Issue 3

Pride The Wrestlers to Groups Give Back head to state this holiday season this week Pg. 9 pg. 5 Harrisonville High School | hhsnews.com| wednesday, december 17, 2014 | Volume XVII, Issue 3

2.news

Predicted winter weather for 2015

About the Pride Editor-in-Chief: Madi Dahn

January 2015

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

Feature Editor: Elizabeth Thayer News Editor: Emily Priesendorf Sports Editor: Joe Cramer

Average Low:25.5 High:43.8 FF Average Precipitation

3.88” oo

Opinion Editor: Bethany Travis

Average snowfall

5.2”

February 2015

Photo Editor: Jessie Poisal Video Editor: Casey Ambrozi Adviser: Virginia DeVenney Staff Members: Tyler Cardinal Dylan Flanner Luke Brines Cheyenne Valencia Coressa Ervin Delaynie Getty Austin Limback

High:50.4ooFF Average Precipitation Average Low:29.7

3.86”

Average snowfall

4.4”

Winter Survival kit Ice Scraper Snacks Wa t e r B o t t l e

Weather predictions from www.longrangeweather.com and the Almanac

The Pride

First Aid Kit

Jumper Cables Blankets

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

HHS plans to recognize graduates Story by Dylan Flanner dylan.flanner@hhsnews.com

The sacrifice of servicemen and veterans stationed past and present throughout the country are not always seen or acknowledged by their peers, family or even the rest of the population.

Starting out as just a simple idea, Principal Andy Campbell has brought forth the plan of a “Wall of Honor” to represent each HHS graduate that is currently or has previously served in any of the branches in the military.

“I don’t think we do enough to recognize the group of individuals who make a commitment to military service,” said Campbell.

“We just want to take the effort to recognize them.”

According to Campbell, he saw a similar idea at another school in the area. He has had the vision for this project in his head for some time now.

“I had seen something like this in another school,” said Campbell. “Mrs. Cummings also saw one at a different school and sent

me the idea. It’s been a conversation for a couple of years, and the scope of the project is pretty significant.”

This project is important to many others aside from Campbell. Different groups and organizations within the school and the community are helping the cause.

“Key club and National Honor Society are contributing their time and effort,” said Campbell.

“They are helping with coordination and potential fundraising, if there is money that needs to be raised for resources.”

English teacher and NHS advisor, Sarah Cummings plays a significant role in creating this project. Along with bringing the idea to Campbell, Cummings has devoted her time and effort to the Wall of Honor.

“I’m the sponsor of one of the two groups that is working with Mr. Campbell to organize and implement the Wall of Honor,” said Cummings.

Not only does this wall mean a lot to the servicemen and women, but it means a lot to Cummings

as well.

“By choosing to enlist into the service, students are making a huge sacrifice and commitment to our country,” said Cummings. “Harrisonville High School doesn’t currently have a way to honor these young men and women publicly, and this is a way we can both honor them and show students how important and valuable the decision to serve our country is.”

This project can be very important to many people, including 2009 HHS graduate Larry Potter. Potter is currently in active duty, stationed in Hawaii. He has had to sacrifice many things in order to serve, and HHS is doing what they can to honor the men and women like him that have attended our school.

“Being on the Wall of Honor would mean a lot,” said Potter.

“Not only because, it’s an honor to be able to serve, but it’s an honor for people to recognize that. Sometimes the military gets a bad reputation because some people aren’t about war. To know

that the high school you went to honors that means a lot.”

Potter serves for many reasons, and he enjoys doing it. He has been in active duty for over five years. He has made many sacrifices, and underwent many hardships.

“I would say the hardest thing is having to be deployed,” said Potter. “I was away from my family for nine months; I know guys that have gone 15 months.

To be away from your family and to be in combat is a whole other animal. It changes you. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the military.”

Despite the sacrifices that Potter makes for his country, he serves for a reason, and he even enjoys it.

“Being a part of the military has its benefits, obviously,” said Potter. “It’s an honor to serve the United States and to be able to wear the uniform. I’ve met some great people over the last five years that I would call my brothers. The camaraderie that you build with the people that

you meet is like none other. I also serve to provide for my family.”

Many people have decided to serve after graduating from HHS. According to Potter, HHS has had an influence on these people, and has shaped them into who they are today.

“I would say that the biggest influence was Mr. Campbell,” said Potter. “Whenever I was going through hardships at home he was always somebody that I could go to. I could relieve stress and be able to vent to him, and he was always there for me. The staff cared about me more as a person than a student. I was able to graduate, despite rough patches thanks to HHS.” According to Campbell, the goal is to have the wall done and put up by the end of this year. If they cannot make it at that time, the goal will be by Veteran’s Day next year.

A note from the library. . .

Courtesy of Melissa Arenson

Reading area: Yo u w i l l s o o n h a v e a comfy reading area in the library that you can enjoy your books in. Look for it sometime in the spring!

Fun new displays: Right now we have the Read Box (a play off Red Box) full of books that were made into movies.

And don’t forget to pick up a scratch and sniff popcorn bookmark to go with it!

hhsnews.com

Don’t forget that we have numerous popular magazine subscriptions for you to browse.

For all my manga-lovers, we are getting several new series in the spring.

Golden Ticket contest: Located in the pages of some of the books in the library is a golden ticket. If you find it, bring it the circulation desk to receive your prize!

Wr i t i n g l a b : Monday and Friday from 7:05 a.m. to 7:35. Bring in essays (for class, scholarships, etc.) and get some advice. Bring the assignment as well for better advice!

Reorganization: This will give much more room for the fiction books, so you won’t have to dig behind the books to find what you are looking for! If you can’t find a b o o k y o u a r e l o o k i n g f o r, just ask and we will help you out!

More to come later. . . !

The Pride

4.news

City water changes to go into effect soon Story by Delaynie Getty variety of issues, but the driving delaynie.getty@hhsnews.com force is high citizen dissatisfac-

When turning on the taps to get a glass of water, citizens of Harrisonville can often be left disappointed with strange smells and a foul taste, but this will soon change.

The City of Harrisonville’s Board of Alderman found that the water could be improved to benefit the residents of Harrisonville.

This led to the decision to add the option to improve the water quality to the city’s ballot.

When voted upon on November 4, the proposal to improve the water won by 272 votes. Harrisonville residents made it clear that they want better water quality for their households.

City Administrator Keith Moody says citizens’ opinions have been voiced repeatedly over the past few years.

“The improvements address a

tion with the quality of our drinking water,” said Moody. “This was expressed in each of the three Citizen Satisfaction Surveys completed in 2008, 2010 and 2012.”

The planned improvements will have multiple benefits for both the city and customers.

“The improvements are necessary if the city is to continue producing water,” said Moody.

“Without the improvements, the plant, over time, would deteriorate to an inoperable condition.

The improvements will extend the life of the facility and enhance operating efficiencies. Both of these elements contribute to stability in the cost of our water.”

Short term, however, water bills will rise for locals due to these improvements. Although there is not a final say of how much, there is a good estimate of

Photo by Austin Limback

Though citizens will have to live with higher water bills, they will have a higher quality water suppply in the future.

what the increment will be.

“The rate adjustment is to be implemented in two steps; the first step in January of 2015, the second in January of 2016,” said Moody. “For January 2015, a customer that uses on average 4,000 gallons of water per month will see an increase in their monthly water bill of $6.60. We have estimated for January 2016

the same customer would see an increase of $7.80 per month.”

With all the precise planning and approval from the city and its residents, the new developments will not happen right away.

The city and its paired engineers will need to take all precautions before going through with any of the water systems.

“The design of some improve-

ments began in September 2014,” said Moody. “It is anticipated that a contractor will be selected in September 2015 with construction to begin thereafter. Improvements should be complete in the spring of 2017.”

Citizens have different opinions on the cost and physical changes that will be occurring.

Sophomore Matthias Carder is on the fence about his opinion.

“I like myself a nice glass of water, but on the other hand, I like my money,” said Carder.

Local citizens will get to experience direct, positive effects on the water they live off of.

“Residents and visitors will enjoy quality water free from musty smells, and they will know that the city is able to support the growth of our community’s water demands into the future without reliance on another water provider,” said Moody.

Events to look for in 2015 Sprint Center: Jan 25 Winter Jam Feb 6-8 Monster Jam Feb 21-22 Pro Bull Riding Feb 28-1 Arenacross March 4-8 Disney on Ice March 17 WWE Smackdown March 21 Maroon 5 May 5 The Who Starlight: Feb 10-15 50 Shades the Musical Parody

KCPAC: Jan 20-25 Chicago Play April 1-5 Peter and the Starcatchers May 15-16 Disney Fantasia

Movies: May 1 The Avengers: Age of Ultron April 10 Fast & Furious 7 March 13 Cinderella March 20 Insurgent Feb 13 Fifty Shades of Grey

Independence Center: Feb 25 Ariana Grande April 17 Alan Jackson

The Pride

@hhswildcatnews

news.5

Divorce puts added strain on holiday season

” Story by Bethany Travis d d bethany.travis@hhsnews.com - Between decking the halls -and lighting the menorah, the eholidays are hardly a time of rest and relaxation, not to men-tion the organized chaos that can lonly be defined as the entirety .of your family. Students with sdivorced parents experience this disorder tenfold as they volley ffrom one side of their family to e the other.

Avoiding conflict between spouses (whether married or din vorced) is important during the lholiday season, especially when mchildren can get caught in the wmiddle of it. According to the ewebsite of Child Centered Dirvorce, the less conflict there is in tthe family the better it is for the -children.

More than a million divorces

affect students under the age of 18, according to the website of SteinHardt. To help avoid tense situations, students from divorced families usually spend time with one side of their family and then the other side.

“Usually we have a Christmas with my mom, on Christmas,” said freshman Kurt Poisal. “My dad usually gets us the last half of Christmas break, and we usually have a Christmas with him on New Year’s Eve, and then with my grandparents on my dad’s side the next day, New Year’s Day.” Sometimes alternating between different sides occurs on the same day.

“Typically, I spend Christmas Eve with my mom, and then on Christmas morning I go to my dad’s house and celebrate with him,” said junior Katy Eddle-

Photo by Austin Limback

Students of divorced parents often have to split their time between homes during the holidays.

man.

This back-and-forth system is transferred to holidays through-

out the year, not just during the winter holiday season.

“For Christmas, one year I would be with my mom on Christmas and dad on Christmas Eve, and it would switch every year,” said senior Abbey Doerhoff. “It’s the same with Thanksgiving, Easter, Halloween, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and birthdays. Spring break is split between them.”

This alternating pattern piles on top of the signature holiday disorder.

“It’s not bad; it’s just kind of hectic and busy, going from one place to the next,” said Poisal.

For other families, this unusual clash of the two sides has the ability to escalate from simple holiday stress.

“It was always a crappy time around the holidays for Amanda and I because there would al-

ways be fighting,” said Doerhoff.

Finding balance is more timeconsuming during the holidays.

“It takes a little longer because were not all together, but I still see everybody and get to spend time with everybody,” said Eddleman.

A pleasant perk to splitting holidays between two factions of your family is the opportunity to celebrate the occasion more than once.

“I get two times the presents and I still get to see all my family,” said Eddleman.

The circumstances differ from family to family, but Poisal is satisfied with the arrangement of his family’s holidays.

“I don’t know if there’s an ideal situation because I think it’s the best the way it is,” said Poisal.

was one of the students who actively participated.

“My family is really fortunate and we like to provide gifts for other people around the holidays,” said Holden.

Among others who made contributions were counselors Julie Zaring, Kari Bliss and Marilyn Charlton who teamed up and adopted a family.

“My husband and I have adopted families for several years, so I brought it up to the counselors and we decided to adopt a family,” said Bliss.

“We did this so we could give gifts to other families in place of giving gifts to each other.”

Students at the Cass Career Center also adopted families.

There were donation jars available in many of the classrooms for students to give money to

those in need.

“I’ve been donating anytime I have change in my pocket,” said senior Charlie Puhr. “[The money] is going to a good cause and it’s a great idea to help families in need.”

There are many others in the high school and in the community that participated in the program. According to Filer, the Adopt-a-Family program does more than just help the families receiving the Christmas presents.

“It’s a good example of how our community comes together to engage a lot of people in the Bright Future’s initiative and connect our kids,” said Filer.

Organizations work to give back

Story by Emily Priesendorf emily.priesendorf@hhsnews.com

With Christmas just days away, many students are looking forward to the sight of dozens of presents with their name written on the label. But, for those in the community with financial burdens, providing gifts for their family does not come easy.

To help these families have a Christmas, Bright Futures created the Adopt-a-Family program. Many organizations, students and staff members came together to adopt a family and purchase items to give as Christmas gifts.

“Presents are a big part of Christmas,” said Director of Communications Jill Filer.

“Students may not need some of the items, but it will make them happy. This program is

hhsnews.com

Photo by Austin Limback

Juniors Olivia Ratcliff, Makenzie Goeglein and Gavin Supernaw wrap gifts for Adopt-a-Family.

about meeting social and emotional needs for these kids.”

English teacher Jeannie Frazier was one of the staff members who participated in this project.

“I donated items because I have the means and others

don’t,” said Frazier. “The meaning of life is to leave life better than you found it. So, I try to give as much as I can.”

The choirs also got in on this season of giving by adopting a family. Senior Music Maker Alexandra Holden

The Pride

Significant events in 2014

6.Features

January 1-8 Colorado became the first state in the nation where small amounts of retail marijuana can legally be sold.

March 8 Malaysia Airline’s flight 370 disappears over the Gulf of Tailand with 239 on board.

March 27 The United Nations passes Resolution 68/262, recognizing Crimea w ithin Ukraine’s borders.

April 16 Korea n ferry capsizes and sinks killing more than 290 citizens, mostly high school students.

May 28 Maya Angelou, American poet and author, dies.

July 17 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashes in Ukraine after being shot down by a missile.

August 9 Riots break out in Ferguson, Missouri after death of Michael Brown.

September 19 iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are released.

October 22 Gunman attacks Canada’s Parliament.

November 12 Philae probe successfully lands on Comet 67P, the first time in history a sp acecraft has landed on a comet.

December 10 Time Magazine names Ebola fighters their Person of the Year for 2014.

February 7-23 The XXII Winter Olympic Games are held in Sochi, Russia

March 21 Russia formally annexes Crimea after president Vladimir Putin signed a bill finalizing the annexation process.

April 14 An estimated 27 6 girls are abducted and held hostage by terrorist group Bok Haram in Nigeria.

June 5 ISIS begins an offensive through northern Iraq, aiming to capture the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad and overthrow the Shiite government.

June 12- July 13 The 2014 FIFA World Cup is held in Brazil and is won by Germany.

July 30 Ebola pandemic begins August 8 The US military begins air campaign in northern Iraq to stem the influx of ISIS militants.

August 11 Actor Robin Williams dies.

September 8 Duchess Kate Middleton announces second pregnancy.

October 27 Taylor Swift releases fifth studio album, “1989”

November 24 Saint Louis county grand jury brings no criminal charges against Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown.

Emojis courtesy of Apple Inc.

The Pride

Photots courtesy of Google

@hhswildcatnews

Second semester resolutions features.7

Instead of New Year’s resulotions, we asked students what they wanted to change second semester s c h o l a rs e r o m t u “ To f i l l o l Jon Koh r o i n e s -

“

h ips”

“ M ake it to c l ass on t im e ” -f resh m a n S avan n ah Lin db e rg

”

S t u d y m o re so I do n’t h ave to do a s m uc h w o r k at t h e e nd of t h e sem e s ter - s o p h o m o re Maka yla S p o t z

“To s a - sen ve money ior K for c athe olleg rine Yode e” r

“ I wa n t to g e t away f r om the stress of people who try to infulence my future decisions” - senior Starr Me yers

“ Make the g o lf t e a m ” - j u n io r J a r e d B lo u s ti ne

Beyoncé is once again on top

Story by Luke Brines luke.brines@hhsnews.com

The Queen Bey has shown us once again that she still has it; her new album is one for the records, featuring many hit songs.

While listening to Beyoncé, one can only imagine her on stage with her lover Jay-Z on her arm, performing their smash hit “Drunk in Love” for their millions of fans.

On November 24, Beyoncé released a repack of her self-titled album, “BEYONCÉ [Platinum Edition].” The original album was released as a surprise on iTunes and sold over a million copies in its first week. The repack includes two new songs, four remixes and more.

The new single off the repack is “7/11,” a high-beat club banger. This type of song is something very new from Beyoncé. It definitely gets people up and going but is very different from songs like “Halo” and “Run the World (Girls),” as it does not have a story behind it. This song is simply here for your entertainment, and in that it succeeds.

One of the biggest songs on the album has received a remix, and it is simply a mashup from

hhsnews.com

the gods. The “***Flawless” remix features rapper Nicki Minaj and has been all over the radio.

A remix is usually an attempt that fails to make the song better, but Beyoncé proves that theory wrong as the remix was named TIME’s Best Song of 2014.

The third single off the album could very well be the one with the most meaning behind it.

“Pretty Hurts” tells the tale of how beauty has taken over society. Beyoncé sings about the issue of pressure in young girls to look good and to be pretty, with references to pageants and plastic surgery. The song will leave you with goosebumps -- and a beautiful message.

Beyoncé teams up with her husband Jay-Z to create her highest selling single of 2014, “Drunk in Love.” The song has no genre in particular, as it goes from hip hop to pop and R&B. This track also gave us the everamazing “Surfboardt,” which went viral around Twitter. The song is quite lovely, and there is a remix on the platinum edition of the album which features rapper Kanye West.

The very 80s pop era song, “Blow,” takes the mood to a different time. The song is surpris-

ing in the way it goes from 80s to modern-day pop and back, all in five minutes and ten seconds.

The lyrics are very mature and full of provocative thoughts.

Beyoncé proves she can do any music style and still make it sound amazing.

One of the more urban songs on the album, “No Angel,” shows off Beyoncé’s beautiful head voice. The chorus is one of the

“BEYONCÉ [Platinum Edition]” was released November 24.

most awe-inspiring parts of the song and leaves you wondering how her vocals can hit so high.

The track is very complex in the way it can go from high vocals in the chorus to almost rapping in the second verse.

The second single off the album, “Partition,” has a very unique beat, which is what really catches your ear. The song’s

lyrics are very mature, with a provocative video to go along with it. The track is a mashup between “Partition” and “Yonce,” with “Yonce” being much like “7/11” in the fact that it is a club banger as well. “Partition” made it to No. 9 on the US R&B charts.

“Jealous” is the story of a woman going through a relationship where her boyfriend is gone most of the time, most likely cheating on her. She tries so hard to please her man, but time and time again her hard work is unacknowledged. After all of this, she herself begins to stray. The song is all pop and could easily be a single.

The beautiful love song “Mine,” which features Drake, is another mashup that works out perfectly for Queen Bey. It begins with a piano playing softly and Beyoncé singing about her love life. The beat transitions into an amazing pop song. Drake brings in the R&B vibes and helps take it to a much more sophisticated song with his raps.

The pop love song “XO” was the first single off the album to hit pop radio stations. It received controversy for the use of NASA’s public relation officer Steve Nesbitt’s commentary during the

Challenger space shuttle tragedy.

The song, besides that, is a lovely little tune that is a great song for all the couples out there. “Baby love my lights out,” Beyoncé belts out in the chorus.

The very sentimental song “Blue” features Beyoncé and Jay Z’s daughter Blue Ivy. The song is full of emotion and was the track Beyoncé used to end her VMA performance this year.

Blue Ivy’s part is at the end, with the baby saying words like “Hold on” and “Mrs. Carter,” which bring a small smile to your face.

The song Beyoncé dedicates to her mother, “Ring Off,” is an emotional rollercoaster where Beyoncé tells the story about her mother’s (Tina Knowles) divorce from her father. The track goes from the hardships of letting go and moving on from the relationship. The song is directed towards women who are going through a hard relationship and do not know what to do anymore.

Beyoncé recently became the most Grammy nominated female recording artist, with nominations including album of the year.

She also made the top 10 list for feminist moments this year, ending this year with a bang.

The Pride

Enjo y yo ur frui t ca NHS k e!

Exec u t i ve Offi cers

m ro f s ay ville d i ol on y H rris eam p t p Ha he Ha ate b t De

Happy Holidays from Art Club

Santa Claus in America Pére N oël in F ran c e

33

Kerstman in Netherlands D e d M o r o z i n R u ss i a Jultomten in Scandinavia Sheng Dan Lao Ren in China Santa no Ojisan in Japan

Weihnachtsmann in Germany B a bb o N a t a l e i n I t a ly

Million

real christmas trees sold in

The US each year

There is snow falling to the ground, trees lit up in every window, lights strung across houses and presents under every tree; the holiday season has begun.

The anticipation for Christmas builds up throughout the year. No one can wait to build gingerbread houses, drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies. The love for Christmas is unconditional, after all, it is the most wonderful time of the year.

“Christmas is what we wait for all year,” said sophomore Landon Getz. “It’s the chance to celebrate the Savior of the world. The only reason we get to spend eternity in paradise! Christmas is everything perfect, good and nice.”

Throughout the world, there are many diverse religions which create different holidays and traditions in the winter. Around this time of the year, we see a few religious holidays such as, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Christmas.

The meaning of Christmas is what ultimately differs from one religion to the other rather than the festivities.

“I feel that as Christians we celebrate differently,” said Getz. “We are truly cherishing what we have been blessed with.

Another way religions celebrate Christmas is through their holiday church services. Depending on their denomination, Christians often attend services before or on Christmas to celebrate the birth of Christ. One example is junior Kendra Strong, who is a part of the Cathlic church.

“We go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve, then Christmas mass Christmas morning; if you do not go to either of those you go to a mass on Christmas evening, but most go to midnight mass,” said junior Kendra Strong.

Sophomore Sidney Keeney practices Atheism; therefore, she has an alternative reason for celebrating other than honoring the birth of Christ.

“It is just family time,” said Keeney, “all of us getting together and enjoying each other’s company.”

Yes, the religions themselves focus on different reasons for holiday cheer, but the traditions connect everyone together. Things such as, singing Christmas music, playing in the snow, drinking hot chocolate, having a feast with all of your family, watching Christmas movies, opening presents- the list goes on and on.

“Right around Thanksgiving my dad takes us to the Christmas Tree Farm for us to pick a tree, and we take turns chopping it down,” said Getz. “Then, we light candles, fill Operation Christmas Child boxes, have a Christmas party and a white elephant gift exchange.”

This time of the year can be hectic with all of the holiday festivities going on. Keeney feels that her family keeps a calm house in the midst of all the activities.

“It is very laid back on Christmas with my family,” said Keeney. “We open all of our presents early because we just can’t wait.”

Regardless of what faith a person may be, most enjoy the holiday and all of the festivities that come with it.

“When we come to realize why we are on this earth, it makes all the little things that once seemed unimportant to mean so much more,” said Getz. “Living life the way God wants us to makes even the little things a cause for celebrati

Information from pixaal.

Story by Delaynie Getty delaynie.getty@hhsnews.com com, statistcbrain.com, statista.com.

s oliday H y p p Ha n't do and Do gs dru -SADD

Happy Holidays from Stuco

Story by Liz Thayer elizabeth.thayer@hhsnews.com

oliday sales made up

last year

H

Average

expenditure on christmas

gifts every year

$781

billion

Winter is so cozy and slowpaced. This festive time of year has always been a favorite of mine. Yes, the days are short, cold and devoid of hope, but we can wear scarves! Scarves more than make up for the lack of happiness and light, right?

The start of the wintery season happens right after Thanksgiving.

Decorations liven up the streets and the drive to school becomes much colder. Returning to school for a few weeks during the “Holiday Season” is pretty much pointless. We have dedicated ourselves to not learning any more information until after New Year’s, anyway. The countdown until Christmas break is short and sweet. Yet, another break from one of the biggest parts of our lives: school!

Yay! After two days of Christmas break, what do we do now? Ladies, if you are like me, you have slept in until 3 p.m. both days now and literally cannot sleep in anymore; so, what to do now? I suppose we could finish our shopping for our friends and family members we still have not purchased gifts for (all of them, because we spent Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping for ourselves). Gentlemen, after spending every waking moment gazing into your loved one’s eyes- I mean your television as you are playing the latest Call of Duty- you must be asking yourselves “What do I do now?”. The obvious answer is more COD, but then what? Crawl back to your neglected girlfriends with an inviting “What you doin’?”.

Now, to the real meat of this article- how to get through this Christmas season with your min-

12.9

.2 percent of total r 9 1 t u abo

sales etail

o us ion.”

.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Library

Average Number Of Gifts Expected

by US consumers

iscule high school budget. For many, including myself, we have our mothers sign our names on the gifts for relatives and friends; very loving and original really.

Instead, one could throw it back to the elementary school days and make heartfelt handmade gifts; who cares about the careless pieces of tape hanging from whatever that thing is?- it gives the present character. Or, of course, there is the lovely cop-out of showing up to the party and your present being the “joy of being together.”

Rather than throwing the spare change you miraculously have at Starbucks, try saving it with a peppermint mocha at home: coffee, cocoa and a candy cane in a used Starbucks cup- yum. Feeling hungry but do not have the money for a Christmas feast? How about Thanksgiving leftovers as Christmas dinner? Or, if you are lucky, there is yet another family reunion to gorge yourself with- I literally just saw you people last month for the first time in a year.

Good to see you again; now, shall we eat?

For dessert, how about a succulent fruit cake? Ironically, it is not fruit and is hardly cake; this delightful treat is basically a garbage brick. While gorging yourself with various holiday amenities, you can do what everyone else will be doing over break: Netflix. Netflix binges are heaven; you know you have a problem when Netflix lists only one show on your “recently watched” list.

The only bad thing with these vacations from the outside world is that the system judges you for using it for long periods. “Are you still watching?” Why do you have to ask in such a condescending tone, Netflix? Yes, yes I am. This is winter break and I have literally nothing else to do. It is day three.

10.features

Winter sports use start of season as motivation Story by Joe Cramer joe.cramer@hhsnews.com

With games, matches and meets finally happening for winter sports teams after many practices and preparation, all teams are looking towards the nearly full remainder of their season ahead of them. All winter sports have completed their first competitions and can now begin to see where they are strong and where they could use work. Luckily for these teams, they have plenty of time to do so with the season being very young.

Senior swimmer Hannah Bennett feels that the work effort and camaraderie that the team has will help them be successful as the season progresses on.

“Everyone is hard working,” said Bennett. “We all have high goals for ourselves and the team. We all mesh together really well, too. None of us are dramatic so that definitely helps with team dynamics also.”

Senior wrestler Blake Moreland feels that the older members of the team are already proving to have a strong impact on the rest of the team.

“There is a lot of good leadership, especially since we have five seniors,” said Moreland.

In men’s basketball, senior Brice Renner believes that the team’s work ethic will lead them far in the season.

“We have good teamwork and a

Photo by Luke Brines

Junior Micaela Edwards participates in a swimming event from earlier this season.

good attitude towards the season,” said Renner. “Everyone always hustles hard and plays hard no matter what.

That’s all you can really ask for this early in the season.”

For the women’s basketball team, senior Mikaila Stackhouse feels that a common strong interest in the sport brings them together.

“We all play as a team,” said Stackhouse. “We play for the same reason, which is the love of the sport.”

As far as aspects on where the team lacks at, Stackhouse points out that the number of the players they have is not as big as compared to other teams they will face.

“A weakness that we have is that we are not a very large team size wise,” said Stackhouse.

For wrestling, Moreland feels that even though the team may have a large number of new members that they can progress over time.

“The young guys just have to learn what high school wrestling is all about, but they are willing to learn,” said Moreland.

As the season moves on, Moreland hopes to see the wrestlers come together as a unit and go far into the season.

“I want to see the team become like family like we always have,” said Moreland. “I would love to see a State

title, but that will be tough. I also want us to do well as a team with what we have.”

Bennett hopes to see the swim team improve as a whole, but also has goals set for herself throughout the season.

“I hope to see a lot of times drop,” said Bennett. “I also hope to see a lot of placements, especially in relays. I would also like to see a lot of people make it to Conference finals.

To Stackhouse, having the team better themselves physically is something she wants to see this season, along with beating a long time rival.

“I want us to beat Pleasant Hill, get

are trying to keep up on all of your homework and studies and also finding time to rest,” said junior Lexie Schrock. “Lots of times, after getting all that accomplished, you just feel very tired and want to go to sleep.”

These difficulties are not uncommon for athletes; they often have to try to find a balance between relationships and sports, but when it comes to something that they have been doing for most of their lives, it is not hard to know how to fix it.

“I’ve been playing sports for as long as I can remember,” said junior Katie Riffle. “It’s difficult to find time for each other when the games start, but I always prioritize and try to find the balance between what’s important and what I want.”

With very little time to spare, an athlete is quite quick to go back to texting away on their

phone after a practice, just because they were able to find the chance to let their significant other know that they were thinking of them.

“I go to see her or text her right after practice, and on the weekends I try to spend more time with her since we have less going on,” said sophomore Aaron Prindle. “It’s important that I keep reminding her that I’m trying to talk and spend more time with her, but it’s hard.”

Another way to fix these problems is to look for more spare time during the day.

“You can always spend a little more time with her before practice or school, or even stay up a little later to talk to her,” said Prindle. “It also helps to let her know when your practices and games are so you can make plans to be together.”

While athletes do have a lot

to figure out in order to make a relationship work, there are certain things that they enjoy partners doing.

“The best thing someone can do for me during the season is support my decisions and hard work,” said Riffle. “It also helps to understand how much time and effort a sport takes.”

An easy way to support an athlete is to go to their games or send them a good luck text.

Many find that these are the best things that their loved one could do.

“The most supportive thing a person can do for me during the sports season is come to my games; and not just one or two home games, but all homes games and even some away games,” said Schrock. “You can’t even imagine how much that means to an athlete when their significant other takes time

more in shape and play more as a family and team than we already do now,” said Stackhouse.

Renner believes that the goals for the the men’s basketball team are the same as they have always been. k “Like always, we want to get Cons ference and District championships at the end of the season,” said Renner. a With this being his last year of high n school wrestling, Moreland wants to e make the most of his last few matches.

“This is my last year so I want to M make every opportunity count,” said M Moreland. n To Renner, his main goal for this c season focuses more on a team aspect f rather than goals for himself.

“I want to see us win a lot of games, f I don’t really care that much about perp sonal goals,” said Renner. “ For Bennett, making it far in the season is something she hopes to 2 achieve along with other goals that will b present themselves throughout the sea- t w son.

“Personally, I really want to make W it [to Conference finals],” said Ben- g nett. “My goals will change as the sea- f son goes on and my personal records change though.” a Stackhouse has multiple gameplay i goals, along with one specific offen- p sive goal. n “I personally want to hit a few

three-pointers, get a lot of rebounds r and be a point guard at some point this t season,” said Stackhouse.

Athletes struggle to balance realtionships and sports

Story by Ali Schmidt alison.schmidt@hhsnews.com

In high school relationships, you never know what you are going to get. While living in a world where everyday life consists of eight hours at school, it is rather normal to see a significant other on a daily basis, but it is not uncommon to want more of their time. The trick is finding a balance between other activities and the relationship.

Relationships often take up much of a person’s time. A significant other may want to spend a tremendous amount of hours with you, but that may be difficult to do when dating someone who stays involved in athletics.

“Difficulties would be finding time to hang out with your significant other with all the practices and games that you have to be involved in, especially since at the same time you

The Pride

to just go sit in the stands and cheer you on.”

One act of support can go a long way for an athlete. When their season begins and they have little time to spare, the little actions made to support someone is what can bring two people closer.

“My words of advice for anyone dating an athlete would be go support your bae; they need it and they love it,” said Schrock. “Always stand behind them in whatever they venture to do. Pick them up when they are feeling down, and just be there for them. Be there to keep them relaxed, be there to take care of them, be there to help with anything they need. Make them feel special, and always remind them that you care.”

@hhswildcatnews

features.11

Founders of Mercernaries explain roots Story by Brently Probasco brently.probasco@hhsnews.com

The Mercernaries are most known for their loud antics at sports events both at home and away. However, the group that is now a crowd pleaser did not even exist until five years ago.

Mitchell Morse graduated in May of 2011 after creating the Mercernaries. He, along with juniors and seniors of his time, decided it was time to show support for the basketball team.

“The Mercernaries were a way for the JV basketball players to support the varsity squad,” said Morse.

“It actually started the summer of 2009 when we went to a basketball shootout. We saw a pirate flag that said ‘Surrender the Booty,’ so we all chipped in and bought it.

We started taking it to basketball games and being loud, just having fun.”

According to Caleb Gabrill, also a 2011 graduate, the symbolic flag and the basketball season played a part in their now popular name.

“We had a flag that said ‘Surrender the Booty,’ so we wanted to come up with a name along that

same theme,” said Gabrill. “Also, we were trying to work in Coach Mercer’s name because it was during basketball season. We were thinking of a lot of different names and we said Mercer’s Mercenaries and then realized that could be shortened to Mercernaries.”

As time went on, the Mercernaries grew and drew more support.

“Over time, non-basketball players joined us; we started dressing up in the costumes and going to football and basketball games, thus truly becoming the ‘Mercernaries,’” said Morse.

One of the non-basketball players to join was Jake Barnett, a 2010 graduate.

“I had a lot of good friends on the basketball team, and it was a fun way to show our support,” said Barnett. “It was also fun trying to get in the other team’s head.”

With that, the intent of the Mercernaries became clear: create a distraction.

“The original intent was to help our friends, and Harrisonville, win more games by distracting the opponent,” said Morse. “We figured that traditional cheers were fine, but to actually give our team an advantage, we needed to go the ex-

Photo courtesy of Mitchell Morse

The founding group of Mercernaries at a home basketball game.

tra mile by finding unique ways to get into the opposition’s head. The main goal was to get in the opponents head to give us an advantage, while having fun.”

More than just being loud, Morse felt, and still feels, that the Mercernaries bring something special to the school.

“The Mercernaries are certainly important for HHS because they support HHS athletics, but I would argue the Mercernaries’ biggest positive for HHS is that it can unite all sorts of different people,” said Morse. “Some organizations are only for people with certain interests or certain grades, but the Mercernaries are really about having fun and supporting your friends. It

doesn’t matter what your interests in school are or what ‘clique’ you belong to or what your GPA is. You literally just need to be able to yell.

I definitely would not have been as close as I was with some people in high school if not for the Mercernaries.”

Gabrill felt a similar pull to the Mercernaries as Morse.

“I was a part of the group because I enjoyed cheering along my friends and getting to hang out with them as well,” said Gabrill. “It was also really fun to feel like we had an impact on the games.”

According to Gabrill, when the Mercernaries began, the themes were not a big thing and it was often just a bunch of different costumes.

“We never really had themes, just a random assortment of costumes,” said Gabrill. “It wasn’t super organized in the early days, so we were more concerned with getting people to the games.”

Morse feels that, while his favorite “theme” was random, the new idea of planning themes is a plus for the group.

“I think they have more theme nights now, which I think can be a good idea,” said Morse.

More so than respecting their change in themes, Morse is more impressed to see that the group is still in existence.

“I’m definitely happy that they are still around though, and I hope they keep it going into the future; I wasn’t sure if it would last this long,” said Morse.

Gabrill agrees with Morse’s support for the group and the continuation of the tradition.

“I am glad to know the group is still going on,” said Gabrill. “It seems to me that the group has gotten bigger and has a pretty solid following, so that is definitely encouraging.”

As students continue on the tradition of the Mercernaries, Morse offers some encouragement.

“As far as advice goes, I would say don’t turn anyone down,” said Morse. “The more, the merrier (and louder). Choose your themes wisely (don’t pick a theme where people have to go out and buy new costumes every week). Make friends with the refs (joke around with them)--you want them on your side and yelling at them won’t accomplish that. Keep the tradition strong--go to all the games, get creative, and be loud.”

adjustment period, but I think we will improve as the season goes along.”

The basketball girls also have a new assistant coach, High School Focus Facilitator Tim Hollingsworth.

The girls like him as well and have a connection with him.

“He is really easy to get along with; the varsity girls feel comfortable enough to talk to him about anything,” said Riffle.

Gibbs has a way of coaching where he gets down to the basis of the team: the bond between teammates.

“We play a lot as a team,” said Riffle. “He focuses on the relationships more than just basketball itself. I have gotten stronger relationships with the other girls on the team because of him. It is easy to tell that he is genuine and really cares about us by the way he coaches.”

The team is expecting to have a

great season under Gibbs and plans to use all of his new methods to their advantage.

Along with girl’s basketball team, the wrestling team has a new assistant coach, middle school gym teacher Daniel Jennings.

The team likes Jennings and feels that he really improves the team’s fitness with his conditioning routine.

“I think he helps us a lot with conditioning and keeping the room in contact and really focused,” said senior Jericho Harris. “He’s good at just keeping everybody in check and making sure things are in place and making sure things are in order.”

Harris feels that Jennings is very supportive and reassuring.

“I think he is very encouraging,” said Harris. “He is not only a wrestling coach, but also a personal coach.”

New winter coaches impact atheletes’ performances Story by Tyler Cardinal tyler.cardinal@hhsnews.com

A new coach can add many things to a team such as new goals, a fresh take on the sport and new relationships built with the players.

The women’s basketball team is experiencing this with their new head coach, HES P.E. Teacher Shawn Gibbs.

Gibbs has had a lot of experience in the basketball world and feels that he can help this team carry on the success that former Head Coach Mark Rorvig left behind.

“I am excited to be part of the Harrisonville athletic program,” said Gibbs. “Coach Rorvig really did a good job with the girls program, and I am excited to continue the tradition.”

Not only has Gibbs coached in the past, but he has also played the sport.

hhsnews.com

“I have experience as a coach and also as a player; I think that those experiences benefit us as a program,” said Gibbs. “I played high school and college basketball. I have 13 years experience as a basketball coach.”

The team has done well in practice under Gibbs’ instruction, and they have had a fun time doing it and bonding at the same time.

“We have had some funny experiences,” said Gibbs. “Just funny stuff that happens when you are around a group of people for long periods of time. I think that they are a good group of young ladies and I enjoy working with them.”

The girls enjoy having Gibbs, as well, and feel that he has benefited the whole team.

“I like the way he coaches because it is so much different than what we are used to,” said junior Katie Riffle.

Photo by Luke Brines

New Wrestling Coach Daniel Jennings tends to a wrestler

Gibbs feels the team is reacting well to his new style and all of the other changes he has made.

“The girls are working hard and improving,” said Gibbs. “Everything is new: new system, new coaching staff, new drills, new offense/defense.

Also, many players are new at the level they are playing. It will require an

The Pride

12.opinion

A third SRO is needed bad

Story by Kayley Brock kayley.brock@hhsnews.com

On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza walked into an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, and shot and killed 26 innocent people. Lanza had no record of violence and was an A student.

Lanza went to Sandy Hook Elementary School with one thing in mind: to kill. That is exactly what he did. He managed to kill 20 first graders, 12 girls and six boys. This was the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

I think it is not unrealistic that the Sandy Hook tragedy could be repeated in Harrisonville, considering the fact that two years ago we had a threat of an intruder.

During the school day, Officers Rose and Nichols, the school district’s only two school resource officers (SROs), are responsible for 40 percent of Harrisonville’s population. Why are two officers responsible for that many people during the five-day week? They should not, by any means, be responsible for, let me repeat, 40 percent of Harrisonville’s population. Two people. 40 percent. Let that sink in.

86%

67%

of the shooting victims in missouri are between the ages 0-19

of shooters in Missouri are between the ages 10-19

The Pride

“Right now our current school district has two officers in uniform,” said Rose. “I take care of the high school, CCC, elementary school and the alternative school.

Officer Nichols takes care of the middle school, pre-K and kindergarten, the administrative building and McEowen. With a third officer between the grades one through five, that means Officer Nichols would have six through eight and I would take care of ninth through twelfth. With this I think you will get positive community feedback. Nothing is more precious than our kids.”

Another plus to having to a third SRO, although there are too many pluses to be counted, it could be used as a DARE tool within the elementary schools.

Kindergarten, third and fifth grade students go through a DARE program. How handy dandy would it be to just have an officer already there. It can also be used as a trust factor. You get an officer in around children, they gain that officers trust. Then we, citizens of Harrisonville, have teenagers who trust the police instead of thinking that they are deficient.

If you don’t think this can happen in Harrisonville, you are bursting with naivety.We do not need to be asking if this is a possibility anymore. It is. Anything can happen and people are willing to take their anger out on innocent people. According to CNN the 18

months after Sandy Hook there were 74 school shootings in the US. So let me ask you ignorant people, do you think this cannot happen. Because it could happen anywhere, at any time. So please, stop saying to yourself that it will not happen here.

The lives of children are extremely important, to not only myself but also the parents of those kids. If I were a mom, I would be infuriated that no one was protecting my kids from the age of five to 11. No, let me reword that. I

S to “take out” or kill as many vic- a bit morbid to think about it, butm

tims as he can. To them it is like a video game. I do not want this to be a slap in the face to officers, but if that man is going in there with that mind set, how do they protect the unprotected kids? Easy answer: They cannot.

So let me ask you, as a citizen of Harrisonville, are the children of this city just a gamble to you?

Because to me, I would risk my life every day to protect my little brother who attends HES from the harm another human being can do.

These little kids cannot be expected to fight off a shooter.

Let’s think about it: a 150-pound man with a gun versus a 70-pound 8 year old?

Hmm, let’s think. Does that make sense to anyone? Because I am baffled.

New teachers are hired every year to replace those who decided to leave the school district. I do not understand why we cannot add another person in uniform to help protect these kids. According to Rose, it would cost the school district an estimated $80,000 to $100,000 a year. That price would include the SRO’s accessories, insurance, pay, vehicle and training.

I think that is pretty cheap when the cost could end up being a child’s life. I know this all sounds

“During the school day, Officers Rose and Nichols, the school district’s only two school resource officers (SROs), are responsible for 40 percent of Harrisonville’s population.”

Missouri has had eight school shootings since 1993

Out of those eight shootings there were seven fatalities

am frustrated that, yes again, NO ONE is protecting these kids.

So let me ask you: What are we actually doing to protect the children of Harrisonville while they are at school? I am not speaking in a high school or even a middle school setting. This is all aimed towards elementary schools. The second deadliest shooting was at an elementary school where only first graders died. So what are we doing to protect our kids? Oh, that is right. Absolutely nothing.

According to Rose, a shooter has only has three to five minutes

Children ages 5 through 14 in America are 13 times more likely to be murdered with guns as children in other industrialized

27 elementary school shootings have happened since 2000

This organization has recorded 387 school shootings since 1992.

this issue needs some pushing.

According to Rose, he approximately protects 910 students at the high school, anywhere from 500 to 600 students at the CCC, 600 students at the elementary school, 18-24 students at the alternative school and 150 staff members. That is not including bus drivers and their safety riders.

That is pretty ridiculous. Add the numbers. Officer Rose protects 2,284 people Monday through Friday. What are we doing? One person protecting 2,284 people at the least, folks. Come on. I cannot be the only one who sees how this is an issue.

At the least, please, take our SRO to the elementary schools.

We, as high schoolers, are young adults and we understand ALICE. We can protect ourselves; they cannot. I do not want to say that we do not need Rose. I am just suggesting that if anything were to happen and we lost the lives of children it would be horrific. If we had a shooter at the high school, we would have the chance to defend ourselves. These kids would not. So I am going to leave you with a question to think about: Is it worth risking the life of your brother or sister, son or daughter, niece or nephew, just because someone had a bad day and wants to take it out on innocent people?

That is not a risk I want to take.

So let’s find room in the budget to add another SRO to the school district so we can protect these kids. If we can spend $1 million on computers, then surely we can spend $100,000 for a third SRO.

Shootings Incidents Multiple Fatalities

One or No

Fatalities

Information from the organization Stop the Shooting @hhswildcatnews

Opinion.13

D.A.R.E. aimed towards wrong age group

Story by Madi Dahn tmadi.dahn@hhsnews.com

s m , y ff

I remember standing in the PAC as a little fifth grader, yearning after the coveted Daren the Lion, singing that song that still gets stuck in my head . . . Yeah, that is about all I remember; the words to that song and how excited I was when I finally learned how to spell “alcohol;” it was a tricky y word. t Currently, the D.A.R.E. t e program is taught in fifth grade f for 10 weeks, third grade for e four weeks and kindergarten , for one day. The two officers - who are in charge of teaching d the program are Officer Steve

u s r e s Story by Casey Ambrozi ? casey.ambrozi@hhsnews.com . t l e n n

Nichols (Middle School SRO) and Officer Doug Rose (High School SRO) Honestly, I could not recall much from my D.A.R.E. years.

“Don’t do drugs” and “Just say no” loom in my mind, and he drew the different alcohol containers on the board. Based on this, I seemed to have missed the point of the program.

According to Rose, one of the main goals of the program is for students to end the program and go forth to make good decisions from this point forward in life.

“It is an introduction to good and bad things and the main point of entire program is making good decisions,” said Rose.

I do not remember my decision making skills much. I am sure they are there, somewhere, but I could not regurgitate to you what was taught to me.

According to Rose, the program is taught at these ages because these are the ages chosen

by the school district; when the district believes these are the age appropriate times to learn this material.

The problem with the program is that it teaches students these things, then throws them out to deal with even bigger things that occur later in life.

While Rose believes the program is very effective, and the age level actually provides itself as a benefit, I feel that looking around at the people we go to school with, some of that information we are supposed to so easily retain, has been lost.

The course ends with the D.A.R.E. graduation where students are given their certificate of graduation and some prizes, sing the D.A.R.E. song, and the overall winner of the D.A.R.E. essay contest reads their winning essay. The prompt? This is what I learned in D.A.R.E. Last year’s winning essay boasted “I’ve promised myself not to even touch a cigarette in

my lifetime. . .”

That is a fantastic promise for someone to make. Anyone, whether fifth grade or 50. But perhaps it is a little presumptuous. A fifth grader still has a lot of life to live and a lot of things to experience. It would not take a pessimist to tell you that this promise was made in naivety. I remember my friends making promises like that, during the lesson, in their essay or even later on at recess.

If you walk down the hallways, you can tell that some of the promises have been broken, based off of recounts of weekend activities and the night before. I am not going to pretend it does not happen here.

According to Rose, however, there have been things done in attempt to counteract this problem.

“It was modernized about five years ago to keep up with changing styles we use today,” said Rose. “I imagine in a year or two they’ll do it again, to

keep things fresh. It’s very effective, very well loved, and very well recognized,” I know that the program has changed since I went through it myself. Alcohol is now taught as a drug, there is no “drugs and alcohol,” there are no drugs taught about further than tobacco and alcohol, no learning about marijuana anymore. There is a larger focus on communication and personal behavior and choices than the resistance I learned about.

Maybe it is my class who is behind, and maybe we will be the last to not get everything out of it, but in case it is discovered that we were not, we need to remember the feeling of having to make these middle and high school decisions alone. Trying to quickly think back to what was learned in fifth grade is not a feasible thing to expect in a pressuring situation that could affect someone’s life.

Now, I love “Frozen” as much as the next Disney-obsessed teenage girl, but I think that it has been overused. Everywhere you look, “Frozen” is somewhere to be seen. I have heard “Let it Go” so many times in the past year that it is perpetually stuck in my head. There is new merchandise being released daily, from dolls to shirts, coffee cups to jelly beans. On Halloween, everyone and their mother wanted to be Elsa. Anna and Elsa even have a spot on “Once Upon a Time”.

When a song or movie becomes so popular it rivals “The Lion King,” it takes awhile to fade out of the mainstream. That does not mean that a year later it is necessary to blame Elsa for the frosty weather.

People keep talking about it being an unconventional Disney

movie, but to be honest, many of the “unconventional” aspects appear in other movies. The love interest turned bad guy is Kocoum from “Pocahontas”. A strong female character trying to protect those that she loves is Mulan.

The inanimate object brought to life by magic is Lumiere from “Beauty and the Beast”. Questioning the idea of marrying a prince you just met is shown in “Enchanted”. Animal sidekicks are in every disney movie. Technically, “Frozen” is just a copy of everything people love about other Disney movies put together into one.

Also, there are quite a few questions that I would like to be answered. Like, how exactly does Elsa get her ice powers? Was she cursed? Or was it genetics? And was it just coincidence that Krist-

off was raised by the same trolls that helped Elsa’s family when they were young? And what’s with the trolls anyway? How do they know so much about frozen hearts? And if Anna was so bored that she was talking to paintings, why didn’t she notice that they had so many plates? Didn’t she explore at all? And who took care of Arendelle after their parents died? They make it seem like the castle was abandoned except the two of them. They had to have servants. They are royalty for crying out loud! Elsa was locked in her room and Anna seems kind of flighty to rule a country. It just does not make sense. I want answers.

I get it. It is an adorable movie with catchy songs and quirky characters, but after a year, the

repetitiveness just gets annoying.

Everyone needs to take Elsa’s advice and let it go (Admit it. You sang that in your head. See what I mean?) I am hoping that Disney will soon come out with a new princess and this “Frozen” fiasco will come to an end. I mean, look at “Brave”. Once “Frozen” came along, everyone forgot about the headstrong red-head that everyone was gaga over the previous year. “Frozen” is a fad that needs to go out of style as soon as possible. Calm down on the references and merchandise and move on to newer, better things. And before I get asked this: No, I do NOT want to build a snowman.

It is time to move on from “Frozen”

On November 27, 2013, “Frozen” came out in theaters. After six awards, 3.2 million copies sold and hundreds of covers of “Do you Wanna Build a Snowman?” on YouTube, the songs and quotes can still be heard floating through the air from the far corners of the hallways.

hhsnews.com

The Pride

Senior athletes share all 14. Sports

A1:Yes, because I can feel the age A1:No, because it is going to be my last year playing high school basketball and I difference. enjoy it.

A2: Great if we all just work as a A2: We have a very strong team so I feel team. like we will play together as a team very A3:Very upsetting, I feel like I have well, and the outcome will be good. not accomplished everything that I A3:Upsetting; it makes me not want this have dreamed of my whole life. season to go away. I don’t want it to go by fast; I want it to go slow.

A4: Yes, wherever I decide. wrestlingWomen’s basketball- A4: I have not decided yet; I have looked A5: To flow like water every match Mikaila stackhouse Ty cochran at a couple places but I am not for sure. and leave this season with no doubts.

A5: For all the girls to get comfortable to a new team and the new A6:Believing in myself and our team believing in themenvironment and play as a team. My second goal is to kick Pleasant selves, because the only way to win is by having heart and Hill’s butts. believing you can win.

A6:Making sure everyone on the team is in their right state of mind, A7:I am going to put everything that I have into this sea- and just beat Pleasant Hill.

A7:Have fun, play hard and love the sport. son.

Q1: Do you feel you are ready for your last year as a high school athlete?

Q2: How do you feel the season will go?

Q3: How do you feel about it being your last year?

Q4: Are you planning on playing your sport in college?

Q5: What are some goals you have for this season?

Q6: How do you think you can accomplish these?

Q7: What are you going to do to make the best of your last year?

A1: Yes and no.... I’m looking forward to spendA1:Probably not ,the thought of ing my time on things that I have not been able never playing is a huge deal to me to focus on before, but I am not because I love A2:I think we will do pretty well the girls and the memories we all make and the competition. if we work as hard as we should.

A2: I think it will go well. We are all wanting to A3:It leaves me with a lot of rekick butt, coach is pushing us pretty hard, and grets of things I did not accomwe have a couple girls working hard to get state qualifying times. plish.

A3: It is sad because, let’s be real, I am not swimming in college, so competitively this is it Men’s basketball- A4:No. swimA5:My goals are to become disfor me, all I can do is make the most out of the hannah bennett time I have and hopefully leave behind an always Zach Knox improving team and family, and a legacy that the girls can look up to and pass trict and conference champions this year. down to other swimmers.

A6:We can accomplish these with hard work and no A4: No. A5: As the season progresses I am always pushing for a better personal record. days off.

So just always improving and making it back into the Conference Finalists this A7:Try to leave with no regrets and not feeling like we year! didn’t do enough.

A6: I plan on accomplishing this by working hard and making every lap count.

A7: I’m going to really work hard and focus on the strokes and races I want to succeed in most, have fun and make memories with the girls at every practice, and leave everything in the pool.

The Pride

@hhswildcatnews

From the eyes of a Wildcat...

?

?

?

e.

Senior Zach Knox and a r is almost halfway over. Three It’s finally here; senior yea in rney. A journey that would beg half years ago we began our jou to us ourselves for what was coming the rest of our lives. Prepare w some three years ago that the in our futures. Little did we kno uld time and time again that it wo time would fly by. We were told ays alw I m. the e iev I didn't bel fly, but we didn't believe them. ile scare us into working hard wh to tic, tac re thought it was a sca No h. trut the was said y what the we have the time. Now, I realize scare tactics, all truth. weeks ago when basketball was It hadn't hit me until a few T for the first time as a senior. about to start and I took the AC path e this test that would carve the While I sat there about to tak really realized that this was it. It was I would take for my future, I eer. go about of my high school car happening. This was the last any I couldn't afford to slack around Would I make the best of it? beto ut abo was re ck. My futu longer. This was my reality che gin. don’t ts coming up: Make it count, So, my advice to the studen you your full effort into everything push off school work or not put could l just end with regrets of what do, because in the end you wil e. have happened during your tim have happened or what should ry r mind to great and cherish eve Make everything you put you sh. fini you ere wh ut abo its you start, moment. Its not about where Make it count.

Sophomore Wyatt Maxwell

Life as a sophomore is as expected . . . boring. The mo st interesting thing that has happen ed was how all of a sudden sch ool work got harder. Freshmen yea r was a lie compared to the wo rk you have to put in this year. It may just be the level of classe s you take and what level you are, but from what I have seen, studen ts have had a little bit of trouble jumping into this year. I feel tha t finally as this year closes we are reluctantly getting grasp.

I am really excited because we are finally fitting in and becoming ourselves. The teachers seem to withhold some of their wrath fro m us now now; they must think that somehow we have mature d ove r the summer but as all the upp erclassmen know, we are just as immature as before.

Some good has happened though maybe not for just the sophomores but for the entire school. While not everyone in this school share the same feeling for the new librarian, I think she has finally brought have a lov e for reading. She makes it inte resting and exciting. She finally lets you walk through the library and greets you with a smile. It’s alw ays good to get some fresh blo od in teaching jobs and after see ing how this turned out, I thin k som e more changes should be made.

High school is a game of step s and we aren’t even halfway there. We might think we are better now that we are sophom ore but cue all can’t wait until we can be upperclassmen. The trut h is all we can do is wait. Try our best and let life go on. Make the best of it and let nature comme nce, which is usually very bor ing.

hhsnews.com

Junior Micaela Edwards

news.15

Dear Class of 2016, It’s crazy to think we are already half way done with our junior year. Just let that sink in; we only have three semesters left of high school and then we will all be going our own ways. So far, my junior year has been pretty good, not too many hard classes, but still a challenging schedule that doesn ’t allow me to slack off. Not only has my junior year came with an upperclassmen title but also thinking ahead to the future.reaching for certain ACT scores, going on college visits to help me decided where I want to go,and realizing that my time at this school is quickly coming to an end. Time really has flown by in highschool.

So far, my junior year has consisted of preparing for the high school soccer season by playing fall soccer, swimming for the high school team, and learning/performing the Music Makers’ show for this season.

Swimming, just like always, has been a blast. The relays keep dropping time, I have set two new personal records in the 200 individual medley and the 100 yard fly, and playing Catch Phrase on the bus rides home form meets is always interesting and hilarious. I’m very excited to see how well Music Makers does in competition this winter. Our show has been a lot of fun to learn and I think if we all work really hard this can be the season that sets us apart from everyone else.

Junior year has been great so far and I don’t see it finishing any differently. I am blessed with amazing friends, family and teammate s who always make every day memorable for some reason. Hopefully, your junio r year has been going as well as mine has. All we have left now is to make the best and enjoy every moment because just like our first half of high school, time will fly by.

Yours Truly, Micaela Edwards

Freshman Audrey Welhoff by the looks of ool has been outstanding and sch h hig of er est sem t firs My has been a fascierent. Starting high school diff be not ll wi er est sem d it, secon , harder classes self exposed to new people my nd fou e hav I e. enc eri sier. At the nating exp has grown increasingly bu life My re. asu tre ll wi I s cally and memorie me to have homework practi for y dit od an s wa it r, yea l start of the schoo ect of my life. I am rk has become a familiar asp every day, but now homewo a leader, and I am curties as well. I enjoy being ivi act s rou me nu in ed olv inv nity to be co-chair rer. I even had the opportu asu tre ss cla an shm fre the rently nt in my life. I Music is also a large eleme e. tte mi com ve dri od blo l choir season. of the fal ward to the upcoming show for g kin loo am and t ron musical was am in Foref Beauty and the Beast. The al, sic mu l fal the in s wa I Additionally, e me the freedom to laughing for hours and gav an experience that kept me and plays over my have been in multiple choirs relax. I love performing and ng factor of my freshman ool years. The most shocki sch le dd mi and ry nta me ele have never been a letter I received in tennis. I sity var a be to e hav uld wo year until the previous er picked up a tennis racket nev had and cs leti ath of , I actually big fan ckly, and for once in my life qui rt spo the th wi e lov in opportunity June. I fell r has not only given me the yea is Th . ing pet com to rd looked forwa people. The diversity reover exposed me to new to get involved, but it has mo prised to find myself, as hing experience. I was sur of high school was a refres er interacted with. I g to people whom I have nev kin tal , shy te qui ally usu I am reciated the kindll have for life and have app wi I ow kn I s nd frie de ma have but I adapted to This year was scary at first, en. ssm cla per up by wn l year. I can ness sho has been my favorite schoo s thi t tha say tly nes ho can t as pleasant. it quickly. I rs of high school will be jus yea ee thr ing low fol the t only hope tha

The Pride

16.profile

20 Questions with Santa’s elf

Q: What is your favorite toy to make?

Q: How do you spend the off season?

Q: Are the tights uncomfortable?

Q: What are you asking for for Christmas this year?

A: A new pair of pointy shoes.

A: Light sabers

A: No, they are actually very warm and cozy.

Q: How long have you been working for Santa?

A: Ever since I was a little elf.

Q: Do you know Buddy the Elf?

A: Buddy the elf is not real; he was just a crazy man.

Q: What is something only the elves know about Santa?

A: I cannot tell you because only the elves can know.

Q: Does Santa like whole, skim, or 2 percent milk?

A: He drinks skim milk now because he has to watch his weight.

Q: Are you on the naughty or nice list?

A: Elves aren’t put on the naughty or nice list.

Q: What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

A: Peanut butter cookies made from the love and pain.

Q: Do you think Santa would ever consider bedazzling his outfit?

A: No way! events.

Q: Can you name all of the reindeer?

A: Reindeer are made up.

The Pride

A: We go bathing in the hot springs or the north pole.

Q: What do you think of the Keebler elves?

A: We destroy them every year in our annual game of dodgeball.

Q: What is your favorite flavor of eggnog?

A: I like them all!

Q: Do you enjoy the holiday drinks at Starbucks?

A: No, because only females go to Starbucks.

Q: How tall are you?

A: I am a little above the average: 3 feet.

Q: Does Santa make you wash his beard?

A: No, Mrs. Claus does that.

Q: How do the elves celebrate Christmas?

A: By relaxing for once.

Q: Do elves help pass out the presents?

A: Elves are the ones that actually give the presents, not Santa.

Q: What is the best prank you have pulled on Santa?

A: There are too many to even choose. @hhswildcatnews