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Classic Nutcracker takes local spin
Students strap on pointe shoes and don tutus for unique holiday show BY ELLA MAGERL For two students, the holiday spirit centers around ballet. The Lawrence Arts Center’s winter performance will be the Sesquicentennial Edition of the Kansas Nutcracker. “Where in the traditional Nutcracker, [Clara] dreams of sugar plums in the land of sweets, in Kansas, Clara dreams of cavalry and snakes and snowstorms,” said Lawrence Arts Center artistic director of performing arts Ric Averill. The role of Older Clara is filled by senior Emma
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Davison and senior Shelby Steichen is the Snow Queen. Davison has been in the Nutcracker since it started in 2002. She got involved through the ballet classes she was taking at the Arts Center. For Davison, the Nutcracker is “really Christmas-y and fun to do.” Averill is the playwright and stage director for the ballet. He also plays the part of Godfather Drosselmeier. “When the Arts Center opened its new building in 2002, we wanted to do a production that would celebrate our entire performing arts team, including
students, professionals and community members,” Averill said. The Arts Center first performed the Kansas Nutcracker in winter 2002. That version ran for six years, alternating with an original dance-drama written and composed by Averill based on The Snow Queen fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The Kansas Nutcracker returned in 2011, updated from an 1856 setting to the 1861 Sesquicentennial Edition. “Artistic director and choreographer Deb Bettinger conceived the setting, setting the opening party (scene) in the days of Bleeding Kansas and
having the characters and history of Kansas become the material for the dreams of Clara,” Averill said. When they changed to the 1861 version, historic characters such as the first governor of Kansas, Charles Robinson, and his wife, Sara, were added, along with Sen. James Lane. Continued on page 2
Senior Emma Davison poses in sous-sus during the Snow Dance of the Lawrence Arts Center’s Sesquicentennial edition of the Kansas Nutcracker. “I like that it’s personalized for Lawrence, and I think that’s cool,” Davison said. Photo by Ella Magerl
Vol. 123, Issue 5, Dec. 12, 2012
Nutcracker: Students play lead roles in local production Continued from page 1 “We embrace the courageous and creative Lawrencian history with the traditional Nutcracker music, expressed by a mandolin-flavored orchestra, telling and dancing the story of a young girl overwhelmed by her world,” Bettinger said. The directors kept the audience in mind when conceiving the performance. “The music is Tchaikovsky, but the arrangement is for the 12-piece Free State Liberation Orchestra and includes two mandolins and a mandolin cello,” Averill said. “The result of the orchestration is to give a folksy or local feel to the music, very familiar to the public.” For the performers, this adaptation provides an opportunity to take on roles
slightly different from the traditional Nutcracker. “I like that it’s personalized for Lawrence,” Davison said. Along with the role of Older Clara, Davison performs as a clown toy, a dewdrop and snow. Senior Sarah Sutterfield has been involved in the Nutcracker both as a performer and spectator. “I was actually in the first Nutcracker that [the Arts Center] ever did, and I was a little rat, which was awesome,” Sutterfield said. Although Sutterfield didn’t continue her involvement in the Nutcracker in later years, she still enjoys watching the performance. “I always attend now to watch [Stei-
chen perform] and to reminisce on my part as one of the Rat King’s minions,” Sutterfield said. This year the Kansas Nutcracker will be performed seven times in December. “Fatigue is the hardest condition,” Bettinger said. “We rehearse for eight weeks, spending many hours plodding through the material and perfecting the material to the best of our abilities.” Davison said that one of the most difficult aspects is “not getting way too tired.” The amount of time spent rehearsing can affect performers physically and socially. “Advanced pointe students have sore and blistered feet,” Bettinger said. “Managing family and friend pressures for time and attention can also be stressful.
Commitment can mean sacrifice.” The hard work pays off in the end, resulting in a performance showcasing the talents of more than 110 dancers and actors. Some of these performers start out at 8 years old, advancing in roles as they advance in technical capabilities. “The growth of the performers is the most rewarding,” Bettinger said. “Roles demand technical proficiency. Hence, there is a ladder of accomplishment and artistry. Our present dance students are talented, having studied for many years, and some are stepping up to roles that have only been professional in the past.” Considering all of the hard work and talent, Averill notes there are many things to look forward to in the performance.
Performances “A Kansas Nutcracker” closes this weekend at the Lawrence Arts Center. Remaining performances are: ■7 p.m. Friday ■2 p.m. Saturday ■7 p.m. Saturday ■2 p.m. Sunday Lawrence Arts Center, www.lawrenceartscenter.org “I think my favorite moment is the battle between the mice and the toy soldiers, especially when the Mouse King is challenged by the Nutcracker Prince,” Averill said. “And the dance of the Snow Queen... there are so many things to love. Including a pig.”
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Rallying his minions, the Mouse King performs the fight between the toy soldiers and Kurt. “The scene where they kill the [Mouse] King [and] his little minions drag him off stage, that is the most adorable thing because all the little girls are just so sad and wiping away their tears with their tails,” senior Sarah Sutterfield said. “It’s cute.” The show has seven showings between Dec. 7-16 at the Lawrence Arts Center. Photo by Ella Magerl
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Dec. 12, 2012
Seniors prepare to make early exit Just 34 students take advantage of early graduation at semester, although more qualified for priviledge
BY MARA MCALLISTER As winter break approaches, students are eager to take a break from homework, studying and finals. But for some seniors this break from school will be much longer. They will finish their high school careers early and graduate at the end of this semester. To graduate students need 23 credits, and the new schedule allows for more students to acquire these and qualify for early graduation. “With the new schedule of seven hours per day, by the end of junior year, students are at 21 credits if they’ve passed everything they’re enrolled in — more than that if they take a zero hour,” counselor Lori Stussie said. Thirty-four seniors are expected to graduate early this year. About five juniors intend to graduate a year early. Stussie finds that statistic surprising because many more students could graduate early. “I think probably about 80 percent of our students could graduate at semester if they choose to,” Stussie said. Students graduating early have varied reasons for doing so but the majority feel ready to move forward with their lives beyond high school. “I’m ready to get out of high school,” senior Katy Brady said. Brady’s sentiments were expressed by other students as well. “School just isn’t really my thing,” senior Tanner
Theilen said. “If I could get out earlier with a little bit harder work load, why not?” Stussie cautions students against rushing into the real world too quickly though. “I think one thing that’s important to remember is that you only get to do high school once,” Stussie said. “I would hate for a student to give up the opportunity to participate in high school activities because they’re in a big hurry to go out and join the real world.” But the real world is an alluring place for students like senior Yoonji Seo. Seo is graduating at semester with the intention to go to university in her native country Korea to study piano. Graduating early was a necessity for her to accomplish these goals. “In Korea, they have a different system,” Seo said. “They start school in March, so if I make it there I didn’t want to start later than other people.” Seo is one of the few seniors interviewed who planned to immediately pursue classes after graduating early. Another student planning to enter the workforce is senior MacKenzie Breithaupt. Breithaupt plans to work full time next semester before going to college in the fall of 2013, but she is unsure about her decision. “I’m scared I’m going to have a hard time getting back into the school routine after a semester off,” Breithaupt said. Although she’s nervous, Breithaupt is also excited
for what the future holds. “I’m excited to get away from the school stress and drama,” Breithaupt said. “I’m also looking forward to getting my first job and opening myself up to the real world.”
Singing out, senior Yoonji Seo pursues her love of music during her fifth hour A Cappella class. Also a pianist, Seo plans to continue studying music after graduating early. Photo by Keyty Ashcraft
War on Terror turns families’ focus to fighting
Long after 9/11 struck the nation, seniors and faculty continue to face effects of war in Afghanistan BY LILY ABROMEIT
Wearing his Marine uniform, Levi Flohrschutz poses in May 2012.
Photo courtesy of Amy Flohrschutz
When Danny Affaltar was a senior at Lawrence High in 2001, he had his plan for the future: attend Kansas State University and become an architect. But after the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, thwarted attack on the Capitol, and the breakout of the War on Terror, Affaltar, son of LHS registrar Diannia Affaltar, knew there would be a war and his life altered. He decided to enlist in the US military. “When I heard of the war, I was excited because we were going to get those [people] that did horrible things to our country,” Affalter said. “The military has always been something that I wanted to do.” Danny Affaltar has been on two tours, the first from December 2005 to Decem-
ber 2006 and the second from March 2008 to April 2009. For his first deployment, he was in northern Baghdad. The second was in downtown Baghdad. Bookkeeper Amy Flohrschutz’s son, Levi Flohrschutz, is also in training to be in the military, specifically as a Marine. Because they have a close connection to the war, families like Affaltar’s and Flohrshutz’s are constantly thinking about the war. “[I think about it every day] because my son will graduate [from his training] in December, and chances are that he will get deployed, so I think about it every day,” Flohrschutz said. For current high school students, the War on Terror has held a constant presence since their early elementary school years. Because today’s teenagers were so
young when this war began, many can’t remember a time without it. Seniors, for example, were in first grade when the attacks occurred, with some watching footage of the attacks at school. But more than 11 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, national support for war efforts is waning. According to a CBS News poll conducted in March 2012, 69 percent of Americans polled thought that the United States should no longer be involved in Afghanistan. The percentage of people who thought the United States was doing the right thing fighting in Afghanistan was 23 percent. This number marked the lowest approval rating recorded by CBS News since the war began. “I think it could have been avoided,” junior Garrett Girard said. “I don’t think
it was something we needed to get involved with.” Despite opposition and indifference to the war, it is still very much real. According to Diannia Affaltar, not every aspect of this war is a negative and people need to work focus on the good things happening in Afghanistan and Iraq. “I think that there’s a lot of good out there, and we just don’t see it,” said Diannia Affaltar, whose daughter, Sarah, is in the Air Force. “There’s good out of all of our soldiers being over there. [It’s] not just a negative thing.” More than a decade of war has shown the country that it’s not “invincible,” but soldiers still have an important role to play, Flohrschutz said. “I think they have [accomplished their mission but] I think there’s still work to be done,” Flohrschutz said.
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Students juggle work and school Many LHS students choose to balance a part time job while still pursuing their high school education
BY ASHLEY HOCKING
work and school, like senior Valerie Schulz. Schulz balances her school work and For many high school students, worknot just one part-time job, but three. She ing part time, squeezing in time to study, is a sandwich maker and cashier at Jimmy and trying to maintain a social life are Johns, representative at Vector, and a difficult tasks to manage. babysitter. Balancing a high school education “I can’t do extracurriculars because and a part-time job can induce stress for I don’t have time to do work and school some students who make the decision to and extracurriculars, so I do work and juggle both. school, but that’s it” Schulz said. Junior Sarah Kucza often finds herself For many students, finding time to sacrificing her free time on weekends. study doesn’t always happen. Kucza is a courtesy Senior Marshall Bonham, clerk at Dillons. “It’s important to let waiter at Macelis and “[When you have a your employer know that referee at little league job,] you have to work school is important to you basketball games, found a lot on weekends,” and that it comes first,” himself in this predicament Kucza said. “And you -junior Matt Dominguez last year. don’t get to do as “I used to work at Hy-Vee, much stuff with your and I was working like 25 friends.” hours [a week]. I never had time for homeJunior Matt Dominguez also finds work,” Bonham said. “Now I just work on himself often having to adjust his daily the weekends, so it’s not that hard.” schedule for work. Dominguez is curSome students stray away from getting rently balancing his part time job as a a part-time job for fear they won’t have sous chef at Lawrence Country Club and time to balance it with the studying they being a member of the wrestling team. need to do for their classes, extracurricu“Usually I don’t sleep,” Dominguez lars that they are a part of, and a social life said. “It definitely takes a lot of work to that they wish to uphold. get homework done after a long shift or “Don’t be afraid to get a job because waking up early.” you think you won’t have time because Some students opt out of participating most employers are really nice about it,” in extra curriculars in order to balance
Kucza said. “If you ask off when you need off, then they won’t schedule you.” According to Dominguez, most employers in Lawrence are understanding about scheduling conflicts that overlap
with school. “It’s important to let your employer know that school is important to you and that it comes first,” Dominguez said. “School is first, and then work is second.”
Working a weekend shift, senior Valerie Schulz makes a sandwich at Jimmy Johns. Schulz balances three part-time jobs, while still in high school.
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Students sprint to beat the tardy bell In five-minute passing periods, students dodge traffic to cover long distances in route to their next classes BY VAIL MOSHIRI The path from class to class is normally taken at a walking pace with plenty of distractions on the way. It’s no wonder students find it tough to make it from the north side of the building to the annex. But what if you ran it? We asked sprinter Asaph Jewsome who normally runs a 10.5 in the 100-meter dash to run the path from the band room to Jeff Plinsky’s debate room — the two classrooms furthest apart in school. “I feel really bad for anyone that has to walk that far,” said Jewsome, a senior who will be going out for track again this year. It took us 4 minutes and 15 seconds to walk the path. Jewsome ran it in 1:06. “Me running, the halls are basically clear, and I had to dodge a couple people during that,” said Jewsome, who put on running shoes for the undertaking. “I can’t imagine what it’d be like with crowded hallways in
Walking up the stairs to the English hallway, junior Eric Martinez makes his way to class. Photo by Vail Moshiri
there. I don’t know how anybody would make it to class on time.” It can be tough getting to class on time, especially if you need to run by your locker or the restroom. But short of sprinting, how is it that some people in annex classes still manage to be on time? “My tips to them would be to try to avoid dense areas like the mini-rotunda, or the rotunda itself, and try to go around,” junior Eric Martinez said. Solid advice, but it’s almost guaranteed you have to go through one or both of the rotundas through part of the day. Martinez looks left and right -- as if he’s sharing a well-guarded secret -- and continues with his advice: “Go outside.” He really means it. Go outside to avoid the crowds, and the time you spend walking in and out will be significantly less than the time you may spend trying to push through the mobs of students. Freshman Kaitlyn Preut has a simpler, straightforward strategy. “Just walk fast,” she said. “Usually I try to find an opening. There aren’t really a lot of challenges.”
Music director describes upcoming musical
Students, faculty hard at work preparing for this year’s school musical, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ BY ZIA KELLY On Jan. 24-26 students will put on a production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” Directors needed to find people who could take on a role and interpret it through song and dance as well as acting. Choral director Dwayne Dunn explains what makes a good performer and what they are looking for in lead roles.
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Q: How have you liked your first few months teaching at LHS? A: “It’s been good. It’s been very busy. Students are very hard-working. I think that it’s going to go well.” Q: What is your prior experience with directing musicals? A: “Well, I’ve been involved with musical since high school myself. I have been involved as music director, as conductor, as a performer and as an accompanist. I have probably about 50 shows under my belt.” Q: What are you most excited about coming up to Fiddler on the Roof? A: “Well, Fiddler on the Roof is a great show. It has wonderful music. It has a lot of parts to feature a lot of different students. It has an interesting story and history lesson that’s part of it, and I think it’s one of those shows that in addition to providing an opportunity for students to perform, it kind of gives them a mini history lesson about that particular time.” Q: What sort of things did you see in auditions from actors?
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A: “Well they have to go through three parts of the audition. They sing a song, then they have to do a monologue from the script and then a dance audition and some movement. So we are looking for the combination of those three things. That needs to be strong. Some kids are a little better singers, some a little better actors.” Q: What characteristics make for a good actor in a musical? A: “It has to be somebody that can make us believe their that character. We don’t want to see a Lawrence High School student pretending to be someone else, we want to see the character from the show. And so they have to start thinking about the obstacles that this character has to overcome, what are the emotions that they may feel in this situation, and then how can they express those things in their facial expressions, in their body language, in the way they use their voice, all of those things.” Q: In this particular play, how big of a role does music play among other aspects? A:“It’s pretty big. You know a lot of the main character, we hear his thoughts. He has a lot of conversations with himself. He is trying to figure out how important it is to hold up the tradition of the past versus changing to accommodate things that are going on now. He does this a lot through music. He has these musical moments where he is thinking through his thought process. We hear his thought process, but it is all done through music.” Q: What do you think will be some of the bigger challenges when
preparing the music for the production? A: “There are a lot of people involved, so we have a lot of schedules involved in trying to get everybody together to work and accomplish things. That will be challenging. We’ll have challenges with our stage. It’s not quite as big as it needs to be for the size cast the we have, so everyone has to figure out how not run over each other, to not bump into each other out there.” Q: What is the difference between this play here at LHS and other productions that you have worked on? A: “I came here from a school where music theater and the theater department was much bigger and did a lot more productions. Here there is a musical every other year, whereas there we did a big school musical every year, plus we had a music theater class that did other productions during the year, and so, it’s different here, because there’s not as many students involved in the theater program. We have a lot of first-timers, so this will be their very first show.” Q: Do you have any predictions based on anything you have seen so far — at auditions or in class — that would tell you how the production will go? A: “We have very good singers, so I think the music part will hold up very well. I think we will have to see as we get into rehearsals how the acting and dancing parts will go. The students are all very willing and anxious to try and explore things. You can do a lot with people who are willing to work at it. So I think they will be just fine.”
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Poems adorn restrooms English department decorates boys bathroom poetically BY COLTON LOVELACE “That inescapable animal walks with me, has followed me since the black womb held,” isn’t the normal writing you’d see in the bathrooms. But in the English hallway men’s restroom, you are able to read poems while using the restroom. Michael Carriger, chairman of the English department, was the first to have the idea to put poems above urinals. Q: Why did you put poems above the urinals? A: “For a while, the English Department has wanted to put a new focus on poetry, and we have been looking for every chance we have, can find, to put poems in front of students. It seemed like an opportunity to have students read a poem without needing to write about it or be graded on.” Q: What was the criteria for the poems that you selected? A: “None. If I like ‘em, then they go up.” Q: Out of all the poems, which is your favorite and why? A: “Oh I have no favorite. Who’s your favorite child? What’s your favorite cloud? They’re all good.” Q: Did you have to get permission from anybody in order for this to happen? A: “Not permission per say, but I did talk with Mr. [assistant principal Mike] Norris about getting the plastic sleeves to go up, and he’s the one that put those up for us. So it took us awhile. We wanted them up before parent teacher conferences, and we were able to put them up that week.” Q: What has the response been like
to the poems? A: “I haven’t heard anything. I’ve seen a few giggles coming out of the bathroom, and I assume that’s about the poems. But nobody has really said anything about them.” Q: Would other spots in the school seem like good destinations for more poetry? A: ”Oh of course, but you know that too much of a good thing might be bad, so we’ll see. We’ll start here, and I don’t want to necessarily have to walk over the whole building all week putting up poems, so you know, we’ll see.” Q: Has LHS done any things unusual like this in the past? If so, what? A: “Well, we’ve had some strange things from time to time. Some teachers put some words or poems facing toward the street, and that was several years ago. And we’ve had like a March Madness with poetry, where students would select
Neatly displayed, the poems hang on the walls above the urinals in the boys bathroom in the English hallway.
Photo by Vail Moshiri which poem would go to the next round. So we’ve done some things like this, but it is the first time in the bathroom.” Q: Is the English Department planning anything else exciting and unusual for the school this year? A: ”Everyday is exciting and unusual in the English department at Lawrence High School. Well no, but once a month Mr. [Bill] Patterson and The Graffiti staff put on an open mic poetry reading in the library, and we may have some contests and things coming up later on in the year. And National Poetry Month is in April, so we’ll probably do something around that, but you know everyday is exciting for us.”
Senior utilizes musical talents
Senior Adam Edmonds takes advantage of musical opportunities at school
BY KATRINA JACOBSEN While many travel all over the school for their classes, senior Adam Edmonds spends the majority of his school day in one place: the music wing. A participant of four choirs, two bands and AP Music Theory, Edmonds is well prepared for his future as a music educator.
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Q: What is the hardest part about participating in so many music programs, both in school and extracurricular? A: “The hardest part is juggling all of them and probably finding time to eat dinner. You just never find time to go eat dinner or swing by your house between after school and after-school rehearsals.” Q: What is your favorite part about being so involved in the LHS music department? A: “I think my favorite part is all the people I get to be involved with. You get to meet a lot of friends and hang out around a lot of cool people who share similar interests that you do.” Q: What have you learned from being in so many music programs? A: “I’ve learned how to really deal with younger kids. You get to learn and watch how the teacher directs things, and then that kind of reflects on me — how I should deal with kids and kind of teach them leading sectionals or
whatever it may be.” Q: What are your plans for music after you graduate? A: “I want to go into a music education program in college and hopefully be in a marching band as well as sing in choir, so I’ll try to find a way to juggle it all at the collegiate level. I’m looking at KU, North Texas, Missouri State University and maybe Indiana.” Q: What advice would you give to a student wanting to participate in the music programs but afraid they wouldn’t be good enough or wouldn’t fit in? A: “You have to go for it because if you don’t, you’ll never know, and you’ll always be wondering what could have been. Once you get involved, you’ll realize there’s kids from all over the school involved in these programs. If you’re worried that you aren’t good enough, just find a way to push yourself. I think self-motivation is huge, and our directors do a really good job of pushing kids forward in that.”
Dec. 12, 2012
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BY CANDACE BARNES For the first time in two years, the Chesty Lion is making appearances at games. The person behind the mask is senior Anna Springe, someone who normally wouldn’t be seen at games, except for in the band section. Springe was the one at the football games who got the crowd pumped up. Now, she’ll be getting everyone excited at the basketball games as well. “I am the embodiment of school spirit, so I guess it means that I have to be the one that’s making everyone really excited about things,” Springe said. But for Springe, it’s not just for the high school games. “I’d really like to be Baby Jay at KU,” Springe said. Springe would have to give up band in order to be Baby Jay. But mascotting would give her an opportunity to still interact with the band. “[It would be] giving me a connection to something I [would] have to give up,” Springe said. Mascotting has not only opened new doors for Springe, but helps her branch out of her comfort zone. “I have Asperger’s syndrome, so I’m very sensitive to noise
Dancing to the fight song, senior Anna Springe gains confidence by wearing the Chesty costume.
Photo by Abby Gillam and I’m very sensitive to touch, and I generally can’t be in places where it’s really loud or people are touching me,” Springe said. “But when I’m wearing the suit, I’m completely covered, so it blocks it out. I can be a normal person. People hug me, I can be jumped on, I can be in really loud places and be OK with it. So it’s giving me a chance to do normal things.” Having Asperger’s makes it difficult for Springe to be in loud, over stimulating situations. “It’s frustrating for her I think because people don’t really realize what’s going on,” Skylar Rehm, a friend of Springe’s said. Chesty has helped Springe overcoming her fears. “With all the stuff she has to go through, having a way to be involved in the games is really good for her,” Rehm said. “It’s definitely a much more social role than she typically takes.” Mascotting is a way for her to interact with fellow students in ways she wouldn’t normally be able to. “You’re more than human, in a sense, because you’re a giant person in a suit,” Springe said. “Nobody sees you as a person.”
Athletes test their sports knowledge JORDAN BROWN It is a given that athletes know their sport very well, but how well do they know other sports? We decided to quiz six LHS senior athletes on sports they don’t play. Here are their answers:
Sterling Fuller - Basketball: Do you know what is the perfect game for bowling? “Bro, I know this. It’s 300.”
Austin Bennett - Bowling: Do you know what the highest score you can receive in gymnastics? “Um, the highest score is a 10.”
Grace Morgan - Cross Country: Do you know how many football players can be on the field at once? “No. I’m going to guess 11?”
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Tyrone Jenkins - Football: Do you know what is it called when you score on a serve in tennis? “When you score a serve in tennis, give me some time, I don’t know what it is. Um... It’s 20-love.”
Carly Davis - Tennis: Do you know how heavy a shot put is? “Um... I guess like 10 [pounds] maybe?”
Hunter Haralson - Wrestling: Do you know what the shortest outdoor race in track is? “The... 100-meter dash.” Correct Answers: (1) 300. (2) Varies depending on the state. In Kansas, 10. (3) 11, and 22 if you count both teams. (4) Ace. (5) Olympic men - 16 lbs. High school men - 12 lbs. Olympic and high school girls 8.8 lbs. (6) 100-meter dash.
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Budget Elf Experiment takes interesting turn
The Budget is published every three weeks and distributed free of charge to students and faculty at Lawrence High School, 1901 Louisiana, Lawrence, Kan. 660462999. The Budget is produced by students in the Digital Journalism and Digital Design and Production courses with occasional contributions from 21st Century Journalism and guest columnists. The newspaper’s goals are to inform, entertain and present a forum of expression for students, faculty, administrators and community members. The newspaper is financed through advertising and staff fundraising. The editorial staff is solely responsible for the content of this newspaper, and views expressed in The Budget do not necessarily reflect those of the administration of Lawrence High School or USD 497.
An attempt at spreading holiday cheer goes sour when Buddy Buddy the elf goes missing BY LOUISA HOLLAND Once upon a November day, I was filled with a brilliant idea. I wondered if I could raise high school students’ holiday spirit with a simple holiday contest that involved finding a cute little elf, and being rewarded with candy. That is why I invited my new friend, Buddy Buddy the Elf, to come to LHS the week after Thanksgiving. I dubbed this idea “The Elf Experiment.” When I first launched the Elf experiment, I figured it would generate some sort of buzz. Tweets, pictures and many visits to the Student Council window proved my thoughts correct. But I had no idea the type of adventure I was actually in for. The first three days of the project went pretty well. Many students found Buddy Buddy, got their candy for revealing his location of the day and were filled with holiday spirit. For the first couple days, the most trouble that Buddy Buddy went through was that someone put him in a headstand position. It was a good thing that Buddy Buddy had some natural flexibility! Generally, the student body was excited about the contest. One hundred and twenty eight people officially came to the STUCO window to receive candy during the first three days. But things took a
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turn for the scandalous on Thursday. Buddy Buddy was left in the robot newsbin in the rotunda (his location for the contest that day) after school. My fellow colleague on the Budget staff had not had the time to collect Buddy Buddy after lunch and thus he was left in the bin. Somehow Buddy Buddy went from being in the newsbin after school to the girls restroom over by Latin teacher Jason Litche’s room. Since the Budget staff hadn’t gotten a hold of Buddy Buddy, and because he was in the bathroom, he was not in his Thursday location for the contest and chaos ensued. After talking to student council members and finding out he was in the girls’ bathroom, I searched every girls bathroom in LHS. He was nowhere to be found. Buddy Buddy was officially missing in action. I tried to pick up any leads. It wasn’t until the end of the day Thursday when a friend told me she had seen Buddy in a backpack that I had any clues as to where Buddy might be. Since it sounded like Buddy had gone home with someone else, the contest seemed like it was off for good. I began to grow quite distraught. My adorable Buddy Buddy was gone. Would somebody really want to be that cruel to crush the rising holiday spirit? I didn’t know what to think. Thankfully, during my newspaper hour on Friday, things changed. I found someone who had a lead. Freshman Elliott Abromeit had seen Buddy Buddy in a fellow classmates backpack. Abromeit walked into his class and asked if anybody knew anything about Buddy Buddy the Elf. Apparently, Buddy Buddy was in a freshman’s backpack. About 30 seconds later, he came back out with Buddy Buddy in hand and said, “Here you go!” Buddy Buddy was officially back in my possession and I was stunned by the turn of events. Although the contest ended up not occurring on Thursday and Friday, the experiment seemed to do its job. Holiday spirit was increased according to many people and even without Buddy, many students still enjoyed at least getting some sugar. And despite the fact Buddy Buddy was taken, he was returned. I am glad to say that LHS students are quite cheerful and that when in doubt, they do do the right thing. If that doesn’t increase your holiday spirit, I really don’t know what else will.
Buddy Buddy the Elf was placed on an air vent Monday Nov. 26 on the staircase by the film room before going missing on Thursday Nov. 29. “I was just glad that Buddy was safe,” freshman Elliott Abromeit said of the elf’s safe return. Photo by Abby Gillam
The not so ‘United’ States of America
States discussing succession question our political leaders BY HARLEY PHELPS Most fights are usually between best friends, a mom and daughter or perhaps two politicians. However, throughout the United States, there is a fight gaining attention. Citizens of all 50 states have started petitions in hopes of seceding. These people want their states to secede because presidential candidate Mitt Romney didn’t win, so they no longer wish to be a part of the Union.
What message does this send to the youths of America? What message does this send to other nations? How does this insult all the past leaders of this country? As the citizens of these states press for secession, it shows the youths of the country that there is no reason to try and work through problems, as the leaders of adults of America. These people may just be trying to make a statement, but it looks childish as they jump to a drastic solution. Instead of working out their problems or disagreements, they attempt
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to leave the nation. America was built on honor, pride and the ability to work through the nation’s issues in order to build a stronger and more unified nation. If these states succeed in leaving the Union, they would be disgracing everything our nation is built on. In the nations past, there have been disagreements, but no state has seceded since the Civil War. Not only would seceding from the United States cause internal conflict, but the country and its leaders would be perceived as
weak by other nations. If our nation cannot even maintain peace within itself, other national leaders won’t expect the U.S. to be strong in foreign conflict. Seceding from the Union, whether it just be a weak threat or an actual attempt to divide the nation, ultimately would cause more harm than good for the nation as a whole. It is important for the citizens of the nation to follow the precedent set by the founding fathers, and continue as a nation that is able to work through its issues.
Dec. 12, 2012
OPINION
Holidays vary among nations
Students of unique international origins differ in traditions for Christmas season BY KEYTY ASHCRAFT Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Buon Natale, , Fröhlich Weihnachten. These words mean the same thing. Some you may understand, and some you may not, but there is one element that is universal: Christmas. What is not universal is the way we celebrate it. In Spain, where I am from, we receive gifts on Jan. 6 from Los Reyes Magos, The Three Wise Men. Marisol Aguilar, a senior from Mexico, has similar traditions. “We do not believe in Santa Claus,” she said. “We do Posadas, which start nine days before Christmas. They lead up [every day] all the way until Christmas Eve. The church community, or your family if you have a big family, gets together and hosts the party and [everyone else] goes and they knock on the door, and they sing, and they ask if they can come in just like Joseph and Mary did.” In Italy, senior Martina Urbinati enjoyed traditional meals during Christmas. “In my city, we have special meals for Christmas that, if you go out of our city [nobody] knows. Every city has special meals for Christmas,” said Urbinati, a foreign exchange student. “We have a kind of salami for Christmas that is from my city. And everyone in the family has to prepare something to feed [everyone] for Christmas, and we share.” Cedric Fuss, a junior foreign exchange student from Germany, finds his
traditions similar to Americans, with a few twists. “On the 23rd, we buy a Christmas tree, and then we get the presents on the 24th, in the evening,” he said. “We don’t get them on the 25th. [On Christmas day,] most times my family comes and then we eat potato salad with sausage and then you get [more] presents.” Joo Young Lee, a Korean sophomore, also finds her family’s way of celebrating Christmas very American -- including presents under the tree and watching the Old Fashioned Christmas Parade. But they celebrate New Year’s differently. “For New Years Day this year, our family is hosting a traditional Korean memorial service for our ancestors that happens every year,” she said. “A Korean tradition for New Years Day other than the memorial service is for children and young adults to formally bow to their elders, and we listen to their expectations/wishes for us for the new year, and in turn they gift us with a small amount of money.” Some find it difficult to celebrate Christmas their way while in the United States. “It’s harder because people work all the time,” Aguilar said. “And you can’t always have the family together, because there’s always a schedule. In Mexico, everyone always lived in the same town. It’s harder to get together with people because of work schedules. St. Johns
Graphic by Zach Spears here in Lawrence sometimes helps with it. They have to do it on the weekends, and there will only be one Posada that the church does, because everybody works during the week. In Mexico it was every day leading up to Christmas.” Young’s New Year’s tradition is also very difficult to celebrate.
“Since all the elders in my family do not live in America, they often give me their New Years greetings/expectations through the phone,” she said. Some have yet to celebrate Christmas here and are eager to see how it will pan out. “My family and my friends will share
their kind of traditions with me, and I will do the same with my traditions,” Urbinati said, “The biggest thing we do, that I will do for my friends and my family, (is that) I will make a lot of presents. Not buy, but make presents, in the Italian way. It will be something they will remember about me.”
Lack of IB program hurts students Bright students miss an opportunity to advance knowledge BY KENDRA SCHWARTZ As the academic elite prepare to apply to colleges, their transcripts lack an important opportunity. Although LHS challenges students with both advanced and AP classes in almost every subject, the school fails to offer one of the most arduous choices for the brightest students: International Baccalaureate, or IB, classes. According to the official IB website, an IB program “offers high quality programmes of international education to a worldwide community of schools.” However, Lawrence High is not a part of this “worldwide community.” Within this unique community, students have the opportunity to learn
Dec. 12, 2012
on an international scale, which entails becoming comfortable with math on the metric scale and testing on the same material across the globe. This allows for students to have the opportunity to attend college in any English-speaking country they desire. School board member Rick Ingram is an advocate for adding the IB program as a possible option for students in Lawrence. “It’s also a rigorous course of study that really helps kids distinguish themselves,” Ingram said. “In places like college applications, coming from an IB program is really good.” As a professor of psychology at Kansas University, Ingram suggests offering this program at a younger age. For example, possibly giving the option of the IB program at the elementary school and middle school levels. Mike Einsphar, a junior at Washburn Rural student who is enrolled in the IB program at his school, entered this program which he claimed creates “another atmosphere to challenge students and
prepare them for their futures.” “IB classes are very similar to college courses, so we will be well prepared for work loads ahead of us,” Einsphar said. Unlike AP classes that generally require about two hours of work a night, IB students are often given more time, such as a few days, to do projects or larger assignments. However, this amount of work generally adds up to 2.5-3.5 hours each evening. Although IB and AP classes are both useful for college credit, enrolling in the entire IB program is especially impressive to universities. Students can pick and choose both IB and AP classes, but the diversity of a student involved in the entire project is obviously more striking. In addition to other benefits, IB provides a curriculum debatably more challenging than an AP class. One requirement of the program is a selfdirected research project that culminates in a 4,000-word essay. “IB requires an extended essay, which is pretty much an AP paper on steroids,” Einsphar said.
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Because of the strenuous workload students face in IB courses, universities are more attracted to students who have challenged themselves in this way. Therefore, some students wonder why LHS doesn’t offer IB courses. A possible answer, based on some of the grades of students enrolled in AP courses, is a lack of determination or work ethic. However, in many of these classes, there is a select group of students searching for a further challenge than AP provides. Junior Katie Gaches, a student enrolled in four AP classes, strives for the best possible high school résumé to impress colleges. “Clearly taking AP classes shows whatever school you’re interested in that you are academically inclined,” Gaches said. “[However], the level of the material that you’re learning is higher [in an IB class] than what you’d be normally taking, so it prepares you for more difficult coursework that’s often more test-based than daily-assignment based.” Other students, bored by a specific
method of learning material, are often bright students who perform better on AP testing than subject-specific homework assignments. The IB program would provide a great challenge for these students, and a new experience in having to retain information for an entire year. “IB is cumulative, which means we can be tested on anything we have learned. In a year I could be getting questions from right now,” Einsphar said. Although these courses prove to be difficult for many bright students, this method of testing curriculum is the ideal preparation for college. “We want to be seen as the best candidates for a school, and if a college prefers students taking more IB courses, then we’re at a disadvantage just because our school didn’t offer the material,” Gaches said. By not offering IB classes at Lawrence High, students are deprived of an opportunity beneficial to students willing to put in the effort for a promising reward. Adding the IB program would be the best choice the administration could make.
11 | The Budget
Classes provide gifts, hope for the holidays Students and teachers provide needs for other families in town to give them happier holidays BY TIFFANY ROBBINS
“It’s important to show the rest of Lawrence that LHS cares about the less fortunate families in our community,” Nottingham said. In previous years, LHS provided for about 20 to 30 families annually. This year, the expectations are set just as high, with 34 low-income families being provided for. Nottingham became the lead Student Council coordinator of the project and believes these expectations will be easy to meet. “Usually Adopt a Family has a great turnout, and I feel it will be a success this year as well,” Notthingham said. “The key is to get the students involved and excited to help out the needy families.” With such high expectations, some teachers added extra motivational tools. They spoke with their second hour classes about hosting pizza parties and extra credit opportunities if donations were met. Each second hour class had the option to provide for a small, medium or large family. The decision was made based on students’ overall willingness and capability of providing enough money in each classroom. “Even simply bringing spare change could help out and get others more involved,” Nottingham said. Twenty-two of the 34 participating classes chose to donate to small families. Out of the remaining classes, 10 chose to support medium families, and two classes selected large families. Although the program is typically suc-
While many Lawrence families this month will relax by watching holiday movies and unwrapping gifts, others will struggle to find enough food. The season is back for the Adopt a Family Christmas project, a nonprofit program that gives organizations, including schools, a chance to spread holiday cheer by helping those in need. The Adopt a Family program was created and is still run by the Salvation Army. “The students just need to realize that there are families that aren’t as blessed, and it would be awesome if we could help them have a good Christmas,” sophomore Courtney Nottingham said. According to the American Community Survey (ACS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011, the rate of people with family or personal income below the poverty threshold ranged from 13 to 15.9 percent in Kansas alone. With these statistics in mind, educators and youths of LHS made the decision to participate. “It’s cool to be a part of a program that you can find anywhere in the nation,” junior Brooke Braman said. The Salvation Army created the Adopt a Family project to emphasize the importance of being involved and helping others in the community. School participation has played a key role in the success and expansion of the project. Many students agreed youth participation should continue to grow.
cessful, there have been a few classes that struggled to fulfill their donation expectations. In such situations, either StuCo or other second hour classrooms have used their extra funds to compensate. The collection date for second hour classes is Thursday. At that time, teachers turn classroom donations over to StuCo representatives, who will take them to the
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PIZZA SHUTTLE
Warm up for winter games with Pizza Shuttle.
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Measuring out their amount saved for Adopt a Family, junior Eddie Wilson and senior Cal Young color in their white board Christmas tree. Photo by Gage “I know I’m doing something good, and being able to help out people in my own community is a reward of its own,” Braman said.
yearbook
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Lions Special
Salvation Army warehouse. Families get to pick up their donations the following week, just before Christmas -- either Dec. 18 or 19. Sometimes the meaning of the holidays is lost in the chaos of shopping, traveling and the presents that come with it. Adopt a Family helps people focus on giving.
1601 W. 23rd St. 842-1212
Walk in special!
One 10-inch, 1-topping pizza & 16-ounce drink Expires May 31, 2013
Don’t miss the 100th LHS yearbook! Order now in the school finance office or online at www.yearbookordercenter.com.
Follow: @yearbooklhs
Pick up only COUPON REQUIRED Page Design by Abby Gillam
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