Junior Edition Marian High School 7400 Military Avenue Omaha, NE 68134
www.MarianHighSchool.net
Volume 59 Issue 6 April 2015
Page
Blood Drive
Page
“Cursing Mummies” takes the stage and presents audiences with a fresh, original comedy. Photo by mimikelly.
Speech
Comedy brings interaction to Marian stage
“C
mollymiller
ursing Mummies,” an original work by Michael McCandless, made its reappearance on the stage for its 10th anniversary in Marian’s Performing Arts Center. Although the play made its first appearance in 2005 at Creighton Prep, the director, now a theater professor at Creighton, had his first audition at Marian. The cast vigorously prepared for the play for nearly four months. This performance featured an impressive set and talented actors. With a cast of more than 40, it was guaranteed to be action-packed and exciting. Although the play is coming to Marian for the first time, it made its original debut in 2005 at Creighton Prep. “This play has
certainly been through many revisions, but the basis is still the same” McCandless said. The original characters attended the Thursday preview night, and were able to see the characters they played 10 years ago back in action. The play has been performed seven times throughout the United States since it’s creation. McCandless has directed the first performance at Creighton Prep, and has seen a few of the other performances around the country. He was very optimistic about the Marian performances stating that there couldn’t have been a better cast, crew, and set to match his vision. “Cursing Mummies” is a spoof on a murder mystery set in the early 1920s.
Page
Guests at a dinner party, along with some help from the audience, must try to determine who among them has killed their host. At one point the audience members vote on who they believe committed the murder. The ballots are collected and later on in the play, the actors stage a scene where the character states a motive and kills the professor. The killer changed each night with the popular vote from the audience. Members of the cast had no idea who would be “killing” the professor until quite literally moments before the scene. All the characters on the stage then briefly composed a plan and the “murder” took place. See Comedy: Page 3
Prom Photo Essay Letter and number photos by journalism students printed on 100% recycled paper
Big investments buy priceless benefits jamierosenthal
B
efore you even step through the doors on your first day of freshman year, your parents have already paid a huge sum of money to get you where you are. Just think about it. You have your new uniform on, your books are in your backpack, and the down payments of your tuition are paid. So the real question is, how much money really goes into your private education? Let’s start with the clothes students wear. Marian girls live in their uniform. From dawn ‘til dusk girls are reppin’ the blue polo and plaid all around the city. Some girls are extremists and even go to bed in their uniform. “Occasionally, I sleep in my uniform because it’s easier and I can sleep longer in the mornings,” sophomore Janna Whited said. The majority of students own a skirt, skort, one sweater and three polos according to Educational Outfitters, the official uniform store for a Marian girl. However, this fact may be inconsistent, considering everyone has their own specific uniform set. The total cost of a basic uniform set is $207. In reality, this price is a complete deal when the outfit is worn five times a week, nine months, or approximately 162 days of the year. The price averages out to $1.27 per day to wear your uniform. On average, students buy two to three
spirit t-shirts per year. Combining the prices of t-shirts, the average Marian student spends at least $30 on Marian t-shirts and spirit wear. Many girls are also involved in a Marian Yearly Marian Expenses activity. Whether Uniform: $207 it’s soccer, tennis, or Books: $250 a school Tuition: play, the $10,210 activities Lunch card: $65 fee is $50. 2 T-shirts: $30 Math teacher Total: $10,762 Mrs. Lisa *Numbers are averages and estimates Schmidt *Lunch cost includes one Marian Moms and one lunch card was once in charge Graphics by racheljohnson of selling & makenziefuss books to students before online shopping became the norm. “It’s very hard to average out the prices students spend on books because there are so many factors. For example, it depends on what classes you’re enrolled in, AP classes, and if you’re buying new or used books,” Schmidt said. Students can spend anywhere from $75 to $500 or more on books. So, for data purposes, $250 is a more reasonable number to represent the students overall.
“I spent around $300, my literature book was really expensive and it was one-third of the total I spent on my books,” junior Jenna Gornall said. In addition to clothes, extracurriculars and supplies, it is more than well-known that Marian girls love food. “Most students start out the year with a lunch card ($30) and a Marian Mom’s card ($35),” Tim Eoriatti, Lunch Coordinator, said. Adding those together, you spend $65 minimum on lunch expenses and possibly more if you buy multiple lunch cards, spend cash in the lunch line, or utilize the vending machines. “I’m going on my third lunch card this year. I spend it mostly on days I don’t want to make a lunch and when I’m craving cookies,” freshman Anna Mikulicz said. As you move higher and higher up the high school food chain the tuition increases by $100. For example, a
sophomore’s tuition is $100 more than freshman’s tuition. To tally up the costs of tuition, you can take the arithmetic average of all four prices, resulting with the grand total of $10,210 (including registration and the technology fee). By Nebraska state law, there are at least 1080 hours in a school year; Marian, however, exceeds this quota. This means that Marian parents are spending an average of $9.45 per hour to send their daughter to Marian. When Marian was founded in 1955, the tuition was $100 for every grade. The prices have significantly increased, but the times have changed, too. Today, we have high-end technology, outstanding additions to the school, and endless options for extra-curriculars. Even though education is not cheap, Catholic schools teach students subjects and skills that public schools cannot teach. Like the current Omaha Archdiocese campaign says, Marian teaches faith, good character, honesty, responsibility and discipline. Marian goes beyond that and teaches empowerment, leadership and compassion. The money put towards your education results in a priceless outcome of a wellrounded student, classmate, friend and daughter who works hard in and outside of the classroom.