Issue 2

Pride The 29 Years Later, the royals are back Pg. 7 Harrisonville High School | hhsnews.com| Thursday, october 30, 2014 | Volume XVII, Issue II

2.news

Tips to minimize risks during cold and flu season Information from WebMd and flu.gov

r s id ccu lu yo ff the as yo n nt oo ze s le s nee or s sa kp gh in cou tom p you Dr hen sym ew ssu ble a ti ssi ith w po uth mo cise ny exer t a e an d and rea nos eep

T r your e

plen

ty of

sl

Information compiled by Delaynie Getty

If you mu st go out Wash while sick your h , do not s ands pread you often r germs to with s others o ap an Avoid d water Man touching you or an alcoho r eye age l-base s, no s you e, or d han Av m d rub outh r st oid r e co ss nta St it w c ay tw eak ho i th ens me inf you wh ect Eat r im ed en hea mun pe yo rso ua l e sy t hy ns re stem or foo sic ob k d jec ts (u ten Ge sil tv s, too ac cin thb rus ate he d s, etc )

Prevent weight gain tendencies induced by winter Story by Bethany Travis bethany.travis@hhsnews.com

Maybe it is grandma’s pumpkin pie, or the stuffing, or the Christmas ham, or the homemade sugar cookies. Your favorite holiday foods most likely do not rank high on the healthy foods list.

The holidays are a time of family and, more importantly, really good food. However, pouring gravy all over everything is not the best way to trim down the fat.

People are more inclined to gain weight in the colder months for several reasons, the first being the many holiday events that go on during this time. The colder weather also discourages exercise and can induce slight depression, which encourages people to eat more. Contrary to popular belief, however, there is no scientific proof that the body stores up more fat in the winter. Weight gain is all due to human behavior.

“I believe it’s easier to gain weight in the winter because in the wintertime, humans are like bears, and we naturally stay inside more rather than being out

The Pride

Editor-in-Chief: Madi Dahn

Managing Editor: Brently Probasco Copy Editor: Ali Schmidt Online Editor: Kayley Brock

Co v

The typical incubation period for the flu is one to four days.

Adults can be contagious from the day before symptoms begin through five to 10 days after the illness starts.

Get

A regular case of the flu typically resolves after three to seven days for the majority of people, although cough and fatigue can persist for more than two weeks.

About the Pride

Turkey 340 calories Stuffing Pumpkin pie 180 calories Mashed potatoes and gravy 300 calories

30

minute run

20

minute elliptical

run

60 sets 10 burpees Information from active.com

and active,” said English teacher Ryan Peters. “We are less apt to getting out and playing sports and exercising. We are more apt to staying inside, sitting on the couch and eating some potato chips.”

There are ways to combat the excess calories consumed during the holiday feasts, the most obvious being exercise.

“You just have to get on that treadmill and go to the gym,” said freshmen Stewart Kroenke. “You have to play in the snow and go sledding.”

Junior Jacob Filer of-

fers a creative solution to burning holiday fat.

“Instead of going to the pool, fill up your bathtub and do water aerobics,” said Filer.

Peters looks to outside help when cutting down on the excess weight added as the temperature starts to drop.

“The best way [to lose weight] is to probably have Coach Rolfing yell at you and force you to exercise non-stop until your muscles cramp and give out,” said Peters. “Then he’ll call you a wuss and make you do more.”

If exercise is not your forte, there are other ways you can prevent the scale’s needle from rising.

Load up on veggies before you attend holiday parties or get togethers. Vegetables will fill you up and keep you away from the fattening foods at the snack table. You will also be more likely to spend more time focusing on your friends and family rather than your plate.

After attending a big bash filled with all your favorites, practice damage control. The next couple of days after a banquet, cut your calories to balance out that extra piece of pie that was not on your diet.

Being picky when going through the buffet line may insult the cooks, but it could prevent that extra pudge. Stay away from carbs; if that is too difficult, save them until the end that way you will not eat as much of them. If you are craving something sweet, pumpkin pie is your best option thanks to its lower calorie count.

Feature Editor: Elizabeth Thayer News Editor: Emily Priesendorf Sports Editor: Joe Cramer Opinion Editor: Bethany Travis Photo Editor: Jessie Poisal Video Editor: Casey Ambrozi Adviser: Virginia DeVenney Staff Members: Tyler Cardinal Dylan Flanner Luke Brines Coressa Ervin Delaynie Getty Levi Schoonover Austin Limback Cheyenne Valencia

Harrisonville High School 1504 E. Elm Harrisonville, MO 64701 Phone: (816)380-3273

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 the Cass R-IX school district, its staff or the adviser.

All comments, concerns, and complaints should be forwarded directly to the Editor-in-Chief. If readers would like to submit letters to the Editor, they can do so in room 304.

@hhswildcatnews

news.3

College stresses begin to settle on seniors Story by Emily Priesendorf emily.priesendorf@hhsnews.com Hand cramps while repeatedly writing personal information, E-mails by the dozen fill a student’s inbox, horrifying thoughts of student loans engulf the mind: the occasional mental breakdown is inevitable.

Many seniors are trying to cope with the stresses of filling out college applications and scholarships, while also contemplating what college to go to and what they want to study.

“The best thing to do is to be as proactive as possible and get a jump on it,” said college and career counselor Julie Zaring. “If possible, choose a college before Christmas break. It can be a big relief to get that out of the way.”

Some students have already been accepted into several colleges, while others are left baffled as to where their education will continue.

“I’m freaking out because college is less than a year away, and I don’t know what to do,” said senior Dalton Maes.

When making decisions about college, Zaring encourages the use of Internet resources to help narrow down students’ options.

“If students do not know what

degree they are going for, they can use the Missouri Connections website to search for different sizes and atmospheres they may want in a college,” said Zaring.

There are other sources students can use to narrow down their college search. The Collegexpress website can be used

to directly compare colleges side by side. Also, the website Cappex can be utilized for similar reasons.

There are other major concerns among students, such as the price of tuition, room and board and other additional expenses.

“I want to cry every single day,” said senior Hailey Helm. “[I’m most stressed about] figuring out where I’m going to go and figuring out how to pay for college without having a bunch of debt in the end.”

For students like Helm who are concerned about obtaining the funds for college, Zaring offers some tips that would help.

“I would recommend filling out as many scholarships as possible,” said Zaring. “If they know what school they are going to, they should meet with a financial aid adviser from that school.”

On the website of Harrisonville High School under the guidance and counseling, there are

Kansas State University

Missouri State University

Northwest Missouri State

Truman State University

Photo by Jessie Poisal

Senior Hailey Helm and College and Career counselor Julie Zaring talk about scholarships and other financial aid options.

many scholarships available for students.

Zaring believes it is also vital for students to plan time out of their busy schedules to take care of college affairs.

“Try and set up a schedule for yourself,” said Zaring. “Set specific nights aside for just filling out applications and scholarships.”

While seniors are hustling to meet deadlines for applications and scholarships, Zaring wants to remind students to make sure to take a break.

“Planning for college can be very stressful, so it’s important to make sure to relax and unwind,” said Zaring.

University of Central Missouri

Breakdown for popular college choices

Application Deadline

Application Deadline

Application Deadline

Application Deadline

Application Deadline

Rolling

Rolling

Rolling

December 1

Rolling

Average cost per year

Average cost per year

Average cost per year

Average cost per year

Average cost per year

Suggested ACT/GPA

Suggested ACT/GPA

Suggested ACT/GPA

Suggested ACT/GPA

Minimum ACT/GPA

21/2.0

24/2.0

24/2.0

24/3.0

21/2.0

Student Body Population

Student Body Population

Student Body Population

Student Body Population

Student Body Population

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance Rate

99%

85%

73%

72%

80%

Fee

Fee

Fee

Fee

Fee

None Information compiled byBrently Probasco

hhsnews.com

= $10

= $4000

= 5000

The Pride

4.news

Wikipedia fails to act as reliable source Story by, Dylan Flanner dylan.flanner@hhsnews.com

“Just Google it.” This has become a natural instinct in class when a question arises. The controversy is that the first seach result to pop up is Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia” on the web.

“I think it is a great place to start with research, so that you know what to search for on more authoritative sites, but I’d never take it as valid research,” said Librarian Melissa Arenson.

Arenson never used Wikipedia in any papers in college, saying that it would have never been accepted.

Arenson believes that Wikipedia does in fact have flaws.

“Anyone can edit it, which isn’t really a bad thing, but given that nobody is dedicated to fact

checking, it’s bad,” said Arenson.

This makes Wikipedia more unreliable than more authoritative sources out there.

“Wikipedia completely relies on others to fact check the entries,” said Arenson. “If nobody comments that it’s not realistic, then they think it’s true.”

According to Arenson, Wikipedia does bring some positive attributes to the table.

“I think it’s nice to have a place to look for anything that you have no idea about,” said Arenson. “It helps to start a research page that you know nothing about.”

Students use Wikipedia from time to time, and some may even be using it on research papers for school. Students are risking the chance of being misinformed by

a website that has a reputation for having false information.

“I do [use wikipedia], but not at school,” said freshman Craig Ward. “I use it because it’s the first thing that pops up on Google search.”

Ward has used Wikipedia in the past for the sole reason that it is quick and convenient. It is the first thing that shows up in search engines. This shows that the quickest and easiest thing may not always be the most helpful.

“I use it about twice a week,” said senior Laura Hamilton.

“I use it for general information just to answer questions. I think that it can be considered reliable because there is accurate information, for the most part.”

Arenson does use Wikipedia from time to time, when in need

of quick information, or just finding a place to start on more professional research.

“I like how large it is,” said Arenson. “All of the cross references and citations really do help with further research.”

Although Arenson agrees that Wikipedia has its advantages, she says the site’s lack of reliability makes it questionable for use at the high school level, unless using it to start more intensive research. She says she would look elsewhere for scholarly research.

“If I had to choose an alternative to Wikipedia, I would use Google Scholar,” said ArenPhoto provided by Google son. “It’s set up just the same as Students use Wikipedia as a Google, but it has more authorita- quick source for information even tive sources.” though there is a risk of being

school. I went to my advisory teacher for help, and she told me to make an appointment with Mr. Rorvig. We had our meeting, and since then the harassment has seemed to die down.”

Parker’s choice to go to an administrator was the right one,

according to Assistant Principal Mark Rorvig.

“If anybody were to be penalized for tweets, it would have to be reported [by a student or teacher],” said Rorvig. “When it is harassment or bullying in nature, or it interrupts the

school day, is when it becomes our jurisdiction.”

According to Rorvig there are many ways the school handles students who post inappropriate or hurtful things on social media. The discipline received varies based on what the student has posted. A harassment post may be handled differently than an inappropriate picture on social media.

“We look under our discipline code and follow that,” said Rorvig. “The first time [a student makes an inappropriate post] it would be ISS for a day.

If it were of the bullying nature, it would be five days OSS. If people post a video of a fight on social media, they get five days suspension.”

Senior Andy Laughlin has a contrasting opinion on how students should get penalized if they do have inappropriate posts on their social media.

“I don't think they should [get penalized] unless posted on

misinformed.

Social media holds potential to backfire Story by Luke Brines luke.brines@hhsnews.com

Students use social media sites to vent their feelings, but many students are finding out that they can get penalized for their posts. A disrespectful post about teachers, students or administration can lead to students getting in various forms of trouble. Mean posts also can take an emotional toll on students.

“I’ve gotten called multiple names including slut, people have posted rude pictures aimed at me and I have even received death threats,” said junior Madison Parker.

The social media attacks towards Parker caused her lots of stress and have made her emotions run high for the past couple of months.

“I had an emotional breakdown, and went to my parents to help,” said Parker. “[My parents] told me that if it didn’t stop, they would come to the

The Pride

Photo by Luke Brines

Many Students use social media as a personal diary, and some are unaware of the consequences of posting hurtful tweets about teachers, administration, and peers.

school property, and if it isn’t [on school property], it should just be looked down upon,” said Laughlin.

Rorvig also described the process the school must take when the school or a student reports something inappropriate about a teacher or administration found on social media.

“We bring the kid in and question them about it,” said Rorvig. “We then determine the discipline from our discipline code. In most cases, we let the teacher know that the student is getting in trouble.”

Junior Dalton Brewster thinks it is wrong that students are getting in trouble for posts to their own social media profiles. “[It is wrong] because it is your personal space.” said Brewster. “You shouldn’t get in trouble for something on your personal social media account.”

@hhswildcatnews

Features.5

School district works to aid low income families

Story by, Brently Probasco brently.probasco@hhsnews.com

After hearing the complaints about the Harrisonville school district, it is sometimes easy to forget the good things the district has implemented to help take care of students. One of the many organizations that has assisted the district in doing so is Bright Futures. Several programs they have implemented for families with low incomes.

“The percentage of students that applied and qualified for free/reduced meals had grown pretty significant pretty quickly,” said Bright Futures Co-coordinator Jennifer Beavers. “Staff and teachers didn’t really know what to do to help, so these programs were created to provide the basic needs for students so the teachers could get in there and teach; basic needs are essential for moving up within education.”

The connection with Bright Futures came through letting the community play a part in the students’ lives.

“It came around to be Bright Futures because this community has always been very supportive, but I don’t think everyone knew how to help, so this provided a way for the community to help and have an impact,” said Bright Futures Co-coordinator Jill Filer.

The most well-known program the district offers is through Bright Futures is the Backpack Program, which provides food throughout the weekend for children who otherwise may not get to eat or have enough to eat.

“This is the sixth year we have done this program, and we basically send home food for the kids to have breakfast, lunch, dinner and some snacks every week during the school year,” said

Beavers.

A spin off of the program is a summer program called Just4Me, where students get food monthly.

This year, there was a change in the system; students were able to pick up their food from Beavers directly instead of doing so with their school nurse.

Each August, families are also invited to the back to school fair, which allows them to prepare for a new school year.

“Families can come in and we offer school supplies, free haircuts, clothing and signups in case students need new shoes as well as the food service and transportation information and other vendors,” said Beavers.

With that, Bright Futures has a permanent year-round Cats Basement, which provides clothes. Families can visit two times a year and with each visit can bring home up to three out-

fits. In the spring, they hold the Prom Closet, which is open to everyone; however, lower income students receive a coupon for a free dress or suit.

Bright Futures also helps to support during the holidays with the Adopt-a-Family Program.

“Families can apply for assistance for their children for Christmas, and adopters throughout the community and beyond help to purchase whatever the family needs,” said Beavers.

According to Filer, they have also partnered with bakers to create a program called Make a Cake for Kids.

“Make a Cake for Kids provides personalized birthday cakes to students who otherwise might not get one,” said Filer.

All of these services assist students in meeting the essentials of life, a goal of Bright Futures.

“Our goal is to make sure that

we are reaching those that we need to reach,” said Filer. “It’s sometimes a difficult thing if you’re struggling-- it can happen to any family, just the loss of an income-- and it’s hard to ask for help, but we want to make sure people are comfortable asking for help when they need it and making sure we can meet those needs.”

Middle school and high school students are able to register for things through the counselors at their schools, and each school is provided a contact person for teachers in case help is needed for a student.

“Until we get to a place where we don’t feel like there’s a barrier for our kids and until we can say that every one of our kids has their basic needs met, we’re going to continue with the current programs and create additional ones to help,” said Beavers.

which takes up about 250 acres.

We also farm cattle, and we have about 300 head.”

History teacher Andrew Rives is a cook at a restaurant in downtown Lee’s Summit. Rives is a teacher five days a week and a cook four days a week.

“At first it was just a summer job,” said Rives. “But it turns out I really like the guys I work with; they are really cool to work with, and it is nice to have a second income.”

There are multiple reasons a person may choose to have more than one job, including money, another interest and something to fill their extra time. In Magoffin’s case, when the opportunity presented itself, he could not turn it down.

“I never thought I’d be a preacher,” said Magoffin. “I didn’t go looking for a another job; it came to me, and I felt that it was a calling I could not deny.”

Johnson’s love for agriculture made him want to get out into the field, while also educat-

ing students in the classroom.

“I decided to go into farming because of my strong passion for agriculture,” said Johnson.

“Growing up on the family farm made it feel natural for me to want to go into farming.”

Amidst the struggles of teaching, grading and guiding, these teachers have to balance another job and their personal life.

“In a way, both of my jobs are about teaching,” said Magoffin.

“Thankfully there isn’t a big switch between my jobs. There is just a change of different subjects that I am teaching about.”

Cummings handles the weight of her two careers by creating equity between them both.

“The hardest thing is balancing my two jobs with my family time,” said Cummings. “It’s hard to get it all done with three kids, but I’ve found ways that I can work on photography while I spend time with my family so that I am not completely separated from them all the time.”

Johnson believes his jobs seem to find a nice harmony be-

tween themselves, leaving him with little to no stress.

“I usually don’t have a lot of stress,” said Johnson. “My jobs work pretty well together. I can get the chores and things like that stuff done when I get home from school. Teaching allows me to get things done around the farm.”

Like Johnson, Rives has little difficulty going from one job to the other.

“No there is not any stress; in a strange way, it is two different worlds,” said Rives. “I have my teacher friends and I have a whole different type of cook friends, so they balance well.”

These teachers have taken on different second jobs, but they work these jobs because they love what they do.

“Teaching is my calling,” said Magoffin. “That is my best set of talents. I teach six days a week.”

Staff members split time between school and other jobs

t Story by Delaynie Getty d delaynie.getty@hhsnew.com d Every day at school, teachers put in eight hours in the classe room. But for some, the day e does not end when the final bell - rings because teaching is just e one of multiple careers.

- Science teacher John Magoffin also serves as a preacher d at Walnut Grove Church in Bald lard. e “It is a small rural church; we e have on average 25 to 30 regular e attenders,” said Magoffin. “I’m s in charge of giving the message every Sunday, as well as extra r messages for the holidays. I also s attend all the session meetings, o visit the sick in the hospital and speak at funerals.” t Communication Arts teacher d Sarah Cummings has a second t job as well; she is a professional photographer. She has her own r business called Expressions KC. “I’ve been a photographer for eight years; I wanted to be one when I was in middle school,

hhsnews.com

Photo provided by Clint Johnson

Agricultural Science teacher Clint Johnson works on his family farm after teaching at the Cass Career Center.

but I knew they didn’t make much money,” said Cummings.

Agricultural Science teacher Clint Johnson uses his knowledge in many ways. He teaches at the Cass Career Center, but after hours, he’s a farmer. He lives and works on his family farm, which is located east of Appleton City.

“Our farm is a 1,200 acres,” said Johnson. “We do row crop,

The Pride

6.Features

The average ticket price for game one was $891 A l l 3 7 , 9 0 3 s e a t s i n Ka u f f m a n S t a d i u m w e r e s o l d o u t Duri ng th e w i l d c a rd gam e agai ns t th e Oak lan d A’s, Ro yals fan s’ vo ice s r e a ch e d 101.1 d e cib e ls

Eric Hosmer has the best batting average in the postseason at .394 with 13 hits

Lorenzo Cain hit over .500 in the ALCS The Royals’ on base percentage is .318

Alex Gordon has the highest number of stolen bases for the postseason with 3 Mike Moustakas has the most homeruns in the postseason with 4

Every postseason game hosted at Kauffman brings in over $1 million

D u r i n g g a m e 1 o f Wo rl d S e r i e s , a f a n b o u g h t ove r $ 3 0 0 wo r t h o f hot dogs to throw to his section out of the goodness of his heart Royals have had 9 home runs in the postseason

T w e n t y- s i x m e m b e r s o f t h e R o ya l s ’ c u r r e n t 4 0 - m a n r o s t e r w e r e n o t b o r n f o r t h e R o ya l s ’ l a s t p l ay o f f g a m e

E r i c H o s m e r p i c k e d u p t he $ 3 , 0 0 0 b i l l f o r fa n s i n attendance at power and light after the ALDS win

Wade Davis has the most strikeouts for Royals pitchers in the postseason with 10 strikeouts This will be the fifth postseason meeting between a team from Missouri and a team from California in the 2014 postseason By defeating the Orioles for the American League pennant, the Royals became the first team in MLB history to w i n t h e i r f i r s t e i g h t c o n s e c u t i v e p l ayo f f g a m e s The Pride

I n f o r m a t i o n c o m p i l e d b y B e t h a n y Tr a v i s a n d Ty l e r C a rd i n a l

@hhswildcatnews

features.7

World Series causes enthusiastic staff, students

S t o r y b y Ty l e r C a r d i n a l a n d B e t h a n y Tr a v i s ty.cardinal @hhsnews.com bethany.travis@hhsnews.com

Three times in Royals history have Kansas City’s men in blue stood on the dirt of a baseball diamond with the whole country watching. The Royals made it to the World Series in 1980, won it all in 1985 and made another appearance in 2014. Back in 1985, the Royals faced the St. Louis Cardinals, a phenomenon that came close to repeating itself. However, this time around they battled against the San Francisco Giants, who had to beat the St. Louis Cardinals to earn their spot in the 2014 World Series.

It has been 29 years since the Royals’ last appearance in the World Series. Head Softball Coach David Hix remembers the Royals’ glory days of 1985. He was 22 years old when this series took place, and the memory is still clear in his mind.

“I remember it very well,” said Hix. “Something as exciting as being down three games to one, not just in the World Series but in the American League Championship Series as well, you don’t forget! I still have my ‘Dane Iorg For President’ bumper sticker.”

hhsnews.com

Dane Iorg was a crowd favorite who played for the Royals during the series; he is best known for hitting the game-winning hit in game six of the series. However, Principal Andy Campbell appreciates the qualities he saw in Frank White’s play.

“I just love the way he went about business,” said Campbell. “He was kind of that quiet guy that showed up every day and did his job and was amazing to watch.”

Campbell also admires players who star on the 2014 team.

“I’m a huge fan of Lorenzo Cain,” said Campbell. “You know, two thirds of the world is covered by water, the other third is covered by ‘Lo Cain’.

[I enjoy watching] Salvador Perez as well. I love the way he is behind the plate.”

In 1985, during the American League championship series of the playoffs the Royals were down three games to one and made an amazing comeback to advance on to the esteemed World Series. Once the 1985 team made it to the series, they found themselves in the same rut: down in the series three to one. The Royals made another breathtaking comeback to clinch the title of World Series Champions in the seventh game.

This time around the Royals stayed on top leading up to the World Series. Their loss in game one of the series was their first postseason loss since that 1985 nailbiter and manager Ned Yost’s first ever postseason loss.

After this long wait of 29 years, these playoff and World Series games have a nostalgic touch for those who remember the Royals’ 1985 run.

“It has brought back great memories,” said Hix. “The teams are similar in many facets of the game, but this 2014 team has made it look easy going 8-0. The ‘85 team got into a hole in the ALCS and World Series and had to battle back for their lives.

This 2014 team has been ahead most of the time.”

Campbell also appreciates the intriguing play of the 2014 Royals. “[I enjoy] the team itself: just how young and exciting they are to watch,” said Campbell. “The fact that they’re kind of a small market, low budget team and they’ve just kind of mowed their way through is exciting.”

The Royals have pulled off some spectacular plays in their postseason run. However, the 1985 team had some

memorable moments of their own.

“My favorite memory has to be Frank White hitting a homerun in game five in St. Louis to break their hearts, and all of game six and game seven,” said Hix. Campbell enjoyed watching the final games of the 1985 series.

“After the controversial call that got us the win in game six, just coming back and absolutely blowing them out in game seven was pretty amazing,” said Campbell.

The first time they were in the World Series, in 1980, the Royals faced the Philadelphia Phillies and lost, but it is the 1985 World Series that is ingrained in Royals and baseball history. Both the Cardinals and the Royals made it to the final series in 1985. Since then, the 1985 series has been forever known as the “ShowMe Series” and the “I-70 Series,” because I-70 connects Kansas City and St. Louis, the hometowns of the Royals and the Cardinals.

Campbell thoroughly enjoyed the 1985 rivalry and savored the taste of victory. “[The best thing about the 1985 World Series was that] we beat the Cardinals!” said Campbell.

Looking back on it, the Roy-

als’ last appearance in the World Series is ingrained in many memories. This year, many students have had the opportunity to go to the games against the Giants.

The atmosphere at the stadium was eccentric and deafening, even when the Royals were down 7-1 in game one.

“It was really electric and loud and crazy but then we started to lose, everybody kind of started to get quiet and sit down,” said senior Cole Welhoff. “[The crowd] kind of gave up, but they were still cheering because they were excited to be at the World Series.”

Coming back from that loss, the Royals came out the next day and won 7-2.

“It was great because that was the first game we won and we needed it to come back so we’d have a chance going into San Francisco,” said junior Cole Harkrader.

Unlike Welhoff’s experience, Harkrader was surrounded by a roaring crowd ready for the win.

“The noise factor [was my favorite part] because it was just so loud,” said Harkrader.

“It probably would’ve been really hard for San Francisco to even come out and play because it got so loud at some points.”

The Pride

Halloween not excuse to be promiscuous

Calories in Halloween Candy

Story by Madi Dahn madi.dahn@hhsnews.com

Ahh, Halloween, the time of pumpkins, candy, and...naughty nurses?

The only thing I want to do when I see more skin than costume, is yell to put some clothes on because there are children around.

No parent wants their little girls thinking that is how they have to dress nor does she want her little boys being exposed to half naked seventeen-year-old girls.

In fact, I can name a lot people who do not want to walk around seeing random half naked seventeen-year-old girls. If nothing else, do it for the little five year old who just wants to wear her princess ballgown for halloween.

If you want to be a Disney Princess, do it right.

These characters which are so frequently twisted into sex icons were created to show girls that they do not need to be undressed to be a princess and find a prince; do not shame the princesses like that. Walt Disney is probably up there crying at the miniskirt Cinderella now sports. Seriously, Fairy Godmother did not bippity-boppity-boo her into a corset and panties, and she would not do it to you either.

If you are going to be a princess, act like it.

My favorite thing which has been sexualized this year is a “Sexy Chucky” costume.

You are actually kidding me. Solid job, Party City. That sounds like a really good way to give someone some nightmares and develop a fear of girls.

Here is a good rule of thumb: if the name of the costume includes the words “sexy,” “naughty,” “dirty,” “sultry” or any of the like, just keep going. No need for that.

Look, I am not trying to promote the “modest is hottest” trademark which the ladies at church will tell you. I am not saying you have to find a costume with a turtleneck and full length skirt; if you want the tulle miniskirt Snow White, wear some yellow or red leggings underneath. Want the nurse costume?

Go for the skirt at least. A nurse cannot wear a leotard and thigh-highs. That is not even remotely realistic, you would get blood and vomit all over yourself.

The point is that there is, in fact, a limit.

The point of no return is real, and when that cheaply made pirate corset rips, there will be a very memorable and noticeable fashion faux paus from which you will not recover.

Everyone will talk about it for months and next Halloween may be a little different.

The Pride

Reece’s Cup ® ,one cup = 110

M&M’s ® , fun size bag = 100

Kit Kat ® , snack size bar = 90

Three Musketeers ® , fun size bar = 70

Baby Ruth ® , fun size bar = 83

Smarties ® , one roll = 25

Skittles ® , fun size = 60

Whoppers ® , fun size box = 30

Mounds ® , fun size bar = 92

Good and Plenty ® , 15 pieces = 64

Butter finger ® , fun size bar = 100

Milky Way ® , fun size bar = 70

Tootsie Pop ® , one pop = 60 Information compiled by Kayley Brock

ta l T o n e yn m oent o sp a l e n H w e ear y ted l ois e th exp cin at is come illiont b tha d to e 4 . $7 of pect on

ex ent one 2.5 sp al up is be l Bi e is to dy 2 h n t ca ich he t t ar n e e wh m y o sp r e f re on th li st pa

spend l wil 50 m s n $3 a ic Amer tely een w o l a l m a proxi n pet H o just

m u

t a s r o o C ec d 2 7 %D n

Ca

Th ave e ra ch an ild co ge ll 3,5 esti ects calo 00 ma ted Ha ries to 7 , 0 A llowee thro 00 ugh eats 100– n out pou of c 7 n , 0 d n a 0 0 44 ndy ch ight for hours would calorie ild wh . s 14.5 or p o ha hou lay full ve to worth w rs to court b alk fo bur r n a asketb ll c all alor ies

The for H top fiv allo e sell 1. wee in R e 3 . S n e c e ’s n l a s t g c a n d i e icke y rs 4. Cups ear wer s Hers 2 e hey’ . M&M : s 5. K ’ it Ka s ts

@hhswildcatnews

Stay safe on Halloween

Elsa

Story by Dylan Flanner dylan.flanner@hhsnews.com

#3

M a l e f ic e

nt

#4

Teenag e Ninja T Mutant urtle

e rs

30%

o d i r a t a C

y d

5%

anna

F ro z e n ® Ja ck we O’L a r fr e Fir nter Boston, Massachusetts om st ns t holds the record for the ur mad nip most Jack O’Lanterns lit s e

%

s s e ns m 38

#F ro5m

apn millio es m costu

Dressing up as ghosts came from the Celtic tradition of people disguising t h e m s e l ve s a s demons and spirits

The largestpumpkin ever measured was grown

by Norm Craven, who broke the world record in 1993 with an 836-pound pumpkin

trick-or-treating came from an old celtic tradition where members of the community put out treats and food to satisfy the spirits who wandered the streets at samhain, the celts’ biggest holiday

According to the U.S. Department of Agric u lt u r e , t h e U n i t e d Stat e s p r o d u c e d m o r e than 1 billion pounds of pumpkins last approximately O r a n g e i s a s y m b o l y e a r .

72 percent of people will o f s t r e n g t h a n d e n d u r a n c e hand out 1 1 p e r c e n t o f p e o p l e hhsnews.com candy d r e s s u p t h e i r p e t s

at once: 30,128

rom Froz en®

f

Halloween can be a fun day, as long as everyone that participates is safe after the sun goes down. Being dark, and crowded, there is always the chance of something going wrong or someone getting hurt.

“Trick or treating during daylight hours has become a popular thing recently,” said School Resource Officer Doug Rose. “Carrying flashlights, wearing reflective clothing and always letting someone know where you’re going to be at all times are always good things to remember to do.”

Halloween is a busy day for police officers, given that there is a mass amount of people roaming the streets at late hours of the nate.

“The calls that we usually get on Halloween night are usually just erratic driving from teenagers,” said Rose. “Because people are walking the streets, they see and hear more than they would from the safety of their homes.”

The question is, how does the average person keep themselves out of trouble on Halloween?

“Stop breaking the law,” said Rose.

According to Rose, in recent years there has been more initiative in making Halloween safer in the community. There are “Trunk or Treat,” parking lots with cars that have their trunks filled with candy. This offers a more controlled and safer trick or treating experiStephen Clarke ence. holds the record There are many students who practice difof the world’s fastest ferent behaviors that can help them to have a safer Halloween. pumpkin carving time, 24.03 seconds “Last Halloween I had a dance team dinner, danced at the football game, and then went home to go to bed,” said senior Mariah Ramsey.

The last time Ramsey went trick or treating was her seventh grade year.

“My older brother stopped going trick or treating, and I didn’t want to go by myself,” said Ramsey.

Junior Madi Parker will be attending haunted houses with friends this Halloween 4 6 p e r c e n t rather than roaming the streets on the search for candy. Haunted houses are more of a of people controlled environment, and can be much w i l l c a rv e safer especially if you’re going with a group of friends. a pumpkin “I don’t trick or treat anymore,” said Parker. “I don’t see anything wrong with it.

I haven’t gone since seventh grade because I had just grown out of it. I’m still dressing up because it makes going to the haunted houses more fun.”

Information from mashable.com, Atlantic times, randomhistory.com, jumpstartmd.com, USA Today, the NRF, the NCA, Department of Epidemiology

20 percent of people will visit a haunted house

Black is typically a symbol of death and darkness.

Ola

# 2 F

#F ro1m

F ro z e n ®

Top 5 pre d ic t e d c ostu mes th is y ear :

10.features

Fall favorite makes its comeback Story by Elizabeth Thayer elizabeth.thayer@hhsnews.com

This article is intended as parody, satire and humor and is for entertainment purposes only.

References to people, events, use of names; real or not real, may or may not be fictitious and intentional. The purpose of said story is to entertain and amuse and not to offend any persons, or institutions, in any way. Additionally, no malice is intended toward anyone or anything, nor should any be construed from the satirically based stories and fake news items. The views and words said in this article are not necessarily the honest views of the writer or any persons on the Wildcat News/ The Pride staff.

After many miles of traveling to Belton to get a steaming cup of overly sweetened goodness, one can now stop

by Price Chopper to find their dream coffee shop: Starbucks.

With my new shade-oftan Uggs, yoga leggings and sweater, I can finally complain about the cold weather with a Pumpkin Spice Latte in hand.

Just thinking about that delicious pumpkin goodness paired

with my North Face jacket makes me feel so #Blessed.

Unfortunately, leggings and Ugg boots are a little overdone, to say the least; it was overdone in 2007 and it has honestly just gotten worse. But what else can a person wear to look scantily clad and still be warm? Perhaps a wool-lined bathing suit or maybe the new trend could be a latex bodysuit with fur trim? With Starbucks in town, maybe dressing warm will not be a problem at all; with a steaming cup of sugar, someone can be warm with their cabooses hanging out.

Just thinking about my closet makes me want to cry. Yes, there are $150 Ugg boots and hundreds of Miss Me jeans, but I mean, there has to be something else to complain about!

Instead of bragging about my incredible amount of clothes,

I compete with people about who has the more miserable life. #Thankfully, there are ways to make complaining not look so bad, especially with all of my #FirstWorldProblems.

Armed with my latest iPhone, I can post a ridiculous amount of pictures of me, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, my infinity scarf, Ugg boots and Victoria’s Secret everything; follow me!

Social media is my life, not going to lie. Saying that, fall season is the peak time for places like Twitter and Instagram. The best thing about these sites are the #Hashtags. During this season, it is all about #Thankfulness, right? I mean, every other tweet, to balance my ratio of complaining, #Thankful #Thankfully helps me out. You can never overuse #Thankful, #Blessed, #SoBlessed and #Thankful-

ness, especially when describing a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Fall is really all about fashion and the outdoors; #Thankfully, these themes give me great stats on my Instagram and Twitter.

Finally, there will be something new to post on Instagram; I am only getting 50 likes on my latest selfies and maybe a cute Starbucks drink will boost my data. Another thing that will totally boost stats will be posting ridiculously filtered trees as they change colors for fall, with a Pumpkin Spice Latte somewhere in the picture as well, of course.

With the long awaited arrival of Starbucks and fall, Harrisonville is finally getting on my level.

leads to a number one song.

“Animals” is a breathtaking track with the perfect beat, lyrics and the vocals. When Levine howls, you are just awestruck.

The provocative song can seduce you into buying their new album, because honestly, it is one of the best on the album.

In the song “It Was Always You,” Levine tells about how he has finally found “the one,” and she was always right in front of him. The rhythm of it can catch you in an instant. The beat starts slow, then gradually rises until finally it explodes with the second verse.

One of the definite standouts of the album is “Unkiss Me”.

This is a great breakup song to listen to while crying and eating ice cream. Levine sings about the fact that the relationship was already going downhill, and now that it has finally hit rock bottom; Levine wants nothing to do with the other person if they really are done. Not to mention, the amazing vibes given from this song

send you to a new dimension.

“Sugar” is a slow track with an explosion of a chorus. Induced with romantic lyrics, Levine sings about how he wants some sugar from his lover. This song is quite sweet, as it shows how much Levine loves this person. “No makeup on, now that’s my sugar” shows the sweet side of Levine, how even with no makeup she is still sugar to him. It gives off an 80’s vibe, and frankly, it all fits perfectly.

In the breakup song “Leaving California,” the beat is slow and sad. Levine is the perfect lover, saying that even if she leaves California, he won’t let go of this. It is pretty much the aftermath of a breakup that nobody wanted to happen, but it had to happen. They were going to be on opposite coasts and eventually would drift, but Levine will still be waiting for her in California.

“In Your Pocket” is a song that most people in relationships can relate to. It tells the tale of a girl who thinks her man

is hiding stuff, so she checks his phone constantly. Levine says he is not hiding anything but suspects she is. The song is a good pop tune but really does not showcase Levine’s voice like some other songs.

In the fast beat track called “New Love,” Levine wants to prove his love for his woman. It shows the struggles of being in a relationship that just started and how you are so obsessed with that someone that you do not want to let them down. It shows how the new love is addictive and you have to have it all the time.

In the utterly amazing “Coming Back For You,” the beat takes you to a new galaxy.

Levine sings of how he will be back for his girl. The lyrics tell the tale of the trials Levine is willing to take to make this love work. No matter what she does, he will be there waiting for her.

“Feelings” is a really upbeat pop track with very seductive lyrics. Levine sings about how he has special feelings for

Photo by Jessie Poisal

Staff member Liz Thayer lives the life of a typical white girl with her coffee, infiniti scarf, boots and dress.

Maroon 5 releases another hit album Story by Luke Brines luke.brines@hhsnews.com

On September 2, Maroon 5 released their fifth studio album, titled “V,” which gave them their second number one album. Adam Levine, lead vocalist of the band, showcases his spectacular voice on this record.

The opening track to the record is the summer hit “Maps,” which captured the hearts of Americans with its beautiful guitar strums and Adam Levine vocals. The song follows Levine’s map that

The Pride

someone, we are guessing his wife. Levine shows how he can reach the high notes in the chorus, showing off his head voice.

Gwen Stefani features on the ballad “My Heart Is Open”.

This song shows raw emotions and vocals, and really hits home. It sings of true love and how they want nobody else but themselves. It is a great way to end the amazing album.

Maroon 5 will be headlining a world tour entitled “The Maroon 5 World Tour 2015” featuring Magic! and Rozzi Crane, which will stop by the Sprint Center on March 15. Be sure to get your tickets now!

@hhswildcatnews

features.11

New store is first step to brightening town square

k

Story by Madi Dahn madi.dahn@hhsnews.com

Let’s be honest, there is not much of anything to do in Harrisonville. With the loss of the smoky but beloved bowling alley, one is left wondering what to do.

What is supposed to be a bustling center of town, has lately been a relic of the past, covered in dust and chipping paint. Yes, The Square, full of its for-sale signs has been the closest we could get to having some cute little business district in town. With the addition of a couple new businesses over the year, it is on its way.

One of the newly opened stores, well two, is Royal Relic, featuring Loft Vintage at Royal Relic.

I discovered this little beauty during the Burnt District Festival when I walked inside and fell in love. Whether it is the stock of beautiful vintage furniture, tools and bath and body products, and everything in between, downstairs, or the chic and adorably perfect vintage clothes up-

s n . n . y e e t . e ” i e e !

Football

y Dylan

Photo b

Flanner

Photo by Jessie Poisal

Royal Relic is a new place present on the square, where one can find vintage clothes and other antiques for reasonable prices.

stairs, there truly is something here for everyone (I mean it, even my brother found something here to at least look at).

When you walk inside the door, you are faced with three options: the doorway to the right, the doorway to the left or a set of stairs directly in front of you.

Head to the right and you will be faced with a table full of vintage umbrellas at first. In this case, though, there is no bad luck to having these open inside. Keep going, and antique chairs and couches will catch

des i r y Ha Watch scary movie s

your eye. Further on, a little room has vintage music memorabilia and in the back little section, you will find something for the guys, bundles of old tools.

Walk to your left, and bright colors and a clawfoot bathtub will be the first things to catch your eye. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, skip over all the candles, lotions and soaps. Go over and smell them because you know you want to. I recommend the Gin and Rosewood scent. Take in the whole room afterward. Walk around and look at the art and

in prom dresses around January so if you want a unique dress, check Loft Vintage, you will not be disappointed.

One of my favorite things about this place is that you can see the history in the rooms. The original integrity of the building is there and the store is fashioned in such a way that it highlights the original brick walls and old flooring. I am happy to say that this little part of history was not torn apart and redone. History is something we are proud about in this town, and you can see little bits of historic Harrisonville whenever you are in this store.

Royal Relic and Loft Vintage at Royal Relic is located on the West Side of The Square, and is open Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

furniture in here, too. Oh, and keep your eye out for the Shamu statue in the very back; it might just be my favorite thing there.

Take the stairs and follow the little fairy lights up to Loft Vintage, a.k.a. my dream closet.

Skirts, dresses, shirts, jackets, coats, hats, gloves, boots, cowboy boots, jewelry, nailpolish, sunglasses; anything you could want. Do not worry guys; there is some stuff up here for you too!

Loft Vintage is owned byCassy Taylor. When my friend and I first walked in, she was extremely helpful and inadvertently turned us into dress up dolls with the ladies from Royal Relic. I bought three dresses that day I just could not help it.

With Halloween here, Cassy has brought in some costumes placed on a little rack upstairs, just walk in and you will find one. You will not find the typical “naughty nurse’ costume here, so definitely go look, at least.

She will also be bringing

Visit t he pump ki patch n ng i t n Hu

ea Mak pkin pum pie

Bonfires

Fashion trends this fall

What do you think of when you hear the word autumn? ider C e l App

ing co lor g n a h c s e v Lea hhsnews.com

kins

en

we o l l a

H

Carame

Information compiled by Delaynie Getty

Pump

l Apple

s

Thank

sgivin

g The Pride

12.sports

Winter sports look ahead into their seasons Story by Joe Cramer joe.cramer@hhsnews.com

As the fall sports season comes to a close, athletes and coaches alike look toward the upcoming winter sports season. Winter sports include men’s and women’s basketball, swim and wrestling. With the season just around the corner, coaches of these sports have set goals for their respective teams.

Head Wrestling Coach Eric DeVenney hopes to see his wrestlers do well at the end of the season, when they will be competing for state titles.

“Every year we set our sights on performing our best at the state tournament and bringing home medals and a trophy,” said DeVenney.

Head Men’s Basketball Coach Todd Mercer also hopes to see his team progress throughout the season and play well during the postseason.

“Our goals are the same as every year,” said Mercer. “We want to get better every day and be playing our best basketball at the end of the season. We have been very blessed to have some very good players in our

program the last few seasons, and we feel like we have some very good players to work with this year. We really like the makeup of our team this year. While we don’t have a bunch of returning lettermen, we feel like our guys are hungry and focused.”

Head Women’s Basketball Coach Shawn Gibbs hopes to see the team get comfortable with each other and him, as this will be his first year as head coach.

“For us, one of our main goals is just getting acclimated with each other,” said Gibbs. “It is important to me that we learn and understand how to practice to my expectation level and pace. It is always a goal to get better each day; put your work in, improve and make sure you are better today than you were yesterday. In the first year of a new coach and program, it is just an adjustment phase.

It is learning new people, new offenses and defenses, new drills and new teams. It isn’t that a new system is better or worse than the old system, it is just different so it takes time.”

Junior Micaela Edwards hopes to see members of the swim

team compete to the best of their abilities for the entire season.

“We hope to see a lot of dedication in the pool and everyone working hard to bring home more Conference titles than we did last year,” said Edwards. “We also want to build a team that can work hard together and succeed together.”

Multiple coaches are looking toward the incoming upperclassmen to be influential factors for the season as a whole. Mercer hopes to see the seniors help guide the underclassmen to a successful season.

“We are looking for strong leadership from our seniors this year,” said Mercer. “It is a good group, and we are expecting big things from them.”

DeVenney expects incoming freshmen and returning champions alike to do well this season.

“We return a great core of seniors, some exciting underclassmen and a promising freshmen class that has members that will contribute right away,” said DeVenney.

“Specifically, we have defending state champion Ty Cochran, returning state runner-up Jericho

Harris, returning fifth place medalist Austin Schaub and returning state qualifier Austin Moreland.”

Gibbs also wants to see the team as a whole do big things this season.

“I am excited how the girls are working,” said Gibbs. “We have had a good core of athletes that have been coming in since August for open gym and recently for conditioning. I like the work ethic I see, and I have seen some athletes that have really taken some steps to improve themselves.”

With first games or matches for each team soon approaching, teams are already looking forward to potentially taking home District, Conference and State titles.

“We think that this team has tremendous potential,” said Mercer.

“Our expectations are always the same: We expect to be competing for Conference and District championships and beyond every season.”

Gibbs has the same mindset as Mercer on his hopes for the women’s basketball team this year.

“If you look on the banner on the wall in the gym they put District and Conference champions on there,”

said Gibbs. “In that regard, district and conference games carry more weight than regular-season ones. We are trying to improve as much as we can over the next three months, so when conference season rolls around we can put ourselves in position to be successful and competitive.”

Edwards hopes to see the swim team bring home multiple championships and medals this year.

“This year I see the team dominating at conference, seeing as Coach Cook’s first year of coaching us was last year and we had seven girls compete at conference finals and medaling,” said Edwards. “We also had two of those girls swim three more events without medaling. We can only go up from here.

Hopefully we can even have a relay and some individuals reach state.”

Men’s and women’s basketball’s first game will take place on Tuesday, November 25. Wrestling’s first meet will be on Tuesday, December 2, and swim’s first meet will be one day later on Wednesday, December 3.

College athletes should play for passion, not money Story by Bethany Travis bethany.travis@hhsnews.com

Every professional soccer player started out fumbling around clumsily with a soccer ball in his or her yard. Every professional basketball player began by playing pickup games with the neighborhood kids in someone’s driveway. Every professional football player emerged from a child whose hands could not even wrap around the ball. All athletes start out with just a ball and a love for the game.

There has been debate over whether college athletes should be paid for the effort and hard

The Pride

work they put into the sport. Paying college athletes for their performance takes meaning away from their respective sport. The only incentive for participating in athletics should be the love of the game.

I am not involved in the sports I play because I am paid to be.

I do not even play because I am good. I play because for 80 minutes out there on the soccer field, I have something to fight for, something to put the whole of my being into. I also have ten other teammates relying on me to play the best that I can. I play because I am addicted to the adrenaline rush. My passion for the game of soccer fuels me, not the incentive of a paycheck.

I enjoy watching college athletics because I see the same fervor and the same heart in those athletes that I see in myself -- the same incentive that almost everyone can relate to. The robotics team does not spend long hours building amazing machines

because they are paid to. The yearbook and newspaper staff does not sacrifice sleep to finish their respective publications for monetary incentive. Art club students do not spend hours planning out their artwork and even more hours to get it perfect because this will be the masterpiece that hits the jackpot. We all have these weird passions inside of us, not just the athletes. However, as soon as these passions are exhibited in the public sphere, society wants to complicate them. Money blurs incentives. It will not be passion that drives these athletes once payment is involved.

Most sports are based on the concept of teamwork, an ideal that will follow young athletes and students for the rest of their lives. To win, a team must work together, combine their efforts, to reach a common goal. I believe that inserting money into college athletics will begin to gnaw at the ties of a team. Paying athletes shifts an athlete’s focus from the

team to himself or herself. We see this happen in current athletics when a team finds itself doing well and a player seizes this opportunity to glorify himself or herself. Since this athlete is no longer playing for the team, the loyalty from one teammate to the next starts to rot. Jealousy and resentment find their way through the holes in what used to be solid wall. How much more will a player play for self above team when money becomes a major incentive?

Money already plays a small part in college athletics. Scholarships are given out by colleges to recruit talented athletes to said college. I will not pretend that these scholarships are all fullrides or gigantic sums, because they are not (the real money is in academics; stay in school kids).

These scholarships, which average around $10,000, are small enough that they don’t really affect anything. However, these athletes are already getting paid

in an offhand way to play college sports, and I do not think they need a salary on top of that.

Paying college athletes will further complicate the recruitment process. The NCAA already has strict policies in place governing scholarships; how much more will they restrict the money being paid to athletes? It very well may not even matter if college athletes are paid after the NCAA starts to monitor it.

As an athlete myself, I like to see the hardworking people inside the jerseys and gear and college logos. I want to look up to those athletes, knowing that their simple love of the game drives them to be better. In that way, we have more similarities than differences. They started out the same way I did: a ball and a love for the game. There is no reason to complicate that idea. I am not saying that college sports should look like a U6 soccer game, but it should have the same incentives as one.

@hhswildcatnews

Sports.13

Men’s soccer continues early success

the last time we played them.”

Having a record like this has the possibil Most teams strive for an unde- ity to make the coaches worry. feated record and to be the best. “Maintaining focus and not While this often is considered to letting their heads swell-up too unattainable, the men’s soccer team big is our number one concern,” made an impressive run at this goal. said Head Coach Dan Coleman.

After putting in months of prac- “The boys handle the pressure tice and playing time, the men’s really well. We’ve had our mosoccer team has been able to hold ments; they’re goofy here and onto a winning record throughout there, but overall, we have a matheir regular season. So far, the ture group that keeps focus.” team has made it through with a Although this may be a conrecord of 22-1. Included in that, cern for Coleman and Assistant they have a Conference record Coach Brian Bliss, the athletes of 7-0, which allowed them to view the record in a different way. come away with the Missouri “The record gives us confidence River Valley Conference title. and let’s us know that we are pretty The team was undefeated until good,” said freshman Jon Buerge.

October 5, when they fell to the “It kind of puts us to a stanOverland Park Northmen. Since dard and pushes us to do better.” then, the team has not lost again. Many members of the “After we lost the first game, team believe that their sucwe realized that we aren’t unbeat- cess comes from the teamwork able,” said senior Shon Hartz- and leadership that has been ler. “On a bad night, anyone shown throughout this season. can beat us. We learned that we “We’re all friends out have to come to play every game there,” said Buerge. “We have and can’t underestimate an op- faith in each other and know ponent no matter the outcome that we will all do our best.”

Story by Ali Schmidt alison.schmidt@hhsnews.com

Many also think that the leadership from the team has helped improve their record.

“The team leadership has really helped,” said senior Zac Ross.

“Our captains keep everyone in line. We all know what we need to do and keep doing it. Chris and Douglas do a good job at knowing what to do and taking control.”

The team believes that a lot of this leadership comes from the senior class.

“We have a nice balance of leadership from the senior class; we have those who lead vocally, with humor or by example,” said Coleman. “We have a little bit of everything, so everyone on the team has someone that they can relate to.”

Another component of the team is their chemistry. In past years, they have been able to get along and play just fine, but many believe that both have improved greatly this season.

“It has a lot to do with a large number of upperclassmen that returned and what they bring to the team,” said Coleman. “They know what to do and the shortcomings

from our past, and are working to improve these areas. [They have] played together for such a long time and it has really helped us.

We didn’t have to search for chemistry in the preseason; it was just there. We also got a nice splash of youth that came with energy and talent adding nicely to the roster.”

New members of the team have noticeed what chemistry can do.

“I wasn’t a part of the team previously, but coming in this year, I have noticed and been a part of the team chemistry,” said Ross. “It’s great going out there to play and having fun with it.

Even though I don’t see the field very often, it’s great to watch and to be a part of it. I never once actually thought that I’d play soccer but now that I do, it feels great to be on such a talented team.”

The team chemistry goes further than just the athletes. The coaches have formed bonds and have had a great time this season.

“This has been a great season,” said Bliss. “I think of these boys as my own, and I know that many of them will find suc-

cess at the next level. They will all be successful young men and fathers in the future.”

The team has made an effort to carry on small aspects from the the beginning of the season.

With the teamwork, chemistry and drills, they are working their way to the postseason one game at a time. The team developed a motto to keep them motivated.

“At the beginning of the year, we got our motto ‘Carpe Diem,’ or ‘Seize the day,’” said Buerge.

“It means that we just have to focus on one day at a time. We just focus on everything that happens, and we don’t look ahead.”

The team is hoping that their drive from the beginning of the season will continue throughout postseason.

“Ultimately, our goal all season has been to go out in each game and win,” said Coleman. “We aren’t looking to change this as we go forward. It has yet to be seen if that will happen, but it is our goal.”

chance that Smith was placed at Harrisonville High School as the athletic trainer.

“When I applied at Belton Regional Medical Center I didn’t know what high school the job would be at,” said Smith. “I knew that I would be close to some family I have here in Harrisonville and it was just a coincidence.”

Smith has enjoyed seeing the students grow and mature throughout the time she has been here.

“I love doing everything I can to improve our athlete’s performance,” said Smith.

“This is only my second year at the high school, but I’m already getting to see how these young women and men are growing up and changing.”

Smith loves being able to help athletes be restored to full

health and seeing them make it back onto the field or court.

“Nothing is better than working with an athlete and then seeing them finally get back out on the field and score that first touchdown, goal or basket,” said Smith.

The one thing that Smith disdains about her job is delivering bad news to athletes.

“The hardest part is having to share news with someone that they can’t play or may have an injury that will keep them out of sports,” said Smith.

Smith usually supervises all of the sports at home, making sure that all athletes, on both sides, are at their full health and able to compete.

Trainer provides much needed aid for injured athletes Story by Tyler Cardinal ty.cardinal@hhsnews.com

Athletic trainer Catherine Smith is often found in the background of games and practices, bandaging wounds, tending sprained and broken bones and mending bruised body parts.

According to Smith, she has wanted to work in a field like this for as long as she can remember.

“I have always been interested in the medical field, specifically orthopedics,” said Smith.

“I have a love for sports as well, therefore, athletic training is a natural fit for me.”

In college, Smith had to take many classes in order to be prepared for this career.

“I have a bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from the University of Kansas,” said Smith.

“I took classes in injury evalu-

hhsnews.com

Photo by Jessie Poisal Athletic Trainer Catherine Smith attends to an athlete’s injured ankle.

ation, rehab, anatomy, physiology, nutrition, administration, kinesiology, exercise science and strength training, to name a few.”

Smith enjoys watching the great plays made and victories earned by the sports teams here at the high school.

“I enjoy being around the kids

and watching our great sports programs win,” said Smith. “I do not know if I’ll ever see so many 10-0 shutouts by the soccer team anywhere else, or a comeback win against Oak Grove on our football field this year.

Every win is exciting for me.”

It was just a matter of

The Pride

14.opinion

Macbooks should be a tool, not full curriculum Story by Kayley Brock kayley.brock@hhsnews.com

Your stomach drops as you do a quick check of Google Classroom and realize that three of your teachers just put up new homework assignments that are due tomorrow, assignments that were added and you had no clue about. You are suddenly filled with frustration. As you are complaining to your best friend, you realize you are not the only one who is overwhelmed and upset by how carelessly Google Classroom is being used.

I do believe that the MacBooks have become quite a marvelous tool to use in the classroom; however, they should never be used as an excuse to assign busy work. I understand the fact that the teachers are trying extremely hard to implement them and find new ways to use them in the classroom, but teachers still need to be teachers.

Teachers, please understand that we all have seven classes. We all have other classes, jobs and extensive extra curricular activities that take up a lot of our time.

want to stare at a computer screen for eight hours of my day. Amuse me once in a while and hand me a hard copy. You know, the thing called paper; it still exists.

As much as neither I, nor anyone else, wants to go back to middle school, one of my favorite things about it was that we had projects that could get me excited about learning and that I sincerely got something out of doing. I know that many of you want us to learn, and you want us to get something out of being here. So,

teach. Talk to the class about the material. Lead a class discussion.

Ask us questions, and maybe even lecture once in a while. I still want to hear your voice teaching me, not skimming over a chapter in the book or directing us to look up a website on the Macbooks.

Just because you put something in Google Classroom, it means nothing. I do not check Classroom in my spare time; I have enough to do as it is. I also really do not care if this is what college professors do. I am not in college. I am in high school.

I am not asking you to be my babysitter and hold my hand through it, but if you do not tell me about an assignment, it obviously must not be that important. In my past three years, I have never been given an assignment and not known about it. You want to know why?

Because you had to give us a hard copy of the assignment and actually talk about it. That should not change because we have a laptop.

Again, we have eight hours in the day and we are teenagers. It is the teacher’s job to assign the work in a way that all students are aware of. It would be like a student sticking a homework as-

signment on your desk and leaving it without saying anything to you, and then a week later getting mad at you because you have not graded it and put it in the grade book. That would be ridiculous. It is the student’s job to turn in the assignment and actually talk to you about it, so please hold yourself to the same standard.

I think there would be huge student/teacher relationship difference, and a whole new positive dynamic in the classroom, if we could just all meet on some level.

Students should not be held to a different standard than teachers would set for themselves. Do not expect more from us if you are not going to put in the same effort. I am not maligning all teachers, but for those of you out there who are making unannounced posts on Google Classroom, this is directed at you.

It is not that I think teachers are doing a bad job, because at the end of the day they are doing superbly. However, I believe that the Macbooks are being used as an excuse to assign busy work and avoid one-on-one interaction with students. This is a challenge faced by many students, and I think it is a frustration that we would like help with. I also understand that is the start of second quarter, and everyone is still adjusting to the MacBooks. I completely understand all of that. Therefore, I sincerely hope that this is taken as a suggestion, not criticism of all of your hard work.

seniors I knew were not awful, but I had a healthy respect that they were seniors and I was a freshmen; I knew my place.

There were some seniors I was terrified to speak to; when I run into them now I am surprised they even know my name. They were not downright mean, but they expressed that they were going to call the shots; I mean, after all they earned it. They were the oldest class in the high school. They had traveled through the ranks of underclassmen. They were once in the same shoes I was in; they too were once freshmen.

Just because you are in high school does not mean you are a hot shot. In all reality, it is the seniors’ time to shine. They have worked the last three years to improve in what they love, whether that be sports, academics, clubs or any other activity. Though this is your first year to experience high school, it is their last. Trust me freshmen, in three years it will be your senior year and it will be your year to shine. I hope that you will also become like the upperclassmen now and make the underclassmen feel included. I know you are capable of that and much

more.

The seniors in the previous years, and this year, have done an amazing job making sure that the underclassmen are involved. But freshmen, give the seniors the respect they deserve and that you will deserve someday. They have gone through all of the first days of practice, all of the hard classes and all of the drama that comes with high school. They have worked hard to earn their senior year.

It does not mean that your class is less important, or more important, than everything else. It just means that we are learning how to juggle everything, and when all of our classes are assigning online homework, it becomes very overwhelming. No one wants to be sitting and staring at a computer screen the entire school day.

In all four years of my high school career, I have never heard a student say, “Ooo busy book work is my favorite.” I have also never heard a teacher be excited about having to grade all of the busy work.

We still want to be hands on, not on the Macbooks all day long.

Maybe, instead of assigning students questions that we go look up, teachers could assign us a fun, creative project that gets us to actually interact with the questions rather than just opening a book, or our MacBooks, and looking up the answers.

Teachers, let me explain how I work: When you assign me a section to read in the textbook then have me answer questions, I do not actually read the entire section. I skim until I find the answers, answer them, and then turn the assignment in and never look at it again. I know from experience that teachers do not actually look at this type of assignment; it is graded for participation points.

I want to learn, and I do not think

I am alone. Please, do not focus on the handful of kids who do not care about anything; instead, focus on all the students who really want to learn.

If I really did not want a teacher, I would be taking an online high school program at home in the comfort of my bed. Actually, when one looks at it, that is essentially what I am doing. I do not

tom of the totem pole. Everyone automatically starts there. Every year, I hear freshmen complain (I will not deny it, I complained as well) it is not fair that seniors call seniority in sports and other school activities. Every single class went through it; freshmen, you will be fine.

The seniors in the last few years have made it a point to include the underclassmen and treat them decently, and I applaud them for that. In past years; I know upperclassmen have not been the most friendly to freshmen.

When I was a freshman, the

We still want to be hands on, not on the Macbooks all day long. Maybe, instead of assigning students questions that we go look up, teachers could assign us a fun, creative project that gets us to actually interact with the questions rather than just opening a book, or our MacBooks, and looking up the answers.

Freshmen need to accept their place in high school Story by Jessica Poisal

jessica.poisal@hhsnews.com

At some point and time we were all freshmen. We were the “freshmeat” of the school, the bot-

The Pride

@hhswildcatnews

n e m h s e Fr

news.15

re s

Senio

Junior

s

rs

ah H

art

omo

Elij

From the eyes of a Wildcat...

m

Soph

He y time is l shman. Mowever, I e s fr ophomlo, current a y tl urren fr ies; h c it o v m ti w I’ c a Y fe d a a n o u can re year beceshmen are quite h extr lsey, a it o in o w d l W e o t lv e o in for a o li h d v ke AP ause it classe e is Bay . I’m in sicals an a d after sc My namh filled before an y on top of grades a Club, plays/mu becau s. There is classes, w is a lot hard shock whe h s a n e e i c l o y h o t a c very mucy my hardest to stam in debate, Dram u m ause t are ex ore wo re way r than fresh they get to as the t” s I’ tr a h e s l. p man e d y o B a r o r e iff k e c ch betwe the alw tside of s en tes is so much ted to do m involved in erent then n year was. auty and and I’m having a e B “ f o w things ou ouncil. t ore w to go s. B taki hat orm duction putting ces now high sto do and wut, school b over there ork outsid ng an AP c al Student Currently in the proe are doing practi with the cast and etitive; lass e c e h c n p i h W c s e o o n to d It i ool.

I am ife and a plate. ard to having fu ports to be com ; you o it fo mes a bit e not enoughf class bes s te w a rw a b s in fo e r’ g e d r a g e t b ood id s gives i classe in kin bak plex s and ier because me in class ategories n’t have to e and loo friend you a grou ea to be inv y great tim duction. You do . There are many c pic. It’s more comouple o u k p s now t you know their g come and of people olved in so on the prosuper competitive d argue over a tor the first time a c h is really he flo w of stuck roups, and go a lot ea that you c me type o debate is stand up there anI did Congress fo elist section, whicings for the f a w s a n c t v i i s s . th l e o t m n u f ju n h r f o b fu a e ’t t a a s t n f r th hem lo ke fr ocial o nd p or sp do as a place in and a lot il we do a everyo groupings for a coupl dvisory go eople start iends with. ort, it than that nds ago. I got 8th or Student Counc ate b e D . e t e e i o Bu s n s m o , st get us e ti of hig e’s stand to be yo f years. of weeke y first time out. F e to th ick more tot, at the sam ich I will need u S a h rn r a r o d s m s le m r c e s

d h fo l , n em e f Mo ool. it save na , wh y nity. good s you and don’t trmore advic you’re pportunit d commu me have fu t of people Debat ving on fro a y school anthese activities let d interact in fron ncil gives me the o e commul t o o t e confo e about of trou work , and Stud m that, so b All of e how to speak an jobs. Student Cou authority but to thet schedule l e in th rm to top of I do, exclud ent Counc me things I e long teaches mjob interviews and ot only to higher rate and have a s i ’ l t i run looks he class. A ng the fac . This kee m involve p in future d to give back, n organized, to sepado. to n o d p l t i g s k t i n in h s e n m p o at I am Band, wakin rmal d e real to ear to help a s teach me to be ing what I like to nization and kee hardest and tory wly moring bg up at 5:30ay for the fi trying to kly busy wit nity. Play ing fun and enjoy is year, but orga’re told, try your esn’t mean all day hich is pro and, after am to get rst two moeep my spoh the while hav sses are harder th you do what you l be fine. That do fun things. b a t t nths o la il e If c b . w th s y etter t , after that t ably my fa hat I go to ride e e u f scho at Y een ain k on all en yo s m tw th u e e h A v c , h b ol th o a fo lp i e P e r c n r is d h d n i n a lot o W t G of them ared to ask for t your grades a be able to bala tely and be f the t eometry inhour is Alge and harde orld Hisc u a s to o h ri t b p d o a o i e s e n m ro t ur t t cl bra e my ne r pp e, are and you letely forg hman yea dvisory a chemi o keep my is spent do opinion, a 2 which is ass of you compre very important,Have a plan, use a ake not only fres n g s i way n d t r r g a y f de ou ,w h throw Grades a vities and grades. things, you will m n in, T hich is jus s up. After omework th rth hour, with te a ic n u w ti e l. s c t f e who o hich i extra a . If you do the lot less stressfu s help me comm ughout life s an P.O.E., a lot of m ourth ho le organizedbly high school a of these activitier authorities. Thro te, but you to be engin other form or Principl ath with sur I have ll e t a ia c e e a h c b o s h i e but pro ost importantly, ct and obey hig e or don’t appre und them. C e day wit rs when f physics of Engin ence But m to learn to respe hom you don’t lik and function aro get older, omp. and h Coach Peout of high for people eering, rn h peers and e around people wct them and to lea ers or, when youy not learn ow to have eighth hou ters Honor school. Andwho want h b s r e h c l p a fun w w s il te o re w s s u ll a st ti u, yo ith it. Spanish. HiWorld Lit. aI finish rity such r than yo thers, mo e able to s gh sch n need to b des higher authove someone highe hen you respect o arned and ool is d fun if This incluou will always haese people. Also whis is what I have le so I can’t you le arn bosses. Yy age to respect th u respect back. T t the high school, a o rl y r. g a e e io in iv n e n e g a b s l t il a at a w e m y m I’ e rt ti e th hen of the tim ed in just the shoill have learned w c w n e I ri h e c p u ex With st how m t there! s o , 5 m 1 l imagine ju a 0 u f2 sure yo , we are class o tlemen own, I can as s far. The senior n e e g h t d o n i d a T h uarters ade it t Ladies My y t four q ave finally m lking through ear this fa s

a l r u r is goin leges tha e e wa we h t of o g gr tc the firs thankful that ar we won’t b ow I’m not th card and ome when you b eat. I enjoy havin e n y st k m a t o I x . ec m g more p that I time ne mely exciting en here for alm y s i h t rivimy class ore freedom from ome a junior, su t a a e e ch as a P es fact th the teach e’ve b hen I s is extr lati the class this year and all llways way. W l can relate w ve to step e l es are diffi the teach rs. I am really e num hese ha ho feels this a t a njoying w er w you never h I am on c nly one now and I kno oment that I Varsity s ult, they are inte s in them. Even o though oc re other an he m ars d d how ev cer and we are d sting and a fun c four ye I will be for t . herishe o h e in all n ry in our sp e last c we sulk bes e h t ow glad se doors agai orts seas one else works. g well. We all kn enge. h h t o on Which a tho ing ever e do wi ool? D ake dds to ou ow each yday cou . We have good through o, what do w ille High Sch . We must m d r c n s S hemistry o t. This a uccess n v for regula n N o s ? s l d i oo ttitude h arr ien a

r as led us and we are mak re at H this sch make new fr e n h I’m in season, and hop i e s s k h y c t u to our 22 es, efu gm l st vo mon -1 record are stil e chanc ow I am livin so what k e and FCA lved with Stude lly and fun and a w T . e t s long pos nt Counc .I cau st ye t’s h ere, tsea il, ing I help ’ve helped out w py. Tha lmost out of h r the be his yea akes you hap ith home SADD, YoungL son. a t ed build e if coming. o dance, a l. We’r tm goWith ho e, FMP nd helpe ur junior float. I do wha of high schoo iors are n n e s m s d a e ls U r c h I particip o o a a o , HHS. . Later nior ye e to lose? ated in th nd out food at th helped set up fo mv rsonally ’t show it now y of our e dodgeb e dance. a r the lost, it w e h p t e i w e it n With SA as all ak do Don’t t even if we do re and simplic ized how DD, Wednesd still a fun time a tournament. Ev , l u u t en thoug fter the fo

ay I go to o c e r y u r n s t s is ve a h we otball ga Monday Youngli ng to m will crave the f us haven’t e aving behind. i m fe I e e r g to . o o A h to Manp e le to DeV Freshma nior aigners ( ear someone pr nd every in life w ol days. Mos rs we will be n every Tanner each and f our se k A Bible o o o t t h s c n s T o e u h m m e study fo every cessful te sday dur e d loo hig r guys). ing 4th h enagers. ends an ed to make th s that we can i r f y I n te o a M e ur about a n Overall, m y class is rie our how to b ch junior ye why we make memo t bitter about g r s e i a s t i a e h n ar is a bla ’ d are fun got to su T to sports to e need we aren nkful that we st but is to be wit cpractice o W s ! t r u a e o h a h y b ar . and play a sn’t all t th and club for, hom d work. You hav s smile ally wa use HS, bu a e s to parti r H k t t c a a a h b t e e e work to cipate an even tho school nce her un beca do an d ta ugh you experie in a town and eniors, have f are given ke part in. I enjo d study, one year s p y the yea much m closer to grow u So, my fellow ore to do r graduati working d. ly, a . b A t n n a g and go d it’s als environm th ours tru .

Y t e ing to co o g ent. e rice

llege or ll that w Trish P the this is a

hhsnews.com The Pride

16.profile

20 Questions with Michael Culpepper and Otis

without a doubt. DRAMA! Q: What do you like to Q: What do you do here? do outside of school?

A: I teach special educa- A: I love music; I have a tion math, which is just vinyl record collection, like any other math class and my wife and I go but I can modify it to to concerts. We are also fit each student’s needs. foodies and like to go I also work in a “class to local restaurants, no within a class” environchains! We are expecting ment to help out certain our first child at the end students and to make sure of November, too. they get the right accom- Q: What is your favorite modations. season?

Q: Who’s crazier, elA: Fall because fall ementary students or equals football season. highschoolers?

Q: How long have you A: High school students been married?

CULPEPPER

He was trained in the Lincoln State penitentiary. He proQ: How long have vides unconditional you had Otis? love for students A: Almost four who may be stressed years or going through a Q: What are the tough period in their days Otis is here? lives.

A: He is here Tues- Q: What is your day, Thursday and coolest experience most Fridays. with Otis?

Q: What is Otis’ A: Well, one day, favorite toy? this student was petA: He has a Duck ting Otis and then Dynasty duck he another person who absolutely loves. would never usuQ: How does Otis ally talk to the other help people? came up and petA: He is a trained ted him. They then therapy dog through struck up a converDomesti-PUPS. sation and walked The Pride

A: Four and more than a half now- our fifth anniversary is coming up.

Q: Is it cool having your wife, brother, and sister-

OTIS

away talking.

Q: What kind of treats does he like?

A: The way he was trained was that his own dog food is his treats.

Q: What kind of training is required

in-law all in the same district?

A: Yeah, I feel like with us all graduating from Harrisonville we have a lot of expectations for the district and want to help out as much as we can. It’s like we’re all back in school again.

Q: Who is still here from when you were in high school?

A: Mrs. Bliss, Mr. Kay, Mrs. Chenoweth, Mrs. Joseph, Mr. Farnsworth (he was my communication arts teacher at the time), Wanda, Mr. Dyck,

to be a therapy dog?

A: First, Second Chance Pups selects the dogs, and then they spend 18 months in the Lincoln State penitentiary. The dogs are at the prison five days a week for training and on the weekends they go out to different settings like the mall, school and walks.

Q: Who does Otis like more, you or your wife?

A: I would say throughout the day he likes me more but my wife is the

Mrs. Snowden, Mr. Kroesen, Mr. Mathew (he was my music appreciation teacher), Mrs. Bruns, Mr. Grantham (he was my history teacher).

Q: Do you walk Otis or does Otis walk you?

A: Otis is trained for me to walk him, but if he sees someone he really likes, he gets a little excited.

Q: Who has the better beard, you or Otis?

A: I do.

Q: Who was your favorite teacher in high school?

A: Mr. Grantham. He made history fun.

one who feeds him, and he loves food.

Q: Does he have any cool tricks?

A: He responds more to commands because of his training.

He is able to do the basic sit and stay, but he does stay with the students if I leave and tell him to stay.

Q: Does Otis like taking baths?

A: Well, he doesn’t take as many baths as you’d think. We mainly use dry shampoo because lab’s undercoats are harder to get dry. @hhswildcatnews