junior, Chelsey Dudley, uses her three hour stay at the CCC to take multiple classes. Dudley is taking Advanced Livestock, Ag Powers, and Conservation Sophmore Brance Neil concentrates on a project in his Computer Aided Design Drafting class all in the agriculture program. at the CCC. Even students who have Photo by Alison Krenzer not taken classes at the CCC The Pride Staff have an understanding of the difference between the school 2011-2012 and traditional education. Editor-in-Chief: Senior Cody Brill has never ventured down to the CCC Kayt Dahn for class, but wishes he has. Copy Editor: For Brill, the welding classes offered could have helped him Sasha Gubina had he taken the time to enroll Features Editor: in the class. “[The CCC is there] to Maria Sanchez teach you trades that are acNews Editor: tually useful for real life and could get [you] a job out of Victoria Bostic high school,” said Brill. Sports Editor: The CCC offers students Abbey Fisher the opportunity to explore more career related skills and Advisor: is more than what HHS stuBrad Lewis dents perceive it to be.
Staff
Staff Writers: Lauren Aman, Hannah Baggenstoss, Nick Campbell, Hannah Franz, Crystal Warden Photographers: Jamie Hasenyager, Alison Krenzer, Bailee Sandy The Pride is written, edited and published by the newspaper production class at HHS. The paper is an open forum, distributed to the students, faculty, parents, alumni, and other members of HHS. All decisions concerning grammar, layout, content, and photography are made solely by the editors themselves. Our mission is to report news truthfully and accurately and to act as an open forum for student expression. Opinions in editorials do not reflect the views of Cass R-IX school district, its staff or the adviser. All comments, concerns, and complaints should be forwarded directly to the Editor-inChief. If readers would like to submit letters to the Editor, they can do so in room 304.
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When i was 17 HHS coaches share their athletic careers
Story By Crystal Warden - Staff Writer crystal.warden@hhsnews.com Photos By Bailee Sandy
B r E N T M a x w e l l 90-94 During his high school career Brent Maxwell played football, basketball and ran track. Maxwell worked hard the two hours he was at practice. His coaches put him through very demanding drills. “We had little water breaks because that was a sign of weakness, and we had a lot of contact for toughness,” said Maxwell. Maxwell uses some of the fundamentals his coaches used on him when he is coaching. When they had two a days it was from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. then a 45 minute break in between. Maxwell’s favorite sports memory while he was in high school was when and his football team made Conference champions. “That is more important then any other honor I have had,” said Maxwell.
b r i a n b l i s s 89-93
When Brian Bliss was in high school he ran cross country and track. His coaches suggested for him to eat pasta before a meet, which is the same thing coaches do today. In addition when runners have shin splits he makes sure they ice them every night. His practices were long and very demanding. According to Bliss his practices felt like they went on forever. They started at 3:30 p.m. and ended around 5:30 to 5:40 p.m. “We had no days of rest, we only had a day off of running the day before a track meet,” said Bliss. Bliss said the main difference between today’s coaching and when he was in high school is that the coaches get up and are active and practice with their players. “I do use some of the same technique, but so much has changed in sports, so I have to change my coaching with the sport so my players will benefit from my coaching,” said Bliss. Bliss’s favorite memory of playing a high school sport was that his relay team made second place in a relay.
k a y l a e n g l a n d 96-00 Kayla England started her high school career in 1996 and ended in 2000. She played softball, basketball and also ran track. Her practices lasted for two and a half hours. England’s coaches made her do a lot of different fundamental drills and a lot of conditioning. Her coaches suggested to make sure to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. England is the head coach in softball and a coaches long distance in track and she uses some of the fundamental techniques that her coaches used when she was playing high school sports. England had two a days during softball. It was the same as it is today in softball, practice in the morning and then the evening. She uses that as a coach today. England’s favorite memory was when she and her junior softball team made quarter finals in Districts.
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Golf team gains new, young players Story By Hannah Franz - Staff Writer hannah.franz@hhsnews.com Last year’s Districtqualifying seniors set the bar high for this year’s golf team, which will look a little different than past years. Out of the fifteen players on this year’s team, only four are returning players, and only two have Varsity experience. The team has three seniors and two juniors. Head coach Abe Lewis recognizes challenges the team will face in the upcoming season, especially when they face rivals like Pleasant Hill and Warrensburg. “It will be a challenge to get the young golfers to have confidence and trust on the course. Those two things will help the team improve,” said Lewis.
Junior Joe Sevy has been golfing since the age of five or six and has played on the high school team since his freshman year. He believes the team, though young, will perform well this season. “We lost a lot of the older kids. We’re a lot younger, but I think we’ll still be good,” said Sevy. One new addition to the team is freshman Cole Welhoff, who has been golfing since first or second grade, and has played in leagues for the past few years. Welhoff is excited for his first season of high school golf. “I feel nervous, but it’s going to be fun because I’ve never played in a high school tournament,” said Welhoff.
Welhoff feels the transition into high school golf might be challenging for some of the team’s underclassmen. “Some will have to get used to it,” said Welhoff. Also among the team’s new faces is senior Colton Saunders, who usually plays baseball during the spring season, but was talked into playing golf instead by fellow senior Jon Gillotte. “I’ve done it for the past six years, but I haven’t played in high school. Golf is a big thing in my family,” said Saunders. Saunders is confident that the team will have a successful season. “We’ll be good because we have a bunch of underclassmen with experience. They’re
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pretty good,” said Saunders. Saunders has set personal goals for his first and last season of high school golf. “My goals are to be on Varsity, to have a good average, and to not get any speeding tickets on the way out [to the course],” said Saunders. Coach Lewis hopes to
keep building the team’s skill throughout the upcoming season. “My team goals are to improve every day, to prepare for Conference and Districts and to do our best. Hopefully the weather remains nice for playing golf,” said Lewis.
Senior Colton Saunders prepares to put the ball. Photo By Bailee Sandy
Track runner’s hard work pays off Story By Hannah Baggenstoss - Staff Writer hannah.franz@hhsnews.com
Picture an 8th grade, blonde-haired girl throwing the pigskin around with her dad and brother in the backyard. Her dad notices how fast she can run. He suggests she try out for the track team at school. With hesitance, the girl gives it a whirl and falls in love with the sport. Junior Manda Hopper has been doing track for four years now. Not only does she compete for HHS, but she trains with a traveling competition team called Pop Kelly’s Training in Raytown and Kansas City. Hopper says her success roots back to her family’s love of sports. “My family is really
big about sports ,especially football, and [me] seeing my studly brother work really hard and succeed helps to fuel my passion to be good in track,” said Hopper.
“She’s a hard worker and she’ll be a good leader for the next two years,” -Brian BlissAssistant coach, Brian Bliss, is confident in Hopper’s abilities and looks forward to the future. “She’s improved a lot since her freshman year.
She’s a hard worker and she’ll be a good leader for the next two years,” said Bliss. Senior and Hopper’s teammate, Livia Dunham , claims that Hopper is a fantastic contribution to the team. “She’s always working her hardest and she gets lessons outside of practice to continually improve. Manda always has a positive attitude and is ready to compete and do her best,” said Dunham. Hopper also has a trainer that she works with in the summer time. Her trainer keeps her in shape by having her do various drills, sprints, and main-
taining a protein-filled diet. Last year, Hopper’s 4X1 team went all conference. They placed 4th at Districts and moved on to Sectionals. They had a qualifying State time, but due to an injury on the team, they were unable to go to state. She also competes in the 4X2 relay and the 100, 200, and 400 meter race. Hopper wants to do well this season, not giving herself the glory, but to a higher power. “[I want] to go to state in individual events and relays. I want to become a better competitor and give God the glory for the success I received,” said Hopper.
THE PRIDE
Guess Whose Relative features
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Get your act together
Mat ch t he each student wit h his or her HHS alumni relat ive
Compiled By Jamie Hasenyager- Photographer
Student s
1. Annie
Once a Wildcat
Alumni
c 2. Colt on
B. Tony
3. Au st in M.
4. Travi s
A. Mike
C. Tom
D. Randy
5. Au st in W.
E. Ru s s
Always a Wildcat
Answers:
Column By Abbey FisherSports Editor abbey.fisher@hhsnews.com
Remember when we were in middle school, and high school seemed so far off, a million years away? It seemed to be something so new and abstract that could only happen in movies. Now that we are in high school, we’ve come to realize that it’s not such a big deal. We look back and realize that things are not so different. We don’t really consider high school to be a life changing experience. We forget how we were once captivated by just the thought of it. When we were in middle school we looked up to high school students. I remember watching Music Makers perform when I was in 7th grade, wanting to be one of them one day. Do you think the ball boys at HHS soccer games like chasing balls along a sideline for 90 minutes? No, they do it because they look up to high school athletes. They consider it a privilege to even be on the turf. Now, we seem to have forgotten how much we are looked up to. Believe it or not, whether you are in choir, an athlete, a tutor, or just a spectator, there are kids looking up to you, hoping to one day be just like you. This should not be taken lightly. If there is someone modeling him or herself after you, get your act together. If you make bad decisions, there is a chance that someone watching you will do the same. People always say that we should nurture the younger generations because they will be our future. Perhaps we should nurture them by simply setting a good example.
1/B. Annie and Tony Mulvey; 2/E. Colton and Russ Saunders; 3/A. Austin and Mike Moreland; 4/C. Travis and Tom Britz; 5/D. Austin and Randy Welhoff
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Spin your way into spring THE PRIDE
the flip side
Jackets: wear with tank tops and shorts or capris
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FLOWY TOPS
s
d Long necklace: accessorize simple items
DENIM SHORTS
Scarves: wear thin scarves with t shirts or tank tops
d
d
SPRING DRESSES
s Skinny belts: wear over a summer dress or with shorts
s Flat boots: wear with skirts and or dresses
TANK TOPS
LEGGINGS