August:september issue combined

The

Volume 91 Issue 1 September 19, 2014

Bell

SCAN & VISIT

LHSNEWS.NET

TOC 02

Table of

Contents

Let Your Gusto Roar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .05 Fly to The Nest.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .06 Homecoming Happenings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07 From the Ground Up.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .08 The Trip of a Lifetime.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .09 LMC Overhaul.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 A New Life for Young Life.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Senior Gretchen Price.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Junior Anabelle Anderson.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Sophomore Kaiden Hulett.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Freshmen Grey Tucker.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Teacher Marla Badalucco.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Support StaffJesse Green.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Game Over.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19 Giving in to the Giver.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Fall Fest, Fun Fest.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 What's HAPPening.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Staff Editorial.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Pro/Con.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Editor Columns.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Athletes of the Month.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29 Diving into Mizzou.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Blue Jays Kick Off.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

TOC 03 Photo by: Zach Kilgas

Photo by: Danni Hammontree

SEE PAGE 13

SEE PAGE 31 Photo by: Molly Filger

See Page 30

See Page 22 Photo by: Adam Pouliot

See Page 08 Photo by: Maddie Wurtz

TOC 04

On the Cover: The LHS football team storms onto the North Kansas City High School football field for the game against Kearney. Photo by Zach Kilgas

In memory of Tiana Suarez

Staff

Adviser --> Lori Oyler Editors in chief --> Aly Copp & Zach Kilgas Opinion Editor --> Amanda Kovac A&E Editor --> Kennedy Allison Features Editor --> Tara Prindle News Editor --> Alex Wilson Sports Editor --> Jeffrey Walters Ads Manager --> Michael McHale Online Manager --> Erica Schmitz Reporters --> Katie Crouch

Katie DeClue Teryn Deshler Sol Kim Teresa Parra Kasey Allshouse Brooklyn Balsdon Kati Benhardt Kamden Bernard Daryl Gichui Addison Gray Emily Johannes Jackson Pe単a Hope Scobee Lacy Williams Annika Fuller Hannah Leonard Teegan Saunders Jenna Spence

The Spectator staff completes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. See the story at LHSNews.net

Mission

Our mission for the 2014-2015 school year is to unite a diverse

group of people and ideas to compose an informative and entertaining magazine using articles, photographs, and commercial messages. As journalists in training we endeavor to give the best representation of the comunity of Liberty High School. The Bell student newspaper is a public forum for student expression.

Contact

Address --> 200 Blue Jay Drive Liberty, MO Phone --> (816)-736-5353 Email --> loyler@liberty.k12.mo.us Twitter --> @TheLHSBell

Let Your Gusto Roar!

News 05 Story by Hannah Berry Photos by Hailey Smith

Student Council has the honor of hosting The Northwest Districts.

Student Council is racing through the jungle of tasks for this adventurous year.

There is a lot StuCo has already done this year, and still much in store; the 56 students have their hands full. On top of all the things they have planned, this year StuCo has the honor of hosting the Northwest Districts, Missouri Association of Student Councils (MASC) assembly on Friday, October 24.

The Northwest Districts is a really important assembly that many of the student councils in our area participate look forward to each year. StuCo is expecting between 20-25 different schools to attend, both from the middle school and high school levels.

“It’s a big convention, we expect over a 1,000 students,” Stuco Adviser Melanie Prince said. “It’s a day to come together as a district and do some leadership training and pump people up for the new school year.”

There is so much that goes on at

districts, there are many different learning opportunities, as well as fun environments.

“There’s a lot that is going on; we have a speaker, there are different clinics to learn leadership things and there is usually a really big dance party towards the end, which is really, really fun,” junior Orrin Donaldson said.

The theme of Districts this year is “Let Your Gusto Roar!”Gusto is a word StuCo uses to describe their enthusiasm and leadership.

“Gusto is one of the main themes in MASC, and the main theme whenever we get together. We want to lead with passion and excitement. Let Your Gusto Roar will be a jungle theme with a safari and wild animal style,” StuCo Advisor Erin Ramsey said.

Hosting Districts is a huge honor with plenty of rewards, but it is also a lot of work. StuCo has done a lot of planning.

“Some of the things we have to do are; get our gym set up to house all the students,

decorate the entire school, provide lunch and organize all of the different things such as the dance, the classrooms, and officer elections,” sophomore Corben Phillips said.

“StuCo had a meeting before school ended last year with the other officer schools in our district to discuss the theme, t-shirts, decorations, etc,” senior class president Mary Mwaura said. “We basically have a full force plan just waiting to be implemented.”

As the host this year, LHS StuCo gets an opportunity to learn and serve, but also in a sense it is a chance to take pride in our school.

“It’s our chance to brag, it’s our chance to show off our school, not in a bad way, but this is our school, this is Liberty, this is what we are all about,” Donaldson said.

After all of the hard work and planning put into Districts, Student Council is hoping for a great turnout.

Left: Junior Orrin Donaldson and Junior James Bednar Listen intently to StuCo’s plans for the upcoming months.

StuCo met during Liberty Hour to discuss school events.

News 06

Fly to the Nest

Story by Hope Scobee Photos by Aly Copp and Zach Kilgas

Liberty High School’s coffee shop has been in the cafeteria for years but will soon flock to the Library.

You don’t need to spend a fortune or take the time in the morning going to popular coffee shops around Liberty. There is a solution and that solution is called The Nest.

Many students, teachers and administrators spend their time at The Nest in the mornings, but some LHS students don’t know anything about it.

“Being a freshman, I didn’t know anything about The Nest until I passed it one day and saw people walking out with coffee,” freshman Michella Anaya said.

“I wish there was some advertising or the Link Leaders would have said something before school started because it’s a good idea.”

The Nest is available for teachers and students Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. The Nest offers traditional

coffee, as well as different lattes, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, hot tea, and iced coffee for no more than two dollars.

The Nest is run by the Special Service students.

“We were looking for ways to get our students more involved in the school as well as gain work experience,” Special Service Teacher Jessica King said.

Next semester, The Nest is moving its location into the library which may cause confusion to LHS students. The location difference will have many new changes.

“Instead of just in the mornings, The Nest can have extended hours. We can also look into adding different features, and it will hopefully be made into a quiet study area,” King said.

There are many advantages to The Nest and it seems to be enjoyable for many

Below:Seniors Lexi Rich and Madison Jones order and pour their morning coffee.

Right: Mr. Gonino and senior Curtis Mayabb preparing for their next customer.

people, including the Special Service students who run everything from making the drinks, serving the customers, cleaning up, to counting down the register at the end of the shift.

“I don’t have time in the mornings before or after school because of clubs and sports so I think the change is good for people who have time during the school day,” Anaya said.

You don’t need to waste your gas and spend all of your money at other more expensive coffee shops anymore, not when you can simply get a drink by walking to The LHS Nest before school.

News 07

Homecoming Happenings Story by Zach Kilgas Photo Courtesy of Erin Ramsey

Liberty High School had an early homecoming and a theme to remember.

Recently, LHS Student Council made a bold decision. This year’s theme was “The Way of The Blue Jay.” StuCo stands behind the theme and hopes it promoted school spirit. The week began September 8 and concluded on September 13, the night of the dance.

“Our homecoming theme is titled ‘The Way of the Blue Jay’ which means we’re going back to our Liberty roots and highlighting our unique city,” StuCo Executive President Madison Jones said.

“We’re focusing on bringing back some history. Our goal is to boost school spirit and enhance the community’s involvement with LHS.” This choice of the theme was fairly straightforward for StuCo. “Choosing a homecoming theme is never easy, but between this idea and our other top picks this theme won by a landslide,” Executive secretary Chloe Gossett said.

A general need for day-to-day spirit was

the main reason for this dance theme.

“I don’t think there’s a major need for school spirit at athletic events, but there is on an average day,” Gossett said. “With Liberty North opening, we want to use our school pride to promote a friendly rivalry.”

For one advisor the theme made perfect sense.

“I think the theme is awesome and that we need to continue to build the Blue Jay spirit and this theme is a great way to do that especially at the beginning of the year,” StuCo adviser Melanie Prince said.

Everything, down to the dance decorations, will highlighted Liberty pride.

“We are incorperated old pictures, yearbooks, memorabilia or anything we can use to show the history and pride of the Liberty Blue Jays,” junior class president Desirae Leeson said. “Much of the decorations were blue or white to amplify the effect.”

Homecoming week also included a

carnival on Sep. 11 5-8:00 p.m. The carnival was open to LHS students as well as the entire Liberty community.

“Every year we put on a carnival, and this year it’s aimed towards the promotion of blue jay spirit,” Jones said. “We hope we can make middle school students and elementary school students excited about becoming Blue Jays.”

In past years, clubs have provided game booths along with food carts.

“We plan to have all the clubs, football team and cheerleaders,” Executive Vice President Joe Kretsinger said.

“The top three homecoming court was also announced. The carnival was open to the community, and free to high school students.”

Above: During a Summer Retreat Student Council members do a team building exercise.

Shortly after this the planning for homecoming began.

Features 08

From the Ground Up Story by Tara Prindle Photo by Maddie Wurtz

Many students from last year recall the problem of the lack of seating during Liberty Hour, but it seems for the time being this semester, that problem remains, however this will change after Christmas break when more tables will be put in.

“The delay in getting [projects] done over the summer was due to the bid packaging and politics because of EPIC and the [change to traffic considerations], so we had to have a lot of conversations with the City regarding the traffic flow, the movement and the flow within the city,” Dr. Adams said.

Even upperclassmen had problems getting a seat last year in the lunchroom.

“I sat at the gray plastic tables [in the lunch room],” senior Zach Breeze said. “It was kind of crowded, but it was mostly crowded because people would just stand in the middle of the hallway and just go sit in the middle of the hallway.”

These construction projects were intended to be done over the summer, but plans were changed.

“It felt like a really unhappy picnic.

Everyone was on the floor and it was really crowded, kind of like a homeless shelter,” sophomore Grace Williams said. “Honestly when I walked into the school [on the first day], I was really disappointed that it hadn’t already happened because I was really looking forward to [the construction being finished], but it is what it is.”

Now that underclassmen have moved up to being juniors, most have been able to

The new gymnasium is being built in the west parking lot.

LHS Grounds are being broken in preparation for the new gym. move away from sitting on the floor.

“This year I was lucky enough to sit at a table,” junior Cole Kelly said. “Last year I sat on the floor all year [and] I was an underclassman so I felt like I couldn’t reserve a table because the upperclassmen were pretty scary, but this year I get to reserve a table. A lot more tables would be nice. I know that North has a lot of tables for everyone to sit at, but Liberty doesn’t.”

Not only were there delays regarding Liberty Hour seating construction, but there were also delays on the improvements on The Nest and the building of the anticipated field house.

“Right before Christmas break we will start with the renovation of the library to put The Nest in the library, the coffee shop.

We will have some customized spaces depending upon the cost,” Adams said.

“When we start on the internal projects we’re looking at probably November, December, where we’ll really start working hard on student projects. The priory project is The Nest so we can get the library more collegiate-like for the students.”

Students of all grades are getting excited about having The Nest in the library, even those who aren’t coffee drinkers.

“I think it’s an awesome idea, even though I’m not a coffee drinker, but I know a lot of people would like that,” freshman Alexis Gorman said.

It isn’t just the coffee that has students excited about having The Nest in the library.

“I feel that that this is a better step since now we have computers, we have Liberty Hour, and we’re gaining more freedom,” Kelly said. “We’re taking on a more professional academic setting here because it’s not all about being in class and being on time; it should be about the ability to go study in your environment.”

There is some concern that the construction will affect classes and passing periods, but Dr. Adams has been making students her first priority when it comes to education and keeping the school workplace free from distraction. Her goal is to keep the school disruption free.

“The ideal is, [construction won’t affect classes], but reality is, I’m not sure,” Adams said. “They may because the projects get moved up. I don’t want to say no to that because that means I get pushed down to the bottom of the list so the ideal is that I protect the integrity of the learning environment. If it’s you have it now or you have to wait for next summer, I have to think about what’s best for my students.”

The field house is about a 3.9 million dollar project and there will be more classrooms put into it like the sports marketing class.

The gym and weight rooms will always be open to students.

“The field house should be done March, 2015,” Adams said. “The goal is for the seniors to do the ribbon-cutting and be the first one’s to enter.”

Features 09

The Trip of a Lifetime Story by Emily Johannes Photo by Danni Hammontree

Students got the opportunity to travel to different countries over the summer.

For many students in a foreign language class, going on an international trip to visit the country for the language they study is a huge opportunity. This trip allows students to practice their language skills among native speakers, absorb the culture, and gain confidence in their speaking.

Speaking is the most used skill when visiting another country and yet, one of the most difficult to master, even after having used those skills in a classroom.

“We had to use our speaking skills a lot,” senior Mackenzie Hipp said. “And we were still very limited on how we could speak.

We learned a lot about how they actually say things. And even though we couldn’t say a lot, they appreciated that we tried.

They helped us, we could be polite and say thank you.”

“I had been able to use what I had learned in class effectively because over in Germany, people know English and German,” sophomore Byron Arnold said. “They wouldn’t switch into English with me though. We’d just keep talking in German so it means I did a good job.”

Speaking and even listening to a different language can be scary at first. It may even take a few days before students get the hang of it, but it is genuinely helpful in the long run.

“Speaking is very intimidating the first couple of days,” French teacher Laura Snead said. “ Even listening is very intimidating at a normal native speed. By day six

or so, students begin coming up to me saying, I ordered my lunch, I talked to the sales lady in the store, I had to go down to the front desk and ask for another towel. So, it takes a number of days of real frustration or even fear. But the trip is very authentic in showing kids that if they just stick it out and dare try to speak the language, it’s very rewarding.”

Whenever going to a different country, the culture is going to be very different from home. Depending on where you are going, it can differ from one end of the spectrum to the other.

“Everything’s closer, which I miss a lot,” Arnold said. “We walked everywhere and it wasn’t that long.”

For other students however, the culture shock was more apparent.

“The culture there, it’s so much different than ours, especially in Paris,” Hipp said.

“There are so many different types of people. ” They also had many favorite experiences along the way. Some enjoyed specific experiences.

“My favorite part of the trip is always the smaller towns,” Snead said. “For example, when we go to the Loire Valley, I like the slower pace of the trip, the more personal atmosphere of the towns and then the fact that we can sit and really observe and enjoy by the time we get out of Paris.”

Others valued their speaking abilities and learning as their favorite.

“[I enjoyed] being on the exchange, meeting my host Madeline’s friends and getting to know how life is over there,” junior Katie Rackers said.

Some students got so much out of the trip, they wished they could have stayed and been able to see even more sights.

“I wanted to [stay longer],” Arnold said.

“Visit more of Germany in specifics since we went to Rome, Austria and Germany. Maybe have gone to somewhere like Frankfurt or even up far North into Berlin and see those places as well but we never got the chance to do that.”

It was strongly advocated that if students have the opportunity to go on an international trip, they should take it and for good reason. While on these trips, students have the opportunity to practice speaking skills, experience new cultures and to grow into their knowledge.

“It’s a once in a lifetime chance to experience something that’s different from your everyday activities,” Rackers said.

For some, it can be transformative.

“It is a life changing experience,” Hipp said. “It opened my eyes to so many things.

I didn’t think I would want to live in a city like that, but I love the life and culture that you just breathe in when you’re there. It’s so alive and different to what I’ve ever known and it definitely changed my life.”

Seniors Justice Thompson and Mackenzie Hipp show off items from France alongside Madame Snead.

Features 10

LMC Overhaul

Story by Amanda Kovac Photo by Bri Goszewski

Upgrades to the library will help improve the school.

This year, LHS is getting an upgrade.

Along with a new field house on the way, there are other major changes coming to improve the high school.

One of the biggest changes is happening in the library. There is a lot to look forward to second semester, as The Nest, the school’s coffee shop, will be moved to the library and there will be new furniture for students to sit and work or just drink coffee. The LMC staff, and a few volunteer students, helped over the summer to organize the books in a more user-friendly fashion.

“There’s not so much remodeling or construction as there is re-organization,” library media specialist Glory Fagan said.

The changes were not quite as large as some might have thought.

“We’ve gone to a genre arrangement of our fiction, so that we have removed several of our books that are not highly circulating to a satellite location, which we can get to, so we have fewer books on the floor, but they’re arranged in a much more userfriendly system,” Fagan said.

The Excellence in Education grant, given

by The Liberty School District Foundation, provides for the upgraded arrangement and other changes. “[The new furniture] is what the grant is paying for,” Fagan said.

The Nest was opened in 2011 in the

mornings before school. It will now be available to students all day.

“I think it will bring a lot more traffic through, which is an advantage in many ways,” library media specialist Christine Anderson said. “I think people who don’t normally come to the library, or don’t make it a stop, will find that we have a lot to offer. It’s great for us and also for those just looking for a coffee refreshment.”

Many students are excited.

“I’ll like it better,” junior Samantha Bennett said. “It’ll be easier to get to [the coffee shop] than before. Last year, I had to get up from the library in the morning, walk to the cafeteria, get coffee and go back to the library and sit down.”

The coffee shop in the library was the idea of a few students looking to improve their school.

“One of the most exciting things for us is that we had five students who came up with this vision,” Anderson said. “It was in our Digital Information class, and it went from this very tiny idea that grew and grew into a grant and then support from Dr. Adams.

It’s been amazing to see that. I think that everyone in the school should know that this was a student led initiative.”

The project was planned by students, for students to enjoy.

“They volunteered their time this summer

too,” Anderson said. “Senior Kaleb [Kramer] came, as well as junior Clarissa Stewart. They were very, very helpful [in reorganizing the books].”

For the seniors, the feelings are somewhat bittersweet.

“It sucks [only being able to experience it for a semester],” senior Kaleb Kramer said. “Like Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Fagan said, I helped out during the summer, and I do wish I could spend more time with the library, but the knowledge that I’m leaving something behind in the school makes me feel good.”

The changes were made to accommodate to a student’s technological and educational needs, while also appearing more attractive and enticing to students.

“I think it’s the atmosphere that it creates.

I think the new format will draw people in,” Anderson said. “We really want to support the blending [of technology and education] but I do think our goal is also to increase reading and to entice people in to get books and read more often. We just want to keep people focused on reading books and enjoying reading, including eBooks.”

The new changes give library lovers a chance to relax and unwind in an improved setting.

“I think it’s my favorite place in the school, honestly,” Bennett said.

The LMC is clearing out this room to make room for The Nest during second semester

A New Life for Young Life

Features 11

Story by Lacy Williams Photos courtesy Kelsie Kleinmeyer

Students traveled to Minnesota over the summer to attend Young Life camp.

“They call it controlled chaos,” English Teacher and Young Life sponsor Kelsie Kleinmeyer said.

This controlled chaos also has another name: Young Life. Young Life is a nondenominational Christian group that meets every Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. in the homes of students.

There are many different parts to the Young Life Club. Students meet at each other’s houses and sing songs, hang out, socialize or talk about what is going on in each other’s lives.

“Young Life to me is that I get to hang out with my friends from both schools, North and Liberty,” junior Ally Laycock said.

Some students enjoy the more specific

activities that take place in the club.

“We do something fun like play cards or have a bonfire,” senior Savon Hayes said.

“We talk about what’s going on at school and in our personal lives and how it relates to the Bible.”

Young Life is an opportunity to get involved and make new friends at LHS. “[My favorite part about club is] having a more in-depth relationship with people I know here at Liberty and getting to know new people from North and getting to know people here that I know of but don’t really know them,” Laycock said.

A Young Life Camp is held every summer.

Last year’s camp was in Minnesota. It’s a whole week of worship and praise.

Kleinmeyer traveled with the students to camp in June.

“My favorite part was just getting to be on the bus with 36 kids on the way home knowing they had the best week of their life,” Kleinmeyer said.

The people in Young Life have a close bond because it is a nonjudgmental club.

They talk about everything that goes on in their lives and they do not judge each other. “[Everyone should] join because it really finds your way back into the faith,” Hayes said.

Kleinmeyer believes more students could benefit from the club.

“I would encourage everyone to just give it a shot,” Kleinmeyer said.

CAPTION CAPTION CAPTION CAPTION CAPTION CAPTION Above: Young Life club members pose together after a game of volleyball during summer camp.

Below: Below: Two groups of brave club members experienced parasailing.

Features 12

What was an interesting thing about your trip to Asia this summer?

“We flew to Tibet and into Lhasa. It was really cool because we had to get special clearance to go there because they don’t let many foreigners in. Everywhere we went we had to have a letter saying that we were allowed to be there. It is very high military clearance and security.”

What was your favorite part of your trip?

“Chendu, where the panda reserve is. We got to hold the pandas which was really cool.

We cleaned the food, then we learned about panda birth and development. Then we had to go in medical [scrubs in order to] play with the panda. He was one year old. They also had a baby panda there that was a week old and he looked like naked mole rat. His eyes weren’t open yet and he didn’t have any hair on him. He was so cute!”

What do you love about traveling?

“I like to see the people and the way they live their life. My AP art portfolio is inspired by different cultures I’ve experienced. I’m drawing faces of people from different cultures that tell a story.”

Mr. Rottjakobs thoughts on Gretchen:

“I think Gretchen is just a genuine person. I think she’s somebody who is a leader amongst students. Her personality is fun-loving and enjoyable to be around. The type of person that I know when my kids go through school I hope they find kids like Gretchen to hang around with because she has good established morals and she’s just an outstanding person.”

Senior

gretchen price Story by Brooklyn Balsdon Photo by Tara Prindle

Features 13

What was the best thing about your summer?

“One thing that stuck out to me was when I went all around Italy. [I went to] Rome, Montecatini, Florence, Venice, Capri, Sorrento, and Italy [for] 2 weeks. I mostly just toured and I looked at the history of ancient Rome. I went to Pompeii and at the volcano. I went to Tuscany and I danced with my Grandpa in the winery, so that was probably my favorite part.”

When did you start cheerleading?

“I started when I was five and I have done competitive cheer since then. I’m on varsity cheer and this year is going pretty well. We’ve got state coming up in a few weeks so that is pretty nerve racking. My freshman year on the [cheer] team we were doing a preview and I decided to wear pink underwear. I landed my tumbling pass and my pants fell down and you could see my underwear. [It was] in front of everyone it was so embarrassing. I don’t even like thinking about it, I could cry.”

What do you dream of doing?

“I dream of traveling a lot. I want to travel to the most exotic places. I’d probably go to Greece because I see a lot of pictures and it looks pretty.”

Mr. Larson's thoughts on Annabelle:

“Annabelle Anderson is the type of person who has a great personality and always has a smile on her face and just [kind of] brightens your day when she walks by and says hi.”

Junior

Annabelle Anderson Story by Brooklyn Balsdon Photo by Danni Hammontree

Features 14

Are you excited for the homecoming game?

“I am excited for the homecoming game because the fans are going to make it a great environment. I`m excited to wear the chrome helmets because they are a great addition to our already stacked up wardrobe so we will come out looking good and feeling good and hopefully we will play well. I like that homecoming is earlier this year partially because its going to be a lot warmer than last year where it was pretty cold. Its homecoming so we are coming home.”

What will you be doing in college?

“I would like to go to any school I could get an athletic scholarship to but if I could pick I would probably pick Mizzou, Oregon, or Tennessee. I would choose these schools because they have pretty successful football programs and those are pretty high up schools but, I doubt I`ll make it there. I would like to major in engineering or architecture because they seem like pretty good long term careers that pay pretty well. I like doing architecture more than engineering; its kind of my cup of tea.”

What other sports are you involved in?

“I play football, track, and basketball. I lettered in track freshman year and I`m starting varsity for football this year. [In track] I run the 100 and 200 meter relay. I do all the jumping events, long jump, triple jump, and high jump.”

Coach Frigon's thoughts on Kaiden:

“Kaiden Hulett is a great student athlete. He excels in class and is a three sport athlete here at school. In football he is a starter on defense and special teams. He has a chance of having a great season for the Blue Jays.”

Sophomore

Kaiden Hulett Story by Kasey Allshouse Photo by Adam Pouliot

Features 15

What did you do this summer?

“I went to New York this summer to wash dishes for a church camp called Work Of Life Bible Institute. It`s a camp during the summer and a bible institute during the year. This is the first trip I did with them. I have a friend who goes to the institute so his little brother and I decided to go up there. We were there for two months and we had about four days off to go see New York City. We sort of ran through New York City because of the time crunch so we saw everything but didn’t really get to go into them.”

Where do you want to go to college?

“College of the Ozarks because I`ve heard it’s a really good college and you can pay off your college by working there in the summer. I would like to do major in business because I think it would be fun. Plus, my dad has been a salesman for about 18 years and he makes a good living.”

What are your out-of-school activities?

“I am in FCA and this is my third season of playing football. I started in 8th grade. I love the exercise and the ability to be apart of something in the school. Also I’m in Men’s Chorale. I started choir in 6th grade and plan on doing choir all four years of high school.”

Dr. Heruth's thoughts of Grey:

“Grey is very passionate about music. He has a fun personality, is a great student and fun to work with.”

Freshman

Grey Tucker Story by Kasey Allshouse Photo by Morgan Mcnea

Spotlight 16

What activities did you do this summer?

“This summer I did summer school. So that took up some of my summer. I went on vacation. My family and I drove to Orlando. My husband likes to drive, that’s why we drove to Florida. First we stopped in Graceland, and then went to Disney World. We also visited Clear Water Beach. We were gone about a week. Taking my daughter to Disney World was my favorite part.”

What is your favorite part of your job?

“My favorite part of my job is developing relationships with students and reaching their full potential. My favorite thing about Liberty High School is the tradition and community here at the school. I love working with kids and being involved in FCCLA, the leadership club. I also like helping students find their interests and getting involved.”

What is your greatest achievement?

“My greatest achievement so far would probably be my daughter. Being a mom is the most rewarding thing; I’m obsessed with my family. I’m so thankful for my daughter.

Also apart of my family is my husband who works here. It’s fine working in the same building as him; I never see him. It’s nice we know the same people, and can talk about things at work though.”

Imari Collin’s thoughts on Mrs. Badalucco: “She’s a really understanding teacher. Like if you really need help, she’ll help you. And she’ll take the time out of her day whenever you need her.”

Teacher

Marla Badalucco Story by Teresa Parra Photo by Natalie Grusch

Features 17

What hobbies do you have outside of your job?

“I do anything creative. I do art. I do painting. I like to make music with my brothers and my friends. I like garage rock, punk rock kind of stuff. It’s really fun.

I like anything rock ‘n roll, mostly older stuff, not so much new stuff. I like to sew, which seems kind weird, but I’m pretty awesome at it. I sew about anything.

It’s usually mending, fixing clothes, or tailoring something I find that I think needs it. Every once in a while I’ll try to do something with a pattern, which isn’t easy, but can be a fun project. In my spare time I just hang out with friends, try to relax, paint stencil art or street art. Usually it’s simple designs. I have drawn all my own tattoos, I’ve always been creative and artsy.”

What have you learned on the job?

“Well I didn’t expect to be here this long, I started when I was really young.

I’ve learned a lot of things. Learned how to interact with kids at different ages, see the difference in the ages. Just getting along with people in general. It’s not always a thankless job, but you can meet lots of nice people through the school district, I think I have over the years. I’ve enjoyed getting to know some students, recognize some come up from the middle school.”

What is your favorite memory at LPS? “There’s a lot, always new ones. Every year there’s something I can point out. There was a kid at middle one year I had a mustache, he came up and had Kool-aid stained mouth, and said to me “you know, you remind me of a wrestler, I think it’s cause of the tattoos.” I shaved it after that, always remember that, it’s really humorous.”

Support Staff

Jesse Green Story by Teressa Parra Photo by Madison Hayter

Indepth 18

Game Over?

Story by Jenna Spence and Katie DeClue

Photos by Chris Marnell

Students share their love of video games and whether addiction is a problem.

Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, Pokemon.

Video games are very popular in this day and age. But when is enough, enough?

Video game addiction is becoming a problem for teenagers.

According to the website Video Game Addiction.org, video game addiction is not an official diagnosis, there are still some symptoms. Some of these include preoccupation, where a teen can feel distracted when they are not around the game. Another symptom may be loss of control, where a teen may intend to play a video game for 15 to 20 minutes, but end up spending hours playing. LHS may not have any unhealthy addicts, but there are plenty of active video game players.

When Does it Become an Issue?

“It’s a good stress reliever for one. They’re just fun,” senior Jacob Schultze said. “[My first video game was] Donkey Kong Country. Right now, [my favorite game is] Kingdom Hearts.”

Schultze does not consider himself to be an addict. Schultze does not think that video games affect his daily life. Homework comes first for him.

While many students enjoy playing video games as a hobby, there are a few students that believe video games will help them after high school. “[Video games are] fun. [They have] a lot of benefits other than just entertainment value to me, which is why I’m going into a career for it. It takes you to places that you can’t actually go to in real life,” junior Tarsus Arciga said.

Active video game players will often play for many hours a day. The LA Times reported, “Young people now devote an average of seven hours and 38 minutes to daily media use, or about 53 hours a week, more than a full-time job,” according to

Kaiser Family Foundation.

“I actually don’t have as much time as I used to, I probably spend like 30 minutes to an hour on weekdays, and probably four to five hours on weekends if I’m not hanging out with somebody,” Arciga said.

Many teenagers who are addicted to video games might find that it interferes with more important priorities, such as family and school. According to an article from Healthline in 2014, “Gaming addicts will choose their game over responsibilities and people in their life. They will make excuses to stay home and play and may miss important events to do so. Their social life will no longer take place outside of the home, and they may “meet” friends online to interact rather than seeing friends in person. The game becomes their reality and consumes their life. The relationships built online through gaming will often become more important than those with family and close friends,

leading the addict to isolate themselves even more.”

“As long as you’re not abusing [Video game usage] then there’s no problem,” sophomore Ethan Moore said.

Is This A Problem?

Guidance counselor Kathy Alagna gave some insight on how she would handle a video game addict at LHS. Alagna has a Counseling Psychology Degree and also has a provisional LPC, which is a Licensed Practicing Counselor.

This means that Alagna can do counseling outside of school.

Sophomores Christ-Ina Lukusa and Matthew Groves enjoy playing video games during Liberty Hour.

Indepth 19

"Gaming addicts will

“If students are using internet gaming recreationally, I would say no more than one hour to 1.5 hours a night is a healthy amount of time to play on a school night, and then their down time on the weekend would be five or six hours,” Alagna said.

At LHS, there aren’t PS3’s and Wii’s laying around, but students are given access to MacBooks where they are capable of downloading video games to play. “[Students last year came in] a couple of times with our computers. I think I had some students who had been really distracted. I think one of them [had] a game on the computer that they would play,” Alagna said. “They felt like they were compelled to play it and it distracted them from their academics and their focus in school. Video gaming addiction is not an “official” diagnosis, but it is still a serious problem.”

“I think there is a lot of research being done right now about that issue. You know we’re not ever going to go back to not using this technology and it just keeps getting better and better and easier to use. We have to use it. Our business, our commerce, and everything- our communication all depends on technology, so I think that there are people who have become very distressed if they are away from checking their email, [even if] they’re away from it for an hour or so,” Alagna said.

“Since I can’t do therapy here, I would probably talk with a student about seeing

someone outside of school like a counselor or a therapist about what they’re perceiving to be an issue.”

Senior Daniel Jennings plays on his Nintendo DS during Liberty Hour.

choose their game over responsibilities and people in their life.” - Healthline 2014 Time To Press Pause

Many people use technology everyday, from using computers to do homework, phones to keep in contact with friends and family and video games on consoles for entertainment. While video games are a fun and entertaining hobby, there are also other things, like reading, exercising and even going outside that give the same fulfilling feeling that video games do. So put down that controller, unplug and go enjoy life.

Hours: 7:00-8:30

We Serve...

Iced Coffee ($2.00) Coffee Hot Chocolate Hot Tea Apple Cider (All $1.00)

ATTENTION JAYS! It’s That Time Again!

One Week Until Liberty’s Annual Fall Fest!

Giving In To The Giver

A&E 21

Story by Jackson Peña Photos by Amanda Kovac

Reporter Jackson Peña compares the events in Lois Lowry’s book The Giver to the movie.

Always apologize, don’t lie, always use proper language and no matter what, don’t break curfew.

I went to see The Giver and walked in with high expectations after having read the book. In the movie, The Giver, the government decides that our world is too corrupt with chaos. They have an idea for the “perfect community,” thus creating the world Jonas lives in. Jonas is an 11-year-old boy who is “different.” He sees things that he can’t explain and decides that it is best to keep this a secret. When The Ceremony of Ages comes, everyone is taken through a montage, each age is shown and what that age will receive. When they are 12, they recieve their life job, because apparently child labor laws changed over the years. The Nurturers introduce all the babies to their new family units; they also celebrate all the elders who are being released elsewhere.

Elsewhere is all the land outside of the community. It’s Jonas’ group’s turn to be assigned their jobs. Jonas was given the title of The Receiver. He starts his training and begins to see what is really going on in their “perfect community.”

If you’re like me, then you hate it when the movie makes changes to the book. I have to say, there were some changes in the movie but overall the producers did an okay job at keeping to the book. In the book the reader is told that every morning, every citizen has to explain his or her dreams at the kitchen table. They call this exercise “Dream Telling.” The film makers decided that was unnecessary to include I, however, think that it was something important to keep in. Jonas was supposed to lie about his dream with his best friend Fiona. I thought this detail was

important because it showed Jonas’ ability to lie.

The Chief Elder plays a much bigger part in the movie than in the book. I feel the way the director, Phillip Noyce, expanded Maryl Streep’s part really made the movie more exciting.

“She just blew it up and it was wonderful to see that,” The Giver author Lois Lowery said, according to HitFix.com.

Another small detail that someone who hadn’t had the chance to read the book might have missed, was that the movie writers

decided to speed up the first few chapters-almost a third of Lowery’s book-- into the first few scenes of the movie. In the book, the characters develop much slower and they take time to explain things.

In the movie, Jonas’ best friends, Fiona and Asher, are assigned different jobs than in the book. This is a major difference that impacted the plot of the movie. In the book, Fiona is supposed to be assigned to elderly caretaker and Asher is supposed to

“I want to see If I stay because it looks like a really good love story and it reminds me of the vow,” freshman Emilyn Richardson said.

be assigned to Assistant Director. In the movie however, Fiona is assigned nurturer and Asher is assigned pilot. In my opinion this has no effect on the ending of the movie but it does change the plot.

Also in the movie, Jonas gets violent and punches Asher. This isn’t in the book and I believe Noyce added this to the film to be the moment when Asher shifts his mind and changes his thinking. I think that adding this scene was good because it gives us a reason why Asher’s personality shifts from the beginning to the end of the movie.

Now shield your eyes and cover your ears, because spoiler alert: Fiona and Jonas kiss in the movie. Yes, just another one of those things the director decided to add to the film. Now, if you’ve read the book, then you would know that Jonas did have feelings toward Fiona but he never acted on them. He described them in the book as “stirrings.” Additionally, according to the book, these are supposed to be 12-year-olds, in the movie they look about 16. I feel this was unnecessary to add to the movie and probably should have been left out. There were many different ways they could have showed the connection between these two and I don’t like what they did.

Even though there were differences, the very end of the movie stayed true to the book and it was a relief to see what I pictured from the book on the big screen sitting in front of me.

My advice is to go see this movie, especially if you have read the book. It has action in it, there aren’t any slow moving scenes and it is an interesting story with a different ending.

“ I would like to see Heaven Is For Real, because I read the book and I watched an interview with the little boy. It just intrigues me that there is possibly life after death,” Digital Photography Teacher Julie Miller said.

A&E 22

Fall Fest, Fun Fest Story by Kati Benhardt Photos by Adam Pouliot

Students express their excitement about the return of Liberty’s Fall Festival.

The 38th annual Fall Festival is around the corner, on September 26, 27 and 28.

The festival kicks off Friday night at 1170 W. Kansas Street, in Liberty. The festival formally begins with a Parade on Saturday morning, starting at 11 a.m.

“I actually have been a part of the fall fest parade with my church,” junior Jacob Goodman said. “We had a section in the fall fest parade and it was interesting. We dressed up in weird clothes, ran around and had a really good time.”

There is going to be a wide variety of entries in the parade this year.

“There are 100 entrees for the parade.”

Liberty Chamber of Commerce spokesperson Gayle Potter said.

The carnival is located next to the food area at the corner of Leonard and Mill Streets along with the booths which are also located around City Hall.

“There are going to be 255 vendors, the most popular food vendors usually are the snow cone vendors and the kettle corn vendors,” Potter said. “There will be two

live bands, one band is Six Degree’s West and they have a record deal.”

The fall fest has something for everyone, carnival rides and games, food, vendors and more.

“I’m looking forward to shopping and hanging out with friends,” senior Alexa Straws said.

According to Potter there will be 175 arts and crafts, fashion, home decor and farm fresh food booth options and more; there is something for everyone.

“Looking at all the little shops is always fun, and the rides too,” sophomore Hannah Kiely said.

Shopping and riding rides and are some of her best memories from the Fall Fest. The carnival rides are a big hit among children.

“The rides will be take up the parking lot,” Potter said. “The haunted house is usually the most popular at the carnival at fall fest.”

“Usually [I] go there and go ride the rides and stuff,” freshman Hayden Graham said. “[My friends and I go there] and [our] biggest tradition would probably be grabbing a root

beer and just sitting down and relaxing.

One of my best memories would probably be when I went there when I was about five and I was going through the haunted house, I met these two kids and they turned out to be my best friends for the rest of my life.”

You can expect, unexpected memories to be made at fall fest but you can also expect great local business food. “[I expect] unique activities and unique food that you usually wouldn’t find at a supermarket,” junior Jacob Goodman said.

First year fall fest goer, Accompanist Cynthia Ready is excited to see what the Fall Fest is all about this year. “[I’ve heard] the caramel apples are really good and the fresh lemonade is too,” Ready said. “Since this is my first year here this is going to be a new experience for me, I get to have new memories, that’s the fun for me...I’m excited about going to the Carnival and seeing what you guys do. I am so impressed with the high school...I think the folks here are so wonderful.”

People gather in the courtyard to listen to music and watch performances.

Left and Right: Vendors line their tents on the streets on the Square.

A&E 23

app What's Happening Story by Daryl Gichui Design by Kennedy Allison

LHS students share which apps they prefer to keep themselves entertained.

Calendar

Apps--short for applications are what many people have on their phones. There are apps for music, addictive games, funny videos and especially for social media. But with summer winding down and the school year beginning, students need their phones more than ever.

“I probably use my Vine app the most Photos because I like watching hilariously stupid videos,” sophomore Hannah Green said.

“My friend, Morgan, showed it to me last year. And she was like, ‘You have to download this app, it’s so funny,’ and then I just got addicted to it.”

Vine is a social media app where instead of posting personal events with just text, people can create six second video clips to Settings share publicly. It is similar to the infamous Instagram, but with videos instead of images. Most Vines are made to be funny, musical, or motivational.

“If you haven’t already downloaded Vine, I feel sorry for you because you’re missing out on a lot of funny videos,” Green said.

Social media apps also help people easily contact each other. “[I use] Twitter,” Twitter senior Nick Coffey said, “It’s easy, fast, and simple. A bunch of people are on it so you can choose what

Phone

Contacts

Calculator

you want to see and then it’s like instant information.”

Coffey enjoys using Twitter on his phone more than on other devices. With Twitter’s easy accessibility and simplicity, anyone with a little free time can build their online status and socialize with other people, quick and easy.

Camera Music “Yeah, you get to know somebody outside of school, so it’s really good for that too,” Coffey said.

Some apps connect people even if they are on opposite sides of the globe.

“I use Skype because sometimes I like to see the people that I talk to that are far away,” hall monitor Chris Thompson said.

Thompson has friends who live in other Vine Skype SoundCloud countries, like Moscow, Russia. allows people to contact others face-toface, through an app on your phone or computer, similar to FaceTime. With it, you can communicate with people all around the world quick and easy.

“Eventually there will be someone in your life who kind of moves farther and farther away for like a year or two, or forever.

[So] that maybe you can keep in Instagram Snapchat touch with [them],” Thompson said.

Keeping in touch with those far away

Messages

FaceTime

Clock

can help build those relationships with those who are hard to keep in touch with, especially if they are your closest friends.

News websites and apps can sometimes be dull and repetitive, however some students still get their worldwide scoop easily.

“Well Alien Blue is what it’s called, but actually it’sMail a really cool website, it’s got funny stuff,” junior Nate Ewbank said.

Alien Blue is a simple app that allows you to choose the kind of news you want to see from all around the world. Many of the news stories involve pop culture which can be more appealing high school students like Ewbank.

“And the way that it speaks, the way that Netflix it’s written out, it’s a lot more easier to understand than, you know, the stuff that the news puts in,” Ewbank said.

In the world today there are many different types of apps. Whether you use social media apps to talk to friends, games for passing the time, or news apps for knowing what is going on in the world; there’s an app for every situation.

Pandora

Safari

Opinion 24

Homecoming May Be Early This Year, But That Is Just Fine With The Bell Staff.

Homecoming was here, and it arrived sooner than ever. This year the dance fell on September 13, nearly a month sooner than last year. The Bell staff had mixed opinions on the topic, but the majority said they didn’t mind the early date.

StuCo started planning before the first day of school, deciding on the theme to get things started. This year’s theme, “The Way Of The Blue Jay,” was chosen to increase school spirit and kick things off. The date serves as a ‘welcome back’ (‘coming home’) to the school, which some members of staff love. With the theme and the early date, staff is hoping that we’ll have a lot of school spirit early on.

Some of the staff think early homecoming is a good idea due to the weather. Having the dance in early September made for warmer weather whereas past dances in October have often been rainy and cold. So despite the early date, everyone could at least leave

the coats at home.

It’s nice to actually know the date of the dance. This year, all anyone had talked about the first week of school was Homecoming.

There’s so much excitement around the idea of an early Homecoming and from the start, I heard many, “Wait, Homecoming is WHEN?” As the date got sooner, there was more and more buzz about the date, a lot due to panic.

On the other hand, the staff felt that the date was stressful. The pressure was on early; some finding dates and dresses before school even started. The staff says this influenced their decision on attending the dance; too much planning in too little time.

Some freshmen have expressed their nervousness about the early dance, explaining that they’re still so new to this school and haven’t gotten a chance to get to know everyone yet. Because of this, it’s even harder to find a date… Some of the

freshmen staff also explained that they had never experienced Homecoming before, so they didn’t really care about the early date.

They also clarified that they didn’t have to go with a date to have a good time.

A member of our staff who is also on the football team says that he actually likes the early homecoming. Due to the early date, they were able to access game film earlier.

This gave them a chance to watch film and prepare much earlier than previous years.

On the other hand, some student council members on time have crunched time.

Not only do they plan the dance, they also decorate, plan and host the carnival, fence decorating, and royalty.

Despite the mixed opinions and frantic searching of the perfect date and dress, our staff was pretty accepting of the early Homecoming.

The articles on these pages do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the entire Bell staff. Please feel free to comment in a letter to the editor.

Editorial Cartoon

Staff Topic Vote Yes - 16 No - 13

Illustrated by senior Joel Currence

Photo by Amanda Kovac

Early Jays Get The Worm

Early release days are one of my favorite parts of going to LHS. Nothing beats looking at the school’s schedule and seeing next week we get released early.

So of course when I learned that every Wednesday we leave about 40 minutes early, I got really excited. There were a few side effects of the early release Wednesday schedule. For example, there is no Advisory on Wednesday, and buses run on the same schedule as they do all other days of the week.

Story by Alex Wilson

When the news of no Advisory on Wednesday hit the student body, my whole Advisory class agreed this was a positive change. Last year we had a lot of free days in Advisory due to the short and infrequent lessons. Most of my classmates started to complain that Advisory could be cut off a day or more to either increase the length of Liberty Hour or for an earlier release.

To our surprise the decision to drop off Advisory this year for a day came through and Advisory has the perfect time frame for us this year.

The downside to early release days is that, buses follow their regular schedule and don’t pick students up early. When I heard the news I was pretty bummed like everyone else, being a bus-rider myself. Then I realized something; this could actually benefit me and the rest of the bus riders.

When I get home I tend to get distracted and end up wasting an hour I could have used to do homework. This scheduling will fix this for me and maybe fellow students.

If I am forced to stay a little after school, I tend to use that time to do homework. With

Opinion 25 this scheduling I can do my homework at school and then do whatever I want when I get home. But If I don’t have homework not all is lost, some of my friends ride the bus so I can spend the 40 minutes talking with them instead. There are many different things to do at school with free time, thanks to our laptops I can access the Internet or try apps that are on my mac. There are so many things I can do in those 40 minutes, now I look forward to Wednesdays just like non-bus riders do.

Overall, I think this is a positive change for the school I think this will benefit every single student in the building. Last year there was too much Advisory time and we spent a lot of time doing homework or reading. Even though the buses can’t change their scheduling, the early release will still be beneficial. I think this little extra time at school will motivate students to get work done so when they get home they will have time to do other things. I hope this beneficial schedule change will be used all school year and for years beyond.

Pro/Con: Early Release

Waste of Time

Story by Kamden Bernard

after school. Not all of us have things to do after school or can get a ride home like me.

The only big difference with the early release is Advisory being gone.

That really doesn’t change much for the people who have to wait. Personally I like Advisory and being in Advisory is better than sitting around the school doing nothing and waiting for the bus. Early release will never appeal to the people who have no ride home.

Luckily, My friends don’t have rides either, so I’m not alone. I know there are going to be people out there who say I’m wrong, I don’t know what I’m talking about or I just like to hate on things. They’re wrong I’m speaking for people like me who can’t get rides home.

Photo by Amanda Kovac

When you look at early release days you might say “oh that’s amazing,” but as a freshman, I have a different opinion. For the freshman, juniors, sophomores and seniors who ride the bus it’s no different than any regular school day. People who ride the bus have to wait for the buses to arrive at the regular time. We don’t really get to leave early. The only places we can

wait are the Gym and the Library. We as students can’t move freely. We have to stay in the same place and can’t move from that place.

Freshman Aly Oldham agrees.

“Personally, I don’t like it. I would much prefer a late start because we don’t really do anything during early release. Most of the teachers are in meetings and stuff so they are not available for tutoring. We just kind of sit in the commons area and wait for our bus to arrive at 3:15.”

There is some joy to early release. You get to finish unfinished work as well as socialize with friends, but after a while it gets boring. Some people have nothing to do because their friends are gone and their homework is done. If anything I wish the buses would come a little earlier. That would be better than sitting around. Some people disagree with my opinion; the people who play sports, can drive or have things to do

Opinion 26

Career Questions

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question I’ve been asked for as long as I can remember. What does that even mean? When does one officially “grow up?”

I don’t know the answer to that last question, but I know it’s about time for me to put on my big girl pants and figure out what the heck I want to do with my life.

When I went to the store with my mom as a 5-year-old and saw the cashier scan our items with her “laser gun”, I wanted to be a

Hats Off To Rules

My mother constantly tells me I need to learn to choose my battles, and usually I ignore the words. I am an avid believer in spite.

As a traveling student I’ve encountered some- what I would like to call “double standards.” Hats can be worn at LHS but not LNHS. Here’s the battle. I have bad hair days. These days my hair looks more like a mix of Jimmy Neutron and Goku than the intended GQ chic, thus hats are a must.

There is no other option.

professional cashier. When I went through first-aid training as an eight-year-old girl scout, the answer was a doctor. When I started watching America’s Next Top Model as a ten-year-old, the answer was a fashion designer. It wasn’t until I blossomed into a 17-year-old senior in high school with the world in the palm of my hand, that I could honestly answer the question without an ounce of doubt in the back of my mind.

My final year in high school has already offered me many blessings. I was named Editor In Chief of the newspaper you are currently reading, and I have been given the opportunity to be a part of the Educational Internship Program here at LHS. During 6th and 7th hour, I travel to Shoal Creek Elementary and co-teach a fifth grade class.

Both of these amazing opportunities made me realize my answer to that ever so broad question: a teacher.

After this profound discovery of my future career path entered my brain, I ran into a snag. What age group would I teach? On a mission to answer this new question, I

Editor in Chief

Editorial by Aly Copp

stormed about asking all of the teachers I could what they would recommend.

You all, my fellow classmates might be surprised to hear that many teachers find us high schoolers bratty and disrespectful. But let’s be honest, you’re not all too shocked about that little jab are you?

After this tiring day of interviewing my high school teachers about their age preferences, I drove over to Shoal Creek.

As soon as I walked into the classroom, all of the 5th graders jumped out of their seats with the excitement of little puppies and screamed “Hi Miss Aly!” The enthusiasm and innocence of these young children is something that is impossible to put into words. All I can say is that it is very refreshing to see these young minds at work after a day in the high school.

After that day, I faced my little dilemma head on. What age group should I teach?

The answer to my question is one that is put best by the famous Sherlock Holmes: “Elementary, my dear Watson.”

Editor in Chief

Editorial by Zach Kilgas My security hat covers my uncombed, unkempt and unstyled hair. It keeps it safe and hidden all day long. Until, that is, when I have to walk into the halls of LNHS where a fierce, blue-eyed hall monitor is waiting for me.

In my mind, the moment the woman told me to remove the hat was an act of war, an invasion of my home turf. I will admit that I am proud, and take great pride in my appearance and this newfound rule was unbearable and the words she used were deplorable.

On three separate occasions the hall monitor has followed me to my class to command me to remove my hat. Each time, I knew I must surrender, but once she told me, “I know at Liberty you can do whatever you want, but here we don’t wear hats.”

Then it was personal. She had crossed the line. I began to plot. And instantly I had a plan. I would shave a large circle into the front of my hair then wear the hat the following day! She’d see me proudly sporting my Baldwin hat and in her fury

she would rip the hat off my head. I could imagine the look in her eyes. The fear! I would only say the words, “I have chronic alopecia…” Leaving her traumatized. She’d be morally distraught at herself; she’d blame her parents for their mistakes. She’d stare at the ceiling instead of sleeping. I would lose my hair, but the battle would have been won.

It was nothing more than collateral damage.

However, a calm and collected teacher gave me refuge, telling me I could wear my hat in her classroom and provided insight.

I needed to calm down. Maybe I need to choose my battles. I could manage the walk through the hallway with my wild hair exposed, but honestly I would look terrible with a baldhead.

I told my mother my plan and she repeated her words of wisdom. This time it got through to me. Though she was fierce and strict, the hall monitor was doing her job, which I respect. I realized if I declared war every time I disagree with an outlandish rule (there I said it) I would spend a majority of my life as an angry, spiteful bald-guy.

Attitude: Check it at the Door

I say that if you think positive thoughts, good things will come your way. If you can’t predict the future, why be negative about it?

Over the years, I’ve been able to apply this thought process to various times in my life, like my first day in public school three years ago and even the first time I went on a job interview.

Most recently I have been applying this to my A+ Tutoring.

I elected to take the A+ Study Hall during first semester this year. When I signed up for it, the class was for seniors who wanted to obtain their tutoring hours with a teacher at LHS. Since that is what I figured I would be doing, I already had everything planned out. I wanted to tutor with my Comm. Arts teacher from last year, Mrs. Jones. I had everything set, or so I thought. When I got to A+ Study Hall and was told that tutors would be sent to EPIC Elementary, I was a little surprised, and disappointed.

In past experiences, I have found it best to just go with the flow, roll with the punches and move on. That is exactly what I did when I found out I would be tutoring at EPIC. Keeping positive, I went to EPIC a couple days later, and met my 3rd grade class.

Instantly my mind was changed; I’d never felt so welcome by a group of students. Each day I walk in the room and

The Promise of Opportunity

My senior year has already brought me opportunities that I wouldn’t have believed were possible.

In a few short weeks I have been asked to do things that I feel will really help me build my portfolio as I prepare to head off

to college to study graphic design.

I’ve been asked to design things before, outside of school projects, for neighbors and friends. I’ve designed stickers, t-shirts,and two years ago in a class competition, my design won as an apple butter label for Dr. Mees and his family.

This year I was asked to do some work on an ad in our paper, to help out our ads manager Michael McHale, who has been drowning in paperwork and homework.

I was also given the privilege of designing the pages for the Opinion Section of the Bell, which I jumped on immediately. It’s not something I’ve ever gotten to do before and I put a lot of thought into the ideas I created.

My most exciting project of my senior year by far has been designing a poster about the academic expectations that come with the Macs. Ms. Morris handed down the task to me after Dr. Adams contacted her for her help. I have worked furiously to

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Opinion 27

Editorial by Michael McHale

am greeted by 50 smiling kids and two gracious teachers. I now look forward to going over to EPIC everyday now, because of those kids, teachers and the great atmosphere at the school.

Experiences like this always remind me to keep positive, and always have a good attitude about things, because if you have a bad attitude about doing something, you will be miserable the entire time you’re doing it.

Besides, there is no point in being negative about things you can’t change.

Odds are, if you look for the positives, you’ll find them.

Opinion Editor

Editorial by Amanda Kovac put forth my best work as a final product.

I was thrown into figuring out how to use the program Illustrator more effectively.

Each design I made taught me how to more easily and efficiently use the program, as well as new tricks I had never thought of.

The few, short, first weeks of my senior year have been action packed and busy with new and interesting projects with problems I have never encountered before.

I’m excited to see what other challenges and opportunities my senior year will bring me.

Editorial Photos by Amanda Kovac

Sports 28

A.J. Cambric

Story by Katie Crouch Photo by T.J Stansberry “My dad. He’s always worked hard to give me everything I have. He’d do anything for me. I’d say football is my way of showing him thanks. It makes him happy when I play.”

-Senior A.J Cambric Said

“He’s just a great guy and really works well and motivates every one around him, I’ve really enjoyed playing with him since last summer.”

-Junior jacob McGowan said

Senior Football Position: Quarterback

“AJ is a great guy with a lot of potential. He’s a leader on the football team and he’s one of those guys that when the lights are on and it’s Friday night, he’s going to compete really well and try very hard to be successful. I think he’s one of those guys who continue to improve and work and the sky’s the limit for him. Hopefully he’ll have an opportunity to play at the collegiate level. We’re very proud of him and as long as he continues to work and be a great teammate, he’ll do just fine.”

- Head Basketball Coach Stirtz said

Ashlyn Sutton

Story by Katie Crouch Photo by Maddie Wurtz

“I practice for the high school every single day, and for my competitive team we practice on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s. [If I had the chance to play professionally] I’d probably play for USSSA Pride, that’s always been my dream.”

-Junior Ashlyn Sutton said

“Ashlyn works really hard on the field and she’s a great leader. She’s always focused and makes the plays when we need them. I love being her teammate; she’s awesome.”

- Junior Carly Schott said

“Sutton is a fantastic softball player. She is one of our leaders both on the field and off the field. She is not only a great softball player but is involved with choir and other clubs and organizations at LHS and is a leader for our school.”

- Softball Coach Zach Werner said

Junior Softball Position: 3rd Up

Sports 29

Alex Rogers

Story by Teegan Saunders Photo by Desiree Johnson “I’ve played almost every other sport but tennis was the one I really liked. A huge influence for me was my very first tennis coach and my recent coach. She really knows how to get you motivated. She taught me not only to play for myself but for my team. I want to play in college but I have never though about going into tennis professionally. I am super excited to be back on the team this year.”

-sophomore Alex Rogers.

“Alex is my doubles partner. She’s fun and crazy but she has improved so much since last year. She’s a great player to have.

She has a lot of strengths that are good for the team.”

-senior Mia Graham said.

“She is a crazy girl, always full of surprises, I never really know what she’s going to do but she worked so hard during the off season and I hope it pays off.”

-Tennis Coach Pam Koch said.

Sophomore Tennis Position: 3rd Up

Hunter Taylor

Story by Teegan Saunders Photo by Adam Pouliot “My mom and dad both played soccer in college and for Liberty in high school. I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I’ve been playing since I was three. I’d like to be a professional soccer player but I don’t want to completely take that and hang on to it. My team is very understanding that I am a freshman and that I make mistakes and they keep pushing me to get better. My coach is awesome.”

-freshman Hunter Taylor said.

“Hunter Taylor is a very hard worker. He always comes to me for questions and is always motivated to become a better player day by day.”

Freshman Soccer Position: Stopper

-senior Jacob Allee said.

“Taylor is a hardworking and exceptionally gifted athlete. He comes to practice and works hard everyday. We have some high expectations for him as we continue through the season.”

-Soccer Coach Tom Rottjakob said.

Sports 30

Diving into Mizzou

Story by Sol Kim Photo by Molly Filger

Swim and Dive team gets a chance to compete at The University of Missouri.

Michael Coday at swim practice, working the butterfly.

The LHS Men’s swim team plans on making a big roar September 27. This will be the first year the men’s swim team travels to Columbia, Missouri to participate in the COMO Invitational swim meet. The meet is held at the Mizzou Aquatic Center where the boys will compete against schools from St. Louis, Columbia, Blue Springs and Kansas City. Fellow competitor, Liberty North High School, has competed at COMO in the past, so LHS plans to make a big splash.

Starting at six in the morning, the boys will take a two-hour bus ride to Columbia, Missouri. It’s always interesting,” Head coach Chris Murphy said.

“There’s usually a lot of singing involved,” freshman Alex Lonsdale said.

From there, the preliminary rounds begin at 10 a.m. The boys who made the top 24 times in an event will advance onto finals.

“This season, everyone has to step up and contribute,” Murphy said. “We only have 17 swimmers and two divers which is down a bit from last year. With such a small number, everyone has to chip in for us to be successful. At COMO, I’m hoping to get as

many to make finals (top 24) as possible.

I’m also hoping to get some more state cuts at the meet since it is such a great pool. I am excited for the meet since we have not been to MU in quite a few years.”

The excitement among the swim team grows as the meet comes closer.

“I am looking forward to going down there for the first time,” junior Blaine Rohlfs said. “Murphy is very particular about what he wants and knows how to make us do what he wants, so I think we’ll be ready when we compete with a bunch of other teams.”

The boys have been training hard to drop time at COMO. “I’m looking to do a lot better on my 500 free,” junior Andrew Kitchen said. “I want to go at least a 5:30, and break two minutes on my 200 free.”

So far, four members of the LHS boys’ swim team have qualified for state.

“Right now we have four state qualifiers in the relay,” Coach Murphy said. “senior Tim Gibson, senior Michael Coday, junior Alex Goerke, and junior Joe Saitta.”

In addition to the COMO meet, the boys

have been training hard for every one of their upcoming meets.

“I am practicing harder than I did last year, by far,” Junior Andrew Kitchen said.

Senior Tim Gibson agrees.

“We are just working up [to our meets] with the intensity of our practices, that way when we get into the meet, we are fully ready,” Gibson said.

As the season progresses, the boys become very close.

“I like all the funny kids we have on the team,” Kitchen said. “I think swimmers are closer than any other team because we spend a lot of time on the bus together, and we have pasta dinners where we can talk to each other.”

Sophomore Jonathon Weinke said his coach and his teammates motivated him the most during a meet. “[My teammates] just love to support and influence others with positive encouragement,” Weinke said. “I am looking forward to the fun and exciting time I will be having with my fellow teammates [at COMO].”

Blue Jays Kick Off

Sports 31

Story by Jeffrey Walters Photo by Zach Kilgas

The Jays start of their season rough but keep their heads up high for the rest of the season.

The Liberty Blue Jays kicked off their 2014 season by playing two very good teams.

The Lee Summit West Titians, the number one team in the state, and the Kearney Bull Dogs another very competitive team that came out swinging. The Jays have two losses for the season so far but they are still staying positive.

The starting running back for the Jays took a moment to reflect on the Lee Summit game.

“I think we could have come out stronger the second half, and we could have also started the game a lot stronger. We just had to get the jitters out and by the time we did, the score already too far ahead,” Senior Devon Bryant said.

Players are staying positive with the way the Blue Jays season is going so far. “We fixed a lot of mistakes that we made Friday, so were going in with a new game plan and have better plans set up,” junior Nick Kern said. “We know what to do. We were confidant and were going to get the win,”

Running Back Coach John Neldon believes, “the first two games were disappointing but we knew they were going to be hard games. Lee Summit west is the number one team in the state, and Kearney is a tough team. But with every game you learn to move on, to take the things you learned and build on it for the next week,” Neldon said. “This week we play RaymorePeculiar who is another good team, top 20 in the metro. It’ll be another tough week.

We’re just going to have to tighten up some of the mistakes we’ve made, and a lot of errors we make we can fix. The errors are mental errors and we can control that, so we’re going to go back to the drawing board and try to fix it and get better.”

In sports it’s always good to keep your head up no matter where you are in the season, because the harder you work the more likely you are to win. Freshman Robert Rawie has figured this out first hand.

As a freshman Rawie has been brought up to play varsity. “One of the guys went down

Watch some of the top plays the Blue Jays had against the Lee Summit West Titans by scanning the scan code with a phone.

so they just decided to pull me up.” Rawie said. “I just have to work hard everyday to be at the position.”

Sophomore Tony Murray has also figured out that working your hardest shows results on Friday nights under the lights. Murray gives a lot of thanks to the coaches who have been able to work with him nonstop on and of the field. “They push us really hard and make us do a lot of different things,” Murray said.

It’s always good to know that the players are not only confidante in themselves and their teammates, but also the coaches. “The coaching staff is really good. They all have experience and all know what they’re doing and they know how to coach the players well.” Bryant said. “They just have a great eye for there players and they want to see them succeed.”

The Blue Jays ready for kick off against the Kearney Bull Dogs.

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