Liberty Ledger
Volume 4 April 4, 2017
ISSUE 4
KEEPING US CONNECTED Do people share because they have an audience that cares? From tweeting to posting to sending, people are able to share more about themselves and their day more than ever. Flip to page 7 to find out more.
2
NEWS
April 4, 2017
An Unbearable Event
Student council participates in the Polar Plunge
MCKENZIE BARTels The Polar Plunge is a great opportunity to show off your bravery by running or jumping into the cold, frigid waters that Missouri has to offer. On Feb. 4, students went to St. Louis Community Club to raise awareness by jumping into the lake for Special Olympics photo by C. Woods Missouri. StuCo bundles up with blankets and jackets to keep warm in the cold before they jumped in the water. Special Olympics is All together, the students raised a lot of the world’s largest sports money for Special Olympics Missouri. organization where people with intellectual “We raised a total of $2,200 for a great disabilities discover new strengths and skills cause,” sophomore Rishi Kondapaneni said. through the power of sports. This was a great way for Liberty The goal of the organization is to show students and the community to raise that anyone can achieve their goals. awareness for the organization. A total of 32 Liberty students “I know that I will definitely be participated in the Polar Plunge. participating in another Polar Plunge. Participants arrived there at 10:45 a.m., but My boyfriend’s brother is a part of Special before jumping into the cold water, students Olympics, Missouri and I want to support had to stand around and wait in the cold for not only him but everyone else involved in nearly two hours. it,” senior Nicole Knobbe said. Seconds after jumping into the water, Hopefully, in the future, more students everyone was screaming. can participate in the Polar Plunge and we “I felt numb running into the water,” can raise even more money and spread more senior Katie Coyle said. awareness towards the organization.
Liberty Ledger
Fight for What’s Right
Students spend the week taking a stand
Maddi Pomerinke Everyone knows what a pink or a yellow ribbon stands for, but what about a purple ribbon? Or a green one? While eating disorders (purple) can be more common than muscle diseases (green), they are both serious issues that people throughout Liberty deal with. photo by M. Pomerinke These issues, along with The banner was posted by the cafeteria to promote awareness week. Each day anti-bullying, aren’t commonly the sudents wore a different color to show their support. talked about, so the students of Olivia Holler made a video to help spread Liberty took the week of Feb. 27 to have the awareness. awareness week. “The more involved I have been with On Monday, students wore purple MDA has made me want to embrace and for National Eating Disorders Association teach, hopefully inspire people,” Holler said (NEDA), on Wednesday, students wore in her video. green for Muscular Dystrophy Association Holler was diagnosed with muscular (MDA) and students wore blue on Friday to dystrophy with respiratory failure when support anti-bullying. she was in sixth grade and is now a part of “Awareness week was started after I gave MDA. my talk sophomore year about my eating “NEDA was chosen for eating disorder disorder,” senior Nicole Knobbe said. “We awareness because it’s an issue that is so wanted to branch out to more issues other prevalent but just not talked about or known than just eating disorders, so last year we enough,” Knobbe said. “MDA was picked started an entire awareness week.” for Olivia Holler and anti bullying was The whole student council helps to chosen because it’s a very serious issue.” organize Awareness Week, and sophomore
Take it to State
Students place in DECA, FBLA and FCCLA districts and head to state
Raphael, Cameron Dierks, Isaac Gomez, Cole Ruyle, Adrian Przezdziecki; juniors Tyler Melvin, Thomas Bindbeutel, Heather McClanahan; sophomore Colin Rice and freshman Lydia Hart. Among the students moving forward to state was freshman Lydia Hart, who placed third in Introduction to Information Technology. She was the first one ever from the school to compete in the events she was competing in. “They were very clear to me that I was the first one to try all those events, so I was winging it the whole time,” Hart said. photo by A. Orlando For FCCLA, who took one student to Senior Abby Ebenstein hard at work, preparing for her state last year, qualified two to state this year. Management and Decision Making event. Senior Lindsey Gevers took home the Chasteanne Salvosa gold for Focus on the Children, while junior All of Liberty has truly evolved, from Claire Roberts won gold in Leadership. our Future Business Leaders of America Not only did two girls win gold in two (FBLA) to Family Career Community categories, but juniors Heather McClanahan, Leaders of America (FCCLA.) Danielle Harris-McNair and sophomore FBLA, who took five students to state Cassie Frank won silver in Culinary Arts, last year, qualified 13 students to state this while senior Amber Stockton, juniors Faith year. Green and Daelyn Nilges and sophomores “The first year we were here, we had four Jacqueline Dixon and Abby Visconti were kids competing. This year we had 41 kids judges or consultants for the event. compete,” FBLA sponsor, Mr. Jarrett said. At state, Roberts received a silver Thirteen students advanced to state this medal on her STAR event in the Leadership year including: seniors Muhammad Alasgarli, category. Abby Ebenstein, Alicia Orlando, Nicholas
Maddi Pomerinke done this before,” he said. When the day was done, junior Morgan Kloth, who expresses his love and joy Metcalf smiled and clutched her trophy for business and finances, worked hard and while standing close by her fellow Liberty placed second in his category of Principles competitors and winners. of Finance. “It was one of the best feelings I ever “There’s not one person there that I had,” Metcalf said as she reminisced on didn’t feel supported by at districts,” Kloth how she took first place in Principles of said. Marketing at DECA districts. Schany, who has previously made Metcalf, along with fellow juniors, it to the International competition for Austyn Kloth, Ally Schany and senior Alec DECA competitions, competed in Human Miller were four of the 36 Liberty students Resources Management and placed sixth. to place in their events and moved on to State took place March 12-14 at the state. Lake of the Ozarks and Kloth finished “We put in a lot of work so it’s third in his event. satisfying to see that and how it paid off,” Miller said. Miller placed second, also in Principles of Marketing, coming in closely behind Metcalf. This was both Metcalf ’s and Miller’s first time in a DECA competition. “It’s amazing to see that we both qualified photo by Ms. Pizzo Senior Alec Miller, juniors Morgan Metcalf, Ally Schany and Austyn Kloth show off for state having not their hard work and dedication they’ve put into districts.
Liberty Ledger
News
April 4, 2017
Hoop it Up & Dance it Out
3
Students express Liberty pride for a good cause Olivia Holler and Chasteanne Salvosa It was a Friday and everyone was already pumped for the weekend. Students saw StuCo rehearsing in the hallway and were ecstatic to beat Holt. LHS had a fast-paced schedule which quickly led into the winter pep assembly. Students interacted in the assembly playing games like hungry hungry hippo and pie in the face to Mr. Nelson. Each year the most spirited students get the recognition of spirit king and queen. This year the honor went to sophomores Megan Maetten and Philip Karre. “I was so excited to win spirit queen and I love dressing up for spirit weeks. They are one of my favorite things to do at Liberty and I’ve never once regretted dressing up,” Maetten said. “It felt great to win spirit king. Every night I spent around 30 minutes to one hour going through all my stuff making sure I could throw together the best outfit the next day,” Karre said. From spirit king and queen, StuCo pulled off their annual dance. Since the theme of the dance was Disney, they
decided to have a mix of Disney songs and some other music. StuCo members also dressed up as Disney characters. Students were awed by their silly moves at the assembly. “People were cheering at the assembly, and very high in energy. It was very successful,” senior Erika Fulhorst said. Red Night was a huge success later that night. The boys varsity basketball team kept up its winning ways with a 68-59 win against Holt. Red Night was to support American Heart Association and Liberty raised about $2,000. Some clubs made cakes for the Cake Auction. Students came together to raise awareness and support for this cause. “My favorite part of the game was the interactions made by the student section,” junior Makayla Braile said. “I’m so excited for how far the crowd has come over the few years I’ve been at the school and I love how supportive and spirited everyone had become. Not only are the students supportive of the team, but they also showed their support for Red Night as a whole.” Students showed their spirit by engaging in the game and wearing red to
photo provided by Trotter Juniors Danielle Kunz and Abby Hankins celebrate Red Night by painting hearts on their cheeks.
support the American Heart Association. The Winter Dance followed the game, they had black lights and a DJ. More than 100 people attended the dance. It brought different groups together to dance around and enjoy themselves. It also gave some clubs and sports the opportunity to bond. “It was really cool seeing the different groups of people interacting to have a good time. I liked being able to go to the dance right after the game to continue my night,” Braile said. Students came to show their support and spirit throughout these events making Liberty stronger as a whole.
photo by J. Gibson Mr. Nelson recieved a pie to the face at the pep assembly after StuCo had a penny war set up at lunch. The students were to donate money in a jar with one of the principal’s names on it to vote for who got a pie to the face. The winning student was Mykaela Reiland.
photo provided by Trotter After the Red Game, students joined in the cafeteria wearing their red tees for a night of dancing and making memories.
#TheNest
Alicia Orlando On Feb. 3rd, Liberty High School came together to raise money for the American Heart Association. The student section was asked to wear all red, in support of the event. In the last minutes of halftime, senior Drew Schill, or Moses, came into the gym with the spirit stick. As practiced at the spirit assembly earlier in the day, the crowd split in half as if Moses parted the Red Sea.
photos by E. Mason Senior Drew Schill parts the sea at the game right before the second half started. The band played as he walked onto the courts making the crowd scream. As soon as the spirit stick hit the ground, the crowd knew to split and he ran up the stands showing off his eagle pride.
NEWS 4 A Night to Remember
Liberty Ledger
April 4, 2017
Junior class officers plan first junior-senior prom MCKENZIE BARTELS Liberty’s first junior-senior prom has been planned for over a year now. The 2018 class officers, along with Mrs. Braswell, have been working hard at putting this year’s prom together since the end of last school year. At the beginning, they were just gathering information about the junior prom event last year and asking people about changes they wanted. Then they began touring locations and looking for a venue for prom. They have to start touring locations so early because you have to book the place about a year in advance. They are doing their best to make sure the night is perfect for everyone. Mrs. Braswell and the class officers are very excited about the theme, A Gatsby Affair. They actually picked the theme at the end of last year. That way, over the summer, they could each gather ideas about what they wanted. What most people don’t understand is that each decision made may seem small, but each decision is not easy and is as just important as the next. “We are working on finishing touches and planning everything out so we don’t have to be worried the day of, because this is our prom too,” junior Julia Wolz said. “We just want it to be amazing and I think it really will be.” This year prom will take place on
THE INFO YOU NEED TO KNOW WHO: Liberty seniors, juniors and their dates. WHAT: Liberty’s second annual prom this year’s theme is “A Gatsby Affair” WHEN: April 8th, 7-10 p.m. WHERE: The Christy Banquet Center, located at 9000 Veterans Memorial Pkwy in O’Fallon. WHY: To have fun! April 8th and will be from 7-11 p.m. at the Christy Banquet Center. The Christy Banquet Center was just recently remodeled creating an elegant setting for Liberty’s first junior-senior prom. “I am very excited for it. It is going to be the prom of the century,” Mrs. Braswell said. Having everyone come to prom would be amazing, but the goal, is for around 450 students to attend. “I am super excited about this being my first prom, but I am even more thrilled that this is the first junior-senior prom for our high school; and that I get to help plan it,” junior Abby Falgout said. “I’ve had such great experiences working with my fellow officers and Mrs. Braswell to make this an outstanding prom.” The class officers and Mrs. Braswell have already started making decorations for A Gatsby Affair for a few weeks now. In the end, the class officers hope that everyone who comes is as excited about it and likes it just as much as they do.
photo by Mrs. Oliva Liberty’s Battle of the Books team is ready for action. This year, senior Emily Kissee , juniors Arianna Amann, Alisha Grant, Madi McGuire and freshman Melana Quarles all represented Liberty this year at the competition.
The Battle Continues
Liberty hosts WSD’s second annual Battle of the Books Chasteanne Salvosa
Many students at Liberty find themselves challenged with endless reading from classes, from a textbook reading for AP Chemistry or a classic novel for the next timed writing essay, but five girls from Liberty challenged themselves with a greater task, reading all 15 2016-17 Gateway nominees. Senior Emily Kissee, juniors Arianna Amann, Alisha Grant, Madi McGuire and freshman Melana Quarles took upon themselves to read this year’s Gateway nominees to participate in Wentzville School District’s second annual Battle of the Books. “It’s a competition, kind of like a quiz bowl, where we read 15 books, the Gateway nominees for the year and we answer trivia questions about them,” McGuire said. Battle of the Books, which is held between the district’s three high schools,
was held at Holt last year, with Liberty landing in third. This year, Liberty fared better than last year, placing in second behind Timberland. But the joy behind competing in Battle of the Books, on behalf of the school, comes from a simple love of reading. Competition came as a plus. “I really love reading,” McGuire said. “And I’ve always read the Gateway books and voted on them, so I thought it would be a fun way to test my knowledge of those books.” However, the battle is not over as the girls have begun to look to next year’s competition, hoping to climb to first place. “Hopefully next year we’re going to study a little more and get that trophy,” McGuire said. And with the recently released list of 2017-18 Gateway nominees, the studying begins and the battle continues.
Testing the Waters
Wentzville School District’s lead testing results are finally in MAX FENSTERMAN
Hopefully, the student body concerns itself with the quality and cleanliness of the water at Liberty. Luckily, the Wentzville School District has taken proper initiative. On Dec. 28, Liberty and the other district schools collected samples of water to be tested for dangerous lead levels. Samples were taken from 69 sources at Liberty, and only one of them tested as “action level required.” The exact source of the failed test: a pot-filling sink in the Liberty cafeteria which is reported to not be in use, but is expected to see action as our enrollment grows. Don’t let this one positive result fool though. Liberty’s water is still perfectly safe to drink, no matter how warm or off-tasting the drinking fountain water is. “An important piece of information to keep in mind is that this testing was done on a ‘first draw’ basis,” said Mary LaPak, who is the Wentzville School District’s Director of Community Relations. “First draw is achieved by allowing the water system to rest for at least eight hours prior to sampling in order to collect any existing debris or sediment
within the sample.” The goal of this process is to get a sample with the most amount of contaminants possible to be. As long as it’s done correctly, a regular use of the water source would yield much lower levels of lead and contaminants. In addition, the district took impressive initiative by setting the “action level required” threshold at 15 parts per billion. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, the threshold for a public school’s water source is no greater than 20 parts per billion. If the district had followed the bare minimum federal guideline, the water would’ve passed the test. As for the sink at Liberty that tested positive, a thorough cleaning has been performed and a re-test has been taken. The district is awaiting the results of the re-test. “We are following the recommendations of the consultant and if anything tested higher than 10 parts per billion, we do intend to re-test those sources annually at the very least,” LaPak said. The district has said that future testing will be performed, but the frequency and scope of the future tests
is still up for debate. Although there should be no cause for concern about the recent test results, students can join Liberty’s new environmental club. Senior Ben Collins started the club and it aims to bring together like-minded environmentalists and better the school and community through education of environmental risks and hazards. “I see the results as definitely a problem, although the Liberty source that tested positive wasn’t necessarily a source of drinking water. I understand that a drinking fountain at one of the elementary schools did test positive,” Collins said. In fact, two drinking fountains did test positive but one was at Frontier Middle and the other was at South Middle. The fountains were immediately removed and replaced. They won’t be in use again until the re-test results come back negative. It is apparent that students can rest easy knowing that our water is, and always has been, safe to drink.
Liberty Ledger
Favorite Class in School: Math Favorite Part of Working at LHS: The positive
Favorite Class in School: PE
Ahmir Butler
Favorite Class: Outdoor pursuits
energy!
Favorite Food:
with her dogs and baking.
Favorite TV Show: Family Guy Favorite Color:
Hobbies: Hiking Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Movie: Twister
Ms. Brothers
March Teacher of the Month!
February Teacher of the Month!
January Teacher of the Month!
Cheeseburger
Blue
Hobbies: Walking his dogs, playing on the computer, and playing video games.
and photography
Favorite Part of Working at LHS: Being
surrounded by exceptional teachers and students. Hobbies: Hiking and running
Favorite Food: Smoothies
Mrs. Kleekamp
January Student of the Month!
Braden McMakin As the winter comes to an end, many sports and afterschool activity practices prepare for their hard work to pay off in a series of games or performances. This is always the case for the Liberty Thespians who had been busy with rehearsing for their spring play: You Can’t Beat the House by Pat Cook. The show took place in the high school commons on March 30th, 31st, and April 1st at 7 p.m. Ticket prices were $4 for students and $5 for adults. Tickets were sold during lunch a week before the opening night. The theatre department and new director, Ms. Willis were excited and hopeful for the development of the show. The group dedicated their time and energy into bringing the show to life. When two minor-league burglars, Merle (Jake Denunzio) and Howie (Jack Barrett), realize that the house they’ve just broke into is up for sale and before they can leave prospective buyers, Conrad (Blake Phillips) and Glenda Spears (Maria Hufford) enter the home. In this split second decision that may or may not save the two burglars from time in prison, they pretend to be real estate agents, until the REAL estate agent shows up (Heather McClanahan). The screwball comedy revolves around one mishap after another as the two burglars juggle
Caleb Woods
Favorite Class: Journalism and Choir
Favorite Food: Spaghetti
Favorite Movie: Speed Racer
Achievements:
Being a part of the LHS radio Hobbies: Playing hockey on my PS4 and speaking on the LHS radio
February Student of the Month!
You Beat the House Liberty theatre preforms their fourth production
News
April 4, 2017
5
Favorite Class in School: AP Statistics
Favorite Part of James Dotson Working at LHS: Favorite Class:
Everyone is so nice to each other. Hobbies: Golf, Ping Pong, and Hanging out with his daughter and wife.
Favorite Food: Zebra Cakes
Favorite TV Show: The Bachelor
Psychology
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Type of Music: Rap or Hip
Hop
Achievements:
Captain of the varsity baseball for two years and principal honors roll
Mr. Hysong
March Student of the Month!
the act until they get the chance to escape, until a cop (Nick McClanahan) shows up looking for two suspicious characters in the area… oh yeah, and the place is haunted too. The mix of oddball characters features Lillian (Zoe Raye & understudy Paxton Linnemeyer) as Glenda’s pushy mother, Madame Zenobia (Alyssa Fay), Brittany Marie (Abby Hankins), and Fern Larraby (Alex Ovares). photo by J. Smith “Theatre has intensely impacted Freshamn, Jack Barrett, junior, my life, it has been my favorite part of Alyssa Fay and sophomore Zoe high school so far and it’s where I’ve met Fleschman rehearse their lines to perfect them for the big night. some of my life long friends,” Hufford said. “I did a lot of theatre and acting in middle school but fell out of it because of the environment. Joining this group photo by J. Smith and coming back into a new atmosphere in high school was Seniors Blake Philips, Maria Hufford, freshman Jack Barrett and junior so much better and the friendly environment really makes Abby Hankins attend one of many after school rehearsals. practice less of a chore since we are all so close.” remember. The meaning of theatre to me has really brought Alyssa Fay has been a part of four shows at Liberty, me out of my shell. I kept coming back to audition because including You Can’t Beat the House. the people there were all so welcoming and I’ve finally “I was brought into an audition because my friends found a group where I fit and feel at home with. Without didn’t want to go alone and somehow grabbed a part in a theatre I wouldn’t be the person I am today.” show,” Fay said. “I ultimately liked it and lines are easy to
6 NEWS
Liberty Ledger
April 4, 2017
Flowers, Candy & Hearts... Oh My
Mr. Webster came to school to a Valentine’s surprise
Students decorated Mr. Webster’s room with hearts, balloons, streamers, posters and more.
photos by A. Lenczycki
MCKENZIE BARTELS For Valentine’s Day, students wanted to make Mr. Webster smile for once, and with this they were able to do just that. Eight students, all a part of Mr. Webster’s AP Government class, decorated his room for Valentine’s Day. Their goal was to make Mr. Webster happy and wanted to make sure that he knew that they care about him and he is very appreciated for all the things that he does. They planned this for multiple weeks before Valentine’s Day took place. There was a lot of planning to be done to make sure their plan would work. “We planned about two weeks leading up to the ‘heart attack’ On Feb. 13th our group stayed after school to decorate which took us about an hour and 45 minutes,” junior Daryn Adler said. They didn’t want Mr. Webster knowing about it until Valentine’s Day. Mr. Barker was in charge of making sure Mr. Webster stayed out of his room while the students took the time to decorate the room. Mr. Webster was very shocked about what the students had done. “I was very surprised and I was touched that they care that much about me. They spent a lot of time on it.” Mr. Webster said. Mr. Webster also says that he is uncomfortable with positive emotions, but appreciated what the students had done very much. “I was happy with his reaction because he tried to play it cool, but we all knew how grateful he was,” junior Makayla Braile said. The eight students who helped put this together, made Mr. Webster’s day and were able to put a smile on his face. It was a great Valentine’s Day surprise.
Who Are You Wearing…? Two girls put a unique twist on their prom dresses Maddi Pomerinke
“
photo provided by Claire Hughey
photo provided by Lindsey Gevers
“
What are the qualities you look for in a prom dress? It’s cute, right, so you pick it up and make sure it fits. The next thing you look at is the price. Scanning the tag, you slowly put the dress back down. Expensive. For only one night. For a dress that three other people will probably have as well. There has got to be another way. Senior Lindsey Gevers and junior Claire Hughey put their own special twist on their prom that included a sewing machine and some fabric. They made their own dresses. “I bought a pattern and then based off the pattern I went and looked for different fabrics that I thought would look good with it, and then just kind of went from there,” Gevers said. “I ended up saving a lot of money, I think the total was like $85 so far.” Gevers decided last January that she would make her own prom dress and has been working on it since the first day of second semester. “I think it would be really unique,” Gevers said about her homemade prom dress. “People always ask, ‘Who made it?’ and I can say, ‘I made it’ and nobody would have the same dress too.” Not only are these girls saving money, but they’re saving themselves from weeks of alterations as well. “I was about to go prom dress shopping but I had already tried on a skirt and it was too long, so I figured if I just had the material I could make it,” Hughey said. While Gevers is taking on the whole dress, Hughey is only making the skirt piece for her two piece dress, and although it’s simple, she’s still extremely proud. “It took me like five hours, I made it in one day,” Hughey said. “I’m proud of it, I’ve already showed a lot of people.” While making a prom dress could be hard or tedious work, the benefits tend to outweigh the whole. Both Gevers and Hughey will be attending prom in dresses that they’ve designed, created, and didn’t break the bank to get, while also making an entrance in an unique way.
People always ask, ‘Who made it?’ and I can say, ‘I made it’ and nobody would have the same dress too. - Lindsey Gevers
Liberty Ledger
april 4, 2017
In-Depth
KEEPING US CONNECTED
7
From sixdegrees.com to Snapchat, social media has turned from a new age fad to the center of a millennial lifestyle. Flip the page to find inside the history of social media and learn about the latest trend; oversharing.
1
in-depth
LiBerty Ledger May 18, 2015
8
in-depth
April 4, 2017
Snapchat vs. Twitter
How does it compare to other social media platforms?
LiBerty Ledger Insta
Olivia Holler
Snapchat was released in September 2011 Today it has:
Did you know Snapchat is the fastest growing social platform?
who sent:
400 million snaps per day
An estimated 200 million monthly active users
The platform grew
VS
370,000 new users per day
Twitter was launched in March 2006
Today it had:
57% in 2014
50 million tweets per day who sent:
It averaged
30 million monthly active users
Jessica Gibson
Social media is a huge influence on today’s society. Instagram is one of the many popular social media networks used by the millennial generation. As of Dec. 2016, Instagram had 600 million active users. Many accounts are based on the user likes. Some people spend hours coming up with a catchy username that somehow incorporates their name or theme of account. Some people just like to browse through accounts, depending on what they like. There are different accounts for everything. Popular types are... Finsta Spam Business Personal Inspirational DIY Update/News Fan Accounts Animal Accounts Funny Beauty Sports
Information provided by: www.adweek.com
From the Top of the Twitterverse Some of Liberty’s most followed students on Twitter share what social media means to them chasteanne salvosa
“It’s a way to keep up with my friends and family and know how everyone’s doing.” -Lily Lankford, 10 (592 Twitter followers)
“It keeps me in contact with people and sometimes I meet new people on social media.” -Andrea Medrano, 10 (700 Twitter followers)
LiBerty Ledger
april 4, 2017
in-depth
9
Living Through the Screen
As we get caught up in sharing the moment, we often forget to live in it Chasteanne salvosa Imagine that every time you clicked that post button or that Tweet button or that send button, a little piece of your privacy vanished. That little bit of your life is made public and the world of public information grows. But no matter how much you share, post or Tweet, how many people actually care about what you have to say? In the age of oversharing, people feel compelled to reveal details in their lives that often pass by other’s minds without a second thought and that piece of unnecessary information turns public. So why do people feel compelled to share parts of their lives that other people don’t care about? Researchers at Harvard University recently released a study finding that the brain’s mesolimbic dopamine system, also known as the brain’s reward system, would have a greater reaction to answer questions about one’s own self interests rather than someone else’s. The response ranks close to a primary reward like food, showing just how gratifying sharing simple things about yourself or your day can be. In addition to the brain’s natural neurological response to oversharing, social media platforms have made it even easier to share as several blogs and apps, such as Social Media and Share Icons from Wordpress.org and the Social Media Examiner, were created to aid people in advancing their social media efficiency. As if people couldn’t quickly click on an arrow shaped button that could share a post to several different social media platforms. Or as if people couldn’t record every aspect of their day and click a send button to share it with the entire world. But not all of social sharing is negative, as there are some reward in oversharing, such as catching up with friends and family far away and just plain convenience with keeping up with today’s constant need and want of knowledge. However, when there is a constant need of want for knowledge,
“If you use it in the right way, it can be very influential and more a part of our generation than something on the side.”-Addison Haynes, 11 (1,128 Twitter followers)
It can often lead to the mindset that one must share all knowledge of themselves to others. Yeah, Facebook wants to know your birthday, where you went to school, and whether you’re single or not, but simple facts can turn into extensive knowledge, like how you went to McDonald’s after homecoming because you were famished. Or how you’re so mad at that teacher for giving you this grade on this quiz. And the list extends from rants on Facebook to feuds on Twitter, expanding this sort of demise of privacy and the growth of transparency. The Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research center based in Washington D.C., released their annual social reports from 2016 and found that approximately 76 percent of its users check the app everyday, while 55 percent of that 76 percent admit they check the app several times a day with the remaining 22 percent checking once a day. But much is left to speculate, such as within the several times a day one checks their Facebook, how much of that time is spent actually reading other people’s posts? Flipping through pictures? Writing up your own posts? In a study conducted by the faculty of technology and science at Karlstad University in Sweden, published in the Journal of American Science, it is found that a 70 percent of undergraduate students use Facebook for keeping up with friends. However, the same students claimed that
“It’s a way for people to be able to connect and share things with each other.” -Tito Plaza, 11 (523 Twitter followers)
many of the people they friend on Facebook they hardly talk to in real life or haven’t had true contact with in years. The students also claimed that much of the unwanted content on their feed comes from those same people they call their ‘friends’. The same follows for students here, as we watch the number of friends and followers grow, with those who have made their accounts public, one can begin to wonder. How many of my friends or followers are friends and want to hear what I have to say? But as social media continues to expand everyday, people tend to reveal more, share more, and if we’re not careful, we may find ourselves endlessly scrolling through our feeds, sorting through the countless posts that end up in the internet’s void of ramblings about everyday life.
“To me, social media is an outlet to express yourself.” -Gabie Kocsis, 12 (1,242 Twitter followers)
10 in-depth
april 4, 2017
Liberty Ledger
Evolution of Social Media
Liberty’s Twitterfeed
Max Fensterman
Chastaeanne Salvosa
A look at how social media has grown over the years
1997 Six Degrees 2002 Linkedin 2003 Skype 2004 Flickr 2006 Twitter 2010 Pintrest 2011 Snapchat
2013 Vine 2015 Periscope
1997 AOL IM 1999 Live Messenger 2003 Myspace 2004 Facebook 2005 Youtube 2007 Tumblr 2010 Instagram
2011 Twitch.TV 2013 Google Hangout
Some of Liberty’s most popular tweets
Liberty Ledger
Success is Key
Sports Scholarships: madelynbaker18@wsdr4.org Academic Scholarships: oliviaholler19@wsdr4.org or chasteannesalvosa19@wsdr4.org Contact us on Twitter: @LHSJourn
photo provided by Katelyn Bindbeutal
photo by O.Holler
Senior Lukas Flacke received the Presidential Scholarship which pays for his four years of college at Columbia College. He wants to major in Biology and minor in Physiology. Flacke was one of 10 people that who received this scholarship. To apply, you have to have a certain GPA, letters of recommendation, a personal essay, an academic resume outlining their life story and what they have been involved in. “I was surprised and sweaty and I almost cried. I knew when they walked in what it was for. Everything hit me at once. I’m just really excited. I feel so lucky and so blessed,” Flacke said.
Senior Katelyn Bindbeutal received the Presidential Scholarship from Saint Louis University. In order to receive this scholarship, Katie had to go through a long processes of interviewing and filling out essays. Bindbeutel plans on majoring in Health Sciences, Pre-Med, as she is thinking about the possibility of becoming a pediatric neuropsychologist.“I would also like to add that I have learned that every individual on this earth is endowed with unique talents and traits, which can be used to create a future of our own design,” Bindbeutel said.
11
Mackenzie Murphy
Katelyn Bindbeutel
Lukas Flacke
Olivia Holler As seniors are entering their final months before graduation, they are receiving scholarships from all over the country. Some received them for academics, while others received them for sports. Lukas Flacke was surprised at school with a scholarship to Columbia college. Katelyn Bindbeutal and Mackenzie Murphy both received the Presidential Scholarship from SLU.
Do you want to be featured in the next paper? Have you recieved a scholarship?
people
April 4, 2017
photo provided by Mackenzie Murphy
Senior Mackenzie Murphy received the Presidential Scholarship from Saint Louis University. More than 1,000 people applied for this scholarship and Mackenzie Murphy was one of few that received it. She had to go through two interviews with questions regarding leadership, high school experiences and how they would fit in to the Jesuit character of the school. Mackenzie got the call that she had earned it right after soccer practice. “I was on top of the world,” she said. Murphy plans to major in Biology and Molecular Biology.
Taking the Initiative
The Browns help to get a debate team started at Liberty Danielle corgan After being let down that Liberty did not have an established debate team, sophomore Carson Brown took the initiative to get one started along with the help of his sister, senior Madelyn Brown. Back when the Browns lived in Lee’s Summit, they always heard of the debate team and what an impact it had on a lot of students, so they joined. “I participated in debate club my freshman and sophomore year and it was a class that you could take and it was a very big deal; lots of kids participated,” Madelyn said. After seeing and hearing of all the fun his sister had on debate team, he looked forward to being a part of it as well. But when they moved and started going to Liberty in the 2014-2015 school year, they found out there wasn’t an established team. “It was an extremely competitive topic [at my old school in Lee’s Summit],” Carson said. “I have a lot of friends that are really involved with it and so when I heard from Mrs. Gehrke that I can participate I told her right away I want to start a club and get some people involved so we can have debate as part of the tradition in history in Liberty as well.”
They started the team at the beginning of second semester, and with the help of Mrs. Gehrke they were quick to get on their feet and starting running with the program. “First, we saw that Liberty was sponsoring a tournament with speech and debate events and so we talked to Gerhke and tried to figure out if we could start one of our own because I had experience in it,” Madelyn said. “We were trying to figure out if we needed to find a different sponsor or who we needed to get together to create the club and it just turned out Gerhke was willing to help us create a club and help us gather people to meet in her room.” They have roughly about 15 people on the team so far and are encouraging more to join; especially as the years go on. It has a positive impact on the participants in the club and is beneficial to their logical and social skills. “It gives me a lot of confidence,” sophomore Emily McPherron said. “Now that I’ve done that, everything else I do, it seems simple to me because going into that was so nerve racking and then coming out of it’s just everything else isn’t as much of a big deal anymore.” So far the team has only attended a couple debate tournaments. They hope to advance the program and start next
year with competing two to three debate tournaments a month. They had a huge success at their latest tournament taking place over March 4th and 5th. Gehrke is proud of how quickly the team is advancing. For some students, this was only their second tournament and they were up against seniors who have done it all four years. “On Friday night, we had three students compete in debate," Gehrke said. "ZoeAne Wake competed in LincolnDouglas, and Carson Brown and Rishi Kondapaneni teamed up for Public Forum. They competed in four rounds. Although we did not advance to finals, they held their own and showed their bravery and determination.” As the weekend went on, Liberty’s debate team lead their way towards even more accomplishments that will benefit the foundation of the program. “On Saturday, we had three students compete in speech interpretation events. Julia Wolz and Alyssa Fay performed in Duet Acting and placed fifth overall and Jake Denunzio performed in Humorous Interpretation. He placed third and is going to state,” Gehrke said. As you go into the next school year,
photo by Mrs. Gehrke
Sophomores Carson Brown and Rishi Kondapaneni finalize their prepwork for their first debate.
be thinking of joining the debate team and possibly say you were the first one to take Liberty’s debate team to state. “It’s a great way to become more educated in different topics both political and social and it helps people learn how to take other opinions into consideration and see the different sides.” Madelyn said.
12 Entertainment
April 4, 2017
Liberty Ledger
What’s Coming Soon... Get Rid of the Old New movies coming out Happening and Donate in 2017 Salvation Army at Liberty? Sarah Martin
Get the scoop on Liberty’s latest news
Gently used clothes and household items. Locations
• 1 William Booth Dr, O’Fallon, MO 63366 • 2700 Droste Rd, St Charles, MO 63301 • 2140 N 4th St, St Charles, MO 63301
Alicia Orlando
The Key to Winning
Key Club competed for the first time in a district conference. Senior Emily Gharabegi, a fourth year member, won member of the year. She started the first K Family Club at the middle school. Senior Grace Meinhardt and junior Emma Ingle took second place in the Scrapbook Trophy. Junior Maya Schnable finished third place in Oratory. Together, other Missouri and Arkansas Key Club members made 327 shoe patterns for Ugandan children in their project, SOLE HOPE.
Goodwill
Now accepting cars, computer items, clothing, shoes, movies, CDs, etc. Locations
• 1210 State Hwy K, O’Fallon, MO 63366 • 913 Robert Raymond Dr, LSL, MO 63367 • 620 Mid Rivers Mall Dr, St. Peters, MO 63376
The WSD Rachet Robotics Team 1706 won the St. Louis Regional event. From 7 different states, more than 50 teams competed in the event. The Rachet Robotics received the Innovation In Control Award. The team next competes in Wolds the Rocket City Regional event in Huntsville, Alabama March 23-25.
Hitting the High Notes Six students from Liberty, seniors Hailey Pearson and Jenn Overton, juniors Gabby Nettles and Kaitlyn Sander, sophomore Loryn Dotson and freshman Elaine Amery received 1-Exemplary ratings on their solos at District Solo and Small Ensemble Festive on March 4th. In addition, the Sax Quartet and others, received the rating of 2-Outstanding on their performances.
Keepers at State
Epsilon Beta competed in their state conference. seniors Alison Burski, Emily Kissee, Katie Rupeika and junior Arianna Amann won second place in the Epsilon Beta State Quiz Bowl. Freshman Annalisa Kercher won second place in the Epsilon Beta State Book Trailer Contest. Lastly, seniors Alison Burski and Jenn Overton were recognized as state Epsilon Beta secretary and treasurer for the 16-17 school year.
April •(7) Smurfs the Lost Village •(7) Aftermath •(14) The Fate of the Furious •(14) The Lost City of Z •(21) Unforgettable •(28) The Circle
Soles 4 Souls
May
Shipping
•(5) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 •(12) Snatched •(19) Diary of the Wimpy Kid •(19) Alien Covenant •(26) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales •(26) Baywatch
Accepting gently used shoes and clothing.
Rockin’ to the Top
Alicia Orlando
Find information about shipping on souls4souls.org. Purchase a shipping label for a maximum of 5 shoes for $10, and a maximum of 12 pairs for $25.
Once Upon a Child Accepting gently used children’s clothing. Locations
Mid Rivers Appliance, 250 Mid Rivers Center, St Peters, MO 63376 15425 Manchester Rd, Ballwin, MO 63011 11445 Olive Blvd, St Louis, MO 63141
e t a n o D
Drop Box
Open 24 hours a day, accepting clothing, and other none breakable items stored in a 13 gallon trash bag. Locations • • •
Church of the Transfiguration, Lake St Louis, MO 63367 Prairie View Es 1550 Feise Rd, St Charles, MO 63368 Early Childhood, 2025 Hanley Rd, O’Fallon, MO 63368
Dress for Success Accepting gently used clothing for women, money and volunteer opportunities.
Location
• 3000 Little Hill Expressway, Suite 102 St Charles, MO
June •(2) Wonder Woman •(2) Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie •(9) The Mummy •(16) Cars 3 •(23) Transformers: The Last Knight •(30) Despicable Me 3 •(30) Amityville: The Awakening
Liberty Ledger
How Well do you Know our LHS Teachers?
Mr. Hall’s favorite soda is _________________. (Coke or Diet Rite) Mr. Jarrett sells ________________. (Poptart or Popcorn) Mrs. Rivas speaks _________________. (Spanish or French) Mrs. Hickerson went to high school in ______________. (Japan or China) Mr. Nelson was in the ________________. (Marines or Air Force) Mrs. Strathman has ___________ kids. (2 or 3) Mr. Cole coaches ___________ basketball. (girls or boys) Mrs. Jennings also teaches at ______________. (Holt or Timberland) Hexagonal maze with 15 cells sidetogether. Mr. Redman and Mr.Wheeler went todelta __________________ (Elementary School or High School) Mr. Hendricks played ______________ at George Mason University.
(Baseball or Basketball)
interactive
April 4, 2017
13
First person to correctly complete the activities on this page and bring it to room 239 has the chance to win a QT giftcard Name:________________________________
Date:_____________
S
S
L
S
G
G
L
O
M
Y
G
E
P
O
S
C
N
I
M
A
T
H
N
E
O
E
E
I
B
A
I
E
E
H
N
H
R
O
R
E
R
E
A
A
M
I
C
E
T
P
R
N
O
C
G
F
P
S
C
N
S
T
R
C
H
L
O
E
H
T
A
G
Y
C
M
E
E
L
N
G
E
O
A
L
U
R
R
S
D
C
I
I
R
R
S
I
I
S
O
E
I
H
I
C
I
Y
R
S
O
O
R
L
E
E
C
A
S
L
I
H
T
Word List: LIBERTY MATH SPORTS
TEACHERS ENGLISH SCIENCE
Liberty Math Sports Pen Gym
PENCIL HISTORY MUSIC
Highschool Folder Music History Pencil
PEN HIGHSCHOOL EAGLES
Spring Eagles Science English Teachers
Match the LHS student to their sport
Chase Krogman, 10
The Consequences of Social Media
Track
Amy Carnahan, 11
Basketball
Savannah Kruse, 12
Baseball
Cat frank
Copyright © 2017 JGB Service, http://www.mazegenerator.net/
Suleyman Alasgarli, 9
FOLDER GYM SPRING
Soccer
14 OPINION
Liberty Ledger
April 4, 2017
My Life Without a Phone MELANA QUARLES Recently, events happened and I ended up without a phone for about a week and a half. Here’s what I learned. I’m sure there aren’t many teenagers who are strangers to the dread you feel when you know you aren’t going to have a phone, no matter how long. How are you supposed to talk to friends, pass time, listen to music, or keep up with current events? I’m also sure that there are many adults who would roll their eyes at this concept, because “back in their day” they did all of this without a trusty iphone in their hands 24/7. And it isn’t as unaccomplishable as you might think. One major change that happened over the past week or so was that I was going to bed a lot earlier, 9:30 or 10:00. I was tired and I wasn’t worried over checking Instagram or Snapchat so it just made sense. I had more free time after school because my normal routine was to subconsciously spend hours on my phone, so I did my homework and read. I was doing my math days in a row for the first time since the beginning of the year and even got my first 100 percent on a geometry quiz. I watched my grade slowly climb up from the D I had let it drop to. I’ve always been bad at math
and never put a ton of effort into it but I started feeling lots of reward for it after just investing a little time in it. I read three books and it was also much more rewarding than what I normally did. I also payed attention more in school, when I have my phone I’m pretty much always half listening to the teacher, half listening to whatever I was playing through my headphones. But without it I found myself actually using the work time to complete work instead of like most of my classmates, blowing the time off on my phone. What I didn’t like was not being able to listen to any song I wanted to, having to be at the mercy or the radio and whatever CD’s I had. And since it is such a big part of my life I missed social media. Although I missed it, when I did get back on my phone things on it seemed less important, receiving endless “streaks” snapchats or scrolling through Insta posts all day wasn’t as enjoyable as it used to be. Not having a phone taught me that I didn’t need to be dependent on my phone. That you can accomplish more without being reliant on something that takes up your time. It put life into perspective.
Changing the Test sarah Martin Turning 16 is a major turning point in many teenagers’ lives. It’s when they are finally able to get their driver’s license. Before they can get their license however, they must pass the written test to get their permit. After having their permit for at least six months, they can take the intermediate test which consists of simple driving. The driving test, in my opinion, is not challenging enough for beginning drivers. The test is too short and does not provide enough information about the driver’s skills and weaknesses. It does not contain what everyday driving entails. Teens tend to fail the test the first
Ledger Volume 4
issue 4
APRIL 4, 2017
Liberty High School
2275 Sommers Rd. Lake St. Louis, Mo 63367 636.561.0075 www.wentzville.k12.mo.us
Serving Students,Community and Beyond
time due to lack of experience. The test was particularly easy for me because I have had a lot of experience of driving in all aspects. You can not be a successful driver until you learn how to maneuver your car on the freeway and communicate with other drivers. Driver’s ed helped me immensely with the test. In many cases, because parents don’t know how to properly teach you how to drive so it’s nice to have someone trained to help you learn. I think that everyone should be required to take lessons with a trained professional, it’s a huge help. The driver’s test consists of light driving
Intentions
Reflecting About Guest Wi-Fi
BRADEN MCMAKIN The way information can spread around Liberty is almost crazy, which is why most of us students are already aware of the new student wi-fi. Rumors began to pop up every now and then around the beginning of this 2016-17 school year, but it never seemed like a legitimate project the Wentzville School District would follow through on. To our surprise, returning from Christmas break, the news about a guest wi-fi connection appeared on students’ electronic devices. This additional connection holds some new benefits for us students as well as teachers. The obvious news about the wi-fi is that it has boosted the reception for most apps. It’s now easier to send a text to your mother telling her you might be home late or to send a picture of last night’s homework to a friend in the next class over. Regardless of the reason, sending text messages is now easier and we don’t have to worry as often if a message never goes through on time. It makes our lives as students a lot easier, and for the teachers a lot less stressful. Making the students happy is always a goal the staff of Liberty tries to follow, but will students abuse this power? As some already know, the guest wi-fi is a blessing and a curse since we can have a better reception with certain beneficial apps, but while connected, social media apps and games have stopped working entirely. There seems to be a feature in the guest wi-fi that prevents these more “distracting” apps from working, and in this case disconnecting from the wi-fi to try and send a snapchat to a friend would be the better route. For the most part, the guest wi-fi has been a great new feature to the students who listen to music on Youtube or teachers who have a free period and have nothing else to do. However, at the same time, the wi-fi is for us to share. Be considerate and if your teacher asks you to put away your phone, please do so. This is essentially a gift from the district and the least we could do is show some respect.
that takes place on neighborhood and urban roads. The test will begin with the instructor asking you to start the car and go over vehicle controls. During the test you will be asked to make at least two right and two left turns as well as entering and leaving several intersections. Lastly, you will be asked to park along a hill and parallel park along a curb. Driving on neighborhood and urban roads is an incredibly small portion of everyday driving. To get to most places, you will have to drive on the interstate which will require high speeds and merging skills. You are not tested on any of these skills to get your license. In Missouri, you are able to get your learner’s permit when you turn 15. To receive the permit, you must pass a written test as
The Liberty Ledger is a publication that releases six issues throughout the year, distributing 1,000 free copies to the student body, faculty and administration of Liberty High School as well as the surrounding Wentzville and Lake St. Louis communities. The publication is part of the District’s curriculum and is designed to provide practical journalistic experience and for written expression on a variety of topics. The adviser and principal will review the content and may delay publication, stop publication or remove specific material from this paper. The opinions expressed in this newspaper may not be those of Liberty, nor the Wentzville R-IV School District, faculty, staff or administration. The main editorial, when included, expresses the opinion of the Liberty editorial staff.
well as a road sign and vision test. When you turn 16, you are able to take the intermediate driver’s test, but only after having your permit for six months. You are also required to do a minimum of 40 hours of driving, 10 being at night, before you can take the intermediate test. However, there is not a way to prove that said driver has done the minimum hours. Many drivers do not experience enough driving with their permit before receiving a license. Teenagers should take the driver’s test when they’re confident in their driving, which will take time and a lot of practice. Driving is a very serious thing and a license should not be given to someone who is not ready for all aspects of driving.
Reacting
Letters to the editor can be submitted in room 239, emailed or mailed to Liberty. All letters must be signed. Limit letters you wish to be published to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space requirements and libelous material at the discretion of the editors. If you have a news story idea or comment, please contact us in room 239.
Credentials
The Liberty Ledger is a member of the Sponsors of Student Publications of Greater St. Louis.
Editors-In-Chief Olivia Holler Chasteanne Salvosa
Sports Editor Maddie Baker
ONLINE EDITORS
Max Fensterman, Alicia Orlando, Sarah Martin
Advertising
REPORTERS McKenzie Bartels, Danielle Corgan, To further facilitate the space available for student writing, advertising will Jessica Gibson, Maddi Pomerinke, Jenna not be offered in the Liberty Ledger. Schwandner.
Liberty Ledger
April 4, 2017
Taking Their Talent Elsewhere...
sports
15
Liberty senior athletes carry their hard work to their colleges Maddie Baker
Andrew Stuhlman
Brian Jones
Missouri Baptist University
Washburn University Division II Football
NAIA Men’s Soccer
Kallie Fruehwirth
Lukas Flacke Columbia College NAIA Track and Field
Lindenwood Bellville University NAIA Women’s Soccer
Allison Kranz
Culver-Stockton College NAIA Track and Field
Avery Ingle
Westminster College Division II Basketball
Go Big or Go Home
Five Liberty wrestlers make it to State Olivia Holler pretty good being able to take first place,” Chaney Ever work so hard for something and finally accomplish it? Five Liberty wrestlers said. worked hard all season and qualified for state tournament in Columbia on Feb. 16-18. All the days training and working to their By the end of the weekend, Cameron Steinhoff was fullest abilities has made them go this I train non-stop, every far in wresting. the lone Liberty wrestler standing on the medal podium. He got 5th place in the 106 weight class. “I train non-stop, every day, off day, off season to “It was a huge deal to me because my goal this year was to season to state,” Simpson said. state. be a state medalist, but I’m not satisfied it only makes me The wrestlers have also made the - Jake Simpson hungrier to train harder and get better to be at the top of the effort to get fit by dieting and working podium next year,” Steinhoff said, who finished with a 42-12 out. record. “I’ve gotten stronger and bigger than when Prior to state, Liberty had an impressive showing at districts. Sophomore Christian I first started. I have put a lot of work into the Ziek and junior Hunter Chaney took two decisive firsts and junior Jake Simpson took summer as well,” Chaney said. second place during districts. Sophomore Trenton Helton also made it to state. They couldn’t have done it without the support The boys were ready and excited to take on the challenge to represent Liberty and go of family, friends and of course the coaches. to state. Without all the hard work and support, they “I’m ready to go back and make a statement,” Ziek said. wouldn’t have advanced as far as they did. Hard Ziek has been wrestling for eight seasons and finished fourth at state as a freshman. work pays off. For Chaney, it was first time competing in districts. “It feels so good, this is the first time I actually got to compete in districts. It felt
“
“
photo provided by Liberty Wrestling Junior Cameron Steinhoff took fifth place at state.
16 Sports
April 4, 2017
One for the Books
Liberty Ledger
Liberty wins against Fulton for the program’s first district championship Chasteanne Salvosa Liberty took home the title of district champions for the first time in school history in a convincing victory against Fulton, winning 62-50. The Eagles advanced to the Class 4 Sweet 16 to play Jennings (23-4) but lost a close game, 56-54, thus ending their season with an impressive 21-6 record. It was a remarkable turnaround from a year ago when the Eagles won seven games. The district championship against Fulton took place on Friday night, March 3 at Liberty in front of a big crowd. The beginning of the game was an immediate tug of war between the two teams, playing a close game in the first quarter. But Liberty quickly reclaimed the court as three minutes into the second quarter, the Eagles gained a five point lead (17-11) and by halftime, the scoreboard showed a 24-14 advantage. After halftime, Fulton bit back closing some of the gap, but not before Liberty regained footing, the two teams going back-and-forth. Liberty maintained a 10-point lead for most of the second half. Senior Blake Stricker closed up the game with two final free throws, the game ending with a final score 62-50. Kaleb Overall led all scorers with 19 points while Jaylen Sims contributed 12. Blake Stricker, Andy Jorris and Brian Jones all added seven points apiece. The team then advanced on to sectionals where they played Jennings. The Eagles fought hard throughout the whole game, but ended up loosing the game 56-54. “It’s really cool to leave my senior year with a conference championship, district championship and 20 wins as well, especially struggling the first couple of years,” Stricker said. “We’ve started the program and we’re leaving a foundation for everything.” At the end of the season the Eagles went on a eight game winning streak and worked hard to finsh victorious.
photo by A. Orlando
photo by A. Orlando
Senior Blake Stricker and junior Andy Jorris show off (above) The Nest helped provide positive energy throughout the game to get the plaque that the boys have work hard for. the boys fired up to win. (below) Senior Alex Hines and juniors Jaylen Sims and Andy Jorris celebrate the victory of being district champions.
Tenth in the Nation
First time competing at nationals is a proven success for the Belles
My hope for the future the team is to continue “ forto improve every single day. We have come so far. The Liberty Belles started as a team of six with little dance experience. I’m so proud of the Belles and what we’ve been able to accomplish as a team in the last four years.
- Amanda Miller, Head Coach photo provided by Liberty Belles The Liberty Belles arrived in Flordia for Nationals on March 2nd and were excited to perform for the judges. “Going on a trip with your 15 closest friends is different than going on a trip with your family,” said senior Taylor Stewart.
friends is different than going on a trip with your family,” senior Taylor Stewart said. They began announcing the places and started with 19th place. After announcing 19-11, they announced the top ten teams. When they finally announced the Liberty Belles being tenth in the nation it was so exciting and such a great feeling for the team and their coach.
“At my studio, when I was younger I always looked up to the high school dancers that were on dance team and I never thought that I was going to do that one day,” sophomore Marlee Doniff said. “It’s a way to express yourself in a different way than talking. So, when I heard that we placed tenth I felt very accomplished.” Amanda Miller, the dance team coach is very proud and happy with the results. With it being the first time they competed
“
MCKENZIE BARTELS For the first time ever, the Liberty Belles competed at nationals and placed 10th in the nation. After working hard and practicing since the summer of 2016, their hard work and determination paid off. After a five hour plane ride, the team landed in Orlando, Florida on March 2nd. They stayed there for a total of four days and left on March 6th. It was a very long and exhausting four days but it was also very rewarding. The first time competing at nationals was exciting for the team. There were many amazing teams that were there. They also danced on a stage where at a normal competition they would dance on a gym floor. It also pushed the team to their full potential and motivated them to work twice as hard. There were a total of 31 teams that competed in pom and 15 teams that competed in mix. Along with dancing, they were also able to bond as a team. They got to go to Universal Studios, swim and even eat at some great places such as Hard Rock Cafe. “Going on a trip with your 15 closest
at nationals, it was everything she hoped for. “My hope for the future for the team is to continue to improve every single day. We have come so far. The Liberty Belles started as a team of six with little dance experience. I’m so proud of the Belles and what we’ve been able to accomplish as a team in the last four years,” she said. The dance team has already achieved so much and come so far. The first time competing at nationals they were able to place 10th in the nation. They are going to continue to improve each year and have even more goals for their future.