October issue

S tatesman L i n c o l n

H i g h

S i o u x Fa l l s , S D

October 31, 2014

S c h o o l

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” -Abraham Lincoln

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sults that had to be done before surgery,” said Roberts. “One time I had to go to an appointment alone, but I brought my iPad along and asked the doctor if I could ‘bring’

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my daughter along via FaceTime so she could listen and take notes.

That was a first.”

Along with the actual surgery, came the healing process that followed.

This healing time worried Roberts when she thought about missing the first five weeks of the new school year.

However, all of her worries were put at ease right away when she told all of the other teachers back at LHS. “I had to tell Mrs. Fox the day before teachers had to go back to school,” said Roberts. “I’m so thankful to Mrs. Fox because she told me not to worry about it and they’ll take care of everything.

They never came to me with information or asked me to do anything.

They gave me the time I

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Roberts understood that undergoing a major surgery like this was going to be challenging, but she knew that it could save her life.

“They removed one lobe of my lung, and they found that there was no cancer in any other place,” said Roberts.

“When they removed it, the cancer was gone and I didn’t need chemotherapy or radiation.”

Fortunately, Roberts was able to begin the process of removing cancer right away.

“The one thing that helped me was the speed that Sanford moved with this, and the doctors were surprised I wanted to move so quickly,” said Roberts. “I was diagnosed on a Monday, and four days later I had the surgery. I only lived with [the knowledge that I had] cancer for four days.”

After hearing about the cancer herself, Roberts knew that it would also come as much of a shock to her family as well.

Although all of her family does not live around Sioux Falls, they still did whatever it took to help and be there for her.

“I had a lot of tests and con-

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BY BROOKE PHILLIPS Life can be changed by just one doctor’s visit, two examinations and three words. This summer, LHS Spanish teacher, Barbara Roberts experienced just that as she was faced with troubling news and difficult decisions. “You have cancer” was something she hoped she would never have to hear, but this vicious diagnosis made her even stronger in fighting back and ultimately winning the medal of “survivor.”

It all started when Roberts made an appointment to see her doctor about a constant cough she was having. Being so thorough in what she does, Roberts’ doctor took an X-ray and noticed a small spot in her lung. Roberts was then scheduled to come back at the end of summer to follow up on the small spot by having a lung biopsy done.

After the biopsy, the doctor had then discovered it was lung cancer.

“To hear the word cancer and your name is very scary,” said Roberts. “I don’t know if I was being naïve or just had a lot of faith, but I just thought somehow, I would get out of this. The fact that I did astounds me.”

Immediately after the discovery of the cancer was made, it was important for Roberts to figure out what options she had in getting rid of the cancer.

“I went to Sanford because I had great confidence in the doctors there,” said Roberts. “There were 20 different doctors that looked at my test results from their own specialties. They decided that the next step was to remove it.”

ie

A warm welcome back to school and a farewell to cancer for LHS teacher

would have to replace Roberts for the time that she would be gone.

Monica Conover was the woman who did just that.

“I think we had the best possible substitute and she did an awesome job,” said Roberts. “Mrs. Conover left me a dozen red roses when I returned. What I liked about her is that she cared about her students and I think students felt that. I was very happy she was here.”

Like any new school year, there are new faces to see and new classrooms full of different students.

Coming into the school year five weeks after everyone else, Roberts knew that some aspects would be unfamiliar.

“I was nervous to come back,” said Roberts. “It’s like opening night and you’re the new thing, and I was the new thing in lots of my classes. I knew I had a lot of new students to get to know, but I was really excited about that. When I did come back, I felt at ease and it’s as good as it’s always been.”

Although this journey was not one that Roberts had planned on taking, it will always be a part of her life. However, now she looks back on this experience and continues to stay strong by thinking positively and cherishing every moment in her life.

“I really appreciated, while I was out, the students that visited, brought food and sent cards,” said Roberts. “All of my family and friends were really supportive.

It certainly would’ve been much harder without the support of everyone, and I’m grateful for that.”

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NEWS

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

The ISIS crisis: Terrorist organization continues to gain power

BY ALEXA ANKRUM ISIS, likely the most powerful terror organization today, uses brutal tactics such as mass killings in hopes of gaining control over large parts of Syria and Iraq. So far, they have been successful.

ISIS is not a new terrorist organization, but up until the last few months, the media has given us more coverage of al-Qaeda, the organization ISIS originally came from.

According to CNN, ISIS was established in 2004. Its goal was and still is to create an Islamic state in Sunni-controlled areas of Syria and Iraq. ISIS worked with alQaeda for several years until February 2014 when al-Qaeda officially severed their ties with them. This event was a precursor to a succession of ISIS ‘victories,’ like gaining control over influential cities like Mosul in Iraq and instilling world-wide terror by posting YouTube videos of the executions of

foreigners, most notably American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

The most terrifying information the U.S. has recently obtained about ISIS is how much influence they have already gained. According to Fox News, government intelligence agencies have gained information that indicates ISIS is triple the size they originally thought it was.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers believes that ISIS is using Social Media to gain recruits from all over the world. Last August, CBS reported that at least 3,000 known members of ISIS were from the western hemisphere and now it is believed more Westerners have joined the terrorist group.

According to NBC, President Obama admitted that the U.S. “underestimated what had taken place in Syria,” and that ISIS had used the civil war in Syria to their advantage. Many people have criticized the

Obama administration’s lack of foresight and for allegedly putting America in a situation that will lead to disaster. In September, The Atlantic magazine claimed Obama’s decision to send troops to fight ISIS will most likely lead the U.S. to form an alliance with Iran and then claim that they are not really in an alliance. So far, that prediction seems to be correct.

The U.S. launched airstrikes against ISIS near the Syrian city of Kobani by the Turkish border in late September. Unfortunately, ABC News reported that the airstrikes only had limited effect on the terrorists because multiple ISIS insurgents made it to the heart of the city and the majority of the people left in Kobani were civilians. As a result, the U.S. could not authorize airstrikes directly on the city without warranting the death of thousands of bystanders. Now, the ISIS flag flies over one of the buildings of Kobani.

Senior administration officials told CNN that they expect Kobani will soon be completely under ISIS control. Kobani was the last piece of the puzzle for ISIS, because capturing it means they have control over most of the territory on the northern border of Syria. On Oct. 8, CNN released the U.S.’s new strategy for defeating ISIS. The plan is to push ISIS off of Iraqi soil and to postpone further action in Syria. Until then, the people in Kobani are at the mercy of ISIS. The conflict with ISIS will most likely persist as ISIS continues to post videos and comments on the Internet that threaten any nation or any person who does not agree with ISIS beliefs. Not only that, but more people are starting to agree with them and are joining its cause in troves.

For now, it seems the only thing the American people can do is remain alert because ISIS is not going away.

New spring delivery scheduled for the LHS Yearbook

BY MIKAELA NEUBAUER Every day in Yearbook, it is a rush to get everything done. Students work tirelessly on the daily, uploading photos, interviewing those around the school and writing stories for their spreads. The hustle and bustle never ends in this class, and this year it is especially true as the yearbook will be coming out in the spring rather than the next school year.

As the year goes on and the books come out, some activities will be omitted, but only temporarily. Sports, extracurriculars and events from March to graduation, such as prom and baseball, will be covered in a supplement that will come out when the next school year begins. The supplement will glue into the back of the original yearbook, adding events that may have been left out.

“The supplement is going to be really different. People will be like, ‘I think the Interp spread is supposed to be here.’ It will come, it will come,” said junior staff member,

PHOTO BY SYDNEY MILLER

Morgan Fehrs and Ellie Dahm, members of the Yearbook staff, working hard on making final revisions for their pages in preparation for the new delivery date.

Claire Litzen.

Yearbook also gained a new adviser,

switching from Julie Fettes to Rebecca Mehrens. Mehrens prepared over the summer,

taking journalism classes in Austin, TX, and is currently gaining experience in this new realm of teaching.

“With Miss Mehrens being new to journalism, but being very well informed on the topic, she brings a fresh take on things and she’s learning along with us,” said Fehrs.

The focus of the yearbook will be taken to a new level as well. This year’s theme is “Inner Views,” a play on the word interviews, and will give a deeper look into the student body of LHS. “We’ve learned that everyone has a story and if you reach out, you can find something new about people that you have known for a while and people you don’t actually know,” said Fehrs.

Despite all of the pressure, the Yearbook staff is dedicated to working together memories that will last for years.

“Teamwork makes the dream work,” said Fehrs.

NEWS

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

2014 South Dakota November elections LHS students with familial ties to S.D. government

BY ALEXA ANKRUM Many people have seen movies like “Ides of March” or “The War Room,” which revolve around a political campaign and how it affects the people close to the politicians who are running. LHS senior Alex Newcomb-Weiland and sophomore George Mickelson do not need to see those movies, they are living them.

“My dad told us he was running (for U.S. Senate) in the spring of 2013,” said NewcombWeiland. “He said politics was what he loved and he thought he had a chance to pursue it.”

Newcomb-Weiland’s father, Rick Weiland, has been involved in politics before. He ran for Congress in 1996 and in 2002, but was not elected. However, Weiland is running for a different office this year, and maybe the third time is the charm. As in previous races, Weiland’s biggest objective in his campaign is helping everyday South Dakotans.

“My dad wants to take big money and special interest out of politics,” said NewcombWeiland. “One of his biggest goals is getting colleges to allow students and their families to refinance

ence for Newcomb-Weiland. It has helped her see politics as more than debates and televised speeches.

“I am more involved in politics than I used to,” said Newcomb-Weiland. “I was nervous about being a part of a campaign at first, but now I like helping my dad with his speeches. I like traveling and meeting new people.”

Newcomb-Weiland’s participation in her fathers campaign has helped her realize some of her own political aspirations.

“I want equality for everybody,” said Newcomb-Weiland. “We have a constitution that says this is a country where every person is created equal so we need to follow that rule. There should be no exceptions to that.

Even people who are different or have disabilities are people, so they should be treated like people.”

Mickelson’s father, Mark Mickelson, is also running for political office this year, except he is running for re-election as a Republican in the State House of Representatives for District 13.

“My dad would like to raise the bar for the school curricu curriculum,” said Mickelson. “He wants to improve the pace of teaching so that some students can speed up, while the slow students can be taught at a slower pace.”

Mickelson and his family have been actively in involved on the campaign LAND trail. They primarily work WCOMB-WEI ED BY ALEX NE ID on the grassroots side of OV PR O OT PH politics. s t u d e n t loans and to lower their interest “Sometimes my uncle Dave and my broth brothloans by 3.86 percent.” ers and I go door to door with my dad,” said The campaign has been a positive experi- Mickelson. “My dad says that having kids

around helps minds. If kid’s face ent, it that father them t h e

people make up their they can see the with their parreminds them (my dad) is a and it helps decide if he’s right choice.”

Mickelson enjoys the

PHOTO PROVI

DED BY GEORGE MICKELSON experiences he gained from his father’s previous term in office, especially the ones he gained during his visits at the Capitol.

“I like being able to sit on the legislature floor and to hear what is going on,” said Mickelson. I think it is important to know what is going on in government.”

Politics run deep in the Mickelson family.

Mickelson’s grandfather, George S. Mickelson, was the 28th governor of South Dakota.

“I think I would like to follow in their footsteps,” said Mickelson. “I like going to the capitol and I like knowing what is going on in politics.”

Both the S.D. Senate and the House of Representatives elections will be held on Nov. 4.

Until then, it seems that politics have affected the lives of Newcomb-Weiland and Mickelson.

“I think (a political) life would suit me,” said Mickelson. “I might run for the legislature or the Senate if the chance arises. I would really like the experience.”

Statesman

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The Statesman is a student newspaper created at Lincoln High School, Sioux Falls Public Schools, 2900 S. Cliff Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105. The Statesman office is located in room A400. The phone number is 605-367-7998.

The Statesman’s purpose is to inform and entertain with an honest and accurate approach. The opinions of students, staff members and faculty are expressed in a tasteful manner. The Statesman is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and is a winner of the George H. Gallup award for “…distinctive achievements in scholastic journalism.” The Statesman was awarded a Pacemaker in 2007 and was nominated for the 2012-2013 year. The editors and adviser take responsibility for the content of the Statesman.

Follow the Statesman on Twitter and Instagram with the handle @lhsstatesman and “like” the LHS Statesman Facebook page.

Editors-in-Chief: Ellen Koester* and Sara Jane Teal* News Editor: Alexa Ankrum* Feature Editor: Erin Daugherty* Opinion Editor: Mikaela Neubauer* Sports Editor: Dylan Hall* Entertainment Editor: Ellie Brecht* Social Media Coordinator: Anna Stritecky Meet the Varsity: Bella Thome* Photographers: Joe Hiatt* and Sydney Miller Staff Members: Lizzie Archer, Alisha Auen, Maddy Hackett, Will Hannemann, Brooke Phillips, Madison Rost, Allison Metzger, Swetha Saravanan, Sydney Sweeter and Kade Walker* Grammar Consultant: Maddie Dixon Adviser: Katie Kroeze Assistant Adviser: Charnelle Wooledge *Indicates all-state journalists

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OP/ED

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

Ellen De’Genius

Students: Be aware when choosing colleges

PHOTO PR

OVIDED B

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PHOTO BY LHS STATESMAN

Free Stuff

The lowest priced products from the highest priced education.

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“...when deciding on colleges or any major decision in life make sure little things like a T-shirt aren’t swaying the decision in any way.”

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USD, then I wouldn’t be able to wear my Netflix shirt anymore.

It happens, but when deciding on colleges or any major decision in life, make sure that little things like a T-shirt aren’t swaying the decision in any way. Know what is important and make a decision based off that.

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ber two things: it is super cold up there and they are mail-freaks. If the name of the college is brought up to any senior, get ready to hear a tirade about all the mail they’re sending out to every teen in the Midwest region. (Maybe that is why I didn’t get a free T-shirt when I visited; all of their profits are spent on stamps.) Can free pens really counteract a mail-freak college that gets really cold in the winter? And let us not forget the college is in Fargo, where the woodchipper movie, “Fargo,” took place.

Another point against Concordia is their mascot: the Concordia Cobbers. If I go there, I will have to identify myself as a Corn Cob. I can imagine sitting around a coffee table in 10 years with all these new people. The person from USD is a Coyote. The alumni from Augie is a Viking. The Drake graduate is a Bulldog.

Another is a Jackrabbit. Another a Cougar.

And then it comes to me; I’ll have to say I’m a Corn Cob. Honestly, the main consideration is the how I felt on the day of the college visit. When I visited USF, it was a cold, South Dakota day.

The guide wouldn’t stop talking and leading us all around USF’s beautiful campus when it was 50 degrees and windy, and I had left my sweatshirt in the car. However, when I visited Drake and Creighton, both were on a beautiful fall day. The best college visit I had, however, was to Augustana. I visited last year on Junior Day which meant I was excused from all my

morning classes. Instead of learning about trigonometric functions, I was learning about the “Augie Advantage.”

All these factors shouldn’t matter. What should matter is the price tag and quality of education at the college. What should matter is the professors and how far away the campus is from home. Free stuff, although it is arguably amazing, should never decide one’s college career. This may seem far-fetched, but I have definitely caught myself thinking about colleges in respect to the free stuff. Just last week, during a Netflix marathon, I found myself thinking about the Augie shirt. I specifically thought that this shirt has kept Augustana in my number one choice spot. If I went to Creighton or

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m a n y ing this exact shirt.

But Concordia College in the Fargo-Moorhead area gave me a free pen, and then I stole around six more of their pens. Now, I work at one of the local Hy-Vees along with half the teenage population in Sioux Falls. At Hy-Vee, pens are very important. Customers, through no fault of their own, are accidental pen thieves.

I understand how it happens; they’re writing a check and we’re chatting about the weather

“...sometimes I find myself thinking free T-shirt rather than quality education.”

es

That is how soft this shirt is; “How I Met Mother” Your Mother marathon soft.

I don’t think there is a way to exaggerate how soft and awesome this shirt is. In fact, I have seen LHS students wear-

and the conversation is so stimulating that they forget exactly whose pen they have, and “whoops;” there it disappears into the bowels of their purse. However, by some grocery store miracle, I have not lost the Concordia pen to one of the customers yet. That has to be of some significance.

On the other hand, every time I think about attending Concordia, I can’t help but remem-

Wat er B ottl

BY ELLEN KOESTER, EDITOR In case it is not apparent, the senior class of LHS is currently wading through college and scholarship applications. Every chance they get, seniors flee to out-of-state schools and discuss class size and dorm room bathrooms with counselors and current college students. I am one of these students although, sometimes I find myself thinking free T-shirt rather than quality education.

Lately, college has been the only topic of conversation available to my senior friends and me. One of our more notable college conversations was when we compared the free college Tshirts given to visitors. Augustana won hands down. They have the softest shirt of all the colleges; the best pajama, exercise or lazy-day shirt. Personally, it is my favorite Netflix shirt.

After a long work shift when the only thing I want is to get out of my work clothes and have a “How I Met Your Mother” marathon, the Augie shirt is what I put on.

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PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CLIPARTPANDA.COM

OP/ED

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STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

Feminism speaks for both men and women and promotes equality

BY SWETHA SARAVANAN, STAFF WRITER Throughout my experiences as a traveler, I believe I have gained the slightest understanding of the positive and negative aspects of people. When interacting with citizens from around the world, there is a fact that stands out: that women do not own the same equal rights as men. In some places the bias towards men is seen more than other places, but the

“When interacting with citizens from around the world, there is a fact that stands out: that women do not own the same equal rights as men.” truth is that men are considered the superior of the sexes in every country.

Hena Begum, a 14-year-old girl in Ban-

gladesh wished to use the restroom. The village girl had to leave her home to do so. Begum’s trip was cut short when her very own cousin gagged, beat and raped her. The rapist’s wife beat Begum up afterward. In the local mosque, the imam, a Muslim leader, issued a fatwa (a religious decision) stating that Begum would be punished for committing adultery.

Not only was Begum subjected to the penalty from a religious standpoint, but also in the court of law. Her sentence was to endure a public whipping of a 100 lashes. Imagine going through a physical punishment after being accused of something as the victim of the crime. All her family could do was watch in hopelessness. The young woman was only able to withstand 70 lashes before she was taken to the hospital where she died a week later due to severe blood loss and internal bleeding. Yet, the cause of death was reported by the doctors as ‘suicide.’ Women in certain countries are expected to perform a suicide to save humilia-

tion because of deeds that are done that would stain a family’s honor. An innocent girl was executed for bad timing and a crime which the man committed. The public was enraged by the event, and views against the misogyny were shown.

The question is: Why can’t the female population have the freedom of expression or the contentment of earning wages equivalent to their male counterparts? To the young girl; her victimization was her own fault and her life was thought to be inferior to men. Although problems such as the above encourage feminism, there is a misconception that arises; feminists are not man-haters. Men are not considered evil; the point is for the girl to receive justice.

Females are not trying to rule the world, they would just like greater opportunities to succeed and fulfill their dreams despite society’s regulations. By allowing a balance between the roles of men and women, men are not losing control, rather, taking control. Women are not

in the feminist movement simply to prove that they are capable of doing tasks that are done by men. Violence towards women is becoming an increasing issue and the media is an unhelpful outlet in terms of violence as unfavorable

“Females are not trying to rule the world, they would just like greater opportunities to succeed...” stereotypes are created against them.

However, feminism can be a movement with the cooperation of men. It is a joint effort. Feminism is a form of friendship between men and women.

Patriot Views

Would you consider yourself a feminist?

“Yes I would, because I believe that everyone is equal.”

“I believe that women are equal to men because everyone is created equal.”

“I would because it suggests the idea that we are all equal.”

-Sydney Dixen. 9

-Kaleb Dobbs, 10

-Sarah Telahun, 11

“Yes I would, because you have to show that girls are able to compete with boys.”

-Ellie Leach, 12

“I would say yes, because I admire and support strong women.”

-Steve Blankenship, Teacher

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STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

How old is too old to trick-or-treat?

BY BROOKE PHILLIPS, STAFF WRITER

The streets are dark and it is late at night. The only visible light is coming from the glowing faces of the pumpkins that line driveways of every house on the block. Your arm becomes more and more tired as the night goes on and your bucket gets filled with pounds of candy. Being careful not to step on your princess dress or animal tail, you gaze at the crowd of

“There has always been controversy about the age limit of trick-or-treating.” children and admire their different costumes. You see firefighters, aliens, ghosts and teenagers. Wait, teenagers?

Trick-or-treating has been a Halloween tradition for many years. The rules are simple: wear a creative costume, ring a doorbell and receive an extraordinary amount of candy. However, the rules should also state (in big fat letters), “No Teenagers Allowed.” There has always been controversy about the age limit of

trick-or-treating. Once you are able to drive a car, it is time to leave the free candy collecting up to the little kids who only have their two feet to rely on.

Although dressing up and choosing a costume is part of the fun in trick-ortreating, walking around the neighborhood from house to house plays another huge part in this activity. No homeowner wants to be blinded by a car’s headlights as they whip into the driveway and quickly run up to the front door. Walking around the block is just the same for a teenager as taking the dog for a walk on a daily basis. And it might also be a little strange to walk up to the same neighbor’s house 15 years in a row.

Small children should be able to experience this holiday while being surrounded by other small children who are their own age. It would be intimidating for little kids to look up and realize that the friendly dinosaur is now a teenager dressed as a T-Rex. As the holiday of crazy costumes, black cats and sweet candy approaches this year, it is time for another traditional night of trick-or-treating to begin. But for teenagers, it is also time to start handing out the candy and leaving the streets to the children.

OP/ED Censored history doomed to repeat itself

BY ALLISON METZGER, STAFF WRITER

History classes have always been a staple in education in the U.S., starting in elementary school and continuing through high school and into college. Although they may be seen as necessities, are teachers revealing the truth behind the history of the U.S., or are they sugar-coating it to make America seem less hostile?

Many times, students are informed of a plethora of positive occurrences instead of all the negative aspects of America’s involvement in history.

Currently, in the city of Arvada, a suburb

“...are teachers revealing the truth behind the history of the U.S. or are they sugar-coating it...?” of Denver, Colorado, Pamona High School is trying to censor the information that will be taught in history classes such as AP U.S. History. The teachers in this district and the Jefferson County School Board believe that instead of teaching all of the negative events that Americans have taken part in the past, the curriculum should be centered around

patriotism. While the teachers believe it is in everyone’s best interest to do so, students at Pamona believe that it is their right to know everything that has happened within their country, whether it be positive or negative.

“It is necessary to continue to learn about events that have happened in the past.”

It may seem like it makes more sense to embellish the history of America by not illuminating the issues of the past; however, the U.S. is a unique nation that was formed and shaped by events that have happened in the past. In addition to this, it is necessary to continue to learn about events that have taken place; because that way, people everywhere are aware of the past. This common knowledge will prevent history from repeating itself in the future. It wouldn’t be logical to take out the negative events to make the U.S. look better. Everything that has happened ever since the U.S. has become a nation has had an impact on the country itself.

Sioux Falls, SD: The “best kept secret” for athletes

BY MEGAN LANDON, JOURNALISM STUDENT

What they don’t know is how sports-minded the city really is, with millions of dollars invested in building new sports facilities where athletes can go to train.

Sioux Falls has produced dozens of college and Division 1 athletes, and with all the hard work that they and the city have put in, they deserve more recognition nationally. Recently Sanford has put up funding for multiple buildings to sponsor, the Field House and the Pentagon. There are football fields sur“Who’s to say that rounding the two complexes and there are Sioux Falls can’t many future plans for other sports-related produce quality buildings. A new ice rink has gone up to supathletes...?” port hockey, which previously people had to travel out of the state to get quality rinks.

Now, they can stay in Sioux Falls, and hopedo, they believe we still ride horses to school, fully train to live out their collegiate dreams. sleep in teepees and roam with the buffalo.

My brother calls Sioux Falls “the best kept Being an athlete from a small state such as South Dakota and a small city inside it, Sioux Falls being one of them, has always been an unfortunate detail when trying to get recruited. Striving to play Division 1 sports outside of the state is difficult because people rarely have any idea where Sioux Falls is, and if they

secret” because of how many athletes have been raised here. Nathan Gerry, an athlete

“Sioux Falls is in a new era of sports, so people need to embrace it...”

from WHS is a starter on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln football team, and looking to be drafted. Darby Hugunin is an athlete from LHS who plays soccer for Creighton University. Jon Hander from WHS plays baseball for Kansas University. And then there’s the Farniok brothers, whom one plays football for Oklahoma University and the

other for Iowa State University. Among these athletes are my brothers, Logan and Ethan Landon. Logan plays baseball for the University of Texas Pan-America, and Ethan for Michigan State University. There are several other athletes who play collegiate sports as well. Who’s to say that Sioux Falls can’t produce quality athletes that can be successful and potentially move up to a higher level of sports?

Sioux Falls is in a new era of sports, so people need to embrace it, and support the athletics. Dreams can be made here if the city continues to build facilities to train in and grow stronger. Sioux Falls depends on athletes for its economy and entertainment, and it should push to put itself on the map, for all of the athletes here.

OP/ED

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

Later day equals later May

BY MIKAELA NEUBAUER, STAFF WRITER

In 2006, the Sioux Falls School District pushed the school start date to an earlier date in August; now parents are voting to move the date to after Labor Day. The 2015 school board election will reveal whether Sioux Falls students will have a delayed opening within the next year.

Students complain yearly that when they are released from school, it is too cold to do anything and that when they return, it is still intensely hot. A shift would give a more opportune climate for summer pastimes. Another dispute in the current schedule is that students have a break for Labor Day almost immediately after they have started. This year it was only two weeks from the time school started to the first day off, hardly enough time to even become acclimated to the new routine.

The later start sounds ideal to many. Ending when the weather gets warm and starting when it cools down would allow students more time to enjoy their summer activities.

A poll from the Argus Leader shows that the opinions of Sioux Falls residents neatly split down the middle. 40 percent of those polled say that school should begin before Labor Day, 47 percent say after and a small 12 percent say school should be held year round. Though a large number of residents across the District support this change, there are effects to consid-

er with the adjustment. The District originally made the switch to shift semester tests prior to winter break so that high schoolers would have their results available sooner for college applications. If the new start date passes, students will have to deal with semester tests after the holidays, relearning and reviewing when they

“40 percent of those polled say that school should begin before labor day, 47 percent say after.” return.

While starting later is nice in theory, the system the District has established now is in place for a reason. It is truly arranged for the benefit of students. When the schedule was set up to start later, semester test scores were down because many students would not study over break. The District is not clueless; they know what works and what does not.

Soon enough the whole calendar of the school year could change, but the reverberations could damage the delicate balance of learning within the school system.

Profiling society today

BY WILL HANNEMANN, STAFF WRITER

A normal high schooler has a couple things their day consists of and those are: scrolling through Instagram, checking a MyStory on Snapchat, or looking at a Twitter profile. Everyone can notice one trend from these abundances of social networks: they are all about profiling. A place where people put: the perfect selfie, the perfect background photo and their hypocritical quote that they will never live by in their life. There are few profiles on any Social Media out there that do not make people look perfect. That way, if someone happens to stop by, they will not make a judgment against them as a person.

Why do people care what other people think of them as a person? It sounds cliché, but it

“There are few profiles on any Social Media out there that do not make people look perfect.” is true. People care so much about social networking, it can change them as a person.

The reason people care what other people think is because everyone wants to be seen.

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As a technologically advanced society, nobody wants to be left behind. It’s just the way people in this generation have seen the world.

For instance, some people at this school hate me. I do not hate them, but it is their choice to like who they want. But that does not mean

“Nobody in this world is perfect, but no one should be afraid to show society their true colors.”

I’m going to change for them.

People should go through life not worrying about having ‘haters.’ Nobody in this world is perfect, but no one should be afraid to show society their true colors. Everyone has flaws.

However, a weakness no one on this earth should have is the desire to change their personality and be a different person based off of other’s judgments. People may not be the skinniest, prettiest or smartest, but anyone can show the world who they actually are. Everyone should be the person they want to be in this world, not the person other people want to see.

Should physical education be a requirement for schools?

BY ALISHA AUEN, STAFF WRITER

One of the requirements to graduate in the Sioux Falls School District is a physical education class. This is because we are living in the unhealthiest generation in American history, and physical education is very important for adolescents. Yet, high schoolers participating in varsity sports are getting more than enough exercise and therefore, should not be required to take a gym class.

“High schoolers participating in varsity sports are getting more than enough exercise.”

Physical education is very important for teenagers not participating in a varsity sport.

It is essential that our generation stays healthy and active, and being a part of a physical education class can help students do this. Americans are a part of a generation that follows many unhealthy behaviors. With more fast food chains popping up each year and more teens resorting to a donut instead of an apple, the U.S. is reaching obesity in widespread proportions nationally. According to Centers for Disease and Control prevention in 2012, over one-third of adolescents were overweight. This is why school districts are making gym class a must. However, for students in a varsity sport, the case is a little different.

Athletes in varsity sports have practices on weekdays and games on the weekends. They work hard to learn endurance, skills and teamwork. These are all skills that a gym class would

teach, but at a higher, more advanced level.

A physical education class focuses mainly on keeping students active, learning healthy habits and basic sports knowledge. In varsity sports, athletes spend at least half of their practice conditioning, which is more than most gym classes.

“Physical education is very important for teenagers not participating in a varsity sport.”

Gym classes may even bring down the performance of a varsity sport athlete. Being competitive, diligent and aggressive are all qualities

that athletes have. These varsity athletes are going to be the students working hard and actively participating in gym class. Taking part in gym class could tire out or even injure athletes.

Assignments like the pacer, which tests the student’s ability to stay on pace and in shape, could tire out students for their after-school practices. This could hurt school sports because athletes come to practice tired and they do not perform to their best ability. Also, when students are participating in aggressive sports, like basketball and soccer, they could easily twist an ankle or pull a muscle. Simple injuries like those may not seem like much, but they can keep a player out for at least a game or two.

While beneficial for some students, varsity athletes should get an opt-out when it comes to gym class. This would help athletes save more energy for their after-school practices and prevent injuries that occur in gym class.

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FEATURE

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

The evolution of the Lincoln Crazies

BY WILL HANNEMANN

LHS students have heard all the clichés. For instance, LHS is more than a school; it is a family. I heard that even when I was a kid coming to LHS to watch my brothers, cousins and even some of my teachers play basketball for LHS. In 2006, Matt Hyland nailed a three for LHS in a basketball game. A time out was called

by WHS, and I looked over to the LHS student section in the old gym and the class of 2006’s, Pat Radigan pulled off the best “P-A-T-S” chant ever in the history of LHS. That is when the Lincoln Crazies (LCs) showed they were a family.

“When I’m back in Sioux Falls, everyone still talks about the ‘good ole days’ of cheering in the student section,” said class of 2009’s Joe Meader.

LHS opened in 1965, but the actual LCs can be traced back to the ‘07-‘08 basketball season. That is when the first T-shirts were made

by LHS teacher Mrs. Huber, and that is when Meader took over the student section as a junior. Before that they had the legends with the name of the “Cabin Crazies.”

“You could talk about the legends who are Max Hickey and Pat Radigan,” said Meader.

When Meader went into his senior year, he had a perfect set up: an athletic football team,

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WILL HANNEMANN

Top left to right: Max Hickey, Joey Meiers and Josh Schuety Middle left to right: Pat Radigan, Cameron Burgard, Jimmy Keating and Lucas Pasek Bottom left to right: Joe Meader, and the current Lincoln Crazies.

the start of the soccer dynasty, and the only basketball team in AA to go 25-0 in the state of South Dakota.

“I got lucky with a group like those guys. We got three state championships,” said Meader.

After that season, Meader would have to hand down the reigns to someone else with leadership qualities.

“That leader has to be that guy who is not afraid to come early and stay late,” said Meader.

“It is about not caring if people think you’re weird, because you are crazy.”

After Meader, Joey Meiers took over, but he also had to graduate at one point. That is when the LC’s died down until 2012-13. That is when Josh Schuety took over; who passed it down to Jimmy Keating, Sam Lockwood-Powell, Cameron Burgard, Bobby Grady and Lucas Pasek.

“When you get an inner city matchup, it is a madhouse. But once Washington comes, it is a riot,” said Meader LHS is a school that is the best at sports and just as good at cheering. We are friends. We are family. We are the school that cannot talk the day after sporting events. We are the school that is sore from standing. We are the school that yells so loud, there is an echo wherever we go in South Dakota.

“We are Lincoln,” said Meader.

6 reasons why everyone should love LHS: Buzzfeed style

BY ANNA STRITECKY

4. The LHS marching band is better than yours. Let us be real here; one can find them at the football field every morning at 6:55 a.m.. With a long-standing tradition of excellence, the marching band has been one of LHS’s consistent winning activities.

1. Not to sound like a broken record player, but the LHS football team is pretty good. As a result of their hard work, the LHS Patriots have been undefeated since August 2013 and are currently holding the 2013-14 state championship title.

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LHS teachers rock the socks off of everyone. For example, these Social Studies teachers have formed not only a close-knit bond with their students, but also are friends in real life. These upper E-wing phenomenons not only dress to impress, but have teaching abilities that can make anyone want to venture into the depths of the west wing.

FEATURE

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

Statesman Seven Day Challenges Being a vegan for seven days

BY BELLA THOME Veganism: abstaining from animal products including clothing and food products. For seven days, I went vegan, and it was far from fun.

I only made it five of the seven days, and do not think I could have made it one day more.

Hunger was a common feeling during these days, since my diet consisted of apples and fruit cups. This was far from enough to fill me up. For breakfast I had an apple. For lunch, I added a fruit cup into the mix. For supper, I had French fries or another apple.

This lasted for five days until I decided I could not go one day more. On day five, I ate a hamburger to satisfy my needs. This was easily one of the most difficult obstacles I had to overcome.

One week does not sound like a long time, until one is going vegan. Seven days without

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Seven days without caffeine

dairy is what really did me in. Personally, I think I could have made it through the challenge if I went vegetarian, but excluding dairy from my diet was the real kicker. I had to read the labels on everything before eating it, and then put it back with disappointment after I found out that it contained milk.

The most interesting part about this experience was trying vegan-friendly foods. I tried tofu for the first time and was absolutely appalled by the taste and texture. I tried almond milk which is a lot sweeter than regular milk.

Overall, I was amazed by how hard this really was, and that I was not able to make it the whole seven days.

This helped me gain a lot of respect for peoPHOTO BY SYDNEY MILLER ple who live the vegan lifestyle all year long, but this is not something I would willingly do again.

BY KADE WALKER At the start of a short seven days without caffeine, I naively thought that it would only be a minor change in my life. I was wrong.

For a person who does not have a Keurig 10 yards away from their bedroom, or does not drink several cans of soda every night, this challenge would not have even been a test.

But, for someone who is plagued by caffeine headaches, such as myself this was surprisingly hard.

On day one of my week without caffeine, I woke up tired-eyed and groggy as usual; but without any caffeine to act as a motor for my body, I never really woke up. After mornings spent going through everyday motions lifeless, a ringing pain would appear in my head that made me feel like a drug addict going through withdrawals, like a drug addict

would do after being deprived of drugs. Without caffeine I had such little energy, which in turn made simple tasks hard and more tiring.

However, somewhere in the week, I started to feel much better. The headaches went away; I felt more alive again in the mornings, and I was not as lazy. I realized that after all the excess caffeine was gone from my body, that I could be pretty productive without carrying around a cup of coffee in the morning. After a while I even started to feel well rested, something that I do not get to feel very often on a week-to-week basis.

No matter how bad the first few days of my week without highly caffeinated drinks were, I am glad that I did this PHOTO BY SYDNEY MILLER challenge. It not only showed me just how dependent I am on caffeine, but it also showed me how easily I could go without it.

of bread, most likely not even that much considering the pile of excess bread that was laying on my desk.

It is safe to say that I did not successfully complete either of the challenges that I took on, so the other half of the duel did defeat me.

Food challenges-2, Ellie-0.

for any sort of liquid to be in my mouth. It was nearly impossible to get the crackers swallowed

with the cotton-mouth feel that had taken over my mouth; therefore, I unsuccessfully completed the challenge with two whole saltine crackers left sitting hopelessly on the desk, and presumably a third cracker by the looks of how many crumbs were scattered on the desk; in other words, the remnants from my attempts to shove all six crackers down at once.

The bread challenge, in my opinion, was the worse experience of the two. For one, I failed more miserably, and for two, the taste was much more disgusting; I would say that was my most prominent setback to completing the challenge. Despite the dryness of the mouth while partaking in the challenge, I think the reason it was more difficult was because the bread was much harder to chew than crackers.

At the end of the minute, I had eaten one slice

Eating challenges provide food for thought

BY ELLIE BRECHT Challenge: a call to take part in a contest or competition, especially a duel.

In this particular situation, my opponent, or other half of the ‘duel’ was bread and saltine crackers. More specifically, two slices of bread and six saltine crackers. This was my challenge.

Shove six saltine crackers down my throat in less than one minute and on a different occasion, shove two slices of bread down my throat in less than one minute, both without drinking anything the whole time. Wow. Whether or not someone thinks this sounds easy, I challenge them to try it, because they are bound to think differently.

Before I took on the saltine cracker challenge, I did not think it would be too hard, but let me tell you, I have never been so desperate

PHOTOS BY JOE HIATT

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STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

FEATURE

#LHSHOMECOMING2K14

PHTOTS PROVIDED BY LHS INSTAGRAM USERS

FEATURE

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

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What actually happens to all of the old uniforms? On this day in

BY ELLIE BRECHT where these uniforms will go and what they ‘become old’ after multiple washes, which, Most LHS students probably think that the will be used for.” hence the most likely sweaty usage, needs to “old and used” athletic uniforms of LHS are There is also a common question that en- happen a lot. simply thrown in the trash when they are done compasses the uniforms concerning “what Many students probably do not know that, being used, but that is not always the case. makes them old?” Well, as most can imagine, although very unlikely, it is a possibility that “Some of the time, old uniforms are thrown after four to six years of use, uniforms tend to students are able to keep their uniforms once away, but there are also different situations in get quite the ‘used look.’ They also tend to they are disposed of, under certain circumwhich the uniforms are used for alternative stances. purposes,” said Jim Dorman, LHS athletic nev“The newer uniforms are usually nev director. “It is very common that we hand er allowed to be kept by students since the uniforms down to lower levels of they are handed down to lower levels sporting teams, or they are put in the most of the time, however it may uniform storage room in which they be possible,” said Dorman. are occasionally handed out to stuAlthough there are a variety dent fans to wear to sporting events.” of things done to the uniforms, Since most teams are on a fourthere was one situation in year rotation with the school disanothwhich LHS helped out anoth trict budget of getting new unier school in need. forms, they tend to receive new “A few years ago we sent uniforms after about four to six the old cheer uniforms to years. a less fortunate school in “Once the uniforms have had Minneapolis, MN that their day, they are not worth also held the name Lincoln much money, if any at all,” said High School,” said DorPHOTO PROVIDED BY JIM DORMAN man.

Dorman. “As a group of activity directors and coaches, we decide Old LHS uniforms were given to a less fortunate school after being used.

Freaky-fresh fashion on the way to Sioux Falls

BY LIZZIE ARCHER indulge in the essence of this fad.

Today on the marketplace, there While platform footwear is a reoccurring are fashion trends that are rising to trend, a new accessory that is making its way the surface and making their apto the jewelry stands of young women pearance to the public. Noted are body chains. Most of today’s general for their offbeat concept, and population have witnessed the versatilversatil ultimate uniqueness; platform ity of chains in fashion throughout shoes, body chains and megthe years; whether it be through the gings are now just a shopping sportinspiration of 2 Chainz, simply sport cart away when it comes to ing a gold chain necklace or expressing the up-and-coming mainstream an inner Punk Rock influence fashion. with chains hooked to a wallet.

Although platform footwear Contrary to popular belief, the seems like a rookie to the fashion chain is much more than just a scene, these little guys are simply necklace now. Body necklaces just making their reappearance. are the new fixation among First gracing the U.S. in the 1960s, Remany young women. Re these heels are back and better than ferred to as “body chains” ever. Their simple block-like structhis form of jewelry is ture provides the ultimate height commonly worn on the for any scenario and adds a retro head, around the torso twist to any outfit ensemble. While area or on the hands. If many assume this trend is exclusive simone is looking for a sim to the female variety, that is not the ple, yet elegant way to case. Men will be pleased to spice up their outfit, find out that they too can PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS body chains are the

accessory for them.

Currently fixated all over the Internet is the highly anticipated trend of leggings for males. Formally known as “meggings,” many can vouch that this is by far the strangest of up-and-coming fads among the fashion scene.

Generally made from polyester and spandex these leggings are available in flashy prints such as galaxy, American flag and the “oh so favorable” different shades of metallic. Men, do not let society be discouraging when it comes to partaking in this new wave of styles; males too deserve to experience the essence of bodycon pants.

The thing about fashion is how quickly it fades. Although these trends are swimming deinto the mainstream right now, it is de batable how long they will last. Irish writer and poet from the late 1800s Oscar Wilde, states that fashion is a concept that will inevitably change: “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every sixth months.”

history...

BY ALISHA AUEN

Today the U.S. celebrates National Candy Apple Day.

The 4th Olympic Games ended in London. [1908]

The Mount Rushmore Monument was finally completed after 14 years of construction. [1941]

The world population finally reaches 7 billion inhabitants according to United Nations. [2011]

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FEATURE

STATESMAN | Ocotber 31, 2014

Which witch is which? teachers with the same or similar names experience

Three pairs of LHS David Myers and Matt Meyers

BY LIZZIE ARCHER 15 years ago, David Myers started his position as a counselor at LHS. Little did he know that 10 years later in 2010, a little bit of perplexity would be added to his daily routine and continue on until this day. Matt Meyers started his position as a counselor here at LHS in 2010.

Due to their same last name with similar spelling, there tends to be confusion when students and staff refer to the counseling office.

“I mean it’s kind of a running joke now,” said Meyers. “When somebody comes in and says, ‘I need to see Mr. Meyers’ the question is always ‘Which one?’ Usually the next answer is, ‘Well I don’t know.’”

Between the secretary Dawn Barr receiving calls, and the two counselors seeing students who are not necessarily theirs, the two seem to have come to terms with the fact that they will always be mixed up.

The common misconception when it comes to deciphering who is who has ultimately made their relations h i p stronger.

“I mean (our friendship) is one of

those things that kind of by default has to be good,” said Meyers. “We see each other’s students, and sometimes parents. We have a good relationship. We joke around a lot and have fun.”

Throughout the past 10 years, Meyers and Myers have been able find a way to cope with the confusion.

“At first it was difficult, especially with students,” said Myers. “But then after that it has been pretty smooth...it’s routine now. I think that everybody adjusts to that. I think also we do a good job, like when the 8th graders come over, and we introtalk to the parents and intro duce ourselves...it’s kind of how w e figure it out.”

What many students and staff do not know, is that Myers along with other staff in the counseling office have a nickname for Matt Meyers. Based peroff of his easy going per apsonality, he has been ap pointed the honorary yet undisclosed name, “Mattie Ice.” “I think it’s Matt Ryan; he is the quarterback of the falcons,” said Myers.

“They call him Mattie Ice because he is cool under pressure, and he (Meyers) is just really laid back and takes the flow of things, so we call him Mattie Ice.”

PHOTO BY JOE HIATT

BY ERIN DAUGHERTY Some of the most common last names in the U.S. are Miller, Anderson and Johnson; Ernster is not one of them. So why is there confusion between LHS teachers Chris and Mark Ernster? The reason is because they not only teach the same subject, but they are also siblings.

“We get confused on a daily basis; it doesn’t help that we both teach biology,” said Mark Ernster. “When I was younger, I never got mistaken for my brother since I’m older and we look different. But since we both started teaching at the school, parents and students go to the wrong sibling all the time. At the beginning of every year, we always have some student who will sit through the entire period not knowing

daily mix ups Rebecca Mehrens and Rebecca Mager

BY SYDNEY SWEETER In the English department at LHS, many students and teachers commonly mistake Rebecca Mehrens and Rebecca Mager, who helps coach gymnastics, for each other, and understandably so. Although Mager and Mehrens do not look like identical twins, and are not related at all, students and teachers still have a reason to get the two teachers mixed up.

Mager and Mehrens share more similarities than differences and their similarities include more than just having the same first name.

“We are both short, blonde, we have the same middle name and really close last names. And we both teach English I,” said Mager.

Students at LHS not only mistake the two teachers for each other in person, but they also mistake Mager and Mehrens for each other in emails and on Google Drive.

“Students have given me gymnastics material that was really meant for Mrs. Mager,” said Mehrens. “I have also had emails sent to me and Google Drive documents shared with me that were not meant for me.”

Sometimes, LHS faculty does

Mark and Chris Ernster

they are in the wrong class.”

Having five sons in the Ernster family and living in Sioux Falls their whole life, it is not at all surprising that somebody ended up teaching at LHS. But for most of their lives, they were actually not a n LHS family at all.

“Our fam-ily went to WHS and I taught there,” said Mark Ernster.

“I am the oldest sibling and he is the sec-

ond

youngest. I am six years older than him, so I actually taught there when Chris was a senior.”

For Chris Ernster, teaching for the school that rivaled his alma mater was foreign to him at first, but he has come to really enjoy being a part of LHS over the years.

“At first it was a little weird teaching at LHS, but I’ve been teaching here for seven years now,” said Chris ErnPHOTO BY JOE HIATT

not just mix Mager and Mehrens up, but they think that they are the same person.

“One time I got an angry email that said I use too much paper for printing, because they thought that we were the same person using all of the paper, and not two separate people,” said Mager.

It is not only students who mistake Mager for Mehrens; surprisingly, teachers mistake them for each other more often than students do.

“I think teachers, especially the English department, mistake us for each other more often than students do, which is funny because the people at school who are supposed to know us the best are the ones who get us mixed up the most,” said Mehrens.

Slowly but surely, LHS students and staff are finally realizing that Mager and Mehrens are not the same person, and that they are, in fact, two different people.

“Last year people sent me more mail that Mehwas meant for Meh rens than they have this year,” said Mager.

“I don’t know what somechanged, but some thing did, because people haven’t been mistaking us for each other as much this year.”

PHOTO BY JOE HIATT

ster. “I’ve been at LHS almost twice as long as I was at WHS. I’ve realized that LHS and WHS are really very similar. The building is very different, but the people are very similar.”

Another reason to believe that at some point one of the Ernsters would end up at LHS is that teaching actually runs in their family.

“Our mom also taught,” said Chris Ernster.

“And both of our wives also work in education.”

Coming from a big family helps the Ernsters adapt to having to be around each other much more than usual.

“We get sick of each other sometimes,” said Mark Ernster. “They put us in different areas of the building so we wouldn’t fight.”

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FEATURE

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

New-age politics come into light through technology

BY ANNA STRITECKY Not even a couple decades ago, some of the only sources of information received was straight from the government, but now that there is a new era of technology, there is a third party that is being considered for getting information directly to the people.

In these past couple years, different political and protest groups have been creating their own way to convey their opinions, without the government’s filter on their information.

For example, a hacker group called Anonymous has come into play to convey their message of new-age politics by hacking different government and company computer systems to spread different little details that would maybe hurt a business, or share private information to civil cases being handled by the government. The members of Anonymous are also considered “hacktivists,” a combination of hacker and activists, because they take the information they get from these different sources, and often times create a scene around it.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS

Citizen Radio’s book was recently released in early October. It can be found in bookstores across the nation.

Anonymous will show the public the information they have acquired by organizing marches, protests and other demonstrations to create a riot about the source or subject.

Even relevant to recent news, Anonymous was the first to release the name of the police officer who shot teen Michael Brown, which caused the protests in Ferguson, MO. Other groups are out in the world conveying their message too, but are not afraid for their identity to be known regarding their opinion. Citizen Radio is a podcast group consisting of five outspoken journalists, Marc Kilstentein, Allison Kilkenny, Jesse Myerson, Rania Khalek and Susie Cagle. This radio show takes a single news subject and rips it down to the smallest problem, and then analyzes it from there, gradually raising it back up the problem as a whole.

Citizen Radio talks about smaller news subjects that they think citizens should be more involved in, for example their last three podcasts have been about the different news stations, the U.S. involvement in ISIS,

celebrity scandals and what they mean to the media and looking at the different angles of Ferguson protests. Citizen Radio, even though they are more commonly known for their podcasts, just released a book called “Newsfail: Climate Change, Feminism, Gun Control, and Other Fun Stuff We Talk About Because Nobody Else Will.” In this twiston-comedy commentary, authors take the format of their podcasts and put it into print.

Even though these groups may seem antigoverment, both have made statements that they are not here to cause any harm. Both groups are here for one purpose only: to tell the U.S. what they should know about the subjects that may be relevant to them.

Now, what does this mean to the common citizen? These new-age-politics are changing the way different news subjects are viewed, and giving information in a way that has never been done before. Citizen Radio and Anonymous have a combined 1.4 million followers on Twitter and Instagram, implying they are not going anywhere anytime soon.

go on and get an actual teaching degree,” said Kortemeyer.

Working as a technician at Sioux Falls Ford helped prepare Kortemeyer for teaching at

LHS. A technician works in the customer service industry. Teaching students how to fix a car or how to weld is very similar to working at an auto body shop.

“I had to understand the customer level of automotive knowledge to describe to them what they needed done, and why they needed the repairs,” said Kortemeyer. “When I’m speaking to customers or the students, if they understand the terminology or not, I’ll have to readjust.’”

For the first few weeks of school, Kortemeyer has enjoyed the new work schedule and likes to spend his day teaching high school students about what he knows best: auto tech, welding and repairing small engines. After writing lesson plans, quizzes and tests, Kortemeyer goes home and spends time cleaning and detailing his 1986 Mustang he has had since high school.

“It’s fun because I get to talk about cars and how they operate,” said Kortemeyer. “I know what to look at and I like to get my fingers and hands dirty. On the other side, it is hard to come up with tests and quizzes and to actually talk about a certain topic for sometimes up to 50 minutes. I like that I can share my knowledge of the field and share my interests.”

From automotive technician at Ford to LHS teacher

BY MADISON ROST Ryan Kortemeyer was working at Sioux Falls Ford as an automotive technician, just a few months before school started. He found out about the job opening at LHS a few weeks before the school year started, so he applied, and got the position of teaching Welding, Intro to Auto and Repair Small Engines.

Kortemeyer has spent his whole life taking things found in a garage apart, such as lawn mowers, and figuring out how it works. He enjoys watching the TV show “How it Works” because it shows a behind the scenes look at how things are made and how they work. Kortemeyer spends his free time with his four kids, Holland 8, Harper 5 and his 2-year-old twins, Laken and Finley.

“It’s been quite a change to a get into a routine of school days, since I was a stay at home dad for a few years,” said Kortemeyer. “When I stayed at home, I would play with my children.

We would go to parks a lot and even grocery shopping.”

Most teachers go to college for a degree in teaching; however, Kortemeyer has to get an alternative teaching certificate through the state of South Dakota. Eventually, Kortemeyer

would like to go back to school and get a teaching degree.

“I had to do an alternative teaching certificate and it required a few classes. I could later

PHOTO BY SYDNEY MILLER

Ever since high school, Kortemeyer has spent time in his garage taking cars apart and putting them back together. He has over 10 years of experience under his belt.

FEATURE

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

15

New Sioux Falls restaurant is lacking “macho” flavor

BY MIKAELA NEUBAUER A new restaurant is taking over the old IHOP location on east 10th Street. Macho Nacho, with its bright colors and loud sign, boasts authentic Mexican food. But then again, many restaurants do. However, south of the border cuisine does not always stay authentic this far north.

The space was light and airy, filled with color and predictable Mexican decorations. The meal opened with a table side visit from the waiter, identifying the choices of freshly made salsas and presenting homemade chips. Diners are allowed and encouraged to try as many choices as they please. I tried the guacamole salsa and the pineapple salsa. Both had a good flavor and definitely tasted like they had been freshly prepared, but they were very watery.

The extensive menu held classic Mexican dishes such as sopes and chile verde, yet I opted for the safe, familiar beef enchilada. One likeable trait of Macho Nacho is that they have vegetarian options and build-your-own “Macho Nachos” for the picky eaters.

When the food arrived, I was thrown by the

portion size, especially compared to the way the dish was portrayed in the menu. While it was a perfect serving for me, it seemed like I had been paying for quite a bit more. The entree was more or less dull. I felt as if the food, while not in fact unpleasant, was a very generic representation of authentic Mexican cuisine. Spice, a big part in the flavoring of Mexican dishes, was lacking. Nothing in the meal jumped out at me or made me want to have it again. I did try the fried ice cream for dessert, and it was delicious, but then again, how can you mess up ice cream?

The pricing was not outrageous, but I must say that I was disappointed with the quality and quantity for the price I paid. $16 is not bad for a good meal, but for a sub par one, it was a bit much. Staff quality was decent. The waiter was fast, amiable and knowledgeable about their products. Honestly there was nothing bad about my experience at Macho Nacho, and I was quite surprised with the quality of the company they had running.

In Sioux Falls, new restaurants pop up and die down every few months and only the best

PHOTO BY SYDNEY MILLER

Macho Nacho is a family-friendly restaurant with the exception of a bar. The atmosphere inside of the restaurant is generally casual, with a sit down setting.

survive. If Macho Nacho can refine its recipes, it has potential to be a profitable business.

Their concepts, such as “build-your-own” meals and using only fresh ingredients, set

them apart from others. Unfortunately bland food is something one cannot overlook when going out to eat. Only time will tell if Macho Nacho will take off or flop.

New club leads the way to overall acceptance at LHS

BY LIZZIE ARCHER LHS seniors Josh Jaton, Sarah Mettler and Caelan Mangan are the proud founders of the recently reestablished GSA club (Gay Straight Alliance), at LHS. The club meets every Tuesday after school at 3:30 p.m. in Steve Ortmeier’s room.

Based off of the numbers from the club in 2011, the leaders were expecting 20 members tops. They were astonished by the 60 plus LHS students who crammed into A126 on their first meeting. The extreme popularity was a pleasant surprise for the leaders.

It showed that there was truly a need and a want for the organization among their peers.

“A lot of different people who you would not think would come, did,” said Mettler. “It is really hard to find a supportive group in a small town like this. Everyone wanted this to happen, but no one had the means to start it up, so we wanted to make a spot where people could come and be happy.”

GSA leaders have made it clear that they are an organization with a cause. Whether it be providing a fun and safe environment, or creating opportunities to give back to a range

PHOTO BY SYDNEY MILLER

Sarah Mettler, Josh Jaton and Caelan Mangan are looking forward to an exciting year as leaders of a revolutionary club at LHS. A few years ago there was a GSA club at LHS, but due to a lack of instructor, it was disbanded. Through these students and their determination to keep the club running all year long, GSA is back to stay.

of different communities.

“I really wanted to create a positive atmosphere for students of all sexualities and to have them feel welcome for who they are, and create a setting where they can be who they want to be judgement-free,” said Jaton. “I wanted to give back to the community. With the help of fundraising, we will be donating to both local and national organizations, such as PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). That way we can help the LGBTQA’s (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Asexual) that are here at LHS, in the community, and worldwide.”

GSA is an organization that stands for equality and acceptance, and welcomes students who want to be involved in a pro-active support group.

“It is about spreading acceptance throughout the school, and opening people up to diversity,” said Mangan. “If you have ever had a question about yourself, come to GSA and show some love. It is about making school as safe as possible, and fun, and good, and love, and happy sunshine.”

LHS UNCOVERED

When one door closes, a hidden door opens Theatre noises and pitch-black rooms with only a stool

By Swetha Saravanan Backstage in the theater department, the door casually labeled “Custodial” leads to much more than a supply closet. For LHS building engineer, Chris Moneke, going downstairs is a regular routine.

“There are air plenums, and many pipes,” said Moneke. “People aren’t allowed in there because it’s used as a mechanical room. It’s very dangerous because there are lowhanging objects.”

The air is quite cool and the pressure is high enough to close one door if another one is opened. Overall the atmosphere is very unsettling, with unleveled staircases, whizzing

to take up space in the otherwise empty room.

“They were more worried about the heating when the building was built,” said Moneke.

“There are double-sided coils that hot and cold water go through on each side and in the middle there is copper that the heat is easily exchanged with.”

Almost all of the rooms in PHOTO BY JOE HIATT LHS can be accessed via the “tunnel,” a long, narrow hallway one might see in the plot of a horror movie.

Although this closet was eerie, the experience of visiting such an uncommon place was exhilarating.

Band Room

By Anna Stritecky For years, LHS band and choir members have been trying to get into the “hatch” in the band room, a “hatch” that administration and band directors have been very carefully covering up with a carpet so people can walk over it every day, without knowing what truly lies below.

But after various talks with the band directors, a hunt for the janitors and the tools to open it, this “hatch” was finally opened. LHS students can now know what lies in the depths below D wing, which happened to be quite disappointing.

When the janitors were lifting the hatch up, everyone was expecting the worst. A swimming pool? A room where they store backpacks of past freshmen? But sadly, it was only about a three foot tall square space, full of nothing but dusty pipes and chords leading to the water fountain in the music hallway, and trash from past custodians.

Now, what does this mean to the average person? The mystery is taken PHOTO BY JOE HIATT away from the ominous hatch, years of exploration and breaking fingers trying to get into this metal door are over; life can keep on going.

By Kade Walker

Bookroom In fact, most of the room is concrete, besides

Snuggled deep between the massive shelves of textbooks and the mountains of old yearbooks in the textbook room, there is an overlooked door that holds some eerie objects.

A staircase that has not been noticed by many is an entrance to a desolate part of the LHS’ mysterious basement that has been shrouded in speculation for years.

When entering through the door, one’s eyes are immediately drawn to two red outlines of people, not unlike those that could be seen at the scene of a murder on the far concrete wall.

By Brooke Phillips

a side wall that is full of metal hatches.

Also, in this portion of the basement there was a single wooden chair that was previously used in classrooms of LHS. The same kind of chair that has been said to be haunted according to the LHS janitorial staff.

The chairs have been said to move overnight without anyone there to shift them around the school.

Regardless if one believes in hauntings and spirits, it is PHOTO BY JOE HIATT very easy to get the feeling that something is awry in this hidden section of the infamous LHS basement.

Upper areGym used for holding extra equipment, one

The upper gym in LHS is used for gym classes and is being transformed into the new wrestling room. There are two different doors that lead into the gym, but once students are in the gym, it is easy to notice that there are three more doors (each on different walls). These three doors, however, are only used for the storage of gym equipment. But is that really all that is behind them?

The answer is no. Although the rooms

of the storage rooms is much bigger than the other two. Inside of this room, there is a small staircase that leads to another door. Behind this locked door is not storage, however. This secret room is a long stretch of hallway filled with pipes and vents that runs along all of the walls in the gym.

That is it.

Thankfully PHOTO BY JOE HIATT there have been no sightings of ghosts running around in this storage room, and if there is ever a need for a spot to put items, the upper gym is the place to go.

Who ya’ gonna call?...LHS Ghostbusters

By Maddy Hackett and Madison Rost Warning: the following events are based on true stories. No one was harmed in the making of this article; just scarred for life. The ghosts that are rumored wander the halls of LHS are very real, whether they are heard from or not.

Three students from LHS put their peace of mind on the line to take a couple of unlucky Statesman

wing hallway. People may think of a tunnel, as a small, confined space, with little light. Well, the part about little light was true; the only light was coming from the flashlights on the students iPhones. The tunnels under A-wing were surprisingly massive rooms with lowhanging pipes protruding from the ceiling. The ghost hunting squad crossed multiple tunnels until they approached the final tunnel, which was producing loud unexplainable noises.

As soon as Swenson unlocked the door to this tunnel, the noises stopped cold. At this point, the students were shaking in their boots, huddled together, holding hands, silently screaming because Browen was directing the group not to speak, let alone breathe.

“Sometimes ghost hunting scares me,” said Browen. “I’ve encountered some pretty cruel spirits in various locations. I’ve even gotten scratched and assaulted, but most of the time it T AT excites me more than scares me. This HI E PHOTO BY JO hunt scared me.” memIn the quiet tunnel, there was an old woodbers on a trip of a lifetime into en chair in the center of the room. Swenson the depths of the school. The fearless ghost and the rest of the janitors make sure that all hunters, senior Colin Browen, freshman Nick the tunnels are empty at the end of the night, Doty and junior Josh Sauer teamed up with so it surprised her that there was a chair in Char Swenson, the night shift janitor at LHS, there. At this time, the ghost hunters brought who has had countless encounters with spirits out their spirit box, a device that allows huthroughout the school. mans to hear voices that cannot be heard by On a chilly eve in October, 12 students, un- the naked ear. sure of what to expect, dove into the unknown “Spirits, if you are here, please make yourterritories of LHS, also known as, the basement self present,” said Doty to the ghosts. “Scratch and auditorium. me, punch me, kick me, do whatever you are “I, going into this investigation, thought able to do to let me know you are here.” that we would not find anything at Lincoln, Suddenly, the spirit box clearly stated the other than a moldy, word ‘chair’ and the ghost seemed to be running old mascot uniaround the room. Evform...boy, was eryone heard I wrong,” said footsteps, to Browen. the left, right, The first room on the ceiling Swenson led the and right past group into was Browen, leavthe boiler room, ing a cold draft which is conon the right side nected to sevof his body and eral tunnels a deep breathing under the Anoise in his ear.

PHOTO BY JOE

HIATT

The pipes started swaying, growls were coming out of nowhere and the sound of bells was also heard by many Statesman staff members.

It was so intense, that it even got the attention of the skeptics along for the ride.

“Going into this journey, I considered myself as a skeptic,” said Shawn Bogart, LHS English I and Creative Writing teacher.

“I was not expecting to come away with, what I thought is, actual proof of supernatural presence at the school. I was expecting a couple creaks or knocks that would kind of freak me out, but what surprised me was how much activity there seemed to be. Did I see and hear stuff I couldn’t explain? Oh, yes I did. There was more going on than what I expected there to be, especially when the pipes started moving.”

After the ghost hunting clan spent a long period of time in the tunnels, Swenson showed them the way to the signing room, but not before hearing all the noises come back to life once the group escaped the tunnel.

They spent a brief period of time in the signing room, where, through the spirit box, heard a ghost claiming his name was Tim. They left “Tim” in the dark and ran off to the auditorium and little theater. This is where the ghost hunting team split up, which is never a good idea because everyone knows bad situations occur when characters in horror movies split up, a situation that the students wanted to avoid.

“My favorite part about ghost hunting is exploring the unknown and feeling like you’re living inside of a horror film,” said Browen. “I love facing my fears and finding evidence along the way. Fear and adrenaline are crazy rushes that I crave.”

In the little theater, nothing significant was documented; but in the auditorium, Browen

got the adrenaline rush he was looking for.

Once everyone regrouped, they were lounging in the front row watching the stage for any paranormal activity. The spirit box started spitting out quiet murmurs of a conversation between a female and male spirit.

Their conversation was getting boring, so Browen decided to have the group shut off all the lights and have a moment of silence for the souls of the haunted LHS. PHOTO BY JOE Si m u l t a n e o u s l y, HIATT as the flashlights turned off a singular beam of blue light grazed across the choir risers, stopped for a few seconds, moved back across and disappeared into thin air, never to return.

After hearing many stories from teachers and custodial staff workers at LHS, the ghost hunting experts can confirm the rumors are true. There were many unexplainable occurrences in LHS on the eve of October.

PHOTO BY JOE

“Have you ever heard the expression ‘you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?’ Well that was what all the kids looked like after this experience,” said Bogart.

Boo.

HIATT

18

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STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

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STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

19

‘Gone Girl’ has gone from the pages to the theaters

BY ERIN DAUGHERTY “Gone Girl,” written by Gillian Flynn, has been on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list for a total of 121 weeks, but it was not until the novel’s movie debut that the book made it to the number one spot on the list. Having first read the novel before attending the film, I could tell who had read the book first from the gasps I would hear whenever another plot twist would occur. Although I had read the psychological thriller almost two years ago, and had forgotten many of the plot details, I was taken back into the world of Nick and Amy Dunn and the mystery surrounding Amy’s disappearance near their fifth anniversary.

In the film, it does not take long for the plot to take off. Within the first 10 minutes, Nick Dunn, played by Ben Affleck, gets a sudden phone call from a concerned neighbor that his front door was left wide open. This starts the journey of the mystery of what happened to his wife Amy Dunn, portrayed by Rosamund Pike.

Throughout the movie, the audience is taken into Amy’s personal life through diary entries and flashbacks of how she and Nick had met, her childhood being known as the inspiration for a children’s book series and her hasty move to North Carthage, MO. As the story spirals on, more and more characters are suspected for

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS

“Gone Girl” starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck came out in theaters Oct. 3, and has gained an impressive 88% on Rottentomatoes.com.

Amy’s disappearance, including her husband, Nick, who seems bewildered but only on the surface.

For the most part, the movie did a pretty flawless job of capturing the novel. From the settings, to the characters, to the plot sequence,

everything that was laid out so perfectly in my mind while reading the novel came to life on the big screen. There were some things I was worried about; such as the casting or the ability to follow the plot without making the movie confusing, but everything came together so

well. Neil Patrick Harris plays the character of Desi Collings. I am a fan of Neil Patrick Harris, but I was worried he would not be able to pull off a drama role being so accustomed to light-hearted comedy, but he did an amazing job. Affleck was also a hit or miss, with so many recognizably good and bad movies on his part there was maybe some concern, at least with me, that he would maybe ruin the whole movie. But again, I was pleasantly surprised.

IMDb gave “Gone Girl” a rating of 8.6 stars out of 10, which by their standards is a very good rating, and by my standards, very accurate.

Reading the description of the book, I did not know if it would be for a teenager. A novel about the inner struggles of marriage did not really sound like something I could relate to, or be interested in. But yet, I was dragged into the plot while reading the novel, and again while watching the movie.

I would like to give a warning to people though, the movie is rated ‘R,’ and for a good reason. The movie at times could get very graphic and was filled with some very foul language. So, if you get uncomfortable easily at swear words or graphic images, this may not be the movie for you. But if you love suspense, mystery and crime-dramas, this may just be the movie of your dreams.

‘Annabelle’ comes out to play, but does not entertain moviegoers

BY ALLISON METZGER As Halloween rounded the corner, a plethora of horror movies were released. Many movie producers consider October the prime time of year to release the most horrifying, bloodcurdling films possible, due to the eerie aura created by this popular holiday.

“Annabelle,” the prequel to “The Conjuring” which was released last year, hit theaters on Oct. 3, 2014, capturing the attention of many anxious horror film enthusiasts.

Set in the 1960s, “Annabelle” begins with a young couple, John and Mia Gordon, played

by Ward Horton and Annabelle Wallis. As a gift to his expecting wife, Gordon presents to her a doll, which completes her collection.

While Gordon could not thank her husband enough for this doll, her fondness of it quickly fades when two satanic cult members brutally slaughter their neighbors and attempt to do the same to the Gordon’s. Annabelle Wiggins, the murderous cult member, committed suicide with the doll in her arms. At this time, a drop

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS

“Annabelle,” the prequel to the popular horror movie “The Conjuring,” received a 31% compared to “The Conjuring” which received an 86% according to Rottentomatoes.com.

of blood fell from the body of Wiggins into the eyes of the doll. Immediately after these merciless homicides, the Gordon’s think that life cannot get any worse than it is. The young couple is quickly proved wrong when a soulcraving demon, believed to be Wiggins, possesses the doll, which once was such a lovely gift to Gordon.

Regardless of the multiple millions of dollars spent and time put into them, many horror movies turn out to be failures. The acting in “Annabelle” was mediocre; however the plot and special effects were absolutely sub-par. Horror films are meant to allow viewers to sense an uncomfortable and conflicting feeling, making them also ponder the possible existence of nonhuman affairs and unearthly spirits. Aside from the few pop-outs, which frighten many fearful and squirmy moviegoers, the remainder of the movie confirms the sleep-inducing storyline.

“Annabelle” has proven to not live up to the expectations set by “The Conjuring,” and has left many horror movie fanatics disappointed.

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STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

ENTERTAINMENT

Sioux Falls is the new venue for a big Apple gig; the Jamstik

BY MADDY HACKETT Some people find themselves playing air guitar to their favorite songs and end up wishing they knew how to play an actual guitar. The problem is, no one has time for lessons or the money to buy a guitar and then repair it time and time again, but most people have an Apple device and a niche for cool gadgets. For those people who do, say goodbye to air guitars and say hello to the Jamstik.

The Jamstik is a portable, wireless, 15 inch, $299, digital guitar produced by Zivix, a company based out of Minneapolis, MN. Ed Cannon, CEO of Zivix, a South Dakota State University graduate and the brains behind the Jamstik, is a Sioux Falls, SD native, so Zivix decided to manufacture the Jamstik in Cannon’s hometown as a tribute to him.

So far, the Jamstik has won “Best in Show” from the National Association of Music Members, placed first in the POPSCI Invention Award ceremony, was named one of the top 10 inventions of the year by Popular Science Magazine and was featured as one of the few products introduced on TechCrunch. The Jamstik has also been seen on The Last Gadget

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS

Sioux Falls native, Ed Cannon promoting the Jamstik in the early stages of design.

Standing competition, where people vote for their favorite product.

So, what is the difference between an air guitar and the Jamstik? The major difference

is that the Jamstik will record what has been played and teaches users how to become professionals through jamTutor lessons. JamTutor uses infrared light to actually see what users are playing. Other systems only offer an audio of what has been played. Every jamTutor lesson will give guitarists interactive feedback on how well they are playing and what they need to improve on for next time. The Jamstik offers wireless USB connectivity so that every song can be saved to GarageBand, jamMix or any other music saving application. The Jamstik offers a sleek black look, and has six strings, five infinite frets, high-speed pick detection, a momentary mute switch, a USB port, an adjustable strap and runs on a rechargeable battery.

Air guitars might look great but the Jamstik sounds great. Now it is easier than ever to learn how to play the guitar and share progress with friends and family. And the best part is that it is being manufactured right here in small town, Sioux Falls, SD. Hopefully the Jamstik will strike a good chord with musicians and become a big hit.

Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line taking over country music

BY MADISON ROST Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line both released album’s just one week apart in early October. “Old Boots, New Dirt” is Aldean’s newest release, and “Anything Goes” is FGL’s newest release.

Aldean’s “Old Boots, New Dirt” debuted with chart-topping singles, and sold over 278,000 copies the first week. “Burnin’ It Down” is sitting at number one on the charts just one week after being released. FGL’s single, ‘Dirt,’ from the “Anything Goes” album, reached number one also within a week of being released.

The albums capture similar themes throughout the lyrics; however, FGL focuses on the actual party, and Aldean writes about the after parties and of course, his truck in “If My Truck Could Talk.” Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley (singers from the FGL duo) keep the mood exciting and upbeat with many unexpected beats and melodies throughout the album with the help of their producer Joey Moi. It is quite obvious that their second album is supposed to be fun and energetic; which is made quite evident with the pun, in the title of the second single, “Sun Daze.”

“I knew it was going to get people’s atten-

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS

Jason Aldean steps into the limelight of country music, performing at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival.

tion, whether they loved it or hated it,” Aldean told Rolling Stone Country of the lighters-inthe-air ballad. “I knew they’d be talking about it, and that’s what I wanted. But to put all that

aside, I think the song is great. It’s a hit and it’s allowed us to do something different, which I like to do on every record. Something kind of weird and out there, and not what you’d ex-

pect.”

According to the website, Taste of Country, FGL described their latest album as a ‘continuation’ and ‘evolution’ of their debut album back in 2012. Even though FGL received criticism for the previous album, that it was too “country-bro like,” so they switched gears and took a more personal route.

“I think for us, it’s still got the same FGL sound, still writing and playing the same music that we love,” said Hubbard. “We tried to better ourselves and hone our craft, if you will, and try to become better performers, better songwriters and better singers in the studio.”

Currently, both Aldean and FGL are on a tour together. Aldean took a short break from his Burnin’ It Down Tour to perform in Detroit, MI on Oct. 11 to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In total, he helped raise more than $660,000 for research.

“We always try and have a lot of fun with our Komen show each year,” the singer explains on the Taste of Country website. “It isn’t just about raising money to help find a cure, it’s also about celebrating everyone who is going through treatment now and those who’ve been able to beat the disease.”

ENTERTAINMENT

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

21

A freak show comes to LHS’s little theater stage

BY ALISHA AUEN Many high school students struggle with feeling accepted by their peers. Students feel like they do not look the way society tells them to and they do not feel beautiful. “The Elephant Man,” is based on a true, relatable story, about a man who feels like he does not belong.

The play has a cast of 20 LHS students, including the lead character, John Merrick, the Elephant Man, who is played by LHS freshman Noah Kutter. Merrick is treated like a fairground freak, due to his deformed and animal-like body. The Elephant Man becomes his name due to riots started at carnivals, where people would stare and look in disgust at his monstrous body.

Eventually, Dr. Frederick Treves, played by LHS junior Gus Veerman, discovers the Elephant Man. Dr. Treves welcomes him into the London hospital where they perform tests on him and care for him. He finally experiences what it is like to be treated like a human instead of a monster. However, he still experiences all the hypocritical Victorian values and

is bewildered at how society views beauty. “The Elephant Man,” shows society’s moralistic standards through the themes and life lessons that the audience can learn from.

As Merrick becomes more famous, he gets attention from the newspapers and even a famous actress, Mrs. Kendal, played by junior Lorin Phillips.

Other lead actors and actresses in LHS’s version of “The Elephant Man,” include junior, Joe Hiatt playing Carr Gomm, the administer of the hospital, senior Paco Besestre playing Ross, the manager of the freak show that Merrick is apart of, and senior Mya Baca and junior Elisabed Gedevanishvili playing the pinheads who play another part in the freak show.

“The Elephant Man” is truly a heartfelt story that may even be a tearjerker. The play is aimed at an audience of high school students and adults who understand the complex themes within the plot. There is a lesson for everyone in this play and that is why Lance DeRoos, LHS’s theatre director, selected the play for LHS. Showtimes will begin on Nov. 18, 2014.

PHOTO BY JOE HIATT

Lance DeRoos talking to his cast members about their upcoming play, “The Elephant Man,” coming to the little theater stage on Nov. 18, 2014.

Stop in the school store for… ! r a e w t i r i Sp Refr esh

men

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STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Gotham:’ The dark delight that will improve viewers’ Mondays

BY ALEXA ANKRUM On Sept. 22, Fox premiered the TV series that reveals the side of the Batman story that has been greatly overlooked: the beginning.

The show is set in a corrupt Gotham City, where the mob controls all of the crime and most of the law enforcement. Newly transferred detective, James Gordon (Ben McKenzie), and his cynical partner, Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), are assigned to solve the murders of millionaires Martha and Thomas Wayne. The only problem that conflicts Gordon more than the Wayne murders, is the effect they had on Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), the victims’ son who witnessed their deaths. Neither of them realized it at the time, but their interactions with each other set the groundwork for creating a Gotham that does have heroes; one that has an honorable police commissioner, as well as a Dark Knight.

The show’s writers intricately weave the origins of many future Gotham criminals through the investigations of Gordon and Bullock. They changed enough of the original story to keep the viewer guessing, but retained enough of it

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS

Alfred (Sean Pertwee) and young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) star in the hit TV series “Gotham.”

to make “Gotham” a viable part of the Batman mythos. The writers delve deeply into the psychological aspects of the characters, most notably Bruce Wayne. It examines the darker side of his troubled mindset more than in most in-

carnations of the story. It reveals the vulnerable side of Batman most fans are not used to.

Donal Logue, who knows about playing investigators from his time working on the set of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” brings

realism and crass humor to the gritty backdrop of Gotham. Logue makes Bullock an interesting, three-dimensional character by portraying him as someone who is loose with his morality, but still retains some semblance of a conscience.

The moment Logue’s character shows up on the scene, the audience wonders what side of the moral line is he on at the moment. Jada Pinkett Smith steals the show with her ambitious crime boss character, Fish Mooney. Mooney is a character who has never appeared before in the Batman franchise. She is a charming and intelligent business woman one moment, and a vengeful, aggressive mobster the next. Mooney is the villain that keeps the viewer watching.

“Gotham” gives an ambitious new look to the story many thought they already knew. It provides a different flavor of ‘superheroism’ than we are used to seeing in the soup of superhero movies and TV shows we are exposed to. It reveals something very important, Bruce Wayne did not become Batman at a flick of a light switch after his parents died; he became Batman after years of living in a crime-ridden Gotham, trying to find a way to change it.

“Ya-betcha;” ‘Fargo’ heads to Sioux Falls

BY WILL HANNEMANN This year the hit TV show, “Fargo,” will look somewhat familiar. The cast and crew will be filming in the city of Calgary, in the province of Alberta, Canada, this winter, which will look a lot like Sioux Falls. Led by main character Keith Carradine, Fargo is moving from the 1980s town of Fargo to the 1970s town of Sioux Falls. They will be airing 10 episodes in the fall of 2015.

“Fargo” will be influenced by the movie “No Country for Old Men.” The show will be somewhat of a remake of the movie, “Fargo.” Same type of plot, but the show has some different characters. One of the lead characters will be Lou Solverson played by Keith Carradine. He is a returning character, but will be playing a younger version of himself at the age of 33. Lou will play a state police officer who just returned from Vietnam. Some other notable characters are his father-in-law, the local sheriff, and his wife, Betsy.

The old movie was about a man named Jerry Lundegaurd trying to pull off a crime but is getting deliberately stopped due to terrible henchman and meddling police. Also, the movie is considered one of the best mystery and drama movies of all time.

One should also lookout for Keith Carradine, who has been in movies such as “Cowboys Vs. Aliens” and “Southern Comfort.” Also you can see how weird we actually talk because they will have our accents. With sayings like “ya-betcha,” you’ll be sure to get a laugh and reevaluate the way that you talk.

“Fargo” is telling everyone what not to do be-

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“The new season of “Fargo” may be hazardous to crime and drama junkies....”

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For more inFormation, call (605) 335-5200.

cause you will always get caught no matter what.

This show has a lot of potential, and someone who loves trying to solve mysteries will really enjoy the show. It might be a little too graphic for kids, as it is rated TV MA, so there will be lot of violence and drama. The new season of “Fargo” may be hazardous to crime and drama junkies.

Although producers have yet to set a date for the season two premier, the show is expected to air in the fall of 2015.

www.fnbsf.com

ENTERTAINMENT

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

23

Up-and-coming rappers set to blow up the music industry

BY KADE WALKER In a world where everyone is a musician, the only way to make it big is to have something completely original. This is even more true in the case of hip-hop, where for every rapper playing in an actual theater, there are hundreds peddling off mix-tapes over the internet or in the streets. However, when rappers do have a sound that is unique, it can take them exceedingly far.

Up-and-coming rapper G-Eazy, who has been dubbed the James Dean of hip-hop and Hoodie Allen, who is known for his rare blend of rapping and singing abilities, shows that hiphop seems to be facing what could be a dramatic change in the very landscape of its music.

G-Eazy, who released his first album “These Things Happen” this summer, which reached the top spot in The Billboards; ok U.S. top hip-hop/ R&B Album, is known for not only looking like he is straight out of the 50s because of his slicked black hair and leather jacket, but also for sound-

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS

ing like it, often combining half-decade old songs with a modern rap sound. G-Eazy has felt like he has been on the cusp of fame for a while now, due to his, “swing for the fences, when you keep swinging, then you eventually hit one over” take on life. G-Eazy also recently announced a

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS

new tour, called “From the Bay to the Universe,” which he will travel to Des Moines, IA, Minneapolis, MN and over 30 other cities.

Hoodie Allen, also has been etching his way towards “blowing up” since his first album “All-

American,” which came out at 10th on the U.S. Billboard 200. Hoodie Allen has also had great international success, launching several tours across Europe. The anticipated release of his next album, “People Keep Talking,” his first album in two years, is said to be about how people are critically talking about Hoodie and his work, but he is not listening but doing his own thing. His new album consists partially of rap love songs, which many would argue is an oxymoron, but the combination surprisingly works well together. The way that Hoodie Allen has forged his own path by trying things that are not the norm in the rap world, is purely fascinating to watch.

In many ways what is so great about this new style of rappers, is that they are determined to make it their own way. The hip-hop world seems as if it will be showcasing some very different talents than the typical loud base-bumping sounds.

These new rappers are looking to set their mark on music with their new innovative sounds.

LHS sophomore publishes first fantasy book ‘Arla’

BY SYDNEY SWEETER

LHS sophomore, Allie Moen, is not the typical cookie-cutter student. Moen’s job is very different than any other student’s job at LHS. Outside of school, Moen enjoys reading and especially writing. This past August, Moen’s 106-page book, “Arla,” was published by XLIBRIS. That is right, Moen has written a book that has been published and she is only 16 years old. “Arla” is a short fantasy novel that revolves around Arla, a young elf who is 160 years old.

The movie “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” inspired Moen to write her book because it gave her the idea to write about elves.

“My book is about an elf who runs away to escape an arranged marriage,” said Moen.

“There is an evil goddess coming to destroy her kingdom, and she is the only one who can stop her.”

Moen did not decide to write a book so she could make a lot of money, or so she could get her name out there and become famous. She wrote a book because she really enjoys expressing herself through writing.

“Writing a book gave me something to do and it was entertaining for me, because anything could happen,” said Moen. “It also gave me an excuse to listen to a whole soundtrack in one sitting, because I like to listen to music while I write.”

Although the writing experience has been a

PHOTO BY JOE HIATT

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LHS LIBRARY

fairly positive one for Moen, she would still get frustrated at times while writing “Arla.”

“Writer’s block was the most frustrating part about writing,” said Moen. “When I got writer’s block I would work on some of the other books I am writing right now, and then I would

go back to the book and read some of what I wrote and think of a really cool idea, and then I would start writing again.”

Writing a book takes a long time, and Moen can attest to this. She wrote the book when she was 15, and the book was not finished or pub-

“Arla” can be bought in the Kindle version for $3.99 or found in the LHS library. It can also be found on Amazon as a paperback.

lished until she was 16.

“It took me a year and a half to write it,” said Moen. “It would take me about two hours to write five pages when I had writer’s block. But if ideas were really flowing, I could write five pages in maybe half an hour.”

Moen plans on writing more books in the future. She is currently working on several books that she hopes to publish soon.

“I am writing a sequel to ‘Arla’ right now,” said Moen. “I am on page 20. My publisher, XLIBRIS, already agreed to publish it. They said that if my book becomes really popular, they might even make it into a movie.”

Moen knows that she would not have been able to write “Arla” without all the encouragement she received while writing it.

“My mom was probably my biggest supporter,” said Moen. “She was actually the one who told me I should send it to a publisher.

She would give me ideas when I had really bad writer’s block and I couldn’t think of what to write.”

Moen has experienced many changes in her life due to writing her book and having her book published.

“More people know my name since my book came out,” said Moen. “Before, I used to kind of be a nobody, but now people know who I am. I am also more confident than I used to be.”

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Sports LHS STATESMAN

By the Numbers 16

8

NUMBER OF TOUCHDOWNS SCORED BY

BRAXTON LARGE

NUMBER OF GOALS THE GIRLS SOCCER TEAM GAVE UP IN

15

GAMES

OCTOBER 31, 2014

LHS boys and girls soccer win big at state

BY KADE WALKER The last time both the girls’ and the boys’ soccer team at any school won an AA championship in the same year, the current LHS students were in elementary school. That all changed when the LHS girls snapped a three year-long championship game losing streak, while the boys managed to win a championship for the second year in a row.

The girls’ soccer team played a tough OGHS team, in a game that ended 3-1 in favor of the Patriots,

with one goal being scored by sophomore Madison Landon and two being scored by junior Julie Teslow.

Teslow was later announced as MVP of the game for her great effort and outstanding play.

“It was really awesome to see all of our hard-work pay off,” said Teslow.

“Winning was more than I ever expected. It was amazing.”

After losing in years prior in the championship game, the team seemed to be dead-set towards getting the trophy that eluded them in

PHOTO PROVIDED BY LHS BOYS SOCCER

The LHS boy’s soccer team wins for the second year in a row, and claims their third state championship in the past four years.

CONSECUTIVE

4

MATCHES WON BY THE

LHS girl’s soccer team finally wins state championship after getting second place the past three years.

games’ past.

“The beginning of the game was a battle,” said Teslow. “When I scored for the first time, it was insane and even more so the second. It hit me when the Crazies started to do the ‘I believe’ chant. I knew we had done it,” The boys, not to be outdone by the girls, went on to win in a tight game against RHS, in which they won 1-0 with a goal by sophomore Daniel Murillo. Senior Teren Schuster was granted MVP honors for

leading his squad into their second championship in two years.

“Our goal was always to win another state championship by putting in work and expecting to win every time we came out to play,” said Schuster. “Last year we played a Rapid City school, so it wasn’t as personal. This year we played a city rival, so bragging rights were on the line.”

The Patriots will certainly be a contender next year with many returning players on both the girls’ and the boys’ teams.

BY DYLAN HALL After a week of fun festivities and school spirit, homecoming week came to an end when the LHS football team took the field against Brookings on Friday, Sept. 26, and won 35-21.

After a low scoring first quarter, the Pat’s offense found its groove, scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 14-7 halftime lead. Throughout the game, the Pats looked like they were going to pull away and win big, but they would ei-

touchdown. Denny had another interception just a few plays later that completely ended all hopes of a Brookings comeback and began the celebration from the LHS Crazies.

The offense as a whole had a great night despite a few fumbled snaps.

Senior quarterback Isaiah Roach threw for 235 yards and one touchdown. Most of those passes went to either Thanel or senior Nickel Meyers, as the two combined for 225 of those yards. Senior running back Braxton Large also had a big game,

running for 176 yards and three touchdowns.

It was a great night for Thanel, who was coming back from a shoulder injury suffered earlier in the season. He was also named homecoming king the night before, which he said influenced his play.

“It definitely had me more pumped up than usual for the game,” said Thanel. “It was exciting with all the fans and the hoopla leading up to it; but in the end, it is another game and I had to come in focused.”

VOLLEYBALL TEAM IN FARGO

2

NUMBER OF STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS THE

LHS SOCCER TEAMS WON

UPCOMING EVENTS Tuesday, November 4 Varsity Volleyball district tournament round one

Friday, November 7 Varsity Football Semi-finals @ Howard Wood

Tuesday, December 9 Varsity Wrestling @ LHS gym

Friday, December 12

Varsity Basketball vs R.C. Central @ Rapid City

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KENNA DECKER

LHS pulls out close win on homecoming night ther fumble a snap or have a key penalty that kept Brookings in the game.

“I was happy to get in and help our offense after my shoulder got hurt,” said LHS senior receiver Paul Thanel. “We played as best as we could and it led to a great win.”

LHS would finally seal the game late in the fourth quarter. Brookings had a chance to tie it up, when they decided to throw a pass deep and it was intercepted by senior Kieran Denny, who returned the interception 40 yards for the game-winning

SPORTS

27

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

Testing for a concussion becomes more common at LHS

BY MADDI BARNESS

Blurriness, dizziness and headaches are just a few of the common symptoms of a concussion.

Unfortunately, concussions today have become more common for high school students. This could be due to how doctors and trainers are handling them today, which is different than what they did just a few years ago.

LHS athletic trainer Brian Fox has worked at LHS for three years and has seen many athletes with injuries pass through his door. Along with sprained ankles and sore muscles, Fox has seen many concussions in his years of work, and he expects that the number will continue to go up. Many Doctors and trainers are now more aware of what a concussion really is, so they can make the treatment more accurate.

“In the last five years there has been much more emphasis on concussions,” said Fox. “We are more aware when concussions happen, and we see more of them.”

Along with ACL and shoulder injuries, concussions can be one of the hardest things to recover from. When to allow athletes back into their sports is also a question many trainers have to answer.

“We don’t know the greatest way to get everybody up again,” said Fox. “We don’t have a

perfect plan for concussions, especially when it is borderline.”

Although there are different concussion tests such as the ImPACT test and the King Devick test, more information is needed to determine if an athlete has a concussion or not. Fox has to do many things to help determine the injury.

“We do balance testing and memory testing, things like that,” said Fox. “We start going through signs and symptoms and see if things start to add up.”

Football is often thought of as the sport with the most concussions, however, cheer and dance are also starting to show more concussions, along with soccer. Even head-butting the ball can cause damage to the brain. This year already, there have been seven LHS students with confirmed concussions. Although research has been trying to create a helmet that will prevent athletes from the horrors of a brain injury, Fox has his doubts about the helmet ever being successful.

“There’s no way to stop the movement inside the skull,” said Fox. “If they could prevent a concussion, there would be a helmet invented already.”

Since more risky hits and maneuvers are being performed, concussions are, and will most

PHOTO BY SYDNEY MILLER

Athletes in contact sports at LHS are now required to take the ImPACT concussion test.

likely be, around forever. However, Fox believes that the injury will continue to be handled better than before due to research. The tests and ways concussions are being dealt with will also always be changing, however every trainer has

one goal; keeping their players safe.

“We are more aware of concussions, and as they do more research, especially how we handle concussions, all of those things will be changing,” said Fox.

Standing Pat

Recent NFL violence controversies have been blown out of proportion

BY DYLAN HALL, SPORTS EDITOR The NFL has taken a recent hit to its popularity because of two separate violence issues that left everyone questioning the league’s ability to handle bad situations.

People’s perception of the NFL is drastically changing after the incidents with Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson.

The way NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has handled the two problems has been less than perfect, and now people are calling for Goodell to resign or be fired.

People are also saying that Rice and Peterson should be kicked out of the NFL. Getting rid of the players that create the problems is an easy thing to do, and what the two players did was horrible, but at the same time, people are blowing what happened out of proportion.

Goodell tried to cover up the Rice situa-

tion by giving him a two game suspension, which everyone agrees is not long enough.

He then changed his stance completely when the video of Rice hitting his fiancée came to the public eye, and Rice was suspended indefinitely. Goodell has not done anything in regards to Adrian Peterson yet. The Vikings suspended him after the story of his child abuse broke, and then reinstated him after one week. The public was enraged by Minnesota’s actions and the team suspended him again, this time indefinitely.

Since these problems arose, there have been multiple reports of players around the NFL that have had past disputes with domestic violence.

There is a reason why Goodell did not do anything in the beginning. He had two of the league’s best players, and he wanted

them to play, because when the best players play, the league makes more money, and that is all they care about. Goodell should not be blamed for the NFL’s shortcomings in handling the violence problems. All he is trying to do is help the league make money.

People are also overreacting to what happened with both Rice and Peterson.

What they did was horrible, but they both deserve another chance. Domestic violence and child abuse happens all over the country every day, and what they did should not go unpunished, but a six game suspension, a fine, anger management classes and some charity work would be a fitting punishment for both players. They could also help in the community to show that they are changing and learning from their mistakes.

A suspension is the worst thing in the world for a football player, because they are not allowed around their teammates and they are forced to watch the games from the sidelines without being able to help their team win. If the NFL takes the right action and hands Peterson and Rice the appropriate punishment, the two players would both be able to get back in people’s good graces and get back to playing. The NFL would also look good in the way they handled the situation. Kicking the three men out of the league, like many fans are calling for, could be worse than the league doing nothing. The league will look bad for how the situation was handled along with its reputation for being a criminal organization, and the reputation of three people that are just trying to make things right will be ruined forever.

SPORTS

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

A true triathlete trains to be number one

BY SYDNEY SWEETER LHS sophomore Jadon Johnson has been competing in triathlons for the past six years.

Besides competing in cross country and track for LHS, Johnson also competes on the Snowfox swim team and is a part of the Z3 triathlon team.

Johnson started competing in triathlons six years ago to control his ADHD and because he thought they looked interesting and fun.

“I was really hyper when I was a little kid due to my ADHD,” said Johnson. “My parents decided to enter me into a triathlon as an outlet for all of my extra energy, and I have been competing in them ever since.”

Triathlons are much more intense and diverse than any other sport practice, because triathlons are three different sports in one.

“A normal triathlon practice includes warm ups and then intervals,” said Johnson. “For intervals, we start with a swim and then we bike one mile. After we bike one mile, we get off the bike and run. We run less than a mile, but the distances vary.”

It is very common for athletes to wipe out and get road rash or more serious injuries while they are in a draft pack, a group of bikers riding closely together.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JADON JOHNSON

LHS triathlete, Jadon Johnson, competes while running for his team called Z3.

“I have only crashed once on my bike,” said Johnson. “Thankfully, I wasn’t seriously injured and I was still able to compete and finish the race.”

Through triathlons, Johnson has accomplished many different feats that he is very proud of.

“I finished third in the South Dakota State triathlon, which I was really happy about,” said Johnson. “I have also raced nationally.”

Some triathletes say that they do not have a favorite part about triathlons, but Johnson has a

favorite and a least favorite.

“My favorite part is either biking or running, because it is what I am good at,” said Johnson.

“If I had to choose an absolute favorite, I’d say biking. My least favorite part is swimming because it is what I am weakest at.”

Although Johnson is not strongest at swimming, he does not consider swimming the hardest part about triathlons.

“The hardest part about triathlons is going strong, even when you want to quit,” said Johnson. “Especially since triathlons are three differ-

28

ent sports in one, it is really easy to want to quit in the middle when you are really tired.”

Johnson thinks that triathlons are unique and different than any other sports for multiple reasons.

“Triathlons are a harder sport because it takes three sports that are already challenging and puts them together into one,” said Johnson. “It is also a unique sport because endurance is so important and competitors need a strong mentality to compete in triathlons.”

Unlike some of his teammates, Johnson tries to do most of his training in one place.

“Although my triathlon team, Z3, is based out of Des Moines, I usually stay in Sioux Falls for training,” said Johnson. “In the summer, I’ll go down to Des Moines for some camps, but I do almost all of my training in Sioux Falls.”

Do not be surprised if Johnson is seen competing in a triathlon when he is 60 years old. In fact, he would love to be competing in triathlons when he is 60 and older.

“I want to continue to compete in triathlons for the rest of my life,” said Johnson. “If I can’t compete in them for the rest of my life, I would like to continue to compete in triathlons for as long as I can.”

Parents change NFL jerseys to say “Be Nice to Girls”

BY SWETHA SARAVANAN According to Safe Horizon, one in four women will go through domestic violence in her lifetime. Women on average experience 4 million physical assaults and rape a year, while men experience 3 million. Domestic violence is also a problem for a specific famous football player.

The Baltimore Ravens’ running back Raymell Mourice Rice was arrested and charged with assault on Feb. 15, 2014 as a result of a dispute at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. TMZ, a celebrity news website, posted a video of Rice hauling his fiancé’s body out of an elevator, who also appeared to be knocked out. After the incident, Rice was indicted by a grand jury on thirddegree aggravated assault as well as a potential jail sentence of three to five years and a fine up to $15,000 on Mar. 27, 2014. The couple tied the knot the following day. However, Rice was suspended for the first two games of the 2014 NFL season. Once Rice agreed to go through with court-supervised counseling, all criminal charges were dropped. On Sept. 8, 2014, TMZ revealed more recorded footage from the

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MCT CAMPUS

The incident with Ray Rice opened million’s of eyes to the rising problem of domestic violence in America. Because of his actions, many people across the country have started wearing Ray Rice jerseys that say “Be Nice to Girls.”

elevator’s camera in which Rice was shown to be punching Palmer. Rice’s contract with the Ravens was terminated almost immediately, and soon Rice was announced to be suspended from the NFL indefinitely.

Bryan Bartlett is a Ravens fan living in Baltimore. After a video of Rice hitting his former fiancé and now-wife surfaced, the terrified father found the incident as an opportunity to teach his kids a lesson. Some people cut up the Rice football jersey, others went as far as burning it. Instead of throwing the Rice football jersey Bartlett gave his daughter two years ago, or exchanging it for a different one, he decided to get a little creative. With some glue and white lettering, Bartlett formed the message “Be Nice To Girls.” The ‘R’ in Rice was replaced with the ’N’ in nice. Bartlett hoped to inform his kids that it is not okay to be mean or to hit women.

Bartlett’s wife posted a picture of their daughter on social media, which went viral. Hopefully, this message will go beyond social media and help spread awareness on the injustice of domestic violence.

SPORTS

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

29

The boys behind the success: The LHS scout squad Adam Brandner #14

Motivation to be on the team: To be Teren Schuster’s slave Inspiration: Testing the water and making sure it’s safe

BY ALLISON METZGER The LHS football team recently finished the 2014 regular season undefeated and the boys are hungry for another championship win. Many students and fans are raving over the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers who score the touchdowns; however, there are a few players who deserve to share the spotlight. These senior players, Adam Brandner, Kieran Denney, Micah Dix and Denton Aanenson, are part of the scout team, the squad who learns the plays of other teams to give starters an insight on their upcoming competition. While these athletes may not get much playing time, there is a lot of behind the scenes work that they perform, such as attending prac- Motivation to be on the tices, games and bringing moral support for the team, which consumes about 40 hours a week. team: Best seats for the game (sidelines).

LHS, meet your scout squad!

Inspiration: To whoop on fo six

Micah Dix #63

Denton Aanenson #22

Kieran Denney #17

Motivation to be on the team: To hear Rico tell me I’m a good-looking white dude.

Inspiration: Bobby Boucher

Motivation to be on the team: Dalton’s tan, especially his Playboy bunny.

Inspiration: Micah’s mullet PHOTOS BY SYDNEY MILLER

From left to right: Micah Dix, Denton Aanenson, Adam Brandner and Kieran Denney.

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STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

FOOTBALL Kyle Sim, 11

Derek Peters, 12

Pregame Ritual: “Gangam Style” Hidden Talent: Putting soy sauce on everything.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Fortune cookies from Hy-Vee

Pregame Ritual: Rub Lucas’ biceps for good luck.

Hidden Talent: Being better than Drew.

Who would play you in a movie and why? The Rock; for obvious reasons.

Nickel Meyers, 12

Nolan Burchill, 11

Pregame Ritual: Pitbull and Soulja Boy Hidden Talent: Your mom Who would play you in a movie and why? Your mom

Pregame Ritual: Make sure my teammates are “focused up” for the game.

Hidden Talent: Discussing economics Who would play you in a movie and why? David Spade/ Joe Dirt because “Life’s a garden dig it,” and Brandy is my women crush.

Dalton Jones, 12

Lucas Heitkamp, 12

Pregame Ritual: Constantly flexing to scare the other team.

Hidden Talent: I can bounce my pecks.

Who would play you in a movie and why? A Stormtrooper from “Star Wars,” because “Star Wars’” is life.

Pregame Ritual: Bicep curls Hidden Talent: Consumer math Who would play you in a movie and why? Terry Crews because we look alike.

MEET THE Drew Peters, 12 Pregame Ritual: Catch one football, which is more catches then 46 will have all year.

Hidden Talent: Cloning myself Who would play you in a movie and why? Derek; he is my clone just with smaller muscles.

Paul Thanel, 12

Pregame Ritual: Making sure the Crazies are ready to preform at their peak.

Hidden Talent: I can play silent night on my harmonica like really good.

Who would play you in a movie and why? I don’t think I would let anyone else play me in a movie, I’d prefer to do the honors myself.

Jake Erickson, 12

Pregame Ritual: I like to cash out before I ball out.

Hidden Talent: I like blacksmithing in my down time.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Brady Barnes, because he has that Hollywood figure.

Michael Greenfield, 12

Dylan Arntz, 12

Pregame Ritual: Checking the weather forecast with Sam Alvine.

Hidden Talent: I’m a level 80 mage on Runescape. Add me at X_SwagaJacka_X Who would play you in a movie and why? Hendrik Lamarr

Pregame Ritual: Listening to Coach Massa tell me how bad I am.

Hidden Talent: I don’t know where it is.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Ivan Drago from “Rocky 4.” He is my twin brother.

Pregame Ritual: Wehrkamp Bootcamp Hidden Talent: Cooking Who would play you in a movie and why? Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; he’s huge.

Sam Alvine, 12

OJ Jones, 12

Pregame Ritual: Stroking Micah Dix’s mullet, and catching skippers with coach Riko.

Hidden Talent: Catching more passes than fo-six.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Rookie Greens, because we are brothers.

Pregame Ritual: Assessing Arntz’s new injuries.

Hidden Talent: Winning arguments Who would play you in a movie and why? Wolverine, da chops

Ned Sudbeck, 12

Next Issue: Band, All State Chorus and Orchestra

Ethan Schilling, 12

Pregame Ritual: Release the bad from my body.

Hidden Talent: Being a rapper; (Eddy Curls) look out for my newest mixtape, it’s fire.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Lil B, the based God.

VARSITY Lauren Holm, 12

Pregame Ritual: Leading a passionate “what team?” “Patriots, getcha head in the game,” with da squad.

Hidden Talent: I secretly have a deeper voice than Morgan Freeman.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Reese Witherspoon; we are southern belles grown with spunky personalities.

Sara Jane Teal, 12 Pregame Ritual: Convincing Pabst to twerk for us.

Hidden Talent: Coming up with new dance moves with Alisha Auen and Esther Breukelman.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Beyonce, because we’re basically the same person.

McKenzie Kock, 12

Pregame Ritual: Bus jam sessions with the squad.

Hidden Talent: I can eat more than the average football player.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Alisha Auen, because she is my twin.

Kara Wagner, 12

Pregame Ritual: Forcing Mckenna and Maddie to give me back tickles and DP in the LR’s.

Hidden Talent: Anezka and I can reenact any vine.

Who would play you in a movie and why? @madeline_lou, because she is my spirit animal #yonce.

Mikaela Jahn, 12

Pregame Ritual: Twerking in the showers with Kara Wagner.

Hidden Talent: Squatting 450 Who would play you in a movie and why? Maddy Godschalk, because she’s a white version of me.

STATESMAN | October 31, 2014

CHEERLEADERS Mattea Oppold, 12

Pregame Ritual: Sleeping Hidden Talent: Rapping “Baby Got Back.”

Who would play you in a movie and why? Kristina (Tina) Sullivan, because she’s my Asian counter part.

DANCE TEAM Regan Lehr, 12

Pregame Ritual: Braiding Mattea Oppolds hair.

Hidden Talent: I can lift Haley Baker with one hand.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Karen from “Mean Girls,” because I can predict weather.

Alisha Auen, 11 Pregame Ritual: Singing “Anaconda.”

Hidden Talent: I’m actually Crazy Eyes from “Orange Is The New Black.”

Who would play you in a movie and why? McKenzie; she’s my twin.

VOLLEYBALL

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Haley Baker, 12 Pregame Ritual: I eat popcorn before every game.

Hidden Talent: I can twist my thumbs all the way around.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Miley Cyrus, because she is such a sweet, innocent girl just like me.

Kya Brings Plenty, 10 Pregame Ritual: Making campfires outside of the teepee.

Hidden Talent: I can do more bicep curls than Lucas Heitkamp.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Brittany Snow in “John Tucker Must Die.” It took us a while to get our men.

Julia Johnson, 12

Pregame Ritual: Doing crunches and team pump up circle.

Hidden Talent: I can hum and beatbox at the same time.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Amanda Seyfreid, because she’s my idol.

Abbie Jarratt, 12

Michelle Haas, 12

Pregame Ritual: Playing solitaire in the training room with Brian.

Hidden Talent: Taking naps.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Kristen Stewart because neither of us smile.

Pregame Ritual: Making fun of Abbie who’s only friend is Brian.

Hidden Talent: Mooching all your food.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Emma Watson, because she’s attractive.

Grace Fjellanger, 12

McKenna Barness, 12

Pregame Ritual: Fighting with Kara Wagner and eating Snickers.

Hidden Talent: Spelling things on Twitter.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Anezka, because we are the same height.

Pregame Ritual: I eat 13 pieces of candy before each game.

Hidden Talent: I can quote every word to every “Friends” episode.

Who would play you in a movie and why? Princess Leia, because Dalton loves “Star Wars.”

Ready to discover.

Experience SDSU. One-on-One Visits: M-F, 8 am-5 pm Jackrabbit Previews: Fridays this fall Honors Visit Day: Friday, October 10 Register for your visit at sdstate.edu/visit or 800.952.3541.

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