The Bell 2/12/14

The Bell February 07, 2014 Issue 4 Volume 90

SCAN & VISIT

LHSNEWs.net

Table Of Contents

02

On the cover:

Page 07

Administration is working to motivate students to strive for perfect attendance. See what incentives they have in store here!

Page 26

LHS is full of talented students in a variety of fields.

Reporter Aly Copp got a glimpse of the talent within the visual arts department. Check out student artwork on page 26.

Gettin’ Artsy

Page Promotions and Comotions 36

The Lady Jays have partnered with the Sports Marketing class to raise game attendance. See what they have in store here!

Photo by Grayson Osborn

Let Them Have Cards

Photo by Logna Kessler

StuCo members are mixing up the festivities this year. Read here and learn all the changes being made to CourtWarming.

Photo by Sadie Zipsie

Page Bye Bye Courtwarming 04

Photo by Molly Meeks

Senior Brandyn Moultrie brings the ball up the court during the C.W. Stessman Invitational, where the Jays succeeded in defeating Raytown to win the championship.

Cover photo by Nicole Throckmorton

The Bell Staff

Editor In Chief Madi Denton Design Editor Diana Timmermans Features Editor Aly Copp Sports Editor Nick Palmarine Assistant Sports Editor Grace George Opinion Editor Molly Meeks A&E Editor Meredith Crouch News Editor Zach Kilgas In-Depth Editor Amanda Kovac Ads Manager Sammi Siegel Online News Manager Sol Kim Website Technical Support Tyler Eggleston Adviser Lori Oyler

Reporters Alex Wilson Alex Jimenez Jasmine Smith-Marley Katie Crouch Kennedy Allison Sarah Arns Tara Prindle Michael McHale Allie Schowengerdt Teresa Parra Jeffrey Walters

Contact us Address 200 Blue Jay Drive Liberty, MO 64068 Email thebell@liberty.k12. mo.us

Photo Journalism Photo Editor Kristen Poe Assistant Photo Editor Nicole Throckmorton

Phone (816) 736-5353

Our Mission

Our Mission for the 2013-2014 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 community of Liberty High School. The Bell student newspaper is a public forum for student expression.

Twitter @TheBell_LHS

Jays’ Jabber

03

What’s happening @ LHSNews.net?

Vending Change

There will be a “Jobs Board” hanging either in room 707 or the business hallway within the next couple weeks. It will be a useful reference for students currently job-hunting.

Many will be related to marketing, but some will be generic opportunities.

The Bird House is Online The LHS Bird House is now open online! You can access it by checking out the Blue Jay Nation page on the LHS website. Fill out and submit the form, and the merchandice will be ready to be picked up within the store.

Photo courtesy of Blue Jay Nation

Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

Photo by Kristen Poe

LHS recently swapped all the snacks in the vending machines for healthier options. Take a look at this story to see the student reaction!

The seniors on staff are disappointed in the lack of snow days so far this year.

They are searching the weather channel for any news of snow. Help them keep an eye out and find the snowflake! The first person to find the snowflake needs to visit room 513 at the beginning of 5th hour for a prize!

SCAN & VISIT LHSNEWS.net

Hide - N - Seek

04 News

Bye Bye Courtwarming Student Council explains cutting the traditional Courtwarming dance.

Story by Alex Jimenez

With all the hype that comes with Prom and Homecoming, many would imagine Courtwarming to be a big hit.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Due to the lack of attendance, this year’s Courtwarming dance has been canceled.

There is one reoccuring problem over the last two years with the Courtwarming dance; the student attendance rate is not nearly high enough. Even after switching from a formal dance to a casual dance, attendance at Courtwarming has continued to be undesirable.

“Making it back into a formal dance was a big discussion between StuCo members,” senior Ray Pottios said. “As a council we didn’t think it was fair to make people pay for all of things you would need or what lots of kids want for a formal dance, buses, tickets, dresses etc. We have Homecoming and Prom which are our two big dances and

Photos by Molly Meeks

we think that was good enough” Expenses are a big factor when considering to hold a dance, but also the preparation time for the decorations.

“There were a lot of efforts having teachers and staff show up on their time to stay for the dance after the game,” senior Addison Moore said. “Not having a huge turnout was one of the reasons we thought it would be better for everyone to try and see if something new would work this year.”

A new idea was sprung out amongst the council, a more involved, big school spirit volleyball tournament. Each class will be competing against each other in a battle to become Spike-It Up volleyball champs.

“Our goal is to create some school spirit while at the time having a good time,” StuCo Advisor Melanie Price said. “If attendance is good here, Courtwarming will be a definite possibility in the future.”

Student Council created many posters to promote school spirit for Courtwarming week.

With this idea came about another idea, that could possibly have an effect on whether or not there will be another Courtwarming dance.

“Hopefully the idea behind this also can trigger some feelings of missing a Courtwarming, by not doing it, it might spark a feeling of wanting to go to Courtwarming and possibly being able to have one again in the later years,” Senior Addison Moore said.

Lots of exciting changes to come in seeing how this new idea of a volleyball tournament will turn out, hopefully in a more positive way and in a way we can show the great spirit of Liberty high school.

Give Me Liberty Hour or Give Me DEATH

05 News

Administration provides answers and statistics about Liberty Hour.

Story by Sarah Arns with Kamryn McCoy

Many students have been wondering why the call was made to take a three-week break from Liberty Hour. This also brings up the question of whether or not Liberty Hour is actually working.

Most teachers and administrative staff are proud to answer these questions because of the positive results.

“The short answer is yes. We have seen a reduction in the number of D’s and F’s in our 10th-12th grade students,” Assistant Principal Brett Coffman said. “With the added time in tutoring, the data has shown that students end up passing classes with much higher grades.”

Liberty Hour coordinator, Laura Hartman also sees the positives of Liberty Hour.

“One of the biggest things that we’ve seen is a 200% increase with students involved in clubs,” she said. “So not only does Liberty Hour help students on the academic side, but also on the social side, and total involvement at LHS,” Hartman said.

Furthermore, number of D’s and F’s is expected to drop further based on results from other schools, such as Blue Springs, where the low grade rate has dropped to as low as four percent. Coffman also commented on this comparison.

“I think Liberty Hour has progressed very

Photos by Allie Schowengerdt

quickly,” Coffman said. “In visiting Blue Springs, they shared with us their Wild Cat hour took a year to really impact the student body. We were hearing about the positive impact of Liberty Hour very early this school year.”

Teachers can answer most students’ questions about Liberty Hour, thanks to a thorough briefing.

“At the beginning of the year, we sat down and said this is what Liberty hour is going to look like and during Christmas break we were briefed and told we’re going to take a break and get grades in,” American Government teacher Ronald Ludwig said.

“We looked at numbers, at the D and F rate, and determined if Liberty Hour is what we want to do.”

The three-week break was to ensure that students new to the school realize the benefits of Liberty Hour versus the traditional lunch.

It was also to have students accumulate enough grades so that the school could identify students who truly need tutoring versus those who only received one bad grade.

“I’d say the biggest reason [for the three week break] is we wanted to get enough grades in the grade book so that a student’s

grade accurately showed their performance this semester,” Liberty Hour Coordinator Joyce Gilmore said.

The break has also led to students and teachers alike voicing their true feelings about the still new Liberty Hour.

“I think it’s working because it’s giving us more contact time with students,” Ludwig said.

Students in every grade have their own opinions but most have come to a general conclusion that they want Liberty Hour to live on.

“I think overall Liberty Hour has helped everyone get schoolwork done and have a time to relax,” junior Spencer Hamilton said.

Seniors Sarah Cadd and Kristen Poe agreed with Hamilton.

“I have more study time,” Poe said. “It lets me recuperate so I can focus for the rest of the day. It’s more of a campus environment.”

Cadd also agreed that fewer roles meant a lot to her.

“You can get away from the noise by going somewhere else. There’s already so much pressure on high school students and then I have to go and eat lunch like an elementary student. Liberty Hour makes it more like being an adult,” Cadd said.

Students quickly readjusted to having Liberty Hour back.

06 News

Lend a Hand Two LHS students plan to travel to the nation’s capital for a convention.

Story by Allie Schowengerdt

Turns out, there’s a lot of helpful leaders in Washington DC (not politicians). Seniors Libby Aguirre and Johanna Stewart are planning to attend a convention in Washington DC on Saturday, February 1st. They will bring back knowledge of how to help the students in our school.

“Basically what we will bring back is different techniques for leadership or different ways to help educate the school about destructive behaviors,” Stewart said.

The two seniors will be presenting in front of thousands of people. The students from LHS will be presenting, how there campaigns work in our school environment and how they build leadership skills.

“Legislatures, senators, and people who live on capital hill there,” Junior Riley Terzopoulos said.

The Peer Helpers Club is making our school a better environment for everyone to be welcomed into.

The group is “Preventing unhealthy habits,” Aguirre said.

They do campaigns through out the year to help student’s realize the importance of good habits.

This last fall, “ There was a day, where every 32 minutes someone died in a car crash from not wearing their seatbelt,” Terzopoulos said.

Students got pulled out of a classroom then would go back into class with their

Photos by Madi Hayter face painted white. The white paint on their face symbolized a death from the car cash. The students with white paint on their faces could not talk for the rest of the day. The whole meaning behind this campaign day was to buckle up and arrive alive.

In late April Peer Helpers will be putting on an anti-drug campaign. They will provide fact sheets around the school with this campaign. The club will help the students of LHS know how drugs can affect the users.

Aguirre and Stewart will bring back several different ideas to help LHS promote good behavior and leadership skills.

Peer Helpers fundraises by selling donuts during the annual Liberty Classic Debate Tournament.

Let Them Have Cards

07 News

Administration is giving away gift cards to promote perfect attendance.

Story by Alex Wilson Getting paid to go to school sounds impossible, but not anymore. To increase student attendance throughout LHS, administration has created a reward that pays for having perfect attendance, monthly.

“We generate a number on a random number generator and match the number to the student,” assistant principal Brett Coffman said. “We check PowerSchool and if the student chosen has perfect attendance and no tardies for the month, they are the winner. We give $5 gift cards to a variety of stores here in Liberty. We have a list of every student and each student is assigned a number.”

Some students are excited for the raffles and believe that they will have a positive impact on the school “It will make the skippers actually want

Photos by Grayson Osborn

to go to school.” Senior Christian Thomas said. “It’s a good idea because it involves friendly competition for coming to school.”

These drawings are a good idea to increase attendance but it does have some downsides.

“For the people with perfect attendance it’s nice,” sophomore Deborah White said.

“But if you don’t, you just sit and watch people win prizes.”

The chances to get a gift card seems very slim, but everyday a winner is chosen and each month every student gets their chances back for the drawing. If a student is drawn but has poor attendance the card for that day will move on to the next, so the winner the next day gets both cards and so on.

“This program is student-centered, reinforces a lifelong skill, and has been

implemented in a way that students have several chances each semester to start over and improve their attendance,” Coffman said.

To some students getting paid to go to school sounds like a good idea and will help student attendance, but not everyone believes that.

“Instead of bribing people to come to school they could teach students the consequences of not coming and ditching classes,” freshman Paige Eddy said.

Only time will tell if students embrace this idea.

Left: Sophomore, Lauren Potts signs out of the building.

Above: Michelle Dickey, attendance secretary works hard filling out cards, and desires to promote better attendance rates.

08 News

LHS Cannot Espresso their Love for Coffee The Nest Coffee Shop celebrates its third year at LHS. Story by Tara Prindle

The sweet party streamers, delicious coffee that was half price and friendly staff that greeted you with a happy smile; The Nest celebrated three years of being in business during January.

“I thought [the decorations were] nice. I thought it really resembled how they were celebrating their birthday,” junior Hans Heruth said. “I’ve been going to the coffee shop ever since I got to the high school. I think it’s good that our school has a coffee shop, it adds a little something special to our school. I think that they would attract more customers if they had days like this more often.”

Going on their third year in business, The Nest celebrated their anniversary with a birthday party, decorations, and half price coffee. Putting this event together was an exciting thing for the staff at The

Photos by Nicole Throckmorton

Nest. To treat themselves for the great effort they put into this birthday party, they brought donuts for themselves.

“We [made] the anniversary like a big birthday party. Hopefully the excitement of the employees will inspire other students to come to the anniversary,” Special Services teacher Jessica King said.

The event was a great hit, students may not realize how important this is for the special services students.

“Working the coffee shop teaches vocational skills, simple things like working a cash register and having a boss,” Ms. King said. “Things that sometimes we take for granted.”

The Nest was put together with a school effort and the special services senior class, who was there to see the beginning of The Nest. All agree there is a lot of ownership

and school pride in the making of The Nest. The students of LHS helped choose the name and logo for The Nest.

On the day of the party, lots of students and teachers celebrated with The Nest.

“There was a long line, it was a pretty big crowd.” freshman Angelo Lopez said. “I think it was a good choice how they made the coffee half off. I think they should make coffee half off once a month because it’s a good deal and good business.”

Celebrating three years of serving coffee with a smile every morning was a great success and the students of LHS look forward to many more years of great service from the staff of The Nest.

Above: Mrs. Holm gets a coffee from The Nest in celebration of its three year anniversary.

Left: The Nest’s celebration attracted a very long line.

y Bluejays to Songbirdss

09 News

Bluejays plan to show school spirit by creating a lip dub.

Story by Kennedy Allison To raise school spirit around LHS, the Practical Leadership class has arranged for students to create a school wide lip dub. On May 1st, every student and faculty member at Liberty will gather at various locations around the school to mouth the words to various songs such as Roar by Katy Perry, Good Time by Owl City and I Like it Like That by Hot Chelle Rae. “We planned it on a school day, so we expect majority of students to be here for it,” Practical Leadership teacher Marla Badalucco said.

For those of you who do not know what a lip dub is, it is a type of video that combines lip syncing and audio dubbing (an overlay of audio on video) to make a music video shot in only one take.

Photos by Rachel Untch

May 1st will be a scheduled EOC day from the start of school until around noon, then since all students are required to stay until 3:15 for an entire school day, the rest of the time will be set aside to record the lip dub.

Every single person will have a chance for their faces to be shown as a camera runs around the school recording the video in only one take.

Every sports team and club will filmed and one representative from each group will step forward to mouth the words to a fraction of the mash-up.

Several other schools in the Kansas City area have made lip dubs, like Oak Park who created a 13-minute remix of Tik Tok by Ke$ha.

“We really want students to get involved in the school,” Junior Michael McHale said “Practical Leadership has some awesome and fun ideas that we really would like to introduce to everyone.”

There’s a little bit of a time gap until this happens, but leadership hopes to build more anticipation for when the day finally comes. This lip dub will not only be a great opportunity to interact with fellow students, it will also give those who do not go to LHS a pang of jealousy when the video is released. They will wish their school had thought of it first.

Get ready, LHS! Step up to the plate and don’t be shy! We want the world to know what the Blue Jays are made of!

Left: Junior Sierra Moore and Senior Christen Newport help give ideas for the lip dub. Above: Junior Jacob McGowan works on improving school spirit in the Leadership class.

10 News

Modeling the World

Liberty and Liberty North come together to prepare for the Model UN conference.

Story by Teresa Para

Photos by TJ Stansbury

Design by Aly Copp

Above: All of the Model UN students from Liberty and North work together at their meeting. Left: LHS Juniors Olivia WIlson and Varun Lodhi sit and work with North students Below: Junior Cassidy Murray raises her hand and participates in the meeting.

There are thousands of issues facing countries around the world everyday.

The United Nations is an organization of independent states that was formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security. Here at Liberty High School we have a club modeled after it.

“Model UN club revolves around preparation for Model UN conferences and competitions,” senior and Secretary General Haley Ferguson said. “Model United Nations is a simulation activity in which students basically take on the task of researching and representing a country’s certain position on various issues of international importance. So you might be in a committee representing France and you’re debating a treaty about climate change or something.”

Model UN club has been very busy lately.

They’ve been preparing for their biggest conference of the year at Chicago University called UNIC. Model UN club will leave for the conference February 6th, and return Sunday February 9th.

One of the things they have to do to prepare is write a position paper.

“I’ve had to research a bunch about my country which is Samoa and writing my position paper which is taking forever,” freshman Jacklyn Drewry said.

Members of Model UN club do various other things to prepare for the conference as well.

“The kids meet every Monday night from 6:30-8:00pm. Those meetings are suppose to be for their research,” Leader of Model UN club and Social Studies Teacher Ellen Meade said. “They’ll spend some time researching their country and figuring out everything about it. They also research their committee. There are different committees.

They research what power their specific committee has and then of course they’ll research the topics. The members also have to write a position paper, so it’s going to be a paper telling the committee what your country would do or how they feel about the situation and what solutions they may have. Sometimes we do mock

sessions where we practice speaking. We practice some skills that would be used in committee. The students do a lot of talking

11 News Students in Model UN club can’t wait for the conference. They love traveling, meeting new people, and solving worldwide issues.

“The conferences are definitely my favorite part. We get to travel to really cool places,” junior Stefanie Flood said. “We meet so many different people. At big conferences there are people from different countries there, and we work with them and get to go out to eat with them and just meet so many different people. It’s really just such a great experience.”

Even though students research and work a lot for Model UN, the hard work pays off.

“I love the feeling of solving these problems and just like the idea that if you research, if you work together and if you collaborate you actually can come up with solutions to problems that seem beyond your grasp,” Ferguson said.

By being in Model UN club students learn everyday skills for life, speaking and a variety of other things.

“I really think the number one goal of Model UN club is creating this international awareness of what is going on and what kids can do to help participate in world issues,” Meade said. “It’s just one thing to sit in class and learn about it but it’s

another thing to actually go out and problem solve. And I just think that’s valuable because there’s no other better education than actually doing something.”

Without Model UN club, students would not be aware of a lot of things going on outside our country.

“Also, no offense to people here in Liberty, but we live in such a small sheltered world, kids have no idea what’s really going on in the world,” Meade said. “So I think this is really eye-opening for a lot of kids.”

LHS Model UN group photo: Freshmen: Ethan Cook and Jacklyn Drewry Juniors: Ben Anderson, Josh Anderson, Stefanie Flood, Varun Lahoti, Cassidy Murray, Davis Perry, Olivia Wilson and Rachel Young Seniors: Haley Ferguson

12 Spotlight

Tyler Eggleston Story by Amanda Kovac

Photo by Madi Hayter

Senior

How long have you been in Robotics?

“Two years. This is my second year. I had a few friends that were in it before, and I had always been interested in electronics and building stuff, so I gave it a try and I really liked it.”

How many competitions have you been to?

“Three. At the competition last year in Kansas City we didn’t make it to the finals. We went to a competition in Arkansas. We made it to quarter finals and lost, and there was an exhibition match we went to this year and we placed third.”

What are your plans for the future?

“I want to get my A+ done, go to a community college, and then go to Rolla to computer engineering. From what I understand, and from what I’ve heard from others, is that they are one of the best engineering schools in Missouri and they have computer engineering, the major that I want to go into. I’ve considered Mizzou and KU, but Rolla just seemed like a better fit.”

What is your dream job?

“I want to work at Google with the hardware of stuff, or with the next Android phone, or the next [Google] Glass project. I love Google and I love working with hardware. Working with computers and hardware is fun.”

What was the last concert you went to?

Who Tyler really is..

“It was Fall Out Boy. It was the best concert I’ve ever been to. They were amazing. It was a really fun environment.

They played all of their best songs, in my opinion. I didn’t want to leave.

“Tyler is a dependable self-starter.

The staff depends on him every month to do all the technical work to post our newspaper on LHSNews.net.”

-Newspaper advisor Lori Oyler

What is your favorite memory from a concert?

“Probably seeing My Chemical Romance and Blink-182. It was a really fun night. It was the first concert I had been to. My Chemical Romance is one of my favorite bands, and I lost my phone that night.”

Mr. Pierson’s thoughts on Tyler: “Tyler is very eager to learn. He is in my digital electronics course at the same time that he is running the mechanical side of robotics. He is working to be a well-rounded individual and it definitely shows when it comes to his participation in robotics.”

13 Spotlight

Victoria Gomez Junior

Story by Amanda Kovac

Photo by Spencer Hausmen

What events do you do in debate?

“I do Public Forum debate and I do Oratory for an individual event. I won, I believe, six oratory awards my first year and two debate trophies for Public Forum.”

What is your favorite memory from a debate tournament?

“My novice year, the first debate tournament I ever went to, me and my team members decided we were going to go in the gym and play a round of basketball. It ended up a bunch of different teams coming and playing basketball with us. It was cool.”

What instruments do you play?

“I play string bass and oboe. My favorite is probably oboe, just because no one plays it. I’ve played oboe since my sixth grade year, and the bass since fifth grade.”

How have sports impacted your life?

“I used to play basketball, run cross country. play soccer, softball and volleyball, but then I tore my ACL during a basketball game and I couldn’t do any of it anymore. It was a kind of a bummer.”

What are your plans for the future?

“After I graduate, [I want to] go off to college, probably Ohio State, hopefully, and get a masters, at least, in genetics, and join the genetics career somewhere.”

Do you have any pets?

“I have one, my dog, who’s a Border Collie/Italian Greyhound and her name is Gracie. She’s really old.”

Mr. Baldwin’s thoughts on Victoria: “Vicky is a really, really strong member of our team with a ton of potential. She works really, really hard and you see some fantastic results as a function of that.”

Who Victoria really is..

Victoria is musically gifted and excels in competitive debate. She doesn’t let anything stop her from accomplishing her goals.

14 Spotlight

DeAnthony Saunders Sophomore

Story by Meredith Crouch

Photo by Ashley Covarrubias

What are your hobbies?

“I like to rap and write lyrics. I like to go outside and play, ride my bike and I like to go bowling on Fridays. I’m really good at bowling. I’m on a bowling league that meets every Saturday. I also bowl for the school. It’s fun because I get to be with my friends. My goal in bowling is to make the ball go straight down the middle, I’m pretty good at it for a lefty.”

What do you like most about rapping?

“When I rap my rhymes, I usually think it over before I go out there. I try to tell people out there that no matter who you are, you can do anything if you put your mind to it. They call me the Black Avatar. I participate in rap battles in and out of school and I usually win. Sometimes they’re in school and sometimes they’re out of school.”

Do you have a favorite profesional rapper?

“Oh yeah, of all times he’s the greatest: Eminem. The dude has mad skills.

When he raps his own words, he is trying to inspire others to rap. Eminem is the one who made me inspired to rap.”

What is your favorite vacation you’ve been on?

“My favorite vacation was going to Disney Land in California. I used to live there, I’m from San Francisco so I’ve been to a lot of theme parks. I was born here in Missouri but I was raised in California. I like California best. it’s way too cold here, especially with all the snow.”

What is your favorite food?

“Well my favorite food is Macaroni and Cheese. It has cheese and it has like a flavor to it. You just mix it up with syrup and it’s good to go. I put syrup on everything, yes pancake syrup.”

Is there anything you feel people should know about you?

Who DeAnthony really is..

While passionate about bowling and rapping, DeAnthony is a thrill seeker and a true Californian at heart.

“I just want people to know that the Avatar returns.”

Mr. Barrecca’s thoughts on DeAnthony: “DeAnthony is always full of energy and has a great sense of humor. He’s a pleasure to have in class. No matter how my day is going, DeAnthony can always put a smile on my face.”

Danielle Kroger Freshman

Story by Meredith Crouch

Photo by Maddie Hissong

What are some of your hobbies?

“I do competitive cheer now and I did gymnastics for 8 ½ years. I like the bonding of a team and getting to know new people. This is my first time doing cheer and I love trying new things so it’s fun for me. I cheer on a competitive team outside of the school called Ice Allstars.”

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

“In ten years I hope that I have graduated high school and I think I would’ve hopefully graduated college by then. I want to be an Occupational Therapist because I like working with other people that need help. I’m not sure where I want to go to college yet but I know that I want to go out of state. I’d like to go to a college in a big city.”

What is something that not a lot of people know about you?

“A lot of people don’t know that I like to read a lot. I read all the time, not at school because there’s no time to read at school. I like mystery books a lot because they are really intriguing, they make me want to read further into the book. My favorite book is Rules of Attraction. It’s more of an action book and I like it because it keeps you on your toes.”

What is your most embarassing moment?

“It was more of me just being stupid but my cousin and I were tossing an 8 pound weight back and fourth. And I turned around and he threw it at me because he didn’t notice that I wasn’t paying attention and it broke my foot.

That was really hard explaining to my mom because we shouldn’t have been doing that in the first place. This was last year.”

Have you ever broken anything else?

“I’ve also broken my thumb from gymnastics when I was doing a flip on the beam and my finger went into the beam and it popped it out of place. All the others were sprains and deep muscle bruises but I think I’ve only broken a bone twice.”

Mrs. Koch’s thoughts on Danielle:

“Danielle is a great student. She’s a very sweet girl and she always tries her best. She is pretty quiet in class but is a very hard worker.”

Who Danielle really is..

As a former gymnast, Danielle has a talent for cheer. She may seem shy but she has a great sense of humor and is kind to everyone.

15 Spotlight

16 Spotlight

Mike Hammer Story by Nick Palmarine

Photo by Arley Emery

Teacher

What motivated you to become a teacher?

“My experience with my past teachers and their enthusiasm for teaching and inspiring kids I think was the biggest reason I went into education.”

What makes LHS stand out?

“What I’ve always felt about Liberty was how the teachers really try to help the students succeed and it was very genuine. I think it was the way the teachers were and always have been. It is a very positive environment when it comes to the teacher-student relationships. We probably have the best social studies teachers in the state of Missouri if not nationally.”

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

“In ten years I see myself on a riverbank in the mountains with a fly rod in one hand and a five-pound trout in the other.”

What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher?

“That’s a tough question. I think I would be a used Kirby vacuum salesman or a personal bodyguard; I still might be a personal bodyguard but I couldn’t see myself protecting that Bieber guy.”

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

“Abraham Lincoln because he was in my view points the best president in United States history and he was also a wrestler. Who would I not want to have dinner with Hillary Clinton because having dinner with her would be like sitting in a chair and listening to someone scratch their nails on a chalkboard.”

Who Mr. Hammer really is..

Being Bieber’s bodyguard might not work out for him, but his great sense of humor and extensive knowledge of history has.

Mr. Armilio’s thoughts on Mr. Hammer “Mr. Hammer is very dedicated to his job as a teacher and coach.

He is also very helpful to the new teachers in our department; he was one of the first teachers I met when I first came to LHS. His blend of sarcasm and wit are treasured in the social studies department.”

Penny Holm Administrator

Story by Nick Palmarine

Photo by Morgan McNea

What motivated you to become an administrator?

“I became an administrator after 16 years of teaching in four different schools with the thought that I could continue connecting with kids from a different angle. Having really enjoyed being a teacher, I wanted the opportunity to support teachers in any way I could from the administrative side.”

What would you be doing if you weren’t an administrator?

“I would own my own business, probably a small boutique, bookstore/coffee shop or a spa(mainly for the free massages!). I have had several jobs outside the educational walls and I always loved working in bookstores and gyms.”

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

“My husband and I are live music fans so I would like to have dinner with the band U2. I love their music and their live show is the best I’ve seen. But more importantly, I would like to talk to them about how and why they became so involved in so many international charities and causes. They support 18 charities and 21 causes to date most all dealing with human rights and personal freedoms. Their support often comes through their music…so I might have to have them play a little at dinner too!”

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

“In ten years I will be retired, playing with my grandchildren and hopefully traveling a little. I am not sure how, but I think I will also still have a connection with education in some way.”

Mr. Nagbe’s thoughts on Mrs. Holm: “Not only does she show she cares a lot about the students, she also shows she cares a lot about the teachers and support staff. She always has a smile on her face and her laugh brightens up the whole school.”

Who Mrs. Holm really is..

An assistant principal with a great fashion sense, who would like to hang out with U2

17 Spotlight

30 Indepth

Gettin Artsy

The Bell takes a closer look at some of LHS’s most talented young artists.

Story & Photos by Aly Copp

Design by Meredith Crouch

senior Eli Wallace Graphic Design 2 and AP Studio Art

“Art is amazing because it takes your ideas and beliefs and you are able to create something physical and something that connects many people together through something beautiful and organic. That is why I think art is awesome.” on Eli... “You just can't possibly say enough to convey how impressive Eli is. He definitely goes beyond expectations. I think he challenges himself as well as others by pushing those limits.

I'm always beyond impressed when I see how much creativity and work he puts into each of his designs.” Graphic Design teacher Cary Morris said.

senior Austin Jones AP Studio Art and Observational drawing

“I enjoy painting because you can be creative and you can pretty much make anything that you want and anything that pops into your head.” on Austin... “I was so impressed with Austin’s work sophomore year, I remember really recruiting him for Observational Drawing 2. He has studied very hard to expand his abilities and he is creating very successful artwork this year.

His work is based on the study of street artists like Shepard Fairey, and he is applying a style of work to portraits of celebrities in order to express the nature of their celebrity.” AP Studio Art and Observation Drawing teacher Debra Martin said.

senior Sara Maclay AP Studio Art, Graphic Design 2 and Sculpture 2

junior Taelor Kirtley Observational Drawing 2

“I like making art because it helps express who I am, and it helps me be creative.” on Taelor... “Taelor has grown tremendously and has mastered perspective. She has been really successful with the pastel media this year,” Martin said.

“I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil. I just love art because it’s a way to show self-expression and show my imagination.” on Sara... “Sara’s work expresses a depth and maturity that I rarely see in high school level students. She has an extraordinary talent but she also works so hard to improve and grow as an artist that she is overthe-top successful whether working on a drawing, painting, or digital art. Sara’s work this year is a study of thematically related design art created by hand and then digitally altered using Photoshop.” AP Studio Art teacher Debra Martin said.

sophomore Logan Kessler

31 Indepth

Graphic Design 1 and Sculpture

“I’m in art mostly because of my dad. He was an artist and he really got me into it. He did a lot of work, but he is now an illustrator for Hallmark.” on Logan...“[Ms. Kennedy and I] spent minutes raving about how talented and well-rounded Logan is in art. He has such a creative mind and his attention to detail is among the top I’ve seen in our art program. This is definitely a kid to watch, he is going to do some amazing things with his art talent,” Graphic Design teacher Cary Morris said.

senior Amy Hartgrove Advanced Digital Photography

“When I was little I loved taking photographs of random things, which is why I felt that photography class was perfect for me.” on Amy... “Amy did an excellent job designing her chair around Edward Hopper.

She incorporated [Hopper’s] work into a three-dimensional design that truly embodied the essence of his work in her finished chair,” Photography teacher Julie Miller said.

junior Malae Selepeo Advanced photography

“I like photography because it’s a way to express things that people really don’t know about me.

I hope to someday become a professional photographer as a hobby. My favorite photographer is Rodney Smith because I really like the way that he captures the things he takes pictures of.” on Malae... “The chair project is very involved and takes a lot of hard work and creative thinking. [Malae took a] famous artist and combined multiple works by the artist transforming them into a 3-D format (i.e.: chair). Photography teacher Julie Miller said.

junior Joel Currence Observational Drawing 2

“Art has really always been an escape from reality for me. It allows me to really create something in the world that I find good. It helps me cope with a lot of things in life.” on Joel... “Joel is really doing some great pastel, and acrylic artwork this year. He has developed a very strong understanding of light, color, and perspective so his work is really successful,” Debby Martin said.

junior Jordyn Boyce Sculpture 2 and Observational Drawing

“I like art because it helps me get my mind off things and I can express myself freely.” on Jordyn... “Jordyn is a hard worker and she is quite talented.

She puts all of her creativity and effort into her pieces and it shows when she is finished,” Sculpture teacher Tammi Kennedy said.

32 A&E

Review: American Hustle The Bell has dubbed this film Oscar worthy

Story by Zach Kilgas In the movie American Hustle, one character mentions a perfume you keep coming back to smell, even though it’s a little sour, because it’s so addicting.

Each individual character has their perfume with a sour touch, but I found myself unable to stop coming back and most importantly, I couldn’t stop watching it.

American Hustle pushes some of my favorite actors to new heights.

Christian Bale is no longer Batman in my mind, but a New Jersey con-man named Irving Rosenfeld who dreams of making it big by selling fake loans and “missing art.”

All memory of Amy Adams once being the lost princess in NYC or a companion to the Muppets was wiped from my brain when she appeared as the seductive Sydney Prosser or Lady Edith Greensly, the persona she invented in order to boost her and Irving’s con profits.

And finally, the girl on fire, Jennifer Lawrence, becomes Irving’s impulsive wife Rosalyn who will not be the first in her family to have a divorce. She warns Irving that he’ll never see his adopted son again if they separate.

Irving and the Sydney con their way through life, and their characters seem

Photo by Molly Meeks

tied to each other. Their romance seems to be a gamble, and both are at constant risk of being conned by the other.

A deal gone wrong results in our two favorite scam artists being forced to comply with an over zealous FBI agent.

His name is Richard DiMaso and he

dreams of ridding the Unite States of corruption. His plan is to reel in dirty officials with bribe money, and then expose them.

Along the way, the FBI’s scam becomes larger and Irving and Sydney are forced to play along. The scam gets larger and larger, and thus, more dangerous.

Eventually, the mob gets involved, and things reach a peak.

It’s at these moments when I sensed the raw emotions of the actors. I could feel their tension, and see the stress.

Irving is on the breach of a mental breakdown and heart attack. The scam got too big and everybody is in danger, including his son.

At times the plot did seem a little slow, but the characters were so personal, and complex I couldn’t peel myself away from the film. Each character drew me in with a different enticing scent. Rosalyn, for example, had a large mouth and foolish bravery which is a dangerous combination.

Then there is Sydney Prosser, who can shoot her emotions across the screen with a simple look. And finally, there is Irving who is torn in half and half again, but still manages to be brilliant.

I was captivated by the movie from start to end. Well, maybe after the first two minutes of Christian Bale gluing his toupee on… The movie does have its sour scents at times. If you find offense in harsh language, which I thought was the main reason of the R rating I’ll warn you not to see this movie. However, I loved the movie. For me the sour accented the plot.

LHS’s picks for the best movies of ‘13 “I would have to say that the most memorable movie, not the best movie of the year was August Osage County. It certainly had the best performances, but there’s nothing favorite about that. I also really liked Saving Mr. Banks,” Librarian Glory Fagan said.

“My favorite movie from 2013 was [A Madea Christmas]..

It came out before Christmas, but we saw it just before the new year. It has Tyler Perry and Larry the Cable guy.

It was so funny,” junior Mackenzie Herrman said.

Photos by Molly Meeks

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Preview: Macbeth

35 A&E

A sneak peak into LHS’s next theatrical production.

Story by Katie Crouch Liberty High School’s very own cast and crew of talented students are putting on Macbeth from February 20th through 22nd in the Little Theater. Tackling a Shakespearean play can be a hard task even for advanced actors and actresses, but a new spin on a classic play makes this production a must-see.

While many aspects of this play make it different, the circus theme is what really sets it apart.

“What separates this show from the others, is not only that we’re doing Shakespearean, but we’re doing a different adaptation of it, which is in the circus,” senior Turner Staton said.

“This play is full of cool stories. It’s more interesting and still great acting just like original Shakespeare,” junior Noah Pozel said.

The cast used all the same Shakespearean

Photos Jordan Wheelhouse and Molly Meeks

characters and the same themes; only the setting and time period are changed.

“The characters are going to be like bearded ladies, and Siamese twins and Macbeth is going to be a “Snake Man”,” Junior Noa Adams said. “He’s going to have scales all over his face.”

Not only are the students working hard to put on a great production, they are also learning a lot about different acting skills and acquiring new talent.

“It’s a very prestigious opportunity to do a Shakespearean play, and that’s something I really love about it,” Staton said. “A lot of shows are very simple for high schoolers and this is something that very very skilled actors don’t get to do.”

Though the performers get most of the glory and fame of their fellow theater lovers, the overall success of the play depends on the director as well.

“The students have been working very hard,” director of the play, Don Johnson said. “Shakespearean plays are extremely difficult. But I’m positive all this hard work will pay off.”

The students participating in the play are very thankful to have such a great director to help them.

“My favorite part about being in this play is getting to work with Mr. Johnson and all the kids and working together and figuring out how to make the show better,” Pozel said.

Come see Liberty High School’s rendition of Macbeth by William Shakespeare for a unique and unforgettable experience.

Tickets are $5 for students, children and seniors and $10 for adults.

“This play is definitely something you will never see again,” Staton said.

Below: Juniors Josie Emery, Noa Adams, and Austin Cable practice their lines

Above: Seniors Alex Hemphill and Turner Staton rehearse their roles as Banquo and Macbeth.

36 opinion

Do we agree with the decision to get rid of the Courtwarming dance?

Courtwarming or Court Boring?

Oh wait, you don’t know because you’ve never been there.

Up until this year, LHS, like many schools in the area, has hosted a Courtwarming dance. The hopes and dreams behind Courtwarming have been similar for many years. After the basketball boys win their hard fought game, the student section and players as a whole scurry through the wooden doors into the dance, where there are food, drinks, games, and everyone is having a blast. That is of course, just the dream.

Previously, the attendance has been extremely low. Having less than 10% of our students show up at the 2013 dance, StuCo made the decision that the dance will not be held this year.

Instead, LHS will host Spike-It-Up, will continue. The highly anticipated a volleyball tournament between the Senior Girls’ Lock-In will also be grades. offered this year.

Some may disagree with the decision, but if you really felt strongly about it, maybe you and your friends should have showed up at the previous dances.

The Bell staff agrees that hosting the volleyball tournament will be much more beneficial than the actual dance.

We will have extra money for Prom and other StuCo activities, that would have been wasted on Courtwarming.

The volleyball tournament will get many people involved and will Though we will not have an actual provide an enjoyable and competitive dance, not everything will change. atmosphere for all who are involved.

LHS will still vote for a Courtwarming King and Queen and the spirit week

Yes: 19 No: 2

photos by: Molly Meeks

The articles on these pages do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the entire Bell staff. Please feel free to comment, criticize, or condemn anything you see on this page in a Letter to the Editor at thebell@liberty.k12.mo.us

Opinion

When’s College?

Editor in Chief Madi Denton

I was recently accepted into the University of Missouri for the fall semester. As thrilled as I am to have been accepted, I do slightly wish I wouldn’t have found out so soon into my school year.

I have my blueprint for next year all laid out. I’ve been accepted into my dream school, plan to major in journalism, am rooming with my best friend, and hopefully will join a sorority. There are so many great things coming up, that the last thing I want to do is sit through College Algebra (no offense, Mrs. Langford).

My attention span is just not there, especially first hour.

Learning of my acceptance so early into my year is both good and bad. I’m overjoyed that I no longer have to stress about where my life is headed, but that future is now looming on the horizon and I’m just itching to speed up the clock. I feel like the whole process is packed into such a small timeframe,

that more time is spent planning next year than focusing on this one.

Now that I know where I’m going, I often find myself asking the question, “Why does this even matter?” as I do my homework. The “senioritis bug” works somewhat like the Devil on my shoulder, tempting me to spend more time dreaming of the future than focusing on the now. The Angel quickly reminds me, however, of how hard I had to work to get myself into my current position, and that the risk of losing my acceptance is not worth it.

I’m doing my best to not wish away my senior year. I’m trying to make the best of it, creating all kinds of social memories, while keeping in mind the importance of not bombing this year.

I look at it more like practice for the future. I’m just maintaining good habits.

Let’s Not Talk About it

up. But I cannot for the life of me say with absolute certainty where I am going next fall.

What am I supposed to do, put all the names in a hat? Flip a coin?

Is there an app for that?

I’m not one of the kids who has known their perfect school since birth. Whenever anyone asked me where I wanted to go, I’d usually respond with something sarcastic like, “Obviously Harvard,” or “I think I’ll just become a free spirit.”

Don’t even give me the, “Well have you visited the colleges?” or “Which one is the most affordable?”

I’ve gone on the visits to see another nice campus, well usually nice, and meet the seemingly nice people who tell you that their college is the best place on earth.

Then you get in the car and drive home, trying to talk through what you thought, even though you still aren’t any closer to a decision. All the

colleges are completely unaffordable.

Lucky for me my parents have already told me I can choose wherever I want and they will find a way to afford it, because believe it or not I don’t have eight-hundred-thousand to drop on a college tuition. Actually I don’t have eight-hundred-thousand period.

Here at school we get our hands held for most of the college process.

I can apply to college and request transcripts with my eyes closed. But now that I’m accepted all of that is behind me and suddenly it’s all me.

Where do I feel most at home? My house. Where are my friends going?

What school has the best program for what I want to study? Which one has the easiest drive? Is it too close to home? Too far away? All eyes are on me, waiting on the edge of their seat for my answer. All that’s left is for me to finally say: I’m choosing Drake.

Opinion

Where Did the Time Go? To some people a birthday is just another year passed with a new age that you turn. But do those people remember how it felt to turn 18? As February 20th rolls around I reflect, in a cliché way, on the almost 18 years that I have lived on this earth.

A frequent question people ask themselves as they turn into an adult in a matter of only one day is “where did the time go?” and I can’t help but ask myself the same question.

The importance of this age is such a drastic change compared to being the age of 17 and the thought of that makes me want to jump for joy but also go hold on to my mom’s leg as I deny the fact that I am going to be a legal adult.

I remember having to beg my parents to get my ears pierced and how I have to ask them to call me out when I am

sick due to the fact that I can’t sign myself out. All of these things make me realize how independent I will be and how excited I am to finally order things on the television without parental consent.

Everything about turning 18 is just sappy to me and I can’t seem to decide how I feel about it.

This is what every teenager waits for and all I can think of is how I’m ever going to get out of the habit of asking my mom to help make my lunch for me.

As paranoid of a person that I am, I couldn’t be more excited for this day to finally come.

With my countdown on my calendar getting crossed off day by day, I’m ready to have the title of an adult.

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37 opinion

photos by and courtesy of Molly Meeks

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39 opinion

Pro: Love is in the Air

I’ve given the concept of Valentine’s Day a lot of thought over the past couple of days. Given that it’s almost that time, my friends and I started talking about Valentine’s Day, and how even if you’re single, it’s still a great day.

So why not go all out for this special occasion?

In past years, I’ve never been too fond of this day, mainly because of my rather awkward experiences in middle school,

which I’d prefer not to relive. Let’s just say, Valentine’s Day never really worked out for me. But, now that I’m in high school, I’ve realized it’s actually not that bad. It’s actually pretty great!

To start, it shouldn’t make a huge difference whether or not you’re single, married, or in a relationship.

You should make it a day worth remembering. Take it as a chance to really show someone how much they mean to you. Valentine’s Day is one of the few days each year that people stop and acknowledge the love they have for those who really matter.

Secondly, love should not just be limited to your significant other. Love is all around, and that you can express it in many different ways. Just like how there are tons of ways you can go all out for Valentine’s Day. Be creative, make that special someone something meaningful. Or you could always stop and pick up a bouquet of flowers, and top it off with a box of chocolates and a cute card.

The way I see it, you don’t necessarily

By Reporter Michael McHale

have to be a big spender to get the best out of Valentine’s Day; all you need is to be with the one you love. Then you’re set.

All in all, Valentine’s Day is a great day, where people get the chance to stop and say, “I love you” to those who matter to them. Going all out makes it so much better, though! Everyone loves a chance to get cleaned up and go out for a night on the town with their sweetheart. And, hey, if you’re single like me, it’s no big deal.

Your time to go all out will come soon enough. In the meantime, go all out, in your own way. This year, I think my version of going all out will involve sweat pants, chocolate covered pretzels and Netflix.

It’s not all about being with the right guy or the perfect girl. It’s about taking a second to let people know that they matter. Besides, when else can someone get you a giant teddy bear with flowers and chocolates, and it not be a totally weird situation?

What is your idea of the perfect Valentine’s Day?

Dinner and a movie with your special someone. 31% 23% Hanging with friends. Can you say single?

Roses, giant teddy bear, the whole Sha-Bang 24% 14% Other *Poll of 395 LHS students I hate Valentine’s Day 8% photos by Molly Meeks and Michael McHale

Con: Let’s Not Get Crazy Let me first make one thing clear, I do not hate Valentine’s Day. I actually really enjoy it. There’s so much love in the air and people are genuinely happy. But let’s just be honest and say, while we are still in high school, the over the top Valentine’s Day antics are unnecessary.

I’m sure at this point hundreds of girls have already crumpled my article out of pure rage. How dare I even suggest not going overboard with the Valentine festivities?

But hear me out.

Every time February 14 rolls around, there are tons of girls who end up being disappointed by the gift or date their significant other planned. They’ve spent an entire year dreaming up this elaborate plan for their perfect Valentine’s day, chalked full of giant teddy bears, twelve dozen roses, a romantic carriage ride, dinner at a fancy restaurant, incredible and time consuming Pinterest crafts, and basically everything else besides someone getting down on one

By Opinion Editor Molly Meeks

knee. So when this fairytale date doesn’t live up to expectations they’re left unhappy. I can’t help but ask, why?

Your boyfriend, girlfriend, or the person you’re “talking” to goes through the trouble to plan something they think you will really like on Valentine’s Day. It might not be the crazy extravagant day you had in mind, but let’s just remember we’re still in high school.

There is still time for your perfect date. They at least made the effort to do something that will make you smile. Wait until you both have a real job that pays more than minimum wage, and have met the love of your life, then, by all means go all out for Valentine’s Day. That way you will be with the girl/guy of your dreams and will not go completely broke the next time February 14 rolls around.

A simple Valentine’s Day is the way to go.

A bouquet of her favorite flowers, and nice romantic date to an affordable restaurant or going to see the new romantic comedy,

something to show you care. You are spending the day with someone you really enjoy being with, just getting to spend the day with them should be more than enough.

40 Sports

Promotions and Commotion

Sports Marketing 2 has been hard at work with fun ideas to promote basketball games.

Story by Jeffrey Walters Photos by Sadie Zipsie and Kristen Poe

The girl’s basketball team has had some pretty spectacular promotions going on to get a bigger fan base at each of their basketball games. The promotions have consisted of flyers around school, posted information on social media, emails, word of mouth and the biggest promotion advertisement, a car out in the front of the school.

“The way we, sports marketing, came up with the promotions were just brainstorming ideas and going through with it,” junior Ashlyn Herrington said.

“Sports marketing 2 and the sponsors themselves came up with ways to help promote our liberty high school events,” marketing teacher Sara Havermenn said.

The main question on everyone’s mind was, how did they get the car, or what some people call it, the bugger on wheels, “Gary Crosby Ford is our sponsor and provided the car for the halftime show, ” Herrington said.

“Our sponsors from Gary Crosby Ford actually came up with the idea with the car,” Havermann said.

The person that won the opportunity to win the car was senior Taylor Denney.

“I was excited, but I didn’t even know if it was my ticket or not at first so I didn’t know if I should walk out there or not,” Denney said. “Since I wasn’t 18, I wasn’t able to do what you needed to win the car so I asked someone over 18 to do it for me, “I didn’t expect to win because it was impossible to make. If I would have won I would have sold it and kept the money.”

A varsity basketball player very much enjoyed the promotions.

Sophomore Sydney Offield said, “I liked the promotions because it promotes people to go to the games. This year there’s easily 10 or 15 new people that come to each game but the boy’s basketball team has been very supportive of our games. I think it does have a little effect on how we play because it

Above: Seniors Jacob Zimmerman, Jonah Korondi, Austin Throckmorton, junior Cassidy Paul, and senior Charlie Raasch accept Athlete of the Month awards from Gary Crossley Ford. Top Right: The Ford Fiesta that Gary Crossley Ford donated to be won by a lucky liberty basketball fan.

Bottom Right: The challenge that a raffle winner must accomplish to win the Ford Fiesta.

shows that people support us and it makes us want to play harder.”

“Since no one won the car at the first game we will do the same thing for the men’s game,” Herrington said. “If no one ends up winning it will go back to our sponsor Ford.

There will be new promotions.

“There will be new and different prizes and were thinking about raffling the two bikes donated from price chopper,” Herrington said.

“Price Chopper is another sponsors of ours, they donated two bike to us,” Havermann said.

There will be plenty more opportunities for a Blue Jay to win the bugger on wheels whether its from a raffle or some type of contest, so don’t miss out on more chances at the car, so go support your Blue Jays.

Your Liberty With a 53-52 point overtime win against Raytown, the Liberty Blue Jays brought home the championship from the C.W. Stessman Tournament. The Jays went 3-0 throughout the tournament, playing teams like St. Joe Central and Center. Way to go Jays!

Above: senior Brady Newland Right: junior AJ Cambric Below: senior Brandon Cardiff, juniors AJ Cambric and Matt Alvey and coaches Roger Stirtz and Brady Hammond Left: senior Kellan Turner

Photos by Nicole Throckmorton

42 Sports

F E B R U A R Y

“To me swimming is an escape from everything because when I swim I don’t have to focus on anything else. It has helped me make a lot of new friends and become a lot more involved in the school.”

“Olivia has been a great addition to our team this year.

It has been fun watching her improvement this year and I am excited to see what she can accomplish in her high school career.”

-Coach Chris Murphy “Olivia is a really great swimmer especially since she hasn’t been swimming competitively that long. She is awesome at butterfly which gives our relay a great advantage.”

-Sophomore Alex Kretsinger

James Bednar Sophomore Height: 6’ 5” Position: Forward Years Playing Basketball: 6 years Favorite food: Turkey Sandwiches

photo by Grayson Osborn

Olivia Stripling Freshman Height: 5’ 5” Event: 100 fly Years Swimming: 5 years Favorite food: Cheeseburger and Fries

photo by Arley Emery

B O B B L E J A Y S

20

“I like basketball because it allows you to meet a lot of people and make new friends. I also like how we get to travel a lot and see a bunch of cities.”

“James does an incredible job of representing our basketball program on and off the court. He is an exceptional student and very talented and dedicated athlete.”

-Coach Roger Stirtz “James is one of the hardest workers that I know. Not only does he work hard in school, but he constantly works on his game in practice and out of practice. I admire his work ethic. He always has a great attitude, and is very competitive which helps the team succeed.”

-Sophomore Jacob Goodman

43 Sports

F E B R U A R Y

LIBERTY

5

Mckenzie Still Height: 5’8” Grade: Senior Event(s): 100 Freestyle Time Swimming: 2 years Favorite Food: Fettuccine Alfredo

photo by Summer Turner

photo by Grace George

Chiarra Franklin Height: 5’7” Grade: Junior Position: Forward Time Playing Basketball: 10 years Favorite Food: Lasagna

“In my opinion basketball is one of the best sports ever because it teaches you how to be well rounded by playing both offense and defense and that is a skill that you will need for the rest of your life.”

“I like swimming because it’s something you have to work really hard for but at the same time it is extremely rewarding. It is a very physical and mental sport and you constantly have to challenge yourself to be better.”

“Chiarra is a thrill to coach. She works extremely hard to improve offensively and defensively as a player.”

“McKenzie has developed into a leader on my team in just 2 years as a swimmer, she has a great work ethic and she gets along with everyone. It has been great seeing her hard work pay off in the pool.”

-Assitant Coach Zach Werner “Chi-Chi is a positive, vocal leader. She tries to keep the energy up at practice and always has something encouraging to say.”

-Sophomore Sydney Offield

-Coach Chris Murphy “Mckenzie is a great competitor, she is always pushing people to try and do their best. She is a great friend to have while you’re working out or competing.”

-Senior Brooke Popejoy

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